Sliding adapter panel with living hinge and forward/rearward locking

• US 8,179,684 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Smrha, Mark, Sjodin, Chad James, Tinucci, Thomas C
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffberg, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US12/287,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20090129033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 361724-727, 361749-759, 361/679.57, 361/679.58, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 312/223.3, 248/298.1, 248/274.1, 248/122.1
• US Class Current: 361/756
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44528 Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box routing arrangements H04Q1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4453 Cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/023 using sliding mechanisms for accessing the interior of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/068 arranged on the rear side
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/142 Terminal blocks for distribution frames

Abstract

An adapter panel including a chassis and a plurality of sliding adapter packs that define a front adapter field of the adapter panel. The sliding adapter packs includes a frame assembly having a living hinge and a lever arm. The living hinge locks the sliding adapter packs into both a forward and a rearward position. The living hinge is activated by either pulling or pushing the lever arm.

Claims

1. An adapter panel, comprising:

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

b) mounting guides located within the interior of the chassis; and

c) a plurality of sliding adapter packs mounted to the mounting guides, the plurality of sliding adapter packs each being configured to slide independent of one another between a forward position and a rearward position, and between the rearward position and the forward position, the plurality of sliding adapter packs each defining a face panel including an array of adapters, and the plurality of sliding adapter packs each including a hinging member and a handle;

i) each hinging member having a locking tab that engages one of the mounting guides to lock the respective sliding adapter pack of the plurality of sliding adapter packs into a selected position chosen from the respective forward position and the respective rearward position; and

ii) each handle when pushed or pulled activating the respective hinging member to disengage the respective locking tab from the respective one of the mounting guides to allow sliding movement away from the selected position.

2. The adapter panel of claim 1, further including a front chassis cover located adjacent to the front opening, the front chassis cover and the chassis enclosing the face panels of the sliding adapter packs when the front chassis cover is closed.

3. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein each face panel has the respective array of adapters positioned in only one row.

4. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein each face panel has the respective array of adapters positioned in only one column.

5. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs includes at least two sliding adapter packs positioned side-by-side within the interior of the chassis.

6. The adapter panel of claim 5, wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs includes a number of stacked sliding adapter packs.

7. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs each includes a second locking tab, and wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs each slidably mount to a respective pair of the mounting guides, the one of the mounting guides being one of the respective pair of the mounting guides, and wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs are each locked into the respective selected position when the respective locking tab and the respective second locking tab cooperate to engage the respective pair of the mounting guides.

8. The adapter panel of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs each also include a sliding frame assembly, the sliding frame assembly having elongated rail members that slide within the respective pair of the mounting guides.

9. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs and the mounting guides are mounted to a drawer that slides relative to the chassis, the plurality of sliding adapter packs being configured to slide independent of the drawer.

10. The adapter panel of claim 1, wherein each locking tab is defined at a first end of the respective hinging member or at a second end of the respective hinging member, and wherein the plurality of sliding adapter packs are each locked into the respective selected position when the respective locking tab engages a corresponding aperture formed in the respective one of the mounting guides.

11. The adapter panel of claim 10, wherein the hinging member of each sliding adapter pack of the plurality of sliding adapter packs has an activation arrangement including a central hub, and first and second arms attached to the central hub, wherein rearward movement of the central hub causes the first and second arms to move along an axis perpendicular to the rearward and forward movement of the central hub and wherein forward movement of the central hub also causes the first and second arms to move along the axis perpendicular to the rearward and forward movement of the central hub.

12. The adapter panel of claim 11, wherein the central hub of each activation arrangement is attached to the respective handle of the respective sliding adapter pack of the plurality of sliding adapter packs, whereby each central hub moves rearward when the respective handle is pushed and each central hub moves forward when the respective handle is pulled.

13. The adapter panel of claim 11, wherein each central hub moves in a first plane that is parallel to a second plane in which the first and second arms move.

14. The adapter panel of claim 11, wherein the each hinging member further includes a first linking element and a second linking element, the first linking element being configured to twist between the central hub and the first arm, the second linking element being configured to twist between the central hub and the second arm, the twisting motion of the first and second linking elements allowing the central hub to travel linearly along a forward/rearward axis and the first and second arms to travel linearly along an axis that is perpendicular to the forward/rearward axis.

15. The adapter panel of claim 14, wherein the central hub of the each sliding adapter pack of the plurality of sliding adapter packs is connected to each of the first and second linking elements by a first flexible web, and the each of the first and second linking elements is connected to a respective one of the first and second arms by a second flexible web.

16. A sliding adapter pack that mounts within a telecommunications chassis and is configured to slide within the telecommunications chassis along a first axis, the sliding adapter pack comprising:

a) a frame assembly including;

i) at least one frame piece;

ii) a lever arm interconnected to the at least one frame piece;

iii) a living hinge including;

1) a central hub;

2) first and second linking elements each interconnected to the central hub by a respective one of first flexible webs; and

3) first and second arms each interconnected to the first and second linking elements by a respective one of second flexible webs;

iv) wherein each of the first and second linking elements twist between the central hub and by a respective one of the first and second arms when the lever arm is either pulled or pushed along a first axis, the twisting motion of the first and second linking elements allowing the central hub to travel along the first axis and the first and second arms to travel along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

17. The adapter pack of claim 16, wherein the first and second arms of the living hinge define locking tabs that extend and retract to lock the sliding adapter pack in a forward position when the sliding adapter pack has been moved to the forward position relative to the telecommunications chassis and in a rearward position when the sliding adapter pack has been moved to the rearward position relative to the telecommunications chassis.

18. The adapter pack of claim 17, wherein the lever arm activates the living hinge to retract the locking tabs so that the sliding adapter pack can freely slide between the forward and rearward positions.

19. The adapter pack of claim 18, wherein the lever arm activates the living hinge when the lever arm is pulled regardless of whether the sliding adapter pack is in the forward or rearward position and the lever arm activates the living hinge when the lever arm is pushed regardless of whether the sliding adapter pack is in the forward or rearward position.