Splice tray arrangement

• US 7,274,852 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bison Patent Licensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Smrha, Mark, Sjodin, Chad
• Primary Examiner(s): Connelly-Cushwa; Michelle R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peace; Rhonda S.
• Application Number:
  US11/292,782
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 385134-137
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4454 with splices

Abstract

A splice tray arranged to manage and store both stranded fiber optic cables and ribbon fiber optic cables. The tray includes a splice holding arrangement that accommodates both stranded splice components and ribbon splice components. The tray also includes a storage arrangement having radius limiting arrangements that define a number of storage or routing pathways that accommodate varying lengths of both stranded fiber optic cables and ribbon fiber optic cables.

Claims

1. A splice tray arrangement, comprising:

a) a base having a first end and a second end;

b) a first radius limiting arrangement positioned adjacent to the first end of the base, and a second radius limiting arrangement positioned adjacent to the second end of the base, each of the first and second radius limiting arrangements including a plurality of radius elements defining a number of cable slack loops, each of the plurality of radius elements of the first and second radius limiting arrangements including;

i) a first curved wall element; and

ii) a second curved wall element;

iii) wherein an inner cable slack loop of the number of cable slack loops is defined between the first curved wall element and the second curved wall element, and an outer cable slack loop of the number of cable slack loops is defined between the second curved wall element and the respective end of the base;

c) a splice holding arrangement located between the first radius limiting arrangement the second radius limiting arrangement, the splice holding arrangement including channels sized to hold both a stranded cable splice component and a ribbon cable splice component; and

d) a number of spliced cables wrapped about the first and second radius limiting arrangements, the spliced cables including splice components positioned within the channels of the splice holding arrangement, wherein the cables are routed through the first and second cable limiting arrangements such that the cables do not cross over one another.

2. The splice tray arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner cable slack loop of one of the first and second radius limiting arrangements is a first inner slack loop, the one of the first and second radius limiting arrangements further including a second inner slack loop.

3. The splice tray arrangement of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second radius limiting arrangements further includes a spooling pathway.

4. The splice tray arrangement of claim 1, wherein the spliced cables include stranded cables.

5. The splice tray arrangement of claim 1, wherein the splice cables include ribbon cables.

6. The splice tray arrangement of claim 1, further including text formed in the base, the text including information on how to re-route slack cable within the splice tray arrangement in the event slack cable is utilized for maintenance of a cable.

7. A splice tray arrangement, comprising:

a) a base having a first end and a second end;

b) a storage arrangement formed in the base, the storage arrangement including a plurality of radius limiting elements extending upward from the base, the plurality of radius limiting elements defining at least an outer cable pathway and an inner cable pathway, curved end portions of the outer cable pathway being separated from curved end portions of the inner cable pathway by an intermediate radius limiting element of the plurality of radius limiting elements;

c) a splice holding arrangement formed in the base, the splice holding arrangement being positioned between the radius limiting elements that define the outer and inner cable pathways, the splice holding arrangement being configured to hold both stranded cable splice components and ribbon cable splice components; and

d) a number of spliced cables routed in the pathways of the storage arrangement, the spliced cables including splice components positioned within channels of the splice holding arrangement, wherein the cables are routed in the pathways of the storage arrangement such that the cables do not cross over one another.

8. The splice tray arrangement of claim 7, wherein the curved end portions of the outer cable pathway include a first outer slack loop located at the first end of the base and a second outer slack loop located at the second end of the base.

9. The splice tray arrangement of claim 8, wherein the curved end portions of the inner cable pathway include a first inner slack loop located at the first end of the base and a second inner slack loop located at the second end of the base.

10. The splice tray arrangement of claim 9, wherein the storage arrangement further includes a third inner slack loop located at one of the first and second ends of the base.

11. The splice tray arrangement of claim 7, wherein the storage arrangement further includes a spooling pathway.

12. The splice tray arrangement of claim 7, wherein the spliced cables include stranded cables.

13. The splice tray arrangement of claim 7, wherein the splice cables include ribbon cables.

14. The splice tray arrangement of claim 7, further including text formed in the base, the text including information on how to re-route slack cable within the splice tray arrangement in the event slack cable is utilized for maintenance of a cable.

15. A splice tray arrangement, comprising:

a) a base having a first end and a second end;

b) a storage arrangement formed in the base, the storage arrangement including a plurality of radius limiting elements that define at least an outer cable pathway and an inner cable pathway, the outer cable pathway including a first outer slack loop located at the first end of the base and a second outer slack loop located at the second end of the base, the inner cable pathway including an first inner slack loop located at the first end of the base and a second inner slack loop located at the second end of the base, each of the outer slack loops and the inner slack loops of the outer and inner cable pathways being separated by an intermediate radius limiting element having a curved wall;

c) a splice holding arrangement formed in the base, the splice holding arrangement being positioned between the radius limiting elements that define the outer and inner cable pathways; and

d) a number of spliced cables routed in the pathways of the storage arrangement, the spliced cables including splice components positioned within channels of the splice holding arrangement, wherein the cables are routed in the pathways of the storage arrangement such that the cables do not cross over one another.

16. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, wherein the splice holding arrangement is configured to hold both stranded cable splice components and ribbon cable splice components.

17. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, wherein the storage arrangement further includes a third inner slack loop located at one of the first and second ends of the base.

18. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, wherein the storage arrangement further includes a spooling pathway.

19. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, wherein the spliced cables include stranded cables.

20. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, wherein the splice cables include ribbon cables.

21. The splice tray arrangement of claim 15, further including text formed in the base, the text including information on how to re-route slack cable within the splice tray arrangement in the event slack cable is utilized for maintenance of a cable.