Patents Represented by Law Firm Iran H. Donner Pepper Hamilton LLP
  • Patent number: 5970749
    Abstract: Fiber optic devices are manufactured in an automated environment using a combination of clamps to secure the optical fibers and movable gripping devices that transport the optical fiber during the fabrication process while maintaining control of the ends of the optical fibers. An optical fiber from a spool is removed by a despooling arm having a gripping device, and moveable grippers thread the optical fiber into a set of clamps and place the end of the optical fiber in a clamp designed to splice the fiber optic end to a lead of a testing device. The fiber optic device is formed by dynamically controlling the heating and pulling process based on detected coupling ratios, and hermetically sealed while secured within the clamps. The sealed fiber optic device is moved for testing or packaging using a transport arm having a series of clamps to maintain the position of the fiber optic device and the ends of the leads of the fiber optic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Inventor: Cary Bloom