At&t Bell Laboratories

Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Gary S Cobb

Wesley W Jones

Denis Edward Burek

Marc Duane Jones

William H Bensel, Iii

Phillip Maurice Thomas

George Edwin Mock

John F Malluck

Lawrence R Dunn

Melvin W Evers

Daniel A Porteous

Edward R Moore

A mass fusion splice tray assembly increases the capacity of a splice closure which has support members thereon for supporting the assembly. The assembly include a splice tray which latches to a support member and which has locating slots to contain two splice holder inserts. A cover member has latching legs which latch to wedge shaped latches on the splice tray. The cover member is adapted for pivotally mounting a discrete splice tray on the top surface thereof so that the total splice capacity of the splice tray assembly is increased.

Mass fusion splice tray

A mass splice tray for holding a plurality of optical fiber splices, such as mechanical or fusion type splices for optical fiber ribbons, has a floor and front and rear and end walls defining an interior of the tray. A support shelf extends from the rear wall into the interior, spaced from the floor, for supporting splice holders above the floor at one side of the tray. Extensions on the end walls define, with the rear wall, channels for routing fiber, especially ribbon fibers, into and out of the tray. Splice holder inserts have locating means thereon for mating with locating means in the rear wall to position the inserts on the support shelf, and splice holders are dimensioned to fit within the inserts. The elevation of the splice holders permits routing slack fibers or ribbons within the interior of the tray without interference from the splice holders. Protective tabs extend from the top edges of the walls to maintain the fibers or ribbons within the tray.

Mass splice tray for optical fibers

A splice holder assembly of this invention is used in an optical fiber cable splice closure. The assembly includes a splice tray that is an open-topped enclosure in which is mounted splice organizing modules that hold optical fiber splices. The tray includes retainers that confine optical fibers in a lower portion of the tray, and that also support a card with a list of splice locations and optical fiber identities coupled by each splice. The card supports at least one splice cassette situated inside of the splice tray. The splice cassette includes a bottom portion and a cover. To the bottom portion, at least one splice organizing module is mounted. The cassette's bottom portion also has T-shaped engagements which hold respective protective tubes housing optical fibers, that run between a distribution unit of the closure and the cassette. The slack of the optical fibers can be wound in the bottom portion of the cassette and the ends of the optical fibers coupled together with splices inserted and held in the modules. The cassette cover includes depressed portions which engage with the inner sides of the bottom portion. Hinged tabs of the cassette's bottom portion can be folded into engagement with the cover to hold the cover over the top of the bottom portion. The cassette cover can be provided with a label indicating splice locations and the optical fibers coupled at each splice. A strap holds the splice cassette(s) in the splice tray.

Splice holder assembly for an optical fiber cable splice closure

An optical fiber cable closure (20) includes a cable termination assembly (100) and a cover (23) into which the termination assembly is inserted. The cable termination assembly includes a cable entry (30) having an environmental seal through which cables (28--28) containing optical fibers are routed into the closure. The termination assembly also includes a support frame (101) which has a free end that extends from the cable entry and is enclosed by the cover. Extending upwardly from and attached to the support frame are a pair of spaced-apart parallel track members (112--112) for stacking optical fiber splicing trays (120) in a compact manner. Each tray includes a pair of spaced-apart openings (128--128) along one end. These parallel track members pass through the spaced-apart openings in the tray to create a slideable connecting arrangement which enables trays of varying thickness to be efficiently stacked within the same closure. Optical fibers from each incoming cable are routed in individual tubes (29--29) or as ribbons from an optical fiber breakout (140) mounted on the frame to selected ones of the trays. The trays are provided with a plurality of organizing modules (125--125)--each of which is adapted to hold a plurality of optical fiber connective devices.

Compact closure for optical fiber cable

A splice closure for optical fiber cables has an outer two pan shell, an interior longitudinally extending spine member held within the shell and cable sheath gripping members mounted on the ends of the spine member. A splice tray is removably mounted on the spine member intermediate its ends, and a plurality of splice holders are stacked on the splice tray. Each splice holder has grooves for containing the individual splices and means for affixing the individual splices to the holder. A splice tray cover contains means for applying compressive force to the stack of holders to hold them in place on the splice tray.

Optical fiber cable splice closure

An optical cable portion (10), resident within a cable closure (14), is caused to receive a water blocking arrangement which is effective to prevent water, which enters an internal cable portion (24) through an unintended cut (21) in an outer jacket (18) of a cable portion (20), from entering an interior of the cable closure. A plurality of water blocking materials (30 and 32) are coaxially disposed about the outer jacket and a core tube (26) of the cable portion, respectively, and cooperate with a heat shrinkable plastic tube (34) which substantially covers the water blocking materials to prevent the movement of water from the internal cable portion past the water blocking materials.

Method of making a water blocked optical fiber cable

Water blocked cable portion and methods of making same

A closure (20) which may be used temporarily in the restoration of service to an optical fiber cable (50) which has been damaged includes a base (22) and a cover (24) which include mating longitudinal edge portions. The base and the cover are secured together with longitudinally extending C-clamps (97--97) which are moved slidably to engage the mating longitudinal edge portions of the base and the cover. Cables to be spliced enter the closure through openings in compliant end blocks (67--67). Modules (40,40) are disposed within the closure and hold connective devices used to make connective arrangements between optical fibers of the cables. The closure is easy to assembly is lightweight and may be reused.

Optical fiber closure

An optical fiber closure (20) which is particularly suitable for connecting small fiber count cables and for repairs of same includes a longitudinally extending electrical bonding and support member (70) for supporting in-line connections between optical fibers of cable end portions which enter the closure from opposite ends thereof. Each cable end portion extends through a cable and clamping and sealing means (40) which is adapted to become secured to a tubular member (60) in which is disposed the support member and which is adapted to provide sealed engagement with the entering cable end portion to prevent the ingress of moisture.

Closure for optical fiber connective arrangements and method of

An optical fiber cable closure (20) includes a cable termination assembly (26) and a cover (28) into which the termination assembly is inserted. The cable termination assembly includes an end plate assembly (34) through which distribution cables (21,22) to be spliced extend. From the end plate is cantilevered a distribution portion (106) which supports an optical fiber organizer (115). Mounted on the fiber organizer adjacent to a longitudinal edge thereof are a plurality of stacked organizing modules (120,120). Each module includes a plurality of nests (134-134) for receiving splicing devices such that the axes of the fibers in the devices are parallel to each other and to an axis of the closure. Optical fibers from each incoming cable are routed in individual bundles or as ribbons from the distribution portion to selected ones of the modules. The stacked organizing modules are held spaced above the fiber organizer to allow fiber to become routed therebetween thereby allowing a radius of curvature which exceeds that if the fiber had been routed between the stack of modules and an opposite longitudinal edge.

Space-saving optical fiber cable closure

A design for an underwater splice closure is disclosed that protects splices essentially independent of operating depth, while allowing for ease of use and low-cost manufacture. The primary splice housing consists of an upper and a lower half-cast of beryllium copper. The splices are made and then organized along a series of interior trays mounted from risers attached to the lower half of the housing. The two halves bolt together. An end-seal assembly contained on the lower half of the closure, and consisting of a series of O-ring applications, receives the sheathed cable and directs it to a mounting means which secures the sheath to the lower half of the splice closure. The invention is particularly adapted to optical fiber splice closures which require protective fill.

Growing community of inventors

Norcross, GA, United States of America

Gary S Cobb