Cable manager for network rack

• US 6,766,093 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: McGrath, Michael J., Goodwin, Kevin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suchecki, Krystyna
• Application Number:
  US09/814,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20010031124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 385/134-136, 248/49, 248/58, 248/65, 248/67.5, 379/325-328, 379/330, 242/586.6, 242/118.11
• US Class Current: 385/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/064 horizontal management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/066 arranged on the front side
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/068 arranged on the rear side
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/142 Terminal blocks for distribution frames

Abstract

A cable manager provides horizontal cable management of adjacent patch panels or network equipment on network distribution racks. The cable manager includes a central section and a front cable routing section and is mountable on a network rack, such as an EIA rack. The central section has a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section. The front cable routing section extends from the front side of the central section and includes a plurality of spaced fingers having an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control. A slit provides flexibility to the fingers. Ears extend laterally from the fingers. The cable manager can also include a rear cable routing section that includes a second plurality of spaced fingers. One or more passthrough openings can be provided in the central section to allow routing of cabling from the front section to the rear section. Either or both of the front and rear sections can include a removable cover. The cover may be hingedly connected.

Claims

1. A cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising:

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a predetermined height, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section;

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a first plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section;

a rear cable routing section extending from the rear side of the central section, the rear cable routing section including a second plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the rear side of the central section; and

a hinged cover rotatably attachable to at least one of the first plurality of fingers and the second plurality of fingers.

2. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the central section includes at least one passthrough opening that provides access between the front cable routing section and the rear cable routing section.

3. The cable manager of claim 2, wherein the at least one passthrough opening has curved sidewalls that provide bend radius control.

4. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of spaced fingers are formed with arcuate surfaces that provide bend radius control.

5. The cable manager of claim 4, wherein the distal end of the first plurality of spaced fingers include a slit medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extending toward a proximal end of the fingers.

6. The cable manager of claim 4, wherein the distal end of the first plurality of spaced fingers include laterally extending ears.

7. The cable manager of claim 4, wherein the first plurality of spaced fingers are arranged in multiple spaced rows.

8. The cable manager of claim 7, wherein the hinged cover is attachable to at least one finger on at least two of the multiple spaced rows.

9. The cable manager of claim 8, wherein the cover includes hinge brackets.

10. The cable manager of claim 9, wherein the distal end of the first plurality of spaced fingers include laterally extending ears and the hinge brackets are hingedly mounted between adjacent ones of the ears.

11. The cable manager of claim 10, wherein the cover further includes a locking tab lockable with one of the ears to lock the cover in an open position.

12. The cable manager of claim 10, wherein the cover includes a release tab.

13. The cable manager of claim 10, wherein the cover is hingedly openable in two opposite directions.

14. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of spaced fingers are arranged in two spaced rows.

15. The cable manager of claim 14, wherein the rear side of the central section includes a step down portion such that the two spaced rows have a height that is less than the predetermined height of the central section.

16. The cable manager of claim 14, further comprising a second cover attachable to the second plurality of spaced fingers.

17. A network rack, comprising:

a rack frame having mounting legs;

at least one patch panel mounted to the mounting legs of the rack frame; and

at cable manager mounted to the mounting legs to be adjacent the at least one patch panel, the cable manager comprising;

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the rack frame, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section;

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a first plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section and retaining flanges extending from distal ends of multiple ones of the first plurality of spaced fingers;

a rear cable routing section extending from the rear side of the central section, the rear cable routing section including a second plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the rear side of the central section and retaining flanges extending from distal ends of multiple ones of the second plurality of spaced fingers; and

a hinged cover rotatably attachable to at least one of the first plurality of fingers and the second plurality of fingers.

18. The network rack of claim 17, wherein the at least one patch panel has a patching side and a distribution side, the front cable routing section is provided on the patching side and the rear cable routing section is provided on the distribution side.

19. The network rack of claim 18, wherein the rear side of the central section includes a step down portion such that the two spaced rows have a height that is less than the predetermined height of the central section.

20. The network rack of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of fingers have an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control.

21. The network rack of claim 17, wherein the central section includes at least one passthrough opening that provides access between the front cable routing section and the rear cable routing section.

22. A cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising:

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a predefined height, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section; and

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section,

wherein each of the plurality of spaced fingers has an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control to cables routed thereover, and a slit is medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extends from a distal end of the finger towards a proximal end of the finger, wherein at least one ear laterally extends from near the distal end into a receiving space between adjacent fingers, the at least one ear assisting in insertion and removal of cables in the receiving space.

23. A cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising:

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a predefined height, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section;

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section,

wherein each of the plurality of spaced fingers has an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control to cables routed thereover, and a slit is medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extends from a distal end of the finger towards a proximal end of the finger, wherein the plurality of spaced fingers are arranged in multiple spaced rows; and

a front cover attachable to at least one finger on at least two of the multiple spaced rows.

24. The cable manager of claim 23, wherein at least one ear laterally extends from near the distal end into a receiving space between adjacent fingers and the front cover is a hinged cover that includes hinge brackets hingedly mounted between adjacent ones of the ears that allow positioning of the hinged cover between open and closed positions.

25. The cable manager of claim 24, wherein the hinged cover further comprises a locking tab lockable with one of the ears to lock the hinged cover in the open position.

26. The cable manager of claim 23, wherein the front cover includes a release tab.

27. A cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising:

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a predefined height, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section;

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section,

wherein each of the plurality of spaced fingers has an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control to cables routed thereover, and a slit is medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extends from a distal end of the finger towards a proximal end of the finger;

a rear cable routing section extending from the rear side of the central section, the rear cable routing section including a second plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the rear side of the central section, wherein the second plurality of spaced fingers are arranged in two spaced rows; and

a rear cover attachable to at least one finger on each of the two spaced rows of the second plurality of spaced fingers.

28. A network rack, comprising:

a rack frame having mounting legs;

at least one patch panel mounted to the mounting legs of the rack frame; and

a cable manager mounted to the mounting legs and being adjacent the at least one patch panel, the cable manager comprising;

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section; and

a front cable routing section extending from the front side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section, wherein the plurality of spaced fingers are provided in two spaced rows and a cover is hingedly attachable to at least one finger in each of the two spaced rows,

wherein each of the plurality of spaced fingers has an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control, and a slit is medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extends from a distal end of the finger towards a proximal end of the finger.

29. A cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising:

a central section having a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a predefined height, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section;

a front cable routing section extending from the first side of the central section, the front cable routing section including a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section, wherein the central section includes at least one passthrough opening that provides access to the front cable routing section; and

a hinged cover rotatably attachable to the plurality of fingers.

30. The cable manager of claim 29, wherein the plurality of spaced fingers are arranged in multiple spaced rows.

31. The cable manager of claim 30 wherein the hinged cover is attachable to at least one finger on at least two of the multiple spaced rows.

32. The cable manager of claim 31, wherein the cover is hingeably openable in two opposite directions.

33. The cable manager of claim 29, further comprising retaining flanges extending from distal ends of multiple ones of the plurality of spaced fingers.