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. 05, 1999
Filed:
May. 23, 1997
Toshiyuki Tanaka, Sakura, JP;
Yasuhiro Tamaki, Yachiyo, JP;
Hiroshi Yokosuka, Sakura, JP;
Shinji Nagasawa, Mito, JP;
Mitsuru Kihara, Tokorozawa, JP;
Fujikura Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Productivity of switching optical connections is improved significantly with the mechanical splice presented. A single fiber cable or a fiber tape, with the bare fiber exposed at the tip, is inserted from the terminal ends of an aligner element, and are clamped between a lid and a base member of the aligner element, A U-shaped spring clamp is coupled to the aligner element to secure the cables clamped in the aligner element. After the aligner element is closed and coupled into the spring clamp, wedge insertion openings provided in the front face of the aligner element enable to lift the lid member from the base member sufficiently to enable removal of one or both of the cables. The mechanical splice is constructed simply and ruggedly so that cables can be connected or disconnected manually by coupling the aligner element into or decoupling from the spring clamp. The external shape of the aligner is angular, and permits stable handling on workbench or with tools, thus leading to improved productivity in field installation as well as in assembly operations.