FIBER OPTIC ENCLOSURE WITH EXTERNAL CABLE SPOOL

• US 20080292261A1
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Beck, Ronald A., Kaml, Jonathan, Kowalczyk, Scott C., LeBlanc, Thomas G., Smith, Trevor D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,715,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4457 Bobbins; Reels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4477 with means for strain-relieving to interior strengths element
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4478 Bending relief means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/46 Processes or apparatus adapted for installing or repairing optical fibres or optical cables installation of cables containing electric conductors and optical fibres H02G
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/475 Mechanical aspects of installing cables in ducts or the like for buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A fiber optic telecommunications device includes an enclosure defining an interior. A first fiber optic adapter is provided at the enclosure. A spool is provided at an exterior of the enclosure. A fiber optic cable, which includes a first optical fiber, is wrapped around the spool. A first fiber optic connector is mounted at a first end of the first optical fiber. The first end of the first optical fiber is positioned within the interior of the enclosure. The first fiber optic connector is inserted within the first fiber optic adapter. The enclosure and the spool are configured to rotate in unison about a common axis when the fiber optic cable is unwound from the spool.

Claims

1. A fiber optic enclosure assembly comprising:

an enclosure adapted to optically connect incoming fibers to outgoing fibers; and

a cable spool connected to an exterior of the enclosure, wherein a cable having the incoming fibers is disposed about the cable spool.

2. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a spindle adapted for engagement with the cable spool.

3. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cable spool selectively rotates about a central axis of the spindle.

4. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cable spool and the housing unitarily rotate about the central axis.

5. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cable spool includes an axial bore.

6. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spindle engages the axial bore of the cable spool.

7. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein a bearing is disposed between the spindle and the axial bore of the cable spool.

8. A fiber optic enclosure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the enclosure includes a plurality of adapters.

9. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections comprising:

an enclosure;

a cable spool assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the enclosure; and

a mounting assembly rotationally engaged with the cable spool assembly such that the cable spool assembly selectively rotates about an axis of the mounting assembly, wherein the mounting assembly includes a bearing assembly and is adapted for engagement with a mounting location.

10. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the enclosure and the cable spool assembly selectively and unitarily rotate about the axis of the mounting assembly.

11. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mounting location is an upright wall.

12. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the bearing assembly includes a ring member having an inner bore and a puck member disposed within the inner bore of the ring member.

13. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the inner bore of the ring member includes a first surface, an oppositely disposed second surface, and a bearing surface with the bearing surface being disposed at an angle from the second surface that is less than or equal to about 90 degrees.

14. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 13, wherein the puck member includes a first end surface, an oppositely disposed second end surface, and a mating bearing surface with the mating bearing surface being disposed at an angle from the second end surface that is less than or equal to about 90 degrees.

15. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 12, wherein silicon grease is disposed between the puck member and the inner bore of the ring member.

16. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections comprising:

an enclosure; and

a cable spool assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the enclosure, the cable spool assembly having;

a drum portion;

a cable disposed about the drum portion; and

a cable strain relief member engaged to the drum portion and a portion of the cable.

17. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a mounting assembly, the mounting assembly being rotationally engaged with the cable spool assembly such that the cable spool assembly selectively rotates about an axis of the mounting assembly.

18. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 17, wherein the cable spool assembly and the enclosure selective and unitarily rotate about the axis of the mounting assembly.

19. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 16, wherein the cable strain relief member is disposed on the drum portion of the cable spool assembly.

20. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cable strain relief member is a cable tie.

21. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 20, wherein the cable tie is disposed through a plurality of thru-holes in the drum portion of the cable spool assembly.

22. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cable strain relief member is an adhesive sheet having a first side and a second side.

23. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 22, wherein each of the first and second sides include an adhesive layer.

24. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 22, wherein the adhesive sheet includes a first end portion adapted for engagement with an outer portion of the cable and a second end portion adapted for engagement with an outer surface of the drum portion.

25. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cable strain relief member is a first adhesive sheet and a second adhesive sheet.

26. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 25, wherein the first adhesive sheet includes a first side and a second side with each of the first and second sides having an adhesive layer.

27. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first side of the first adhesive sheet is adapted for engagement with an outer surface of the drum portion of the cable spool assembly and the second side is adapted for engagement with an inner portion of a portion of a first layer of the cable disposed adjacent to the outer surface of the drum portion.

28. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 27, wherein the second adhesive sheet is adapted for engagement with an outer portion of a portion of the first layer of cable.

29. A fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections as claimed in claim 28, wherein the second adhesive sheet is angularly offset from the first adhesive sheet.

30. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure, the method comprising:

providing a fiber optic enclosure having an enclosure and a cable spool exteriorly disposed on the enclosure, the enclosure being adapted to optically connect incoming fibers of a first cable and outgoing fibers of a second cable, wherein the first cable is disposed about the cable spool; and

rotating the enclosure and the cable spool about an axis until a desired length of the first cable is paid out.

31. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 30, wherein connectorized ends of a first end of the first cable are connected to a termination bank disposed in the enclosure.

32. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 31, wherein the termination bank includes a plurality of adapters.

33. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 31, where the termination bank includes a plurality of sliding adapter modules.

34. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 30, wherein the fiber optic enclosure includes a mounting plate.

35. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 34, further comprising mounting the mounting plate to a structure.

36. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 35, further comprising fixing the position of the enclosure and the cable spool with respect to the mounting plate when the desired length of the first cable has been paid out.

37. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 36, wherein a bracket is mounted to the mounting plate and the enclosure to fix the position enclosure and the cable spool with respect to the mounting plate.

38. A method of paying out a cable from a fiber optic enclosure, comprising:

mounting a mounting plate to a mounting location, the mounting plate being rotationally engaged with a cable spool such that the cable spool selectively rotates about an axis of the mounting plate, wherein a cable is disposed about the cable spool;

rotating the cable spool about the axis of the mounting plate until a desired length of cable is paid out; and

mounting an enclosure to a first axial end of the cable spool.

39. A method of paying out a subscriber cable from a fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 38, further comprising connecting connectorized ends of a first end of the subscriber cable to adapters disposed in an interior region of the enclosure.

40. A fiber optic telecommunications device comprising:

an enclosure defining an interior;

a first fiber optic adapter provided at the enclosure;

a spool provided at an exterior of the enclosure;

a fiber optic cable wrapped around the spool, the fiber optic cable including a first optical fiber;

a first fiber optic connector mounted at a first end of the first optical fiber, the first end of the first optical fiber being positioned within the interior of the enclosure and the first fiber optic connector being inserted within the first fiber optic adapter; and

the enclosure and the spool being configured to rotate in unison about a common axis when the fiber optic cable is unwound from the spool.

41. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 40, wherein a first length of the fiber optic cable is wrapped around the spool, the first length being sufficiently long to extend from a mounting location of the enclosure to a fiber distribution location where a second end of the optical fiber is optically connected to another optical fiber.

42. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 41, wherein the first length is in the range of 100-500 feet.

43. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 40, wherein the spool is unitarily formed as a one piece unit with the enclosure.

44. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 40, further comprising means for rotationally mounting the enclosure and the spool to a structure.

45. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 44, wherein the structure includes a wall.

46. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 40, further comprising a mounting member for attaching the enclosure and the spool to a structure.

47. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 46, wherein the structure includes a wall.

48. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 46, wherein the mounting member includes a mounting plate defining one or more fastener openings.

49. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 46, further comprising a spindle for allowing the spool and the enclosure to rotate relative to the mounting member.

50. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 46, further comprising a rotational bearing arrangement for allowing the spool and the enclosure to rotate relative to the mounting member.

51. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 40, further comprising a plurality of fiber optic adapters provided at the enclosure, a plurality of optical fibers included with the fiber optic cable, and a plurality of fiber optic connectors mounted at ends of the optical fibers, the ends of the optical fibers being located within the interior of the enclosure and the fiber optic connectors being inserted within the fiber optic adapters.

52. A method for installing telecommunications equipment, the method comprising:

providing telecommunications equipment including an enclosure and a spool, the telecommunications equipment also including an optical cable wrapped around the spool, the optical cable including a first optical fiber including a first end and a second end,

rotating the enclosure and the spool in unison about a common axis to pay out the optical cable from the spool so that the second end of the first optical fiber can be positioned at a remote location that is remote from the enclosure and the spool; and

using the enclosure as an interconnect location for optically coupling the first optical fiber of the optical cable to a second optical fiber routed away from the enclosure.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein a fiber distribution cabinet is located at the remote location, wherein an optical splitter is located within the fiber distribution cabinet, and wherein the second end of the first optical fiber is coupled to an output of the optical splitter at the fiber distribution cabinet.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the remote location is in the range of 100-500 feet from the enclosure and the spool.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the enclosure and the spool are mounted to a structure before the optical cable has been paid out from the spool.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the structure is a wall.

57. A method for installing telecommunications equipment, the method comprising:

providing telecommunications equipment including an enclosure, a spool, and an optical cable wrapped around the spool, the optical cable having a first length wrapped around the spool, the first length including an installation length and an excess length, the optical cable including a first end and a second end;

positioning the spool and the enclosure at a first location;

moving the second end of the optical cable to a second location by paying off the installation length of the optical cable from the spool while the spool, the first end of the optical cable and the enclosure remain at the first location; and

storing the excess length of optical cable on the spool at the first location, wherein the enclosure and the spool with the excess length of optical cable wrapped thereon remain at the first location after the installation process has been completed.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the optical cable includes optical fibers having connectorized ends located adjacent the first end of the optical cable, the connectoized ends of the optical fibers being inserted within fiber optic adapters of the enclosure.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the connectorized ends of the optical fibers are inserted into the fiber optic adapters before the installation length of the optical cable is paid off from the spool.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the spool is connected to the enclosure and positioned at an exterior of the enclosure.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the enclosure and the spool rotate in unison about a common axis as the optical cable is paid off from the spool.

62. A fiber optic telecommunications device comprising:

a first fiber optic adapter;

a spool;

a fiber optic cable wrapped around the spool, the fiber optic cable including a first optical fiber;

a first fiber optic connector mounted at a first end of the first optical fiber, the first end of the first fiber optic connector being inserted within the first fiber optic adapter; and

the first fiber optic adapter and the spool being configured to rotate in unison about a common axis when the fiber optic cable is unwound from the spool.

63. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 62, wherein the fiber optic adapter is at least partially enclosed within in an enclosure.

64. The fiber optic telecommunications device of claim 62, wherein structure mechanically holds the fiber optic adapter in place relative to the spool such that the fiber optic adapter and the spool can rotate in unison.

65. A method for installing telecommunications equipment, the method comprising:

providing telecommunications equipment having a fiber optic adapter, a spool and an optical cable wrapped around the spool, the optical cable including a first optical fiber having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first optical fiber being connectorized; and

rotating the fiber optic adapter and the spool in unison about a common axis to pay out the optical cable from the spool so that the second end of the first optical fiber can be positioned at a remote location that is remote from the fiber optic adapter and the spool.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the remote location is in the range of 100-500 feet from the fiber optic adapter and the spool.

67. A fiber optic enclosure comprising:

means for enclosing optical connections between incoming fibers of a first cable and outgoing fibers of a second cable; and

means for storing excess length of the first cable on an exterior of the fiber optic enclosure.

68. A fiber optic enclosure as claimed in claim 67, further comprising means for paying out the first cable from the fiber optic enclosure.