Cable management device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690874-B2
Application number	US-201716324191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A cable management device for mounting to a telecommunications fixture includes an outer barrel disposed over an inner barrel, one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining a plurality of discrete detents positioned in a stacked arrangement axially along an length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining at least one flexible cantilever arm defining a tab configured to lock into a selected one of the detents for allowing adjustment of a length of the cable management device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable management assembly comprising:
a telecommunications panel including a plurality of shaped apertures arranged in an array of columns and rows; and
a plurality of cable management devices having attachment structures corresponding to the shaped apertures for removably mounting the cable management devices to the panel at selected vertical and horizontal locations, wherein each cable management device defines an outer barrel disposed over an inner barrel, one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining a plurality of discrete detents positioned in a stacked arrangement axially along a length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining at least one flexible cantilever arm defining a tab configured to lock into a selected one of the detents for allowing adjustment of a length of the cable management device, wherein the outer barrel and the inner barrel are rotatable relative to each other for disengaging or engaging the tab from the detent for adjusting the length of the cable management device.

2. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer barrel and the inner barrel are slidable with respect to each other when the tab is out of the detent for adjusting the length of the cable management device.

3. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein both the outer barrel and the inner barrel define circular lateral cross-dimensional profiles.

4. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tab projects either radially outward past an outer surface of the inner barrel or radially inward past an inner surface of the outer barrel.

5. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two opposing sets of discrete detents positioned axially along a length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two flexible cantilever arms with tabs on opposing sides thereof that are configured to lock into a selected detent set for allowing adjustment of the length of the cable management device.

6. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel includes a cable retention flange at an end of the cable management device.

7. The cable management assembly of claim 1 , wherein the attachment structures are defined by a catch for hooking through a first aperture of the panel and a flexible latch configured to flex through and lock into a second aperture of the panel after a pivotal motion of the cable management device relative to the panel.

8. A cable management device for mounting to a telecommunications fixture, the cable management device comprising:
an outer barrel disposed over an inner barrel, one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining a plurality of discrete detents positioned in a stacked arrangement axially along a length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defining at least one flexible cantilever arm defining a tab configured to lock into a selected one of the detents for allowing adjustment of a length of the cable management device, wherein the outer barrel and the inner barrel are rotatable relative to each other for disengaging or engaging the tab from the detent for adjusting the length of the cable management device.

9. The cable management assembly of claim 8 , wherein the outer barrel and the inner barrel are slidable with respect to each other when the tab is out of the detent for adjusting the length of the cable management device.

10. The cable management device of claim 8 , wherein both the outer barrel and the inner barrel define circular lateral cross-dimensional profiles.

11. The cable management device of claim 8 , wherein the tab projects either radially outward past an outer surface of the inner barrel or radially inward past an inner surface of the outer barrel.

12. The cable management device of claim 8 , wherein one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two opposing sets of discrete detents positioned axially along an length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two flexible cantilever arms with tabs on opposing sides thereof that are configured to lock into a selected detent set for allowing adjustment of the length of the cable management device.

13. The cable management device of claim 8 , wherein one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel includes a cable retention flange at an end of the cable management device.

14. A method of using a cable management device, the method comprising:
adjusting a length of the cable management device by relatively sliding an outer barrel and an inner barrel of the cable management device to select the length of the cable management device; and
relatively rotating the outer barrel and the inner barrel and locking a tab of a flexible cantilever arm of one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel into a detent of a plurality of discrete detents positioned axially along a length of the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two opposing sets of discrete detents positioned axially along the length thereof, and the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel defines two flexible cantilever arms with tabs on opposing sides thereof that are configured to lock into a selected detent set for allowing adjustment of the length of the cable management device.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
relatively rotating the outer barrel and the inner barrel to remove the locked tab of the flexible cantilever arm of one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel from the detent of the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel;
relatively sliding the outer barrel and the inner barrel of the cable management device to select the length of the cable management device; and
relatively rotating the outer barrel and the inner barrel and locking the tab of the flexible cantilever arm of one of the outer barrel and the inner barrel into another detent of the plurality of discrete detents positioned axially along the length of the other of the outer barrel and the inner barrel.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising mounting the cable management device to a telecommunications panel with a snap-fit interlock.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising mounting the cable management device to the telecommunications panel before adjusting the length of the cable management device.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Haataja Timothy Jon

Classifications

• G02B6/4452 Primary

  Distribution frames · CPC title

• G02B6/44524

  with frame parts or auxiliary devices mounted on the frame and collectively not covering a whole width of the frame or rack (cassettes G02B6/4453) · CPC title

• G02B6/4439 Primary

  Auxiliary devices · CPC title

• H02G3/04

  Protective tubing or conduits, e.g. cable ladders or cable troughs · CPC title

• H02G3/263

  Installation, e.g. suspension, of conduit channels or other supports · CPC title