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:
May. 29, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1999
NZ Applied Technologies Corp., Woburn, MA (US);
Abstract
In a device having a fiber-optic cables, one that is normally an input and one that is normally an out output for light transmission through the device, a first polarization sensitive deflector encompassing the normal input beam and a second polarization sensitive deflector encompassing the normal output beam is followed by a polarization interchanger that interchanges the polarization of beams traveling from the input to the output and leaves unchanged the polarization of beams traveling from the output to the input. This is, in turn, followed by a third polarization sensitive deflector encompassing the input beam and a fourth polarization sensitive deflector encompassing the output beam. Lastly, a lens having a reflector on the side opposite the input and output fibers reflects light beams from the input to the output and conversely. The deflectors encompassing the input beam are arranged to produce a deflection in one direction and the deflectors encompassing the output beam produce a deflection in another direction at least at a 45° angle to the direction of the deflectors encmpassing the input beam. When light travels backwards from the normal output cable to the input cable, the two-dimensional deflections reduce the light that reach the input cable due to imperfections in the optical components, but the deflectors and interchangers are still arranged to maximize the transmission from the normal input to the output cable.