Optical fiber splice case

Claim 1

An optical fiber splice case for composite cable of the type having a plurality of optical fibers within a tube and wire strands surrounding the tube, said case comprising: elongated body means having a chamber intermediate the ends and passages extending from the ends to said chamber through which the tubes may extend; cable gripping assemblies for being positioned against said ends of said body means and for gripping the wire strands of the composite cable, said assemblies each including; support means having a passage therethrough with first and second openings at respective ends of said passage and with said second opening having jaw retaining means; resilient bushing means and bushing retaining means, for being positioned in said first opening to said passage in said support means, said bushing means adapted to be compressed in said first opening and around the tube of the composite cable which may extend through said passage in said support means by said bushing retaining means; a plurality of discrete elongated jaw means having one surface beveled relative to an opposite surface, said plurality of jaw means forming in cooperation with each other a reusable cylindrical member having a passage therethrough and a tapered outer surface, said jaw means further having retaining means at one end for cooperative engagement with said jaw retaining means in said second opening in said support means to thereby position and retain said cylindrical member in an outwardly projecting manner from said support means; compression means having a tapered passage therethrough and adapted to be slidingly driven onto and compress said cylindrical member into a tight grip on the wire strands of the composite cable surrounding the tube; and securing means having a tapered passage in one end to be conformably and lockingly received over said cable gripping assemblies and cooperative attaching means in another end for attaching said securing means to said ends of said body means to thereby secure said cable gripping assemblies to said body means.