# US 5,706,111 A · Optical communications network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,706,111 A - Document ID: US5706111A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/572,059 - Filed: 1995-12-14 - Granted: 1998-01-06 - Earliest claimed: 1994-12-30 - Assignees: Alcatel - Inventors: Antonio Aguilar Morales; Agustin Campos Flores - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5706111A ## CPC - H04N 7/22: Adaptations for optical transmission - H04J 14/0226: {Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service} - H04J 14/0232: {for downstream transmission} - H04J 14/0247: {Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs} - H04J 14/0252: {Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU} - H04J 14/0282: {WDM tree architectures} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) ## Abstract For subscriber access, via optical fibre, to communications networks that offer various types of service by means of an optical access node (AN), connections between the optical network terminating units (ONT) unit to which the subscribers are connected, and the access node (AN) can be made with point-to-point or point-to-multipoint fibre optic links. The links between the access node (AN) and the switching centre (CE) are made via optical fibres through which pass the lightwave signals corresponding to a number of subscribers, multiplexed together by means of wavelength division multiplexing. This network permits access to all types of communications services in which each type of service employs a reserved wavelength for its connection between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating equipment (ONT) unit. This reserved wavelength is fixed and depends only on the type of service. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Optical communications network for connecting a set of optical network terminating (ONT) units to a switching center (CE), in which a transmission of signals of plural communications services between the optical network terminating units and the switching center passes, in transparent form, through an access node (AN), wherein the transmission of said signals between this access node (AN) and the switching center (CE) is done on optical fibers by wavelength division multiplexing for transmitting at least one of said communications services in different wavelengths between said access node and said switching center, wherein the transmission of signals between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units is done on optical fiber, and wherein the signals that are transmitted between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units do so making use of a same wavelength reserved for each communications service. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Optical communications network according to claim 1, wherein for multiple types of communications services transmitted between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units, each type of communications service uses a different wavelength. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Optical communications network according to claim 2, wherein in a direction of transmission from the switching center (CE) to the optical network terminating units of various communications services, the access node (AN) performs a conversion of m different wavelengths corresponding to m optical network terminating units, into said same wavelength reserved for said same communications service. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) Optical communications network according to claim 3, wherein the optical network terminating (ONT) units accessing different types of communications services access these different types of communications services at correspondingly different wavelengths reserved for each one of the different types of communications services over optical fibers and access these different types of communications services by wavelength division multiplexing and demultiplexing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) Optical communications network according to claim 2, wherein in a direction of transmission from the optical network terminating units to the switching center (CE), each different wavelength reserved for each communications service is demultiplexed in the access node (AN). ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) Optical communications network according to claim 2, wherein at the access node (AN) for each communications service, a conversion is done from a wavelength corresponding to a type of communications service to a new wavelength within a set of m possible different wavelengths, one for each optical network terminating unit subscribing to said type of communications service. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Optical communications network according to claim 6, wherein the m wavelengths corresponding to m optical network terminating units using a single service are multiplexed over an optical fiber that links the access node (AN) to the switching center (CE). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Optical communications network according to claim 1, wherein the optical fibers connecting the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units are allocated on a permanent basis or in a dynamic manner by means of space switching. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Optical communications network according to claim 1, wherein the access node (AN) also performs an interconnection between a switching center (CE) for a given service and a service node of a center of a transparent transport network (ET). ### Claim 10 Optical communications network for connecting a set of optical network terminating (ONT) units to a switching center (CE), in which a transmission of signals between the optical network terminating units and the switching center passes, in transparent form, through an access node (AN), wherein the transmission of signals between this access node (AN) and the switching center (CE) is done on optical fibers by wavelength division multiplexing for transmitting at least one communications service in different wavelengths between said access node and said switching center, wherein the transmission of signals between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units is done on optical fiber, and wherein the signals that are transmitted between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units do so making use of a same wavelength reserved for a same communications service, wherein for multiple types of communications services transmitted between the access node and the optical network terminating (ONT) units, each type of communications service uses a different wavelength, and wherein in a direction of transmission from the switching center (CE) to the optical network terminating units of various communications services, the access node (AN) performs a conversion of m different wavelengths corresponding to m optical network terminating units, into said same wavelength reserved for said same communications service. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) Optical communications network according to claim 10, wherein the optical network terminating (ONT) units accessing different types of communications services access these different types of communications services at correspondingly different wavelengths reserved for each one of the different types of communications services over optical fibers and access these different types of communications services by wavelength division multiplexing and demultiplexing. ### Claim 12 Optical communications network for connecting a set of optical network terminating (ONT) units to a switching center (CE), in which a transmission of signals between the optical network terminating units and the switching center passes, in transparent form, through an access node (AN), wherein the transmission of signals between this access node (AN) and the switching center (CE) is done on optical fibers by wavelength division multiplexing for transmitting at least one communications service in different wavelengths between said access node and said switching center, wherein the transmission of signals between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units is done on optical fiber, and wherein the signals that are transmitted between the access node (AN) and the optical network terminating (ONT) units do so making use of a same wavelength reserved for a same communications service, wherein for multiple types of communications services transmitted between the access node and the optical network terminating (ONT) units, each type of communications service uses a different wavelength, and wherein in a direction of transmission from the optical network terminating units to the switching center (CE), each different wavelength reserved for each communications service is demultiplexed in the access node (AN). ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) Optical communications network according to claim 12, wherein at the access node (AN) for each communications service, a conversion is done from a wavelength corresponding to a type of communications service to a new wavelength within a set of m possible different wavelengths, one for each optical network terminating unit subscribing to said type of communications service. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) Optical communications network according to claim 13, wherein the m wavelengths corresponding to m optical network terminating units using a single service are multiplexed over an optical fiber that links the access node (AN) to the switching center (CE).