Patent ID: 7606272

Claim:
A signal distribution system for circumventing and altering transmission channel users of transmission-channel disruptions, the signal distribution system comprising: a source that encodes information in an optical signal and transmits the optical signal in a source channel; a multiplexer configured to receive the optical signal from the source channel and distribute the optical signal over N transmission channels, each optical signal carrying the same information as the first signal; a demultiplexer configured to receive the optical signals carried over the N transmission channels; and N detectors, wherein the demultiplexer is configured so that only one of the N detectors receives one of the optical signals when none of the N transmission channels are disrupted, and when one or more of the transmission channels are disrupted two or more of the N detectors receive two or more of optical signals completing the transmission and alerting transmission-channel users of the disruption to the one or more transmission channels.