Patent ID: 8126304

Claim:
A method of factory terminating an optical fiber cable, comprising: determining a number of longitudinally offset predetermined termination points to be provided on the optical fiber cable, wherein the number is greater than one; sliding a number of tubular outer protective housings onto the optical fiber cable over a first end of the optical fiber cable, wherein the number of tubular outer protective housings is at least equal to the number of termination points; removing the outer cable sheath from a section of the optical fiber cable corresponding to a first of the termination points to expose a portion of a fiber protection tube of the optical fiber cable; removing a length of the exposed fiber protection tube to expose a plurality of optical fibers of the optical fiber cable; severing an exposed one of the plurality of optical fibers; splicing the severed optical fiber of the optical fiber cable to an optical fiber of another optical fiber cable to provide a splice; sliding one of the tubular outer protective housings over the section of the optical fiber cable having the outer cable sheath removed; and securing the outer protective housing to the optical fiber cable to provide an environmental closure around the section of the optical fiber cable with the optical fiber cable extending from respective longitudinally displaced ends of the outer protective housing and the another optical fiber cable extending from at least one of the ends of the outer protective housing.