Cabinet including optical bulkhead plate for blown fiber system

• US 20070047896A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bison Patent Licensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Kowalczyk, Scott, Solheid, James, Ellens, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,626 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: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A cabinet is provided for managing the connections between a feeder cable and a distribution cable wherein the distribution cable is a blown optical fiber. The cabinet includes shelves for holding splices between the feeder cable and the distribution cable. The shelves also include microduct holders for holding each of the microducts associated with the distribution cable. The cabinet also includes splicing between the feeder cable and a fiber optic splitter. Preferably a fiber termination is provided between the splice and the splitter. The cabinet also includes termination panel between the splitter outputs and distribution pigtails. A connector storage area is also provided. The distribution pigtails are spliced on spliced trays to the blown fibers passed through the microducts.

Claims

1. A telecommunications fiber optic distribution cabinet comprising:

an enclosure defining an interior and extending between a base and a top, and further defining a vertical axis extending between the base and the top, wherein first and second cable entries are defined by the enclosure;

a plurality of shelves disposed in the interior of the enclosure in a stacked arrangement parallel to the vertical axis, each shelf holding a plurality of cable splices, each shelf further including a vertical holder for holding a plurality of microducts.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein each holder includes a planar sheet metal portion including a plurality of holes through the planar sheet metal portion, each hole sized to receive one of the microducts.

3. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the holders are positioned on a vertical panel, the enclosure defining a microduct area on a first side of the vertical panel, wherein the shelves including the splices are positioned on an opposite side of the vertical panel.

4. The cabinet of claim 3, further comprising a first cable pathway extending from the base vertically upward through each shelf toward an upper portion of the enclosure.

5. The cabinet of claim 4, further comprising a second cable pathway extending from the base vertically on the first side of the vertical panel;

and further comprising a cable clamp for clamping a vertically extending cable extending in the second cable pathway, the second cable including a plurality of the microducts.

6. A telecommunications fiber optic distribution cabinet comprising:

an enclosure defining an interior and extending between a base and top, and further defining a vertical axis extending between the base and the top, wherein first and second cable entries are defined by the enclosure;

a first splice area including a first cable path from the first cable entry to the splice area, and a second cable pathway from the splice area;

a termination area including a connection to the second cable pathway from the splice area, and further defining a third cable pathway from the termination area;

a cable splitter area including a connection to the third cable pathway, and further defining a fourth cable pathway from the cable splitter area;

a connector panel including a connection to the fourth cable pathway, and defining a fifth cable pathway from the connector panel, each connector panel including front and rear connections for receiving telecommunications cable connectors;

a plurality of shelves, each shelf including splice holders connected to the fifth cable pathway, each shelf further including a microduct holder for holding a plurality of microducts extending to the second cable entry.

7. The cabinet of claim 6, further comprising a connector storage area positioned in communication with the fourth cable pathway.

8. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein each holder includes a planar sheet metal portion including a plurality of holes through the planar sheet metal portion, each hole sized to receive one of the microducts.

9. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein the holders are positioned on a vertical panel, the enclosure defining a microduct area on a first side of the vertical panel, wherein the shelves including the splice holders are positioned on an opposite side of the vertical panel.

10. The cabinet of claim 9, wherein the first cable path extends from the first cable entry vertically upward through each shelf toward an upper portion of the enclosure.

11. The cabinet of claim 10, further comprising a microduct cable pathway extending from the second cable entry at the base vertically on the first side of the vertical panel;

and further comprising cable clamps for clamping a vertically extending cable extending in the microduct cable pathway.

12. A method of managing cable in telecommunications system comprising:

providing an enclosure including an interior, the interior receiving a feeder cable and a conduit including microducts;

routing the feeder cable to a splicing area including a plurality of horizontal shelves, each horizontal shelf including a cable splice tray, each horizontal shelf including a microduct holder for holding at least some of the microducts in an array of holes;

routing the conduit adjacent to one of the horizontal shelves, wherein the microducts are held by the microduct holder.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of blowing a fiber through one of the microducts and splicing the fiber blown through one of the microducts to the feeder cable.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the array of each shelf includes a plurality of rows and columns of holes in a sheet metal plate.