Patents by Inventor Ken Osato

Ken Osato has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11768344
    Abstract: An optical cable wiring method, includes: installing a bundle of optical cables from a utility pole as a starting point of a first wiring path to a branch point on the first wiring path; dividing, at the branch point, the bundle of optical cables into a first group and a second group; installing one of the optical cables in the first group along the first wiring path ahead of the branch point; and installing one of the optical cables in the second group along a second wiring path branching from the first wiring path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Go Taki, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230289946
    Abstract: A management device that manages a unit including a drum and a long object wound around the drum, the management device includes: a receiver that receives, from a user terminal, a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the unit; and a controller that accesses correspondence data obtained by associating each of image capture results, obtained by successively capturing images of the unit while winding the long object around the drum, with a corresponding winding amount of the long object wound around the drum at a time when the each of the image capture results was obtained. The controller determines a remaining amount of the long object based on the captured image and the correspondence data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Okada, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230273381
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: a sheath; and a core including twisted optical fibers disposed in an accommodation space in the sheath. Each of the twisted optical fibers includes: a glass portion, a primary layer that covers the glass portion, and a secondary layer that covers the primary layer. A fiber pulling force when pulling out the twisted optical fibers is equal to or greater 15 N/10 m. A value of an index Q is less than 20.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicants: Fujikura Ltd., NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soichiro Kaneko, Masatoshi Ohno, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato, Yusuke Yamada, Yuta Maruo, Akira Sakurai, Shigekatsu Tetsutani, Hiroaki Tanioka
  • Publication number: 20230266556
    Abstract: An optical fiber unit according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of intermittently-connected optical fiber ribbons. At least one of the optical fiber ribbons includes a plurality of optical fibers including a first optical fiber, and a second optical fiber that is longer than the first optical fiber. Conditions (AA) and c<0.05 are satisfied, where b is an interval, in a length direction, between connection parts that connect the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber, c (%) is a fiber length difference of the second optical fiber with respect to the first optical fiber, and Y is an interval between the optical fibers in a ribbon width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriaki Yamashita, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230251450
    Abstract: An optical cable includes optical fiber units each of which includes intermittently-coupled optical fiber ribbons. In at least one of the optical fiber units, in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the at least one of the optical fiber units, a length of a vector GU is shorter than a largest length of vectors MG of the intermittently-coupled optical fiber ribbons forming the at least one of the optical fiber units, where, in each of the intermittently-coupled optical fiber ribbons, each of the vectors MG is a vector starting from M and ending at G, M is a midpoint between optical fibers at both ends of the each of the intermittently-coupled optical fiber ribbons, and G is a center of gravity of the each of the intermittently-coupled optical fiber ribbons, and the vector GU is a resultant vector of the vectors MG.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Hironori Sato, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Patent number: 11709329
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: a sheath; a core that is housed in the sheath and comprises optical fibers; tensile strength members embedded in the sheath; and ripcords embedded in the sheath. Recesses and protrusions are disposed alternately in a circumferential direction on an outer circumferential surface of the sheath. The recesses each include: two connecting portions respectively connected to radial inner ends of two adjacent protrusions; and a bottom surface positioned between the two connecting portions. In a transverse cross-sectional view, the ripcords are positioned inside some of the protrusions, and the tensile strength members are positioned inside the remaining protrusions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Shogo Shimizu, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230228958
    Abstract: A machining method for an optical fiber unit, includes: preparing an optical fiber unit in which a first optical fiber ribbon that intermittently connects a first plurality of optical fibers and a second optical fiber ribbon that intermittently connects a second plurality of optical fibers are layered and arranged, the first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon are intermittently connected in a length direction by interlayer connection parts; opening up a separation part between the first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon; and breaking the interlayer connection parts by inserting a finger or a division tool into the opened separation part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryo Kuramitsu, Koji Tomikawa, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230185049
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: a cable body that includes an optical fiber; an external sheath that accommodates the cable body; a protective layer that is disposed between the cable body and the external sheath and that includes a first groove on an inner circumferential surface of the protective layer, wherein the first groove extends along an axial direction of the cable body; and a first ripcord disposed in the first groove and between the cable body and the protective layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ohno, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230178972
    Abstract: A bundling suspension wire includes: a suspension wire that includes a supporting wire and a coat coating the supporting wire; a hanger member that is suspended from the suspension wire and into which a cable is configured to be inserted; and wire threading cords that are inserted into the hanger member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Go Taki, Ryo Inagaki, Ken Osato, Masayuki Ishioka
  • Publication number: 20230161125
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: optical fiber units each comprising optical fibers, and twisted together in an SZ shape; a wrapping tube that wraps around the optical fiber units; fillings disposed inside the wrapping tube, wherein the fillings include at least one first filling and at least one second filling that are located between two adjacent optical fiber units; and a sheath that covers the wrapping tube. The first filling is in contact with the wrapping tube. The second filling is located more radially inward than the first filling in a radial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2023
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinnosuke Sato, Mizuki Isaji, Koji Tomikawa, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230152548
    Abstract: An optical cable includes: twisted optical fiber units each including a fiber group formed by optical fibers. At least one of the optical fiber units includes a filling that wraps an outer circumference of the fiber group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicants: FUJIKURA LTD., NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Ohno, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato, Yusuke Yamada, Yuta Maruo, Akira Sakurai, Shigekatsu Tetsutani, Hiroaki Tanioka
  • Patent number: 11635581
    Abstract: An optical fiber unit includes: a first optical fiber ribbon that intermittently connects a first plurality of optical fibers; a second optical fiber ribbon that intermittently connects a second plurality of optical fibers; and interlayer connection parts that intermittently connect the first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon in a length direction while the first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon are layered and arranged. The first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon are layered and arranged such that optical fibers having a same fiber number of the first optical fiber ribbon and the second optical fiber ribbon are aligned in a up-down direction perpendicular to the length direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryo Kuramitsu, Koji Tomikawa, Ken Osato
  • Patent number: 11592634
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: optical fiber units each having optical fibers; a wrapping tube that wraps around the optical fiber units; a filling disposed inside the wrapping tube; and a sheath that covers the wrapping tube. The optical fiber units includes outer units that are disposed at an outermost layer of the optical fiber units. The outer units are twisted in an SZ shape around a cable central axis of the optical fiber cable. The filling is sandwiched between one of the outer units and the wrapping tube in a cross-sectional view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinnosuke Sato, Mizuki Isaji, Koji Tomikawa, Ken Osato
  • Patent number: 11592632
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable including an optical fiber ribbon in a pipe, wherein the ribbon includes at least two optical fibers arranged side by side, and wherein at least two of the optical fibers are bonded intermittently along a length of the fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventors: Joseph Cignarale, Doug Baker, Yoshio Hashimoto, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230053868
    Abstract: An optical fiber protective unit includes: a reticulated tube; and a tubular member that is inserted through the reticulated tube and that is configured to accommodate a plurality of optical fibers. The reticulated tube is disposed on an outer periphery of the tubular member in a state folded in a longitudinal direction. Both end parts of the reticulated tube are located on the outer periphery of the tubular member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Go Taki, Masayuki Ishioka, Mizuki Isaji, Tomoaki Kaji, Soichiro Kaneko, Koji Tomikawa, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20230042562
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: a core including optical fibers; a sheath housing the core; and an interposition layer including fibers between the core and the sheath. Some of the fibers that are disposed from an outer end portion to an intermediate portion in a radial direction of the interposition layer are integrated by a matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tsujimoto, Ken Osato, Akira Namazue
  • Patent number: 11536922
    Abstract: An intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon includes optical fibers, disposed side by side in a width direction of the optical fibers, and connecting portions that each intermittently connect two adjacent ones of the optical fibers. A center-to-center distance between any of the two adjacent ones of the optical fibers is greater than a diameter of the individual optical fibers. A total volume shrinkage per meter per 1° C. of the connecting portions of a single one of the optical fibers is 0.00070 mm3/m·° C. or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Soichiro Kaneko, Koji Tomikawa, Ken Osato
  • Patent number: 11525972
    Abstract: A reticulated tube includes: a plurality of openings that are reticulately formed; peripheral parts that form the openings; and a branch part that is formed in a boundary of three or more openings. The branch part includes three or more peripheral parts extending from the branch part. The reticulated tube is configured to accommodate a plurality of optical fibers inserted through the reticulated tube. The peripheral parts are restricted by the branch part and are bendable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Go Taki, Masayuki Ishioka, Mizuki Isaji, Tomoaki Kaji, Soichiro Kaneko, Koji Tomikawa, Akira Namazue, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20220390701
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable includes: a core including optical fibers; an interposed layer including fibers wound around the core in an SZ shape; a reinforcing layer including metal and covering the interposed layer; and a sheath covering the reinforcing layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Okimi Mukai, Masatoshi Ohno, Ken Osato
  • Publication number: 20220357539
    Abstract: An optical fiber cable including an optical fiber ribbon in a pipe, wherein the ribbon includes at least two optical fibers arranged side by side, and wherein at least two of the optical fibers are bonded intermittently along a length of the fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Joseph Cignarale, Doug Baker, Yoshio Hashimoto, Ken Osato