Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
196 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising: a central office, a plurality of passive, all optical remote nodes connected to the central office, and a plurality of subscriber premises connected to each remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a plurality of modulated wavelength channels in a first wavelength band, means for generating a plurality of unmodulated wavelength channels in a second wavelength band, and wavelength division multiplexing means for forming multiplexed signals each comprising a group of modulated or unmodulated channels from said first or second wavelength bands, respectively, to be transmitted to said remote nodes, wherein said plurality of wavelength channels in said first wavelength band is generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, each said passive remote nodes including means for receiving a plurality of said multiplexed signals from said central office and optical means for passively processing said received multiplexed signals in optical form so that each subscriber premises receives one modulated channel from said first wavelength band and one unmodulated channel from said second wavelength.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
196 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising: a central office, a plurality of passive, all optical remote nodes connected to the central office, and a plurality of subscriber premises connected to each remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a plurality of modulated wavelength channels in a first wavelength band, means for generating a plurality of unmodulated wavelength channels in a second wavelength band, and wavelength division multiplexing means for forming multiplexed signals each comprising a group of modulated or unmodulated channels from said first or second wavelength bands, respectively, to be transmitted to said remote nodes, wherein said plurality of wavelength channels in said first wavelength band is generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, each said passive remote nodes including means for receiving a plurality of said multiplexed signals from said central office and optical means for passively processing said received multiplexed signals in optical form so that each subscriber premises receives one modulated channel from said first wavelength band and one unmodulated channel from said second wavelength.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The architecture of claim 1 wherein each of said remote nodes further comprises means for receiving modulated channels in said second wavelength band from the subscriber premises associated therewith and means for multiplexing groups of said modulated channels of said second wavelength band to form multiplexed signals for transmission to said central office.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
The architecture of claim 2 wherein said multiplexed signals comprising modulated channels in said second wavelength band are transmitted from said passive remote nodes to said central office via the same optical fibers used to transmit said multiplexed signals comprising modulated channels in said first wavelength band from said central office to said remote nodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The architecture of claim 3 wherein said wavelength division multiplexing means of said central office and said processing means of said passive remote nodes in WDM devices for multiplexing/demultiplexing wavelength multiplexed signals in said first and second wavelength bands.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The architecture of claim 4 wherein said wavelength division multiplexing means of said central office includes a plurality of devices for separating said multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band received from said passive remote nodes into a plurality of individual channels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The architecture of claim 1 wherein said unmodulated channels in said second wavelength band are generated by a second bank of lasers and a power splitter associated with each of said lasers in said second bank.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
298 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising a central office, a plurality of passive, all-optical remote nodes connected to the central office, and a plurality of subscriber premises connected to each passive remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a plurality of modulated wavelength channels in a first wavelength band, means for generating a plurality of unmodulated wavelength channels in a second wavelength band, and wavelength division multiplexing means for forming multiplexed signals each comprising a group of modulated or unmodulated channels from said first or second wavelength band, respectively, to be transmitted to one of said passive remote nodes, said plurality of modulated wavelength channels in said first wavelength band being generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, each of said passive, all-optical remote nodes comprising a WDM comprising a first group of WDM devices for demultiplexing a plurality of multiplexed signals in a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band received from said central office into a plurality of individual channels in said first wavelength band and said second wavelength band, respectively, for distribution to said individual subscriber premises, a second group of WDM devices for multiplexing a plurality of individual modulated channels from individual subscriber premises in a second wavelength band into a plurality of multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band, and a third group of WDM devices for multiplexing/demultiplexing said multiplexed signals in said first and second wavelength bands, and optical means for transmitting a modulated channel in said first and second wavelength bands to each of said subscriber premises and for receiving a modulated channel in said second wavelength band from each of said subscriber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
298 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising a central office, a plurality of passive, all-optical remote nodes connected to the central office, and a plurality of subscriber premises connected to each passive remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a plurality of modulated wavelength channels in a first wavelength band, means for generating a plurality of unmodulated wavelength channels in a second wavelength band, and wavelength division multiplexing means for forming multiplexed signals each comprising a group of modulated or unmodulated channels from said first or second wavelength band, respectively, to be transmitted to one of said passive remote nodes, said plurality of modulated wavelength channels in said first wavelength band being generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, each of said passive, all-optical remote nodes comprising a WDM comprising a first group of WDM devices for demultiplexing a plurality of multiplexed signals in a first wavelength band and a second wavelength band received from said central office into a plurality of individual channels in said first wavelength band and said second wavelength band, respectively, for distribution to said individual subscriber premises, a second group of WDM devices for multiplexing a plurality of individual modulated channels from individual subscriber premises in a second wavelength band into a plurality of multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band, and a third group of WDM devices for multiplexing/demultiplexing said multiplexed signals in said first and second wavelength bands, and optical means for transmitting a modulated channel in said first and second wavelength bands to each of said subscriber premises and for receiving a modulated channel in said second wavelength band from each of said subscriber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
247 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising a central office, at least one passive, all-optical remote node connected to the central office, and a plurality of individual subscriber premises connected to said passive remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a modulated wavelength channel in a first wavelength band for each of said subscriber premises, said modulated wavelength channels in said first wavelength being generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, means for multiplexing groups of said wavelength channels in said first wavelength band to form multiplexed signals in said first wavelength band for transmission to said passive remote node, and means for receiving multiplexed signals in a second wavelength band from said passive remote node and for demultiplexing said multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band into a plurality of individuals channels, said passive remote node comprising optical means for receiving said multiplexed signals in said first wavelength band and for demultiplexing said multiplexed signal in said first wavelength band into modulated individual channels in said first wavelength band for distribution to said individual subscriber premises, and optical means for receiving individual modulated channels in said second wavelength band from said subscriber premises and for multiplexing groups of said channels in said second wavelength band to form said multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band for transmission to said central.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
247 words
A double-star fiber optic subscriber loop architecture comprising a central office, at least one passive, all-optical remote node connected to the central office, and a plurality of individual subscriber premises connected to said passive remote node, said central office comprising means for generating a modulated wavelength channel in a first wavelength band for each of said subscriber premises, said modulated wavelength channels in said first wavelength being generated by a first bank of lasers, a power splitter associated with each laser in the first bank, and an external modulator associated with each output of each power splitter, means for multiplexing groups of said wavelength channels in said first wavelength band to form multiplexed signals in said first wavelength band for transmission to said passive remote node, and means for receiving multiplexed signals in a second wavelength band from said passive remote node and for demultiplexing said multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band into a plurality of individuals channels, said passive remote node comprising optical means for receiving said multiplexed signals in said first wavelength band and for demultiplexing said multiplexed signal in said first wavelength band into modulated individual channels in said first wavelength band for distribution to said individual subscriber premises, and optical means for receiving individual modulated channels in said second wavelength band from said subscriber premises and for multiplexing groups of said channels in said second wavelength band to form said multiplexed signals in said second wavelength band for transmission to said central.