Patent ID: 7369739
Filing Date: 2008-05-06
Classification: B65H,G02B

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for storing, winding, and unwinding a pair of sheathed optic fibers each of which has a longitudinal axis and a minimum bending radius, said apparatus comprising a casing defining a hollow housing having front and rear members; a first spool having a groove in which a selected length of one of said sheathed fibers may be wound; a second spool having a groove in which a selected length of a second of said sheathed fibers may be wound, each of said sheathed fibers being independent of the other; means journaling said spools in side-by-side relation within said housing for rotation about a common axis of rotation; guide means carried by said spools for guiding each of said sheathed fibers from the associated spool to said axis of rotation and positioning an end of each of said sheathed fibers in confronting relation to an end of the other of said sheathed fibers; and coupling means at said axis of rotation for coupling said sheathed fibers end-to-end with the respective longitudinal axes of said fibers in axial alignment.