Patents Assigned to Calix, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20180183513
    Abstract: An optical device having a self-repair component capable of curing a defective component(s) is disclosed. To improve reliability as well as manufacturing yield, a photonic integrated circuit (“PIC”) for as a multi-channel optical line terminal (“OLT”) contains spare lasers or standby lasers configured to replace a failed laser(s). In one aspect, PIC includes a set of fixed-wavelength lasers (“FWLs”), a tunable-wavelength auxiliary laser (“TWAL”), a photonic detector, and a tuner. FWLs, for example, generate optical wavelengths representing optical signals. TWAL generates an optical signal with a spectrum of wavelengths based on a setting generated by the tuner. The photonic detector detects a defective wavelength. The tuner adjusts output wavelength of TWAL in response to the defective wavelength. Alternatively, PIC includes a working laser array, standby laser array, and spare laser array capable of providing two layer laser defective protections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert Levesque, Nirmal S. Virdee
  • Patent number: 9806845
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for mitigating spectral excursions in a passive optical network (PON) are described herein. A spectral excursion may be determined in the PON. The spectral excursion may indicate a laser transmission output on the PON at a wavelength that is outside a designated wavelength range. A duration may be identified for the spectral excursion. A first preamble offset may be generated using the duration of the spectral excursion. A round trip delay for the PON and a local time of day may be determined. The first preamble offset, the round trip delay, and the local time of day may be transmitted to an optical line terminal (OLT).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Thomas Bernard, Harold Ashton Roberts
  • Patent number: 9787492
    Abstract: In general, techniques are described for provisioning network devices in an Ethernet-based access network. For example, an access node located in an Ethernet-based access network positioned intermediate to a back office network and a customer network may implement the techniques. The access node comprises a control unit that discovers a demarcation point device that terminates the access network of the service provider network at the customer network. The control unit of the access node implements an Ethernet protocol to provide layer two network connectivity between the service provider network and the customer network, authenticates the demarcation point device based on a unique identifier assigned to the demarcation point device and, after successfully authenticating the demarcation point device, provisions the demarcation point device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Berkay Baykal, Shaun Noel Missett
  • Patent number: 9716979
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the location of nodes within a network. Beamforming coefficients associated with signals transmitted from a first node to a second node are determined and, based on the beamforming coefficients, direction is determined between the first and second nodes. Distance is determined as a function of direction and the location of the second node is determined as a function of distance and direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold Roberts, Jeffrey Buffum, Jason Dove
  • Patent number: 9692505
    Abstract: Techniques are described for identifying a rogue network interface device whose laser is not under control of a controller of the network interface device. The techniques identify the rogue network interface device based on reception of a predefined data pattern in a timeslot that is not reserved for any of the network interface devices without needing to disable upstream data transmission from the network interface devices during their assigned timeslots. The techniques also relate to a network interface device determining whether the network interface device is transmitting optical signals at a wavelength different than the wavelength that the OLT to which the network interface device is associated receives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher T. Bernard, Mark R. Biegert, Charles J. Eddleston, Gregg C. Heikkinnen, Curtis L. Kruse
  • Patent number: 9686098
    Abstract: In general, techniques are described for efficient management of ring networks with a system of two network devices. The first network device of the ring network is designated as an adjacent selective forwarding (ASF) device, and the second network device is designated as a master device. The master device monitors the ring network to determine whether a fault has occurred in the ring network and transmits via a secondary port of the master device a network status message to the ASF device based on the determination of whether the fault has occurred. The ASF device determines a status of the ring network based on the network status message and selectively forwards data traffic to the master network device based on the determination of the status. As a result, the master device more efficiently utilizes network resources by not consuming processor or memory resources to prevent traffic loops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Koch, David Cleary
  • Patent number: 9642145
    Abstract: Techniques for dynamic backhaul bandwidth provisioning are described herein. For example, a method may include determining a potential subscriber user equipment load change, transmitting a backhaul bandwidth change request message based a potential subscriber UE load change, wherein the backhaul bandwidth change request message includes a requested backhaul bandwidth level, receiving a backhaul bandwidth change reply message in response to transmitting the backhaul bandwidth change request message, implementing a subscriber UE load change response corresponding to the potential subscriber UE load change based on receiving the backhaul bandwidth change reply message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold Roberts, Steve Timm, Berkay Baykal
  • Patent number: 9591386
    Abstract: Techniques are described for obtaining, by an optical network device (OND) coupled to an optical network, physical layer data of the optical network; generating, by the OND, an encapsulated representation of the physical layer data of the optical network; and outputting the encapsulated representation of the physical layer data to a diagnostic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles J. Eddleston, Christopher T. Bernard
  • Patent number: 9515908
    Abstract: In general, techniques are described that may allow a network element to analyze the performance of a network without using external equipment external to the network. In one example, a method includes injecting a plurality of data units onto the network, forwarding the plurality of data units around the network loop, injecting at least one timing data unit on to the network, forwarding the at least one timing data unit around the network loop, and determining at least one latency statistic correlated to the at least one characteristic of the forwarded plurality of data units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy Hayes
  • Patent number: 9515725
    Abstract: Techniques are described for identifying a rogue network interface device whose laser is not under control of a controller of the network interface device. The techniques identify the rogue network interface device based on reception of a predefined data pattern in a timeslot that is not reserved for any of the network interface devices without needing to disable upstream data transmission from the network interface devices during their assigned timeslots. The techniques also relate to a network interface device determining whether the network interface device is transmitting optical signals at a wavelength different than the wavelength that the OLT to which the network interface device is associated receives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher T. Bernard
  • Patent number: 9496952
    Abstract: Techniques are described for identifying a rogue network interface device whose laser is not under control of a controller of the network interface device. The techniques identify the rogue network interface device based on reception of a predefined data pattern in a timeslot that is not reserved for any of the network interface devices without needing to disable upstream data transmission from the network interface devices during their assigned timeslots. The techniques also relate to a network interface device determining whether the network interface device is transmitting optical signals at a wavelength different than the wavelength that the OLT to which the network interface device is associated receives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher T. Bernard, Mark R. Biegert
  • Patent number: 9391903
    Abstract: Techniques for network packet flow management are described herein. For example, example methods may include receiving, at a first network device, a first flow identifier that identifies a first content of a first packet flow and a second flow identifier that identifies a second content of a second packet flow, wherein the first flow identifier and the second flow identifier are generated by a second network device. Such methods may also include receiving priority information indicating that the first content has a first priority and that the second content has a second priority that is lower than the first priority. Moreover, example methods may include transmitting the first packet flow and a modified second packet flow that includes the priority information to one or more other network devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Hayes, Brower Dimond
  • Patent number: 9391768
    Abstract: One or more devices of a network having asymmetric delay are configured to participate in time synchronization protocol sessions in which a client device synchronizes its local clock to a master device. In one example, a system includes an optical line terminal configured to receive a time synchronization protocol packet from a grandmaster clock and an optical network unit (ONU) configured to calculate a residence time of the time synchronization protocol packet, encode the residence time into the packet, and to forward the packet to a client device. Moreover, the system may participate in a plurality of time synchronization protocol sessions with a plurality of client devices, such that the client devices become synchronized in frequency and phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Harold A. Roberts, Christopher T. Bernard, Jason W. Dove, Berkay Baykal
  • Patent number: 9369432
    Abstract: A system and method for establishing secure communication between a first device and a second device, wherein the first device is behind a firewall. A Secure Shell (SSH) connection is established between the first device and the second device, wherein establishing a connection includes establishing a secured communications tunnel from the first device to the second device via an SSH protocol. The first device is registered with the second device, wherein registering includes sending an SSH protocol REGISTER DEVICE message from the first device to the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhijian Qin, Srinivas Nukala, Weimin Zhou
  • Patent number: 9319293
    Abstract: Techniques for network packet flow analysis and control are described herein. One example method may include obtaining network topology information corresponding to a plurality of nodes of an access network, receiving communication monitoring messages from two or more of the plurality of nodes, wherein the communication monitoring messages include communication information corresponding to a plurality of communication layers, and determining information loss statistics associated with the plurality of nodes based on the communication monitoring messages and the network topology information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Ari Sodhi, Henning Els
  • Patent number: 9306697
    Abstract: An optical network comprises a plurality of optical network units and an optical line terminal having one or more transmitters and one or more receivers. Each of the one or more transmitters and each of the one or more receivers is configured to operate over a respective wavelength. Each of the optical network units has a respective laser that is optically coupled to a respective one of the one or more transmitters and a respective one of the one or more receivers. The optical line terminal is configured to monitor power levels of respective optical signal burst transmissions from each of the plurality of optical network units and to direct each optical network unit to wavelength bias its respective laser based on the monitored power levels to compensate for a respective wavelength shift experienced by the respective laser during burst transmissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventor: Harold A. Roberts
  • Patent number: 9294534
    Abstract: An access node comprises a control unit that determines an anticipated working set of television channels based on a historically delivered working set of television channels to which a subscriber network has previously subscribed. The anticipated working set indicates a time at which the subscriber network is expected to subscribe to a different set of channels. The access node includes at least one interface that couples the access node to the subscriber network, that prior to the time at which the subscriber network is expected to subscribe to the different set of channels, subscribes to the different set of television channels in accordance with the anticipated working set such that media content associated with the different channels of the anticipated working set is available for delivery to the subscriber network at the time during which the access node expects the subscriber network to subscribe to the different set of channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventor: Berkay Baykal
  • Patent number: 9240938
    Abstract: A system and method for tracking and adjusting packet flows through a network having a service delivery node and one or more residential services gateways. Packet flows are recognized as they pass through one or more residential services gateway and flow analytics information corresponding to the packet flows recognized in the residential services gateways are transferred from the residential gateways to the flow identification control unit. The flow analytics information received from the residential services gateways is analyzed within the flow identification control unit and traffic through one or more of the service access platform and the residential services gateways is adjusted, if necessary, as a function of the flow analytics information analyzed by the flow identification control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Brower Dimond, Ari Sodhi
  • Patent number: 9185042
    Abstract: A system comprises a plurality of access nodes configured to provide one or more services to customer equipment; and a plurality of transport elements coupled together to form a network. Each transport element is configured to receive data packets committed to the network by one or more of the other transport elements and to commit data packets to the network, each data packet assigned to one of a plurality of traffic classes. Each respective transport element is further configured to shape a first set of traffic comprising data packets received from another transport element based on the respective traffic class of each data packet and to shape a second set of traffic comprising data packets to be committed to the network by the respective transport element based on the respective traffic class of each data packet, the first set of traffic shaped separately from the second set of traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Shaun Noel Missett, Berkay Baykal
  • Patent number: 9178613
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed that relate to synchronizing a clock on a network interface device with a clock on an optical line terminal (OLT). In one example, the technique to synchronizing the clocks may include monitoring one or more instances when the network interface device transmits information to the OLT and determining when a frame should be received by the network interface device based on the monitored one or more instances when the network interface device transmits information the OLT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher T. Bernard, Dean M. Dunnigan