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. 04, 1994
Filed:
Oct. 05, 1993
Ronald G Bossard, Austin, TX (US);
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
An optical fiber splicing station includes a base having a vise for releasably securing a splice management device, such as a splice tray, and means for removably mounting one or more different fiber optic splicing tools. The splicing station provides a compact, portable platform which facilitates installation of the splice, particularly in difficult locations such as aerial or buried closures, and high-density environments. The base further has means for receiving an optical fiber cleaver at one of several different locations, to accommodate placement of the splicing tool, or simply for user convenience. Means may also be provided to mount the base to a splice case, tripod, or splicing rig support. Torsional stress, which might otherwise be induced on the fibers during installation of the splice onto the splice management device, is minimized by positioning the device close to the splicing tool, and by orienting the lengthwise direction of the device with the direction of the fibers which are held by the splice tool (on the base) during the splice operation. After a splice has been actuated, it may be removed from the tool and placed on the device in a single step, and the torsional stress is distributed evenly over the final coil of slack fiber stored in the device, with no opposing torsional stresses developed in the spliced fiber coils.