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AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDana C. Bookbinder, Mark L. Morrell
Estimating the term…
A method for mechanically stripping the protective coating from a silica or glass optical fiber using a polymeric or soft metal blade having a hardness less than that of the glass optical fiber but greater than the protective coating. The blade is preferably selected from a group of polymeric materials, or alternately a soft metal, which is selected or treated so as to not detrimentally oxidize in conventional operating environments. For a silica-containing optical fiber, the blade has a hardness of less than approximately 125 on the Knoop hardness scale, and preferably less than approximately 60 on the Knoop hardness scale. A method of inhibiting damage to the exposed region of the silica-containing optical fiber comprises applying a substance that forms a protective layer to provide a barrier to particulates and moisture, and which does not inhibit subsequent processing of the optical fiber, selected from a group of silane-containing compounds.
A method for removing a protective coating from a glass optical fiber at ambient temperature and without exposure to a chemical softening agent, the glass optical fiber and the protective coating each having a hardness which are different from one another, the method comprising the steps of:
A method for removing a protective coating from a glass optical fiber at ambient temperature and without exposure to a chemical softening agent, the glass optical fiber and the protective coating each having a hardness which are different from one another, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of inhibiting damage to an exposed region of a glass optical fiber from which a protective coating has been stripped, the method comprising the step of:
An apparatus for removing a protective coating from a silica-containing optical fiber, the protective coating having a hardness, the apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for removing a protective coating from a silica-containing optical fiber, the protective coating having a hardness, the apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.