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:
Oct. 22, 1991
Filed:
May. 09, 1990
Stanley P Peterson, Tucson, AZ (US);
Gary R Redford, Tucson, AZ (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
An optical fiber dispensing system (30) includes a canister (42) within which an optical fiber (12) is wound, and a helix dampener (40) that reduces the helical diameter of the optical fiber (12) as it is paid out from the canister (42) along a payout axis (20). The canister (42) is either a cylinder or a slightly tapered cone. The helix dampener (40) is a structure overlying the payout end of the canister (42) and extending beyond the canister (42) along the payout axis (20). The interior surface of the helix dampener (40) defines a locus (36) of points whose distance from the payout axis (20) decreases with increasing distance from the canister (42), to an opening (38) through which the optical fiber (12) is dispensed. The interior surface of the helix dampener (40) is preferably as a series of discontinuous rings (48) whose central opening diameter decreases with increasing distance from the canister (42), or as a smooth continuous axially symmetric surface (84) whose distance from the payout axis (20) decreases with increasing distance from the canister (42). The gradual reduction of the diameter of the helical pattern of the optical fiber (12) by the helix dampener (40) stabilizes the path of the optical fiber (12) prior to its exiting from the dispenser (30).