Adapter panel with lateral sliding adapter arrays

• US 7,873,252 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2009
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• 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): Doan; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/460,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20100119201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 385/134, 385/135
• 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 6/4446 Cable boxes, e.g. splicing boxes with two or more multi fibre cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4455 characterised by the way of extraction or insertion of the cassette in the distribution frame, e.g. pivoting, sliding, rotating or gliding
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/023 using sliding mechanisms for accessing the interior of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/06 Cable ducts or mountings specially adapted for exchange installations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/142 Terminal blocks for distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0003 Details

Abstract

An adapter panel arrangement including a chassis and a panel of adapters. The adapters defining open rearward cable connections and open forward cable connections of the panel arrangement. The adapters being arranged in arrays that slide independently of other adapter arrays to provide access to the open rearward and open forward cable connections.

Claims

1. An adapter panel arrangement, comprising:

a) a chassis having a front opening;

b) a drawer that slides relative to the chassis;

c) a plurality of sliding frame pieces carried by the drawer, the sliding frame pieces sliding independent of the drawer; and

d) adapter arrays carried by the frame pieces, the adapter arrays being arranged in rows, the adapter arrays defining frontward open cable connection locations;

e) wherein the adapter arrays slide with the frame pieces in a lateral direction independent of the other adapter arrays toward the front opening of the chassis to provide access to the frontward open cable connection locations of the adapter arrays.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least some of the adapter arrays are carried by frame pieces vertically arranged in relation to one another.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the adapter arrays include at least two side-by-side arrays.

4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the at least two side-by-side arrays are carried by two side-by-side frame pieces.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the adapter arrays include rearward open cable connection locations.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each adapter array slides a distance of no more than about 4.0 inches in the lateral direction.

7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein each adapter array slides a distance of about 1.7 inches in the lateral direction.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, further including a framework structure mounted to the drawer, the framework structure including guides, each of the frame pieces being slidably mounted to a pair of the guides.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the framework structure is mounted to a bottom surface of the drawer.

10. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein the sliding frame pieces each have elongated rail members that slide within the guides of the framework structure.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, further including a stop arrangement that restricts lateral sliding movement of the frame pieces between a rearward position and a forward position.

12. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the stop arrangement includes a projection formed on one of the guides and the rail members, and a detent formed in the other of the guides and the rail members.

13. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein the projection is formed on the guides of the framework structure and the detent is formed in the rail members of the sliding frame piece.

14. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the frame pieces define handles located forward of the adapter arrays, the handles being accessible to pull thereon to laterally slide the adapter arrays toward the front opening.

15. An adapter panel arrangement, comprising:

a) a chassis defining a chassis interior, the chassis having a front opening;

b) a drawer that slides relative to the chassis;

c) a face panel assembly mounted to the drawer, the face panel assembly defining rows of adapters, each row of adapters sliding in a lateral direction independent of the other rows of adapters toward the front opening of the chassis, each row of adapters further sliding independent of the drawer; and

d) a front cover located adjacent to the front opening, the front cover enclosing the rows of adapters of the face panel assembly within the chassis interior when the front cover is closed.

16. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein each row of adapters slides a distance of no more than about 4.0 inches in the lateral direction.

17. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the face panel assembly further includes a framework structure mounted to the drawer, the framework structure including guides, the rows of adapters being slidably mounted to pairs of the guides.

18. The arrangement of claim 17, wherein the framework structure is mounted to a bottom surface of the drawer.

19. The arrangement of claim 17, wherein the rows of adapters are mounted to sliding frame pieces, the sliding frame pieces having elongated rail members that slide within the guides of the framework structure.

20. The arrangement of claim 19, further including a stop arrangement that restricts lateral sliding movement of the frame pieces between a rearward position and a forward position.

21. The arrangement of claim 20, wherein the stop arrangement includes a projection formed on one of the guides and the rail members, and a detent formed in the other of the guides and the rail members.

22. The arrangement of claim 21, wherein the projection is formed on the guides of the framework structure and the detent is formed in the rail members of the sliding frame piece.

23. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the rows of adapters define open frontward cable connection locations, and wherein each row of adapters slides in the lateral direction independent of other rows of adapters toward the front opening to provide access to the open frontward cable connection locations.

24. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the rows of adapters are defined by unenclosed adapters.

25. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein each row of adapters includes at least two adapter arrays arranged side-by-side, each adapter array in the row sliding in the lateral direction independent of the other adapter array in the row.