Field repairable, breakaway housing for optical fiber connector

Details Field repairable, breakaway housing for optical fiber connector Field repairable, breakaway housing for optical fiber connector

2003-03-11

2004-04-27

Prasad, Chandrika (Department: 2839)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

C385S092000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06726369

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One type of optic fiber connector includes a housing with a passageway that holds an optic fiber terminus assembly, the housing having a molded-in latch of the telephone type. The terminus assembly can include a hollow sleeve-like frame extending around the terminus body and any spring of the terminus, and with the frame releasably held in the housing passageway by tines of a sheet metal retention clip. The tines must be spread apart by a special tool to remove the frame with the terminus body and other parts therewithin. The use of such a retention clip has disadvantages in that a tool is often not available, in the field, to expand the tines of the clip so as to remove the terminus assembly. Also, the presence of such a clip greatly increases the diameter of the entire assembly so the housing must have a larger cross-section.
Rearward forces of many pounds are commonly applied to the optic fiber cable trailing rearward from the connector, during connections, cable routing, etc. Sometimes a cable is pulled largely sideways and rearward, as when the cable snags on a person's clothing. Such sideward forces could damage the cable. It would be desirable if there were a tactile feedback to a person indicating that if he continues to pull, he may be damaging the cable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an optic fiber connector is provided, of a type that includes a housing and a terminus assembly that is retained in the housing, wherein a retention part that prevents withdrawal of the terminus assembly after it has been installed in a housing, is of simple and low cost construction, adds a minimal amount to the cross-section of the housing, and enables rapid removal of a terminus assembly from a housing without the need for a special tool. The housing has a groove that extends circumferentially about the axis of the passageway. A retainer part of the housing that prevents rearward removal of the terminus assembly, lies rearward of the groove. As a result, a rear portion of the housing lying rearward of the groove, can be broken away from a main portion of the housing that lies forward of the groove. Such breakaway removes the retainer part of the housing so the terminus can be pulled out of the housing without the need for a special tool.
The terminus assembly can include a sleeve-like frame and a terminus body lying largely in the frame. The frame has a rear portion with an external flange forming forward and rearward shoulders. Shoulders on the retainer part of the housing and on the flange allow the flange to be pushed forcefully forwardly across the retainer part during installation of the terminus assembly, until full installation is achieved. However, the shoulders prevent rearward movement of the terminus assembly out of the passageway. The use of shoulders on a flange and on a retainer part allows the retainer means to add only a small extra diameter to the required cross-section of the housing. A bendable portion of the optic fiber cable lies within the housing. Accordingly, when the cable is pulled about 45° from a rearward axial direction, the cable presses sidewardly against the rear of the housing. A moderate cable tension in such direction can partially break off the housing rear part at the groove.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5943460 (1999-08-01), Mead et al.
patent: 6254283 (2001-07-01), Novacoski et al.
patent: 6626582 (2003-09-01), Farrar et al.

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