Patent ID: 8724658

Claim:
An optical transmission device that transmits data to a plurality of destination addresses, comprising: a first header-attaching device that attaches a header of a first bit rate to data of the first bit rate, the header of the first bit rate including identification data for identifying a destination address of the data of the first bit rate; an individual-header attaching device that attaches an individual header of a second bit rate to data of the second bit rate, the individual header of the second bit rate including identification data for uniquely identifying a destination address of the data of the second bit rate, and a common-header attaching device that attaches, in each transmission unit which includes a set of data and the header of the first bit rate, a common header to whole of pieces of data of the second bit rate having the individual header attached thereto by the individual-header attaching device without the common header being attached to the data of the first bit rate, the common header of the first bit rate indicating that the pieces of data attached thereto are of the second bit rate; and a transmitter that transmits the data having the header of the first bit rate attached thereto by the first header-attaching device or by the individual-header attaching device and the common-header attaching device.