System and method for communicating optical signals between a data service provider and subscribers

An optical network system comprising:

• an optical tap for passively extracting and dividing downstream optical signals between a plurality of optical waveguides coupled to a plurality of subscriber optical interfaces, and the optical tap passively combining upstream optical signals received from one or more subscriber optical interfaces, the optical tap comprising an optical splitter, the optical tap passively extracting and dividing the downstream optical signals without any optical to electrical conversions, the optical tap passively combining the upstream optical signals without any optical to electrical conversions;
• each subscriber optical interface providing electrical communications to a subscriber, each subscriber optical interface coupled to a respective optical tap by an optical waveguide, for receiving the downstream optical signals from a respective optical tap and converting the downstream optical signals into downstream electrical signals;
• and
• a laser transceiver node disposed between the data service hub and the optical tap, for communicating a first set of optical signals to and from the data service hub and to and from a respective optical tap, the laser transceiver node further comprising:
• a plurality of optical transmitters and optical receivers;
• a plurality of bi-directional splitters for receiving downstream and upstream optical signals, each bi-directional splitter coupled to a respective optical transmitter and a respective optical receiver;
• an optical transceiver coupled to the optical waveguide for converting downstream optical signals from the optical waveguide into downstream electrical signals, for converting upstream electrical signals into optical signals;
• a routing device coupled to each optical transmitter and the optical transceiver, for apportioning bandwidth in the electrical domain between subscribers and using a look-up table for processing both upstream and downstream electrical signals, for assigning downstream electrical signals received from the optical transceiver to predetermined optical transmitters, for combining upstream electrical signals from respective optical receivers and for modulating the optical transceiver, the laser transceiver node receiving a second set of downstream only optical signals comprising information from the data service hub and combining the second set of optical signals with the optical signals generated by the predetermined optical transmitters in an optical domain without any electrical conversion of the second set of optical signals.

A system for supporting optical communications comprising:

• optical tap means for passively extracting and dividing downstream optical signals between a plurality of optical waveguides coupled to a plurality of subscriber optical interfaces, and the optical tap means passively combining upstream optical signals received from one or more subscriber optical interfaces, the optical tap means passively extracting and dividing the downstream optical signals without any optical to electrical conversions, the optical tap means passively combining the upstream optical signals without any optical to electrical conversions;
• each subscriber optical interface providing electrical communications to a subscriber, each subscriber optical interface coupled to a respective optical tap by an optical waveguide, for receiving the downstream optical signals from a respective optical tap and converting the downstream optical signals into downstream electrical signals;
• and
• a laser transceiver node means disposed between the data service hub and the optical tap, for communicating a first set of optical signals to and from the data service hub and to and from a respective optical tap, the laser transceiver node means further comprising:
• a plurality of optical transmitters and optical receivers;
• a plurality of bi-directional splitters for receiving downstream and upstream optical signals, each bi-directional splitter coupled to a respective optical transmitter and a respective optical receiver;
• an optical transceiver coupled to the optical waveguide for converting downstream optical signals from the optical waveguide into downstream electrical signals, for converting upstream electrical signals into optical signals;
• a routing device coupled to each optical transmitter and the optical transceiver, for apportioning bandwidth in the electrical domain between subscribers and using a look-up table for processing both upstream and downstream electrical signals, for assigning downstream electrical signals received from the optical transceiver to predetermined optical transmitters, the laser transceiver node means combining upstream electrical signals from respective optical receivers and for modulating the optical transceiver, the laser transceiver node receiving a second set of downstream only optical signals comprising information from the data service hub and combining the second set of optical signals with the optical signals generated by the predetermined optical transmitters in an optical domain without any electrical conversion of the second set of optical signals.