US 2010/0150514 A1 · SPLICED FIBER TRAY SOFT DUROMETER MATERIAL (SDM) MANIFOLD

Abstract

A manifold for holding spliced optical fibers and their protective plastic coatings in a secure and motionless manner. The manifold includes a “clamp” made from a soft durometer material (SDM) such as a high strength silicone mold-making rubber or a dry polymer gel that has been partially sliced to a depth of about 75%. The manifold permits ease of insertion of a spliced optical fiber into, and removal of that spliced optical fiber from, an SDM-slice without disturbing other fibers that are held in other slices in the manifold. In a particular embodiment the gel or rubber SDM fills a four-sided plastic box to overflow. Slices in the SDM are parallel to each other and to front and back walls of the box which has a hinged cover to exert pressure on the overflow SDM material when the cover is closed to increase holding force on splice-junctions of embedded bare-glass optical fibers, those fibers within their respective protective coatings exiting the box, left and right, via cut-outs in the side walls of the box.

Claims18

Dependent claims

Apparatus for holding glass optical fibers comprising:

a four-sided box formed by a solid bottom, two solid sides opposite each other and forming width and height of said box, and the other two sides forming the depth of said box while conforming to said height of said box, each of the other two sides having a plurality of similarly-shaped and regularly-spaced cut-outs formed therein opposite each other and extending from tops of said other two sides to near bottoms of said other two sides, thereby forming a like plurality of pairs of aligned cutouts on opposite sides of the width of said box;
a cover forming the top of said box;
and
SDM material filling said box to overflow capacity thereby forming an overflow-surface, said gel having a like plurality of slits formed therein, each one of said slits being substantially parallel to at least one of said solid sides, extending from said overflow-surface to a depth above said near bottoms and spanning said width of said box in alignment with a different pair of said aligned cutouts;
whereby said SDM material forms pairs of abutting walls of each one of said slits and envelops said glass fibers inserted into said slits, a different one of said glass fibers inserted in each slit and exiting said box through its respective pair of aligned cutouts.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Spliced fiber tray soft durometer material (sdm) manifold

Life of this patent

Spliced fiber tray soft durometer material (sdm) manifold

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18