# US 8,540,435 B2 · Ferrule retainers having access window(s) for accessing and/or referencing a fiber optic ferrule, and related fiber optic connector assemblies, connectors, and referencing methods

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- Number: US 8,540,435 B2
- Document ID: US8540435B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/188,538
- Filed: 2011-07-22
- Published: 2013-01-24
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-22
- Assignees: Corning Cable Systems LLC
- Applicants: Martin Eugene Norris; Thomas Theuerkorn
- Inventors: Martin Eugene Norris; Thomas Theuerkorn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540435B2

## CPC

- G02B 6/3885: {Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448)}
- G02B 6/3865: {fabricated by using moulding techniques (shaping techniques of plastic materials in general B29C; producing plastic optical fiber connectors B29D11/0075)}
- G02B 6/3821: {with axial spring biasing or loading means (G02B6/3847 takes precedence)}
- G02B 6/385: {Accessories for testing or observation of connectors (means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, measuring position, eccentricity G02B6/3843; mechanical features associated with the optical testing of optical fibres G01M11/088)}
- G02B 6/3863: {fabricated by using polishing techniques (grinding of the fibre ends B24B19/226)}
- Y10T 29/49826: Assembling or joining
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

Ferrule retainers for retaining and supporting fiber optic ferrules in an optical fiber connector are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ferrule retainers include one or more access windows for accessing an alignment feature(s) of the ferrule located inside the ferrule retainer when the ferrule is assembled in the ferrule retainer. In this manner, the alignment feature(s) of the ferrule is accessible for referencing, if desired, when processing (e.g., polishing) the optical fiber(s) disposed in the ferrule when the ferrule is assembled in the ferrule retainer. The access window(s) provided in the ferrule retainers allows fiber processing equipment to reference the alignment feature(s) of the ferrule when assembled in a ferrule retainer regardless of whether the fiber processing equipment also references the ferrule retainer to reference the ferrule. The embodiments disclosed herein also include related fiber optic connector assemblies, connectors, and referencing methods.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A ferrule retainer configured to receive and support a fiber optic ferrule for an optical fiber connector assembly, comprising:
a retainer body;
an interior chamber disposed within the retainer body, the interior chamber disposed along a longitudinal axis of the retainer body;
an opening disposed through a portion of a first end of the retainer body, the opening in communication with the interior chamber and configured to allow an end face of a ferrule, disposed along the longitudinal axis of the retainer body, to be disposed through the opening; and
at least one access window disposed through a second portion of the first end of the retainer body to allow access to at least one alignment feature of the ferrule retained in the interior chamber of the retainer body when the end face of the ferrule is disposed through the opening, wherein the opening is sized to not allow the at least one alignment feature of the ferrule to be disposed through the opening within the interior chamber when the end face of the ferrule is disposed through the opening.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ferrule retainer of claim 1, wherein an interior surface of the first end of the retainer body adjacent to the opening is configured to interfere with the at least one alignment feature of the ferrule to retain the at least one alignment feature in the interior chamber of the retainer body when the end face of the ferrule is disposed through the opening.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The ferrule retainer of claim 1, wherein the at least one access window is comprised of a plurality of access windows disposed in a plurality of second portions of the first end of the retainer body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ferrule retainer of claim 1, wherein the at least one access window is disposed in the second portion in communication with the first portion of the first end of the retainer body.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The ferrule retainer of claim 4, wherein the at least one access window extends the length of a first dimension of the opening.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The ferrule retainer of claim 4, wherein the opening has a first height in an interior portion of the opening, and the at least one access window extends the first height to a second height in an end portion of the opening.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The ferrule retainer of claim 6, wherein the second height is greater than the first height.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The ferrule retainer of claim 6, wherein the second height is at least 0.2 millimeters (mm) greater than the first height.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The ferrule retainer of claim 7, wherein the first height is between 2.50 and 2.70 mm and the second height is greater than 2.80 mm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The ferrule retainer of claim 4, wherein the at least one access window is disposed on at least one corner section of the opening.

### Claim 11 (depends on 4)

The ferrule retainer of claim 4, wherein the at least one access window is comprised of four access windows, each of the access windows disposed in a corner section of the opening to form an H-shaped opening.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The ferrule retainer of claim 1, wherein the opening has a width configured to allow the width of an end face of a multi-fiber termination push-on (MTP) ferrule to pass therethrough.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The ferrule retainer of claim 1, further comprising a second opening disposed at a second end of the retainer body opposite the first end of the retainer body, the second opening in communication with the interior chamber, the second opening configured to receive an end face of a ferrule before the end face of the ferrule is disposed through the opening.

### Claim 14

An optical fiber connector assembly, comprising:
a ferrule having a ferrule body comprising a first end and a second end, an end face disposed on the first end, and at least one alignment feature disposed between the first end and the second end of the ferrule body; and
a ferrule retainer, comprising:
a retainer body;
an opening disposed through a portion of a first end of the retainer body and configured to allow the end face of the ferrule, disposed along the longitudinal axis of the retainer body, to be disposed through the opening; and
at least one access window disposed through a second portion of the first end of the retainer body to allow access to at least one alignment feature of the ferrule retained within the ferrule retainer and accessible through the at least one access window, wherein the at least one access window is disposed in the second portion in communication with the first portion of the first end of the retainer body and the at least one access window extends the length of a first dimension of the opening.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, further comprising an interior chamber disposed along a longitudinal axis of the ferrule retainer, the opening in communication with an interior chamber and disposed through a portion of a first end of the retainer body.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 15, wherein the at least one alignment feature of the ferrule abuts an interior surface of the first end of the retainer body adjacent to the opening to retain the at least one alignment feature of the ferrule in the interior chamber of the retainer body.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one access window is comprised of a plurality of access windows disposed in a plurality of second portions of the first end of the retainer body.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the opening has a first height in an interior portion of the opening, and the at least one access window extends the first height to a second height in an end portion of the opening.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 18, wherein the second height is greater than the first height.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 18, wherein the second height is at least 0.2 mm greater than the first height.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 18, wherein the first height is between 2.50 and 2.70 mm and the second height is greater than 2.80 mm.

### Claim 22 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one access window is disposed on at least one corner section of the opening.

### Claim 23 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one access window is comprised of four access windows, each of the access windows disposed in a corner section of the opening to form an H-shaped opening.

### Claim 24 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein a width of the ferrule body at the alignment feature is greater than the width of the opening.

### Claim 25 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, further comprising at least one fiber bore disposed through the end face of the ferrule body, the at least one fiber bore configured to receive at least one end portion of an optical fiber.

### Claim 26 (depends on 14)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the ferrule retainer comprises at least one latch configured to attach to at least one latching feature of a receptacle housing to retain the ferrule retainer to form a connector assembly.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 26, wherein the ferrule retainer is seated in a spring-loaded ferrule boot disposed between the ferrule and the receptacle housing.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The optical fiber connector assembly of claim 27, further comprising a spring disposed between the ferrule boot and the receptacle housing to spring load the ferrule boot.

### Claim 29

A method of referencing a ferrule in an optical fiber connector assembly, comprising:
providing a referencing platform having at least one reference feature;
receiving the at least one reference feature in at least one access window disposed in a second portion of a first end of a ferrule retainer, the ferrule retainer retaining a ferrule comprising an end face disposed through an opening disposed in a first portion of the first end of the ferrule retainer; and
abutting an end surface of the at least one reference feature to at least one alignment feature of the ferrule retained within the ferrule retainer.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one access window is comprised of a plurality of access windows disposed in a plurality of second portions of the first end of the ferrule retainer.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one access window is disposed in the second portion in communication with the first portion of the first end of the ferrule retainer.

### Claim 32 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising referencing the at least one alignment feature through the at least one access window.

### Claim 33 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising polishing the at least one optical fiber.

### Claim 34 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising removing the end surface of the at least one reference feature from the at least one access window of the ferrule retainer.

### Claim 35 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein abutting the end surface of the at least one reference feature comprises abutting a first end surface of the at least one reference feature to a first alignment surface of the ferrule and a second end surface of the at least one reference feature to a second alignment surface of the ferrule.

### Claim 36 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one reference feature is comprised of at least one boss.