EP0341027A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fiber distribution panel
Assignee: GTE Control Devices of Puerto Rico Inc
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Filing: 1989-05-02
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-05-02
Abstract
Abstract Appartus for interfacing optical fibers (4) of external optical cables (4′) to selected optical fibers (6) of equipment to be coupled thereto comprises a housing (10) to which the cables (4′) and the optical fibers (6) may be secured. Adrawer (22) is slidably mounted within the housing (10) and carries optical fiber connectors(52) as well as a fiber splice cradle (56) and optical cable storage unit (60). Between the drawer (22) and the housing (10) there is defied a carity (54) to accommodate optical fibers (4) within flexible tubing (44), and optical fibers (6) when the drawer is in a closed condition.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert W. Barlow
- 👤 David A. Cooper
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 13:35
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/44; G02B6/4439; G02B6/444; G02B6/4453; G02B6/4454; G02B6/4452; G02B6/44526; G02B6/44528; G02B6/4455
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
249 words
Apparatus for interfacing optical fibers (4) of external fiber optical cable (4′) with selected optical fibers (6) within equipment to which such optical fibers (4) of such external fiber optical cable (4′) are to be coupled, characterised in that it comprises a housing (10), a drawer (22) mounted for sliding movement relatively to said housing (10) and defining an enclosure (30) including an optical fibre splice cradle (56) and a fiber optical cable storage unit (60), said housing (10) having an access panel (16) with at least one access opening (42) through which can extend at least one flexible fiber tubing (44) for accommodating at least one optical fiber (4) of said external optical fiber cable (4′), said drawer (10) having at least one access opening through which optical fibres (4) of one or more of said external optical fiber cables (4′) can extend from said housing (10) to said splice cradle (56), and a mounting panel (40) including a plurality of optical fiber connectors (52), the arrangement being such that said housing (10) and said drawer (22) define between them when the drawer (22) is in a closed position a cavity (54) for accommodating said flexible fiber tubing (44) whereby with said flexible fibre tubing coupled to said access panel (16) and said optical fibers (4) coupled to said splice cradle (56) said drawer (22) can be opened relatively to said housing (10) to provide access to said splice cradle (56) and said fibre optical cable storage unit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
249 words
Apparatus for interfacing optical fibers (4) of external fiber optical cable (4′) with selected optical fibers (6) within equipment to which such optical fibers (4) of such external fiber optical cable (4′) are to be coupled, characterised in that it comprises a housing (10), a drawer (22) mounted for sliding movement relatively to said housing (10) and defining an enclosure (30) including an optical fibre splice cradle (56) and a fiber optical cable storage unit (60), said housing (10) having an access panel (16) with at least one access opening (42) through which can extend at least one flexible fiber tubing (44) for accommodating at least one optical fiber (4) of said external optical fiber cable (4′), said drawer (10) having at least one access opening through which optical fibres (4) of one or more of said external optical fiber cables (4′) can extend from said housing (10) to said splice cradle (56), and a mounting panel (40) including a plurality of optical fiber connectors (52), the arrangement being such that said housing (10) and said drawer (22) define between them when the drawer (22) is in a closed position a cavity (54) for accommodating said flexible fiber tubing (44) whereby with said flexible fibre tubing coupled to said access panel (16) and said optical fibers (4) coupled to said splice cradle (56) said drawer (22) can be opened relatively to said housing (10) to provide access to said splice cradle (56) and said fibre optical cable storage unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that said mounting panel (40) forms a boundary of the enclosure (30) defined by said drawer (22), said optical fiber connectors (52) extend through said mounting panel (40) and said mounting panel (40) has an opening (118) through which optical fibres can pass from said enclosure (30) to said connectors (52).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
95 words
Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said housing (10) further includes means (74) providing access for said selected optical fibers (6) to said cavity (54), that said drawer (22) further includes access means (90) enabling said selected optical fibres (6) to pass from said cavity (54) to said storage unit (60) and that the arrangement is further such that said selected optical fibres (6) extending between said access means (74) and said access means (90) can be accommodated in said cavity (54) when the drawer (22) is in the closed condition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that said access means (74) includes at least one aperture (74) extending through said housing (10) and at least one associated fiber guard (76) adjacent said aperture on an exterior wall of said housing (10) that defines said cavity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
71 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, characterised in said enclosure (30) is partitioned into a first enclosed portion (82) and a second enclosed portion (84) by a dividing wall (86), said splice cradle (56) being positioned in said first enclosed portion (82), said storage unit (60) being positioned in said second enclosed portion (84) and said dividing wall (86) including said means (90) providing access to said cavity (54).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterised in that said first enclosed portion (82) includes a vertical boundary (92), said vertical boundary (92) and said dividing wall (86) being contoured to identify optical fiber paths of at least one predetermined fiber bend radius, and further includes means (116) associated with said vertical boundary (92) and said dividing wall (86) for holding said optical fibers in place relative to said vertical boundary (92) and said dividing wall (86).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to Claim 5 or 6 characterised in that said dividing wall (86) includes a first leg (98) extending from a first side panel (34) of the drawer (22) towards a second side panel (36) and a second leg (104) extending towards a forward mounting panel (40) comprising said mounting panel (40) for optical fiber connectors (52).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus according to Claim 7 characterised in that said second leg (104) is spaced from said second side panel (36) to form an optical fiber channel (106) having a floor (108) and that opposite ends (110, 112) of said second leg (104) and said floor (108) are contoured to at least one predetermined bend radius.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus according to any one of the Claims (1-8) wherein said access opening (58) includes an access opening base (114) contoured to at least one predetermined bend radius.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the Claims 1-9, characterised in that said storage unit (60) includes a plurality of optical fiber storage cassettes (62).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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