Patent ID: 8275266

Claim:
An optical interconnect system comprising: a first component including a first block through which a first light pipe extends, the first light pipe being positioned to receive a first optical signal and to direct the first optical signal for transmission from the first component, wherein the first light pipe comprises a hollow tube having reflective walls and a cross-section of a first size; and a second component including a second light pipe nominally aligned with the first light pipe and separated from the first light pipe by a free-space gap, wherein the second light pipe comprises a hollow tube having reflective walls and a cross-section of a second size that is larger than the first size, and wherein: the first block further includes a third light pipe that extends through the first block as a hollow tube having reflective walls and a cross-section of the second size; the second component further includes a fourth light pipe that comprises a hollow tube having reflective walls and a cross-section of the first size; and the third light pipe and the fourth light pipe are nominally aligned for transmission of a second optical signal from the second component, through the fourth light pipe, across the free-space gap, and into the third light pipe.