Lucent Technologies Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

Marcus Weldon

Zhenan Bao

Kamakshi Sridhar

Edwin Arthur Chandross

John A Rogers

Aref Chowdhury

Mary Louise Mandich

Sven Ooghe

Ludwig Alice Pauwels

Anthony Michael DeSantolo

Xiaochen Linda Chen

Kathleen Susan Krisch

Johan Van Besouw

Robert Leon Opila, Jr

We disclose a hybrid optical switch configured to switch optical channels based on their respective utilization factors. In an example embodiment, optical channels having relatively low utilization factors are unwrapped down to payload units, which are then switched electrically, e.g., using an Optical-Transport-Network (OTN) switch, in a manner that tends to increase the utilization factors of the optical channels that carry the switched payload units. In contrast, optical channels having relatively high utilization factors are switched optically, e.g., using a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, without being unwrapped. The hybrid optical switch may advantageously be deployed in a network node subjected to relatively high traffic-volume fluctuations because the switch tends to improve optical-channel utilization when the traffic volume is relatively low and to decrease the workload of the corresponding OTN switch when the traffic volume is relatively high.

Hybrid optical switch for software-defined networking

An in-band diagnostic tool and method are described herein that are capable of retrieving subscriber information from one or more nodes located within a layer 2 aggregation network. In one application, the diagnostic tool and method can be used by a customer service representative to retrieve subscriber information (e.g., user privileges, current bandwidth usage, available bandwidth) related to a customer that receives television, Internet etc. from an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network (which is an application-specific layer 2 aggregation network).

Diagnostic tool and method for retrieving subscriber information from nodes located within a layer 2 aggregation network

A technique for forming functionalized particles, where such particles are readily formed into periodic structures. A layer of particles is formed on a substrate, a first material is deposited over at least a portion of each of the particles, and then a functionalizing agent is attached to the first material. The functionalized particles are then capable of being formed into an ordered structure, by selection of appropriate complementary functionalizing agents on a substrate and/or on other particles and/or on other regions of the same particles.

Process for fabricating patterned, functionalized particles and article formed from particles

The present invention is directed to a process for forming compound films that contain at least three elements. The films are formed on a substrate by directing a gas containing reactant species onto the substrate. The compound film is formed from an interaction between two reactant species. The third element is incorporated into the film as it formed. The third element is different from the other two elements that form the compound film and is hydrogen, deuterium, or oxygen. The presence of the third element enhances the properties of the compound film. At least a portion of the substrate remains within the purview of the plasma discharge while the compound film is formed on the substrate.

Process for making compound films

Growing community of inventors

Summit, NJ, United States of America

Marcus Weldon