Removing a core of an armoured cable

Abstract

A method for removing the core wire of an armored cable is described. Inside a sidewalk junction box, a cable entering the junction box from an end-user's premises is positioned. The cable has core wires surrounded by armored wires held between the inner and outer sheaths of the cable. The exposed end of the core wire is attached to the winch by passing the exposed end of the core wire through an orifice in the body of a winch within the sidewalk junction box and attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the winch's spool. The orifice is sized and shaped such that during use, as the spool rotates, the outer sheath and armored wire abut against or are held by the winch's body to pull the core wire from the end-user's premises onto the spool, thereby leaving the outer sheath, armored wire, and inner sheath in place.

Description

[0001] This disclosure relates to the removal of core wires from armored cables, including but not limited to the removal of core wires from underground armored telecommunications cables between end-user premises and sidewalk boxes. Background Technology

[0002] In the UK, approximately 8 million residential premises are connected to telecommunications services via direct-buried armored cables (such as armored copper cables). In areas where direct-buried armored cables exist, excavation is required to replace the cables with conduits or ducts into which fiber optic cables are installed to deliver fiber to the premises; this is a highly labor-intensive and costly process. Armored cables are not only used for feeds from the main cable route to individual premises (e.g., from a sidewalk box to a property), but also in other locations within the telecommunications access network (e.g., between sidewalk boxes).

[0003] Many telecommunications networks in the UK and elsewhere are deploying new fiber optic access networks (such as fiber to premises) to replace existing copper-based access networks. New fiber optic connections are typically deployed by laying new fiber optic cables to each residence within the network. The aim is to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying these new fiber optic cables.

[0004] The examples described in this article are not limited to those for solving the problems mentioned in this background section. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Preferred aspects and examples of embodiments of the invention are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims.

[0006] This overview is provided to present, in a simplified form, a selection of concepts that will be further described in the detailed description below. This overview is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a method for removing the core wires of an armored cable is provided, the method comprising: Inside the sidewalk box, a cable is positioned that enters the sidewalk box from the end user's residence. The cable has a sheathed core surrounded by armored wires, which are held between the inner and outer sheaths of the cable. The exposed end of the core wire is attached to the winch by passing the exposed end of the inner sheath and the core wire through an opening in the body of the winch in the sidewalk box and attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the spool of the winch. The orifice is sized to receive the inner sheath, but its shape is designed so that during use, as the reel rotates, the outer sheath and armored wire abut against or are held by the reel body to pull the core wire from the end-user's location onto the reel, thus leaving the outer sheath, armored wire, and inner sheath in place. Due to the orifice's size and shape, the core wire can be extracted from the cable while the inner sheath, armored wire, and outer sheath remain in place. The inner sheath, armored wire, and outer sheath can then be reused to house the fiber optic cable. Because the inner sheath, armored wire, and outer sheath remain in place, there is no need to excavate the underground cable beneath the cable, saving time and labor. The outer sheath, armored wire, and inner sheath provide conduit for new fiber optic cables and offer protection against rodents and accidental damage from garden shovels or even mechanical excavators. The armored wire provides a robust structure to prevent the cable's outer sheath from collapsing when the core wire is removed. The armored wire also retains an inner sheath to prevent it from collapsing when the core wires are removed. This is because the inner sheath is restrained by the armored wire during cable manufacturing.

[0008] In some examples, the winch body includes multiple orifices of different sizes for the core wires or inner sheaths of cables of different diameters. Since the number of wires in the core wires varies depending on the installation, having orifices of different sizes is useful because it makes the winch versatile.

[0009] In some examples, the orifice is located in a replaceable panel on the winch body, allowing panels with orifices of different diameters to be used depending on the diameter of the cable's core wire or inner sheath. By changing the winch body panel, the orifice can be positioned approximately flush with the winch spool, facilitating winch operation to remove the core wire.

[0010] In some examples, the orifice is large enough for the inner sheath to pass through, but small enough to prevent the armored wire and outer sheath from passing through. This provides the benefit of tool-free operation, as engineers only need a winch and do not require additional clamps or grippers to hold the outer portion of the cable in place as the core wire is pulled out.

[0011] In some examples, the cables are not held or clamped in any other way within the sidewalk box. Tool-free operation is a significant benefit because sidewalk boxes are confined spaces, often dark, and difficult for engineers to manually operate multiple tools within.

[0012] In some examples, the orifice size and shape are configured to form a press-fit between the inner sheath and the orifice. The press-fit facilitates tool-free operation, as the engineer simply presses the inner sheath into the orifice manually. The press-fit also ensures that the inner sheath is clamped or held by the winch body, thus remaining stationary when the core wire is pulled out.

[0013] In some examples, exposing the end of the core wire includes: removing a portion of the outer sheath to expose the end of the armored wire; and bending the armored wire away from the inner sheath so that it rests against the body of the winch. The armored wire is typically steel or other hard metal, and bending it against the winch body allows the armored wire to press against the winch body when the core wire is pulled out.

[0014] In some examples, attaching the exposed end of the wire to the reel involves wrapping the exposed end of the wire around a board, and then attaching the board to the reel. Using a board facilitates manually securing the wire to the reel in the confined space of a sidewalk box. The board is sized and shaped for easy handling, allowing engineers to wrap the exposed end of the wire around the board by feel, enabling the operation even in dark conditions. No tools are required.

[0015] In some examples, attaching the board to the reel involves pressing the board into a recess in the reel, the recess being sized and shaped to receive the board. Pressing the board into the reel is a manual operation that can be easily performed manually without tools. Optionally, a clicking sound may be emitted when the board is fitted into the recess, which aids in the process, as it allows the engineer to know that the board has been successfully attached to the reel even without visual inspection.

[0016] In some examples, the board can be held in the reel by fasteners such as simple screws.

[0017] In some examples, the board includes multiple channels, and the wires are held around the board by being pressed into the channels. Using channels in the board allows engineers to easily judge by feel whether the wires are correctly held around the board. Using channels facilitates tool-free operation.

[0018] In some examples, at least two channels intersect. Through these intersecting channels, the core wires cross over themselves, thus securing them firmly to the plate and thereby fixing them to the reel.

[0019] In some examples, the channels are arranged in a figure-eight pattern on the board. The figure-eight arrangement has been found to be particularly effective for securing the core wires to the reel.

[0020] In some examples, the method involves adjusting the winch to hang on the edge of the sidewalk box so that the opening and reel are approximately flush with where the cable enters the box, so that during use, the cable core is wound onto the reel without lifting the ground above the cable. For engineers, adjusting the winch to hang on the edge of the sidewalk box is readily achievable in confined spaces.

[0021] In some examples, the method involves replacing the core wires with fiber optic cables by one of the following methods: attaching the fiber optic cable to the core wires of the cable at the customer splice point, such that when the winch is operated, the fiber optic cable is pulled into the inner sheath of the cable as the core wires are pulled out of the cable; or removing the winch from the sidewalk box and pushing the fiber optic cable into the inner sheath from the sidewalk box into the customer premises after the cable core wires have been wound onto the spool. Because of the armor, the cable has no sharp bends, allowing the fiber optic cable to be pulled or pushed into the inner sheath manually without tools. Typically, the inner sheath contains petroleum jelly, which also facilitates pulling or pushing the fiber optic cable into the inner sheath.

[0022] On the other hand, an apparatus is provided for removing the core wire of an armored cable, the cable having a core wire surrounded by an armored wire held between the inner sheath and the outer sheath of the cable, the apparatus comprising: A winch, sized and shaped for use in a sidewalk junction box where cables enter from the end-user's premises. The winch has a body that houses the spool and has an opening in the body of the winch; An attachment mechanism for attaching the exposed end of the core wire to a winch by passing the exposed end of the core wire through an orifice and attaching the exposed end of the core wire to a reel. The orifice size and shape are designed so that, during use, as the reel rotates, the outer sheath and armored wire abut against or are held by the winch body to pull the core wire from the end-user's location onto the reel, thus leaving the outer sheath, armored wire, and inner sheath in place. This device is easy to use in sidewalk boxes and can be used to remove the core wire of a cable without additional tools. The device is portable and low-cost.

[0023] It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that some preferred features indicated above in the context of one aspect of the disclosed technology can replace one or more preferred features of other preferred aspects of the disclosed technology. For the sake of brevity, such obvious combinations are not explicitly listed under each of these possible additional aspects.

[0024] Other examples will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates the principles of the disclosed technology by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the customer's premises and the sidewalk boxes; Figure 2 An armored cable with exposed core wires at one end is shown; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a winch used to extract core wires from armored cables; Figure 4 A winch with a plate attached to the winch's spool and cable core wires is shown. Figure 5 A winch with a plate located in the winch's spool is shown; Figure 6 It shows Figure 5 A winch in which the plates are separate from the spool; Figure 7 It shows things like Figure 6 The spool of a winch or similar device; Figure 8A It shows things like Figure 5 and Figure 6 Boards such as boards; Figure 8B It shows Figure 8A On the other side of the board; Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method for extracting core wires from armored cables and optionally inserting optical fibers.

[0026] The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples. Those skilled in the art will understand that the illustrated feature boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) represent one example of a boundary. In some examples, one feature may be designed as multiple features, or multiple features may be designed as one feature. Throughout the drawings, common reference numerals are used where appropriate to indicate similar features. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the inventive concept claimed herein. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, one or more of the specific features described herein in the context of one embodiment are also present in some other embodiments and / or can be used in various possible combinations and arrangements with other features described in some other embodiments.

[0028] This technology aims to reduce excavation by reusing buried armored copper telecommunications cables as conduits for new fiber optic cables by pulling out the cable cores and leaving the rest of the cable in place. This leaves an empty armored conduit that can be reused as a pipe or conduit to support the deployment of fiber optic cables.

[0029] In various examples, existing copper cables in telecommunications networks are partially reused for deploying new fiber optic connections. Existing copper cables in telecommunications networks typically consist of copper cores, an inner sheath, a metal armor surrounding the inner sheath, and an outer sheath. Various examples provide a device configured to remove the copper cores of an existing cable, allowing new fiber optic cores / cables to be inserted into the hollow sheath of the existing cable. The device includes a housing with an orifice and a winch, the orifice having a diameter larger than the inner sheath and copper cores but smaller than the metal armor. The existing copper cable can be stripped to expose the copper core segments, which can be inserted through the orifice and clamped to the winch. When the winch is operated, the metal armor pushes against the housing while the copper cores are extracted through the orifice. Thus, the device generates a winch force without clamping another segment of the existing cable, enabling its use in more constrained environments, such as sidewalk boxes.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of customer premises 100 (such as a house) and sidewalk box 104. Figure 1 In the example, the house is located on a street with multiple houses. The street has a sidewalk 102 or pedestrian walkway, with one or more sidewalk boxes 104. A sidewalk box 104 is a covered rectangular pit in the ground. Inside the sidewalk box, engineers can access an underground cable 108 that extends from the customer's residence 100 to the sidewalk box and connects to a telecommunications network 106.

[0031] Replacing the conventional copper cable 108 between customer premises 100 and sidewalk box 104 might require excavating the buried copper cable or digging new trenches to lay new conduits or pipes suitable for installing fiber optic cables. However, excavation is time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. Another option is to leave the conventional cable in place and add the fiber optic cable above ground. However, this exposes the fiber optic cable to the natural environment and exposes it to damage. Therefore, burying the fiber optic cable is beneficial, although it is more expensive.

[0032] The armored cable described in this article is an example, as shown in the reference. Figure 2 The explanation given.

[0033] Figure 2An armored cable with exposed core wires at one end is shown. The exposed core wires consist of multiple copper wires 200, each individually encased in an insulating sheath. The copper wires are held within a paper sheath 201 in an inner sheath 206. The copper wires 200 within the paper sheath 201 are surrounded by a lubricant, such as petroleum jelly. Surrounding the inner sheath 202 is an armored wire 204, which is made of steel or other hard metal and extends generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cable. The armored wire 204 is held by an outer sheath 206, which is made of plastic. The outer sheath 206 can be polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The armored wire 204 can be armored with galvanized steel wire. The inner sheath 202 can be polyethylene. The inner sheath 202 can be filled with a lubricant (such as petroleum jelly or grease) and houses the copper core telephone wires 200. The cable is available in 2-pair, 5-pair, 10-pair, 20-pair, 50-pair, 100-pair, 200-pair, and 300-pair configurations.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a winch used to extract core wire 200 from an armored cable. The winch has a winch body 300 with a wall 304 containing an orifice into which the inner sheath of one end of the armored cable is press-fitted. The armored wires of the cable are spread out from the cable and bent away from the winch body. The armored wires abut against the wall 304 of the winch body. The outer sheath of the armored cable also abuts against the wall 304 of the winch body 300. The diameter of the outer sheath is larger than the diameter of the orifice. The diameter of the bundle of armored wires surrounding the inner sheath is also larger than the diameter of the orifice.

[0035] The winch includes a spool 302 to which the core wires of the armored cable are attached in any suitable manner. The winch includes one or more gears to facilitate winding of the spool, thereby pulling out the core wires 200 of the armored cable and leaving the inner sheath 202, armor wires 204, and outer sheath 206 in the ground and / or against the wall 304.

[0036] The use of a winch to pull the conductors from the core of the armored cable is facilitated, where they are initially manufactured in grease, leaving the outer sheath, armor, and inner sheath forming a tube into which a new fiber optic cable can be inserted, thus saving the need for digging and replacing copper cables with fiber optic cables.

[0037] In some examples, a bundle of lubricated copper wire can be easily and tool-free wound into a figure-eight pattern onto a clamping plate designed to insert into a cut in a winch spool. This gives the cable cores sufficient gripping force so that they can then be pulled out.

[0038] There is no need to pressurize the cable to expand it and then inject lubricant. Pressurizing the cable is expensive and time-consuming. It can also damage the armor and / or inner and outer sheaths. There is no need to heat the core wires to help remove it. In the case of buried cables, heating the core wires is error-prone, expensive, and difficult.

[0039] Due to the strength of the armored cables, the core wires can be extracted by "pulling" these armored cables against the winch body. The armored cables are pressed against the winch body, eliminating the need for additional clamping of the cable's outer sheath.

[0040] Figure 4 An example of a winch is shown, which has cable cores attached to a plate 402 fixed to a spool 302. The cable cores enter the winch body through an orifice 400, pass through an orifice 404 in the plate 402, and then wind around the plate 402 in a figure-eight path. The plate 402 is then held in a recess in the spool 302.

[0041] Figure 5 A winch is shown, which has a plate 402 located in the winch's spool 302. Figure 5 In this example, the cable core is absent. The orifice 400 in the winch body 300 is visible. There is only one orifice in this example, although there can be more than one orifice of different sizes for different cable sizes. In some cases, the wall or panel of the winch body 300 containing the orifice is replaceable (using panels with orifices of different diameters) to accommodate cables of different diameters.

[0042] Figure 6 It shows Figure 5 The winch, wherein plate 402 is separated from shaft 302. Figure 6 In the example, orifice 400 is visible, through which the cable core enters the winch body 300. The spool 302 has a recess 600 to hold the plate 402. The size and shape of the recess 600 are configured to correspond to the plate 402. The recess has a protrusion 604 to engage with the plate 402. A tapered channel 602 extends from the recess 600, its size and shape configured to guide the cable core toward the recess 600.

[0043] Figure 7 It shows things like Figure 6 The reel 302 is a type of winch. The reel is generally cylindrical. The reel may additionally have ridges 700 extending longitudinally along the outer surface of the reel to add extra gripping force to the cable cores being wound onto the reel. The reel has recesses 600 to hold plates and tapered channels 602 to guide the cable cores into the recesses 600.

[0044] Figure 8A It shows things like Figure 5 and Figure 6 One side of a board, such as a slab. Figure 8AIn the example, plate 402 is generally rectangular and includes two channels, one extending along the entire length of one shorter side of the rectangle, and the other extending only a portion of the length of the other shorter side of the rectangle. Within the channel extending only a portion of the length of one shorter side of the rectangle, there is a hole 404 that extends to the other side of plate 402. Figure 8A A recess 606 in plate 402 is also shown for engaging with a protrusion 604 in a spool.

[0045] Figure 8B It shows Figure 8A On the other side of plate 402. Hole 404 is visible, which is from... Figure 8A The visible channel passes through the hole 404 on the other side of the plate. Figure 8B Two channels 802 and 804 in a cross configuration are shown. The channels intersect approximately at the center of the plate and continue around the side of the plate. Figure 8A In the channel shown. Figure 8B A recess 606 in plate 402 is also shown for engaging with a protrusion 604 in a spool.

[0046] During use, one end of the cable core is... Figure 8A The visible channel is pushed into hole 404. The cable core is pressed in. Figure 8A It is placed in the visible channel at the top, and wrapped around the plate and pressed into channel 804. Then it is wrapped around the plate again and pressed into... Figure 8A The core wire is then wrapped around the plate again and pressed into the channel 802. By wrapping the core wire around the plate in this way and by making the core wire cross itself, the core wire can be securely secured to the plate 402. The plate is then pressed into the recess 600, so that the plate engages with the protrusion 604. The core wire is pressed into the tapered channel 602, which guides the core wire toward the orifice 400. The tapered channel 602 generally points toward the orifice 400. To remove the plate from the reel 302, the core wire can be pulled out of the tapered channel 602.

[0047] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method for extracting core wires from armored cable and optionally inserting optical fibers. The engineer opens the sidewalk box and locates the conventional armored cable entering the sidewalk box from a residential or other customer residence. The engineer strips 900 one end of the conventional cable to expose the armor and the core wires of the conventional cable, which include, for example, copper pairs. The engineer places 902 the inner sheath of the exposed end of the conventional cable into the orifice of the winch. In some cases, the inner sheath is press-fitted into the orifice. The armor wires and outer sheath of the cable remain outside the winch body, as shown in the reference. Figure 3As explained, the armored cable and outer sheath abut against the outer wall 304 of the winch body, thus eliminating the need for tools or clamps to hold them in place. The orifice is large enough for the inner sheath to pass through, but small enough to prevent the armored cable and outer sheath from passing through, allowing them to be used to apply a winch force, so that the outer surface of the cable does not need to be held or clamped in any other way.

[0048] Engineers wrap the exposed core wires at the ends of conventional cables around a 904 sheet and press the sheet into a recess in the reel of a winch. The reel can be serrated to provide additional gripping force on the cable cores. In some cases, the core wires are as described in the reference... Figure 8A and Figure 8B It is wrapped around the board as described.

[0049] The winch mechanism is suspended from above (or below) inside the sidewalk box at the same height as the armored cable enters the sidewalk box, so as not to cause any 'lift' to the box frame or the ground when the core wire is extracted.

[0050] The winch spool is rotated manually, using a motor, or a combination of both. As the spool rotates, the core of a conventional armored cable is pulled out from the outer sheath, armor, and inner sheath. Pulling out the core is facilitated when it is surrounded by petroleum jelly or grease because the friction between the core and the rest of the cable is reduced. The core is wound onto the spool, and engineers can determine when to stop winding by assessing the amount of core on the spool. In some cases, engineers continue winding until a second end of the core becomes visible or until the core becomes slack.

[0051] Engineers can optionally insert the fiber into the inner sheath, which remains in place. The empty armor sheath can be reused as a tube or conduit, and the fiber is placed through the coreless center (908). In some examples, the fiber is pushed from the walkway box into the inner sheath to the customer premises after the core has been removed, and vice versa. The fiber at the customer premises is spliced ​​(910) to the customer splice point. At the walkway box, the other end of the fiber is connected to the fiber network, which can be done via a connector block termination (CBT).

[0052] In other examples, the fiber optic cable is connected to the core of the conventional cable at the customer premises. As the conventional core is pulled out of the armored cable and into the sidewalk box, the fiber optic cable is pulled into the inner sheath of the armored cable until the final fiber optic cable reaches the sidewalk box. The fiber optic cable is spliced ​​to the customer connection point at the customer premises and then to the fiber optic network in the sidewalk box.

[0053] Any reference to "one" refers to one or more of those items. The word "comprising" is used herein to mean including the identified method steps or elements, but such steps or elements do not constitute an exclusive list, and an apparatus may include additional steps or elements, and a method may include additional operations or elements. Furthermore, steps, elements, and operations are not inherently closed.

[0054] The steps of the methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. The arrows between the boxes in the accompanying drawings illustrate an example sequence of method steps, but are not intended to exclude other sequences or the parallel execution of multiple steps. Furthermore, individual boxes can be removed from any method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the examples above can be combined with aspects of any other examples described to form further examples without losing the desired effect. Where elements are connected by arrows in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that these arrows only illustrate an example flow of communication (including data and control messages) between elements. Flow between elements can occur in either direction or both.

[0055] Where individual features have been explicitly disclosed individually in the description, any obvious combination of two or more such features is also considered disclosed, provided that such features or combinations are obvious and can be implemented based on this specification as a whole in conjunction with common general knowledge of those skilled in the art, regardless of whether such features or combinations solve any problem disclosed herein. In view of the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for removing the core wires of an armored cable, the method comprising: Inside the sidewalk box, the cable entering the sidewalk box from the end user's residence is positioned, the cable having a core wire surrounded by armored wire, the armored wire being held between the inner and outer sheaths of the cable; The exposed end of the core wire is attached to the winch by passing the exposed end of the core wire through an opening in the body of the winch in the sidewalk box and attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the spool of the winch; The size and shape of the orifice are configured such that, during use, when the spool rotates, the outer sheath and the armored wire abut against or are held by the body of the winch to pull the core wire from the end-user's residence onto the spool, thereby leaving the outer sheath, the armored wire, and the inner sheath in place.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The core wire is encased in lubricant within the inner sheath.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The orifice is located in a replaceable panel of the winch body, such that panels with different orifice diameters can be used according to the diameter of the cable core or inner sheath; or wherein the winch body includes a plurality of orifices of different sizes for the cable core or inner sheath of different diameters.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The opening is large enough for the inner sheath to pass through, but small enough to prevent the armor lines and the outer sheath from passing through.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The cable is not held or clamped in any other way within the sidewalk box.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The size and shape of the orifice are set to form a press fit between the inner sheath and the orifice.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Exposing the end of the core wire includes: removing a portion of the outer sheath and exposing the end of the armored wire; and bending the armored wire away from the inner sheath such that the armored wire abuts against the body of the winch.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the reel includes: wrapping the exposed end of the core wire around a plate, and then attaching the plate to the reel.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Attaching the plate to the reel includes pressing the plate into a recess in the reel, the recess being sized and shaped to receive the plate.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The plate includes multiple channels, and the core wire is held around the plate by being pressed into the channels.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, At least two of the channels intersect.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The channel forms a figure-eight shape on the plate.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising: The winch is adjustablely suspended on the edge of the sidewalk box such that the opening and the reel are approximately flush with the cable, so that during use, the cable core is wound onto the reel without lifting the cable.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising replacing the core wire with an optical fiber by one of the following methods: attaching the optical fiber to the core wire of the cable at the end-user premises such that, when the winch is operated, the core wire is replaced by the optical fiber being pulled into the inner sheath of the cable as the core wire of the cable is pulled out of the cable; or removing the winch from the sidewalk box and pushing the optical fiber from the sidewalk box into the inner sheath to enter the customer premises after the core wire of the cable has been wound onto the reel.

15. An apparatus for removing a core wire of an armored cable, the cable having a core wire surrounded by an armor wire held between an inner sheath and an outer sheath of the cable, the apparatus comprising: A winch, sized and shaped for use in a sidewalk junction box where the cable enters from the end-user's premises. The winch has a body for receiving a spool, and wherein there is an opening in the body of the winch; An attachment mechanism for attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the winch by passing the exposed end of the core wire through the orifice and attaching the exposed end of the core wire to the reel; The size and shape of the orifice are set such that, during use, when the spool rotates, the outer sheath and the armored wire abut against or are held by the body of the winch to pull the core wire from the end-user's residence onto the spool, thereby leaving the outer sheath, the armored wire, and the inner sheath in place.

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