IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,405,428
Granted Patent B2
US 12,405,428 · App. 18/024,571 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Cap

Inventors: Thao Thi Thanh Nguyen (Chiba, JP); Shigeo Takahashi (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
G02B6/3849
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,405,428
App. No.
18/024,571
Granted
Sep 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cap attachable to an optical connector including a ferrule and a housing that slidably houses the ferrule, includes: a body part configured to attach to the optical connector and configured to cover a connecting end face of the ferrule projecting from the housing and a side surface of the ferrule projecting from the housing; a housing contact part configured to contact the housing inside the body part; and a ferrule contact part configured to contact the side surface of the ferrule in a state where the housing contact part is in contact with the housing.

Claims (27)

1. A cap attachable to an optical connector including a ferrule and a housing that slidably houses the ferrule, the cap comprising:

a body part configured to attach to the optical connector and configured to cover a connecting end face of the ferrule projecting from the housing and a side surface of the ferrule projecting from the housing;

a housing contact part configured to contact the housing inside the body part; and

a ferrule contact part configured to contact the side surface of the ferrule in a state where the housing contact part is in contact with the housing, wherein

the connecting end face of the ferrule is inclined such that a first side surface in the side surface of the ferrule protrudes from the housing more than a second side surface on an opposite side to the first side surface protrudes from the housing, and

the ferrule contact part is configured to:

contact the second side surface, and

push the second side surface in a direction from the second side surface toward the first side surface.

2. The cap according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a slope part that:

comprises a sloped surface configured to contact the housing, and

is configured to push the housing toward the ferrule from a direction opposite to the direction in which the ferrule contact part pushes the second side surface.

3. The cap according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a pushing part configured to push a tip end part of the ferrule, wherein

in a state where the pushing part pushes the tip end part of the ferrule:

the ferrule contact part is configured to push the second side surface, and

the slope part is configured to push the housing toward the ferrule from the direction opposite to the direction in which the ferrule contact part pushes the second side surface.

4. The cap according to claim 3 , wherein L1 is shorter than L2, where

L1 is a dimension of a gap between the pushing part and a proximal end part of the slope part in a cap attaching/detaching direction, and

L2 is a dimension of a gap between the tip end part of the ferrule and a tip end part of the housing in the cap attaching/detaching direction.

5. The cap according to claim 2 , wherein an inner wall surface of the cap comprises a keyway configured to be engaged with a key of the optical connector.

6. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein

the ferrule contact part comprises a pair of opposed surfaces opposed to each other in a width direction of the ferrule, and

the ferrule is disposed between the pair of the opposed surfaces in a state where the housing contact part is in contact with the housing.

7. The cap according to claim 6 , further comprising:

insertion pieces configured to be inserted between the ferrule and the housing, wherein

the opposed surfaces are disposed on the insertion pieces.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 24, 2023
From: NGUYEN, THAO THI THANH; TAKAHASHI, SHIGEO
To: FUJIKURA LTD.
Reel/Frame 063096/0509 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-191085 · Nov 17, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230333326A1 · Oct 19, 2023
References Cited (21)
US 5214730A · Nagasawa · 1993 [cited by examiner]
US 9823425B2 · Xiao · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 10175427B2 · Cloud et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10209457B2 · Watanabe · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 11209600B2 · Petersen · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20040072454A1 · Nakajima et al. · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 20060285814A1 · Brown · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20110013876A1 · Marcouiller et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110188813A1 · Marcouiller · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20140321814A1 · Chen et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20180095226A1 · Watanabe · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180267252A1 · Takano et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 101523263A · 2009 [cited by applicant]
CN 203799060U · 2014 [cited by applicant]
CN 208737044U · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP H04235508A · 1992 [cited by applicant]
JP H10160972A · 1998 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007102114A · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 2013068976A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
JP 2018060040A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/JP2021/021530, dated Aug. 31, 2021 (3 pages). [cited by applicant]