US 12,130,487 B2
Flexible optical circuit, cassettes, and methods
Paul Schneider, Gemonde (NL); Alexander Dorrestein, Helmond (NL); and James Joseph Eberle, Jr., Hummelstown, PA (US)
Assigned to CommScope Asia Holdings B.V., Utrecht (NL); and CommScope Technologies LLC, Hickory, NC (US)
Filed by CommScope Asia Holdings B.V., Utrecht (NL); and CommScope Technologies LLC, Hickory, NC (US)
Filed on Feb. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/164,801.
Application 18/164,801 is a continuation of application No. 17/195,909, filed on Mar. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,573,389.
Application 17/195,909 is a continuation of application No. 16/432,422, filed on Jun. 5, 2019, granted, now 10,955,633, issued on Mar. 23, 2021.
Application 16/432,422 is a continuation of application No. 15/875,801, filed on Jan. 19, 2018, granted, now 10,317,638, issued on Jun. 11, 2019.
Application 15/875,801 is a continuation of application No. 14/980,789, filed on Dec. 28, 2015, granted, now 9,874,711, issued on Jan. 23, 2018.
Application 14/980,789 is a continuation of application No. 14/045,509, filed on Oct. 3, 2013, granted, now 9,223,094, issued on Dec. 29, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/710,519, filed on Oct. 5, 2012.
Prior Publication US 2023/0266552 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/44 (2006.01); G02B 6/36 (2006.01); G02B 6/38 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/4453 (2013.01) [G02B 6/3608 (2013.01); G02B 6/3885 (2013.01); G02B 6/4472 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cassette that houses a fiber optic circuit, the cassette comprising:
an optical circuit including a flexible substrate that is housed within a body of the cassette and a plurality of optical fibers, wherein at least portions of the plurality of optical fibers are supported by the flexible substrate;
wherein the plurality of optical fibers include a first plurality that connect between a plurality of multi-fiber connectors at one portion of the optical circuit and a lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at another portion of the optical circuit, and a second plurality that only connect to at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the optical circuit and are dark fibers, wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the optical circuit do not use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals and include some dark fibers, and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the optical circuit use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals, wherein the fiber optic circuit is a passive circuit such that an uninterrupted fiber pathway is provided between the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the optical circuit and the lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at the another portion of the optical circuit for all of the first plurality of optical fibers without any power or wavelength splitting or switching for the fiber signal paths, and wherein the first and second plurality of optical fibers connected to the at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the optical circuit are provided in a common pattern of signal-transmitting fibers, dark fibers, and signal-transmitting fibers.