# US 2014/0153887 A1 · Optical fiber cables > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153887 A1 - Document ID: US20140153887A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/173,274 - Filed: 2014-02-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2009-07-31 - Assignees: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Applicants: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Inventors: Scott Allen McDowell; Julian Latelle Greenwood, III; Reginald Roberts; David Alan Seddon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153887A1 ## CPC - G02B 6/4403: {with ribbon structure (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence)} - G02B 6/4411: {Matrix structure} - G02B 6/4432: {with fibre reinforcements} - G02B 6/4433: {Double reinforcement laying in straight line with optical transmission element} - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract Cables have reduced freespace, reduced tube diameters, and reduced strength member diameters. The cables are designed to pass robustness testing such as GR-20 while using smaller amounts of raw materials to produce. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cable, comprising: a polymeric cable jacket; a polymeric buffer tube within the polymeric cable jacket, the polymeric buffer tube defining an interior thereof; a plurality of optical fibers arranged as a ribbon stack and located in the interior defined the polymeric buffer tube; and strength members at least partially embedded in the polymeric cable jacket, wherein the strength members include a first pair of strength members on one side of the polymeric cable jacket and a second pair of strength members on an opposite side of the polymeric cable jacket, wherein the strength members have a strength member area and the ribbon stack has a ribbon stack fiber area, wherein the strength members have a strength member elastic modulus and the ribbon stack has a ribbon stack fiber elastic modulus, wherein a product of the strength member area and the strength member elastic modulus is a strength member EA and a product of the ribbon area and the ribbon stack elastic modulus is a ribbon stack EA, and wherein the ratio of the ribbon stack EA to the strength member EA is at least 0.0015 times the number of optical fibers in the ribbon stack. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cable of claim 1, wherein the strength members include a first set of three strength members on the one side of the polymeric cable jacket and a second set of three strength members on the opposite side of the polymeric cable jacket. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cable of claim 1, wherein the strength members have a strength member height defined as the distance between the outermost edges of outermost strength members on the one side of the polymeric cable jacket, and wherein the strength member height is within 1.3 mm of an inner diameter of the polymeric buffer tube. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cable of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the polymeric cable jacket is in the range of 2.30 mm and 2.80 mm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cable of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is between 12-144 optical fibers, wherein the polymeric cable jacket has a jacket area, and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 6-10. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cable of claim 5, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 12-48 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 6-8. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The cable of claim 5, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 48-72 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 7-9. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The cable of claim 5, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 72-96 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 7.5-9.5. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The cable of claim 5, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 96-144 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 8-10. ### Claim 10 A cable, comprising: a polymeric cable jacket; a polymeric buffer tube within the polymeric cable jacket, the polymeric buffer tube defining an interior thereof, wherein the polymeric buffer tube has an inner diameter; a plurality of optical fibers arranged as a ribbon stack and located in the interior defined by the polymeric buffer tube, wherein a freespace of the ribbon stack is less than 1.5 mm; and strength members at least partially embedded in the polymeric cable jacket, wherein the strength members include a first pair of strength members on one side of the polymeric cable jacket and a second pair of strength members on an opposite side of the polymeric cable jacket, wherein the strength members have a strength member height defined as the distance between the outermost edges of outermost strength members on the one side of the polymeric cable jacket, and wherein the strength member height is within 1.3 mm of the inner diameter of the buffer tube. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein the ribbon stack freespace is less than 1.0 mm ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein the ribbon stack freespace is 0.71 mm or less. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein the strength members include a first set of three strength members on the one side of the polymeric cable jacket and a second set of three strength members on the opposite side of the polymeric cable jacket. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein the strength member height is within 1.0 mm of the inner diameter of the polymeric buffer tube. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein a thickness of the polymeric cable jacket is in the range of 2.30 mm and 2.80 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The cable of claim 10, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is between 12-144 optical fibers, wherein the polymeric cable jacket has a jacket area, and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 6-10. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The cable of claim 16, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 12-48 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 6-8. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The cable of claim 16, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 48-72 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 7-9. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The cable of claim 16, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 72-96 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 7.5-9.5. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The cable of claim 16, wherein the plurality of optical fibers is more specifically between 96-144 optical fibers and the ratio of the strength member area to the jacket area is in the range of 8-10.