Patents by Inventor William E. Edwards, Jr.

William E. Edwards, Jr. 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).

  • Filled core optical fiber spliced to optical fiber and method of making the same
    Patent number: 7620280
    Abstract: A filled-core optical fiber (100) spliced to conventional, solid core optical transmission fiber (175) and a related method of making the same are provided. The optical fiber (100) comprises a core region (140), a cladding ring (120) enclosing the core region (120), and an outer cladding layer (160). A fill hole (115) is formed in the optical fiber (100) which extends from an outer sidewall (110) to the core region (140). The fill hole (115) is for introducing optical material (165) into the core region (140). The optical material (165) is introduced into the core region (140) after opposing ends (121, 122) of the optical fiber (100) are spliced to the free ends (176, 176) of conventional, solid core optical transmission fiber (175). The optical material (165) is introduced into core region (140) after splicing to avoid damage to the optical material (165) due to exposure to high temperatures generated during splicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy E. Dimmick, William E. Edwards, Jr., Douglas J. Markos, Peter S. Scheuter, Kevin H. Smith