Optical cable splice cassettes with device holder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383538-B2
Application number	US-201414281938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 21, 2013
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

Splice cassettes for optical cables and optical devices may include a tray base having a tray top surface. A tray center portion may be defined on the tray top surface inside a plurality of tray cable securing members arranged around a center-portion periphery of the tray center portion with a tray proximal zone and a tray distal zone. A device holder may be removably and hingedly attached to the tray base. An inner surface of the holder may have a holder proximal zone in which at least one device securing member may be disposed and configured to secure an optical device to the inner surface. When the device holder is closed and an optical device is secured in the at least one device securing member of the device holder, the holder distal zone may overlie the tray distal zone and the optical device may overlie the tray proximal zone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A splice cassette for optical cables and optical devices, the splice cassette comprising:
a tray base having a tray top surface;
a tray center portion defined on the tray top surface inside a plurality of tray cable securing members arranged around a center-portion periphery of the tray center portion, the tray center portion having a tray proximal zone and a tray distal zone defined thereon;
a device holder hingedly attached to the tray base and having a holder-closed position and a holder-open position, the device holder comprising:
a holder inner surface having a holder proximal zone and a holder distal zone defined thereon;
at least one first holder cable securing member arranged around a first side of a holder periphery of the holder inner surface;
at least one second holder cable securing member arranged around a second side of the holder periphery of the holder inner surface opposite the first side of the holder periphery; and
at least one device securing member disposed in the holder proximal zone of the holder inner surface;

an optical device secured to the device holder by the at least one device securing member;
at least one first cable connected to a first side of the optical device adjacent to the first side of the holder periphery; and
at least one second cable connected to a second side of the optical device adjacent to the second side of the holder periphery;

wherein:
the at least one first cable is routed from the first side of the optical device, through the at least one first holder cable securing member, to a first tray cable securing member on the tray top surface;
the at least one second cable is routed from the second side of the optical device, through the at least one second holder cable securing member, to a second tray cable securing member on the tray top surface;
between the first holder cable securing member and the first tray cable securing member, the at least one first cable crosses the at least one second cable.

2. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein when the device holder is in the holder-closed position and an optical device is secured in the at least one device securing member of the device holder, the holder distal zone overlies the tray distal zone and the holder proximal zone overlies the tray proximal zone.

3. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first cable or the at least one second cable is a ribbon cable.

4. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein the optical device is a fan-out body and the at least one first cable or the at least one second cable is a ribbon cable.

5. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein the optical device is a splitter that splits an optical signal in the at least one first cable into two second cables.

6. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein the optical device is a multiplexer.

7. The splice cassette of claim 1 , wherein when the device holder is in the closed position and an optical device is secured in the at least one device securing member of the device holder, a under-holder routing space is defined between the optical device and the tray top surface.

8. The splice cassette of claim 7 , wherein the under-holder routing space is sufficiently large to allow a cable to pass through the under-holder routing space underneath the device holder when the device holder is in the holder-closed position.

9. The splice cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a tray cover hingedly attached to the tray base and having a cover-open position and a cover-closed position.

10. The splice cassette of claim 9 , wherein the device holder closes on a first axis of the tray base and the tray cover closes on a second axis of the tray base perpendicular to the first axis.

11. The splice cassette of claim 9 , wherein when the device holder is in the holder-closed position and the tray cover is in the tray-closed position, the device holder is interposed between the tray top surface and the tray cover.

12. The splice cassette of claim 9 , wherein the device holder and the tray cover both are made of a transparent or translucent material, such that the tray top surface is visible through the tray cover and the device holder when the device holder is in the holder-closed position and the tray cover is in the tray-closed position.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Comm Llc

Inventors

• Giraud William Julius Mcphil
• Rodriguez Diana

Classifications

• 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

• G02B6/4455

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

• G02B6/4453

  Cassettes · CPC title

• G02B6/4454 Primary

  with splices · CPC title