Fiber access terminal

• US 7,941,027 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Rudenick, Paula, Smith, Trevor D., Gronvall, Erik, Nelson, Keith, Ferris, Matthew D., Mertesdorf, Daniel Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Pak; Sung H
• Application Number:
  US12/470,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20090297112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4442 Cap coupling boxes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4446 Cable boxes, e.g. splicing boxes with two or more multi fibre cables

Abstract

A fiber access terminal for mounting to the end of a fiber distribution cable and configured to be extended through a buried conduit. The fiber distribution cable may include a plurality of optical fibers and enters a housing of the terminal through a base. The terminal also includes a plurality of fiber optic connectors or adapters extending through the housing in generally the same direction as the fiber distribution cable for connecting to optical fiber customer drop cables. The terminal includes a cover and the housing defining an interior and the interior includes a cable slack storage arrangement providing bend radius protection for the optical fiber cables within the interior. A method of assembling a fiber access terminal. A fiber access terminal assembly including a pedestal mounting arrangement.

Claims

1. A fiber access terminal comprising:

an enclosure including;

a housing including a first end, an oppositely disposed second end, an interior side and an exterior side, the exterior side includes a plurality of angled mounting projections, each of the angled mounting projections includes a mounting face that is angled toward the first end;

a cover sealingly engaged to the interior side of the housing, the cover and the housing cooperatively defining an interior;

a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted at the mounting faces of the angled mounting projections, each fiber optic adapter including a first end accessible from within the interior of the enclosure and a second end accessible from outside the enclosure;

a cable management insert positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the cable management insert including a cable routing side facing toward one of the housing and the cover and an oppositely disposed cable receiving side facing toward the other of the housing and the cover; and

a splitter mounted to the cable receiving side of the cable management insert.

2. The fiber access terminal of claim 1, wherein the cable routing side of the cable management insert includes a fiber routing path and a slack storage path for managing optical fibers.

3. The fiber access terminal of claim 2, wherein the cable management insert defines a plurality of cable pass-throughs that extend through the cable receiving side and the cable routing side.

4. The fiber access terminal of claim 2, wherein the cable management insert includes a plurality of retention tabs positioned about the fiber routing path, the retention tabs being adapted to retain optical fibers within the fiber routing path.

5. The fiber access terminal of claim 1, wherein the cable receiving side of the cable management insert includes a plurality of brackets that is adapted to hold the splitter.

6. The fiber access terminal of claim 1, wherein a gasket is disposed between the housing and the cover.

7. A fiber access terminal assembly comprising:

an enclosure including;

a housing including a first end, an oppositely disposed second end, an interior side and an exterior side, the exterior side includes a plurality of angled mounting projections, each of the angled mounting projections includes a mounting face that is angled toward the first end;

a cover sealingly engaged to the interior side of the housing, the cover and the housing cooperatively defining an interior;

a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted at the mounting faces of the angled mounting projections, each fiber optic adapter including a first end accessible from within the interior of the enclosure and a second end accessible from outside the enclosure;

a cable management insert positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the cable management insert including a cable routing side and an oppositely disposed cable receiving side, the cable routing side of the cable management insert includes a fiber routing path and a slack storage path for managing optical fibers;

a splitter mounted to the cable receiving side of the cable management insert;

a fiber optic cable including an end disposed in the interior of the enclosure, the end of the fiber optic cable being connected to the splitter; and

a plurality of optical fibers being routed from the splitter through the fiber routing path of the cable management insert to the first ends of the fiber optic adapters.

8. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein the cable management insert includes at least one curved fiber guide structure for guiding the optical fibers along a curved path.

9. The fiber access terminal of claim 7, wherein the cable receiving side of the cable management insert includes a plurality of brackets that is adapted to hold the splitter.

10. The fiber access terminal of claim 7, wherein a gasket is disposed between the housing and the cover.

11. The fiber access terminal of claim 7, wherein the cable management insert includes a plurality of retention tabs positioned about the fiber routing path, the retention tabs being adapted to retain optical fibers within the fiber routing path.

12. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein the cable receiving side of the cable management insert faces toward the rear piece of the enclosure and the cable routing side of the cable management insert faces toward the housing of the enclosure.

13. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein portions of one or more of the optical fibers are stored in a looped configuration at the cable routing side of the cable management insert.

14. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein the cable management insert includes straight side walls and curved fiber guide walls that cooperate to define at least some of the fiber routing and slack storage paths on the cable management insert.

15. A fiber access terminal assembly comprising:

an enclosure including;

a housing including a cable pass-through end, an oppositely disposed non-pass-through end, an interior side and an exterior side, the exterior side including a plurality of mounting faces;

a cover sealingly engaged to the interior side of the housing, the cover and the housing cooperatively defining an interior;

a plurality of ruggedized optical fiber cable connections sealingly mounted at the mounting faces of the housing, each of the ruggedized optical fiber cable connections including a fiber optic adapter having a first end accessible from within the interior of the enclosure and a second end accessible from outside the enclosure;

a cable management insert positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the cable management insert including a cable routing side facing toward one of the housing and the cover and an oppositely disposed cable receiving side facing toward the other of the housing and the cover;

a splitter mounted to the cable receiving side of the cable management insert;

a fiber optic cable entering/exiting the enclosure through the cable pass-through end, the fiber optic cable including an end disposed in the interior of the enclosure, the end of the fiber optic cable being connected to the splitter; and

a plurality of optical fibers being routed from the splitter to the first ends of the fiber optic adapters.

16. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 15, wherein the cable routing side of the cable management insert includes a fiber routing path and a slack storage path for managing optical fibers.

17. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 16, wherein the cable management insert defines a plurality of cable pass-throughs that extend through the cable receiving side and the cable routing side.

18. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 16, wherein the cable management insert includes a plurality of retention tabs positioned about the fiber routing path, the retention tabs being adapted to retain optical fibers within the fiber routing path.

19. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 15, wherein the cable receiving side of the cable management insert includes a plurality of brackets that is adapted to hold the splitter.

20. The fiber access terminal assembly of claim 15, wherein a gasket is disposed between the housing and the cover.