Cherry, Hitesh; Werner, Walter M.;

Optical fiber splice case

An optical fiber splice case for joining composite cables having optical fibers in a tube surrounded by wire strands. More particularly the splice case includes a body having a chamber for receiving spliced together optical fibers and separate cable gripping assemblies which grip the wire strands and which are secured to the body. The cable gripping assemblies include elongated jaws which collectively form a cylindrical member which is compressed down around the wire strands to withstand high tensile forces.

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We 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.

2. The optical fiber splice case of claim 1 wherein said first opening in said support means includes a tapered portion and said bushing means has a tapered outer surface to conformably fit therein.

3. The optical fiber splice case of claim 2 wherein said bushing means and bushing retaining means have tube-receiving passages therethrough.

4. The optical fiber splice case of claim 1 wherein the ends of said body means and said attaching means in said securing means include complementary threads for attaching said securing means to said body means.

5. The optical fiber splice case of claim 4 wherein said securing means include a generally conical cap.

6. The optical fiber splice case of claim 1 wherein said chamber is accessible through an opening in said body means and further including cover means for covering said opening.