PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15777620
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-05
Publication Date: 2018-11
Patent Classification: ["385", "080000"]

Abstract:
The present disclosure relates generally to methods for processing ferrules of fiber optic connectors such that the amount of polishing that is required is eliminated or at least reduced. In one example, an energy source is used to remove excess adhesive from the end face of the fiber and likely from an end face of the ferrule.

Claim (Index 20):
A method for processing an optical fiber and for securing the optical fiber to a ferrule, the optical fiber including a beam expansion section, the beam expansion section having a construction adapted to expand an optical beam from a first beam diameter to an enlarged second beam diameter, the ferrule including a ferrule body having a distal end and a proximal end, the ferrule body also defining a fiber opening that extends axially through the ferrule body from the proximal end to the distal end, the method comprising:\n (a) processing a distal end face of the optical fiber to form an optical fiber with a pre-processed end face; (b) applying adhesive within the fiber opening of the ferrule body; (c) inserting the optical fiber with the pre-processed end face through the adhesive filled opening of the ferrule body and retracting the optical fiber back into the fiber opening of the ferrule such that the beam expansion section is recessed relative to the distal end of the ferrule; (d) removing excess adhesive from the distal end of the ferrule; (e) establishing a position the optical fiber such that the beam expansion section is protruding from the end face of the ferrule; (f) setting recess distance of optical fiber tip relative to the distal end of the ferrule; (g) curing the adhesive to fix the optical fiber within the fiber opening such that the beam expansion section is fixed relative to the distal end of the ferrule body; and (h) removing excess adhesive from the pre-processed end face of the optical fiber using a non-contact energy source.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 8.0
- Percentile: 93.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.36364
- Patent Class: 385.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15753864', '14831518', '13445096', '15803298', '15033659']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.829590045419347
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4996218612306685
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7965932270004792
- Mean Citation Score: 277.237968
- Max Citation Score: 296.5591
- Similarity Product: 264.3539953523219

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test