US 10,620,395 B2Granted

Marking system for an optical cable component

AssigneeCorning Optical Communications LLC

InventorsJoel Patrick Carberry, Anping Liu, Eric John Mozdy, Barada Kanta Nayak

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system and method for marking a moving surface of a fiber optic cable is provided. The system includes a supply of the fiber optic cable, a laser generating device configured to generate a laser beam that forms markings by interacting with the material of the moving surface of the fiber optic cable. The system includes a movement device moving the fiber optic cable through the system at a speed of at least 50 m per minute. The system includes a laser directing device located in the path of the laser beam and configured to change the path of the laser beam to direct the laser beam to a plurality of discrete locations on the moving surface to form a series of marks on the moving surface. The moving surface includes a plurality of tracking indicia to allow the position of the moving surface to be determined.

Claims3

Dependent claims

An optical cable component, comprising:

a body having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a lumen;
one or more optical transmission elements located within the lumen;
a plurality of tracking indicia spaced from one another along the length of the body, each adjacent pair of tracking indicia defining a label area on the outer surface of the body located between each adjacent pair of tracking indicia, the tracking indicia having a first marking structure formed from a first indicia formation method, wherein the tracking indicia are non-alpha numeric indicia;
and
a plurality of label markings formed in each of the label areas, wherein the label markings have a second marking structure formed from a second indicia formation method, wherein the first marking structure is different than the second marking structure and the first indicia formation method is different from the second indicia formation method.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/144,027Filed 27 Sep 2018 · division
Priority: 11 Aug 2015
Published: US 2019/0025534 A124 Jan 2019
Granted: 14 Apr 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

G02B 6/4482
Manufacturing methods of optical cables: code or colour marking
B41F 17/08
Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for: for printing on filamentary or elongated…
B41J 2/01
Characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material: ink jet
B41J 3/4073
For marking on special material: printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects

Family

Application62/203,504Us provisional application · filed 11 Aug 2015
Application15/224,914Parent of this division · filed 1 Aug 2016
US 2019/0025534 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Jan 2019
US 10,114,190 B2Parent of this division
US 2017/0045706 A1Published application
US 10,620,395 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.