Abstract: A system for acquiring rights to lease an offshore support vessel using leassee client devices, leassor client devices, and a database server system is disclosed. The leassee client devices and leassor client devices communicate with the database server system. The database server system maintains a catalog of offshore support vessels available to potential leassees, via their respective client devices, with information on the vessels available for lease. The database server maintains information on leassors with offshore support vessels for lease and information on equipment used on the vessels for lease. The system allows leassees and leassors to request bids, formulate potential leassor distribution lists, and determine the best leasing conditions offered by the leassors. The system facilitates making an award to the potential leassor, who or which offers the best leasing conditions for the lease of an offshore support vessel most closely matching the formulated bid request.

Abstract: A system for acquiring rights to lease a drilling rig for periods of time and/or particular activities and including leassee client devices, leassor client devices, and a database server system is disclosed. The leassee client devices and leassor client devices communicate with the database server system. The database server system maintains a catalog of drilling rigs available to potential leassees via their respective client devices, comprising information on the drilling rigs available for lease. The database server maintains information on leassors with drilling rigs for lease and information on equipment used on drilling rigs for lease. The system allows leassees and leassors to request bids, formulate potential leassor distribution lists, and determine the best leasing conditions offered by the leassors. The system facilitates making an award to the potential leassor, which offers the best leasing conditions for the lease of a drilling rig most closely matching the formulated bid request.

Abstract: A system for acquiring rights to lease well services including leassee client devices, leassor client devices, and a database server system is disclosed. The leassee client devices and leassor client devices communicate with the database server system. The database server system maintains a catalog of well services available to potential leassees via their respective client devices and comprising information on the well services available for lease. The database server maintains information on leassors with well services for lease, and information on equipment used on well services for lease. The system allows leassees and leassors to request bids, formulate potential leassor distribution lists, and determine the best leasing conditions offered by the potential leassees. The system facilitates making an award to the potential leassor offering the best leasing conditions for the lease of well services most closely matching the formulated bid request.

Abstract: A method of modulating an optical carrier. A target carrier modulation is computed based on an input data signal. An effective length of an optical modulator is then controlled based on the target carrier modulation.

Abstract: Accelerated protection switching in a multi-platform network switch may be achieved by allocating connectivity slots from the port cards to the switch cards for all states of a connection through the switch and forming maps of the allocations for use by the port cards and switch cards. By allocating connectivity slots to all states of the connection, the connection will not be blocked in connection with a state change. By storing the slot allocation in maps a connection state change may be implemented by the switch by causing traffic on the connection to be transported using the allocated slots. Various protection modes can use the same connectivity slots with collision avoidance via prepared maps Thus, having predefined paths via allocated slots provisioned through the network element enables the network element to switch very quickly from working to protection to comply with applicable standards and minimize disruption of network traffic.

Abstract: An optical spike is generated at an arbitrarily selected location within an arbitrary optical link. The optical spike is generated by deriving a spike signal having a plurality of components, and launching the spike signal into the a transmitter end of the optical link. An initial phase relationship between the components is selected such that the involved signal components will be phase aligned at the selected location. In order to achieve this operation, the initial phase relationship between the components may be selected to offset dispersion induced phase changes between the transmitter end of the link and the selected location. One or more optical spikes can be generated at respective arbitrarily selected locations within the link, and may be used for performance monitoring, system control, or other purposes.

Abstract: Provided is an optical apparatus and method wherein power transfer coefficients arising from SRS are measured at a designated co-location point and the power of dithers, which are impressed on the channels of a multiplexed optical signal propagating through the optical apparatus, is measured at each co-location point. Within the optical apparatus distances between co-location points are short and the power transfer coefficients are effectively constant. Consequently, the power of each channel of the multiplexed optical signal at the co-location points is obtained from the power of the dithers at a respective one of the co-location points and the power transfer coefficients measured at the designated co-location point. In some embodiments, information on the channel power at the co-location points is used to provide instructions for compensating for fluctuations in channel power and/or channel count at an input and/or channel count within the optical apparatus.

Abstract: A method of modulating an optical carrier. A target carrier modulation is computed based on an input data signal. An effective length of an optical modulator is then controlled based on the target carrier modulation.

Abstract: A suppressed carrier optical communications signal is generated by driving (biasing) an optical modulator capable of complex modulation of an optical carrier signal to a bias point near a zero-crossing point of the modulator's E-field response. A complex input signal is then used to drive excursions of the E-field response to impress the input signal onto the optical carrier. The resulting lightwave emerging from the complex modulator exhibits an optical spectrum characterized by a pair of sidebands and a strongly suppressed carrier. Bias control of the complex modulator is implemented on the basis of the optical power detected at the output of the complex modulator. This enables the optical modulator to be treated as a “black box”, in that calculation of the bias signals does not relay on knowledge of the precise performance characteristics of the modulator.

Abstract: A method of a conveying data through an optical communications system. An optical signal is received through the optical communication system, the optical signal comprising data symbols and SYNC bursts, each SYNC burst having a predetermined symbol sequence. The received optical signal is oversampled to generate a multi-bit sample stream. The sample stream is partitioned into blocks of contiguous samples, wherein each block of samples partially overlaps at least one other block of samples and encompasses at least one SYNC burst and a plurality of data symbols. Each block of samples is independently processed to detect a value of each data symbol.

Abstract: A method of processing a stream of digital samples of an optical signal received by a coherent optical receiver. The digital sample stream is processed to generate a dispersion compensated sample stream. The dispersion compensated sample stream is then processed to compensate polarization dependent impairments of the optical signal.

Abstract: Laser line-width compensation is performed by detecting noise in an optical signal output by a laser of an optical communications system and controlling a complex modulator to cancel the detected noise. Line-width compensation can be performed for both amplitude and phase noise in the optical signal. Noise measurements are used to compute a complex scalar. The complex scalar is used by a compensation processor to modify an input signal that is to be transmitted by the optical communications system. The modified input signal controls the complex modulator, which modulates the output signal to cancel the noise.

Abstract: A method of minimizing jitter in a system for rate adapting a data signal for transport through a synchronous network. A phase difference is measured between a data clock synchronous with the data signal and a local clock of the synchronous network. A timing reference (F) indicative of a frequency difference between the asynchronous data signal and the local clock is measured using the measured phase difference. Calculation of the timing reference includes compensating ambiguity in the measured phase difference.

Abstract: A method of recovering a clock signal from an optical signal received through an optical communications system. A digital sample stream is processed to generate a dispersion compensated signal. The dispersion compensated signal is then tapped to obtain upper side band and lower side, band signals of each received polarization of the optical signal. The upper side band sand lower side band signals are then processed to compensate polarization dependent impairments and the clock recovered from the resulting optimized.

Abstract: A method of recovering a clock signal from an optical signal received through an optical communications system. A digital sample stream is processed to generate a dispersion compensated signal. The dispersion compensated signal is then tapped to obtain upper side band and lower side band signals of each received polarization of the optical signal. The upper side band and lower side band signals are then processed to compensate polarization dependent impairments, and the clock recovered from the resulting optimized.

Abstract: In a method of synthesizing an optical signal, a multi-bit digital representation of a desired optical E-field is generated. The multi-bit digital representation has a resolution of N1-bits, where N1 is an integer greater than 2. At least two analog drive signals are synthesized based on the multi-bit digital representation. Each analog drive signal exhibits excursions between 2M discrete states (i.e. has a resolution of M-bits), where M is an integer greater than 2. An electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter is driven using the analog drive signals to generate an output optical E-field at an output of the E/O converter. An error is detected between the output optical E-field and the desired complex E-field waveform, and at least one parameter adjusted so as to minimize the detected error.

Abstract: A synchronizer/de-synchronizer maps continuous format signals of an arbitrary rate into frames of pre-selected single common rate, such as SONET frames, with no bite changed and very little jitter or wander added. In this way, the continuous format signal may be carried transparently as a tributary of a SONET network. Each frame comprises a definite number of fixed stuff bits, including transport overhead bits and reminder fixed stuff bits. A frame also comprises an adjustable number of adaptive stuff bits, resulting from the phase difference between the arbitrary rate and the common rate. A mapping function is performed in a tributary unit shelf of a SONET transport shelf, and the reverse mapping function is performed in a similar way at the far end of a SONET connection. The stuff bits are spread uniformly within the frame.

Abstract: Optical dispersion imposed on a communications signal conveyed through an optical communications system is compensated by modulating the communications signal in the electrical domain. A compensation function is determined that substantially mitigates the chromatic dispersion. The communications signal is then modulated in the electrical domain using the compensation function. In preferred embodiments, compensation is implemented in the transmitter, using a look-up-table and digital-to-analog converter to generate an electrical predistorted signal. The electrical predistorted signal is then used to modulate an optical source to generate a corresponding predistorted optical signal for transmission through the optical communications system.

Abstract: A stent graft system for intraluminal deployment in an aorta and a branch vessel that includes an aorta stent graft for deployment within the aorta and defining a lumen for the passage of blood therethrough, and having a fenestration positioned and sized so as to allow blood to flow to a contiguous branch vessel. The system also includes a branch vessel prosthesis, preferably a stent graft, having a tubular portion and a flaring portion, such that, when deployed, the flaring portion is located within the lumen of the aorta stent graft and the tubular portion passes through the fenestration and into the branch vessel. A balloon expansion catheter expands the tubular portion and flare the flaring portion. The expansion of the tubular portion and the flaring of the flaring portion may occur sequentially or simultaneously.

Abstract: A method and system for mitigating effects of dispersion in an optical link. A pair of digital sample streams are synthesized representing a target optical E-field having a spectrum selected such that the convolution of the spectrum with itself yields a signal having beat terms that contain phase information of the target optical E-field. A complex optical modulator is driven in accordance with the computed orthogonal sample values.