Cable management panel with sliding drawer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10459182-B2
Application number	US-201715602878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2017
Priority date	Jan 24, 2000
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

An optical fiber cable management panel is provided with slidable drawers and structure within the drawers for cable management and/or connection to other devices. Tray inserts drop into the drawers to provide the appropriate management and connection devices. A movable take-up mechanism manages the cable entering and exiting the drawers at side openings. Stackable pivoting storage trays on the tray insert include a detent arrangement for holding each tray in a pivoted access position. The tray inserts further include a front key, and a back tab mounting arrangement for mounting the tray inserts to the drawers, and side radius limiters including notches for extending over raised portions of the drawer. The take-up mechanism includes a U-shaped trough section and cable retention tabs. A control mechanism is provided for controlling movement of the take-up mechanism relative to the drawer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable management panel comprising:
a chassis;
a drawer slidably mounted within the chassis, the drawer slidable between a first position with the drawer fully inserted within the chassis and a second position with the drawer extended from the interior of the chassis;
first and second access locations provided at first and second opposite sides, respectively, of the drawer for allowing entry of optical fiber cable into the drawer; and
a cable take-up mechanism provided adjacent each of the first and second sides of the drawer, each cable take-up mechanism including a radius limiter slidably mounted relative to the drawer and movable from a first position relative to the chassis toward a second position relative to the chassis which is forward of the first position as the drawer is moved from the first position to the second position, wherein each radius limiter includes a curved vertical surface that limits the bend radius of a cable entering the drawer, each radius limiter further including a pivotally mounted cable retention tab for retaining a cable against the curved vertical surface and for accessing a cable entering the drawer when the cable retention tab is pivoted upward, wherein each access location is defined at least partially by the curved vertical surface of the radius limiter, wherein movement of the drawer is synchronized at all times with the movement of each cable take-up mechanism relative to the chassis such that the drawer and the cable take-up mechanisms are configured to move simultaneously in the same direction relative to the chassis, wherein the cable take-up mechanisms are configured to move with respect to the drawer in a direction that is parallel to the movement of the drawer relative to the chassis.

2. A cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein the drawer includes a front key and a rear slot, and further comprising a drop-in plate including a notch along a front edge, and a tab along a rear edge, the notch engagable with the key of the drawer, the tab engagable with the slot of the drawer.

3. The cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein the drawer includes a base and raised side ledges on opposite sides of the drawer, and further including a drop-in plate including a base and two side edges which are positioned adjacent to the side ledges of the drawer, the plate including two radius limiters, each radius limiter having a portion extending beyond the respective side edges of the base of the plate, each radius limiter having a notch along a lower edge, the notch extending from each respective side edge of the base of the plate to the side ledge of the drawer.

4. The cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein the drawer includes a front key and a rear slot, and further comprising a drop-in plate including a notch along a front edge, and a tab along a rear edge, the notch engagable with the key of the drawer, the tab engagable with the slot of the drawer.

5. The cable management panel of claim 1 , further comprising a storage tray mount on the drawer, the storage tray mount having a plurality of pairs of opposed, staggered mounting locations, and a plurality of storage trays, each storage tray rotatably mounted to the storage tray mount at one of the staggered mounting locations, wherein one of the trays and the tray mount includes a post and the other includes a hole for receiving the post so as to rotatably mount each tray to the tray mount at each mounting location, and wherein one of the trays and the tray mount includes a projection extending parallel to a rotation axis of the tray, and the other includes a notch wherein the projection is received in the notch when each tray is pivoted vertically upwardly from a first horizontal position to a second pivoted position at an angle to the horizontal.

6. The cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein each radius limiter is slidably movable via a control mechanism that includes a rotating member having teeth that engage a gear rack on at least one of the chassis and the drawer from the first position relative to the chassis toward the second position relative to the chassis which is forward of the first position as the drawer is moved from the first position to the second position.

7. The cable management panel of claim 6 , wherein the gear rack is provided on the chassis.

8. The cable management panel of claim 6 , wherein the gear rack is a first gear rack, and wherein the teeth of the rotating member engage a second gear rack provided on the drawer.

9. The cable management panel of claim 6 , wherein the gear rack is provided on the drawer.

10. The cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein each drawer includes a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted to the drawer.

11. The cable management panel of claim 1 , wherein each cable take-up mechanism is configured to move at half-speed relative to a moving speed of the drawer.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Trebesch Steven P
• Tinucci Thomas C
• Douglas Joel B
• Holman John C
• Smith Trevor D
• Lance Paul C

Classifications

• G02B6/4455 Primary

  characterised by the way of extraction or insertion of the cassette in the distribution frame, e.g. pivoting, sliding, rotating or gliding · CPC title

• G02B6/4452 Primary

  Distribution frames · CPC title

• G02B6/44526

  Panels or rackmounts covering a whole width of the frame or rack · CPC title

• G02B6/44528

  Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box (routing arrangements H04Q1/00) · CPC title