Patent Document ID: 20100215361
Application ID: 12389909
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method of determining an arrangement of an optical network, the method comprising: partitioning an optical network tree into a plurality of subtrees, one or more of the plurality of subtrees including a distribution array waveguide grating connected to a plurality of subscribers and to a network optical line termination; horizontally partitioning at least one subtree by replacing at least one of a multiple-input/multiple-output intermediate array waveguide grating and a multiple-input/multiple-output distribution array waveguide grating with an equivalent arrangement of single-input/multiple-output array waveguide gratings; vertically partitioning at least one subtree by selectively replacing at least one of the single-input/multiple-output array waveguide gratings with a respective equivalent cascaded arrangement including a single-input/double-output array waveguide grating and two or more smaller single-input/multiple-output array waveguide gratings, where one or more of the smaller single-input/multiple-output array waveguide gratings includes fewer outputs than the respective one single-input/multiple-put array waveguide grating; vertically combining at least one subtree by selectively replacing at least one cascaded arrangement of at least three single-input/multiple-output intermediate array waveguide gratings with an equivalent single-input/multiple-output array waveguide grating; and horizontally combining at least one subtree by selectively replacing at least two intermediate array waveguide gratings connected nearest the network optical line termination with an equivalent multiple-input/multiple-output array waveguide grating.