Cable management rack with pass-through tray

• US 7,562,779 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: Bravo, Rey, Cozad, Richard D., Wojcik, Alan F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newton; Jared W.
• Application Number:
  US10/820,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 211/26, 211/85.5, 211/126.1, 211/133.4, 385/135, 174/50, 174/65.R, 361/826, 361/827, 361/829, 312/223.6, 312/223.1, 242/407, 242/400.1
• US Class Current: 211/26
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1449 with connections to the back board

Abstract

A cable management rack for routing cables thereon. The rack has a front side and a rear side. The rack includes a frame, first and second frame-mountable components, each of the components having a plurality of ports configured for receiving an end of one of the cables therein, and a frame-mountable pass-through tray disposed on the frame between the first and second components, the pass-through tray for routing the cables between the front side of the rack and the rear side of the rack.

Claims

1. A cable management rack for routing cables thereon, said rack having a front side and a rear side and said rack comprising:

a frame;

a frame-mountable pass-through tray disposed on said frame, said pass-through tray having a base and sidewalls defining a front-to-back channel in a center of the tray for routing said cables between said front side of said rack and said rear side of said rack, said pass-through tray including at least one upstanding spool disposed substantially at a center of said tray, a width of the front-to-back channel being substantially constant along a length of the front-to-back channel;

a rear channel adjacent to and extending substantially perpendicular to the front-to-back channel;

a slack manager having a plurality of spools at different elevations, the frame having a first vertical side rail to which the slack manager and tray are connected on opposite sides; and

an end cap connected to the slack manager such that the end cap extends substantially parallel with the front-to-back channel and the slack manager is disposed between the end cap and the vertical side rail, wherein the rear channel has openings on opposing ends, the end cap terminating one of the openings.

2. A rack in accordance with claim 1 wherein a set of the spools are vertically aligned, at least one of the spools being out of alignment with the set of spools such that a distance between the at least one of the spools and the vertical side rail is different than a distance between the set of spools and the vertical side rail.

3. A rack in accordance with claim 2 wherein the at least one of the spools comprises the spool adjacent to a lowermost spool of the plurality of spools.

4. A rack in accordance with claim 2 wherein the at least one of the spools is more proximate to the vertical side rail than the set of spools.

5. A rack in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a bend radius control portion over the openings, the bend radius control portion curving downwardly and rearwardly.

6. A rack in accordance with claim 1 further comprising an second vertical side rail opposing the first side rail and wherein the rack contains a plurality of the trays, the rack further comprising a plurality of fans disposed on the front of the rack between adjacent trays generally aligned proximate and parallel to the first and second vertical side rails, adjacent fans separated by a substantially constant distance, the fans curving outward and downward.

7. A rack in accordance with claim 6 wherein the tray further comprises:

bend radius control portions that curve outward from the sidewalls that form the front-to-back channel, and

bend radius control extensions connected to the bend radius control portions, the bend radius control extensions curving downward and inward, the bend radius control extensions opposing uppermost fans of the plurality of fans and substantially contiguous with lowermost fans of the plurality of fans.

8. A rack in accordance with claim 6 wherein each fan comprises a bend radius control surface containing finger holes.

9. A rack in accordance with claim 6 further comprising enclosures mounted between adjacent trays and adapted to receive communication equipment therein.

10. A multiple-rack system of cable management racks for routing cables thereon and therebetween, said system including adjacent racks each having a front side and a rear side, each of said adjacent racks comprising:

a frame;

a frame-mountable pass-through tray disposed on said frame, said pass-through tray having a base and sidewalls defining a front-to-back channel in a center of the tray for routing said cables between said front side of said rack and said rear side of said rack, said tray including a rear channel adjacent to and extending substantially perpendicular to said front-to-back channel, said rear channel having openings on opposing ends, said rear channel containing a trough generally planar with and connected to said base and a rear wall on an opposite side of said trough as said base, said pass-through tray including at least one upstanding spool that is disposed at a center of said tray, a width of the front-to-back channel being substantially constant along a length of the front-to-back channel;

wherein opposing openings of said rear channels of said trays of said adjacent racks are connected together such that said rear channels are contiguous; and

wherein each adjacent rack further comprises a slack manager having a plurality of spools at different elevations, the frame of the rack having a first vertical side rail to which the slack manager of the rack and the tray of the rack are connected on opposite sides, and

wherein the slack manager of a first of the adjacent racks is connected to a second of the adjacent racks such that the slack manager of the first of the adjacent racks is disposed between the adjacent racks; and

an end cap connected to the slack manager of the second of the adjacent racks such that the end cap extends substantially parallel with the front-to-back channel of the second of the adjacent racks and the slack manager of the second of the adjacent racks is disposed between the end cap and the vertical side rail of the second of the adjacent racks, the end cap terminating one of the openings of the rear channel of the second of the adjacent racks.

11. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 10 wherein a set of the spools of each slack manager are vertically aligned, at least one of the spools being out of alignment with the set of spools such that a distance between the at least one of the spools of the rack and the vertical side rail of the rack is different than a distance between the set of spools of the rack and the vertical side rail of the rack.

12. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the at least one of the spools is more proximate to the vertical side rail than the set of spools.

13. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the at least one of the spools comprises the spool adjacent to a lowermost spool of the plurality of spools.

14. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 10 further comprising a second vertical side rail and wherein each adjacent rack contains a plurality of the trays, the rack further comprising a plurality of fans disposed on the front of the rack between adjacent trays generally aligned proximate and parallel to the first and second vertical side rails, adjacent fans separated by a substantially constant distance, the fans curving outward and downward.

15. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 14 wherein each fan comprises a bend radius control surface containing finger holes.

16. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the tray further comprises:

bend radius control portions that curve outward from the sidewalls that form the front-to-back channel, and

bend radius control extensions connected to the bend radius control portions, the bend radius control extensions curving downward and inward, the bend radius control extensions opposing uppermost fans of the plurality of fans and substantially contiguous with lowermost fans of the plurality of fans.

17. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 14 further comprising enclosures mounted between adjacent trays and adapted to receive communication equipment therein.

18. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 17 wherein each of the enclosures is disposed such that the enclosure overlaps a majority of the base of the front-to-back channel.

19. A multiple-rack system in accordance with claim 10 further comprising a bend radius control portion over each opening, the bend radius control portion curving downwardly and rearwardly.