Patents by Inventor Thomas Malcolm Chaffee

Thomas Malcolm Chaffee 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: 11990946
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and non-transitory computer readable memory for free-space optical (FSO) communications. For instance, a communications network may include FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within the communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the remote location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F Szajowski
  • Publication number: 20230412275
    Abstract: Free-space optical (FSO) wireless transmission, including optical communications, remote-sensing, power beaming, etc., can be enhanced by replacing conventional laser sources that operate in the infrared portion of the optical spectrum with ultra-short pulsed laser (USPL) sources having peak pulse powers of one kWatt or greater and pulse lengths of less than one picosecond. Specifically, it has been observed that under these conditions the attenuation of an USPL beam having the same average optical power as a conventional laser in a lossy medium, such as the atmosphere, is substantially less than the attenuation of a conventional laser beam having a lower peak pulse power and/or a longer pulse width. The superior system performance when using an USPL can be translated into an increased distance between a laser source in a transmitter and a photodetector in receiver and/or a higher reliability of system operation in inclement weather conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski, Robert P. Fleishauer
  • Patent number: 11777610
    Abstract: Free-space optical (FSO) wireless transmission, including optical communications, remote-sensing, power beaming, etc., can be enhanced by replacing conventional laser sources that operate in the infrared portion of the optical spectrum with ultra-short pulsed laser (USPL) sources having peak pulse powers of one kWatt or greater and pulse lengths of less than one picosecond. Specifically, it has been observed that under these conditions the attenuation of an USPL beam having the same average optical power as a conventional laser in a lossy medium, such as the atmosphere, is substantially less than the attenuation of a conventional laser beam having a lower peak pulse power and/or a longer pulse width. The superior system performance when using an USPL can be translated into an increased distance between a laser source in a transmitter and a photodetector in receiver and/or a higher reliability of system operation in inclement weather conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski, Robert P. Fleishauer
  • Publication number: 20230246718
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems and non-transitory computer readable memory for free-space optical (FSO) communications. For instance, a communications network may include FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within the communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the remote location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F Szajowski
  • Patent number: 11621787
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the field of free-space optical (FSO) communications, and specifically to the realization of functional FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within a communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions necessary for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node identified as the near-end transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location classified as the far-end node over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the far-end node location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski
  • Publication number: 20220416909
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the field of free-space optical (FSO) communications, and specifically to the realization of functional FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within a communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions necessary for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node identified as the near-end transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location classified as the far-end node over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the far-end node location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski
  • Patent number: 11265088
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the field of free-space optical (FSO) communications, and specifically to the realization of functional FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within a communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions necessary for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node identified as the near-end transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location classified as the far-end node over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the far-end node location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Attochron, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski
  • Publication number: 20210242944
    Abstract: Free-space optical (FSO) wireless transmission, including optical communications, remote-sensing, power beaming, etc., can be enhanced by replacing conventional laser sources that operate in the infrared portion of the optical spectrum with ultra-short pulsed laser (USPL) sources having peak pulse powers of one kWatt or greater and pulse lengths of less than one picosecond. Specifically, it has been observed that under these conditions the attenuation of an USPL beam having the same average optical power as a conventional laser in a lossy medium, such as the atmosphere, is substantially less than the attenuation of a conventional laser beam having a lower peak pulse power and/or a longer pulse width. The superior system performance when using an USPL can be translated into an increased distance between a laser source in a transmitter and a photodetector in receiver and/or a higher reliability of system operation in inclement weather conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski, Robert P. Fleishauer
  • Patent number: 10644793
    Abstract: Enhancements in optical beam propagation performance can be realized through the utilization of ultra-short pulse laser (USPL) sources for laser transmit platforms, which are can be used throughout the telecommunication network infrastructure fabric. One or more of the described and illustrated features of USPL free space-optical (USPL-FSO) laser communications can be used in improving optical propagation through the atmosphere, for example by mitigating optical attenuation and scintillation effects, thereby enhancing effective system availability as well as link budget considerations, as evidenced through experimental studies and theoretical calculations between USPL and fog related atmospheric events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: ATTOCHRON, LLC.
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski, Isaac Kim, Alexandre Braga
  • Publication number: 20190190639
    Abstract: This invention relates to increasing the digital data rate of both free space and fiber optic communication systems by passing the laser beam from an ultra-short pulsed laser (USPL) source through an integrated photonic circuit that slices the relatively broadband spectral emission from the USPL into a multiplicity of narrower contiguous spectral bands. Each of these contiguous bands is individually modulated with data to form a multiplicity of communication channels that are then recombined back into a single broadband pulse stream prior to transmission to a remote receiver unit. Upon receipt at the optical receiver unit, the individual broadband pulses in the received pulse stream are sliced once again by another integrated photonic circuit back into a multiplicity of contiguous spectral channels that are directed to a multiplicity of high speed photodetectors, one detector per channel, resulting in a wavelength division multiplexing-per-pulse (WDM-per-pulse) communication system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Douglas Arthur Pinnow
  • Publication number: 20180269991
    Abstract: This invention pertains to the field of free-space optical (FSO) communications, and specifically to the realization of functional FSO optical transceiver terminals located at remote electrically unpowered locations within a communications network. A remote unpowered FSO terminal located at a far-end location receives necessary optical power from a powered base station location (near-end) required for all optical amplification functions necessary for NRZ or RZ format signals within the spectral range of 900 nm to 1480 nm as well as an Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) centered at 1560 nm at the far-end location. A transmitting node identified as the near-end transmits an optical signal identified as a pump signal to a remote location classified as the far-end node over a free space medium, such as the atmosphere, where the far-end node location does not have available electrical power for operation of electro-optic components required for transmission and retransmission functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Malcolm Chaffee, Paul F. Szajowski