Vertical cable management rack

• US 6,489,565 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chatsworth Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Chatsworth Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Ballesteros, Enrie Rillo, Melamed, Bryan Joel, Krietzman, William Drew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nino, Adolfo
• Application Number:
  US09/954,344
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/49, 174/50, 174/54, 174/60, 174/68.3, 174/97, 174/101, 174/72.A, 211/26, 211/189, 248/49, 248/68.1
• US Class Current: 174/101
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/045 provided with perforations or slots permitting introduction or exit of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/062 vertical management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/064 horizontal management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2201/02 Details of frames

Abstract

A vertical cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment includes a trough having a base member and two side members and at least one separable cable guide installed on the edge of a side member. The cable guide includes a plurality of projections forming cable rings for guiding cables laterally from the side of the trough.

Claims

1. A cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment, the raceway comprising:

a trough having a base member and two side members; and

at least one separable cable guide installed on an edge one of the two side members, the cable guide including a plurality of projections forming cable rings for guiding cables laterally from a side of the trough.

2. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein the cable rings are disposed relative to each other at an interval corresponding to a standard rack mounting unit.

3. The cable raceway of claim 2, wherein the interval is exactly one standard rack mounting unit.

4. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein a dimension of each cable ring is selected to correspond to a standard rack mounting unit.

5. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein the trough is made from a first material and the cable guide is made from a second material.

6. The cable raceway of claim 5, wherein the first material is a metal and the second material is a plastic.

7. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein at least a first side member of the two side members includes an aperture, and wherein the cable guide includes a correspondingly-disposed boss for mating with the aperture when the cable guide is installed on the first side member.

8. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein the cable guide includes at least two planar members forming a channel therebetween, and wherein an edge of at least a first side member of the two side members is disposed in the channel when the cable guide is installed on the first side member.

9. The cable raceway of claim 8, wherein one of the planar members is a planar flange extending generally the length of the cable guide.

10. The cable raceway of claim 9, wherein another of the planar members is a tab.

11. The cable raceway of claim 10, wherein the tab is one of a series of tabs disposed along the cable guide.

12. The cable raceway of claim 1, wherein the cable guide includes a positioning boss for guiding the cable guide into place on one of the side members.

13. The cable raceway of claim 12, wherein at least one side member includes a slot extending toward the cable guide, and wherein a positioning boss on the cable guide is adapted to engage with the slot.

14. A cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment, the raceway comprising:

a trough having a base member and two side members, wherein at least one of the side members includes primary and secondary longitudinal portions, wherein the primary and secondary longitudinal portions are planar in form, wherein the primary and secondary longitudinal portions are generally parallel to each other, wherein each longitudinal portion includes a proximate edge and a distal edge, wherein the primary longitudinal portion is connected along its proximate edge to the base member, and wherein the secondary longitudinal portion is disposed along the distal edge of, and inwardly offset from, the primary longitudinal portion; and

a cable guide, including a plurality of projections, disposed along the distal edge of the secondary longitudinal portion and extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the base member of the trough.

15. A cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment, the raceway comprising:

a trough having a base member and two side members, wherein each of the side members includes primary and secondary longitudinal portions, wherein each respective longitudinal portion includes a proximate edge and a distal edge, wherein the primary longitudinal portion of each side member is connected along its proximate edge to the base member, wherein the secondary longitudinal portion of each side member is disposed along the distal edge of, and inwardly offset from, the respective primary longitudinal portion, and wherein the primary longitudinal portions of the side members define a maximum width of the cable raceway; and

at least two cable guides, each including a plurality of projections, wherein at least one cable guide is disposed along the distal edge of the secondary longitudinal portion of each side member and extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the base member of the trough, wherein the width defined by the outermost surfaces of the cable guides is less than the maximum width of the cable raceway.

16. A cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment, the raceway comprising:

a channel assembly having a trough and a plurality of projections extending therefrom, the projections for guiding cables laterally from a side of the trough, wherein each projection has a distal end; and

a cover assembly having a cover and a plurality of hinge supports, wherein the cover is disposed at the distal ends of the projections, wherein the structure of each hinge support is reinforced relative to the structure of the projections to support the weight of the cover, and wherein each hinge support is disposed adjacent to at least two of the plurality of projections.

17. The cable raceway of claim 16, wherein each hinge support has a proximal end and a distal end, each hinge support being supported at its proximal end by the trough, and the distal end of each hinge support supporting the cover.

18. The cable raceway of claim 17, wherein adjacent pairs of projections are each defined by a first projection of the plurality of projections in combination with an immediately adjacent second projection of the plurality of projections, wherein cable rings are formed by adjacent pairs of projections.

19. The cable raceway of claim 18, wherein the projections are generally T-shaped.

20. The cable raceway of claim 18, wherein a narrow gap is formed in each cable ring between adjacent projections, and wherein the vertical dimension of the gap is substantially smaller than the vertical dimension of the cable ring.

21. The cable raceway of claim 17, wherein each hinge support includes a hinge, and wherein the cover may be hinged open and supported on the hinges.

22. The cable raceway of claim 17, wherein the projections are disposed at intervals substantially equal to one standard rack mounting unit.

23. The cable raceway of claim 22, wherein each hinge support has a vertical dimension substantially equivalent to the intervals between the projections.

24. The cable raceway of claim 17, wherein the trough defines two sides, wherein at least one hinge support is disposed along each side, and wherein the cover may alternatively be hinged open about the hinge supports on either side of the trough.

25. The cable raceway of claim 16, wherein each hinge support has a vertical dimension substantially equal to a single rack mounting unit.

26. A cable raceway for routing cables to electronic equipment, the raceway comprising:

a double-channel assembly having at least on e base member and at least one pair of side members, forming two separate back-to-back channels, and a plurality of projections extending from the side members for guiding cables laterally from a side of the double-channel assembly; and

a pair of cover assemblies, each having a cover having at least two lateral edges and at least one hinge disposed along each lateral edge, wherein the cover may be hinged open about the hinges along either lateral edge of the cover.

27. The cable raceway of claim 26, further including a plurality of lock assemblies, wherein each hinge has a single lock assembly associated therewith, each lock assembly being selectively deployable in at least two states, wherein the deployable states include a locked state wherein the cover may be hinged open about the hinge corresponding to the lock assembly, and an unlocked state wherein the cover may be separated from the channel at the hinge corresponding to the lock assembly.