Patent ID: 7681476
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A fiber optic cable stripping device for stripping a fiber optic cable, the device comprising: a pair of stripping blades including edges for stripping at least one layer surrounding an optical fiber, one of said blades placed at a right side and the other one of said blades placed at a left side of the device, the stripping blades configured to move toward each other in a horizontal direction to capture the layer to be stripped off of the optical fiber, a spacer including a generally rectangular body, the body of the spacer including a mounting hole for mounting the spacer to the device adjacent one of said two blades, a centering structure including a generally rectangular body with a first end and a second end spaced apart in a horizontal direction and a top end and a mounting hole for mounting the centering structure to the device adjacent the other one of said two blades and opposite said spacer, the top end including a downwardly angled portion adjacent said second end, the second end including a tongue protruding outwardly in an offset configuration with respect to a rest of the second end, wherein the tongue defines the endmost point of the second end, wherein the tongue defines a top contact surface extending substantially all the way to the endmost point of the second end for providing a vertical stop for the fiber optic cable laid on the top contact surface, the centering structure including an elongate groove formed at the second end of the body, the groove extending in a direction generally from the second end toward the first end, the groove including an open end facing toward the second end of the body and a closed end facing toward the first end of the body, at least a portion of the groove formed by the top contact surface of the tongue, wherein the groove defines a lower contact surface formed by the top contact surface of the tongue, the groove also defining an upper contact surface opposing the lower contact surface formed by the top contact surface of the tongue for vertically retaining the fiber optic cable within the groove, wherein the lower contact surface of the groove and the top contact surface of the tongue extending substantially all the way to the endmost point of the second end are vertically aligned; wherein the centering structure is configured to position the fiber optic cable in a correct orientation both vertically and horizontally for stripping by the stripping blades of the fiber optic cable stripping device.