MODULAR OPTICAL FIBER CASSETTE

• US 20100142910A1
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearfield, Inc
• Original Assignee: Clearfield, Inc
• Inventors: Power, Walter E. II, Husom, Todd F., Hill, John P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4454 with splices

Abstract

The present disclosure includes apparatus and methods for a modular optical fiber cassette. One embodiment includes a base housing configured to receive additional nested components and an adapter plate resiliently connected to the housing and comprising a plurality of optical fiber connectors. The adapter plate is releasable from the housing and providing access to both sides of the adapter plate. The cassette further includes a radius limiter nested with and resiliently connected to the base housing, a first expansion housing having an exterior contour substantially aligned with the base housing and configured to resiliently interlock with the base housing, and a cover resiliently connected to the expansion housing.

Claims

1. An optical fiber management housing comprising:

a base panel having an optical management component integrally formed thereon;

a first side panel, a second side panel, and a third side panel each coupled to the base panel via a respective living hinge;

a cover panel coupled to one of the first, second, and third side panels via a living hinge;

wherein the housing includes a folded configuration in which the panels are releasably connected together and form the housing; and

a removable adapter plate forming a fourth side panel of the housing when in the folded configuration, the adapter plate configured for releasable connection to the base panel, the cover panel, and two of the first, second, and third side panels; and

wherein the housing includes an unfolded configuration providing access to the optical management component.

2. The housing of claim 1, wherein the optical management component is a splice tray integrally formed on the base panel.

3. The housing of claim 2, wherein the integral splice tray, the base panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the cover panel are each made of a polypropylene material.

4. The housing of claim 2, wherein the splice tray includes a plurality of splice channels.

5. The housing of claim 2, further including a splice tray cover releasably connected to the splice tray.

6. The housing of claim 1, wherein the removable adapter plate includes a number of apertures therein configured to receive a corresponding number of external optical connectors, the number of optical external optical connectors configured for attachment to a corresponding number of internal optical connectors coupled to a corresponding number of optical fibers.

7. The housing of claim 1, wherein the optical management component is an optical component mount integrally formed on the base panel and configured for coupling to a particular optical component.

8. The housing of claim 7, wherein the particular optical component includes at least one of multiplexing and demultiplexing functionality.

9. The housing of claim 1, wherein the base panel, the first side panel, the second side panel, and the third side panel each include at least one of a tab and tab receiving opening for releasably coupling to a corresponding tab or tab receiving opening of at least one of the other respective panels.

10. The housing of claim 1, wherein the removable adapter plate includes a first and a second mounting hole for providing compatibility with an LGX standard.

11. The housing of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at least two different removable adapter plates that can be interchanged to provide the fourth side panel of the housing when in the folded configuration.

12. A method for using an optical fiber management housing, the method comprising:

accessing an optical management component on an interior of the housing by converting the housing from a folded configuration to an unfolded configuration including;

detaching a cover panel from a first side panel and a second side panel of the housing, wherein the cover panel is coupled to a third side panel of the housing via a living hinge, and wherein the first side panel, the second side panel, and the third side panel are each coupled to a base panel of the housing via respective living hinges;

removing an adapter plate from the housing;

performing an optical management operation on the optical management component; and

returning the housing from the unfolded configuration to the folded configuration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein accessing the optical management component on the interior of the housing includes accessing a splice tray integrally formed on the base panel of the housing.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein converting the housing from the folded configuration to the unfolded configuration further includes unfolding the first, second, and third side panels such that they are in a same plane as the base panel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein converting the housing from the folded configuration to the unfolded configuration further includes unfolding the cover panel such that it is in the same plane as the base panel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein returning the housing from the unfolded configuration to the folded configuration includes returning the first, second, and third sidewalls from the same plane as the base panel to a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the base panel.

17. The method of claim 12, including removing the adapter plate from the housing while a number of optical connectors coupled to the adapter plate remain attached to a corresponding number of optical fibers.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, and the cover panel include at least one of a tab and a tab receiving opening used to releasably interlock with a corresponding tab or tab receiving opening to maintain the housing in the folded configuration, and wherein converting the housing from the folded configuration to the unfolded configuration further includes releasing respective tabs from corresponding respective tab receiving openings.

19. The method of claim 12, including removing the adapter plate from the housing prior to detaching the cover panel from the first side panel and the second side panel of the housing.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein returning the housing from the unfolded configuration to the folded configuration includes replacing the adapter plate with a different adapter plate.

21. An optical fiber management housing system comprising:

a base panel having a splice tray integrally formed thereon;

a first side panel, a second side panel, and a third side panel each coupled to the base panel via a respective living hinge;

a cover panel coupled to one of the first, second, and third side panels via a living hinge;

wherein the housing includes a folded configuration in which the panels are releasably connected together and form the housing; and

at least two different removable adapter plates each configured to form a fourth side panel of the housing when in the folded configuration and each configured for releasable connection to the base panel, the cover panel, and two of the first, second, and third side panels; and

wherein the housing includes an unfolded configuration providing access to the splice tray.