Patent ID: 7079555

Claim:
An apparatus for mapping signals between virtual tributaries and digital signal formats for transmission to and from customer instruments and a telecommunications system along optical and wire paths, comprising the combination of: optical interface means for receiving optical signals, converting said optical signals into electrical signals and demultiplexing said electrical signals from an optical channel format to a synchronous transport signal, STS, format; STS multiplexing means for receiving the demultiplexed STS signals and generating an output of parallel STS signals arranged in at least one virtual tributary group, VTG, comprising a selected number of virtual tributaries; digital interface means for receiving digital signals from and transmitting digital signals to wire paths coupled to the telecommunications system and customer instruments; VTG circuit means for mapping and demapping a virtual tributary group and configured to perform at least one mapping operation from a group of operations consisting of mapping at least one of said virtual tributaries to at least one of said digital signals, mapping at least one of said virtual tributaries to a different one of said virtual tributaries, and mapping at least one of said digital signals to at least one of said virtual tributaries; channel unit means for receiving and processing said virtual tributary group and for delivering said virtual tributary group to predetermined customer instruments; and a common equipment device and a channel device connected by an optical communication link; wherein said optical interface means, said STS multiplexing means, and said VTG circuit means operate in said common equipment device, and said channel unit means operates in said channel device.