Fiber optic adapter cassette and panel

• US 7,493,002 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Coburn, Hutch, Smrha, Mark, Sjodin, Chad
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, ELLEN E
• Application Number:
  US11/655,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 385/135, 379/325
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3825 with an intermediate part, e.g. adapter, receptacle, linking two plugs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4453 Cassettes

Abstract

An adapter cassette including a housing and a plurality of fiber optic adapters. The fiber optic adapters being angled relative to a front plane defined by the housing. The fiber optic adapters being interconnected to a multi-fiber cable connecter by fiber optic cables located within an interior of the housing. The adapter cassette further including a quick-release cover that provides access to the interior of the housing.

Claims

1. A fiber optic adapter cassette, comprising:

a) a housing defining an interior, the housing including;

i) a front wall defining a plurality of openings;

ii) a rear wall opposite the front wall, the rear wall including an opening;

b) a cover detachably secured to the housing, the cover including only a single moveable latch that is selectively moved relative to the cover to provide provides access to the interior of the housing;

c) a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted within the openings of the front wall, each of the adapters defining an exterior connection end and an interior connection end, the exterior connection ends of the adapters being angled in a non-perpendicular direction relative to a plane defined by the front wall of the housing, the plurality of fiber optic adapters including one of LC type adapters and SC type adapters;

d) a multi-fiber cable adapter mounted within the opening of the rear wall of the housing, the multi-fiber cable adapter defining an exterior connection end and an interior connection end; and

e) a plurality of optical cable connections located within the interior of the housing, each optical cable connection being terminated to the internal connection end of the multi-fiber cable adapter and the internal connection end of one of the fiber optic adapters.

2. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the front wall of the housing is a corrugated wall defining a number of angled notches, the openings being located in the angled notches.

3. The cassette of claim 2, wherein the angled notches each define two openings that each receives one of the fiber optic adapters.

4. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the single latch of the cover engages a latching aperture formed in a side wall of the housing to detachably secure the cover to the housing.

5. The cassette of claim 4, wherein the single latch is a swell-type latch.

6. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the cover defines a first edge and a second edge, the first edge having a tab that engages a slot formed in a first side wall of the housing, the second edge having a flange on which the single latch is mounted.

7. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the front wall includes mounting flanges that mounts the cassette to a telecommunications structure.

8. A fiber optic adapter cassette, comprising:

a) a housing defining an interior, the housing including;

i) a front wall defining a plurality of openings;

ii) a rear wall opposite the front wall;

iii) a first side wall extending between the front wall and the rear wall;

iv) a second side wall opposite the first side wall and extending between the front wall and the rear wall, the second side wall being non-parallel to the first side wall; and

v) a bottom wall;

b) a cover detachably secured to the housing, the cover providing access to the interior of the housing, the cover defining the top wall of the housing;

c) a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted within the openings of the front wall, each of the adapters defining an exterior connection end and an interior connection end, the exterior connection ends of the adapters being angled in a direction toward the second side wall of the housing; and

d) a multi-fiber cable adapter mounted on the rear wall of the housing adjacent to the first side wall.

9. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the front wall of the housing is a corrugated wall defining a number of angled notches, the openings being located in the angled notches.

10. The cassette of claim 9, wherein the angled notches each define two openings that each receives one of the fiber optic adapters.

11. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the plurality of fiber optic adapters includes LC type adapters.

12. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the plurality of fiber optic adapters includes SC type adapters.

13. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the rear wall extends a first distance between the first and second side walls, and wherein the front wall extends a second distance between the first and second sidewalls, the first distance being less than one-half the second distance.

14. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the cover includes only a single latch that secures the attachment of the cover to the housing, and that releases the attachment of the cover from the housing.

15. The cassette of claim 14, wherein the single latch of the cover engages a latching aperture formed in the second side wall of the housing to detachably secure the cover to the housing.

16. The cassette of claim 15, wherein the single latch is disposed on a flange that extends generally perpendicular to the cover.

17. The cassette of claim 15, wherein the single latch is a swell-type latch.

18. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the cover defines a first edge and a second edge, the first edge having a tab that engages a slot formed in the first side wall of the housing, the second edge having a flange on which a latch is mounted.

19. The cassette of claim 8, wherein the front wall includes mounting flanges that mounts the cassette to a telecommunications structure.

20. The cassette of claim 19, wherein the mounting flanges of the front wall including a first mounting flange provided adjacent to the first side wall of the housing and a second mounting flange provided adjacent to the second side wall of the housing.

21. The cassette of claim 8, further including a plurality of single optical connections connected between the multi-fiber cable adapter and each one of the fiber optic adapters, the single optical connections being enclosed within the housing when the cover is secured to the housing.

22. A termination panel, comprising:

a) a chassis;

b) a plurality of adapter cassettes mounted to the chassis, each of the cassettes including;

i) a housing defining an interior;

ii) a cover detachably secured to the housing, the cover including only a single latch that provides access to the interior of the housing;

iii) a plurality of angled fiber optic adapters mounted to the front of the housing, each of the adapters having an exterior connection end that angles toward the side of the chassis, the plurality of fiber optic adapters including one of LC type adapters and SC type adapters;

iv) a multi-fiber cable adapter mounted to the rear of the housing; and

v) a plurality of optical cable connections located within the interior of the housing, each optical cable connection being terminated to the multi-fiber cable adapter and one of the fiber optic adapters;

c) a multi-fiber cable connected to the multi-fiber cable adapter of one of the adapter cassettes; and

d) a patching cable connected to one of the angled fiber optic adapters of the one adapter cassette.

23. The panel of claim 22, wherein the housing is a wedge-shaped housing including:

a) a front wall;

b) a rear wall opposite the front wall;

c) a first side wall extending between the front wall and the rear wall; and

d) a second angled side wall opposite the first side wall and extending between the front wall and the rear wall.

24. The panel of claim 23, wherein the wedge-shaped housings of the plurality of adapter cassettes are mounted in a side-by-side relationship such that the first side walls of the adapter cassettes are located adjacent to one another.

25. The panel of claim 24, wherein the adapter cassettes mounted in the side-by-side relationship define a first pair of adapter cassettes, the plurality of adapter cassettes including a second pair of adapter cassettes stacked upon the first pair of adapter cassettes.