Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a digitally originated check (DOC) through an electronic payment system (EPS) which captures payor metadata instructions regarding the intended payment to a payee. The metadata may be stored in a database or the like for further processing instead of printing a paper check. An output of the metadata can be used to clear the DOC through either paper or electronic clearing mechanisms under Check 21.

Abstract: A framework is disclosed which enables a management system to manage completely different type of network elements (NEs) running different versions of their embedded software by introducing generic operational interfaces, generic data interfaces, information descriptors and self adaptive control mechanism. This Management system framework consists of mainly two parts a) core application and b) element-dependent components and c) a set of generic interfaces. When the management system is launched, it executes the core application. The core application comprises of network element independent version independent generic functionalities that can be used to interact with a variety of network elements and a dynamic control mechanism to make selection and placement of pluggable components at appropriate time and place during execution.

Abstract: Distortion due to transmission characteristics of a transmission medium is corrected by measuring leakage in a signal orthogonal to a received signal. The frequency response of an equalizer is adaptively adjusted until the measured leakage is at a local minimum.

Abstract: A method, system and storage medium for monitoring power control loops in an optical communication network. The method includes polling network elements to obtain power management information for the network elements. A set of power management rules is selected based on the power management information along with network configuration, channel types, etc. The power management rules are applied to determine the validity of open and closed power control loop in the network elements.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compact analog directly modulated laser configuration that is suitable for use in the field that uses electrical feedback to compensate for non-linearity in real time, such that no matter how the LI curve changes, the electrical feedback compensates for non-linearity by amplifying a portion of the output analog optical signal and combining it with the input analog electrical signal using the standard control method of negative feedback. When the gain of the feedback loop is relatively high, the overall transfer function of the system is primarily dependent on the feedback loop gain block, which is substantially linear. This is accomplished by incorporating a relatively large bandwidth photo-detector at the back facet of the laser that both monitors the output power of the system and provides a feedback signal to the linearization control circuit, as well as an amplifier.

Abstract: Consistent with the present invention, tunable demultiplexers are provided in WSS-based add/drop multiplexer. The tunable demultiplexers are modular and thus allow the add/drop multiplexer to be readily expandable, and facilitate flexible add/drop capabilities whereby a channel present on any input line to the WSS can be dropped and supplied to one or more desired outputs of the tunable demultiplexer. Similar flexibility can be achieved on the add-side of the WSS. Moreover, the demultiplexers and the WSS are remotely configurable, thus obviating the need to manually disconnect and connect demultiplexers to a router. In a particular embodiment, multicast switches are provided that permit the same channel, for example, to be provided to one or more outputs of the add/drop multiplexer, such that copy of the channel can carry working traffic while the other copy carries protection traffic. As a result, 1+1 and 1:N optical layer protection can be achieved.

Abstract: An apparatus for suppressing optical power transients includes a variable optical attenuator receiving an input optical signal and outputting an output optical signal; an optical power sensing element coupled to the input optical signal and sensing a portion of the input optical signal; and a feedforward loop controller coupled to the variable optical attenuator and to the optical power sensing element; the feedforward control loop providing feedforward control of the variable optical attenuator to reduce optical power transients of the input optical signal and maintain a substantially constant output power based on the input optical power and a reference value; the variable optical attenuator having a default opaque state in which the input optical signal is substantially attenuated when power is not being supplied to said variable optical attenuator. Variations include feedback loop controllers and a combination feedback and feedforward loop controllers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the wavelength independent measurement or testing of the dispersion penalty, or dispersion tolerance, of optical transmitters that comprises a single setup, measures or tests the components only to a specified amount of dispersion, and not beyond, improves yield, and reduces component cost. This method utilizes a predetermined physical length of non-dispersion shifted fiber (NDSF) combined with a dispersion compensating module (DCM) that is designed for use with non-zero dispersion shifted fiber (NZDSF). As the dependence of the dispersion with wavelength of NZDSF is different from that of NDSF, by combining the proper physical length of NDSF and DCM designed for use with NZDSF, the total dispersion of the two elements can be made constant as a function of wavelength.

Abstract: An improved a tool for aiding in laying a brick wall a set distance from the base wall of a structure, and to confirm the verticality of the brick wall. The tool has an elongated member having a smooth face for contacting a wall of bricks, an end member is attached to the end of the elongated member at a right angle thereto, the end member being attached in an adjustable manner. The method of using the tool is also disclosed.

Abstract: An arrangement that allows transmission of client signals with higher clock fidelity is achieved by developing a phase offset measure at an ingress node, communicating it to the egress node, and recovering the client's clock from the received data and from the received phase-offset information. The ability to recover the client's clock with high fidelity is enhanced by adaptive pointer processing in intermediate nodes and the egress node of the network that the client's signal traverses. The adaptive pointer processing filters incoming pointers from upstream nodes and injects new positive and negative pointer justifications in excess of what is minimally necessary to allow them to be filtered by successive nodes and insure proper transmission over a network that employs a protocol involving framing layer frames embedded in communication layer frames. Illustratively, the network protocol is an extended ITU Recommendation G.709 Digital Wrapper protocol, arranged to employ frames of 15240 columns by four rows.

Abstract: A managed network element is partitioned into one or more virtual network elements. The managed network element may be partitioned based on physical components or services provided by that network element. Each virtual network element is then provided a respective agent to monitor and manage its portion of the managed network element.

Abstract: A method, system and egress switching node for maintaining a network connection in an optical network reduces the number of spans needed for reestablishing a network connection. The invention learns which channels are used by the network connection and propagates such channel assignment data to the switching nodes for storage therein. When a span failure occurs, a notification is sent to the switching nodes identifying which span has failed. The switch nodes use the notification and channel assignment data to perform protection switching such that the rerouted network connection selects the channel that was used by the network connection on the failed span. Likewise, the egress switching node uses the selected channel to drop the network connection from the protecting fibers. This enables a network connection to travel a shorter distance after a protection switch.

Abstract: Multi-service telecommunication switches which include enhanced component redundancy and which also allow multiple chassis connections to a switching fabric enhance the likelihood that packets transmitted to and from the switch will not be lost due do a particular component failure and also enable chassis stacking in a rack system. Such a multi-service telecommunication switch includes redundant physical layer adapter cards, redundant service cards, redundant timing modules, and redundant switching fabrics. Further, the multi-service telecommunication switch, includes an enhanced data flow distribution (load-balancing) architecture which enables multiple chassis connections to the switching fabrics.

Abstract: An optical selector device is disclosed that includes a first arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) demultiplexing an input WDM signal and outputting demultiplexed signals on respective outputs; an array of optical shutters optically coupled to the outputs from the first AWG; a second AWG optically coupled to the array of optical shutters, the second AWG multiplexing optical signals output from the array to form a WDM signal; and a common optical shutter optically coupled to either of the first and second AWGs. The common optical shutter has a default state that is substantially opaque to the WDM signal. Additionally, the array of optical shutters may have a default state that is substantially transparent to the demultiplexed signals. A reconfigurable wavelength blocking device incorporating the optical selector device is also disclosed which additionally includes a controller that controls the optical shutter array to selectively block/pass designated wavelength channels or bands.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for multiplexing five channels, such as 10 Gb/s to 50 Gb/s, into a single data sequence using a 5:1 multiplexer using a ?th ratio duty cycle clock. The ?th ratio duty cycle clock is a clock with a period equal to the channel data rate, and a pulse width equal to the period of data rate five times higher. The ?th ratio duty clock is combined with a proper combination of delays and phase shifters to allow the use of AND gates and OR gates to combine the five channels in a proper sequence to create a serial five-times higher data sequence.

Abstract: A user interface for managing connections in a communication network cross connect. The user interface provides for creation, viewing and removing connections in the cross connect. When displaying connections, a granularity may be adjusted to allow for effective viewing of connections having high data rates. A multi-layer display is used having at least a coarse and fine layer with granularities corresponding to a time slot resolution. The user interface may include a search tool for locating connections and/or a protection setup routine to facilitate establish protection connections.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and network for transporting layer-2 frames, such as Ethernet MAC, ATM AAL5, and Frame Relay, over MPLS, SONET/SDH, or OTN optical transport networks as well as electrical transport networks is disclosed. The method establishes “pseudo-wires” between, for example, routers, Layer-2 packet switches, or SONET/SDH switches. Inter-related ingress and egress resource tables may be used by provider edge nodes to negotiate consistently managed data tunnels across a provider network on behalf of data flowing from/to a diverse base of customer edge nodes. Detailed network resource information particular to each of the data flows is exchanged between provider edge nodes during the creation of pseudo-wires. Admission control algorithms are applied at the ingress and egress points in order to manage the data flows into a provider network and exiting from a provider network to customer equipment.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating bandwidth in a communication network is disclosed. Processing a request for bandwidth includes evaluating potential paths. Configuration rules and propagation rules may be applied to eliminate non-viable paths. A path quality indicator for remaining paths is derived based on calculations and signal characteristic measurements. A path having a suitable path quality indicator is selected and may be validated using existing representative or new signals.

Abstract: A method and system for aggregating a plurality of parallel communications links transmitting data between adjacent nodes in a network is provided. The method simplifies network topology by replacing multiple parallel communications links between nodes in the network with a single aggregated link. The method advertises the available bandwidth of each aggregated link to the network, the available bandwidth being the maximum bandwidth available for any one of the parallel links in the aggregate. The method permits each aggregated link to select which of the parallel links in the aggregate is to be used to transfer data from one node to the other. Aggregating links can be automatic and based on one or more predetermined criteria, such as the service class supported by the parallel links.

Abstract: An optical channel monitor assembly for simultaneously measuring the optical power levels of multiple series of dense wavelength division multiplexed channels or the like traveling on separate optical fibers in an optical communications system includes an arrayed waveguide grating router having a first side and a second side, the first side including a first plurality of ports and the second side including a second plurality of ports, the first plurality of ports in optical communication with the second plurality of ports, wherein the first side includes a first input port for collectively receiving a first series of optical channels, wherein the second side includes a first plurality of output ports for individually delivering the first series of optical channels, wherein the second side includes a second input port for collectively receiving a second series of optical channels, and wherein the first side includes a second plurality of output ports for individually delivering the second series of optical cha