Optical waveguides – Optical transmission cable – Ribbon cable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-11
2001-09-25
Spyrou, Cassandra (Department: 2872)
Optical waveguides
Optical transmission cable
Ribbon cable
C385S089000, C385S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295400
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to optical fiber ribbons and, more particularly, to the spacing between optical fibers of optical fiber ribbons.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Optical fiber is a very popular medium for large bandwidth applications, and as a result there is a demand for increased numbers of optical fibers. In response to these demands, optical fiber ribbons have been developed. An optical fiber ribbon includes a planar array of optical fibers that extend longitudinally and are laterally adjacent, and the optical fibers are bonded together as a unit.
It is conventional for adjacent optical fibers of an optical fiber ribbon to be in an abutting side-by-side arrangement. As a result, the spacing between adjacent optical fibers in an optical fiber ribbon is often less than the spacing between adjacent optical receptacles of optical devices that optically communicate with the optical fiber ribbon. Optical devices that optically communicate with an optical fiber ribbon include optical input or output devices, which respectively introduce optical signals into or receive optical signals from the optical fibers of optical fiber ribbon. It is common to prepare an optical fiber ribbon for attachment to the optical receptacles of an optical input or optical output device by striping the bonding material of the optical fiber ribbon away from one end of the optical fiber ribbon. A sufficient amount of the bonding material is stripped away so that exposed ends of the optical fibers can be manually spaced apart from one another and be respectively received by the receptacles of the target optical device.
Often it is necessary for relatively long lengths of optical fibers to be exposed at the end of an optical fiber ribbon to obtain the spacing necessary to connect to the relatively far spaced apart receptacles of the target optical device. The binding material that holds the optical fibers of an optical fiber ribbon together provides some protection to the optical fibers; therefore, the optical fibers that are exposed by the stripping are at a relatively greater risk of being damaged. In addition, long lengths of loose optical fibers that extend from an optical fiber ribbon are at risk of becoming tangled and disorganized, and can be difficult to manually manage. These risks or disadvantages are becoming greater and greater as optical fibers and associated equipment become more densely packaged in response to the increasing demand for optical fibers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above problems, and other problems, by providing a multipitch optical fiber ribbon that can be readily connected between first and second arrays of optical receptacles, wherein the spacing in the first array is different from the spacing in the second array. More specifically, the multipitch optical fiber ribbon includes optical fibers that extend longitudinally and are laterally adjacent. The optical fibers are bonded together by bonding material having opposite first and second ends. A lateral first spacing is defined between adjacent optical fibers at the first end of the bonding material, a lateral second spacing is defined between adjacent optical fibers at the second end of the bonding material, and the first spacing is different from the second spacing. In accordance with one example, the are no splices between the optical fibers, and no crossing of the optical fibers, between the first and second ends of the bonding material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the bonding material includes a first segment at the first end of the bonding material and a second segment at the second end of the bonding material. Preferably the first and second segments of the bonding material are contiguous. The composition of the first segment of the bonding material can be the same as the composition of the second segment of the bonding material, or the first and second segments of the bonding material can have different compositions. For example, the first section of the bonding material can be in the form of a solidified polymeric material that fills the interstices between the optical fibers and extends to the outside boundary of the optical fiber ribbon, and the second section of the bonding material can be in the form of one or more tapes having an adhesive backing on the side of the tape that is oriented toward the optical fibers. In accordance with one version of the multipitch optical fiber ribbon, the first segment of the bonding material defines a first width and the second segment of the bonding material defines a second width that is greater than the first width.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4147407 (1979-04-01), Eichenbaum et al.
patent: 4900126 (1990-02-01), Jackson et al.
patent: 5259051 (1993-11-01), Burack et al.
patent: 5809195 (1998-09-01), Brown
patent: 60-80806 (1985-05-01), None
Boutsikaris Leo
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Spyrou Cassandra
LandOfFree
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