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:
Apr. 01, 2003
Filed:
May. 02, 2001
Gerald Edward Tourgee, Convent Station, NJ (US);
Pierre Robert Barbier, Sammamish, WA (US);
David Lawrence Rollins, Woodinville, WA (US);
Timothy Alan Sochor, Middletown, NJ (US);
John Walker Robinson, III, Great Meadows, NJ (US);
Terabeam Corporation, Kirkland, WA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method implements a first plurality of single-mode optical fibers into which to inject wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical signals. A tapered fiber bundle (TFB) is coupled to the first plurality of single-mode optical fibers, with the TFB including a second plurality of fused single-mode optical fibers correspondingly coupled to the first plurality of single-mode optical fibers at a first end of the TFB. The second plurality of fused single-mode optical fibers are capable to receive the WDM optical signals from the first plurality of single-mode optical fibers at the first end and to provide the WDM optical signals to a free space optical communication path at a second end.