Fiber optic splice closure
First Claim
1. A fiber optic splice closure comprising:
- a housing;
cable termination means connected to said housing for securing one or more fiber optic cables thereto;
a bracket connected to said housing;
a plurality of splice trays positioned within said housing, each splice tray having an end pivotally connected to said bracket and movable between a stacked position and a raised position to thereby facilitate access to an underlying splice tray; and
a plurality of generally flexible transport tubes extending from said cable termination means to said splice trays for carrying optical fibers from one or more fiber optic cables to respective splice trays, each of said transport tubes having a longitudinal axis and including means for imparting to said transport tube differential flexibility between first and second directions transverse to the longitudinal axis.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fiber optic splice closure includes a series of stacked splice trays pivotally secured within a housing, and oval shaped generally flexible transport tubes carrying the exposed optical fibers to the splice trays within the closure. The transport tubes have a differential flexibility to permit bending i a direction generally normal to the major dimension of the tube while preventing bending in a direction generally normal to the minor dimension of the tube. Accordingly, optical fiber ribbons carried by the transport tubes are protected from bending in a direction normal to their minor dimension. The splice trays are pivotally secured at one end to a bracket secured to an end cap of the housing. A hinge for each splice tray includes detents to hold an individual tray in a raised position to thereby facilitate access to an underlying tray. In addition, splice holders are provided on each splice tray and include a series of generally flexible walls extending outwardly from a base. The flexible walls further include hollow cavities to more readily accommodate splices of different sizes. A generally rigid shell with a predetermined pattern of openings therein is positioned to overlie the base carrying the flexible walls.
421 Citations
53 Claims
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1. A fiber optic splice closure comprising:
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a housing; cable termination means connected to said housing for securing one or more fiber optic cables thereto; a bracket connected to said housing; a plurality of splice trays positioned within said housing, each splice tray having an end pivotally connected to said bracket and movable between a stacked position and a raised position to thereby facilitate access to an underlying splice tray; and a plurality of generally flexible transport tubes extending from said cable termination means to said splice trays for carrying optical fibers from one or more fiber optic cables to respective splice trays, each of said transport tubes having a longitudinal axis and including means for imparting to said transport tube differential flexibility between first and second directions transverse to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A fiber optic splice closure comprising:
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a housing; cable termination means connected to said housing for securing one or more fiber optic cables thereto; a splice tray positioned within said housing; and at least one generally flexible transport tube extending from said cable termination means to said splice tray for carrying optical fibers from one or more fiber optic cables to said splice tray, said at least one transport tube having a longitudinal axis and including means for imparting to said transport tube differential flexibility between first and second directions transverse to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A fiber optic splice closure comprising:
- a housing;
cable termination means connected to said housing for securing one or more fiber optic cables thereto; a splice tray positioned within said housing separately from said cable termination means; and at least one generally flexible transport tube extending from said cable termination means to said splice tray for carrying optical fibers from one or more fiber optic cables to said splice tray; said cable termination means including guide means for guiding optical fibers from one or more optical fiber cables along a predetermined bend radius to said at least one transport tube, said guide means including transport tube receiving means having a fiber fan-out area immediately prior thereto. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
- a housing;
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46. A fiber optic splice holder comprising:
- a base;
a series of spaced apart flexible walls extending outwardly from said base and defining a series of channels between adjacent pairs of said walls, each of said walls having a hollow cavity extending through a substantial portion thereof and being formed on a flexible material to thereby readily accommodate splices of different sizes within respective channels, and a rigid shell overlying said base and having a predetermined pattern of openings therein corresponding to said series of spaced apart walls and through which said walls extend. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
- a base;
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50. A fiber optic splice holder comprising:
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a pair of inserts arranged in spaced apart relation, each insert comprising a flexible base, and a series of spaced apart flexible walls extending outwardly from said base and integrally molded therewith, said series of spaced apart walls defining a series of channels between adjacent pairs of said walls, each of said walls being formed of a flexible material to thereby readily accommodate splices of different sizes within respective channels; and a rigid shell overlying both of said bases of said pair of inserts and having a predetermined pattern of openings therein corresponding to said series of spaced apart walls and through which said walls extend. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53)
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Specification