US4701015A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Waterproof optical fiber cable and method of the production thereof
Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd
•
Filing: 1985-03-22
•
Granted: 1987-10-20
•
Expires: 2005-03-22
Abstract
Abstract In a waterproof optical fiber cable for use in a communication system, one or more optical fibers are loosely put in grooves formed along a spacer and a plurality of filled portions are formed in each of said grooves by being filled with dampproof material with a predetermined interval so as to provide a plurality of filled portions and unfilled portions alternately, whereby undesired local bending of the optical fibers can be prevented. Also a method of making the waterproof optical fiber cable having such filled portions and unfilled portions is disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Yasunori Saito
- 👤 Osamu Ichikawa
- 👤 Toshio Oshima
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 04:07
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/44; G02B6/4401; G02B6/4415; G02B6/4427; G02B6/4429; G02B6/44384; G02B6/4479; G02B6/4489; G02B6/449; G02B6/4491
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A waterproof optical fiber cable for use in a communication system comprising: an elongated spacer formed with at least one groove extending therealong, an optical fiber put in said groove in a slack state, dampproof jelly material filled into a plurality of first portions of said groove to define first filled portions spaced from one another by a predetermined interval with respect to the longitudinal direction of the spacer, dampproof powder material filled into second portions to define second filled portions between said first filled portions, and means for covering the outer surface of the first and second filled portions without forming any gap between the outer surface of the first filled portions and the covering means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
117 words
A waterproof optical fiber cable for use in a communication system comprising: an elongated spacer formed with at least one groove extending therealong, an optical fiber put in said groove in a slack state, dampproof jelly material filled into a plurality of first portions of said groove to define first filled portions spaced from one another by a predetermined interval with respect to the longitudinal direction of the spacer, dampproof powder material filled into second portions to define second filled portions between said first filled portions, and means for covering the outer surface of the first and second filled portions without forming any gap between the outer surface of the first filled portions and the covering means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The waterproof optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein said spacer is reinforced by a reinforcing strip extending in the center portion of the spacer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The waterproof optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein said spacer is formed with a plurality of grooves extending along the spacer in a helical shape.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The waterproof optical fiber cable according to claim 1, wherein said covering means comprises a tape wound around an outer surface of the spacer and running through said filled portions.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of making a waterproof optical fiber cable with an elongated spacer having spacer grooves therealong, optical fibers, dampproof material, and covering means comprising the steps of: expanding the spacer lengthwise, putting optical fibers in the spacer grooves, releasing the spacer from the expanded state, feeding dampproof material to the spacer grooves in a discontinuous manner in sychronism with the releasing speed of the spacer, and covering at least the portions filled with dampproof material with the covering means.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of making a waterproof optical fiber cable with an elongated spacer having spacer grooves therealong, optical fibers, dampproof material, and covering means comprising the steps of: expanding the spacer lengthwise, putting optical fibers in the spacer grooves, releasing the spacer from the expanded state, feeding dampproof material to the spacer grooves in a discontinuous manner in sychronism with the releasing speed of the spacer, and covering at least the portions filled with dampproof material with the covering means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4155963A
Cited
US4232935A
Cited
US4422718A
Cited
US4288144A
Cited
GB2041565A
Cited
GB2052092A
Cited
US4389088A
Cited
JPS566206A
Cited
EP0026952A1
Cited
GB2082790A
Cited
GB2089520A
Cited
GB2094020A
Cited
US4401366A
Cited
DE3225228A1
Cited
JPS60165917A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-10-19 | 1991-04-20 | 1991-10-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-10-19 | 1995-04-20 | 1995-10-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-10-19 | 1999-04-20 | 1999-10-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |