Optical fiber cable having reinforcing layer of tape heat-bonded to jacket
AssigneeCommScope Technologies LLC
InventorWayne M. Kachmar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber cable includes an optical fiber; a sheet of reinforcing tape rolled around a majority of an annular sidewall of the optical fiber; and a jacket surrounding the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape. The sheet has parallel longitudinal edges that are circumferentially spaced from each other to form a longitudinal slit along a length of the sheet of reinforcing tape. The reinforcing tape is formed of a polymeric material having uni-directionally oriented molecules along the length of the sheet. The jacket is heat-bonded to the sheet of reinforcing tape.
Claims15
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable having at least a first optical fiber, the method comprising:
- wrapping a sheet of reinforcing tape around the first optical fiber so that longitudinal edges of the sheet extend parallel to each other along a length of the first optical fiber to form a rolled sheet of reinforcing tape, the tape not including reinforcing yarns or fibers;
- and
- extruding a jacket around the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape so that heat from extrusion partially melts the reinforcing tape to heat-bond the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape to the jacket.
A method of connectorizing a first axial end of an optical cable including a jacket surrounding reinforcing tape wrapped around an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- spreading out reinforcing tape at the first axial end of the optical cable to provide an enlarged cross-dimension of the first axial end, the tape not including reinforcing yarns or fibers;
- axially sliding a portion of an optical connector rearwardly into the first axial end of the optical cable through the enlarged cross-dimension;
- and
- applying heat to the first axial end of the optical cable to heat-bond the first axial end of the optical cable to the portion of the optical connector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.