Patent ID: 7650076

Claim:
An optical node comprising: a data interface coupled to an optical transmission medium having a plurality of data channels; a burst blocker for the selective transmission of the plurality of data channels; a controller for: receiving a token comprising transmission data specifying one of the data channels and a time window; and selectively configuring the burst blocker, based at least in part on the transmission data, for the selective communication of the specified data channel on the optical transmission medium; wherein the burst blocker is coupled to and configurable by the controller to: use a first filter to split the specified data channel from the plurality of data channels, use the first filter to pass the plurality of data channels other than the specified data channel, in a first configuration, rejoin the specified data channel with the plurality of data channels for transmission of the plurality of data channels toward a destination node; in a second configuration, block the specified data channel to prevent the transmission of the specified data channel beyond the optical node; and wherein the burst blocker operates in the second configuration during the time window.