Patents by Inventor Sheldon McLaughlin

Sheldon McLaughlin 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).

  • Patent number: 7676126
    Abstract: The invention relates to multiport routing devices for routing optical signals which also provide beam attenuation by imparting a controllable offset between an optical beam and a selected optical port. A multiport optical routing device of the present invention has a plurality of non-equally spaced optical ports disposed in a row to enable beam offset for attenuation without substantially increasing optical crosstalk between adjacent ports in a compact port arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Sheldon McLaughlin, Pierre D. Wall
  • Patent number: 7630599
    Abstract: The invention relates to fiber-optic wavelength dispersive devices incorporating a wavelength dispersive reflector that provides auto-compensation of variations of output spectral characteristic with temperature and includes a transmissive dispersion that is followed by a beam-folding reflecting surface in a double-pass configuration grating and is coupled to a wedged shaped prism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Sheldon McLaughlin, Chester Murley
  • Publication number: 20090273840
    Abstract: A compact wavelength dispersing device and a wavelength selective optical switch based on the wavelength dispersing device is described. The wavelength dispersing device has a folding mirror that folds the optical path at least three times. A focal length of a focusing coupler of the device is reduced and the NA is increased, while the increased optical aberrations are mitigated by using an optional coma-compensating wedge. A double-pass arrangement for a transmission diffraction grating allows further focal length and overall size reduction due to increased angular dispersion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Inventor: Sheldon MCLAUGHLIN
  • Publication number: 20090263080
    Abstract: An optical bench in a wavelength selective switch (WSS) is mounted using a combination of fixed mounts and stress-free mounts. The WSS is packaged in an enclosure including a base, a sidewall, and a lid. The optical switching engine is attached directly to the base. The optical bench is attached to the base and the optical components supported thereon are aligned with the array of switching elements of the switching engine. The optical bench is attached to the base with at plurality of mounts, which include at least one movable mount supporting movement of the optical bench in a plane parallel to the optical bench and at least one fixed mount maintaining optical alignment between the dispersive element and the array of switching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Inventors: Nenad DURICIC, Sheldon Mclaughlin, Pierre D. Wall
  • Publication number: 20090154874
    Abstract: The invention relates to multiport routing devices for routing optical signals which also provide beam attenuation by imparting a controllable offset between an optical beam and a selected optical port. A multiport optical routing device of the present invention has a plurality of non-equally spaced optical ports disposed in a row to enable beam offset for attenuation without substantially increasing optical crosstalk between adjacent ports in a compact port arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Sheldon McLaughlin, Pierre D. Wall
  • Publication number: 20090154876
    Abstract: The invention relates to fiber-optic wavelength dispersive devices incorporating a wavelength dispersive reflector that provides auto-compensation of variations of output spectral characteristic with temperature and includes a transmissive dispersion that is followed by a beam-folding reflecting surface in a double-pass configuration grating and is coupled to a wedged shaped prism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Sheldon McLaughlin, Chester Murley
  • Patent number: 7184665
    Abstract: A chromatic dispersion compensator in a single-pass and a double-pass version is disclosed. In a single-pass version, the compensator has a diffractive grating for spatially separating an input optical signal into spatially spaced frequency components and a MEMS array of separate phase shifters, each for imparting an independent phase shift to a channel containing a range of the spatially spaced frequency components. In a double-pass version, a retroreflector is disposed to effect a double pass of the light beam through the grating and the phase shifters. The arrangement is effecting in reducing chromatic dispersion of the optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignees: JDS Uniphase Inc., JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Valentine N. Morozov, Sheldon McLaughlin, Thomas Ducellier
  • Patent number: 6870679
    Abstract: A method and device is disclosed for relaying a narrow diameter collimated optical beam carrying optical communication signal channels between a multilayer interference filters and another reflective surface avoiding signal loss by routing the optical beam to compensate for beam broadening caused by the multilayer interference filter. The method and device are particularly applicable to dispersion compensating filters, especially those wherein one filter is tunable, in that a controllable amount of dispersion is introduced to offset or compensate dispersion. Preferably one of the filters is a tunable periodic device in the form of a multi-cavity etalon structure. In a preferred embodiment of the filters can be designed to provide various controllable but different constant amounts of dispersion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Inc.
    Inventors: Geoff Randall, Paul Colbourne, David Moss, Michael R. E. Lamont, Sheldon McLaughlin
  • Patent number: 6711311
    Abstract: This invention relates to elements such as birefringent crystals, which are used to separate a non-collimated input beam into two orthogonally polarized sub-beams or to combine two orthogonally polarized beams into a single beam. The optical device lessens or obviates the optical path length difference encountered in prior art devices and provides a polarization beam splitter/combiner that has substantially same optical path lengths for two split or combined beams propagating therethrough. Alternatively, the device is designed to provide a selected path length difference to compensate for polarization mode dispersion in other optical devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Delisle, Gonzalo Wills, Pierre D. Wall, Alan J. P. Hnatiw, Yihao Cheng, Dean Sheldon Spicer, Sheldon McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20020196549
    Abstract: A method and device is disclosed for relaying a narrow diameter collimated optical beam carrying optical communication signal channels between a multilayer interference filters and another reflective surface avoiding signal loss by routing the optical beam to compensate for beam broadening caused by the multilayer interference filter. The method and device are particularly applicable to dispersion compensating filters, especially those wherein one filter is tunable, in that a controllable amount of dispersion is introduced to offset or compensate dispersion. Preferably one of the filters is a tunable periodic device in the form of a multi-cavity etalon structure. In a preferred embodiment of the filters can be designed to provide various controllable but different constant amounts of dispersion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventors: Geoff Randall, Paul Colbourne, David Moss, Michael R.E. Lamont, Sheldon McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20020186438
    Abstract: A chromatic dispersion compensator in a single-pass and a double-pass version is disclosed. In a single-pass version, the compensator has a diffractive grating for spatially separating an input optical signal into spatially spaced frequency components and a MEMS array of separate phase shifters, each for imparting an independent phase shift to a channel containing a range of the spatially spaced frequency components. In a double-pass version, a retroreflector is disposed to effect a double pass of the light beam through the grating and the phase shifters. The arrangement is effecting in reducing chromatic dispersion of the optical signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Publication date: December 12, 2002
    Inventors: Valentine N. Morozov, Sheldon McLaughlin, Thomas Ducellier
  • Publication number: 20010036330
    Abstract: This invention relates to elements such as birefringent crystals, which are used to separate a non-collimated input beam into two orthogonally polarized sub-beams or to combine two orthogonally polarized beams into a single beam. The optical device lessens or obviates the optical path length difference encountered in prior art devices and provides a polarization beam splitter/combiner that has substantially same optical path lengths for two split or combined beams propagating therethrough. Alternatively, the device is designed to provide a selected path length difference to compensate for polarization mode dispersion in other optical devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2001
    Publication date: November 1, 2001
    Inventors: Vincent Delisle, Gonzalo Wills, Pierre D. Wall, Alan J.P. Hnatiw, Yihao Cheng, Dean Sheldon Spicer, Sheldon McLaughlin