Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Wesley W Jones

Denis Edward Burek

Marc Duane Jones

Gary S Cobb

Phillip M Thomas

John F Malluck

Lawrence R Dunn

John James Blee

Leon J Burcum

Melvin W Evers

Edward R Moore

A grip block for holding and immobilizing elongated cylindrical members, such as cables, has a base member having a central axis and first and second pivot arms, one mounted on each side of the axis. An actuating member has a body which has two or more cable receiving channels therein which are oriented parallel to the central axis and depending actuating pins for actuating the pivot arms to force one or more cables into the discrete channels. The base and actuating member are held together by means of studs within a splice closure or by both in conjunction with a mounting bracket.

Splice closure universal grip block

A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base member with first and second base portions that are angled relative to each other for aligning a longitudinal axis of the base member in a parallel relationship with a longitudinal axis of a pole. Preferably, first and second side walls extend outwardly from the base member for engaging mounting ribs of the splice closure. Preferably, the mounting ribs of the splice closure engage the bracket in a straddled configuration.

Apparatus for pole-mounting an optical fiber splice closure

A mass fusion splice tray assembly increases the capacity of a splice closure which has support members thereon for supporting the assembly. The assembly include a splice tray which latches to a support member and which has locating slots to contain two splice holder inserts. A cover member has latching legs which latch to wedge shaped latches on the splice tray. The cover member is adapted for pivotally mounting a discrete splice tray on the top surface thereof so that the total splice capacity of the splice tray assembly is increased.

Mass fusion splice tray

A closure for optical fiber cables has a cover member and an end plate having an O-ring seal for sealing the end plate to the cover member by means of over-center latches. The inner surface of the end plate has a backbone member to which are mounted a fiber organizer and splice tray, a cable sheath grip, and a central strength member anchor for use with cables having central strength members. The end plate has openings for grommets through which cables pass into the interior of the closure, and a grommet and port plug retaining member fits over the outer ends of the grommet or grommets or grommet and port plug. The backbone member, which may be integral with the end plate, has a wall and flange portion that bears against the inner end of the grommet or grommets toward the closure interior. A threaded stud is connected to the backbone member and passes through the end plate and the retainer member, and a clamping knob threaded onto the stud enables tightening of the retainer and backbone against the ends of the grommet or grommets to insure a high degree of sealing of the interior of the closure from the exterior ambient atmosphere and water, and also from the effects of interior air pressure.

Compact closure for optical fiber cable

A splice holder assembly of this invention is used in an optical fiber cable splice closure. The assembly includes a splice tray that is an open-topped enclosure in which is mounted splice organizing modules that hold optical fiber splices. The tray includes retainers that confine optical fibers in a lower portion of the tray, and that also support a card with a list of splice locations and optical fiber identities coupled by each splice. The card supports at least one splice cassette situated inside of the splice tray. The splice cassette includes a bottom portion and a cover. To the bottom portion, at least one splice organizing module is mounted. The cassette's bottom portion also has T-shaped engagements which hold respective protective tubes housing optical fibers, that run between a distribution unit of the closure and the cassette. The slack of the optical fibers can be wound in the bottom portion of the cassette and the ends of the optical fibers coupled together with splices inserted and held in the modules. The cassette cover includes depressed portions which engage with the inner sides of the bottom portion. Hinged tabs of the cassette's bottom portion can be folded into engagement with the cover to hold the cover over the top of the bottom portion. The cassette cover can be provided with a label indicating splice locations and the optical fibers coupled at each splice. A strap holds the splice cassette(s) in the splice tray.

Splice holder assembly for an optical fiber cable splice closure

A splice tray for holding and protecting optical fiber splices within a splice closure is adapted to be mounted on support members within the closure. The tray has a longitudinal axis and passages formed therein for holding and guiding the fibers to a splice area of the tray while protecting them from being bent too sharply. A splice holder insert is removably mounted to the splice tray in the splice area, and has a plurality of alternating pass-through channels and splice holding channels extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tray and arrayed across the width of the tray in two such arrays, longitudinally spaced from each other. In one embodiment, each of the splice holding channels is defined by a wall of a pass-through channel and a longitudinally extending a resilient member. In this embodiment, resilient fiber holder is located at each end of each pass-through channels. In another embodiment, the splice holding channels are defined by U-shaped end members at each end of the channel.

Universal splice tray

An optical fiber cable closure (20) includes a cable termination assembly (100) and a cover (23) into which the termination assembly is inserted. The cable termination assembly includes a cable entry (30) having an environmental seal through which cables (28--28) containing optical fibers are routed into the closure. The termination assembly also includes a support frame (101) which has a free end that extends from the cable entry and is enclosed by the cover. Extending upwardly from and attached to the support frame are a pair of spaced-apart parallel track members (112--112) for stacking optical fiber splicing trays (120) in a compact manner. Each tray includes a pair of spaced-apart openings (128--128) along one end. These parallel track members pass through the spaced-apart openings in the tray to create a slideable connecting arrangement which enables trays of varying thickness to be efficiently stacked within the same closure. Optical fibers from each incoming cable are routed in individual tubes (29--29) or as ribbons from an optical fiber breakout (140) mounted on the frame to selected ones of the trays. The trays are provided with a plurality of organizing modules (125--125)--each of which is adapted to hold a plurality of optical fiber connective devices.

An optical fiber cable closure assembly includes a base member and a mating cover which, when assembled form a hollow splice closure with openings at each end. Mounted to the base member at at least one end thereof is a grip block assembly which grips the optical cable entering the adjacent open end, and which automatically adjusts to differing sizes of cables. The grip block assembly has an upper member and a lower member and includes first and second pivotally mounted arms on the lower member which are actuated by actuating pins on the upper member and which, as the upper member is tightened down on the lower member, pivot until they bear against and grip the cable. Included within the closure assembly are one or more optical fiber splitters which are used to separate and segregate individual fibers or groups of fibers to be spliced. One or more fiber splice trays are mounted on the base member and function to hold a plurality of splices of any of a large number of types in position after the fibers are spliced, and to store excess fiber without allowing the fibers to be bent to their critical bending radius.

Splice closure and grip block

A closure includes an end plate assembly (20) which includes an inner and an outer endplate and between which is disposed a cable sheath gripping assembly (60). The cable sheath gripping assembly includes a housing (62) and a clamping portion (100) which cooperate to form two cable-receiving passageways. Each passageway is formed between two channels, one being formed in the base and one being formed in the clamping portion. Each channel is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending circumferential and axial ribs with the ribs cooperating to clamp a cable end portion extending therewith. The engagement of the ribs with the cable end portion under compressive engagement caused by the turning of a bolt 106 into threaded insert of the housing provides enhanced resistance to pullout and rotation of the cable end portion.

Cable closure which includes a cable sheath gripping assembly

An optical fiber cable closure (20) includes a cable termination assembly (26) and a cover (28) into which the termination assembly is inserted. The cable termination assembly includes an end plate assembly (34) through which distribution cables (21,22) to be spliced extend. From the end plate is cantilevered a distribution portion (106) which supports an optical fiber organizer (115). Mounted on the fiber organizer adjacent to a longitudinal edge thereof are a plurality of stacked organizing modules (120,120). Each module includes a plurality of nests (134-134) for receiving splicing devices such that the axes of the fibers in the devices are parallel to each other and to an axis of the closure. Optical fibers from each incoming cable are routed in individual bundles or as ribbons from the distribution portion to selected ones of the modules. The stacked organizing modules are held spaced above the fiber organizer to allow fiber to become routed therebetween thereby allowing a radius of curvature which exceeds that if the fiber had been routed between the stack of modules and an opposite longitudinal edge.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Wesley W Jones