High performance, multi-media communication cable support-separators with sphere or loop like ends for eccentric or concentric cables

• US 20060237221A1
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cable Components Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cable Components Group, LLC
• Inventors: Glew, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US11/409,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20060237221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/146
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/06 with means for reducing effects of electromagnetic or electrostatic disturbances, e.g. screens
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/22 Cables including at least one electrical conductor together with optical fibres

Abstract

The present invention includes a communications cable support-separator that has both a central region as well as a plurality of shaped sections that extend outward from the central region having various shaped profiles on the ends that are either solid or partially solid, foamed or foamed with a solid skin surface and that exhibits reduced cross-talk of any form between transmission media. Included is one or more end profiles which define a clearance to maintain a spacing between transmission media or transmission media pairs. The core may be comprised of principally polymer blends including olefin, fluoropolymer, chlorofluoropolymer based resins or combinations with and without inorganic additive such as nano-clay composites or conductive or insulative material. The specially shaped core support-separators can be either interior to a cable jacket or be employed singularly without the benefit of a jacket and extend along the longitudinal length of the communications cable.

Claims

1. A high performance, multi-media communications cable and cable support-separator with spherical or loop-like features comprising;

vertical and horizontal intersecting arms, extending along a longitudinal length of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator, an interior support also having a central region, said central region also extending along said longitudinal length of said interior support and said communications cable;

said interior support comprising at least one cross-type cable support-separator section radially and axially defined by said central region;

wherein each of said cross-type cable support-separator sections comprises one or more spherical or loop-like features, attached to or detached from any one or more distal ends of said intersecting arms wherein said spherical or loop-like features may contain conductive media, wherein said attached conductive media and said spherical or loop-like features are removable from said distal ends by a user.

2. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cross-type cable support-separator comprising said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms includes a reduction in cross sectional area of material of an attachment point along said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms and said reduction in area includes reduction in size of said spherical or loop-like end features.

3. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator comprises said sphere or loop-like end features that may be hollow or filled and may or may not contain conductive media.

4. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said central region also extending along said longitudinal length of said interior support and said communications cable may be hollow.

5. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator is customizable via extrusion or molding and one or more of said spherical or loop-like end features are either omitted or removed from said distal end of said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms creating a concentric or eccentric shaped high performance, multi-media communications cable which may have an outer insulated layer, wrapper or jacket.

6. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 5, wherein said outer insulated layer, said wrapper or said jacket may be applied with a cigarette wrapper or a spiral wrapper, wound around said conductive media bundle wherein a trailing edge overlaps a leading edge and there may be an overlapped interlocked or wrapped tape-like layer and wherein said cable support-separator may be overlapped in a singular fashion where the lateral ends make contact with each other including a zipper-like closure or where said cable support-separator creates said concentric or eccentric shaped high performance, multi-media communications cable.

7. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator and said spherical or loop-like end features are customizable via extrusion or molding and ensure sufficient space between said conductive media to reduce cross-talk and said sphere or loop-like end features are removeably attached to said distal ends of said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms such that ease of removability is achieved by reducing said cross sectional area of material at said distal ends of said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms for stripping and installation of said conductive media.

8. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may be equally or non-equally spaced, extruded or molded or adhered or otherwise attached integrally to one or more of said vertical and horizontal intersecting arms of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator, each of said sphere or loop-like end features may include a gap allowing for insertion, containment and separation of non-conductive or said conductive media comprising twisted pair, co-axial, WIFI antennae, power, and/or fiber optic conductors in advance of, during, or after installation, and wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may be left empty.

9. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may have up to six or more equally or non-equally spaced sphere or loop-like end features and may be individually constructed of various diameters and/or thicknesses to contain and support varying diameter conductive or non-conductive media, and wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may include any shape or form useful in providing geometric randomness to mitigate pair-to-pair coupling thereby improving any crosstalk performance, including alien crosstalk.

10. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator comprises a material of thicker cross section for said sphere or loop-like end features that allow said features to function as a strength member or as a drain wire, with or without additional internal cable support-separators, and wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may continued to be used for insertion of said conductive media or may remain hollow.

11. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may have a ground wire or drain wire added to provide electrical continuity within said outer insulated layer, wrapper or jacket wherein said outer layer, wrapper or jacket may also include an adhesive for bonding with said cable components or said support-separator to complete a cable configuration.

12. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said sphere or loop-like end features comprise an inner rifled surface and a smooth outer surface or an inner rifled surface and rifled outer surface.

13. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein one or more of said sphere or loop-like end features may be removed allowing for reduction in overall size of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator such that said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may be used for installation in constrained spaces or for reducing mass and therefore reducing smoke and flame spread.

14. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator with sphere or loop-like end features are shaped randomly and therefore are random in diameter and size thereby reducing or eliminating cross-talk for any conductive media contained within said features.

15. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may be hollow or comprised of solid or foamed materials and said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator are comprised of conductive, semi-conductive, or non-conductive materials or any combination thereof.

16. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may itself be twisted into variable patterns and enclosed in an insulative layer, wrapper, or jacket wherein said enclosure is comprised of conventional materials and processes.

17. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 11, wherein said sphere or loop-like end features have corrugated or rifled inner surfaces and/or said corrugated or rifled outer surfaces wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may be comprised of metal or conductive or non-conductive polymer for electrical grounding or earthing media and wherein said sphere or loop-like end features provide for either a concentric or eccentric high performance, multi-media communications cable.

18. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may be conductive, semi-conductive, or non-conductive, filled and either solid or foamed or foamed with a solid skin layer, metal, conductive or non-conductive polymer media, providing electrical grounding or earthing, or is primarily comprised of organic or inorganic polymers or combinations of inorganic and organic polymer blends.

19. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator wherein said cable support-separator may be a combination of inorganic fillers or additives with inorganic and/or organic polymers or combinations including inorganic and organic polymer blends, homo and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, or polyvinyl chloride or fluorinated ethylene propylene, fluorinated ethylene, chlorinated ethylene propylene, fluorochloronated ethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, fluorochloronated propylene, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethylvinylether (MFA), a copolymer of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethelyene (ECTFE), as well as homo and copolymers of ethylene and/or propylene with fluorinated ethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), as well as blends of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, nylons, polyesters, polyurethanes as well as unsubstituted and substituted fullerenes primarily comprised of C₆₀ molecules including nano-composites of clay and other inorganics such as ZnO, TiO₂, MgOH, and ATH (ammonium tetrahydrate), calcium molybdates, ammonium octyl molybdate and the like and may also be employed as nano-sized particles including tube shaped particles, and wherein any and all combinations may be utilized to provide polymer blends, and wherein said cable support-separator and/or conductive media insulation utilizing nanotubes of C₆₀ in the form of fibers or substituted/unsubstituted fullerenes or fullerene compounds and the like, nano-composites or both and wherein said nano-composites or both are imbedded in said cable support-separator.

20. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator may be comprised of, separately or in combination, of metal oxides including magnesium trioxides, metal hydrates, including magnesium hydrates, silica or silicon oxides, brominated compounds, phosphated compounds, metal salts including magnesium hydroxides, ammonium octyl molybdate, calcium molybdate and the like.

21. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may also be comprised of compounds such as acid gas scavengers that scavenge gasses such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride or other halogenated gasses ocurring during combustion of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator.

22. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator may be comprised of organic and/or inorganic polymers such that each may include the use of recycled or reground thermoplastics in an amount up to 100%.

23. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator comprises a polymer blend ratio of fluorinated or otherwise halogenated polymers or copolymers to ethylene or vinyl chloride polymers or copolymers of from 0.1% to up to 99.9% of fluorinated or otherwise halogenated polymers or copolymers to ethylene or vinyl chloride polymers or copolymers or foamed polymer blends including a nucleating agent of polytetrafluoroethylene, carbon black, color concentrate, or boron nitride, boron triflouride, direct injection of air or gas into an extruder, chloroflurocarbons (CFCs), or more environmentally acceptable alternatives such as pentane or other acceptable nucleating or blowing agents.

24. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator comprises solid, partially solid, or partially or fully foamed organic or inorganic dielectric materials, wherein said dielectric materials may include a solid skin surface with any one of a number of said dielectric materials and wherein said cable support-separator may include an adhesive surface.

25. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator comprises a sealant coated dimensionally heat-recoverable dual layer of said high performance, multi-media communications cable or cable support-separator comprising selecting a first polymer composition comprising a cross-linkable polymer;

forming a second polymer composition by admixing a thermoplastic component and a rubber-like component in proportions such that a composition comprises 30 to 95% of said thermoplastic component and 5 to 70% of said rubber-like component with said second polymer composition being convertible to a sealant composition.

26. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said separator comprises extruding a first and second polymer composition to form a unitary dual layer, wherein said second polymer composition forms an outer tubular layer formed from a crosslinkable polymer composition disposed concentrically around an inner tubular layer and being in a first configuration at a temperature below the crystalline melt temperature of said first polymer composition whereby exposing said conduit tubes or said jacketing to a source of energy initiates formation of chemical bonds between adjacent polymer chains in said first composition, and induces a chemical change in said second composition, thereby converting said second composition from a melt processable composition to a sealant composition and rendering said first composition recoverable in that said sealant composition is more easily recoverable upon subsequent heating.

27. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator is capable of providing for said conductive media transmitting data up to and greater than 10 Gbit/second while substantially mitigating or completely eliminating all forms of crosstalk, including alien crosstalk.

28. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator comprises a conductive or non-conductive substrate such as metallized thermoplastic film at a nominal 50 ohms per square (50 Ω

/cm²) resistance and are attached, laminated, molded, extruded or co-extruded to said cable support-separator surface and where said surface itself may be comprised of imbedded non-conductive or conductive substrate such as said metallized thermoplastic film at a nominal 50 ohms per square (50 Ω

/cm²) resistance, where said metallized thermoplastic film may include a drain wire of a preferred AWG or a braided shield in contact with said metallized film.

29. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said sphere or loop-like end features may be removed from said cross-type cable support-separator by a knife, sharp tool or by pulling angularly along a longitudinal direction of said communications cable support-separator in order to separate said sphere or loop-like end features and said central region from each other to ease in routing, installation and termination of said conductive media and where said conductive media may also be pulled from said sphere or loop-like end features through a gap for easy separation of said conductive media at a preferred end of said cable support-separator.

30. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said cable support-separator surface provides either a shielded or unshielded internal EME/RFI (electromagnetic emissions/radio frequency interference) barrier surfaces directed toward a center of said cable support-separator and also provides for a barrier from external EME/RFI, and where an optional ground wire in contact with said cable support-separator shielded or unshielded surfaces may provide additional EMI/RFI (electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference) protection.

31. A high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator as in claim 1, wherein said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator is comprised of polyolefin or other thermoplastic based polymers and blends thereof capable of meeting specific flammability and smoke generation requirements as defined by UL 910, NFPA 255, 259 or 262, and EN 50266-2-x, class B test specifications as well as NFPA 72 test criteria for circuit integrity, wherein said test criteria is met by said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator.

32. A method for making a high performance, multi-media communications cable comprising;

vertical and horizontal intersecting arms, extending along a longitudinal length of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator, an interior support also having a central region, said central region also extending along said longitudinal length of said interior support and said communications cable;

said interior support comprising at least one cross-type cable support-separator section radially and axially defined by said central region;

wherein each of said cross-type cable support-separator sections comprises one or more spherical or loop-like features, attached to or detached from any one or more distal ends of said intersecting arms wherein said spherical or loop-like features may contain conductive media, wherein said attached conductive media and spherical or loop-like features are removable from said distal ends by a user.

33. A method for making a high performance, multi-media communications cable as in claim 32, comprising said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator wherein each of said sphere or loop-like end features is formed comprising external and internal radial and axial surfaces extending along a longitudinal length of said high performance, multi-media communications cable support-separator;

where pulling of said cable support-separator from a reel or cobb into a closing die mates said cable support-separator shere or loop-like end features with one or more twisted pair or other conductive or non-conductive media and whereby said conductive or non-conductive media provides for nesting and shielding as necessary, such that said one or more twisted pair or said conductive or non-conductive media are providing single or double twisted bunching which may include a binder for holding twisted bunching with optional shielding, or may include a single or two-step process followed by use of said binder for holding said twist bunching in place and optionally jacketing via extrusion or wrapping or both with a final take up on a final take-up reel, wherein implementation of said method provides for completion of said high performance, multi-media communications cable.

34. A method for making a high performance, multi-media communications cable as in claim 33, comprising a method for binding or wrapping said jacketing or both, wherein said wrapping may include one or more of several methods including single tape winding such as a cigarette tape wrap, spiral wrapping such as a notebook binder with a tighter or looser configuration or varying tensions or where said binder method may simply comprise extruding a thin skin thermoplastic or a thicker skin thermoplastic or thermoset or the like over said high performance, multi-media communications cable.

35. A method for making a high performance, multi-media communications cable as in claim 34, wherein said binder can be a corrosive and/or chemical resistant barrier protecting said high performance, multi-media communications cable and said conductive or non-conductive media from severe environments.