Sealing assembly for a fiber optic cable and associated fabrication method
First Claim
1. A sealing assembly for a fiber optic cable comprising an outer sheath and at least one longitudinally extending buffer tube extending outwardly from a cable sheath end portion, said sealing arrangement comprising:
- a blocking dam adapted to surround the at least one buffer tube in longitudinally spaced apart relation from the cable sheath end portion;
a tubular housing adapted to surround the fiber optic cable from a position adjacent the cable sheath end portion and extending longitudinally at least to the blocking dam; and
a heat flowable material adapted for filling voids underlying said tubular housing between said blocking dam and the cable sheath end portion.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fiber optic cable system, such as a preterminated fiber cable, includes a main cable and one or more drop cables connected to the main cable at spaced apart locations along the main cable. The drop cable is spliced to the main cable using a splice closure including a fiber guide that secures spliced together end portions of the respective fibers in a longitudinally extending direction and devoid of any slack coils of optical fibers. Accordingly, the overall diameter of the splice closure is relatively small thereby permitting the cable system to be stored on a reel and to be readily placed within small diameter conduits. The splice closure includes a heat recoverable housing surrounding the fiber guide. Cable sheath end portions are sealed by melting C-shaped bodies of heat flowable material positioned adjacent cable sheath end portions.
151 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A sealing assembly for a fiber optic cable comprising an outer sheath and at least one longitudinally extending buffer tube extending outwardly from a cable sheath end portion, said sealing arrangement comprising:
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a blocking dam adapted to surround the at least one buffer tube in longitudinally spaced apart relation from the cable sheath end portion; a tubular housing adapted to surround the fiber optic cable from a position adjacent the cable sheath end portion and extending longitudinally at least to the blocking dam; and a heat flowable material adapted for filling voids underlying said tubular housing between said blocking dam and the cable sheath end portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A sealing assembly for a fiber optic cable of the type comprising an outer sheath and at least one longitudinally extending buffer tube extending outwardly from a cable sheath end portion, said sealing arrangement comprising:
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a blocking dam adapted to surround the at least one buffer tube in longitudinally spaced apart relation from the cable sheath end portion, said blocking dam comprising a layer of compressible material; a tubular housing adapted to surround the fiber optic cable from a position adjacent the cable sheath end portion and extending longitudinally at least to the blocking dam, said tubular housing comprising heat recoverable material; and a heat flowable material adapted for filling voids underlying said tubular housing between said blocking dam and the cable sheath end portion. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for making a protective sealing arrangement for a fiber optic cable of the type comprising an outer sheath and at least one longitudinally extending buffer tube extending outwardly from a cable sheath end portion, said method comprising:
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positioning a blocking dam surrounding the at least one buffer tube longitudinally spaced apart from the cable sheath end portion; positioning at least one body comprising a heat flowable material surrounding the at least one buffer tube between the blocking dam and the cable sheath end portion; positioning a heat recoverable housing surrounding the fiber optic cable between the cable sheath end portion and the blocking dam; and heating the heat recoverable housing to shrink the housing and melting the heat flowable material to cause the heat flowable material to fill voids underlying the housing. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification