HIGH FIBER COUNT PACKAGE INNER MODULE

• US 20120076460A1
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AFL Telecommunications LLC (Fujikura Limited)
• Original Assignee: AFL Telecommunications LLC (Fujikura Limited)
• Inventors: Donaldson, Christopher, Kimbrell, Eddie, Lichoulas, Ted
• Granted Patent: US 8,858,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/76
• 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 6/4459 Ducts; Conduits; Hollow tubes for air blown fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49195 with end-to-end orienting

Abstract

Provided is an inner module for holding a plurality of connectors. The inner module includes a first cylindrical portion having a first outer wall spaced radially from a first inner wall to form an annular volume and a second cylindrical portion having a second outer wall spaced radially from a second inner wall to form an annular volume. The inner module also includes a connecting portion to connect the first cylindrical portion to the second cylindrical portion. Each of the first and second cylindrical portions have an opening in an axial direction having a width that is narrower than a distance between the first inner wall and the first outer wall.

Claims

1. An inner module for holding a plurality of connectors, the inner module comprising:

a first cylindrical portion having a first outer wall spaced radially from a first inner wall to form an annular volume;

a second cylindrical portion having a second outer wall spaced radially from a second inner wall to form an annular volume; and

a connecting portion to connect the first cylindrical portion to the second cylindrical portion.

2. The inner module according to claim 1, wherein connecting portion is a hinge.

3. The inner module according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second cylindrical portions have an opening in an axial direction having a width that is narrower than a distance between the first inner wall and the first outer wall.

4. The inner module according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connectors positioned within the annular volume.

5. The inner module according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of connectors positioned within the annular volume.

6. The inner module according to claim 5, wherein the distance between the first inner wall and the first outer wall is greater than a cross-sectional width of each of the plurality of connectors.

7. The inner module according to claim 5, wherein the opening in the axial direction has a width that is less than each of the plurality of connectors.

8. The inner module according to claim 1, wherein each of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion comprise an inner member and an outer member, at least one of the inner member and the outer member comprises an overlapping portion to form a snap fit connection between the inner member and the outer member.

10. The fiber packaging module according to claim 8, wherein plurality of fiber optic connectors are disposed with the annular volume of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion.

11. The fiber packaging module according to claim 8, wherein the distance between the first inner wall and the first outer wall is greater than a cross-sectional width of each of the plurality of connectors.

12. The fiber packaging module according to claim 8, wherein the opening in the axial direction has a width that is less than each of the plurality of connectors.

13. The fiber packaging module according to claim 8, wherein the fiber packaging module comprises two inner modules disposed adjacent to each other in an axial direction of the fiber packing module.

9. A fiber packaging module that contains a plurality fiber optic connectors, the module comprising:

an outer shell containing a plurality of fiber optic connectors connected to respective fiber optic cables; and

an inner module comprising;

a first cylindrical portion having a first outer wall spaced radially from a first inner wall to form an annular volume;

a second cylindrical portion having a second outer wall spaced radially from a second inner wall to form an annular volume; and

a connecting portion to connect the first cylindrical portion to the second cylindrical portion.

14. A method for packaging a plurality of fiber optic cable connectors, the method comprising:

providing an inner module comprising a first cylindrical portion having a first outer wall spaced radially from a first inner wall to form an annular volume and a second cylindrical portion having a second outer wall spaced radially from a second inner wall to form an annular volume;

placing a plurality of connectors into the receiving portions of the an annular volume of the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion;

connecting the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion by brining the first outer all and the second outer wall together; and

placing the inner module into a fiber packaging module.