Patents by Inventor Stephen Hornung

Stephen Hornung has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Lossless optical signal splitter including remotely pumped amplifier
    Patent number: 5323474
    Abstract: A lossless optical component includes an input and at least one output. The optical component includes an operational portion and an amplifier portion upstream of the operational portion. The amplifier portion includes an optical amplifier for amplifying optical signals received by the input. The optical amplifier is provided with input optical waveguide via which the optical amplifier is optically pumpable by a remote pump laser. The output of the optical amplifier is proportional to the loss of the operating portion of the optical component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: British Telecommunications plc
    Inventors: Stephen Hornung, Christopher Rowe
  • Fibre modulators
    Patent number: 5321777
    Abstract: A modulation assembly includes a fibre having a drawn tapered portion, and apparatus for applying a perturbation to the tapered portion to vary the percentage transmission through the fibre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company
    Inventors: Andrew M. Hicks, Iain J. Wilkinson, Nicholas E. Achurch, Stephen Hornung
  • Optical power meter
    Patent number: 5127724
    Abstract: An optical power meter is used to measure the optical power of optical energy passing along an optical fibre (11). The power meter includes means (12,13) for tapping optical radiation from the optical fibre (11), a transducer (1) for converting the tapped optical radiation into an electrical signal, and means (5,6) for displaying the amplified signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: British Telecommunications
    Inventors: Simon M. James, David A. Ferguson, Dominik Drouet, Stephen Hornung
  • Endface assessment
    Patent number: 5042943
    Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the endface angle of a cleaved optical fibre (1) includes a light source (3) for injecting optical energy into that end (1a) of the optical fibre (1) opposite to that whose endface angle is to be measured. Means are provided for tapping optical energy passing along the optical fiber (1) in both directions. Photodetectors (5,6) measure the signal strength of the optical energy tapped from the optical fibre (1) in both directions. The ratio of these measured signal strengths is compared with a known relationship between endface angles and the ratio of said measured signals to provide a measure of the endface angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: British Telecommunications Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Stephen R. Mallinson, Stephen Hornung, Jonathan S. Harper
  • Optical coupling device
    Patent number: 4983007
    Abstract: A coupling device couples low power levels of optical radiation out of an optical fibre (3) for maintenance and fault-finding purposes. The assembled coupling device acts to clamp a fibre (3), with its primary plastics coating still in place, against the inner side of a gently curved silica rod (1). The rod (1) is strongly waveguiding and, picking up radiation leaked from the fibre (3), directs it to a photodetector (6). The device finds particular application in optical communications systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Assignee: British Telecommunications
    Inventors: Simon M James, Mark Davison, Stephen Hornung, Michael H. Reeve
  • Temperature desensitization of delay in optical fibres
    Patent number: 4923278
    Abstract: An optical fibre has a coating of, for example, liquid crystal polymer which causes temperature-dependent stress-induced changes in the optical fibre such as to counteract temperature-induced changes in the transmission delay of the fibre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company
    Inventors: Raman Kashyap, Michael H. Reeve, Stephen A. Cassidy, Stephen Hornung