Patent ID: 7079766

Claim:
A method for splitting an optical data signal into an n number of electrical data signals having lower bit rates, the method comprising: splitting the optical data signal into an n number of equal data sub-signals; adding a corresponding optical binary auxiliary signal to each of the n number of data sub-signals, each corresponding optical binary auxiliary signal having a same bit rate and phase as the data sub-signal to which it is added, wherein an nth bit of each of the optical binary auxiliary signals has a level higher than other bits in the optical binary auxiliary signal, and phases of each of the optical binary auxiliary signals have a relative displacement of one bit, such that an n number of aggregate signals are generated; and transmitting each of the aggregate signals to a corresponding decision-maker, each decision-maker having a threshold with an amplitude greater than an amplitude of a corresponding data sub-signal and less than an amplitude of a corresponding aggregate signal such that each decision-maker emits an electrical data signal having a bit rate 1/n times a bit rate of the optical data signal.