The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 13, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 27, 1998
Daniel Yousef Al-Salameh, Marlboro, NJ (US);
Nathan Myron Denkin, Aberdeen, NJ (US);
Wei-Chiao William Fang, Middletown, NJ (US);
Maria F Mendez, Elizabeth, NJ (US);
Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
A bi-directional protection facility is provided in an optical communication system in which an optical communications node communicates with another optical communications node via first and second bi-directional communications paths respectively serving as a service path and protection path, and in which a filter at each node processes signals respectively received over the service and protection paths and generates an in-band signal and out-of-band signal for each of the paths. A control unit then generates a Loss of Signal indication for the service path if the level of the out-of-band signal is found to be greater than the level of the in-band signal and protection switching is effectuated as a function of the presence of the control signal. In addition, an outgoing signal to the other communications node is interrupted for a sufficient period of time to cause a LOS at that node and thus trigger protection switching thereat to complete the bi-directional switching process.