Lucent Technologies Inc.

Western Electric Company, Inc.

At+t Corp.

Wavesplitter Technologies, Inc.

George Edwin Mock

Denis Edward Burek

Helmut E Durr

Clyde Jefferson Lever, Jr

Gary S Cobb

Bruce V Darden

Krishnaswamy Kathiresan

Stephen Clement Mettler

Bruce B Boehlke

Robert C Bevers

Daniel A Porteous

A variably configurable and modular retainer for various discrete optical components (such as passive optical elements and mass fusion splices) is provided by a substantially planar base having an optical component support surface. Complementary finger pairs extend upwardly from the base. Each finger is disposed in an opposing arrangement with the other finger in the finger pair and is provided with an inner and outer surface. The respective opposing inner surfaces (each having a slightly concave profile) define an optical component receiving area that is sized and shaped to accommodate an optical component or splice. Each finger pair is resilient and laterally biased with a normal bias such that the inner surfaces are urged laterally inwardly and being movably outwardly for interlockingly engaging an optical component using snap-fit. The optical component may be thereby retained against the support surface of the base.

Modular, variably configurable retainer assembly for optical components

An apparatus for accessing fibers in an optical fiber ribbon by separating the ribbon into first and second portions has a lower element having a slot therein for holding the ribbon, a coupling element to which the lower element is fixedly mounted, and a slotted upper element vertically and rotatably movable on the coupling element. The upper element can be raised to permit insertion of a fiber ribbon into the two slotted elements, after which it is lowered and twisted on the coupling element to separate the ribbon into two parts.

Method and apparatus for separating one or more optical fibers from an

The apparatus of this invention includes a macrobend/microbend unit which imposes first and second macrobends, and microbends between the first and second macrobends, on an optical fiber under analysis. If light is travelling in one direction on the optical fiber, the bending of the optical fiber is such that some light will escape from the core of the optical fiber at the first macrobend. A first photodetector is arranged to receive light emitted from the first macrobend, and generates a signal indicative of whether light is present at the first macrobend. If light is travelling in the optical fiber in the other direction, the second macrobend causes some light to be emitted. A second photodetector arranged to receive light from the second macrobend, generates a signal indicative of whether light is present at the second macrobend. The apparatus includes a display, generated based on the signals from the photodetectors, indicating the optical fiber status including information such as whether light is travelling in the optical fiber in one direction or the other, whether the optical fiber is live or dead, and/or whether the light emitted from the optical fiber includes a tone signal of fixed frequency. For example, the apparatus can be used to aid a repair technician in quickly determining the optical fibers in need of repair in a damaged optical fiber cable containing many optical fibers. The invention also includes a related method.

Optical fiber status analyzer and related methods

A method and apparatus for separating one or more optical fibers from an optical fiber ribbon is disclosed by the present invention. This device includes a housing with a base and a cap, the base providing support for the optical fiber ribbon and the cap providing a slotted member for exerting lateral force on the ribbon to separate one or more fibers therefrom without damaging the separated fibers or compromising the integrity of the remainder of the ribbon.

A universal grounding clip for use with a cable having a frame assembly with a first end and a second end, a base member form at the first end of the frame, and a pair of leg members extending from the first end of the frame toward the second end of the frame where a crossmember is positioned and extends between each of the leg members, thus defining a central opening through the frame adapted to receive a cable. A pair of opposed grip members are supported in the opening, and are adapted to be moved toward each other for affixing a cable to the frame. Each grip member has a pair of bifurcated legs having, on either side of the bifurcation, an arcuate toothed leg portion adapted to grip the cable. At least one ground wire opening is defined in the base member and extends therethrough adapted to simultaneously fasten a ground wire to the frame as the grip members affix the cable to the frame.

Universal grounding clip

A hinge adapter mounts to a fiber optic splice tray, such as the Keptel LL-2400.RTM. splice tray, and provides a hinging capability to these splice trays. The hinge adapters have a U-shaped member mounted at each corner of the splice tray. The U-shaped member has a central portion having a pair of arms depending therefrom, with the distal ends of the arms having an aperture and the ends of the central portion having a protrusion. When stacking the splice trays, the apertures formed in the arms of one hinge adapter receive protrusions in the central portion of another hinge adapter. When the hinge adapters on one side of a desired splice tray are separated from the hinge adapters above that splice tray, an installer or lineman can pivot the upper splice trays away from the desired tray and readily gain access to the desired splice tray. The U-shaped members are mounted to a side of the splice tray by brackets which are inserted into an area of the splice trays. The U-shaped members, the brackets, and a flexible band which joins two brackets are molded out of a flexible material, such as polycarbonate.

Fiber optic splice tray hinge adapter

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

A method and apparatus for trimming an elongated article are disclosed by which the article is notched at longitudinally spaced locations and material spanning adjacent notches trimmed from the article as discrete strips.

Method and apparatus for trimming elongated articles

Conditioning apparatus for a cast metal bar is disclosed which comprises a conveyor having a plurality of blocks each of which has a surface depression defining a bar support and guide channel, an endless support to which the blocks are mounted in an endless series with the block bar support and guide channels tandemly aligned, and means for driving the endless support and series of blocks along a circuitous path that extends generally linearly through a bar conditioning station. The apparatus also comprises hold down roller means located at the bar conditioning station for holding a cast metal bar in the bar support and guide channels of blocks being driven through the bar condition station; means for trimming a cast metal bar supported and guided in the bar support and guide channels of blocks at the bar conditioning station, and means for flushing bar trimmings from the bar supported on the conveyor at the conditioning station.

Conditioning apparatus for case metal bars

An apparatus for applying a relatively thin uniform thickness layer of a fluent coating material to each of a plurality of conductors includes a housing having aligned entrance and exit openings. An applicator tube is mounted within the housing transverse of the paths of the conductors and includes a plurality of spaced applicator openings through which the conductors are advanced. The tube is arranged so that each applicator opening includes aligned notches in front and rear walls of the tube and a slot in the top of the tube, the slot connecting an aligned pair of notches. The fluent coating material is supplied to the tube and is maintained at a level substantially at the top of the tube so that as the conductors are advanced through the applicator openings they are immersed in the coating material. After the coated conductors leave the applicator tube, but while still within the housing, they are advanced through individually mounted dies which remove excess coating material to control the thickness of the layer. The apparatus is arranged and constructed of materials which together minimize any accumulation of excess coating material between the time it leaves the applicator tube and or dies and its collection within the housing for return to a recirculation system.

Apparatus for coating conductors

An apparatus (20) for supporting rotatably a reel (27) of cable so that it may be turned, for example, to render ends of the cable accessible for connectorization, includes a pair of spaced, parallel cradle rolls (30, 31), which in rest positions are in engagement with a support surface of a base plate (51). A reel is moved so that its flanges are supported on a reference surface (43) which extends between the cradle rolls and which is generally coincident with a factory floor surface that is spaced above the base plate. An actuating member (60, 60') associated with each cradle roll is moved from an unoperated position toward its associated cradle roll to cause wedges (69-69) extending from the actuating member and between the cradle roll and the base plate to cam the cradle roll upwardly along inclined surfaces of the wedges and vertical surfaces of bearing blocks (56--56) adjacent one side of each cradle roll in which passive satellite rollers (53--53) are mounted rotatably. The upward movement of the cradle rolls causes them to engage the flanges of the reel so that as the rolls are moved further upwardly, the reel is moved out of engagement with the reference surface and is supported between the rolls. The upward movement is continued until each cradle roll is supported between its associated passive satellite rollers on the one side and active satellite rollers (66--66) on its other side which are mounted rotatably on the actuating member. After the reel is turned by rotating one of the cradle rolls, a return of the actuating members to their unoperated positions permits the cradle rolls to descend until they occupy their rest positions, at which time the reel rests in engagement with the reference surface so that it can be moved from the apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Duluth, GA, United States of America

George Edwin Mock