Abstract: An optical fiber with a graded index crystalline core (2,3) is made by filling a tube (1) with a mixture of two salts for which the one with the higher melting point has the lower refractive index. A graded composition results from partition effects when the fused salts are slowly cooled so that solidification proceeds uniformly inwardly from the tube wall. Fiber is pulled conventionally from the reesulting preform, and later is passed through a short hot zone to convert the core into single crystal form.

Abstract: Two cable ends have their cores jointed in a conventional manner. The ends of armor wires, laid up on the cores, are laid with overlap over the core joint. A sleeve with radiused and increased external diameter ends is arranged over the overlap at the core joint. The ends of the armor wires are turned back over the ends of the sleeve such that they come to rest on the outermost surface of the sleeve and are secured thereto by strappings. The outer surface of the sleeve may be coated with an adhesive and gritted to increase the adhesion between the armor wires and the sleeve. The thus spliced armor wires may be provided with a protective winding. The armor splice is such that only a low elongation of the armor wires is possible when longitudinal force is applied to the cable, thus making it particularly suitable for an armored submarine cable including optical fibres.

Abstract: A known low loss fused biconical taper fiber optic coupler is fabricating by heating and pulling a plurality of fused optical fibers which may be twisted to provide a minimum biconical taper region. One method of improving this known biconical taper coupler is to simultaneously heat and push the known coupler to form a glass ball in the minimum taper region and then simultaneously heat and pull the ball to provide the improved biconical taper coupler. Another method of improving the known biconical taper coupler is to score and pull the minimum taper region of the known coupler to separate the minimum taper region into two halves and then heat and push the two halves together to provide the improved biconical taper coupler.

Abstract: A device for feeding potted plants, consisting of a plant pot comprising a slot for the introduction of a wick, the said wick being attached to a tongue forming part of an adapter, a device for varying the level of the plant pot arrangement in a re-potting unit and a level indicator.

Abstract: A method for jointing the armouring wires of electrical cables, in particular power cables, in order to ensure that the stress or tension in the cable during handling and installation is equally distributed among the individual armouring wires. The armouring wires are preliminary locked in fixed positions along a cable circumference and tensioned towards each other before jointing, the individual wire joints being performed along a circumference or in a row along a generatrix of the cable.

Abstract: A multi-purpose telephone holder is adapted to hold or position a compact telephone subset in three different orientations. The unit comprises a first tray module which essentially is a relatively rectangular housing configuration having sloping sidewalls, a back wall, an open front end and a bottom surface. A second assembly is a clip mechanism which is adapted to coact with the bottom surface of the tray and has two side retaining arms and two bottom arms for accommodating the subset in a vertical position. Suitable apertures are located in the bottom surface of the tray to enable the clip and tray to be positioned on a wall above a standard baseboard telephone jack. A third component consists of an adapter wall plate which has a peripheral flange for coacting with corresponding flanges on the bottom surface of the tray.