Method for making fiber optical devices

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF FORMING A UNITARY OPTICAL IMAGE TRANSFER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING DROPPING A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF SIMILAR ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBERS OF LIGHTCONDUCTING MATERIAL INTO A RECEPTACLE HAVING AN ELONGATED RECESS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE AND SHAPE FORMED THEREIN, EACH OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBERS BEING OF A RELATIVELY SMALL PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE AND BEING OF CONSIDERABLY GREATER LENGTH THAN THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION THEREOF, SAID RECESS BEING OF SUCH A LENGTH AS TO ACCOMMODATE SAID MEMBERS IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION THEREOF WHILE RESTING UPON THEIR SIDES IN SAID RECESS, AND THE WIDTH OF SAID RECESS BEING LESS THAN ITS LENGTH BY AN AMOUNT WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO INSURE THAT EACH LIGHT-CONDUCTING MEMBER THEREIN WILL EXTEND MORE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID RECEPTACLE THAN IN THE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION THEREOF, SUBJECTING SAID RECEPTACLE TO A VIBRATORY MOTION IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO HAVE AT LEAST A COMPONENT OF SAID VIBRATORY MOTION ACTING IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID RECEPTACLE, THE RATE OF VIBRATION OF SAID RECEPTACLE BEING SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION BETWEEN ADJACENT LIGHT-CONDUCTING MEMBERW THEREIN, WHEREBY THE MEMBERS IN SAID RECEPTACLE WILL MOVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY AND RE-ALIGN THEMSELVES IN SAID RECESS IN SIDE-BYSIDE PARALLEL CONTACTING RELATION WITH EACH OTHER AND FORM A COMPACT ASSEMBLY, AND THEREAFTER TREATING SAID ASSEMBLY IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO FIXEDLY SECURE ADJACENT MEMBERS TOGETHER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF FORMING A UNITARY OPTICAL IMAGE TRANSFER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING DROPPING A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF SIMILAR ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBERS OF LIGHTCONDUCTING MATERIAL INTO A RECEPTACLE HAVING AN ELONGATED RECESS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE AND SHAPE FORMED THEREIN, EACH OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBERS BEING OF A RELATIVELY SMALL PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE AND BEING OF CONSIDERABLY GREATER LENGTH THAN THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION THEREOF, SAID RECESS BEING OF SUCH A LENGTH AS TO ACCOMMODATE SAID MEMBERS IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION THEREOF WHILE RESTING UPON THEIR SIDES IN SAID RECESS, AND THE WIDTH OF SAID RECESS BEING LESS THAN ITS LENGTH BY AN AMOUNT WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO INSURE THAT EACH LIGHT-CONDUCTING MEMBER THEREIN WILL EXTEND MORE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID RECEPTACLE THAN IN THE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION THEREOF, SUBJECTING SAID RECEPTACLE TO A VIBRATORY MOTION IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO HAVE AT LEAST A COMPONENT OF SAID VIBRATORY MOTION ACTING IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID RECEPTACLE, THE RATE OF VIBRATION OF SAID RECEPTACLE BEING SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION BETWEEN ADJACENT LIGHT-CONDUCTING MEMBERW THEREIN, WHEREBY THE MEMBERS IN SAID RECEPTACLE WILL MOVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY AND RE-ALIGN THEMSELVES IN SAID RECESS IN SIDE-BYSIDE PARALLEL CONTACTING RELATION WITH EACH OTHER AND FORM A COMPACT ASSEMBLY, AND THEREAFTER TREATING SAID ASSEMBLY IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO FIXEDLY SECURE ADJACENT MEMBERS TOGETHER.