Cable retaining system

• US 7,534,958 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: McNutt, Patrick S., Phung, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Dhiru R
• Application Number:
  US11/375,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20070031102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 174/50, 174/60, 174/68.1, 174/101, 174/135, 174/72.A, 174/97, 174/68.3, 174/96, 361/731, 361/735, 361/826, 361/686, 361/733, 439/76.1, 439/540.1, 211/26, 360/234.3, 385134-136, 385/137
• US Class Current: 174/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence

Abstract

Cable retainer implementations of a cable retaining system for use with patch panels and other multiport communication equipment are discussed herein. The cable retainer implementations can be useful for supporting, ordering, and otherwise managing cables coupled to multiport equipment found installed in communication racks or in stand-alone applications. The multiport equipment typically includes patch panels and can include other types of multiport equipment as well including network hubs.

Claims

1. A retainer system comprising:

a multiport equipment having at least two openings and at least two mounting holes;

a retainer member with two extension portions and a lateral portion extending between the two extension portions, each of said extension portions including at least one hole;

a pair of brackets, each of said brackets having an opening to receive a different one of the extension portions and a mounting opening, each of said brackets having at least one snap bearing to engage with the at least one hole of the different one of the extension portions;

at least one cable stay, the cable stay having an elongated member with a groove and a plurality of cable clamps attached to the elongated member, the groove sized to couple with the lateral portion of the retainer member, the cable clamps each shaped and sized to retainably engage with a cable; and

a plurality of fasteners, each of said fasteners receivable in one of the mounting holes and the mounting opening of one of the brackets to fasten the brackets to the multiport equipment with each of the openings of the brackets in alignment with one of the openings of the multiport equipment to receive one of the extension portions when the extension portions are received within the openings of the brackets and extend inward toward the multiport equipment.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the multiport equipment has a center portion and wherein the lateral portion of the retainer member is bent, whereby the cable is directed away from the center portion when the cable is retainably engaged with one of the cable clamps of the cable stay.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the lateral portion of the retainer member have at least two angled portions angled at an angle between 0 and 180 degrees to the other.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of a first portion of the cable clamps are arranged along the elongated member to be positioned above the lateral portion of the retainer member and each of a second portion of the cable clamps are arranged along the elongated member to be positioned below the lateral portion of the retainer member when the cable stay is coupled with the lateral portion of the retainer member.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the two openings of the multiport equipment are accessible from a front of the equipment.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the two openings of the multiport equipment are accessible from a rear of the equipment.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the multiport equipment is a patch panel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the lateral portion of the retainer member is a bar.

9. A retainer system comprising:

a multiport equipment having front and rear sides and at least two front openings on the front side and at least two rear openings on the rear side, and at least two mounting holes at the front side of the multiport equipment and at least two mounting holes at the rear side of the multiport equipment;

a first retainer member with two extension portions and a lateral portion extending between the two extension portions, each of said extension portions of the first retainer member including at least one hole;

a first pair of brackets, each of said first pair of brackets having an opening to receive a different one of the extension portions of the first retainer member and a mounting opening, each of said first pair of brackets having at least one snap bearing to engage with the at least one hole of the different one of the extension portions of the first retainer member;

at least one first cable stay, the first cable stay having an elongated member with a groove and a plurality of cable clamps attached to the elongated member, the groove of the first cable stay sized to couple with the lateral portion of the first retainer member, the cable clamps of the first cable stay each shaped and sized to retainably engage with a cable;

a plurality of first fasteners, each of said first fasteners receivable in one of the mounting holes at the front side of the multiport equipment and the mounting opening of one of the first pair of brackets to fasten the first pair of brackets to the front side of the multiport equipment with each of the openings of the first pair of brackets in alignment with one of the front openings of the multiport equipment to receive one of the extension portions of the first retainer member when the extension portions are received within the openings of the first pair of brackets and extend inward toward the multiport equipment;

a second retainer member with two extension portions and a lateral portion extending between the two extension portions, each of said extension portions of the second retainer member including at least one hole;

a second pair of brackets, each of said second pair of brackets having an opening to receive a different one of the extension portions of the second retainer member and a mounting opening, each of said second pair of brackets having at least one snap bearing to engage with the at least one hole of the different one of the extension portions of the second retainer member;

at least one second cable stay, the second cable stay having an elongated member with a groove and a plurality of cable clamps attached to the elongated member, the groove of the second cable stay sized to couple with the lateral portion of the second retainer member, the cable clamps of the second cable stay each shaped and sized to retainably engage with a cable; and

a plurality of second fasteners, each of said second fasteners receivable in one of the mounting holes at the rear side of the multiport equipment and the mounting opening of one of the second pair of brackets to fasten the second pair of brackets to the rear side of the multiport equipment with each of the openings of the second pair of brackets in alignment with one of the rear openings of the multiport equipment to receive one of the extension portions of the second retainer member when the extension portions are received within the openings of the second pair of brackets and extend inward toward the multiport equipment.

10. A retainer system comprising:

a multiport equipment having two attachment openings;

a retainer bar with two extension portions and a lateral portion extending between the two extension portions, the two extension portions coupled to the multiport equipment with each of said extension portions extendable into a different one of the two attachment openings of the multiport equipment; and

at least one cable stay, the cable stay having an elongated member with a groove and a plurality of cable clamps attached to the elongated member, the groove sized to removably and slidably couple with the lateral portion of the retainer bar for selective lateral siding movement of the cable stay along the lateral portion of the retainer bar, as desired to locate the cable stay along the lateral portion at a desired location, the cable clamps each shaped and sized to retainably engage with a cable.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the lateral portion of the retainer bar is bent to form at least two angled portions.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein a first portion of the cable clamps are positioned above the lateral portion of the retainer bar and a second portion of the cable clamps are positioned below the lateral portion of the retainer bar when the cable stay is coupled with the lateral portion of the retainer bar.