Patent ID: 7317863

Claim:
A telecommunications cable comprising: a distribution cable including a cable jacket and a plurality of buffer tubes positioned within the cable jacket, the plurality of buffer tubes including a first buffer tube, the distribution cable including a mid-span location where a portion of the cable jacket has been removed and where at least the first buffer tube includes a fiber access location; a closure including an overmold that surrounds the distribution cable and covers the mid-span location, the closure being factory installed, the overmold being elongated along a length that extends along the distribution cable; a tether that branches from the distribution cable at the closure, the tether including a tether jacket, a tether buffer tube positioned within the jacket and at least one strength member; a tether retention block affixed to the distribution cable, the tether buffer tube passing through the retention block and at least the strength member of the tether being affixed to the retention block, the overmold covering at least a portion of the tether retention block; a first optical fiber that extends through the first buffer tube of the distribution cable, the first optical fiber being routed out of the first buffer tube through the fiber access location; a second optical fiber that extends through the tether buffer tube, the second fiber being routed into the closure; and the first optical fiber being spliced to the second optical fiber at a splice location located within the closure to form a spliced length of optical fiber extending through the closure.