Patent ID: 11906805
Assignee: CORNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 16:
17. A pre-terminated fiber optic cable assembly, comprising:
a cable jacket;
a plurality of subunits within the cable jacket, wherein each subunit includes a subunit jacket and several optical fiber ribbons carried within the subunit jacket;
a furcation body comprising a shell positioned on the first end of the cable jacket and a polymer material securing the shell to the cable jacket and at least some of the subunit jackets, the shell having a first portion that is received over the first end of the cable jacket and a second portion that defines an end of the shell not received over the cable jacket, the second portion having a reduced outer diameter compared to the first portion, and wherein:
each subunit of the plurality of subunits includes a subunit end section extending from the furcation body,
each of the subunit end sections includes the several optical fiber ribbons of the associated subunit extending from the associated subunit jacket, and
the several optical fiber ribbons of the plurality of subunits collectively comprise at least 3456 optical fibers; and

a plurality of multifiber ferrules each terminating one or more of the several optical fiber ribbons that extend from the associated subunit jacket to define pre-terminated fiber end sections; and
a pulling grip assembly having a proximal end selectively secured to the shell of the furcation body, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and an interior between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein the pulling grip assembly comprises:
a coupler defining the proximal end of the pulling grip assembly, wherein the coupler is received over the second portion of the shell but not the first portion of the shell when the coupler is secured to the furcation body, and wherein a first seal is maintained between the coupler and the furcation body when the coupler is secured to the furcation body;
a tube extending from the coupler and over the pre-terminated ends of the distinct groups of optical fibers; and
an end cap secured to the tube to form a closed end of the pulling grip assembly, wherein the end cap includes a pulling eye that defines the distal end of the pulling grip assembly;

wherein:
the pulling grip assembly has a maximum outer diameter of less than 1.34 inches (53 mm) measured in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pulling grip assembly and contains the pre-terminated fiber sections associated with the at least 3456 optical fibers within the interior of the pulling grip assembly;
the interior of the pulling grip assembly is sealed off from an exterior of the cable assembly to provide sealed protection for the pre-terminated fiber end sections; and
the pulling grip assembly is configured to maintain the sealed protection over an ambient temperate range of at least between −20 to 50° C. while applying a tensile load of at least 300 lbs to the distal end of the pulling grip assembly.