Removable strain relief brackets for securing fiber optic cables and/or optical fibers to fiber optic equipment, and related assemblies and methods

• US 8,953,924 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Cable Systems LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cote, Monique Lise, Frazier, Brent Michael, Giraud, William Julius McPhil, Jay, Raymond Glenn, Rasmussen, Michael Heath
• Primary Examiner(s): LEPISTO, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/597,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20130058616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 385/136, 385/137
• US Class Current: 385/137
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Removable strain relief brackets for securing fiber optic cables and/or optical fiber to fiber optic equipment, and related assemblies and methods are disclosed. The removable strain relief brackets may be employed to secure fiber optic cable and/or optical fibers routed to fiber optic equipment. The removable strain relief brackets may also be employed to provide strain relief for fiber optic cable and/or optical fibers routed and secure to fiber optic equipment. Fiber optic cable discussed herein includes optical fiber whether disposed in a common cable jacket or disposed freely of each other outside a cable jacket.

Claims

1. A removable strain relief bracket to secure a fiber optic cable to fiber optic equipment, comprising:

a body comprising a top side and a bottom side opposite the top side;

at least one lance raised off of the top side of the body configured to be at least partially surrounded by a fastener disposed around a fiber optic cable; and

an attachment system configured to removably attach the bottom side of the body to a mounting surface of fiber optic equipment, wherein the attachment system comprises;

at least one bent flange disposed in the body and extending away from the bottom side, wherein the at least one bent flange is configured to communicate with a mounting surface opposite the bottom side.

2. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 1, wherein the attachment system comprises

at least one abutment surface disposed on the body and configured to contact a mounting surface of the fiber optic equipment, and

at least one pin disposed through an orifice in the body and configured to enter into and depart from an orifice in the mounting surface;

wherein the at least one bent flange is further configured to communicate with a mating feature of the mounting surface.

3. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 2, wherein the body includes

a bottom surface on the bottom side configured to face the mounting surface;

and

a top surface on the top side opposite the bottom surface configured to face away from the mounting surface.

4. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 3, wherein the body comprises a first part and a second part, the top surface and the at least one lance are comprised of first part, and the at least one bent flange is comprised of the second part.

5. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 4, wherein the first part is welded to the second part.

6. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 3, further including a waterfall in the form of a curvilinear surface attached to the top surface and curved away from the top surface and towards the bottom surface, the waterfall is configured to manage a bend radius of a fiber optic cable connected to the removable strain relief bracket.

7. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 3, wherein the at least one lance is disposed above an opening in the body.

8. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 3, wherein the at least one lance is disposed above a top surface of the body.

9. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 3, wherein the at least one bent flange includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion extending from the bottom surface, and the second portion comprising a first mating surface and a second mating surface opposite the first mating surface.

10. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 9, wherein the second portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the first portion and extends along a second portion axis to terminate at a distal end of the at least one bent flange.

11. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 9, wherein the first mating surface is configured to be received by a mating interface surface of the mating feature, and the second mating surface is configured to be received by the mounting surface.

12. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 11, wherein the first mating surface includes non-planar features, the first mating surface configured to communicate with complementary non-planar features of the mating interface surface.

13. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 12, wherein the non-planar features are both parallel to the second portion axis and configured to prevent torsional movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface.

14. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 12, wherein the second portion is tapered from the first part toward the distal end of the at least one bent flange.

15. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 2, wherein the at least one abutment surface is formed from one or more turn-down flanges disposed on the body.

16. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 15, wherein the one or more turn-down flanges are disposed along a perimeter of the bottom surface and turned away from the top surface.

17. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 2, wherein the at least one pin extends along a pin longitudinal axis, the at least one pin configured to prevent lateral movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface.

18. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 17, wherein the orifice in the body is centered along the pin longitudinal axis and receiving the at least one pin, and the at least one pin is restricted to move bi-directionally along the pin longitudinal axis and the orifice in the body.

19. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 18, wherein the at least one pin is comprised of a plunger assembly.

20. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 19, wherein the plunger assembly comprises a spring, and the spring is configured to insert the at least one pin into the orifice of the mounting surface while the at least one abutment surface abuts the mounting surface.

21. The removable strain relief bracket of claim 20, wherein the plunger assembly further comprises a plunger head, the plunger head is attached to the at least one pin, the at least one pin extends from the plunger head, and the plunger head is configured to receive a manual pulling force to disengage the at least one pin from the orifice of the mounting surface.

22. A fiber optic equipment, comprising:

a housing, comprising

a mounting surface,

at least one fiber optic connection optically connecting at least one optical fiber exposed from an end portion of a fiber optic cable;

an orifice disposed through the mounting surface, and

a mating feature attached to the mounting surface; and

a removable strain relief bracket configured to be removably attached to the mounting surface and configured to be attached to the end portion of the fiber optic cable, wherein the removable strain relief bracket further comprises;

an abutment surface disposed on a body and contacting the mounting surface;

a bent flange disposed in the body and received in the mating feature; and

a pin received in an orifice in the body;

wherein the bent flange includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion extending from the bottom surface, the second portion comprising a first mating surface and a second mating surface opposite the first mating surface, the second portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the first portion and extends toward a distal end of the bent flange along a second portion axis.

23. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the removable strain relief bracket comprises:

a body; and

at least one lance raised off the body and receiving a fastener disposed around the end portion of the fiber optic cable, the at least one lance at least partially surrounded by the fastener.

24. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the body includes a bottom surface facing the mounting surface;

and

a top surface opposite the bottom surface facing away from the mounting surface.

25. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the first mating surface is received by a mating interface surface of the mating feature, and the second mating surface is received by the mounting surface.

26. The fiber optic equipment of claim 25, wherein the first mating surface includes non-planar features, the first mating surface communicating with complementary non-planar features of the mating interface surface.

27. The fiber optic equipment of claim 26, wherein the non-planar features are parallel to the second portion axis and prevent torsional movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface.

28. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the second portion is tapered from the first part toward the distal end of the bent flange.

29. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the at least one abutment surface is formed from one or more turn-down flanges disposed on the body.

30. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the pin extends along a pin longitudinal axis, the pin configured to prevent lateral movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface.

31. The fiber optic equipment of claim 30, wherein the orifice in the body is centered along the pin longitudinal axis and receiving the pin, and the pin is restricted to move bi-directionally along the pin longitudinal axis and the orifice in the body.

32. The fiber optic equipment of claim 31, wherein the pin is comprised of a plunger assembly.

33. The fiber optic equipment of claim 32, wherein the plunger assembly comprises a spring, and the spring is configured to insert the pin into the orifice of the mounting surface while the at least one abutment surface abuts the mounting surface.

34. The fiber optic equipment of claim 33, wherein the plunger assembly further comprises a plunger head, the plunger head is attached to the pin, the pin extends from the plunger head, and the plunger head is configured to receive a manual pulling force to disengage the pin from the orifice of the mounting surface.

35. The fiber optic equipment of claim 22, wherein the mounting surface comprises a raised emboss, the raised emboss extends towards the removable mounting bracket and the orifice of the mounting surface is disposed through the raised emboss.

36. A method of securing an end portion of a fiber optic cable to fiber optic equipment, comprising:

disposing an end portion of a fiber optic cable adjacent to at least one lance, the lance raised off a top side of a body of a removable strain relief bracket opposite a bottom side;

securing a fastener around the at least one lance of the removable strain relief bracket, the fastener at least partially surrounding the lance and disposed around the end portion of the fiber optic cable; and

attaching the removable strain relief bracket to a mounting surface of a fiber optic equipment,

wherein the attaching the removable strain relief bracket to the mounting surface of the fiber optic equipment comprises;

receiving a bent flange extending away from the bottom side of the removable strain relief bracket, wherein the bent flange communicates with the mounting surface opposite the top side.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the attaching the removable strain relief bracket to the mounting surface of the fiber optic equipment comprises:

receiving a bent flange of the removable strain relief bracket into a mating feature attached to a mounting surface of a fiber optic equipment housing to prevent torsional movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the receiving the bent flange further comprises abutting at least one abutment surface of the removable strain relief bracket against the mounting surface of the fiber optic equipment housing, the at least one abutment surface is formed from one or more turn-down flanges disposed on the body,

wherein the body includes a bottom surface configured to face the mounting surface and

a top surface opposite the bottom surface configured to face away from the mounting surface.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising receiving a pin in an orifice of the mounting surface to prevent lateral movement of the removable strain relief bracket with respect to the mounting surface, wherein the receiving the pin in the orifice further comprises sliding the abutment surface along the mounting surface while sliding a distal end of the pin over a surface of a raised emboss to bias a spring that inserts the distal end of the pin into the orifice of the mounting surface.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the receiving the pin in the orifice includes the distal end of the pin restricted to traveling a curvilinear trajectory along the surface of the raised emboss.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the receiving the bent flange of the removable strain relief bracket into the mating feature further includes:

receiving a first mating surface of the bent flange by a mating interface surface of the mating feature, and

receiving a second mating surface of the bent flange by the mounting surface,

wherein the bent flange includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion extending from the bottom surface, the second portion comprising the first mating surface and the second mating surface opposite the first mating surface, the second portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the first portion and extends toward a distal end of the bent flange along a second portion axis.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving the first mating surface of the bent flange by the mating interface surface of the mating feature further includes:

receiving non-planar features of the first mating surface by complementary non-planar features of the mating interface surface.