Prior art — US Patent 10924188

Analysis of Prior Art for US Patent 10,924,188

The following analysis details the most relevant prior art cited against US Patent 10,924,188. This information is based on the patent's file wrapper and the citations listed in the issued patent.

Key Prior Art and Potential Anticipation of Claims

The primary innovation in US Patent 10,924,188 is the ability of an optical transceiver to dynamically select from a plurality of encoding methods based on the current "optical transmission attributes" (e.g., transmission distance, required capacity, error rate). A controller makes this selection to optimize the transmission.

Here are the most relevant prior art references and their potential impact on the claims of the '188 patent:

1. US Patent 9,698,939 B2

Full Citation: US Patent 9,698,939 B2, "Variable spectral efficiency optical modulation schemes," issued to Ciena Corporation.
Filing Date: June 13, 2013
Brief Description: This patent describes a method for adjusting the modulation format of an optical signal to vary its spectral efficiency. It discloses selecting a modulation format from a set of available formats (like QPSK, 8-QAM, 16-QAM) based on network conditions or performance requirements. This allows for a trade-off between data rate and transmission distance (reach).
Potential Anticipation: This reference appears to be highly relevant to the core concepts of the '188 patent.
- Claim 1 & 9: The '939 patent discloses an apparatus and method that selects a modulation format based on network parameters, which is analogous to selecting an "encoding method corresponding to optical transmission attributes" as claimed in the '188 patent. The act of choosing a modulation format inherently involves a specific encoding scheme. The motivation is also similar: to balance distance and capacity, as explicitly mentioned in the '188 patent's claims 5 and 13.

2. US Patent Application Publication 2011/0293266 A1

Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2011/0293266 A1, "Optical transmitting device and optical receiving device," assigned to Fujitsu Limited.
Filing Date: May 28, 2010
Brief Description: This application details an optical transmitter that can switch between different modulation schemes (e.g., DP-QPSK and DP-BPSK). This switching capability is designed to adapt to different transmission line conditions and requirements, allowing for flexible operation. The transmitter includes a modulation unit that can be configured to operate in these different modes.
Potential Anticipation:
- Claim 1 & 9: The '266 application describes a system with multiple, switchable modulation schemes, which directly corresponds to the "plurality of encoding methods" in the '188 patent. The selection of a scheme based on "transmission line conditions" is very similar to the '188 patent's "optical transmission attributes."
- Claim 4 & 12: The explicit disclosure of "changing from one to another encoding method" is taught by the '266 application's description of switching between modulation schemes.

3. US Patent Application Publication 2016/0043805 A1

Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2016/0043805 A1, "Transmission of a data stream using enhancement layers of multiple hierarchically modulated optical waves," assigned to Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
Filing Date: August 11, 2014
Brief Description: This document describes a system that uses hierarchical modulation, where a base layer and one or more enhancement layers of data are transmitted. The modulation format can be varied to adjust the data rate. The system can adapt the transmission based on the quality of the optical channel.
Potential Anticipation:
- Claim 1 & 9: The '805 application's system of adapting the modulation based on channel quality aligns with the '188 patent's concept of selecting an encoding method based on transmission attributes. The use of different modulation formats to carry enhancement layers is a form of employing multiple encoding methods.
- Claim 3 & 11: The idea of adapting to the "optical signal-to-noise ratio," a key transmission attribute, is central to the teachings of the '805 application, as channel quality is often measured by OSNR.

In summary, several prior art references disclose the core concept of an optical transmitter that can switch between different modulation or encoding schemes to adapt to varying network conditions. US patents 9,698,939 B2 and US 2011/0293266 A1 appear to be particularly strong references, as they both describe selecting from a plurality of modulation formats to balance transmission distance and capacity, which is a central theme of the independent claims of US Patent 10,924,188.