Raychem Limited

Raynet Corporation

Tyco Electronics Corporation

William D Uken

Robert S Dubrow

Akira Tomita

Catherine A Dittmer

Thomas Dean Ratzlaff

Lowell I Koht

William H Humphries

Glen W Ragland

Martha F Story

Geary E Camin

Corey J McMills

William T Link

Brian Hall Clark

Paul G Schoenstein

Robert J Ritter

Carib Nelson

A connector for terminating optical fibers. The connector includes first and second housing portions for mating with each other. When the optical fiber is inserted into the first housing portion, a strain is pre-applied to the optical fiber. The second housing portion includes a blade such that when the first and second housing portions mate, the blade cleaves the optical fiber without additional preparation of the fiber, for example, without removal of a portion of the buffer.

Fiber optic connector

A surge arrester designed for use with lines of 2 kV or less has a housing (10) which, in combination with a cup-shaped gasket (25), an O-ring gasket (45) and a lid (20), seals a varistor element (30) inside against environmental contaminants such as water or pollutants.

Surge arrester

A sealing material preferably having a cone penetration of at least 150 (10.sup.-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least 100% is subjected to mechanical deformation by milling or chopping in the presence of a solvent or suspending medium.

Environmental sealing

An optical fiber transmission network for transmitting voice, data, or video signals between telecommunication units includes optical couplers which bend an optical fiber at a location in close proximity to the fiber end so as to allow coupling with the fiber through its side rather than through the end of the fiber. This eliminates the need for cleaving and polishing the fiber end, and results in a craft friendly way of terminating an optical fiber end with a telecommunication unit.

Couplers for terminating optical fiber ends

An optical bypass switch includes a normal state and a bypass state, a transmission optical fiber having a signal withdrawn therefrom and injected thereto in its normal state so as to be capable of use in a ring or bus architecture. In the bypass state of the switch, the transmission optical fiber is substantially disengaged so that a signal being transmitted thereby can bypass the switch, and in this state optical fibers connected to a transmitter and a receiver of the bypass switch are maintained in a bent attitude so as to allow signals to be withdrawn and injected thereinto. A loop back path, e.g. a connector optical fiber, is provided which allows a path between the transmitter and the receiver to be completed in the bypass state of the bypass switch, and logic circuitry is provided for analyzing signals detected by the receiver which should have originated from the transmitter for evaluating a state of operation of the transmitter, receiver, and connecting means therefor. Whenever the logic circuitry detects a malfunction in any of these elements, e.g. the transmitter, the receiver and connecting structure therefor, the optical bypass switch is kept in its bypass state and prevented from re-engaging the transmission fiber so as to prevent the bypass switch from optically coupling to the transmission fiber when its electro-optic elements are not functioning properly.

Optical bypass switch

A sealing material preferably having a cone penetration of at least 150 (10-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least 100% is subjected to mechanical deformation by milling or chopping in the presence of a solvent or suspending medium.

Couples for terminating optical fiber ends

An apparatus for protecting a substrate includes a collapsible reservoir filled with a three-dimensional elastic gel which is relatively soft and has an ultimate elongation of at elast 200%. The apparatus is disposed in contact with a substrate having a recess therein to be environmentally protected, and a force is applied to the reservoir to at least partially collapse the reservoir forcing the gel from an open surface of the reservoir into the recess so as to substantially fill and encapsulate the recess.

Corrosion protection apparatus

Method of coupling light via a coupler on a fiber optic light guide

An apparatus for protecting a substrate includes a collapsible reservoir filled with a three-dimensional elastic gel which is relatively soft and has an ultimate elongation of at least 200%. The apparatus is disposed in contact with a substrate having a recess therein to be environmentally protected, and a force is applied to the reservoir to at least partially collapse the reservoir forcing the gel from an open surface of the reservoir into the recess so as to substantially fill and encapsulate the recess.

A tap for coupling light from an intermediate portion of an optical fiber core and a light element by passing light through a side of the optical fiber includes an optical coupler in contact with an outside surface of an optical fiber which is bent and disposed in a plane. A light reflector extending transverse to the plane deflects the withdrawn light towards the end surface of a light element disposed completely outside the plane. The tap may be used as a read tap to withdraw light, or as a write tap to inject light in optical fiber networks. A spring biased closure member urges the optical fiber to maintained in bent registration with the optical coupler within the plane. Simple tools and general craft training and knowledge may be applied to insert into, and remove the optical fiber from, the tap.

Optical fiber tap utilizing reflector and resilient closure

A tap for coupling light from an intermediate portion of an optical fiber core and a light element by passing light through a side of the optical fiber includes an optical coupler in contact with an outside surface of an optical fiber which is bent and disposed in a plane. A light reflector extending transverse to the plane deflects the withdrawn light towards the end surface of a light element disposed completely outside the plane. The tap may be used as a read tap to withdraw light, or as a write tap to inject light in optical fiber networks. A spring biased closure member urges the optical fiber to be maintained in bent registration with the optical coupler within the plane. A rail and channel is used to conveniently guide a tap closure member against the optical fiber. Simple tools and general craft training and knowledge may be applied to insert into and remove the optical fiber from the tap.

This invention provides for the radiation grafting of certain organopolysiloxanes to polymeric supports. The organopolysiloxane material is partially crosslinked mixture which contains from about 10% to about 90% by weight of uncrosslinked organopolysiloxane oil and has a cone penetration of about 100 to about 350 (10.sup.-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least about 100%. The organopolysiloxane fluid may be placed on the polymeric support and crosslinked to produce an organopolysiloxane material having the above properties and being bonded to the polymeric support. The organopolysiloxane material also can be crosslinked to the above properties by conventional means then placed in contact with the polymeric support and irradiated to crosslink the material to the polymeric support without substantially changing the properties of the organopolysiloxane material.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

William D Uken