G02B 6/3873
Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends
Official title: {Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends, e.g. tubes, sleeves, V-grooves, rods, pins, balls}
G02B6/3873 (Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends) appears on 5,005 US grants and 4,729 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in G02B- Granted patents
- 5,005
- Published applications
- 4,729
- Assignees
- 1,058
- Inventors
- 5,938
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 13 | 0 |
| 1977 | 18 | 0 |
| 1978 | 22 | 0 |
| 1979 | 23 | 0 |
| 1980 | 36 | 0 |
| 1981 | 27 | 0 |
| 1982 | 14 | 0 |
| 1983 | 22 | 0 |
| 1984 | 20 | 0 |
| 1985 | 16 | 0 |
| 1986 | 17 | 0 |
| 1987 | 54 | 0 |
| 1988 | 65 | 0 |
| 1989 | 56 | 0 |
| 1990 | 47 | 0 |
| 1991 | 42 | 0 |
| 1992 | 62 | 0 |
| 1993 | 66 | 0 |
| 1994 | 45 | 0 |
| 1995 | 48 | 0 |
| 1996 | 38 | 0 |
| 1997 | 48 | 0 |
| 1998 | 66 | 0 |
| 1999 | 54 | 0 |
| 2000 | 59 | 0 |
| 2001 | 102 | 34 |
| 2002 | 135 | 120 |
| 2003 | 116 | 120 |
| 2004 | 106 | 122 |
| 2005 | 99 | 92 |
| 2006 | 78 | 95 |
| 2007 | 78 | 53 |
| 2008 | 77 | 73 |
| 2009 | 72 | 100 |
| 2010 | 73 | 98 |
| 2011 | 49 | 143 |
| 2012 | 82 | 167 |
| 2013 | 119 | 154 |
| 2014 | 156 | 208 |
| 2015 | 177 | 207 |
| 2016 | 216 | 267 |
| 2017 | 257 | 279 |
| 2018 | 266 | 330 |
| 2019 | 299 | 304 |
| 2020 | 302 | 319 |
| 2021 | 234 | 302 |
| 2022 | 234 | 238 |
| 2023 | 205 | 270 |
| 2024 | 215 | 253 |
| 2025 | 168 | 216 |
| 2026 | 112 | 165 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- G02B 6/3885Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than2,655
- G02B 6/3874Using tubes, sleeves to align ferrules2,322
- G02B 6/3882Using rods, pins or balls to align a pair of ferrule ends710
- G02B 6/3881Using grooves to align ferrule ends194
- G02B 6/3886Magnetic means to align ferrule ends93
Recent patents
- Ferrule, optical connector, and optical connector module6 Oct 2026US 12,754,380 B2Enplas Corporation
- Boot release/lock simplex and duplex optical connectors29 Sep 2026US 12,748,265 B2Google Inc.
- Protector configured to protect components of a multi-fiber connector29 Sep 2026US 12,748,266 B2Belden Canada Ulc
- Adapter shutter assembly with shutter retention cap22 Sep 2026US 12,742,935 B2US Conec Ltd.
- Molded optical connectors with zero-draft mechanical alignment features22 Sep 2026US 12,742,939 B23M Innovative Properties Company
- Optical fibre connector assembly8 Oct 2026US 2026/0309925 A1
- Efficient Deployment of Large-Scale Network Nodes Using Pre-Installed Fiber Connectivity8 Oct 2026US 2026/0309928 A1Ciena Corporation
- Optical interconnect with tandem ferrule8 Oct 2026US 2026/0309929 A13M Innovative Properties Company
- Optical connector and optical connection structure8 Oct 2026US 2026/0309930 A1Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Method For Orienting And Terminating Polarization-Maintaining (PM) Optical Fiber And Forming A PM Optical Fiber Assembly1 Oct 2026US 2026/0299213 A1OpTek Systems, Inc.
Most cited
By later US patents
- Fiber optic receptacle616US 6,579,014 B2Corning Cable Systems LLC · 2003
- Fiber optic plug571US 6,648,520 B2Corning Cable Systems LLC · 2003
- Preconnectorized fiber optic drop cables and assemblies422US 7,090,406 B2Corning Cable Systems LLC · 2006
- Optical fiber ferrule connector having enhanced provisions for tuning418US 5,212,752 AAT&T Bell Laboratories · 1993
- Dust caps for use with telecommunications adapters and connectors410US 6,227,717 B1The Siemon Company · 2001