Optical add/drop module

1. An optical add/drop (OAD) device, connectable with a GBIC, for use in transmilling a light beam having a wavelength and for receiving a light beam having the same wavelength, said device comprising:

a first adapter for transmitting and receiving a combined light beam, wherein the combined light beam includes an (n)-number of light beams, wherein each light beam has an identifiable wavelength λ k (λ k =λ 1 . . . λ n );

a second adapter for transmitting and receiving an intermediate light beam having light beams with wavelengths (λ 1 through λ k−1 and λ k+1 through λ n );

a means for adding a light beam having the wavelength λk to an intermediate light beam for transmission as a combined light beam from said first adapter;

a means for dropping a light beam having the wavelength λ k from a combined light beam, as received by said first adapter, for direction of the light beam having the wavelength λ k to a detector, and for transmission of an intermediate light beam having wavelengths λ k+1 through λ n from said second adapter, as an intermediate light beam; and

a third adapter for plugging said CAD device directly into the GBIC.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a laser source for generating the light beam having a wavelength λ k ; and

a detector for receiving the light beam having a wavelength λ k .

3. A device as recited in claim 1 further comprising an optical link for carrying said combined light beam.

4. A device as recited in claim 3 wherein said optical link comprises:

a first optical fiber for transmitting a combined light beam to said device; and

a second optical fiber for receiving a combined light beam from said device.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 wherein said device is a lead device in combination with an (n−1)-number of additional devices serially connected to each other and to said lead device in a downstream alignment from said lead device with a respective said first adapter connected to said second adapter of said adjacent upstream device.

6. A device as recited in claim 4 wherein said means for adding a light beam, and said means for dropping a light beam, are beam splitters which pass light beams having a wavelength λ k , and substantially reflect all other light beams.

7. An optical data communications system which comprises:

an optical link for carrying an (n)-number of individually identifiable light beams λ k (λ k =λ 1 . . . λ n );

an (n)-number of optical add/drop (OAD) devices, wherein each said OAD device includes a first adapter, a second adapter, and a third adapter, and wherein one said OAD device is a lead device with said first adapter thereof connected to said optical link;

an (n−1)-number of means for serially connecting said (n)-number of devices to each other in a downstream alignment from said lead device, with a respective said second adapter connected to said first adapter of said adjacent downstream device; and an (n)-number of laser transceiver means, wherein each said laser transceiver means is plugged into said third adapter of a respective said CAD device to interconnect transceiver means to said first adapter, through a respective said third adapter, for adding a light beam having a wavelength λ k to said optical link, and for dropping a light beam having a wavelength λ k from said optical link.

8. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein said optical link comprises:

a first optical fiber for transmitting an (n)-number of light beams to said lead device; and

a second optical fiber for receiving an (n)-number of light beams from said lead device.

9. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein each said laser transceiver means comprises:

a laser source for generating a light beam having a wavelength (λ k ); and

a detector for receiving a light beam having the wavelength (λ k ).

10. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein said connecting means is an optical fiber.

11. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein said means for serially connecting a respective said first adapter to a respective said second adapter is an optical plug, and wherein said third adapter is an optical plug.

12. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein said laser means for adding a light beam and for dropping a light beam, is a pair of beam splitters for passing light beams having a wavelength λ k , and for substantially reflecting all other light beams.

13. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein said first adapter, said second adapter and said third adapter are connectorized.

14. A method for adding and dropping a light beam having an identifiable wavelength λ k (λ k =λ 1 . . . λ n ) from a combined light beam having an (n)-number of light beams, wherein “n” is greater than sixteen, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an (n)-number of optical add/drop (OAD) devices, wherein each OAD device includes a first adapter, a second adapter, and a third adapter, and wherein one OAD device is a lead device with the first adapter thereof connected to an optical link;

serially connecting the (n)-number of devices to each other in a downstream alignment from the lead device, with a respective first adapter connected to the second adapter of the adjacent upstream device; and

plugging an (n)-number of laser transceiver means into the third adapter of respective OAD devices, to interconnect each transceiver means to a respective said first adapter, through said third adapter, for adding a light beam having a wavelength λ k to said optical link, and for dropping a light beam having a wavelength λ k from said optical link.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein the laser transceiver means includes a laser source and a detector, and the method further comprises the

steps of: plugging the laser source and the detector into the third adapter; and

plugging the optical link into the first adapter of the lead device for transmitting and receiving the combined light beam.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein the serially connecting step is accomplished by the steps of:

providing an optical fiber; and

plugging the optical fiber into the first adapter of a downstream OAD device.

17. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein the laser transceiver means for adding a light beam and for dropping a light beam includes a pair of beam splitters which pass light beams having a wavelength λ k , and substantially reflect all other light beams.