US Patent 7127669 Redundant path communication methods and systems

The systems and methods described herein provide a redundant communication path. The systems and methods can provide a second source for the same data under many circumstances. These circumstances can include, for example, 1) when data incurs errors during transmission in the communication link network, 2) when a communication link in the communication link network experiences transient blockage, 3) when a communication link experiences prolonged or indefinite blockage, and 4) when an optical transceiver unit within the communication link network experiences a hardware failure and is unable to perform its tasks.