Parking door assemblies for use with fiber distribution hubs and methods of installing parking door assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036865-B2
Application number	US-201715702133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2017
Priority date	Sep 16, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A fiber distribution hub includes an exterior cabinet housing, a cabinet door, a distribution panel, and a parking door assembly. The distribution panel located in a cable holding volume defined by the exterior cabinet housing includes a fiber distribution field formed of connector adapters that provide a connection between feeder cables and distribution cables. The distribution panel includes a pivot axis opposite a swinging side, where the swinging side moves about the pivot axis between a partially accessible configuration and a fully accessible configuration. The parking door assembly moveably connects to the swinging side of the distribution panel. The parking door assembly includes a parking door including a connector holder retaining structure configured to retain a plurality of fiber optic connectors and a hinge structure that connects the parking door to the swinging side of the distribution panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber distribution hub comprising:
an exterior cabinet housing comprising a front with an access opening and defining a cable holding volume therein;
a cabinet door moveably connected to the exterior cabinet housing, the cabinet door comprising an open configuration allowing access to the cable holding volume through the access opening and a closed configuration that inhibits access to the cable holding volume through the access opening;
a distribution panel located in the cable holding volume, the distribution panel comprising a fiber distribution field formed of connector adapters that provide a connection between feeder cables and distribution cables, the distribution panel comprising a pivot axis opposite a swinging side, wherein the swinging side moves about the pivot axis between a partially accessible configuration and a fully accessible configuration; the pivot axis located away from the access opening; and
a parking door assembly moveably connected to the swinging side of the distribution panel, the parking door assembly comprising:
a parking door comprising a connector holder retaining structure configured to retain a plurality of fiber optic connectors; and
a hinge structure that connects the parking door to the swinging side of the distribution panel.

2. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , wherein:
a swinging side of the parking door moves away from the pivot axis of the distribution panel when pivoting from a folded configuration to an unfolded configuration; and
the swinging side of the parking door moves towards the pivot axis of the distribution panel when pivoting from the unfolded configuration to the folded configuration.

3. The fiber distribution hub of claim 2 , wherein the parking door in the unfolded configuration provides access to the fiber distribution field of the distribution panel and the plurality of fiber optic connectors retained by the connector holder retaining structure of the parking door.

4. The fiber distribution hub of claim 2 , wherein the distribution panel and the parking door assembly are configured such that the distribution panel is able to pivot between the partially accessible configuration and the fully accessible configuration while the parking door pivots between the folded configuration and the unfolded configuration.

5. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , wherein:
the parking door pivots between the closed configuration and the open configuration, whereby a swinging side of the parking door moves away from the pivot axis of the distribution panel when pivoting from the closed configuration to the open configuration; and
the swinging side of the parking door moves towards the pivot axis of the distribution panel when pivoting from the open configuration to the closed configuration.

6. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , further comprising a door mounting bracket that connects the hinge structure to the swinging side of the distribution panel.

7. The fiber distribution hub of claim 6 , wherein the door mounting bracket has a size and shape that spaces a pivoting side of the parking door away from the swinging side of the distribution panel.

8. The fiber distribution hub of claim 7 , wherein the distribution panel comprises a lock structure that locks the distribution panel in the partially accessible configuration, wherein the lock structure is accessible through a space between the pivoting side of the parking door and the swinging side of the distribution panel.

9. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , wherein the parking door comprises a door body comprising the pivoting side, a swinging side opposite the pivoting side, a top and a bottom, a stop flange structure that extends outwardly from the door body at the swinging side and along only a portion of a height of the swinging side.

10. The fiber distribution hub of claim 9 , wherein the swinging side of the door body extends vertically to a tapered portion that extends downwardly to the bottom of the door body.

11. The fiber distribution hub of claim 9 , wherein the door body includes a handle structure located at the top of the door body.

12. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , wherein the parking door comprises one or more connector holder retaining structure that are aligned one over another along a height of the parking door, each of the one or more connector holder retaining structure is configured to retain a plurality of optical fiber connectors.

13. The fiber distribution hub of claim 12 , wherein a first vertical distance between an uppermost connector holder retaining structure and a top of the parking door is less than a second vertical distance between a bottommost connector holder retaining structure and a bottom of the parking door.

14. The fiber distribution hub of claim 1 , further comprising a stay assembly wherein:
the stay assembly comprises a stay member;
the stay member comprises a first end and a second end;
the first end of the stay member is pivotally coupled to the fiber distribution hub;
the second end of the stay member is slidably coupled to a slot extending along a top portion of the distribution panel such that the second end of the stay member slidably engages the slot as the distribution panel moves between the partially accessible configuration and the fully accessible configuration; and
the second end of the stay member engages a stop in the slot when the distribution panel is in the fully accessible configuration.

15. The fiber distribution hub of claim 14 , wherein the stay assembly comprises a tab portion extending from the second end of the stay member to facilitate disengagement between the stay member and the stop.

16. The fiber distribution hub of claim 14 , wherein the connector holder retaining structure comprises an upper panel and a lower panel that meet at an apex forming a V-shape, wherein the upper panel includes openings that are arranged to receive holder retainers of an optical fiber connector holder such that optical fiber connectors of the optical fiber connector holder have a downward angled orientation extending away from the apex.

17. A method of assembling a parking door assembly to a fiber distribution hub thereby increasing a parking capacity of the fiber distribution hub, the method comprising:
obtaining the parking door assembly, the parking door assembly comprising:
a parking door comprising a connector holder retaining structure configured to retain a plurality of fiber optic connectors;
a hinge structure that connects to a pivot side of the parking door opposite a swinging side of the parking door; and
a door mounting bracket that connects to the hinge structure; and

connecting the parking door assembly comprising the parking door, the hinge structure and the door mounting bracket to a swinging side of a distribution panel opposite a pivot axis of the distribution panel of the fiber distribution hub, the pivot axis located away from an access opening of the distribution hub, wherein:
the distribution panel comprises a fiber distribution field formed of connector adapters that provide a connection between feeder cables and distribution cables,
the distribution panel is capable of moving between a partially accessible configuration and a fully accessible configuration, and
the parking door is capable of moving between a partially accessible configuration and a fully accessible configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising removing a swing bracket from the swinging side of the distribution panel thereby exposing

Assignees

• Corning Res & Dev Corp

Inventors

• Franco Romo Giovanna Monserrat
• Giraud William Julius Mcphil
• Martinez Cynthia Cantu

Classifications

• G02B6/445

  with lateral pivoting cover · CPC title

• E05D15/48

  allowing alternative movements ({E05D15/0604 takes precedence } ; for vertically-sliding wings E05D15/22) · CPC title

• E05B65/06

  for swing doors {or windows, i.e. opening inwards and outwards} · CPC title

• E05D3/02

  with one pin · CPC title

• G02B6/3897

  Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards (G02B6/44528 takes precedence) · CPC title