Outside plant enclosure with pivoting fiber trays

• US 20070047894A1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bison Patent Licensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Walters, Cindy, Holmberg, Matt
• Granted Patent: US 7,352,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44526 Panels or rackmounts covering a whole width of the frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44528 Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box routing arrangements H04Q1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4455 characterised by the way of extraction or insertion of the cassette in the distribution frame, e.g. pivoting, sliding, rotating or gliding

Abstract

A telecommunications cabinet includes an enclosure, a splitter mounted within the enclosure for splitting a fiber optic signal, a plurality of adjacently positioned adapter trays mounted within the enclosure, each tray being pivotable about an axis generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the enclosure and each adapter tray housing a plurality of adapters, the enclosure also including an excess cable storage structure for storing cables that are not connected by the adapters mounted on the adapter trays, the excess cable storage structure providing a termination location for fiber optic cables without providing a continuous optical path for the fiber optic signals.

Claims

1. A telecommunications cabinet comprising:

an enclosure having a longitudinal axis;

a splitter mounted within the enclosure for splitting a fiber optic signal carried by a first cable into a plurality of fiber optic signals carried by second cables;

a plurality of adjacently positioned adapter trays mounted within the enclosure, each tray being pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the enclosure, each adapter tray housing a plurality of adapters for connecting the second cables to third cables, each tray including a base defining an interior volume and a cover for covering the base, at least one of the plurality of adapters being mounted on the cover and at least a portion of the third cables being positioned in the interior volume defined by the base; and

an excess cable storage structure for storing second cables that are not connected to the third cables by the adapters, the excess cable storage structure providing a termination location for the second cables without providing a continuous optical path for the fiber optic signals.

2. A telecommunications cabinet according to claim 1, further comprising a cable manager including a first plurality of radius limiters in a stacked arrangement.

3. A telecommunications cabinet according to claim 2, wherein the cable manager includes a second plurality of radius limiters in a stacked arrangement, both of the first and second plurality of radius limiters positioned in stacks parallel to the longitudinal axis of the enclosure.

4. A telecommunications cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the first cable, the second cable, and the third cable are terminated with SC type connectors, wherein the adapters mounted on the cover of the tray are SC type adapters.

5. A telecommunications tray comprising:

a main housing, the main housing including a base and a cover for covering the base, the cover being pivotally coupled to the base with a hinge and the cover including adapter mounts for mounting a plurality of adapters and the base including a cable management structure; and

a coupling member extending from the main housing, the coupling member defining a pivot point about which the main housing can pivot.

6. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the cover is configured for mounting an even number of adapters, wherein one half of each of the adapters is covered by a portion of the cover so that only one end of each adapter is exposed when the cover is in a closed position relative to the base.

7. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the adapters are for connecting SC type connectors.

8. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the main housing includes a generally circular shape.

9. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the base defines an interior volume for storing slack cable.

10. A telecommunications tray according to claim 9, wherein the cover includes an outer side and an inner side that faces the interior volume of the base when the cover is closed, the adapter mounts including openings accessible from both the inner side and the outer side of the cover.

11. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the cable management structure includes radius limiting spools and fingers defined in the base of the main housing.

12. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the coupling member includes a C-shaped profile.

13. A telecommunications tray according to claim 5, wherein the tray includes a multi-fiber adapter mounted thereon.

14. A telecommunications device including:

a fixture including a longitudinal axis;

a plurality of adjacently positioned trays mounted on the fixture, each tray being pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fixture, each tray including a base and a cover for covering the base, the cover including an adapter mount and the base including a cable management structure.

15. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, further comprising a cable manager including a first and a second plurality of radius limiters in a stacked arrangement, both of the first and second plurality of radius limiters positioned in stacks parallel to the longitudinal axis of the enclosure.

16. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein the cover is configured for mounting an even number of adapters, wherein one half of each of the adapters is covered by a portion of the cover so that only one end of each adapter is exposed when the cover is in a closed position relative to the base.

17. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein the fixture includes a longitudinally extending round shaft and wherein each of the plurality of trays includes a C-shaped coupling member that is coupled to the round shaft of the fixture for pivotal movement.

18. A method for connecting two fiber optic cables:

providing a fixture including a longitudinal axis, the fixture including a plurality of adjacently positioned trays mounted on the fixture, each tray being pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fixture, each tray including a base and a cover for covering the base, the cover including a connector mount;

providing a cable termination structure that includes a first fiber optic cable mounted thereon, the cable termination structure providing a termination location for a fiber optic signal without providing a continuous optical path for the fiber optic signal;

removing the first fiber optic cable from the cable termination structure;

pivotally moving one of the trays relative to the other trays; and

connecting the first fiber optic cable to the connector mount on the tray.