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System and method for testing optical fibers that lead between a telecommunications provider and a customer's premises

  • US 6,317,535 B1
  • Filed: 08/24/1999
  • Issued: 11/13/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In a telecommunications system where two dedicated optical fiber extend from a central office of a telecommunications provider to a customer facility through an optical fiber network, a method of remotely testing the two optical fibers, comprising the steps of:

  • providing a first and second wave division multiplexer at said central office, each wave division multiplexer coupling to one of said two dedicated optical fibers prior to entering a fiber optic transmission system at said central office, wherein said second wave division multiplexer couples to an optical test port;

    providing an optical tap at said central office between said first wave division multiplexer and said fiber optic transmission system for tapping off a portion of a transmission signal received from said customer facility;

    electronically monitoring said transmission signal received by said optical tap, wherein a trouble signal is indicated when said transmission signal falls below a given threshold;

    introducing an optical test signal into a first of the two dedicated optical fibers at the central office of the telecommunications provider;

    looping said optical test signal from the first of the two dedicated optical fibers to a second of the two dedicated optical fibers at the customer facility; and

    monitoring said optical test signal in the second of the two dedicated optical fibers at the central office.

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