At&t Technologies, Inc.

At&t Bell Laboratories

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Avaya Technology LLC

Michael D Kinard

William D Bohannon, Jr

Alfred S Hamilton

Herbert E Brent

Parbhubhai D Patel

Phillip Maurice Thomas

Andrew J Panuska

Mickey R Reynolds

Walter J Paucke

Candido J Arroyo

Manuel R Santana

Terry D Mathis

Nathan E Hardwick, Iii

Luis M Bocanegra

James Robert Holman

Lisa A Dixon

Randy G Schneider

Wing S Liu

George Harry Webster

William C Weinraub

Roy P Collins

Robert A Williams

A protective cable armor for cable having tensile stiffness and providing structural protection from invasion by foreign objects. The armor comprises a substantially planar sheet member having a length and a width and an intermittent corrugation pattern disposed therein. The intermittent corrugation pattern comprises at least one land extending across the width of the sheet member and having a defined land width. The intermittent corrugation pattern further comprises at least one, groove extending across the width of the sheet member and having a defined groove width, where the defined land width differs from the defined groove width. The land is disposed adjacent the groove. The sheet member can also be disposed in a substantially tubular form.

Corrugated armor for providing protection and tensile stiffness

A family of low optical fiber count cables which contains either optical fiber bundles, buffered fibers, or ribbon fibers housed in a core tube whose inner diameter is optimized for a cable containing two buffered fibers. The unoccupied volume of the core tube is filled with a water blocking material and the exterior surface of the core tube is coated with a hydrophilic material applied directly thereto. The core tube is encased in a dielectric jacket or in a metallic jacket. The cables thus formed can be used in a composite cable which includes an electrically conducting cable, and two abutting cables are incased in an outer sheath or jacket, forming a FIG. 8 configuration.

Low fiber count optical cable

A communications cable for use in buried environments in an outside plant includes a core (22) comprising at least one transmission medium and a mechanically strengthened, thermal resistant barrier layer (40) disposed about a plastic tubular member (23). A metallic shield (32) and a plastic jacket (36) are disposed about the barrier. The barrier layer may comprise a tape (41) which is made of a material such as woven glass or an aramid fibrous material, for example, which is resistant to relatively high temperatures, which has suitable strength properties in all directions and at elevated temperatures and which is characterized by properties which cause the barrier layer to impede the passage therethrough of particles which are sufficiently large to cause damage to the core. In a preferred embodiment, the thermal barrier layer also includes provisions for preventing the longitudinal flow of water within the cable. Such a waterblocking capability may be provided by a barrier layer comprising a laminate comprising a high temperature resistant tape and at least one other tape with a superabsorbent powder therebetween or another tape which has been impregnated with a superabsorbent material.

Cable having lightning protective sheath system

An optical fiber cable (20) which is suitable for service from a distribution closure to a customer's premises includes a transmission media core (21) enclosed in a relatively rigid tubular member (40). The relatively rigid tubular member is enclosed in a jacket (44) comprising a plastic material which has a cut-through resistance which is substantially less than that of the tubular member. Interposed between the tubular member and an outer surface of the jacket is a strength member system comprising two yarn-like longitudinally extending strength member groups (52--52). The strength member grops are diametrically opposed to each other and are disposed in engagement with the tubular member.

Optical fiber service cable

An optical fiber cable (20) includes a core (21) comprising at least one optical fiber (24) which is enclosed in a tubular member (34) and which includes a sheath system (40). The sheath system includes two strength members 42--42 which extend linearly longitudinally along the cable parallel to a longitudinal axis (29) of the cable. The strength members are enclosed in a plastic jacket (46). The strength members have predetermined relative tensile and compressive stiffnesses. The stiffnesses are such that the strength members are capable of withstanding expected compressive as well as tensile loading and are coupled sufficiently to the jacket to provide a composite arrangement which is effective to inhibit contraction and which controls the position of the neutral axis during bending while providing suitable flexibility. The strength members in a preferred embodiment are made of a metallic material such as steel and have tensile and compressive stiffness which are substantially equal to cause the plane of bending to extend through the strength members. In other embodiments, the core is filled with a waterblocking material, the tubular member is enclosed by a water absorbent tape and/or a metallic shield and metallic conductors may extend colinearly with the strength members.

Optical fiber cable

An optical fiber cable includes a core (22) comprising optical fibers (24-24) in ribbon or single fiber form and a sheath system (50) which provides flexibility for ease of handling and installation, strength to resist tensile and torsional stresses and rodent and/or lightning protection. The core is enclosed by a tube (28) which is made of a plastic material, a shield system (52) and outer plastic jacket (54). The shield system provides rodent and/or lightning protection. Strength is provided by a plurality of longitudinally extending strength members (58-58) which are disposed in a single layer concentric with the core and which in a preferred embodiment are disposed adjacent to an outer surface of the shield and with substantial portions of their perpheries embedded in the plastic of the outer jacket.

A bonded ASP cable includes a multiconductor core which is filled with a waterproofing material. The core is enclosed by a plastic layer (28) which is flooded with a waterproofing material. Wrapped longitudinally about the plastic layer is a corrugated inner shield (31) having a longitudinal seam (35) and having an outer surface covered with a waterproofing material. The inner shield is enclosed by a corrugated outer shield (36) which has an overlapped longitudinal seam (38) and which has an outer surface coated with a layer of an adhesive material. As the outer shield is being formed, a sealant material is introduced into engagement with the inner shield in the vicinity of the longitudinal edge portions of the outer shield. Then as the longitudinal edge portions of the outer shield are overlapped and engaged with each other, the sealant material is caused to flow into cavities between the two shields adjacent to the seam of the outer shield to form a gasket (66). The gasket prevents the ingress of moisture, fills any cavities along which water otherwise could travel, and prevents the egress of waterproofing material through the seam of the outer shield. A plastic jacket (41) is bonded to the outer shield by the layer of adhesive material on its outer surface.

Apparatus for making a bonded sheath cable

Methods of making a bonded sheath cable

Bonded sheath cable

A sheath system (50) for a lightguide fiber cable (20) includes a corrugated inner shield (51) which is made of a metallic material having suitable electrical and thermal conductivity to dissipate lightning energy and a corrugated outer shield (60). The outer shield which has an overlapped longitudinal seam is a laminate comprising a corrosion-resistant metallic material (64) which has a relatively high elongation, at least a predetermined chromium content, and a relatively coarse outer surface, and an adhesive system (62). Included in the adhesive system is a first adhesive material (66) which bonds to the outer surface of the metallic material and a second adhesive material (68) which causes the outer shield to become bonded to a plastic jacket (70) which is extruded thereover. The bond between the jacket and the outer shield has sufficient peel strength to prevent the jacket from being separated readily from the outer shield. This causes the jacket and outer shield to function as a composite structure which inhibits the degradation of the sheath system by rodents and withstands the mechanical impact of a direct lightning strike.

Rodent and lightning protective sheath system for cables

Methods and apparatus are provided for making a laminate which is used to form a corrugated outer shield (60) of a sheath system (50) for a lightguide fiber cable (20). A strip (81) of a corrosion-resistant metallic material having a relatively high elongation, an oxide surface layer (65) and a relatively coarse outer surface is preheated to a temperature within a predetermined range. Afterwards, a composite adhesive strip is brought into engagement with the metallic strip and moved between a pair of rollers (91--91) which are maintained at a first temperature and which causes the strips to be subjected to a predetermined pressure. Then the two strips are moved between another pair of rollers (97--97) which are at a second temperature greater than the first and which subject the strips to the predetermined pressure. The resulting laminate (61) is corrugated by a device (104) and formed into the outer shield (60) about an inner shield (51) which is made of a highly conductive metallic material. An extruder (115) applies a plastic jacket ( 70) about the outer shield and causes the jacket to become bonded through the second adhesive material to the oxide layer.

Methods of and apparatus for making a rodent and lighting protective

A cable shielding method and apparatus are disclosed wherein adhesive 42 is applied to a strip 40 of shielding material within a shield forming die 20 as the strip 40 is being formed about a cable core 10 with an overlapped shield seam.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Michael D Kinard