Modular communication cabling arrangement

Claim 1

In an office furniture arrangement including a plurality of upright space-dividing wall panels interconnected to define a plurality of adjacent workstations, said plurality of panels including a series of panels which are positioned generally end-to-end in the lengthwise direction thereof to define a main panel run, the panels of said run defining therein a raceway which extends lengthwise thereof, and a telecommunication cabling arrangement disposed in said raceway for providing access to telecommunication links from workstations disposed adjacent said panels, the improvement comprising: said telecommunication cabling arrangement being of modular construction and defined by a plurality of elongate main distribution modules which serially couple together and extend throughout the raceways defined by said run of panels, each said main distribution module including an elongate intermediate cable having a connector unit at each end thereof, said cable defining a plurality of multi-conductor telecommunication links extending longitudinally therethrough and terminating at the connector units provided at opposite ends thereof, each said connector unit having a plurality of multi-conductor terminals corresponding to the number of telecommunication links; the connector units as provided on adjacent ends of two said distribution modules being fixedly coupled together to define a series of interconnected main distribution modules so that the terminals on one connector unit respectively engage the individual terminals on the other connector unit, said engaged terminals permitting said plurality of multi-conductor telecommunication links to be transmitted between said interconnected main distribution modules wherein the same telecommunication links are transmitted longitudinally along said telecommunication cabling arrangement; said series of interconnected main distribution modules defining access ports at spaced intervals therealong, each said access port permitting access to at least one, but less than all, of the telecommunication links which extend throughout the interconnected main distribution modules; at least one tap-off module having a tap-off part engageable with one of the access ports for connection with the telecommunication link defined thereat, said tap-off part having a plurality of contacts which are engageable with contacts provided at the access port and define the one telecommunication link; and said tap-off module also including an outlet connected to the contacts on the tap-off part, said outlet defining a multi-conductor telecommunication link connected to the link at said one access port.