Mini Drop Terminal

• US 20090148118A1
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Rudenick, Paula, Gronvall, Erik, Lu, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 6/4441 Boxes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4477 with means for strain-relieving to interior strengths element

Abstract

A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable includes a housing having a base and a cover. The cover is connectedly engaged with the base. The terminal further includes a plurality of adapters disposed on the cover. A fiber routing tray having a top panel and a bottom panel is disposed in an interior cavity. The fiber routing tray includes a storage space defined between the top and bottom panels for storing a length of optical fiber. A method for installing a terminal includes providing a terminal having a housing defining an interior cavity. A cable is pulled from the interior cavity of the housing. The cable is spliced to a fiber distribution cable with a splice. The cable is inserted back into the interior cavity. A spliced end of the cable, a spliced end of the fiber distribution cable and the splice are inserted in a retention device.

Claims

1. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable, comprising:

a housing including;

a base;

a cover connectedly engaged with the base;

a plurality of adapters disposed on the cover; and

a fiber routing tray having a top panel and a bottom panel and being disposed in an interior cavity defined by the base and the cover, wherein the fiber routing tray includes a storage space defined between the top panel and the bottom panel for storing a length of optical fiber.

2. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an anchor block having a first end and a second end and being connectedly engaged with the cover 18, wherein the first end of the anchor block is disposed in the interior cavity and the second end of the anchor block is disposed in a cable opening defined by a tail piece of the cover.

3. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing has an adapter density of the terminal is greater than or equal to 0.48 adapters/in².

4. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing has an adapter density of the terminal is greater than or equal to 0.96 adapters/in².

5. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 4, wherein the adapters are dual SC-type adapters.

6. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing defines a cable opening for receiving an end of the fiber distribution cable.

7. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an anchor block for securing the fiber distribution cable to the housing, wherein the anchor block is configured to mechanically interlock with the housing.

8. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 7, wherein the anchor block includes a main body and first and second interlocking tabs that project outwardly from the main body, the first and second interlocking tabs are configured to be received within first and second interlock receptacles provided in the interior cavity of the housing.

9. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 8, wherein a first end of the anchor block is disposed in the interior cavity of the housing and a second end is disposed in the cable opening.

10. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 9, wherein a length of the anchor block disposed in the cable opening is greater than 25% of a total length of the anchor block.

11. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fiber routing tray includes a plurality of mounting holes that are sized to receive a plurality of mounting pins disposed in the interior cavity of the housing.

12. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover includes a tail piece that projects outwardly from the cover, the tail piece defining a cable opening for receiving an end of the fiber distribution cable.

13. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a retention device engaged with the tail piece, the retention piece including:

a base piece;

a body having a lower surface engaged with the base piece and an oppositely disposed upper surface, wherein the upper surface of the body defines a fiber passage having a recess configured to receive a splice that optically couples the fiber distribution cable to a multi-fiber optic cable; and

a cover piece having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a passage configured to receive the first cable and the second cable, wherein the cover piece is adapted for snap-fit engagement with the base piece such that the body is disposed between the base piece and the cover piece.

14. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 13, wherein the base piece is an integral part of the tail piece.

15. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover includes a plurality of angled steps with each angled step defining a plurality of mounting surfaces, each angled step forms an oblique angle with the base and each mounting surface forms an oblique mating angle with an adjacent mounting surface on the angled step.

16. A terminal for mounting to a fiber distribution cable as claimed in claim 15, wherein adapters of the plurality of adapters are disposed on each of the angled steps, the adapters being arcuately oriented on each of the angled steps.

17. A retention device for securing a fiber distribution cable to a terminal, comprising:

a base piece;

a body having a lower surface engaged with the base piece and an oppositely disposed upper surface, wherein the upper surface of the body defines a fiber passage having a recess configured to receive a splice that couples a first cable and a second cable; and

a cover piece having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a passage configured to receive the first cable and the second cable, wherein the cover piece is adapted for snap-fit engagement with the base piece such that the body is disposed between the base piece and the cover piece.

18. A retention device for securing a fiber distribution cable to a terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the base piece includes longitudinal slots that engage longitudinal protrusions on the lower surface of the body.

19. A retention device for securing a fiber distribution cable to a terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the recess of the body is adapted to receive the splice and a crimp that couples strength members of the first cable to strength members of the second cable.

20. A retention device for securing a fiber distribution cable to a terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the upper surface of the body defines a plurality of adhesive recesses.

21. A retention device for securing a fiber distribution cable to a terminal as claimed in claim 20, wherein one adhesive recess is disposed on each longitudinal side of the fiber passage.

22. A method for installing a terminal, the method comprising:

providing a terminal including a housing defining an interior cavity;

pulling a multi-fiber cable from the interior cavity;

splicing the multi-fiber cable to a fiber distribution cable with a multi-fiber splice;

inserting the multi-fiber cable back into the interior cavity of the housing; and

inserting a spliced end of the multi-fiber cable, a spliced end of the fiber distribution cable and the multi-fiber splice in a retention device.

23. A method for installing a terminal as claimed in claim 22, further comprising molding a boot over the retention device.