Patent US5778131A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5778131A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Assembly for use in connecting optical fibres including a manifold device
Assignee: Prysmian Cables and Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1994-09-28
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Granted: 1998-07-07
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Expires: 2014-09-28
Abstract
Abstract An assembly 10 for use in connecting optical fibers to an optical fiber device having input and output tails includes a plurality of housings 12 for housing optical fiber connections and a housing 18 for housing at least one passive optical device. The tails of the one or more devices are routed through manifold 16 to the housings 12 via respective routing members 14 and the optical fibers to be connected to the tails are routed to the appropriate housings 12 via these routing members 14. The housings 12 are arranged in an aligned bank adjacent the manifold 16 and each housing 12 is moveable out of such alignment for providing access thereto.
Inventors
- 👤 Laurence Llewellyn
- 👤 Mark George Graveston
- 👤 Simon Charles Tristan Benton
- 👤 Ispran Sharma Kandasamy
- 👤 Peter George Hale
- 👤 Peter David Jenkins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 17:25
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/44; G02B6/4439; G02B6/444; G02B6/4452; G02B6/44524; G02B6/4453; G02B6/4455
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
An assembly for use in connecting optical fibres to at least one optical device having input and output tails, comprising first housings for housing connections between the optical fibres and tails, a further housing having means for locating therein said at least one optical device, and routing means for guiding said optical fibre tails from said further housing to said first housings, said routing means including a manifold device providing tracks for routing said tails between said further housing and said first housings over predetermined paths, said first housings being arranged in an aligned bank adjacent said manifold device with each first housing being moveable out of such alignment with the others for providing access thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
An assembly for use in connecting optical fibres to at least one optical device having input and output tails, comprising first housings for housing connections between the optical fibres and tails, a further housing having means for locating therein said at least one optical device, and routing means for guiding said optical fibre tails from said further housing to said first housings, said routing means including a manifold device providing tracks for routing said tails between said further housing and said first housings over predetermined paths, said first housings being arranged in an aligned bank adjacent said manifold device with each first housing being moveable out of such alignment with the others for providing access thereto.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first housings is mounted to a respective routing member having passage means for routing thereto fibre tails from said manifold device and optical fibres to be connected to said tails in said first housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said routing members are rigidly connected one to another such that said first housings are in said aligned bank when in respective stowed positions relative to said routing members.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein each first housing is pivotally mounted to its respective routing member for movement into and out of alignment with the other first housings in said aligned bank, a respective flexible conduit means being provided between each said routing member and associated first housing for routing optical fibres and optical fibre tails therebetween and having a predetermined minimum bend radius during such pivotal movement.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein each first housing is pivotally mounted to its respective routing member by a pivoting device which is connected for movement relative to said routing member and said first housing by first and second connections respectively, at least one of said connections being a pivotal connection.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein both connections are pivotal with the axis of the first pivotal connection being parallel to the axis of the second pivotal connection.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein each pivoting device includes a support means between said connections extending beneath the housing associated with the pivoting device for supporting the housing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein each pivoting device includes a support means between said connections extending beneath the housing associated with the pivoting device for supporting the housing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein each said flexible conduit means defines a plurality of passages aligned with respective passages of the routing member associated therewith.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein each flexible conduit means extends into the housing associated therewith and split along at least some of its length within the housing into separated tubes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, having said at least one optical device housed in said further housing with the optical fibre tails thereof routed via said routing means to said first housings.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said further housing is aligned with said bank of housings such that said assembly has an elongate configuration of substantially constant cross-section substantially throughout its length.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first housings for housing optical fibre connections comprises a closure provided with storage means for storing fibre in a wound configuration.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for selectively restricting the amount of movement of each first housing out of alignment with the other first housing in the aligned bank thereof.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-07-06 | 2002-01-05 | 2002-07-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-07-06 | 2006-01-05 | 2006-07-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-07-06 | 2010-01-05 | 2010-07-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |