Preterminated optical cable

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The fiber optic cable according to the present invention is "preterminated"; that is, a drop cable is placed on the cable in the factory, and the combination of original cable and drop cable is coiled on a reel for shipment.
The cable manufacturer will receive the customer's network requirement with the order.
For instance, the cable may need to supply eleven subscribers who live on one street.
To eliminate unused optical fiber, the first cable initial cable section will have a first tube having a predetermined length carrying eleven optical fibers to a branch point.
At this point, only nine optical fibers are continued in the remaining section of the first cable, which second section will be the second tube.
A separate drop cable, containing two optical fibers, is manufactured separately.
A section of tubing is removed from the first cable corresponding to the length of the receptacle to be used.
The drop cable having a third tube will then be attached to the receptacle and the two fibers in the drop cable in the third tube will be spliced to two of the optical fibers entering the receptacle from the first tube.
The other nine optical fibers simply continue through the receptacle from the first tube to the second tube.
This process is continued until all fibers have been dropped off.
Splicing is accomplished by mounting a splicing tray inside the receptacle.
After the splicing is complete, and all cables have been properly secured to the receptacle, a moisture proof heat shrinkable enclosure is placed over the receptacle and around the three sections of tubing adjacent to the receptacle.
After the moisture proof enclosure has been applied, the completed cable assembly is then wound on a reel for shipment to the customer.
When the customer receives the reel, the customer has received a desired fiber optic cable with a stub cable already attached.
Splicing has already been accomplished in the factory and there is no need to reenter the moisture proof enclosure.
The cable is simply unwound from the reel and placed into operation