Splice closure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12468105-B2
Application number	US-202017430276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 11, 2019
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A splice equipment assembly includes two routing paths along opposite sides of a splice region. The two routing paths do not cross. The two routing paths do not extend circumferentially around the splice region. The two routing paths provide adequate slack to allow a splice tray to be removed from the splice region and moved to a workstation outside of the splice equipment assembly. Multiple splice equipment assemblies can be mounted to the same rack (e.g., at a front and rear of the rack).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A splice equipment assembly comprising:
a housing having a height extending between a top and a bottom, a width extending between a first side and a second side, and a depth extending between a rear and an open front providing access to an interior of the housing; a trunk cable port disposed at the top of the housing to provide access to the interior of the housing; an equipment cable port disposed at the top of the housing to provide access to the interior of the housing; a splice tray assembly disposed within the housing, the splice tray assembly including a mounting frame holding a plurality of pivotable splice trays mounted to the mounting frame in a stack, each splice tray being movable between a stowed position and an access position, the mounting frame of the splice tray assembly defining a mounting frame width extending from a first side of the mounting frame to a second side of the mounting frame, the first side of the mounting frame being adjacent the first side of the housing and the second side of the mounting frame being adjacent the second side of the housing; a cable routing arrangement including a first set of guide members and a second set of guide members, the first set of guide members being configured to direct cables along a first cable routing path from the trunk cable port, down the rear of the housing, up the first side of the housing, over a spool, back down the first side of the housing, and over to the splice tray assembly, the first set of guide members including a plurality of guide members extending into the interior from the first side and the rear, the second set of guide members being configured to direct cables along a second cable routing path from the equipment cable port, down the rear of the housing, up the second side of the housing, over a spool, back down the second side of the housing, and over to the splice tray assembly, the second set of guide members including a plurality of guide members extending into the interior from the second side and the rear, wherein the trunk cable port is positioned at the top of the housing so as to direct cables between at least one of the first side of the mounting frame and the first side of the housing toward the first set of guide members and the second side of the mounting frame and the second side of the housing toward the second set of guide members, wherein the trunk cable port is positioned at the top of the housing so as to be outside the width of the mounting frame that is defined from the first side to the second side of the mounting frame when taken in a vertical direction; and an anchor station disposed within the splice equipment assembly beneath the trunk cable port and extending into the interior from the rear of the housing; wherein the interior of the housing has a first region and a second region disposed below the first region along a vertical column, wherein the splice tray assembly includes a first splice tray assembly disposed in the first region along the vertical column and a second splice tray assembly is disposed within the second region along the vertical column, wherein the mounting frames of the first and second splice tray assemblies are spaced apart, and wherein the first and second cable routing paths service the first region, and wherein additional first and second cable routing paths service the second region, wherein the splice trays of the first splice tray assembly and the second splice tray assembly are connected to the mounting frames to pivot around a pivot axis that is parallel to a direction extending from the first side toward the second side of the housing and that is perpendicular to the vertical column defined within the housing, wherein each of the splice trays of the plurality of splice trays of the first splice tray assembly and the plurality of splice trays of the second splice tray assembly are mounted to the housing such that first and second major faces of each splice tray are oriented perpendicular to a plane defined along the vertical column within the housing and parallel to the direction extending from the first side toward the second side of the housing; wherein the splice trays are removably mounted to the mounting frame; wherein the first and second cable routing paths are mirror images of each other; wherein the first and second cable routing paths have a common length; wherein the first and second cable routing paths each form a slack length; wherein neither the first cable routing path nor the second cable routing path extend circumferentially around the splice tray assembly; a plurality of cables in each of the first cable routing path and the second cable routing path extending from the trunk cable port and the equipment cable port, respectively, and a plurality of splices to form a plurality of spliced cables on the splice trays; wherein corresponding cables are removable from the cable routing arrangement allowing the slack length and the splice trays to be removed from the mounting frame allowing access to the splice trays outside of the housing without disconnecting the plurality of spliced cables from the splice trays.

2 . A rack assembly comprising:
a rack frame having a front and a rear, the rack frame including at least two posts, the rack frame defining a first side and a second side; and a splice equipment assembly mounted to a housing that is mounted to the front of the rack frame so as to be generally positioned between the first and second sides of the rack frame, the housing including a cable routing arrangement, the cable routing arrangement including a plurality of guide members extending into the interior from a first side and a second side of the housing, and a second plurality of guide members extending into the interior from a rear of the housing, the splice equipment assembly extending along a majority of a height of the rack frame, the splice equipment assembly having at least one splice tray assembly holding a plurality of pivotable splice trays mounted to a mounting frame in a stack, each splice tray being movable between a stowed position and an access position, the housing of the splice equipment assembly including a cable port arrangement that defines at least one trunk cable port disposed at a top of the housing to provide access to the interior of the housing and at least one equipment cable port disposed at the top of the housing to provide access to the interior of the housing, the housing of the splice equipment assembly defining a first cable routing path and a second cable routing path, the first cable routing path extending within the housing of the splice equipment assembly from the cable port arrangement above the splice trays, along one side of the splice trays, and towards a bottom of the splice trays, the second cable routing path extending within the housing of the splice equipment assembly along an opposite side of the splice trays, and towards the bottom of the splice trays, the first cable routing path being a mirror image of the second cable routing path, the at least one trunk cable port disposed at the top of the housing being positioned for leading cables toward at least one of the first cable routing path and the second cable routing path, the splice equipment assembly further defining a width that extends between the one side of the splice trays to the opposite side of the splice trays, the one side of the splice trays being adjacent the first side of the rack frame and the opposite side of the splice trays being adjacent the second side of the rack frame, wherein the at least one trunk cable port is positioned at the top of the housing so as to direct cables between at least one of the one side of the splice trays and the first side of the rack frame toward the first cable routing path and the opposite side of the splice trays and the second side of the rack frame to

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Schoenfelder Rodney C
• Anderson Scott Jean
• Percival David Patrick
• Solheid James J

Classifications

• G02B6/44526

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

• G02B6/4459

  Ducts; Conduits; Hollow tubes for air blown fibres · CPC title

• H04Q1/06

  Cable ducts or mountings specially adapted for exchange installations · CPC title

• H04Q1/025

  Cabinets · CPC title