CABINET INCLUDING OPTICAL BULKHEAD PLATE FOR BLOWN FIBER SYSTEM

• US 20080212928A1
• Filed: 01/07/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bison Patent Licensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Douglas C. Ellens, James J. Solheid, Scott Kowalczyk
• Inventors: Ellens, Douglas C., Solheid, James J., Kowalczyk, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,148 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.

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 including;

a plurality of cable splices;

a vertical holder having a plurality of holes, wherein each hole defines a periphery; and

a plurality of microducts disposed in the plurality of holes of the vertical holder, wherein the periphery of each hole is frictionally engaged with one of the microducts.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the periphery of each hole is circular.

3. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein each holder includes a planar sheet metal portion including the plurality of holes through the planar sheet metal portion.

4. 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.

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

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

7. The cabinet of claim 6, 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.

8. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes of each shelf are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns.

9. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein an end of each microduct is tapered.

10. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the vertical holder is an insert mounted to the shelf.

11. A method of managing cable in a 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 and a microduct holder, wherein the microduct holder defines a plurality of holes for holding at least some of the microducts;

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

12. The method of claim 11, 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.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of holes of each shelf includes a plurality of rows and columns of holes in a sheet metal plate.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the holes frictionally engages one of the microducts.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each hole defines a circular periphery that frictionally engages an exterior of the microduct.