Patents by Inventor William E. Schmitt

William E. Schmitt 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).

  • Apparatus and method for measuring polarization dependent loss
    Patent number: 6449033
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring polarization dependent loss is disclosed featuring several fiber optic couplers combined in tandem and oriented such that the PDL noise of the measurement system is reduced to a negligible level. By matching the PDLs of the couplers and vectorally subtracting opposite phases of polarization, the PDL of the measurement system is virtually eliminated. Thus, the PDL noise floor is lowered to near zero and the PDL of the optical device-under-test (DUT) can be accurately measured. The system is relatively inexpensive to implement and offers needed versatility because it measures the PDL of optical devices that operate in a reflection mode or in a forward transmission mode. Thus, it provides one PDL measurement solution for both types of devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Marlene A. Marro, William E. Schmitt, Mark A. Summa, Gregory E. Williams
  • APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING POLARIZATION DEPENDENT LOSS
    Publication number: 20010052973
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring polarization dependent loss is disclosed featuring several fiber optic couplers combined in tandem and oriented such that the PDL noise of the measurement system is reduced to a negligible level. By matching the PDLs of the couplers and vectorally subtracting opposite phases of polarization, the PDL of the measurement system is virtually eliminated. Thus, the PDL noise floor is lowered to near zero and the PDL of the optical device-under-test (DUT) can be accurately measured. The system is relatively inexpensive to implement and offers needed versatility because it measures the PDL of optical devices that operate in a reflection mode or in a forward transmission mode. Thus, it provides one PDL measurement solution for both types of devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Publication date: December 20, 2001
    Inventors: MARLENE A. MARRO, WILLIAM E. SCHMITT, MARK A. SUMMA, GREGORY E. WILLIAMS