Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

James H Ball

Mark D Sorlien

William J Seim

Ronald C Houts

Phillip R Schaetzel

A cable closing method and the resultant cable closing constructed by enclosing the cable area to be closed with a flexible waterproof enclosure, wrapping the cable with a water-activatable urethane resin impregnated cloth to span the area enclosed by the flexible waterproof enclosure, wetting the water-activatable urethane resin impregnated cloth to activate the resin and permitting the urethane resin to cure.

Cable closing

A cable branch-off sealing member for use with a heat shrinkable material that is wrapped around two closely spaced parallel cables and pinched together between the cables to one side of the cables to create a loop of heat shrink material between the cables. The cable sealing member has an elongate tongue smoothly tapered at its leading end for insertion into the loop of heat shrinkable sheet material, which tongue has a width greater than the spacing between the cables to bridge between the peripheries of the cables and is bowed centrally of its width along its length to cause the two layers of heat shrink material to bow outward midway between the cables. A narrow tail is connected to the trailing end of the tongue generally midway of the width of the tongue and extends perpendicular to the length of the tongue to extend into the space between the peripheries of the cables to maintain the spacing between the cables and to keep the tongue generally centered between the cables as the heat shrink material is heated and shrunk. The narrow tail has smooth surfaces for contacting the cables to assure that it will not damage the cable sheathes during the heat shrinking process.

Cable branch-off sealing member

A buried cable splice closure comprising a rigid plastic outer shell having an opening at least at one end through which cables may extend into the closure has a lower chamber adjacent each end opening for support of portions of cables extending into the closure with the cable jacket and any cable shield terminating in the lower chamber. An upper chamber is spaced longitudinally of the closure from each end opening so as to have a lower chamber between each end opening and the upper chamber and the upper chamber has a cable splice support area spaced a distance above each lower chamber when the splice closure is in an upright position. A cable passageway within the outer shell communicates between each lower chamber and the cable splice support area in the upper chamber and means are provided for permitting introduction of an encapsulant into at least each lower chamber.

Buried cable splice closure

An aerial communications cable splice closure comprising a hollow body, electrically conductive hanger brackets and end caps which are each adapted to receive at least one cable end. The body comprises separate longitudinal top and bottom sections which are adapted to mate with one another, the top section having the electrically conductive hanger means therein and the bottom section having vent means therein. The hanger means is adjustable to accept a variety of messenger wires. The end caps each have a pair of external, parallel, longitudinal walls which define a narrow channel therebetween, a cable receiving portion containing at least one conical cable-receiving port and a base portion having a plurality of deformable external, longitudinal ribs disposed therearound, a first end adapted to fit over the end of said body, and a second end attached to said cable-receiving portion.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

James H Ball