Patent ID: 7215865

Claim:
A method of sealingly enclosing a space into which at least one optical fibre is fed; the method comprising: (a) providing at least one optical component connected to the at least one optical fibre; (b) providing a flexible protective sheet having a pair of sealing strips at or towards opposite ends thereof, (c) arranging the at least one optical component on the sheet; (d) folding the ends of the sheet over the at least one optical component to provide an envelope surrounding the at least one component with the sealing strips arranged in overlapping engagement on a side of the envelope with the at least one optical fibre being fed into the interior of the envelope between the sealing strips; (e) applying heat and/or pressure to the sealing strips so as to provide a sealed seam along one surface of the envelope sealingly enclosing the at least one optical fibre; and (f) sealing the sides of the envelope to provide a sealed enclosure, wherein the sealing strips are provided on a same side of the sheet, and the ends of the sheet are folded along substantially parallel fold lines to form an overlapping apex, and the apex is folded substantially flat to lie along a surface of the envelope.