Terminus body retention

Details Terminus body retention Terminus body retention

2000-02-22

2001-07-03

Sanghavi, Hemang (Department: 2874)

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure

C385S076000, C385S086000, C385S136000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06254283

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An optical fiber connector can include a housing with one or more passages and a terminus mounted in each passage. Each terminus has a bore that holds an optical fiber so a tip of the fiber lies at the front end of the terminus. When a pair of connectors mate, the ferrules of the termini abut, with at least one of the ferrules sliding backward. A spring allows the terminus to slide backward slightly while biasing the terminus forwardly.
A manufacturer of the terminus usually provides a unit that includes the terminus body, the spring, and a means that holds the spring in place until the terminus is inserted into a connector housing, and which thereafter helps retain the terminus unit in the housing. The fact that the spring must be retained on a shaft of the terminus body, has previously required the terminus body to be made into parts, with a rear part mounted on the rest of the body only after the spring has been installed. This increases the cost of the terminus body. Also, the connector housing had a retention plate to mount the terminus body in the housing. A low cost device that retained the helical spring on the terminus body shaft prior to mounting in a connector housing passage, and which thereafter held the terminus securely in the housing passage while allowing limited rearward sliding of the terminus body, would be of value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an optical fiber terminus and an optical fiber connector that includes such terminus, as well as a method, are provided, wherein a retention device is used to hold the terminus together as a unit prior to installation in a connector housing passage, as well as to retain the terminus in the passage. The terminus includes a terminus body, a substantially helical spring, and a retention device. The terminus body includes a shaft with the spring lying on the shaft, a front abutment that can abut a front end of the spring, and a shaft recess forming a shoulder. The retention device holds the spring on the shaft prior to installation in a connector housing passage. When installed in a passage, the retention device retains the terminus body and spring from moving completely out of the housing and allows the body to slide a limited distance rearward while being biased forwardly by the spring.
The retention device includes a sleeve that lies around the shaft rearward of the spring, the device having at least one tine that extends at least partially radially inwardly and against a shaft shoulder formed at the rear of the shaft recess. The sleeve also has a rearwardly-facing shoulder that allows it to be retained by a retention clip that is installed in the housing passage.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


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