The present invention relates to a spooling device and, in particular, to a spooling device for an optical fiber jumper cable that allows for connection between fiber optic cables and test equipment for performing diagnostic testing, or for connection between fiber optic cables and transmitting or receiving equipment.
Fiber optic cables are widely used in telecommunication systems to carry optical signals. These fiber cables can be miles in length. Cable performance and troubleshooting can be routinely achieved by conducting various tests on the fiber cable. These tests are ordinarily performed at the location of fiber termination.
Fiber cable testing and diagnostic procedures typically require connecting the optical cable to be tested to various diagnostic and/or test equipment. Each optical fiber strand in a cable is terminated with a connector. There are several different types of connectors with variations of each type. Often the connectors differ from installation to installation and furthermore from the test equipment to the terminated cable. Oftentimes the cables to be tested are numerous and also in close proximity. Fiber optic cable testing often requires that the cable to be tested be connected to the diagnostic equipment by an optical fiber jumper cable (or jumper). Because it is often necessary to test a great number of fiber cables that may be located close to one another, and because optical fiber jumper cables tend to become tangled, cable testing can become a complicated and messy task: Furthermore, a tangled mass of optical fiber jumpers can lead to damage to the jumpers themselves, thereby increasing the possibility of erroneous test results and further increasing testing time and associated costs.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method for testing fiber optic cables that minimizes and/or eliminates the disadvantages noted above. A need also exists for a device that allows for the ready connection of a terminated fiber strand to a piece of test equipment without the complications associated with the use of loose jumper cables. The present invention seeks to fulfill these needs and provides further related advantages.
The present invention provides a device for storing and dispensing an optical fiber jumper cable. The device is a spooling device that can store and readily deploy the jumper without the exposure of excess jumper cordage and without jumper tangling. The device safely stores, dispenses, and retracts the optical fiber jumper. The spooling device includes a housing for the jumper cable; a spool about which the jumper cable is wound; a cover for maintaining the spool within the housing; and a lid for enclosing the housing and jumper cable.
In operation, a fixed length of the jumper can be unwound from the spool such that the fiber connector at one end of the jumper exits the spooling device from an access port in the device""s housing. A fixed length of jumper that includes the other end of the jumper with its associated connector is then removed from the spool""s center through the cover and laid in the opening between the cover and lid and then the device""s lid is closed. The jumper""s connectors are then mated to the test equipment and the optical fibers to be tested while safely enclosing the remainder of the jumper cable within the device.
In addition to readily connecting a fiber cable to be tested to testing equipment, the device of the invention is effective in organizing, protecting, and securing an optical fiber jumper cable for testing or cross-connecting in a patch panel.