Visual outlet identification in a cable management system

Claim 1

In a cable management system interposed between a plurality of service lines (16) and a plurality of user lines (18) and including a plurality of service termination unit circuit cards (22) each connectable to a first predetermined number of respective ones of said plurality of service lines, a plurality of line termination unit circuit cards (20) each connectable to a second predetermined number of respective ones of said plurality of user lines, connecting means (24, 36, 37) for connecting each of said plurality of service termination unit circuit cards to all of said plurality of line termination unit circuit cards, each of said line termination unit circuit cards including a respective port connector (160) for each of the user lines connected to that line termination unit circuit card and a respective user line circuit path (110) between each of said port connectors and said connecting means, each of said plurality of service termination unit circuit cards including switching means (126) for selectively connecting one of the plurality of service lines connected to that service termination unit circuit card to one of said plurality of user line circuit paths, operator controlled management station means (14) for controlling said cable management system by issuing commands to effect the selective operation of said switching means, each of said user lines consisting of M wires within a cable (162) having M+N wires, where M and N are integers, each of said port connectors being connected to said M+N wires of the cable carrying the respective user line associated with said each port connector, each of said user line cables being terminated at a respective outlet (200) for connection thereat to a peripheral user device, and said respective outlet including a connector (204) having at least M contact positions coupled to the respective user line cable, an arrangement for distinguishing a particular outlet from other outlets comprising: a visual indicator (230) associated with said particular outlet, said indicator being exposed to view; energizing means (232) within said particular outlet and coupled to at least one of said N wires of the respective user line cable and to said indicator, said energizing means being responsive to a predetermined control signal received over said at least one of said N wires for energizing said indicator; and wherein said management station means is adapted to provide said predetermined control signal to said particular outlet.