Splice tray with slack take-up

• US 5,066,149 A
• Filed: 09/11/1990
• Issued: 11/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Todd, Johnson, Wayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Application Number:
  US07/580,769
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.20
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4454 with splices

Abstract

A splice cabinet is disclosed having a chassis with a plurality of drawers slidably mounted in the chassis. Each of the drawers has a splice tray and a take-up spool slidably mounted on the drawer.

Claims

1. A splice cabinet comprising:

a chassis;

a plurality of drawers slidably mounted in the chassis and slidable between a first position with the drawer fully inserted within the chassis and the second position with the drawer extended from the interior of the chassis;

each of said drawers having disposed thereon a splice tray for splicing together optical fibers;

admitting means for admitting an optical fiber to be spliced from an exterior of a chassis into the drawer;

take-up means for taking up a slack of fiber within a drawer as the drawer is moved from the first to the second position, said take-up means including a push member slidably mounted on the drawer and movable from a rear edge of a drawer toward a leading edge of the drawer.

2. A splice cabinet according to claim 1 wherein said push member is provided with a fiber engaging surface having a curvature selected with a radius of bending greater than the predetermined minimum radius.

3. A cabinet according to claim 1 wherein said push member includes a slide plate disposed beneath said drawer, said push member including a slide spool disposed above said drawer and extending through a slot in said drawer into said slide plate.

4. A cabinet according to claim 3 wherein said spool is slidably connected to said slide plate to slide in a direction of movement of said drawer as the drawer is moved between said first and second positions.