AU2012101902A4 - Improvements in cabinets - Google Patents

Abstract

A cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the 5 telecommunications equipment, wherein the second area has a configuration that has a substantially semicircular footprint. -213 203 -- 211 2090, Fitre 2

Description

Regulalion 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application No.: Application Date: 6 July 2012 Priority Dates: 6 July 2011 (NZ 593919) Applicants: Eaton Industries Company Eaton Development Centre 1 Barry Hogan Place Addington Christchurch 8041 NEW ZEALAND Address for Service: ELLIS I TERRY c/- Spruson & Ferguson Level 35, St Martins Tower 31 Market Street Sydney, NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA Address for Correspondence: ELLIS f TERRY PO Box 10932 The Terrace Wellington 6143 NEW ZEALAND Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "IMPROVEMENTS IN CABINETS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 IMPROVEMENTS IN CABINETS FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to improvements in cabinets. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in telecommunications cabinets. BACKGROUND 10 Cabinets for telecommunication equipment are widely used for the storage of the electronics equipment as well as for the cabling that is connected to the equipment. In systems that connect optical cables and fibres to telecommunications 15 equipment, a vast amount of cabling is required to be fed through these cabinets in order to be connected to the telecommunications equipment. Standard cabinets for telecommunications equipment are generally of a rectangular shape. This means, that the vast amounts of cabling and fibres are 20 required to be sorted and positioned in a limited amount of space. Further, access to the cables and fibres is limited when the system has been set up. That is, the arrangement of the doors on standard cabinets does not always allow sufficient space to an engineer who wishes to access the cabinet. In 25 addition, the doors themselves can sometimes obscure access to the cables and fibres within the cabinet. An object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet that allows a greater density of cables and fibres within its defined space. 30 A further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet that enables fibres and cables to be handled and moved within the cabinet in an easier manner. Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet that provides 35 better access to the cables and fibres within the cabinet.

3 Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet that provides an area for the cables and fibres that is secure. Each object is to be read disjunctively with the object of at least providing the 5 public with a useful choice. The present invention aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, some or all of the afore-mentioned problems. 10 Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is For the purpose of fully disclosing the preferred embodiment of the invention without placing limitations thereon. 15 The background discussion (including any potential prior art) is not to be taken as an admission of the common general knowledge. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 20 It is acknowledged that the terms "comprise", "comprises" and "comprising" may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning - i.e. they will be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed components that the use directly references, but 25 optionally also the inclusion of other non-specified components or elements. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the telecommunications 30 equipment, wherein the second area has a configuration that has a substantially semicircular footprint. According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for 35 receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the cabinet includes a hinged door for securing the second 4 area, a first hinged portion connected to the cabinet and a second hinged portion connected to the hinged door, wherein the hinged door is arranged to lift off the first hinged portion via the second hinged portion. 5 According to yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the cabinet includes a hinged door for securing the second area, wherein the hinged door includes one or more latches 10 for opening the hinged door that are only accessible and operable via the first area. According to yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet adapted to receive one or run:: uunduits for carrying optical fibres, me cabinet 15 including a first lower portion for receiving the conduits and a second central portion for securing the conduits, wherein the second central portion includes an outer barrier for receiving the conduits and an inner area for passing one or more conduits into to enable the optical fibres to be passed through the one or more conduits. 20 According to yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits for carrying optical fibres, the cabinet including an end portion formed having a cross section of a substantially semicircular shape, 25 According to yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits carrying optical fibres, the cabinet including an end portion having a removable semicircular door. 30 According to yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits carrying optical fibres, the cabinet including a door that accesses the conduits which can only be opened via a second door.

5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 5 Figure I shows a first portion of a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a second portion of a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention; 10 Figure 3 shows a plinth according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a clamp assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows the body section of the second portion of a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention; 15 Figure 6 shows a door according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows a hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 shows a support according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 shows a duct gland according to an embodiment of the present invention; 20 Figure 10 shows a duct management module according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 shows a support brace according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 shows an exploded view of a clamp assembly according to an 25 embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 shows a cabinet in use according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 14 shows a side view of a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 30 Figure 15 shows a further side view of a cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention; 6 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment 5 Figure 1 shows a first portion of a cabinet 101. This first portion of the cabinet is of a rectangular shape and includes an optional power unit 103 for providing power to the components within the cabinet, as well as a rectangular passive cabinet 105. The passive cabinet is used to store telecommunications equipment. 10 According to this embodiment the cabinet is used to store telecommunications equipment for use in the fibre to the home (FTTH) system. The equipment may include, for example, an Alcatel 7330 switch, Tyco Fibre boxes etc. Further, the passive cabinet may have a range of functions depending on its 15 configuration. Such as, in a passive configuration without the Power Unit, it can be configured for copper, fibre or a combination of the both. In the passive configuration it holds no electronics. Alternatively, in an active configuration with the power unit, the cabinet can be configured for copper, fibre or a combination of the both and holds electronic equipment. 20 The passive cabinet includes a first area 107 for storing the equipment. A rectangular door 109 is attached to the front of the passive cabinet 105 to provide access to the equipment therein. The door 109 includes a latch mechanism 111 that is used to secure the door 109 against the cabinet 105. According to this 25 embodiment the latch mechanism 111 is a 3 point latching system that is operated via a handle (not shown) located on the external side of the door 109. The side portion 113 of the passive cabinet 105 provides access to the equipment therein via a microduct management section of the cabinet, as will be 30 explained in more detail later. Figure 2 shows a view of the microduct management section 201 of the cabinet. As explained above, the section 201 is placed against the passive cabinet 105 along the side 113 of the passive cabinet 105. That is, the flat side 203 of the 35 section 201 is placed against the side portion 113 of the cabinet 105. The section 7 201 has a substantially semicircular footprint. That is, the section 201 is substantially semicircular in cross section or profile. The management section 201 is formed from a lower semicircular portion 205 5 and an upper semicircular portion 207 that are linked together via side elements 209. It will be understood that figure 2 and shows a first left side element 209 and that a second side element on the right-hand side is not visible. An area is provided within the management section 201 for receiving cables 10 and/or fibres for connection to the electronic equipment within the passive cabinet 105. The area within the management section 201 has a semicircular cross section or profile. It is within this area that the cables and/or fibres are received via ducts or tubes that are fed through apertures formed by the lower semicircular portion 205. Once the cables and/or fibres are received into this area, an 15 engineer is able to manage the cables and/or fibres so that they are directed to the correct pieces of electronic equipment stored within the passive cabinet, as will be explained in more detail below. The body of the management section 201 and the passive cabinet 105 are made 20 from Aluminium 5005. It will be understood that alternative materials may be used. A door 211 is attached to the management section 201 via a pair of hinges, according to this embodiment. It will be understood that, as an alternative, any 25 number of hinges may be used to connect the door 211 to the management section 201. The door 211 is of a substantially semicircular cross section or profile. Thus, the door 211 locates against the lower semicircular portion 205 and upper semicircular portion 207 to shut off the area bounded by the door, upper and lower semicircular portions and the side elements 209. The door 211 further 30 includes a latch mechanism 213 including two latches, as will be described in more detail below. Also located within the management section 201 is a tube management module 215, a support brace 219 for supporting the upper portion 207 and the 35 management module 215, and a further support brace 221 that also provides support for the management module 215.

8 Figure 3 shows a plinth 301 upon which the cabinet including the passive cabinet 105 and management section 201, as well as the optional power unit 103 if used, are placed. The plinth 301 is made from concrete. It is used to provide a secure 5 base for the cabinet. It includes various apertures 303 for receiving ducting or tubes that are used to hold fibres or cables for connecting to the electronics equipment within the cabinet. Figure 4 shows a microduct clamp 401 that is used to clamp and align the 10 microduct cables that pass through plinth aperture hole 303, Figure 5 shows the basic structure of the management section 201. Both the left and right-hand side elements 209 can be seen clearly in this figure. The right hand element 209 has attached thereto a first portion of the hinge mechanism 15 (not shown) to enable the door 211 to pivotally open. The lower section 205 of the management section 201 includes a shaped portion 501 that has multiple semicircular cut-out portions that are arranged to form an aperture in conjunction with a duct entry gland 901, as shown in figure 9. It can 20 be seen from figure 2 that a number of circular apertures 217 are formed when the duct entry gland 901 is placed within the lower portion 205 of the management section 201. It is these circular apertures 217 that are arranged to receive the ducts or tubes that hold the cables or fibre optics. That is, the circular apertures 217 receive the circular ducts or tubes holding the cables or fibre 25 optics. Around the periphery of the management section 201 is located a channel that receives a rubber gasket 503 that provides an effective seal against the door 211. 30 Figure 6 shows an image of the door 211. The door 211 may be removed from the management section 201 by lifting the door 211 along with its hinges 601 that form part of the hinge mechanism, as shown in figure 7. That is, a first portion 701 of the hinge mechanism is attached to the door 211 and a corresponding 35 portion (second portion) 703 of the hinge mechanism is attached to the right hand side element 209. The first portion 701 of the hinge mechanism includes a 9 main body 705 for attaching the first portion 701 to the door 211. Adjacent the main body 705 is a hinge body 707 that contains an aperture (not shown) for receiving a corresponding protruding element 709 located on the second portion 703 of the hinge mechanism. That is, the second portion 703 also includes the 5 main body 711 for attaching the second portion 703 to the right-hand side element 209. Adjacent the main body 711 is a hinge body 713 upon which the protruding element 709 is located. The protruding element 709 is shaped and sized so that it fits within the aperture on the hinge body 707 of the first portion 701. 10 According to this embodiment, the door 211 includes two hinge mechanisms. A first portion of the hinge mechanism is located adjacent an edge of an upper section of the door 211, and a second portion 701 of the hinge mechanism is located adjacent an edge of a lower section of the door 211. It will be understood 15 however, that any number of the hinge mechanisms may be attached to the door 211 and the invention is not limited to only two hinge mechanisms. Further, it will be understood that, the location of the hinge mechanisms may be changed and that the invention is not limited to locating the hinge mechanisms at the upper section or the section of the door. 20 It can be seen from the figures that the hinge mechanism is arranged such that the semicircular door 211 may be easily lifted away from the main body of the management section 201. By lifting the door 211 away from the main body, access to the internal area is improved. 25 The internal surface of the door 211 includes a number of horizontal supporting ribs 603 that track the semicircular internal surface of the door to provide additional strength to the door 211. 30 Figure 8 shows detail of the support brace 219. The support brace 219 includes a steel rod 801 and an attachment manifold 803 connected to a first end of the steel rod 801. The connection manifold 803 is used to attach the support brace 219 to the upper portion 207 of the management section 201. The opposing end of the steel rod 801 is located within an aperture (not shown) formed within the 35 lower portion 205 of the management section 201.

10 Figure 9 shows a detailed view of the duct or tube entry gland 901 that is located within the lower portion 205 of the management section 201. This gland 901 is made from or formed from EPDM foam + 5005 Aluminium fabricated support structure . The profile of the gland 901 is such that the seal closely fits the duct or 5 tube entry points to provide a tidy and effective seal. By placing the gland 901 into the lower portion 205 of the management section 201, the apertures 217 are formed therein to provide a channel through which the ducts or tubes are placed. The gland 901 includes elements 903 that support the gland 901 in the bottom of 10 the lower portion 205 of the management section 201. Also formed along one edge of the gland 901 is a semicircular cut-out portion 905 which provides an aperture for a further duct. For example, the duct may be 100 mm in size. However, it will be understood that the size and shape of the cut-out 15 portion 905 may be modified to fit any suitable duct or tube. Figure 10 shows a detailed view of the tube or duct management module. The management module includes a number of separate sections 1001 that may be attached in a modular manner to form a complete management module 215 as 20 shown in figure 2. Sections of the management module may be removed or added depending on how many sections are required to secure the ducts, tubing, cables or fibres being fed into the cabinet. For example, as shown in figure 10, two sections 1003 are attached to each other. A bracket 1005 is provided to link each of the sections 1001 together and to attach the management module to the 25 support brace 219. That is, the mounting bracket 1005 is fastened to the side of the management section 201 to pillar 209 and clamped to the roof brace 219. Each section 1001 includes an outer area 1007 and an inner area 1009 separated by two retaining plates 1111 and 1113. The duct or tubing is fed into 30 the outer area after it is passed through the apertures 217 formed in the lower portion 205 of the management section 201. According to this embodiment, each of the apertures 217 is sized to receive 26 tubes that are used to supply fibre optics to the cabinet. Therefore, these 26 tubes are fed through the apertures 217 into the outer area 1007 of one of the sections 1001 of the management 35 module 215.

11 One or more of the received tubes may then be passed via the two retaining plates 1111 and 1113 in to the inner area 1009. Once within the inner area 1009 pressurised air may be applied to the tube to force the cable or fibre optics to be passed through the tube. The cable or fibre optics may then be passed from the 5 area provided by the management section 201 into the area within the passive cabinet 105 so that the cable or fibre optics may be connected to the electronic equipment therein. Figure 11 shows a detailed view of the further support 221, which is formed from 10 a steel tube that has at one end an attachment manifold 1101 for attaching the support brace to the upper portion 207 of the management section 201. At a second end opposite to the first end of the support 221 is located a further attachment manifold 1103 for attaching the support to the management module 215. 15 The further support 221, may also be used to aid the guiding of the fibres or cables coming out of the ducting or tubes. Figure 12 shows an exploded view of the microduct clamp 401 shown in figure 4. 20 The clamp 401 includes an inner clamp 1201, an outer clamp 1203 and end cap 1205. The microduct clamp 401 is located underneath the management section 201 and provides a clamping mechanism for clamping the ducts or pipes that enter the management section 201. The inner clamp 1201 has a substantially semicircular profile, wherein the outer edge of the profile includes a number of 25 contoured teeth that align with the ducts. The contoured teeth are evenly spaced around the outer circumference of the inner clamp 1201. The outer clamp 1203 is placed around the outer circumference of the inner clamp 1201 to secure the ducts in between the inner clamp an outer clamp. That is, the outer clamp aligns and secures the ducts once the outer clamp has been tightened against the inner 30 clamp. The outer clamp includes apertures 1207 that align with a further aperture 1209 located on the inner clamp 1201. The apertures 1207 provide access for clamping bolts to clamp the outer clamp to the inner clamp. Further, the end cap 1205 includes apertures 1211 that align with corresponding apertures 305 on the concrete plinth 301 to secure the clamp mechanism to the concrete plinth. 35 12 The end cap 1205 is arranged to match the shape of the lower portion of the management section 201 so that if the cabinet is exposed due to uneven or sloped ground, the cabinet profile is maintained. The section heights of the outer and inner clamp match the adjacent concrete plinth to achieve a level installation 5 surface. Figure 13 shows an example of a number of plastic tubes 1301 that are fed through the duct entry gland and lower portion of the management section 201 and through the management module 215. An engineer installing the required 10 optical fibres would select one of these plastic tubes and move them into the inner area 1009 of the management module prior to bringing the fibres through the tube using air pressure. Once the fibres have been exposed at the end of the tubes, they are then fed into 15 the passive cabinet 105 around trumpet arrangements 1303. The fibres may then be terminated in fibre trays within the passive cabinet 105 via access holes 1304 Figure 14 shows a side view of the cabinet arrangement including the passive cabinet 105 and the management section 201 of the cabinet. This view shows 20 the fibre trays 1401 where the fibres are terminated. The semicircular door 211 is closed via the latches 213 which latch up against a catch (indicated by the arrow 1403 and shown as 115 in figure 1) which is located behind, or on the inner surface of, the support 209. Therefore, it can be seen 25 from this view that the semicircular door 211 cannot be opened unless the rectangular door 109 of the passive cabinet 105 is first opened. Figure 15 shows a perspective view of the cabinet arrangement with all doors closed. 30 It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of invention. 35

Claims (13)

1. A cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for 5 connection to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the second area has a configuration that has a substantially semicircular footprint.

2. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the second area has a lower semicircular portion adapted to receive the cables and/or fibres into the cabinet. 10

3. The cabinet of claim 2, wherein the lower semicircular portion includes one or more entry points for receiving a conduit for the cable and/or fibres.

4. The cabinet of claim 3, wherein the entry points are formed by a 15 combination of a conduit gland and a shaped portion of the lower semicircular portion.

5. The cabinet of claim 4, wherein the conduit gland is formed from a foam material and aluminium fabrication. 20

6. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the second area includes one or more module conduit management modules for securing a conduit for the cable and/or fibres. 25 7. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein the module conduit management module includes a first area for initially receiving a conduit, and a second area to which at least a portion of the conduit may be moved when inserting the cables and/or fibres into the cabinet. 30 8. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein the module conduit management modules are secured within the second area by attachment to two or more support means that are attached to an upper portion of the second area.

9. A cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment 35 and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the cabinet includes a hinged door for securing the second area, a first hinged portion 14 connected to the cabinet and a second hinged portion connected to the hinged door, wherein the hinged door is arranged to lift off the first hinged portion via the second hinged portion. 5 10. A cabinet including a first area for storing telecommunications equipment and a second area for receiving incoming cables and/or fibres for connection to the telecommunications equipment, wherein the cabinet includes a hinged door for securing the second area, wherein the hinged door includes one or more latches for opening the hinged door that are 10 only accessible and operable via the first area.

11. The cabinet of claim 10 further including two latches.

12. The cabinet of claim 11 wherein a first latch is located at an upper portion 15 of the hinged door and a second latch is located at a lower portion of the hinged door.

13. The cabinet of any one preceding claim further including one or more support means located between a lower portion and an upper portion of 20 the second area to provide support for the upper portion.

14. A cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits for carrying optical fibres, the cabinet including a first lower portion for receiving the conduits and a second central portion for securing the conduits, wherein the 25 second central portion includes an outer barrier for receiving the conduits and an inner area for passing one or more conduits into to enable the optical fibres to be passed through the one or more conduits.

15. A cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits for carrying optical 30 fibres, the cabinet including an end portion formed having a cross section of a substantially semicircular shape. 15

17. A cabinet adapted to receive one or more conduits carrying optical fibres, the cabinet including a door that accesses the conduits which can only be opened via a second door. 5 18, A cabinet substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.