Patent ID: 8702326

Claim:
A fiber optic assembly, comprising: first and second fiber optic ribbons, each comprising a plurality of optical fibers coupled in a substantially flat arrangement where the optical fibers are aligned side-by-side with one another, wherein the optical fibers of the first ribbon are fusion spliced with the optical fibers of the second ribbon such that the spliced ribbons at the splice have a common lengthwise axis, widthwise axis orthogonal to the lengthwise axis, and thickness axis orthogonal to the lengthwise and widthwise axes; and a splice protector supporting the optical fibers of the first and second fiber optic ribbons that are spliced to one another at the splice, wherein the splice protector comprises an ultra-violet light (UV-) curable adhesive that provides a flexible support for the splice, wherein the splice protector is at least half as flexible when cured over the splice as the first and second ribbons in bending about the widthwise axis.