At&t Bell Laboratories

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

At&t Bell Laboratories, At&t Technology, Inc.

Gregory A Lochkovic

James R Petisce

Parbhubhai D Patel

Kenneth Wade Jackson

Jack E Andrews

Roman J Harmel

Michael L Pearsall

Francis A Rotoloni

In order to coat successive increments of length of an elongated strand material such as an optical fiber (22), for example, with a marking material, for example, a liquid coating material (40) is circulated through an input section (85) into an inner chamber (71) of a housing (62) and outwardly through an output section (87) to be returned to a reservoir (39). Elongated strand material is advanced through an entry portion into and through the inner chamber wherein it is contacted by the liquid coating material being circulated therethrough. Afterwards, each successive increment of length is advanced through an exit die (73) which causes the liquid coating material to be formed into a layer of predetermined thickness on the elongated strand material.

Methods of coating elongated strand material

A bonded optical fiber array (20) includes a parallel coplanar array of longitudinally extending contacting optical fibers (22--22). Each optical fiber is enclosed in inner and outer layers of coating materials and is provided with a color identifier. The inner layer is comprised of a UV curable bonding material having a modulus in the range of about 1 M Pa. For mechanical protection, the outer layer is a UV curable bonding material having a modulus in the range of about 1 GPa. When the optical fibers are disposed in the parallel array, interstices are created between the fibers and between the fibers and an envelope which is spaced no further than about 25 .mu.m at its closest point to each fiber. A UV curable matrix bonding material which has a modulus having a value less than that of the outer coating layer on the fiber and more than that of the inner coating layer fills the interstices, extends to the peripheral line which defines the envelope and bonds together the optical fibers. The modulus of the matrix material and the bond of the matrix material to the color identifier on the optical fibers is such that interfiber and interribbon movement is allowed. Also, accessing of the individual fibers is allowed upon the application of peeling forces by a craftsperson without the need for complex tools and without obfuscating the color identifier.

Bonded array of transmission media

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Gregory A Lochkovic