Fiber access architecture capable of being seamlessly upgraded

• US 7,865,081 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woodward, Sheryl Leigh
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCAL, LESLIE C
• Application Number:
  US12/152,959
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 398 68- 72, 398 82- 85
• US Class Current: 398/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/27 Arrangements for networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0201 Add-and-drop multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/025 using one wavelength per ONU, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/028 WDM bus architectures

Abstract

Disclosed is an architecture enabling premium services to be provided over fiber to high-end users/customers. This architecture has a plurality of nodes and a passive optical device inserted prior to one of the nodes. The optical device allows wavelengths provisioned for original service(s) to pass through with minimal loss, while other wavelengths provisioned for the premium services are diverted onto a new fiber. This new fiber may be installed at the time of the upgrade, but, sometimes, dark fiber is available. Dark fiber is fiber that carries no optical signals.

Claims

1. An optical distribution network configured to provide new services to at least one customer site, the optical distribution network comprising:

a first fiber and a second fiber configured to carry signals between a core optical network and at least one node associated with existing customer sites;

a wavelength partition inserted between the core optical network and the at least one node associated with existing customer sites, the wavelength partition configured to transmit signals from the core optical network to the at least one node via the first fiber, the wavelength partition further configured to transmit signals from the at least one node to the core optical network via the second fiber; and

a third fiber configured to carry bidirectional signals carrying new services between the wavelength partition and at least one customer site subscribing to the new services;

the wavelength partition being further configured to drop, from the first fiber, downstream signals supporting the new services and to connect the downstream signals supporting the new services to the third fiber for transmission to the at least one customer site subscribing to the new services; and

the wavelength partition being further configured to pass upstream signals supporting the new services for transmission via the third fiber from the wavelength partition to the core optical network.

2. The optical distribution network according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength partition is further configured to segregate wavelengths originally deployed from newly provisioned wavelengths used to provide the new services.

3. The optical distribution network according to claim 1, wherein the at least one node comprises a power splitter for a Passive Optical Network (PON) distribution network.

4. The optical distribution network according to claim 1, wherein the at least one node is a fiber node for a Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) network distribution network.

5. The optical distribution network according to claim 1, wherein the new services comprise high data rate connections.

6. A distribution architecture network configured to connect a plurality of customer sites to a core optical network and provision wavelengths for new services, the distribution architecture network comprising:

a passive optical device inserted between the core optical network and a first of a plurality of nodes in a node chain, the plurality of nodes configured to provide services to at least one customer site, the passive optical device configured to segregate wavelengths originally deployed from newly provisioned wavelengths used to provide new services; and

a fiber configured to transmit optical signals supporting new services from the passive optical device to the at least one customer site, bypassing the plurality of nodes, and optical signals supporting new services from the at least one customer site through the passive optical device to the core optical network, bypassing the plurality of nodes, the originally deployed wavelengths being transmitted from the passive optical device to the core optical network in media separate from the fiber.

7. The distribution architecture network according to claim 6, wherein the distribution architecture network is a hybrid fiber coax distribution architecture comprising at least one coaxial cable, and the new services are not carried over the at least one coaxial cable.

8. The distribution architecture network according to claim 7, wherein the at least one coaxial cable comprises all coaxial cables of the hybrid fiber coax distribution architecture.

9. A method for operating an optical distribution architecture, for connecting a plurality of customer sites to a core optical network, that allows the provisioning of wavelengths for new services, such that optical signals supporting new services are delivered directly to the plurality of customer sites and optical signals are received directly from the customer sites comprising the steps of:

optically filtering the optical signals into two groups of wavelengths, a first group of wavelengths carrying signals destined for one or more user sites associated with at least one node, the first group of wavelengths being processed at the node to support a provision of one or more services to the one or more user sites, and a second group of wavelengths carrying optical signals supporting the new services; and

performing an optical add-drop multiplexing process to deliver optical signals supporting new services directly to and receive optical signals supporting new services directly from one or more user sites subscribing to the new services, bypassing the at least one node, the optical signals supporting new services belonging to the second group of wavelengths;

the add-drop multiplexing process further being to deliver signals that support the new services to the core optical network on a fiber separate from a fiber carrying signals that do not support the new services.