Patent ID: 8678671

Claim:
A tool for cleaving a plastic optical fiber, the plastic optical fiber including an operative section and a termination end section, the tool comprising: a body, the body including an insertion face and a termination face opposite the insertion face; a cleaving port, the cleaving port including a cleaving aperture at the insertion face of the body and through which the termination end section is inserted and in which the operative section is positioned upon inserting the plastic optical fiber into the tool, the operative section defining a cleaving axis when disposed in the tool; a cutting blade mounted on a cutting arm having a cutting edge, the cutting blade being moveable along a cutting path between a first operative position, at which the cutting edge is spaced from the cleaving axis, and a second operative position, at which the cutting edge intersects the cleaving axis, to cleave the plastic optical fiber inserted into the cleaving aperture at a location between the operative section and the termination end section in order to cut the plastic optical fiber and create an optical finish on an end surface of the operative section; a clearance region at the termination face of the body generally aligned with the cleaving aperture and in which the termination end section is inserted upon inserting the plastic optical fiber into the tool, the clearance region defining an open space intersecting with the cleaving axis and a deflection space into which the termination end section may deflect upon engagement of the cutting blade with the plastic optical fiber; and a press arm mounted on the body for movement between the first and second operative positions, the press arm including a press section for securing a portion of the plastic optical fiber to a connector.