Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.

Thomas & Betts International LLC

Tii Industries, Inc.

Sumitomo Electric Fiber Optics Corporation

Sumitomo Electric Ligthwave Corp.

John P Sarbell

William E Beasley, Jr

James W Moran

David J Braga

Thomas Landon Carter

Tetsuaki Watanabe

Edward M Dozier

Ronald G Lindsay, Jr

Thomas A Morrison

A sleeve and method are provided for protecting a splice of an optical fiber. The sleeve includes a support member and a plurality of optical fibers with the splice and being adjacent the support member. A heat deformable inner tube encompasses each of the plurality of optical fibers at the splice and a heat deformable outer tube encompasses at least partially the support member, the plurality of optical fibers at the splice, and each of the inner tubes. The method includes the acts of sliding the sleeve over a first free end of a plurality of optical fibers such that one of the inner tubes encompasses each of the fibers and then splicing the first free end of the plurality of optical fibers to a corresponding second free end of the plurality of optical fibers. Subsequently, the sleeve is slide over the splice of the first and second free ends and heat is applied to the sleeve to further strengthen the splice upon cooling.

Splice protection sleeve for a plurality of optical fibers and method of

A optical fiber ribbon midspan splitter tool for quick and easy midspan splitting of an optical fiber ribbon into separate ribbon sub-groups for mass splicing. The device comprises a pair of splitter tool sections each having a base and a lid and defining a slot through the splitter tool. The pair of elongate tool sections are rotatably mounted about a transverse hinge through both sections adjacent one end of the tool. The pair of lids are each mounted to a respective one of a pair of bases so as to open upwardly and outwardly for placement of an optical fiber ribbon in the slot defined within the two adjacent bases of the splitter tool. Magnets are provided at the juncture of the splitter tool sections for maintaining the splitter tool sections in releasable alignment, and a pair of magnets are provided in each splitter tool section at the juncture of the base and the lid for releasably maintaining the base and lid in abutting enclosed relationship. Thus, an optical fiber ribbon can be inserted into the tool and the pair of splitter tool sections twisted in opposite directions to split the ribbon into two separate sub-ribbons for midspan mass splicing. A second embodiment of the splitter tool is also described.

Optical fiber ribbon midspan splitter device

A splice protection sleeve including rigid strength members and a melt-flow plastic adhesive inner tube member contained within a heat shrinkable outer tube member. The strength members are positioned on either side of the inner tube. In use, multiple optical fibers are inserted into the inner tube and fusion spliced. Upon the application of heat to the fusion splice protection sleeve, the heat shrinkable outer tube contracts around the strength members and inner tube and the inner tube melts filing vacant areas within the outer tube. Upon cooling, the melt-flow adhesive binds the strength members, multiple optical fibers and outer tube of the fusion splice protection sleeve. Because the melt-flow adhesive inner tube containing the optical fibers is sandwiched between the strength members, upon heating and cooling of the fusion splice protection sleeve, the outer tube substantially maintains its original cross-sectional geometry, applying evenly distributed forces to the multiple optical fibers.

Multiple fiber fusion splice protection sleeve

A method of removing the encapsulant matrix from a selected span of optical ribbon fiber to provide access to one or more selected optical fibers wherein a strip of adhesive tape having a plastic card element attached to one end thereof is placed on a support surface with an adhesive surface of the strip of tape facing upwardly. A selected span of optical ribbon fiber is placed across the exposed top surface of the strip of tape and across the plastic card element. A selected amount of glue is positioned beneath the span length of the optical ribbon fiber overlaying the plastic card element so as to bond the optical ribbon fiber to a portion thereof. Next, the end of the optical ribbon fiber overlaying the plastic card element is lifted so as to initiate delamination of the encapsulant matrix from the optical fibers of the optical ribbon fiber, and the delamination caused by the tension on the glue bond is propagated by lifting the span length of the optical fiber which overlays the exposed surface of the strip of tape. Thus, the optical fibers contained within the optical ribbon fiber are removed from the encapsulant matrix by applying the delamination procedure to one or both sides of the optical ribbon fiber as may be required.

Method for midspan entry of optical ribbon fiber

A break-out device particularly adapted for providing enhanced strain relief to the fiber optic ribbon which is broken out into individual optical fibers within the device. The break-out device comprises a housing having an aperture in one end to receive a fiber optic ribbon and an aperture in the opposing end to allow an exit for individual buffered optical fibers. A flexible elongate strain relief clamp is provided which is adapted to be fixedly positioned within the housing. The strain relief clamp includes an aperture in the medial portion thereof adapted to receive a fiber optic ribbon therein, and the strain relief clamp is further adapted to then be folded back upon itself at the aperture so as to fixedly engage the fiber optic ribbon between the overlaying portions thereof.

Fiber optic ribbon break-out device with enhanced strain relief

A method of midspan or end entry accessing of one or more selected optical fibers carried by an optical ribbon fiber. The top and bottom surfaces of a first selected span of the optical ribbon fiber are friction abraded to initiate delamination of the bond between the optical fibers and the matrix encapsulant. The delamination is completed by applying a rolling force to the circumference of the first selected span, and the delamination is then propagated by introducing the first selected span into the bore of a die element and urging the die element along a relatively longer second selected span of the optical ribbon fiber. With the delamination completed, the tip of an elongated tool is inserted through the encapsulant within the second selected span and between one or more selected optical fibers and the remaining optical fibers within the optical ribbon fiber. Next, the tip of the elongated tool is lifted from within the encapsulant so as to remove the one or more selected optical fibers from the encapsulant, and the elongated tool inserted between the encapsulant and the one or more selected optical fibers. Finally, the elongated tool is slidably urged along the length of the delaminated second selected span to lift the optical fibers out of the encapsulant for access as necessary.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Island, FL, United States of America

John P Sarbell