Underwater connector and method of making same

Claim 3

The method in claim 1 wherein: said cable includes conductors surrounded by the sheath of the cable; and including trimming the sheath from around the cable end and molding insulative potting material that becomes hard when solid, around the conductors of the cable and up to the front end of the sheath and preform, said potting material being formed with an outside dimension small enough to fit into said shell; and installing a fixing means in said shell which can securely prevent forward movement of material; and wherein said step of inserting the preform and cable into the shell includes inserting the molded potting material into the shell and agains the fixing means so that it can securely prevent any further forward movement of potting material into the shell under high undersea pressures.

Claim 4

An underwater cable connection comprising: a cable having a conductor and an outer flexible sheath surrounding the conductor, said cable having a forward end portion with the conductor extending beyond the sheath at said end portion; a tubular preform closely surrounding said cable end portion and joined along its internal surface to the outside of the sheath of the cable; a shell surrounding the ends of said cable and preform, said shell having a rearwardly facing internal surface; and position fixing means of hard insulative material with a hole through which said conductor extends, said position fixing means abutting the rearwardly facing internal surface of the shell and also aubtting the extreme forward end of said cable sheath and a forward end surface of the preform to prevent forward end movement of the cable sheath and preform, whereby to prevenT ''''hosing in'''' of the cable or relative axial movement of the preform with respect to the cable under high water pressures.

Claim 5

An underwater cable connection comprising: a cable having a conductor and an outer flexible sheath surrounding the conductor, said cable having a forward end portion with the conductor extending beyond the sheath at said end portion; a tubular preform closely surrounding said cable end portion and joined along its internal surface to the outside of the sheath of the cable; a shell surrounding the ends of said cable and preform, said shell having a rearwardly facing internal surface; and position fixing means of hard insulative material with a hole through which said conductor extends, said position fixing means abutting the rearwardly facing internal surface of the shell and also aubtting the extreme forward end of said cable sheath and a forward end surface of the preform to prevent forward end movement of the cable sheath and preform, whereby to prevenT ''''hosing in'''' of the cable or relative axial movement of the preform with respect to the cable under high water pressures.

Claim 6

The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein: said cable is a coaxial cable with a pair of coaxial conductors, a first of the conductors being an electrically conductive tube and a second of the conductors being an electrically conductive wire extending along the center of the tube; said preform has a front end extending beyond the cable sheath and having a groove at the front end that extends to a depth even with the sheath; and said position fixing means includes a member which has a tubular rear end portion extending into said groove at the front end of the preform and abutting the preform at the bottom of the groove and the extreme end of the cable sheath.

Claim 7

The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein: said cable has a plurality of flexible wires that can move towards and away from each other; and said position fixing means includes an insulative potting material extending about the wires and potting them in place and extending to and molded against the front ends of the cable sheath and preform.

Claim 8

The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein: said shell has external threads on its rearward end and a rearwardly-facing groove on its rear end with an O-ring seal therein; and said preform has an outwardly extending flange near its front end, said flange being of larger diameter than the O-ring and abutting the O-ring; and including a cap having a rear end wall against the rear face of the preform flange, the end wall including a hole through which the preform extends, and the cap having a tubular threaded front portion threaded onto said shell so that the rear wall of the cap presses the preform flange against the O-ring.

Claim 9

The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein: said shell has external threads on its rearward end and has a cylindrical rear internal surface at the rear end with a rearwardly facing internal ledge at the forward end of the rear cylindrical internal surface; said preform has an outwardly-extending flange near its front end; and including a sealing base of hard material with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said rear cylindrical internal surface of the shell and disposed therein, said sealing base having a forward end disposed against the rearwardly facing internal ledge of the shell, said sealing base having an O-ring along its outer surface and sealed against the cylindrical rear internal surface of the shell, and said sealing base having a rearwardly facing rear end with an O-ring groove therein holding an O-ring and abutting the front face of the preform flange; and a cap having a rear end wall against the rear face of the preform flange, the rear end wall of the cap including a hole through which the preform extends, and the cap having a tubular threaded front portion threaded onto said shell so that the rear wall of the cap presses the preform flange against the rear end of the sealing base.

Claim 10

An underwater cable connection comprising: a cable having a conductor and an outer sheath of a thermoplastic material surrounding the conductor, said cable having a forward end portion; a tubular preform constructed of thermoplastic material and closely surrounding the forward end portion of the sheath, and with the inner surface of the preform merging into the outer surface of the cable sheath, said tubular preform having an outwardly-extending flange, and the radially inner wall of the preform extending even with the extreme front end of the cable sheath; a shell assembly receiving the forward ends of the cable and preform and sealed to the flange of the preform; and position fixing means mounted in said shell to prevent forward movement therein and abutting both the extreme front end of the sheath and the preform portion thereabout.

Claim 11

An underwater cable connection comprising: a cable having a conductor and an outer sheath of a thermoplastic material surrounding the conductor, said cable having a forward end portion; a tubular preform constructed of thermoplastic material and closely surrounding the forward end portion of the sheath, and with the inner surface of the preform merging into the outer surface of the cable sheath, said tubular preform having an outwardly-extending flange, and the radially inner wall of the preform extending even with the extreme front end of the cable sheath; a shell assembly receiving the forward ends of the cable and preform and sealed to the flange of the preform; and position fixing means mounted in said shell to prevent forward movement therein and abutting both the extreme front end of the sheath and the preform portion thereabout.