Coated central strength member for fiber optic cables with reduced shrinkage
First Claim
1. A fiber optic cable comprising at least one buffer tube, at least one optical fiber situated in the buffer tube, and a rigid strength member surrounded by a jacket, wherein the jacket is made of foamed polymer;
- wherein said at least one buffer, tube is disposed exterior to said jacket; and
where the foamed polymer is a member selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, copolymers, terpolymers, or polymer blends, of polypropylene.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A foam polymer jacketed rigid strength member for a fiber optic cable is disclosed, as is the method for its production. The foam jacket is made by feeding into an extruder a base polymer material, preferably a resin, such as polypropyene. The base material is melted in the extruder and a blowing agent is admixed. As the mixture exits the extruder, the polymer is expanded into a cellular foam. The polymer is foamed onto a rigid strength member by means of a crosshead. The resulting jacketed rigid strength member demonstrates improved resistance to thermal contractions reducing the contribution of stresses in the fiber optic cable components.
422 Citations
5 Claims
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1. A fiber optic cable comprising at least one buffer tube, at least one optical fiber situated in the buffer tube, and a rigid strength member surrounded by a jacket, wherein the jacket is made of foamed polymer;
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wherein said at least one buffer, tube is disposed exterior to said jacket; and where the foamed polymer is a member selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, copolymers, terpolymers, or polymer blends, of polypropylene. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. An upjacketed rigid strength member for fiber optic cable comprising a cylindrical rigid core surrounded by a shell of foamed polymer material, wherein said upjacketed rigid strength member has a cross-sectional diameter that is less than a cross-sectional diameter of an inner surface of said fiber optic cable;
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where the foamed polymer is a member selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, copolymers, terpolymers, or polymer blends, of polypropylene. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeDraka-Comteq USA Incorporated (Draka-Comteq)
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Original AssigneeDraka-Comteq USA Incorporated (Draka-Comteq)
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InventorsCheatle, Wayne, Risch, Brian, Gowan, Russell W.
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Primary Examiner(s)Wong; Tina M.
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Application NumberUS09/814,943Publication NumberTime in Patent Office2,552 DaysField of Search385/100, 385/103, 385/113, 385/106, 428/394, 428/395, 428/397, 428/398US Class Current385/113CPC Class CodesG02B 6/4434 Central member to take up t...
