A tube jacket slitting tool including first and second opposite tool portions, each tool portion including a common hinged portion at a first end for engaging the opposite tool portion. The first and second opposite tool portions are foldable about the hinged portion between an open position and a closed position. The tool includes at least one concave surface extending across the width of forming an opening, when the first and second opposite tool portions are in the closed position, through which a tube may be slid. The tool includes a blade extending inward into the opening for slitting a depth of the tube jacket as it is moved with respect to the tool. The tool includes a hinge pivot axis in the hinged portion extending in a direction substantially in the direction of the width and at an acute angle to either the plane or to the longitudinal axis of the tube or cable in the opening formed by the at least one concave surface. When the first and second opposite tool portions are folded to the closed position with the tube or cable in the opening, movement of the tube or cable with respect to the tool causes the first and second opposite tool portions to be urged toward each other.

Methods of transforming a cable are disclosed herein, wherein the cable comprises an inner conductor and an insulator disposed around the inner conductor, and wherein some embodiments include heating the inner conductor to soften at least a portion of the insulator adjacent to the inner conductor, directing a fluid along the softened insulator and thereby creating a space between the inner conductor and the insulator along a length of the cable, injecting a lubricant into the space between the inner conductor and the insulator, and after creating the space between the inner conductor and the insulator, extracting the inner conductor from the cable.

A fiber optic cable includes core elements wound in a pattern of stranding, the core elements comprising tubes surrounding optical fibers. The fiber optic cable further includes an binder film surrounding the stranded core elements. The binder film is continuous peripherally around the core elements, forming a continuous closed loop when viewed in cross-section, and continuous lengthwise along a length of the cable that is at least a meter. Further, the binder film is in radial tension and opposes outwardly transverse deflection of the core elements.

A method of installing a bundle of optical fibers associated with a fiber network through hallways or corridors in a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) to service a number of premises in the MDU. The bundle is adhered along a wall or other supporting surface in a hall or corridor leading to the premises, by dispensing or activating an adhesive material or component over one or both of the bundle and a desired installation path along the supporting surface, and applying the bundle to the supporting surface over the installation path. A cover layer surrounding the fiber bundle is opened at locations along the length of the bundle corresponding to each premises for which a bundle fiber is designated. At each location, the designated fiber is cut and removed from the bundle, and retained to connect to a drop fiber originating from the premises. Installation tools are also disclosed.

A cable assembly includes a distribution cable, a tether cable, and a network access point (NAP) assembly having a cavity defined therein. The distribution cable includes optical fibers and the tether cable includes an optical fiber. The optical fiber of the tether cable is tightly constrained within the tether cable and portion thereof extends from the tether cable into the cavity of the NAP assembly and is spliced to a portion of one of the optical fibers of the distribution cable extending into the cavity of the NAP assembly from a side of the distribution cable. The splice is positioned in the cavity. Tight constraint of the optical fiber of the tether cable within the tether cable limits transmission of fiber movement to the portion of the optical fiber of the tether cable extending into the cavity of the NAP assembly, thereby protecting the splice.

A tool for removing insulation in mid-span of a cable carrying a signal-transmitting conduit comprising a lower body section and an upper body section movable toward and away from the lower body section. The tool includes a curved mandrel disposed on the lower body section, the curved mandrel having a central peak portion and adjacent portions curving downward away from the peak portion, to present a mid-span portion of the cable insulation on a side away from the mandrel peak portion. The tool includes a blade disposed on the upper body section, the blade movable toward and away from the curved mandrel. The cable is securable in the curved mandrel in a curved position, allowing the blade to shave the cable insulation allowing access to the signal-transmitting conduit. The tool may include an adjustment barrel having a plurality of height adjustment surfaces disposed at a different distance from the barrel axis, each height adjustment surface positioning the blade a different distance from the mandrel.

A cable assembly is described that includes a preterminated optical fiber drop cable having a connector body mounted on a terminal end thereof, and a removable installation device attached to a jacket of the preterminated optical fiber drop cable by an attachment portion, wherein the attachment portion includes a pair of tear tabs that provides tool-less removal of the installation device from the preterminated optical fiber drop cable.

An optical fiber coating removal device which heats a coating of an optical fiber with a heater and removes the coating with a blade includes a communicator which receives information based on optical fiber type information to specify an optical fiber type selected by a user from among a plurality of optical fiber types, transmitted from an external device to which the optical fiber type information has been input, and a heater which heats a coating of an optical fiber using the received information based on the optical fiber type information. The heater can heat a coating under a plurality of conditions according to the optical fiber type information.

Handheld tools are provided for removing a wire from within an optical cable. For example, the handheld tool may be used to remove a copper wire from a fiber optic drop cable in an efficient manner without damaging other components of the fiber optic drop cable. Advantageously, the optical cable may be used immediately after the wire is removed without further steps by the technician, such as re-applying an outer protective sleeve, as is commonly required with known tools.

[Problem] The thickness on a ripcord in a circular optical cable is reduced, to improve workability. [Solution] An optical cable of the present invention includes: an optical fiber unit including optical fibers; a sheath, having a circular external form, configured to house the optical fiber unit in a housing portion; and two strength members embedded in the sheath; and two rip cords, wherein when a direction of connecting the two strength members sandwiching the housing portion is a first direction and a direction intersecting the first direction is a second direction, in a cross section of the optical cable, a cross-sectional shape of the housing portion has a dimension in the second direction greater than that in the first direction, and the two rip cords is disposed to sandwich the optical fiber unit such that a direction of connecting the two rip cords is in the second direction, in the cross section of the optical cable.