At&t Technologies, Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Western Electric Company, Inc.

Jerry C Hurst

Charles R Fegley

Brian Dale Potteiger

Bruce C Abraham

John S Cartwright

John S Rizzo

Optical fiber must be adequately protected during manufacturing, testing, and transportation from physical damage due to over-bending, crushing, and chafing. Prior art methods of packaging optical fiber have been ineffective in protecting against these forms of damage and have required manual assembly, thus their effectiveness being heavily dependent upon operator skill and training. The present invention provides an optical fiber spool that has open and closed positions which allow optical fiber to be loaded into and unloaded from the spool automatically. Furthermore, this spool protects loaded optical fiber from physical damage such as over-bending, crushing, and chafing. The spool of the present invention achieves these goals by providing a plurality of cavities which open and close to capture the optical fiber. These cavities are formed between a plurality of radial tabs positioned around the circumference of a spool lid and over a channel formed within a spool base. A center region of the lid is configured to cause the tabs to pivot from their closed to open position when a sufficient force is applied upon the center region. Once the force is removed, the tabs automatically return to the closed position.

Optical fiber spool and method of loading spool

A column of flat articles such as chip carrier lids (10) are assembled in a tube (35). A base (18) supports a typical row of such lids (10), each with a back surface (14) on the base (18) and a mating surface (15) facing upward. The base (18) also has an aperture (30) for passing serially downward therethrough, each lid (10) with its back surface (14) facing downward. A bracket (32) having a spring biased pin (34) and a block (38) is provided to support under the base (18) a tube (35) with an open end facing upward at the aperture (30). Plates (22, 23 and 24) are provided to guide to and introduce a lid (10) into the aperture (30) and onto any contents within the tube (35). A frictional plug (45) has fins (46) biased between opposing walls of the tube (35) to yieldably resist downward movement within the tube (35). In a place and push operation, an upwardly biased pusher (48) has a pin (53) to urge a lid (10) and any contents in the tube (35) downward a distance sufficient to provide space for a subsequent lid (10) in aperture (30).

Assembling articles in a tube

A spring clip (30) for holding chip carriers in place on a pallet (20) serves to urge a case (12) seated in each of a plurality of pallet cavities (22) against an underlying lid (14) therein during fabrication of the chip carrier (10). The spring clip (30) comprises a central shaft (32) which extends vertically through the center of a metal plate (31). The plate (31) has a plurality of radially outstretched resilient arms (36), each sloping downwardly from a separate side thereof and having an upturned end (37). The lower end (38) of the shaft (32) is sized for lockable engagement with a corresponding one of a plurality of receiving passages (24) in the pallet (20). Each passage (24) is surrounded by a group of pallet cavities (22). When the first end of each shaft (32) of the spring clip (30) is lockably engaged with the pallet (20), the chip carriers (10) are held on the pallet (20) by the ends (37) of the arms (36).

Method and apparatus for securing articles in place on a substrate

First components such as lids (9) are assembled to second components such as electronic chip carriers (10). Each lid (9) has an external surface opposite a first mating face and each carrier (10) has a second mating face complementary with the first mating face of the lid (9). An assembly station contains a first frame (30) having first walls (31-35) for confining and first ledges (37-38) for supporting a lid (9). Frame (30) has an advantageous peripheral opening (39) suitable for passing therethrough portions of devices for transferring lids (9). Preferably such stations (25) are established in an array suitable for access by an array of lids (9) transferred by a first device (35). A first magazine (70) holds files of lids (9) with external surfaces of leading ones in an array for contact, pickup and transfer. The first device (55) has a plurality of fingers (62) with vacuum pickup portions (64) presenting an array of faces (66) to contact and pickup an array of lids (9) from the first magazine (70) and for releasably retaining the same. Device (55) is moved along a path to the first frame (30) and the fingers (62) pass therethrough in an inverted manner. Thus an array of lids (9) are transferred into the frames (30) in a preferably flat orientation with mating faces turned upward. An escapement (105) is then preferably actuated to permit a second magazine to guidably deliver an array of leading carriers (10), with mating faces downward upon the upturned lids (9).

Assembling components such as lids to chip enclosures

A tool (10) for handling a magnetic article (50) includes a member (12) having a jaw (18) which is movable toward and away from a member (14) having a corresponding jaw (14). A holder (34) is associated with jaw (20) of member (14) for releasably holding an article (50) in cooperation with a magnetic field. A magnet (42) is associated with and removably applied by jaw (18) of member (12) in stages. To pick up an article (50), magnet (42) is moved by member (12) to establish a magnetic field at holder (34). To release an article (50), magnet (42) is withdrawn by member (12) to withdraw the magnetic field from holder (34). The article (50) is restrained at holder (34) until gravitational force overcomes the attraction of the withdrawing field and the article separates from tool (10).

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Reading, PA, United States of America

Jerry C Hurst