Patent · US Expired

Design of a meta-mesh of chain sub-networks

US7719962B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
11References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 19, 2001
Grant dateMay 18, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 4, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04Q2011/0098
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method to increase the capacity efficiency of span-restorable mesh networking on sparse facility graphs. The new approach views the network as a “meta-mesh of chain sub-networks”. This makes the prospect of WDM mesh networking more economically viable than with previous mesh-based design where the average nodal degree is low. The meta-mesh graph is a homeomorphism of the complete network in which edges are either direct spans or chains of degree-2 nodes. The main advantage is that loop-back type spare capacity is provided only for the working demands that originate or terminate in a chain, not for the entire flow that crosses chains. The latter “express” flows are entirely mesh-protected within the meta-mesh graph which is of higher average degree and hence efficiency for mesh restoration, than the network as a whole. Nodal equipment savings also arise from the grooming of express lightpaths onto the logical chain-bypass span. Only the meta-mesh nodes need optical cross-connect functionality. Other sites use OADMs and/or glassthroughs. The resultant designs comprise a special class of restorable network that is intermediate between pure span restoration and path restoration. Most…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.