US 12,105,340 B1
Cable installation using parachute
Seth Dwyer, Seattle, WA (US); Kristofer Thomas Ivarson, Mount Vernon, WA (US); Shirley Elizabeth Ball, Greer, SC (US); and John Schultz, Saint Paul, MN (US)
Assigned to Amazon Technologies, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by Amazon Technologies, Inc., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Sep. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/473,802.
Int. Cl. G02B 6/44 (2006.01); G02B 6/46 (2006.01); G02B 6/52 (2006.01); H02G 1/08 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/52 (2013.01) [G02B 6/4459 (2013.01); G02B 6/475 (2023.05); H02G 1/086 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of installing a fiber-optic cable, comprising:
receiving the fiber-optic cable;
expanding an opening defined by an expandable section of an installation sleeve that further includes a housing having a leading end with a threaded receiving portion, the housing further having a trailing end with a passage into an interior cavity;
inserting a proximal end of the fiber-optic cable through the opening into the interior cavity defined by the installation sleeve;
contracting the opening to engage an interior surface of the expandable section with an exterior surface of the fiber-optic cable; and
with the fiber-optic cable inserted into the installation sleeve, feeding the installation sleeve and the fiber-optic cable through a conduit by injecting compressed air into the conduit to engage with a parachute having a threaded connecting section coupled with the threaded receiving portion of the housing of the installation sleeve such that a distance between the leading end of the housing and the parachute is adjustable by screwing in the threaded connecting section into the threaded receiving portion of the housing by differing amounts and thereby cause movement of the fiber-optic cable through the conduit.