Method of adapting electronic equipment structure for cable management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11619328-B2
Application number	US-202117364874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2021
Priority date	Jul 26, 2016
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A method of adapting an electronic equipment structure for cable management, the method comprising: providing a cable manager having one or more cable finger units extending from a frame, the frame including at least one spine member having an extruded construction and one or more ledges that extend along a length thereof; providing an accessory rod assembly having a base member and an accessory rod, wherein the base member includes a front-facing socket, a rear-facing hook, and a rotatable knob having a threaded end received within a threaded portion at a side of the base member, and wherein the accessory rod has an extruded construction and a generally uniform, at least partially cylindrical, cross-sectional shape; positioning the rear-facing hook of the base member against one side of the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member; rotating the rotatable knob such that the threaded end is wound within the threaded portion of the base member and bears on an opposite side of the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member, thereby clamping the at least one spine member between the rear-facing hook and the rotatable knob; and positioning a proximal end of the accessory rod within the front-facing socket of the base member such that the accessory rod extends therefrom into a cable management space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of adapting an electronic equipment structure for cable management, the method comprising:
providing a cable manager having one or more cable finger units extending from a frame, the frame including at least one spine member having an extruded construction and one or more ledges that extend along a length thereof;
providing an accessory rod assembly having a base member and an accessory rod, wherein the base member includes a front-facing socket, a rear-facing hook, and a rotatable knob having a threaded end received within a threaded portion at a side of the base member, and wherein the accessory rod has an extruded construction and a generally uniform, at least partially cylindrical, cross-sectional shape;
positioning the rear-facing hook of the base member against one side of the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member;
rotating the rotatable knob such that the threaded end is wound within the threaded portion of the base member and bears on an opposite side of the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member, thereby clamping the at least one spine member between the rear-facing hook and the rotatable knob; and
positioning a proximal end of the accessory rod within the front-facing socket of the base member such that the accessory rod extends therefrom into a cable management space.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repositioning the accessory rod assembly along the at least one spine member by loosening the rotatable knob so that the threaded end no longer bears on the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member, sliding the base member along the length of the at least one spine member to a different position, and tightening the rotatable knob so that the threaded end bears on the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member at the different position.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the accessory rod includes an end cap fitted to a distal end thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threaded portion has a tapered exterior surface to provide curvature to the base member adjacent to the rotatable knob.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base member includes a shroud surrounding the threaded portion to protect against cables interfering with the rotatable knob.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least partially cylindrical cross-sectional shape includes a pair of drop-in T-slot channels, each extending along a length of the accessory rod.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least partially cylindrical cross-sectional shape includes at least one fastener screw-in channel that extends along a length of the accessory rod.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one fastener screw-in channel is an extension of one of the pair of drop-in T-slot channels.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising securing a separate hook in the at least one fastener screw-in channel at the proximal end of the accessory rod.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising positioning a hooking end of the separate hook against the one or more ledges of the at least one spine member.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising arranging a mounting boss of a buckle support within one of the pair of drop-in T-slot channels of the accessory rod, the buckle support including a buckle that is rotatably paired therewith.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising slidably maneuvering the buckle support along at least a portion of a length of the accessory rod.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a half-spool accessory to the accessory rod.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising slidably maneuvering the half-spool accessory along at least a portion of a length of the accessory rod.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing a cable finger accessory to the accessory rod.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cable finger accessory includes a pair of hingedly-connected arcuate clamp sections and a cable finger extending outwardly from one of the pair of clamp sections, at least one of the pair of hingedly-connected arcuate clamp sections including a plurality of locating ribs on an inward-facing surface thereof.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising rotating the cable finger accessory around the at least partially cylindrical cross-sectional shape of the accessory rod to seat each of the plurality of locating ribs within a respective groove-shaped grip channel along the accessory rod, thereby indexing an orientation of the cable finger.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising slidably maneuvering the cable finger accessory along at least a portion of a length of the accessory rod.

19. A method of adapting an electronic equipment structure for cable management, the method comprising:
providing a cable manager having one or more cable finger units extending from a frame, the frame including at least one spine member having an extruded construction;
providing an accessory rod assembly having a base member and an accessory rod, wherein the base member includes a front-facing socket, a rear-facing hook, and a rotatable knob, and wherein the accessory rod has an extruded construction and a generally uniform, at least partially cylindrical, cross-sectional shape;
positioning the base member such that a portion of the at least one spine member is located between the rear-facing hook and the rotatable knob;
rotating the rotatable knob to clamp the portion of the at least one spine member between the rear-facing hook and a distal end of the rotatable knob; and
positioning a proximal end of the accessory rod within the front-facing socket of the base member such that the accessory rod extends therefrom into a cable management space.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising repositioning the accessory rod assembly along the at least one spine member by loosening the rotatable knob, sliding the base member along a length of the at least one spine member to a different position, and tightening the rotatable knob.

Assignees

• Chatsworth Prod Inc

Inventors

• Hennrich Preston Ellis
• Lawrence James I
• Robertson John W
• Fraga Johnny C
• Davis Jared Keith

Classifications

• H05K7/1491 Primary

  having cable management arrangements (management of optical cables G02B6/444; in telecommunication cabinets H04Q1/06) · CPC title

• F16B37/045

  specially adapted for fastening in channels, e.g. sliding bolts, channel nuts · CPC title

• F16B2/22

  of resilient material, e.g. rubbery material {(F16B2/205 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F16B2/10

  using pivoting jaws · CPC title

• E05F1/1207

  with a coil spring parallel with the pivot axis · CPC title