Universal splice tray
First Claim
1. A splice tray for holding and protecting optical fibers and splices for use in an optical fiber splice closure having mounting members therein for supporting said splice tray, wherein said splice tray comprises:
- an elongated base member having front and rear walls, first and second end walls, and a longitudinal axis extending from said first end wall to said second end wall, said base member having a splice area intermediate said end walls;
means defining at least a first passage for entry of fibers into said splice tray;
hub means adjacent each of said first and second end walls defining a second passage for the optical fibers at each end of said tray;
splice holder means adapted to be mounted to said base member within the splice area, said splice holder means having a plurality of spaced channels for holding and retaining splices therein, said channels being parallel to said longitudinal axis and arrayed across said splice tray from the front wall to the rear wall, said splice holder further having means defining a plurality of fiber pass-through channels between adjacent ones of said spaced channels; and
a top cover for said splice tray pivotally mounted to said rear wall of said elongated base member and having an open and a closed position.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A splice tray for holding and protecting optical fiber splices within a splice closure is adapted to be mounted on support members within the closure. The tray has a longitudinal axis and passages formed therein for holding and guiding the fibers to a splice area of the tray while protecting them from being bent too sharply. A splice holder insert is removably mounted to the splice tray in the splice area, and has a plurality of alternating pass-through channels and splice holding channels extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tray and arrayed across the width of the tray in two such arrays, longitudinally spaced from each other. In one embodiment, each of the splice holding channels is defined by a wall of a pass-through channel and a longitudinally extending a resilient member. In this embodiment, resilient fiber holder is located at each end of each pass-through channels. In another embodiment, the splice holding channels are defined by U-shaped end members at each end of the channel.
148 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A splice tray for holding and protecting optical fibers and splices for use in an optical fiber splice closure having mounting members therein for supporting said splice tray, wherein said splice tray comprises:
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an elongated base member having front and rear walls, first and second end walls, and a longitudinal axis extending from said first end wall to said second end wall, said base member having a splice area intermediate said end walls; means defining at least a first passage for entry of fibers into said splice tray; hub means adjacent each of said first and second end walls defining a second passage for the optical fibers at each end of said tray; splice holder means adapted to be mounted to said base member within the splice area, said splice holder means having a plurality of spaced channels for holding and retaining splices therein, said channels being parallel to said longitudinal axis and arrayed across said splice tray from the front wall to the rear wall, said splice holder further having means defining a plurality of fiber pass-through channels between adjacent ones of said spaced channels; and a top cover for said splice tray pivotally mounted to said rear wall of said elongated base member and having an open and a closed position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A splice tray for holding and protecting optical fibers and splices, comprising:
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an elongated base member having front and rear walls, first and second end walls, and a longitudinal axis extending from said first end wall to said second end wall, said base member having a splice area intermediate said end walls; means defining fiber passages for guiding fibers from externally of said tray into said splice area within said tray, said means including radiused means for preventing fibers in said passages from being bent to radii less than a critical bending radius; and splice holder means adapted to be mounted to said base member within the splice area, said splice holder means comprising a holder base member of rigid material having a longitudinal axis and having formed thereon an array of spaced pass-through channels parallel to the longitudinal axis and extending along a width said splice area, said channels having rigid side walls; and resilient means on said holder base member forming, in conjunction with said rigid side walls, a first array of splice holding channels which are parallel to the longitudinal axis, said array of splice holding channels extending along the width of said splice area in said base member. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A splice tray holder for use with a splice tray having a splice area therein, said splice holder comprising:
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a base member formed of rigid material and having a longitudinal axis; pairs of rigid rib members protruding up from a bottom of said base member for forming a pass-through channel between each pair of rib members, the pass-through channels being parallel to the longitudinal axis and extending along a width of said base member in a first array; and gripping members located between adjacent pairs of rib members for forming a plurality of spaced splice holding channels on said base member, said splice holding channels being parallel to the longitudinal axis area and extending along the width of said base member in a second array with said splice holding channels and said passthrough channels alternating with each other along the width of said base member. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A splice tray holder for use with a splice tray having a splice area therein, said splice holder comprising:
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a base member formed of rigid material and having a longitudinal axis; pairs of U-shaped members protruding up from a bottom of said base member with the U-shaped members in a single pair being spaced from each other along said longitudinal axis and with each pair of U-shaped members being spaced from an adjacent pair of U-shaped members along a width of said base member; each pair of U-shaped members which are spaced along said longitudinal axis form a splice holding channel on said base member with a spacing between the U-shaped members in each pair being sufficient to receive a splice; and a distance between adjacent pairs of U-shaped members along said width of said base member defining a pass through channel for receiving a cable that passes completely through said base member, said pass through channel being parallel to said longitudinal axis of said base member; wherein the splice holding channels alternate with the pass-through channels along the width of said base member.
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Specification