Method and apparatus for hardware configured network
First Claim
1. An optical network element for a hardware configured optical network, the optical network element comprising:
- a) a first optical port that receives an input optical signal comprising an optical carrier comprising client data traffic and comprising receive control information from the hardware configured optical network;
b) an optical splitter having an input that is optically coupled to the first optical port, the optical splitter separating the input optical signal into a first portion that is sent to a first output and a second portion that is sent to a second output;
c) a demodulator having an input that is optically coupled to the first output of the optical splitter, the demodulator decoding the receive control information for configuring the optical network element;
d) a modulator having an electrical modulation input that receives transmit control information and an optical input that is optically coupled to the second output of the optical splitter, the modulator imparting a low-frequency modulation directly onto the optical signal comprising the optical carrier comprising client data traffic, wherein a frequency of the low-frequency modulation is less than a modulation frequency of the client data traffic, thereby generating a transmit optical control signal comprising the optical carrier comprising the client data traffic, wherein the transmit optical control signal represents the received transmit control information; and
e) a second optical port that transmits the transmit optical control signal representing the received transmit control information to the hardware configured optical network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical network element for a hardware configured optical network includes a first optical port that receives an input optical signal comprising receive control information from the hardware configured optical network. A demodulator optically coupled to the first optical port decodes the receive control information for configuring the optical network element. A modulator having an electrical modulation input that receives transmit control information imparts a modulation onto an optical carrier thereby generating a transmit optical control signal representing the transmit control information. A second optical port transmits the transmit optical control signal representing the transmit control information to the hardware configured optical network.
28 Citations
42 Claims
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1. An optical network element for a hardware configured optical network, the optical network element comprising:
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a) a first optical port that receives an input optical signal comprising an optical carrier comprising client data traffic and comprising receive control information from the hardware configured optical network; b) an optical splitter having an input that is optically coupled to the first optical port, the optical splitter separating the input optical signal into a first portion that is sent to a first output and a second portion that is sent to a second output; c) a demodulator having an input that is optically coupled to the first output of the optical splitter, the demodulator decoding the receive control information for configuring the optical network element; d) a modulator having an electrical modulation input that receives transmit control information and an optical input that is optically coupled to the second output of the optical splitter, the modulator imparting a low-frequency modulation directly onto the optical signal comprising the optical carrier comprising client data traffic, wherein a frequency of the low-frequency modulation is less than a modulation frequency of the client data traffic, thereby generating a transmit optical control signal comprising the optical carrier comprising the client data traffic, wherein the transmit optical control signal represents the received transmit control information; and e) a second optical port that transmits the transmit optical control signal representing the received transmit control information to the hardware configured optical network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An optical network element for a hardware configured optical network, the optical network element comprising:
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a) a first optical port that receives an input optical signal comprising an optical carrier comprising client data traffic from the hardware configured optical network; b) a modulator having an electrical modulation input that receives transmit control information and an optical input that is optically coupled to the first optical port, the modulator imparting a low-frequency modulation directly onto the optical carrier comprising client data traffic, wherein a frequency of the low-frequency modulation is less than a modulation frequency of the client data traffic, thereby generating a transmit optical control signal comprising the optical carrier comprising the client data traffic, and wherein the transmit optical control signal represents the received transmit control information; and c) a second optical port that transmits the transmit optical control signal representing the received transmit control information to the hardware configured optical network. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of configuring an optical network element in a hardware configured optical network, the method comprising:
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a) receiving an optical signal comprising an optical carrier comprising client data and comprising receive control information from the hardware configured optical network; b) splitting the received optical signal and sending a first portion of the received optical signal to a demodulator and sending a second portion of the received optical signal to a modulator; c) demodulating the receive control information in the first portion of the received optical signal from the hardware configured optical network using the demodulator; d) configuring the optical network element according to the demodulated receive control information; e) modulating transmit control information on the second portion of the received optical signal by imparting a low-frequency modulation using the modulator directly onto the optical carrier comprising client data traffic, wherein a frequency of the low-frequency modulation is less than a modulation frequency of the client data traffic, thereby generating a transmit optical control signal comprising the optical carrier comprising the client data traffic, wherein the transmit optical control signal represents the received transmit control information; and f) transmitting the transmit optical control signal representing the received transmit control information to the hardware configured network. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method of configuring an optical network element in a hardware configured optical network, the method comprising:
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a) receiving an optical signal comprising receive control information from the hardware configured optical network; b) demodulating the receive control information from the hardware configured optical network; c) detecting error condition in the hardware configured optical network from the demodulated receive control information; d) generating transmit control information comprising configuration information that remediates the error condition in the hardware configured optical network; e) modulating transmit control information onto an optical carrier, thereby generating a transmit optical control signal representing the transmit control information comprising configuration information that remediates the error condition in the hardware configured optical network; and f) transmitting the transmit optical control signal representing the transmit control information comprising configuration information that remediates the error condition in the hardware configured optical network on the optical carrier to the hardware configured network. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
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Specification