Patent ID: 8676012

Claim:
A fiber optic cable, comprising: a polymeric jacket defining an outer periphery and a cavity interior thereto, wherein the cavity is elongate; an optical fiber positioned within the cavity of the jacket; a first longitudinal strength element fully embedded in the jacket; and a second longitudinal strength element fully embedded in the jacket on an opposite side of the cavity from the first strength longitudinal member, wherein the first and second longitudinal strength elements define a bend axis of the cable passing through the strength elements that is orthogonal to the length of the cable, whereby the bend axis and the length of the cavity define a preferential plane for bending, wherein the cable resists bending about a third axis that is orthogonal to the length of the cable and also orthogonal to the bend axis, whereby the third axis and the length of the cable define a non-preferential plane for bending; wherein the cable resists bending in the non-preferential plane by at least twice as much as the cable resists bending in the preferential plane, but wherein the cable resists bending in the non-preferential plane by no more than five times as much as the cable resists bending in the preferential plane, whereby the difference in flexural rigidity between the preferential and non-preferential planes limits the formation of spontaneous knots in a coil of the cable while still providing flexibility for ease of handling, and facilitates coiling of the cable for storage.