Installation of optical fiber cables in ducts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753234-B2
Application number	US-201615047133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2016
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A protective caddy for the installation of an optical fiber cable in optical fiber ducting which temporarily protects a duplex optical fiber cable assembly for an optical fiber duplex connector during insertion of the assembly into a length of ducting. The duplex optical fiber cable assembly comprises a duplex optical fiber cable and a pair of optical fiber connector sub-assemblies. The protective caddy comprises a pair of receptacles, each for receiving one of the optical fiber connector sub-assemblies. Each receptacle has a recess for protectively receiving the termination end of one of the optical fiber ferrules. In use, both the duplex optical fiber cable and the pair of optical fiber connector sub-assemblies are held to the elongate body so that the termination ends are protected by the recesses during insertion of the protective caddy and duplex optical fiber cable assembly into the length of ducting.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A protective caddy for protecting termination ends of a multiple fiber cable during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through a micro-duct comprising:
an elongate body configured to fit in a micro-duct having an internal diameter less than a maximum width of a multiple fiber connector to be installed on first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber cable, be inserted through a length of the micro-duct while enclosing the first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber cable, protect the first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber cable during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through the length of micro-duct, be selectively separated from the multiple fiber cable after insertion of the multiple fiber cable through the length of micro-duct to allow the multiple fiber connector to be installed on the first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber connector;
wherein the elongate body includes a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion adjacent to the first receiving portion, the first receiving portion including a first receptacle configured to grip a first fiber subassembly during assembly and a second receptacle configured to grip the second fiber subassembly during assembly, the second receiving portion configured to be snap-fit to the multiple fiber cable during assembly;
wherein the first and second receptacles are configured to maintain first and second protective recesses between the elongate body and the first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber cable so as to protect the first and second termination ends of the multiple fiber cable during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through the length of micro-duct; and
wherein the protective caddy includes a wall portion at a rear of the first and second receptacles of the protective caddy and a weakened portion extending through the wall portion so as to allow the first and second receptacles of the elongate body to be selectively separated from the first and second fiber subassemblies when the weakened portion is separated from the wall portion.

2. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fiber subassemblies are each configured to biasingly minimize bending of at least one fiber in the multiple fiber cable when the elongate body is installed on the first and second fiber subassemblies, and when the elongate body is separated from the first and second fiber subassemblies after the multiple fiber cable is inserted through the micro-duct.

3. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fiber subassemblies are each configured to forwardly bias a corresponding termination end in order to longitudinally position each subassembly with a rearmost surface of each subassembly being free from contact with a forwards surface of said wall portion when the elongate body is installed on the first and second fiber subassemblies.

4. The protective caddy of claim 3 , wherein the first and second fiber subassemblies each have a flange and the first and second fiber subassemblies are each configured to rearwardly bias said flange into engagement with an engagement feature within each of the first and second receptacles when the elongate body is installed on the first and second fiber subassemblies.

5. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the first and second fiber subassemblies are each configured to forwardly bias an optical fiber ferrule of a corresponding fiber in the multiple fiber cable in order to maintain a positive engagement of the first and second termination ends in said protective recesses when the elongate body is installed on the first and second fiber subassemblies.

6. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes a first slot radially extending inwards so as to form a first opening shaped to allow a first optical fiber to extend through the first opening from the multiple fiber cable and to the first fiber subassembly, a second slot radially extending inwards so as to form a second opening shaped to allow a second optical fiber to extend through the second opening from the multiple fiber cable and to the second fiber subassembly.

7. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the first receptacle has a first concave gripping portion shaped to grip the first fiber subassembly, and the second receptacle has a second concave gripping portion shaped to grip the second fiber subassembly.

8. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein elongate body includes a curved forward end portion having an inner surface arranged to form a forward portion of the first and second protective recesses.

9. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the first fiber subassembly includes a first fiber ferrule and the second fiber subassembly includes a second fiber ferrule, the first receptacle has a first U-shaped portion configured to fit the first fiber ferrule, and the second receptacle has a second U-shaped portion configured to fit the second fiber ferrule.

10. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes a clip engagement feature, and the multiple fiber cable includes a bending limiting groove, and the clip engagement feature is configured to fit the bend limiting groove so as to axially secure the elongate body to the multiple fiber cable.

11. The protective caddy of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes a cradle having a plurality of ridges, and the multiple fiber cable includes a plurality of bending limiting grooves, each of the plurality of cradle ridges configured to be seated in one of the plurality of grooves so as to axially secure the elongate gate body to the multiple fiber cable.

12. A protective caddy for protecting a plurality of termination ends of a multiple fiber cable during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through a duct, comprising:
an elongate body configured to fit in a duct, surround a plurality of termination ends of a multiple fiber cable, be inserted through the duct, and maintain a plurality of protective recesses about the plurality of termination ends of the multiple fiber cable so as to protect the plurality of termination ends during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through the duct, the duct having an internal diameter less than a maximum width of a multiple fiber connector to be installed on the multiple fiber cable after the multiple fiber cable has been inserted through the duct;
wherein the elongate body includes a plurality of caddy receptacles, each of the plurality of caddy receptacles being arranged adjacent to one another and configured to grip one of a plurality of fiber subassemblies during assembly, each of the plurality of fiber subassemblies being associated with one of the plurality of termination ends of the multiple fiber cable; and
wherein the elongate body includes at least one weakened portion configured to allow the plurality of caddy receptacles to be selectively separated from the plurality of fiber subassemblies after the multiple fiber cable is inserted through the duct.

13. A protective caddy for protecting a plurality of termination ends of a multiple fiber cable during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through a duct, comprising:
an elongate body configured to fit in a duct, surrounding a plurality of termination ends of a multiple fiber cable, to be inserted through the duct, and maintaining a plurality of protective recesses about the plurality of termination ends of the multiple fiber cable so as to protect the plurality of termination ends during insertion of the multiple fiber cable through the duct, the duct having an internal diameter less than a maximum width of a mul

Assignees

• Ppc Broadband Fiber Ltd
• Ppc Broadband Inc

Inventors

• Stockton David
• Leeson Kim Samuel Howard

Classifications

• G02B6/3879

  Linking of individual connector plugs to an overconnector, e.g. using clamps, clips, common housings comprising several individual connector plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3821

  with axial spring biasing or loading means (G02B6/3847 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3898 Primary

  Tools, e.g. handheld; Tuning wrenches; Jigs used with connectors, e.g. for extracting, removing or inserting in a panel, for engaging or coupling connectors, for assembling or disassembling components within the connector, for applying clips to hold two connectors together or for crimping (tools for cleaning, G02B6/3866; tools in general B25B) · CPC title

• G02B6/3849 Primary

  using mechanical protective elements, e.g. caps, hoods, sealing membranes (G02B6/3816 takes precedence; provisionally see H01R13/44) · CPC title

• G02B6/4465

  Physics · mapped topic