Fiber optical image transfer devices and method of making the same

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING A FIBER OPTICAL IMAGE TRANSFER DEVICE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONSTRUCTING A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL HOOP MEMBERS EACH FROM A CONTINUOUS FIBER OF LIGHT-CONDUCTING MATERIAL SO THAT EACH HOOP MEMBERV EMBODIES CLOSELY ADJACENT FIBER CONVOLUTIONS OF A CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DESIRED LENGTH OF SAID DEVICE, TREATING ACH HOOP MEMBER FOR SECURING ITS CONVOLUTIONS TOGETHER IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION, ASSEMBLING SAID HOOP MEMBERS BY STACKING LIKE PORTIONS THEREOF IN PROGRESSIVE SUPERIMPOSED RELATION WITH EACH OTHER WITH LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE FIBER LENGTHS IN SAID MEMBER PORTIONS PARALLEL THROUGHOUT A SELECTED SECTION THEREOF, HEATING SAID MEMBERS TO A SELECTED DEGREE IN A RING AROUND THE CENTER OF SAID SECTION AND TO PROGRESSIVELY LESSER DEGREE OUTWARDLY FROM SAID RING ALONG THE LENGTHS OF SAID MEMBER FIBERS TOWARD EACH OF THE ENDS OF SAID SECTION TO ESTABLISH A TEMPERATURE GRDIENT IN THE MEMBERS WITHIN SAID ACTION SO THAT THE FIBER LENGTHS IN THE SECTION WILL BE HEATED TO A RELATIVELY HIGH FUSING TEMPERATURE IN A PLANE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE FIBER LENGTHS NEAR THE CENTER OF SAID SECTION, AND WILL BE HEATED TO RELATIVELY LOWER FUSING TEMPERATURES PROGRESSIVELY NOUTWARD FROM SAID PLANE, ALONG SAID FIBER LENGTHS SIMULTANEOUSLY SQUEEZING THE HOOP MEMBERS RELATIVELY FIRMLY TOGETHER IN A RING AROUND THE CENTER OF SAID SECTION AND TO A PROGRESSIVELY LESSER DEGREE OUTWARDLY FROM SAID RING ALONG THE LENGTHS OF THE MEMBER FIBERS TOWARD EACH OF THE ENDS OF SAID SECTION TO ESTABLISH A PRESSURE GRADIENT IN SAID SECTION FOR FIRST COMPACTING SAID MEMBER FIBERS INTO INTIMATELY FUSED RELATION NEAR THE CENTER OF SAID SECTION AND FOR COMPACTING SAID MEMBER FIBERS TO ADECREASING EXTENT FOR A DISTANCE OUTWARDLY FROM THE CENTER OF SAID SECTION, ALLOWING SAID SECTION TO COOL AND BECOME SALF-SUPPORTING CUTTING THROUGH THE SECTION NEAR THE CENTER THEREOF TRANSVERSELY OF THE AXES OF THE FIBER LENGTHS WITHIN THE SECTION TO FORM END FACES ON SAID DEVICE, AND OPTICALLY FINISHING SAID FACES TO RENDER THEM READILY RECEPTIVE TO LIGHT.