The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 26, 1981
Filed:
Mar. 10, 1980
GTE Laboratories Incorporated, Waltham, MA (US);
Abstract
A microsphere bead coupling lens can be mounted onto an end of an optical fiber after the end is initially prepared by cleaning and cleavage. An adhesive is first applied to the cleaved end. The applied adhesive end of the optical fiber is then approximately centered over a microsphere bead to be mounted. The fiber is lowered until the adhesive on the end contacts the bead. The fiber is then raised whereby the adhesive on the end holds onto the bead by surface tension so that the bead gets picked up as the fiber is raised; and, due to the combination of surface tension and gravity, the bead lens is moved by the adhesive until the lens is aligned with, or very close to, the central axis of the fiber. Subsequently, the adhesive on the fiber end is cured by means such as ultraviolet-curing or heat-curing.