US Patent 7316513 Optical-fiber mechanical splicing technique

A portable optical-fiber cutter is used to slice a first optical-fiber at an advantageous angle to control reflections and at a suitable length to mate with a similar second optical-fiber that was pre-sliced at a complementary angle in the factory and configured as a receptacle for the first optical-fiber. This technique avoids the need for installation of two-ended, factory pre-connectorized optical-fiber cable and permits usage of a narrow-diameter protective “microduct” to enclose the optical fiber cable rather than requiring large-diameter protective duct to allow passage of a pre-connectorized connector there-through. Space is saved, particularly in large multi-unit apartment buildings where available space may be at a premium for large bundles of multiple optical cables. This technique also results in saving large amounts of technician-installer time when compared with the current time-consuming technique of fusion splicing.