Richard Earnest Small

US Patent:

6430344, Aug 6, 2002

Filed:

Feb 23, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/792735

Inventors:

Lisa A. Dixon - Atlanta GA
Richard H. Norris - Powder Springs GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Fitel USA Corp. - Norcross GA

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385109, 385113, 385141

Abstract:

A communications cable is disclosed herein that includes an outer jacket, and either a core tube or at least one buffer tube. The core tube or at least one buffer tube includes a resin and high aspect ratio fillers that occupy a predetermined volume of the core tube or buffer tubes so as to impart crush resistance to the cable. Further, the core tube or buffer tube may include two layers, an outer layer and an inner layer, in which the outer layer includes both a resin and high aspect ratio fillers, and the inner layer includes the resin without the high aspect ratio fillers.

US Patent:

6487345, Nov 26, 2002

Filed:

Oct 26, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/697339

Inventors:

Lisa A. Dixon - Atlanta GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Phillip M. Thomas - Suwanee GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Fitel USA Corp. - Norcross GA

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385100

Abstract:

A jacket for a communication cable is made from a resin that has high aspect ratio filler materials, and possibly coupling agents, dispersed therein. The fillers and the coupling agents reduce the post-extrusion shrinkage of the jacketing compound such that the strength members used in the communication cable need have only negligible compressive stiffness. The communication cable may further include a skin coating surrounding the outer jacket.

US Patent:

6594427, Jul 15, 2003

Filed:

Aug 23, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/644489

Inventors:

Lisa A. Dixon - Atlanta GA
Richard H. Norris - Powder Springs GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Phillip M. Thomas - Suwanee GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Fitel USA Corp. - Norcross GA

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385109

Abstract:

A jacket for an outside plant communication cable is made from a resin of an impact-modified polypropylene copolymer compounded with UV stabilizers. The resin has the characteristics of low cost, low post-extrusion shrinkage, high melting temperature and increased crush and abrasion resistance. The UV light stabilizers may include UV absorbers, quenchers, and/or hindered amine light stabilizers.

US Patent:

6611646, Aug 26, 2003

Filed:

Oct 8, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/415881

Inventors:

Richard Hartford Norris - Powder Springs GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Phillip Maurice Thomas - Suwanee GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Fitel USA Corp. - Norcross GA

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385113, 385111, 385112

Abstract:

A hybrid strength member ( ) for an optical cable ( ) is made from dielectric materials, and provides excellent compressive and tensile properties within a single structure. The strength member includes two concentric layers of filamentary strands that are embedded in a thermoset material such as epoxy. The filamentary strands of the inner layer ( ) primarily comprise aramid fibers, while the filamentary strands of the outer layer ( ) primarily comprise glass fibers. A pair of strength members ( - - ) is embedded in a plastic jacket of the optical cable at diametrically opposite sides of a central core tube that contains a number of optical fibers. Each strength member includes a thin coating ( ) of a relatively soft material (i. e. , a hardness of less than 80D on the Shore durometer scale) to enhance its coupling to the plastic jacket. Moreover, each strength member has a compressive stiffness that is effective to inhibit substantial contraction of the cable, and a tensile stiffness that is effective to receive tensile loads without substantial transfer of such loads to the glass fibers.

US Patent:

6778744, Aug 17, 2004

Filed:

Sep 25, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/255852

Inventors:

Richard Hartford Norris - Powder Springs GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Phillip Maurice Thomas - Suwanee GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Fitel USA Corp. - Norcross GA

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385113, 385111, 385112

Abstract:

An optical cable ( ) includes one or more tubes ( ), each containing a number of optical fibers ( ), and a plastic jacket ( ) that encloses the tube(s). A pair of diametrically opposed rods ( - - ) are at least partially embedded in the polyethylene jacket and are made from continuous-filament glass fibers that are embedded in epoxy. Each rod has a compressive stiffness that is effective to inhibit substantial contraction of the cable, and a tensile stiffness that is effective to receive tensile loads without substantial transfer of such loads to the glass fibers. Each dielectric rod includes a thin layer ( ) of a frictional adhesion coating that provides a controlled adhesion between the rod and the jacket of between 50 and 300 lb. /in. Whereas dual-rod cable designs have a preferred bending plane that passes through the rods, controlled adhesion between the rods and the jacket enables the cable to be easily bent in other planes and to be blown through ducts having multiple corners.

US Patent:

63243245, Nov 27, 2001

Filed:

Jan 12, 2000

Appl. No.:

9/481186

Inventors:

Lisa A. Dixon - Atlanta GA
Richard D. Small - Lilburn GA
Phillip M. Thomas - Suwanee GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385100

Abstract:

A jacket for a communication cable is made from a resin that has high aspect ratio filler materials, and possibly coupling agents, dispersed therein. The fillers and the coupling agents reduce the post-extrusion shrinkage of the jacketing compound such that the strength members used in the communication cable need have only negligible compressive stiffness.

US Patent:

63210134, Nov 20, 2001

Filed:

Sep 15, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/397444

Inventors:

Nathan E. Hardwick - Dunwoody GA
Kenneth Wade Jackson - Snellville GA
Clyde Jefferson Lever - Buford GA
Richard Hartford Norris - Powder Springs GA
Jim Jenqtsong Sheu - Dunwoody GA
Richard Dalton Small - Lilburn GA
Carl Raymond Taylor - Lawrenceville GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Lucent Technologies, Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385114

Abstract:

An optical module includes a stack of optical fiber ribbons that are within a buffer encasement, such as a thin sheath, that closely bounds the periphery of the stack. The optical modules can be rectangular, so that the optical modules can be readily stacked in a manner that results in a very space efficient fiber optic cable. The optical modules can be tested prior to being incorporated into the fiber optic cable so as to maximize the probability of the fiber optic cable being fully operable. The sheath cushions all of the sides of the stack. In some optical modules, the stack is movable relative to the sheath and the optical fiber ribbons are movable relative to one another. The sheath is preferably sufficiently rigid to maintain the stack in a stacked configuration, and sufficiently flexible to allow the optical fiber ribbons to slide laterally relative to one another so that, in an end elevation view of the stack, the stack and the sheath can transition from a non-skewed configuration to a skewed configuration. The lateral displacement between the optical fiber ribbons in the skewed configuration is different from the lateral displacement between the optical fiber ribbons in the non-skewed configuration. The stack can be in a longitudinally twisted configuration, and the sheath is sufficiently rigid to hold the stack in the longitudinally twisted configuration.

US Patent:

63175428, Nov 13, 2001

Filed:

Sep 15, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/396305

Inventors:

Nathan E. Hardwick - Dunwoody GA
Kenneth Wade Jackson - Snellville GA
Clyde Jefferson Lever - Buford GA
Richard Hartford Norris - Powder Springs GA
Jim Jenqtsong Sheu - Dunwoody GA
Richard Dalton Small - Lilburn GA
Carl Raymond Taylor - Lawrenceville GA
Peter A. Weimann - Atlanta GA

Assignee:

Lucent Technologies, Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

G02B 644

US Classification:

385114

Abstract:

A fiber optic cable includes multiple differently sized stacks of optical fiber ribbons. The stacks include a central stack that is approximately centrally located in a jacket passage and peripheral stacks positioned radially around the central stack. A difference exists between the dimensions of the central stack and the dimensions of one or more of the peripheral stacks. Another fiber optic cable has multiple longitudinally extending stacks of optical fiber ribbons that are within a jacket passage. The stacks include a central stack that is approximately centrally located in the jacket passage, and peripheral stacks positioned radially around the central stack. Buffer encasements that respectively contain the peripheral stacks are longitudinally stranded around the central stack. Each buffer encasement includes a longitudinally extending interior surface that extends around and defines a longitudinally extending passage that contains the respective peripheral stack, and each interior surface closely bounds and engages a substantial portion of the periphery of the respective peripheral stack. Another fiber optic cable includes multiple optical modules within a longitudinally extending jacket and longitudinally stranded around a central member.