Terminal enclosure for a telecommunications system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298581-B2
Application number	US-202117793510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 29, 2020
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Telecommunication enclosures are provided. A terminal enclosure for a telecommunications system includes a housing including a base and a cover, the housing defining an internal volume configured to receive one or more telecommunication elements therein, wherein the base includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the base and cover are pivotally coupled together at a hinged interface to selectively close the internal volume of the housing, and wherein the hinged interface is reconfigurable between the first and second sides of the base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal enclosure for a telecommunications system, the terminal enclosure comprising:
a housing including a base and a repositionable cover, the housing defining an internal volume configured to receive one or more telecommunication elements therein including at least one tray pivotable about an axis, wherein the base includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the first side and second side include same mounting features with a common layout, wherein the base and cover are pivotally coupled together at a hinged interface to selectively close the internal volume of the housing, wherein the hinged interface comprises a first hinged interface formed by the mounting features of the first side of the base and a second hinged interface formed by the mounting features of the second sides of the base, and wherein the cover is swappable between the first and second hinged interfaces; and
a demarcation panel disposed in the housing and pivotally coupled to the housing through a demarcation panel axis, wherein the demarcation panel defines a connector interface region configured to receive one or more connectors, wherein the demarcation panel is pivotable about an axis between an open position whereby the at least one tray is accessible and a closed position whereby the at least one tray is inaccessible, wherein the axis of the at least one tray and demarcation panel are parallel with one another, wherein the axis of the demarcation panel is disposed at a lower elevation than the axis of the at least one tray, and wherein in the open position a back surface of the demarcation panel is usable by a technician to support one or more optical fibers to be installed in the enclosure.

2. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tray comprises a plurality of trays vertically offset from one another, and wherein the demarcation panel covers all of the plurality of trays when the demarcation panel is in the closed position.

3. The terminal enclosure of claim 2 , further comprising a splice management area including a splice module, wherein all of the plurality of trays is disposed between the demarcation panel and the splice module when the demarcation panel is in the closed position.

4. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising a skirt system disposed adjacent to a bottom wall of the housing, the bottom wall disposed between the first and second sides, wherein the skirt system is configured to protect the telecommunication cables extending from the housing to an underlying ground level surface.

5. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the demarcation panel is coupled to the housing through an intermediate member having a close fit with the first and second sides and a bottom wall of the housing, and wherein the at least one tray is pivotally coupled to the intermediate member.

6. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the cover is removable from the base when a relative angle between the cover and base is approximately 90 degrees.

7. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure further comprises:
a grommet system, the grommet system including one or more grommets which can be removably inserted into one or more cutouts of the housing; and
a sealing element disposed between the one or more grommets and the cover when the cover is in the closed position.

8. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the demarcation panel is configured to pivot about a demarcation panel pivot axis, App, wherein App is generally horizontal when the housing is mounted on an underlying surface, and wherein App is spaced apart from a bottom wall of the housing in a vertical direction.

9. The terminal enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the demarcation panel comprises a splice module coupled to a back surface of the demarcation panel, the back surface disposed between the demarcation panel and the at least one tray when the demarcation panel is in the closed position.

10. A terminal enclosure for a telecommunications system, the terminal enclosure comprising:
a housing including a base and a cover, the housing defining an internal volume configured to receive one or more telecommunication elements therein including a plurality of trays, wherein the base and cover are pivotally coupled together at a hinged interface to selectively close the internal volume of the housing, wherein the housing includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall, a bottom sidewall and a top sidewall opposite the bottom sidewall, wherein openings are formed in each of the bottom sidewall and the top sidewall; and
a demarcation panel disposed in the housing and pivotally coupled to the housing through a demarcation panel axis that is approximately orthogonal to an axis of the hinged interface, wherein the demarcation panel is reconfigurable between a stored configuration in which the plurality of trays is not accessible and a deployed configuration in which the plurality of trays is accessible, and wherein the demarcation panel is configured to be selectively retained in the stored configuration using a quick connect retention element.

11. The terminal enclosure of claim 10 , further comprising a splice management area including a splice module, wherein all of the plurality of trays is disposed between the demarcation panel and the splice module when the demarcation panel is in the stored configuration.

12. The terminal enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the housing comprises upper cable openings extending through a top wall of the housing and lower cable openings extending through a bottom wall of the housing, wherein the demarcation cover is configured to prevent access to the upper cable openings within the internal volume when the demarcation cover is in the stored configuration, and wherein at least a portion of the lower cable openings are accessible when the demarcation cover is in the stored configuration.

13. The terminal enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the enclosure further comprises one or more trays disposed behind the demarcation panel, the one or more trays being configured to rotate between stored and accessible positions along rotational axis that are generally parallel with a demarcation panel pivot axis, A DP , of the demarcation panel.

14. The terminal enclosure of claim 13 , wherein the trays are configured to rotate on a hinge mechanism, wherein the hinge mechanism comprises a plurality of hinges, each hinge being associated with one of the trays, and wherein the hinges are offset from another in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, or both.

15. A terminal enclosure for a telecommunications system, the terminal enclosure comprising:
a housing including a base and a cover, the housing defining an internal volume configured to receive one or more telecommunication elements therein, wherein the base and cover are pivotally coupled together at a hinged interface to selectively close the internal volume of the housing, wherein the housing comprises a lower cable opening extending through a bottom wall of the housing and configured to route telecommunication cables to and from the housing; and
a skirt system disposed adjacent to the bottom wall of the housing and configured to protect the telecommunication cables extending from the housing to an underlying ground level surface, the skirt comprising a plurality of skirt segments arranged in a column, the plurality of skirt segments comprising a first skirt segment and a second skirt segment, the first skirt segment abuts the bottom wall of the housing and is disposed between the bottom wall and th

Assignees

• Afl Telecommunications Llc

Inventors

• Lane David
• Stout Cecilia L
• Vogel Mark

Classifications

• G02B6/4452

  Distribution frames · CPC title

• G02B6/4454

  with splices · CPC title

• G02B6/4444

  Seals · CPC title

• G02B6/44465

  Seals · CPC title

• H02G15/113

  Boxes split longitudinally in main cable direction · CPC title