Patent Grant
10746951
The present invention relates to tools for installing optical fibers or cables at user premises, particularly when the installations involve bonding the fibers to a structural surface along a determined routing path at the premises.
Desktop optical network terminals (ONTs) are increasingly being deployed inside the premises of fiber optic network users. As used herein, the term “premises” refers to a living unit, e.g., a home, office, or apartment, within which a user of a fiber optic network resides and uses services offered by the network, e.g., Internet access, telephony, television, voice and music broadcasts, and/or other information and data streams that require the routing and installation of one or more optical fibers inside the premises.
Further, the term “optical fiber” is used broadly in the present specification and claims to mean an optical fiber that is buffered and/or jacketed, as well as a fiber optic cable that contains one or more optical fibers.
ONTs are typically located near a TV set top box, an Internet modem, or other device to which the ONT is connected at the premises. A need therefore exists for a procedure and tools for routing an optical fiber between an ONT inside a premises, and a network access module typically located at or near an entry point of the premises. Ideally, the fiber should be routed quickly without damaging the fiber, securely, and with little if any adverse visual impact when the installation is complete.
The use of conventional staples to secure an optical fiber to a wall, a molding, or other accessible structural surface at the premises may reduce installation time and incur relatively low cost. Stapled installations, however, are rejected by many users who opt instead for special moldings or conduits to conceal the fiber. Staples can also physically damage walls and moldings, and impair or break an optical fiber if they are not driven carefully. Moreover, many users prefer to keep all wires and optical fibers inside their premises completely hidden, thus requiring expensive hardware and additional installation time.
Accordingly, a system that enables an installer to route and permanently bond an optical fiber or cable easily, quickly, correctly, and safely along exposed structural surfaces, grooves, and/or corners inside a premises with minimal visibility is very desirable. A solution offered by OFS Fitel, LLC under the registered mark InvisiLight® fulfills this need by enabling fast, easy, and virtually invisible fiber installations using a consumer-grade, low-odor, nonhazardous, water-based adhesive that bonds buffered and jacketed optical fibers to walls and ceilings indoors. Water-based adhesives are desirable since they are typically non-toxic, allow clean up with soap and water, and can be shipped worldwide without restriction. As the demand for InvisiLight installations has spread, users have expressed a desire that the installation time be reduced even more by addressing the following concerns.
The current procedure requires an installer to move and climb a ladder multiple times. First, the adhesive is applied by the installer over elevated portions of the routing path in succession by repositioning and climbing the ladder to reach the ceiling or molding at each portion of the path, while holding a conventional adhesive dispensing gun equipped with a reloadable adhesive syringe having a nozzle. To apply the adhesive, the installer squeezes the gun trigger one or more times to cause a plunger inside the syringe to urge the adhesive out of the syringe nozzle. Once the adhesive is applied over the entire routing path, the installer then repeats the first series of ladder movements, climbing the ladder again at each elevated portion of the routing path whereat the installer presses the fiber manually into the adhesive. At many premises, however, it is difficult for the installer to position the ladder safely next to large furniture (e.g., sofas and entertainment centers) that happen to be situated directly beneath the routing path.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/790,317 filed Oct. 23, 2017, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,259,006 (Apr. 16, 2019)) and is assigned to the present applicant, discloses an extensible adhesive gun dispensing system that can extend the reach of a conventional adhesive dispensing gun by two or more feet, thus enabling an installer to apply an adhesive bead along elevated portions of a fiber routing path without having to set up and climb a ladder below each portion. As shown in
The system 100 also includes an elongated extension tube 112 with a mount 120 at one end for engaging the mount 30 on the gun 10, and another mount 124 at the other end for engaging the mount 18 on the syringe 12. A rod member is arranged for axial movement inside the tube 112, and a plunger head is fixed on a front end of the rod member. Each time the gun trigger 24 is pulled, the gun plunger 26 contacts and urges the rod member inside the tube 112 forward, whereby the plunger head on the rod member engages and forces the piston inside the syringe 12 to urge the adhesive out of the syringe nozzle 14. Thus, using the system 100, an installer can apply an adhesive bead over all elevated portions of a fiber routing path at a given premises while standing on the floor.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2017/0160508 (Jun. 8, 2017), which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,835,817 (Dec. 5, 2017) and is also assigned to the present applicant, describes a tool for embedding an optical fiber in an adhesive bead that has been applied along an elevated routing path in a building room or hallway. The tool has a neck that can be attached to the far end of an extension pole such as those used with paint rollers, window squeegees, and the like. The tool also has a trough for receiving an optical fiber to be embedded in the adhesive bead, a guide channel at an end of the trough for retaining the fiber, and a nose at a downstream end of the channel. The tool nose is configured so that when swept over the adhesive bead, the fiber enters the nose from the guide channel and becomes embedded in the bead.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,906,178 (Dec. 9, 2014) also discloses a tool for installing an optical fiber at customer premises. The fiber is pre-coated with an adhesive that becomes activated as the fiber is unwound from a supply spool and guided through a chamber containing an activating substance. The fiber with the activated adhesive coating is then applied by an applicator wheel over a defined routing path along an exposed surface at the premises. When the activated adhesive coating hardens, the fiber becomes bonded to the surface along which it was applied. The supply spool, the chamber, and the applicator wheel are all mounted on the tool body.
According to the invention, a tool device for installing an optical fiber inside a user premises includes a neck, a coupling joined to the neck for attachment to a leading end of an adhesive syringe or an extension pole, and a head joined to a leading portion of the neck. The head has a leading edge of a certain width, and a passageway for receiving an optical fiber and guiding the fiber to a position proximate to the leading edge.
The width of the leading edge on the head of the device is determined so that when the edge is held transversely across a structural corner in which an adhesive bead is deposited, and an optical fiber is received in the passageway in the head and directed ahead of the leading edge, the edge embeds the fiber in the adhesive bead when the edge is swept along the corner with the optical fiber positioned between the edge and the adhesive bead.
According to another aspect of the invention, a tool system for installing an optical fiber inside a user premises includes a tool device having a neck, and a head joined to a leading portion of the neck wherein the head has a leading edge of a certain width. The tool system also has an adhesive dispensing gun system including a syringe for applying an adhesive bead along a structural corner inside a user premises. A coupling is joined to the neck of the tool device for attachment to the syringe.
The width of the leading edge on the head of the tool device is determined so that when the edge is held transversely across the structural corner in which the adhesive bead is applied, and an optical fiber is received in the passageway in the head and directed ahead of the leading edge, the edge embeds the fiber in the adhesive bead when the edge is swept along the corner with the optical fiber positioned between the edge and the adhesive bead.
For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.
In the drawing:
The inventive tool device enables an installer to embed an optical fiber into an adhesive bead that has been deposited along a defined routing path at a given user premises, without having to climb and reposition a ladder multiple times at locations where the routing path is at or near the ceiling. Additionally, the tool device can be used in conjunction with the adhesive dispensing gun system 100 in
The leading edge 204 of the tool device 200 is dimensioned and configured so that when the edge is swept along a structural corner 206 formed by, e.g., a wall 208 and a crown molding 210 (see
The tool device 200 also features an attachment coupling 220 that is joined to a trailing portion of the neck 201. The coupling 220 may be in the form of a cylindrical collar as shown, wherein the inner diameter of the collar is set to obtain a tight fit over the leading end of the syringe 12 of the adhesive dispensing system 100. See
For those portions of the fiber routing path that can be reached by the installer without a ladder, the adhesive bead 212 can be applied with the syringe 12 mounted directly to the adhesive dispensing gun 10 of the system 100. The fiber 214 can then be embedded in the adhesive bead 212 by fitting the attachment coupling 220 of the tool device 200 on the leading end of the syringe 12 as above, and using the dispensing gun 10 as a handle to sweep the edge 204 on the tool device along the corner 206 while the fiber 214 is guided between the edge 204 and the bead 212.
For fibers having outside diameters ranging from 0.9 to 2.3 mm, the width of the leading edge 204 of the tool device 200 can be approximately 4.45 mm. For fibers having outside diameters ranging from 2.4 to 3.5 mm, the leading edge 204 on the tool device 200 can be approximately 6.0 mm. It will be understood that the width of the edge 204 can be increased or decreased to ensure that fibers whose outside diameters are greater or smaller will be firmly embedded in the adhesive bead 212 by the edge 204.
As mentioned, a water-based adhesive is preferably used to bond the fiber 214 to wall and ceiling surfaces inside a user premises. The adhesive is dispensed in the form of the bead 212 along the corner 206 in
For example, for fibers having diameters of 0.9 mm and 1.2 mm, the I.D. of the outlet of nozzle 14 is preferably about 0.84 mm (i.e., 18 gauge). In this case, the installer should attempt to dispense the bead 212 with an approximately 1 mm diameter. When fibers having diameters of 2.0 mm and 2.3 mm are installed, the I.D. of the nozzle outlet should be about 1.6 mm (i.e. 14 gauge), and the dispensed bead should have a diameter of less than 2 mm. The different nozzles 14 can be color coded to allow the installer to identify the correct size quickly.
The adhesive should dry within one to three hours depending on the size of the dispensed bead 212. Excessive adhesive application can adversely affect the drying time. From a customer-satisfaction perspective, the installed fiber should exhibit minimal if any visibility as soon as possible after the installation. It typically takes 24 hours for the adhesive to cure fully, but the cure time is dependent on temperature, humidity, as well as the thickness of dispensed adhesive bead 212. It is therefore important that the adhesive dispensing process be carried out in a manner that does not inadvertently increase the time for the adhesive to cure
A tool device 300 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown in
As seen in
If the fiber needs to be forced sideways through the slot 330a, then it will be captured in the passageway 330 once it fully enters the passageway, and the fiber will remain captured in the passageway while the tool device 300 is being used. To separate the fiber 314 from the tool device 300, the installer gently applies just enough force to pull the fiber sideways back through the slot 330a. The inside diameter of the passageway 330 should also at least be sufficient to allow a cotton swab to be inserted to remove any excess adhesive that accumulated inside the passageway 330 after using the tool device 300.
A tool device 400 according to a further embodiment of the invention is shown in
A tool device 500 according to a further embodiment of the invention is shown in
The width of the slots 530a, 532a is such that a given fiber can be passed sideways with minimal force through either slot, and become captured or confined within the corresponding passage. Once captured in either passage, the fiber is guided in direction from the rear side 502a of the head to a position on the front side 502b of the head that is proximate to the leading edge 504. It will therefore be understood that the separate passages 530, 532 enable the device 500 to sweep the leading edge 504 from either left-to-right, or from right-to-left, in order to embed the fiber in an adhesive bead along a structural corner at a given premises.
The width of the slots 630a, 632a is such that a given fiber can be passed sideways with minimal force through either slot, and become captured or confined within the corresponding passage. Once captured in either passage, the fiber is guided in direction from a corresponding side of the neck 601 of the device 600, to a position on the front of the head 602 that is proximate to the leading edge 604. It will therefore be understood that the separate passages 630, 632 enable the device 600 to sweep the leading edge 604 from either left-to-right, or from right-to-left, in order to embed the fiber in an adhesive bead along a structural corner at a given premises.
A tool device 700 according to yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in
It has been found that when one of the surfaces forming a structural corner is not completely smooth and an adhesive bead has been deposited in the corner, the inventive tool device slides more easily along the bead when the head 202 of the device 200 in
As mentioned, the width of the slot 730a in the wall of the passageway 730 can be set so that an optical fiber passes freely sideways through the slot 730a, or must be slightly forced (i.e., the fiber jacket slightly compressed) to pass through the slot 730a. For example, for a fiber having an O.D. of 2.0 mm, the width of the slot 730a should be 2.0 mm or less. If the fiber needs to be slightly forced to pass through the slot 730a, it will stay captured within the passageway 730 while the tool device 700 is being used. To remove the fiber from the passageway 730, the installer gently applies just enough force to pull the fiber sideways back through the slot 730a. The inside diameter of the passageway 730 should at least be sufficient to allow a cotton swab to be inserted to remove any excess adhesive that has accumulated inside the passageway 730 after the tool device 700 is used.
Another low-profile tool device 800 according to the invention is shown in
In general, to improve the ease of use of the disclosed tool devices, the plane of the heads of the devices on which the fiber passageways are formed may be tilted by 20 to 70 degrees from vertical V. For example, the head 802 of the low-profile tool device 800 in
To improve the performance of the disclosed tool devices when used on stippled, popcorn, or textured surfaces, the head of the device can be made as a separable molded rubber piece, or as an integrated (i.e., over-molded or insert-molded) piece. Any suitable chemical and water resistant rubber material can be used. The durometer of the molded rubber part would typically range from 40 to 95, Shore A. The molded rubber head will have sufficient compliance to allow it to move readily over textured surfaces, while conforming to the surface irregularities enough to guide and embed optical fibers in place.
Another option is illustrated in
Moreover, as a further option, the inventive tool device may include a fiber supply spool fixture 1000. See
In
As described herein, the inventive tool device operates to guide an optical fiber ahead of a leading edge on the device which, in turn, embeds the fiber in an adhesive bead deposited along structural corners at a user premises including corners that are elevated and would otherwise require a ladder to reach. Excess adhesive is accumulated and removed by the device, leaving a straight and neat adhesive strip in which the fiber is firmly embedded. The device has a coupling for attachment to the leading end of an adhesive syringe or a standard extension pole. Because fewer if any ladder moves are required, the time and cost to install an optical fiber at a user premises are significantly reduced.
While the foregoing represents preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, and additions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention includes all such changes, modifications, and additions that are within the bounds of the following claims.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of United States Provisional Patent Applications No. 62/550,837 filed Aug. 28, 2017, titled “Cord Guide Tools,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180348465 A1 | Dec 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62550837 | Aug 2017 | US |
