Patent ID: 7756372

Claim:
A fiber optic cable system comprising: a fiber optic main cable having a strength member and a plurality of optical fibers extending therein within an outer cable sheath; a flexible longitudinally extending inner housing positioned proximate the plurality of optical fibers on a section of the main cable having the outer cable sheath removed; a fiber optic drop cable having at least one optical fiber having an end portion extending outwardly from an end of the drop cable, the end portion of the at least one optical fiber of said drop cable being spliced together with an end portion of a corresponding at least one severed end portion of one of the plurality of optical fibers of the main cable to define at least one spliced together fiber portion coupling at least one of the plurality of optical fibers of the main cable to a corresponding one of the at least one fiber of the drop cable, wherein the inner housing is positioned around the plurality of optical fibers and between the plurality of optical fibers and the strength member and/or at least a portion of the at least one spliced together fiber portion is positioned at a position radially displaced from a central axis of the main cable by a distance of no more than half an outer diameter of the cable sheath; and a longitudinally extending outer protective housing extending over the section of the main cable having the outer cable sheath removed and the inner housing and the strength member, the outer protective housing having a first opening receiving the main cable and a second opening, longitudinally displaced from the first opening, receiving the main cable and wherein at least one of the first opening and the second opening receive the drop cable and wherein the at least one spliced together fiber portion is positioned within the inner housing.