US 7,565,055 B2
Loop back plug and method
Yu Lu, Westborough, Mass. (US); Randy Reagan, Clinton, Mass. (US); Michael Noonan, Shrewsbury, Mass. (US); and Jeff Gniadek, Northbridge, Mass. (US)
Assigned to ADC Telecommunications, Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn. (US)
Filed on Apr. 19, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/406,825.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/672534, filed on Apr. 19, 2005.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/764133, filed on Feb. 01, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2006/0257092 A1, Nov. 16, 2006
Int. Cl. G02B 6/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 385—147  [430/311] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fiber optic cable assembly comprising:
a main cable having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end;
a plurality of tethers, with each tether having a multifiber connectorized end and being separated from the main cable at a breakout location, wherein the tethers are intermittently disposed between the first end and the second end of the main cable;
a factory-integrated enclosure disposed over at least a portion of the breakout location;
a loop back connector plugged into the multifiber connectorized end of each of the plurality of tethers, wherein the loop back connector includes:
a ferrule structure having an interface side that engages a ferrule of the multifiber connectorized end of the tether;
a first optical loop back path having first and second terminal ends positioned at the interface side, the first terminal end being aligned with a first fiber in the ferrule of the multifiber connectorized end of the tether and the second terminal end being aligned with a second fiber in the ferrule of the multifiber connectorized end; and
a second optical loop back path having first and second terminal ends positioned at the interface side, the first terminal end being aligned with a third fiber in the ferrule of the multifiber connectorized end and the second terminal end being aligned with a fourth fiber in the ferrule of the multifiber connectorized end.