US 12,219,304 B2
Packet switched quantum network
Alireza Shabani, Los Angeles, CA (US); Bing Qi, Knoxville, TN (US); Stephen Magno DiAdamo, Munich (DE); Glen W. Miller, Haverhill, MA (US); and Ramana Rao Venkata Renuka Kompella, Foster City, CA (US)
Assigned to CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/975,175.
Prior Publication US 2024/0147101 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. H04B 10/70 (2013.01); H04Q 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04Q 11/0003 (2013.01) [H04B 10/70 (2013.01); H04Q 11/0005 (2013.01); H04Q 2011/0037 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving at a network element including a quantum memory, a classical header for a quantum payload;
processing the classical header to determine a destination endpoint for the quantum payload;
receiving the quantum payload at the network element and storing the quantum payload in the quantum memory;
generating a new classical header for the quantum payload based on the destination endpoint, wherein the new classical header includes a length of time the quantum payload is stored in the quantum memory;
sending the new classical header to a next hop at a first time based on a number of hops between the network element and the destination endpoint; and
sending the quantum payload to the next hop after the first time for routing to the destination endpoint based on decoherence of the quantum payload indicated by the length of time.