Card shelf cable management system and method

• US 6,330,168 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Network Communications Incorporated (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Kan S., Fox, Laurence D., Pedoeem, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N.
• Application Number:
  US09/325,699
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 361/752, 361/803, 361/825-827, 361/753, 361/797, 245/48, 245/63, 206/702, 248/220.21, 248/222.11, 248/222.13, 174/60, 174/64, 174/72.A
• US Class Current: 361/826
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1448 with connections to the front board

Abstract

A card shelf includes a backplane and a plurality of slots each configured to receive an electronic card. An electronic card disposed in one of the slots has a back including a connector adapted to engage the backplane and a front including an angled receptor adapted to engage a cable with a reduced projection from the electronic card. A cable holder is aligned with the slot containing the electronic card. The cable holder is operable to receive the cable from the angled receptor. A cable trough is operable to receive the cable from the cable holder and route the cable away from the card shelf. The cable holder may include a plurality of cable receivers aligned with each slot for an electronic card in the card shelf. Each cable receiver may include a portion for receiving one or more cables from each electronic card and a portion for retaining the cables within the cable receiver.

Claims

1. A card shelf comprising;

a backplane;

a plurality of slots each configured to receive an electronic card;

an electronic card disposed in one of the slots in the card shelf, the electronic card having a back including a connector engaging the backplane and a front including an angled receptor engaging a cable with reduced projection of the cable from the front of the electronic card;

a cable holder disposed in line with the slot containing the electronic card, the cable holder receiving the cable from the angled receptor;

a cable trough operable to receive the cable from the cable holder and route the cable away from the electronic card; and

a retainer coupled to the cable trough and enclosing the cable holder to secure the cable within the cable trough.

2. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the cable holder comprises:

a holding portion sized to receive the cable; and

a retaining portion disposed adjacent the holding portion sized to retain the cable within the holding portion.

3. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the retainer comprises a door rotatably coupled to the cable trough.

4. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the cable holder is spaced apart from the slot containing the electronic card to allow removal of the electronic card from the card shelf without removal of the cable from the cable holder.

5. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the angled receptor comprises a plurality of pins operable to connect the angled receptor to electronic circuitry contained on the electronic card.

6. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the cable holder comprises:

a holding portion sized to receive the cable; and

a retaining portion sized less than the first portion and greater than a size of the cable.

7. The card shelf of claim 1, wherein the retainer is configured to extend over the second portion.

8. A cable routing system for a card shelf comprising:

a cable holder having a plurality of cable receivers, each cable receiver operable to receive a plurality of cables from an electronic card disposed in a corresponding slot of the card shelf;

a cable trough configured to receive the cables from the cable holder and route the cables away from the electronic card;

a retainer operable to enclose the cable receivers of the cable holder to secure the cables within the cable trough;

wherein each cable receiver comprises a first portion sized to receive the plurality of cables; and

a second portion disposed adjacent the first portion sized to retain the plurality of cables within the first portion.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each cable receiver is adapted to be disposed in alignment with the corresponding slot of the card shelf.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the second portion is sized less than the first portion and greater than a size of a single cable.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the retainer comprises a door rotatably coupled to the cable trough.

12. The cable routing system of claim 8, wherein the retainer is configured to extend over the second portion.

13. A method for managing cables of a card shelf comprising:

angling connections of frontal cables to electronic cards disposed within corresponding slots of the card shelf;

receiving the frontal cables from each electronic card in a cable receiver aligned with the corresponding slot containing the electronic card, the cable receiver having a holding portion and a retaining portion, the retaining portion sized smaller than the holding portion;

securing the cables within the cable receiver by enclosing the cable receiver;

routing the cables away front the electronic cards in a cable trough; and

spacing the cable receiver from the corresponding slot to allow removal of the electronic cards from the card shelf without removal of the connections from the cable receiver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the cables within the cable receiver comprises closing a door rotatably coupled to the cable trough.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein securing the cables further comprises disposing a portion of the door over the retaining portion.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the cables within the cable receiver comprises securing the cables within the cable receiver by disposing a retainer over the retaining portion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein disposing the retainer comprises:

rotatably coupling the retainer to the cable trough, the retainer having a flange configured to extend over the retaining portion.