MX2008001277A - Storage device for use in fiber optic communication systems and method of using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage device for storing cable or fiber, rotating element, and method of using the same are provided. The storage device includes a housing, having an inner cavity and at least one opening;and a rotating element which is rotatably and removeably placed within the inner cavity and has at least one receptacle. The rotating element includes a base member;a receptacle for holding at least one splice sleeve containing a sliced fiber;and a plurality of guide ridges, which are disposed on the base member, one of the plurality of guide ridges disposed at either end of each of the at least one receptacle. The method includes placing the fiber or cable into the receptacle;draping excess fiber or cable through guide fins;and rotating the rotating element to retract or dispense the excess fiber or cable into or out of the storage device through the at least one opening in the housing.

Description

STORAGE DEVICE FOR USE IN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR OPTICAL FIBER AND METHOD FOR USING THE SAME CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUEST This application claims the priority benefit from the Patent Application Provisional Record of the United States of America No. 60 / 703,504, presented at Office of Patents and Trademarks of the United States of America on July 29, 2005, the description of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The devices and methods compatible with the present invention refer to the storage of fibers in fiber optic communication systems and, more particularly, to the storage of fiber optic cable or excess cords in a fiber optic communication system . 2. Description of Related Art As the number of fibers deployed in fiber optic communication systems has increased, the handling of the fibers has become too complex. In the fibers of connection, fibers of termination and fibers of connection, each fiber It has in common excess length that must be considered. As the number of fibers increases, this excessive length multiplies, causing problems in the handling of excessive lengths of fibers and cables in the splice areas, fiber distribution structures, cross connections, multi-fiber installations, falls FTTX, and optical devices and photonic assemblies. Generally, a splice enclosure is used to house the splices after a splice operation is executed. In the sectioning of two fibers together, two to four feet of excess fiber length is required on each side of the splice point in order to allow easy placement of the fiber ends within a splice apparatus and to permit easy re-termination if required. In some cases, the fiber cables that are spliced together contain 864 fibers or more, either in a braided or flat configuration. However, even for the cable sectioning of a lower fiber count, the storage of excess fiber can present significant difficulties for the operator and for the design of a splice enclosure that supports the splices. A fiber optic storage enclosure handles excess loose fiber using a number of different techniques. First, the excess loose part can be stored in an individual area (for example, a "storage basket"). Second, the surplus fiber can be stored in "splice trays" which commonly contain one or more pairs of spliced fibers or spliced cords. Third, it is possible to employ some combination of storage techniques, for example, storage in the storage basket and also in the splice tray. No matter what technique is used to store the excess fiber, it is mandatory that the operator route and pack the excess fiber length into the splice tray manually without entangling the fibers, and / or pull the excess fiber down into the storage basket. This storage procedure is tedious and requires great effort and skill of the operator. However, more importantly, if the radius of a cycle or fiber winding is less than the fiber's bending radius, excess bending losses will occur during the transmission of information through the fibers. In addition, existing storage procedures have a risk of breaking or damaging the fibers, a risk that only increases as the number of fibers to be stored increases. After the surplus fiber is stored, a different problem arises since the operator must return frequently to the splice storage enclosure in order to re-route the fibers, for splicing additional fibers, for repairing or replacing existing fibers, for adding additional branch cables or for splicing previously unfinished fibers. In each of these cases, re-entry is complicated and time is consumed. Often, the fibers break as the operator tries to untangle the loose fiber, to identify the correct fiber to work on, or to move the loose fiber out of the way to allow access for the fibers to be spliced. Therefore, even if the initial storage of the surplus fiber within the storage enclosure is done properly, the situation within the enclosure tends to degrade with each re-entry towards the splice enclosure. In addition, operations involving the storage of surplus fiber depend on the operator's skill and attention to detail, and such operations are very common as new customers or services are added to the fiber optic network. The handling of surplus fiber connection cables used in fiber distribution structures and cross-connection cabinets presents similar problems.

The connection cables are manufactured in a common way for certain fixed lengths (for example, five meters or ten meters, etc.). These fixed lengths are often higher than those required to connect from one distribution structure to another. The excess connection cable length becomes unmanageable, especially as the number of connection cables increases. These connection cables often hang and entangle together, and therefore pose problems of proper identification, handling and reconfiguration for the operator, problems that are similar to those present in the storage enclosure described above. A multi-fiber cable installation also presents similar problems with the supply of loose cable cycles. In such installations, it is often desirable to provide loose cycles so that there is additional cable length available for branching or reconfiguration of future system, to provide enough loose part for splicing when a cable has been inadvertently broken, or for reconfiguration when changes something in the physical environment, such construction of structuring or reconstruction, the necessary relocation of a telephone pole, etc. In multi-fiber cable installations, two methods for storing excess cable are commonly used. One method is to manually wind a cable length, which then hangs from a pole in an overhead cable distribution or from a wall frame or bracket in a cable deposit or an underground cable run. However, this method has the problem that the resulting winding depends on the user, and often introduces a twist in the cable. This torsion must be corrected in order to allow access of the loose part or to rewind an excess length that remains after subsequent operations. In addition, the winding must be hung and recollected, which consumes time, and in the case of underground cables or cable storage in a warehouse, space limitations hinder the storage of these cycles. The second method for storing cable in a multi-fiber cable installation is the use of a "snowshoe". In the snowshoe configuration, the cable enters through a narrow entrance and is then packaged in a cycle and returned to the narrow entrance, like a snowshoe. While the snowshoe method provides a much more suitable and aesthetically pleasing loose installation, it has limited the capacity of loose length. The handling of the excess lengths of FTTX drop cables causes similar difficulties for the operator. In FTTX deployments, the voltage drop cables that extend from the terminal to a NID on the customer's premises side leave excess cable lengths of voltage drop. In such situations, it is desirable to use voltage drop cables that are pre-terminated with a connector at each end, similar to the case of a connecting cable, in order to expedite the installation of the voltage drop cable by means of an installation of simple plug voltage drop. However, these pre-terminated cables require the use of fixed cable lengths that have excess length. In addition, many voltage drop cables have a non-circular cross-section (for example, flat or approximately rectangular), which magnifies the problems with hand winding the excess cable length. Furthermore, a winding of said flat non-circular cable can be subjected to severe winding load, placing excessive tension on the winding connection wherever it is placed. Many similar problems arise in the handling of excess fiber length within optical assemblies and fiber optic test equipment. Many optical devices and photonic assemblies, such as lasers, couplers, etc., require splices and storage of the resulting excess fiber length attached to optical devices. In such cases, there are several levels of subassembly during the manufacturing process, and the numbers of splices to be stored are therefore substantial, for example sometimes exceeding 100 splices for a complex EDFA, for a MUX / DFMUX device, or for a WDM / divider assembly. Said assemblies present problems similar to those described above. An operator must carefully wind each fiber spliced in a "track", ie, hand-held storage cycle, within the optical assembly housing. These operations depend on the skill and diligence of the operator. Therefore, the operator must also have the proper training to not break or damage the fiber. A further problem with this type of manufacturing method is that a precise length of fiber is required on each side of the splice point in order to ensure that the operator can roll a specific number of packages around the loose fiber "track". If the fiber becomes too short due to the need for re-penetration, that is, splicing a second time, the fiber should be cut on each side just enough to result in a total fiber length that provides less packaging than the fiber. fiber around the circumference of the "track". As in previous storage situations, it is easy for the fibers to become entangled either during assembly, or during any functional test and subsequent work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The illustrative embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. However, it is not required that the present invention overcome the disadvantages described above, and a modality Illustrative of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device for storing fiber or cable, the storage device including a housing, having an internal cavity and at least one opening between the internal cavity and the outside of the cavity. accommodation; and a rotating element which is rotatably and removably positioned within the internal cavity of the housing and has at least one receptacle for holding the cable or fiber. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a rotating element is provided for use in a splice storage device, the rotating member including a base member; at least one receptacle, which is positioned in a central area of the base member, for supporting at least one splice sleeve containing a spliced fiber; and a plurality of guide flanges, which are positioned on the base member, one of the plurality of guide flanges positioned at each end of said at least one receptacle. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of storing a fiber or cable in a storage device including a housing, having an internal cavity and at least one opening between the internal cavity and the exterior of the cavity. housing, and a rotating member that is rotatably and removably positioned within the internal cavity and has at least one receptacle for holding the cable or fiber, wherein a plurality of guide vanes are formed in the rotating element at each end of said at least one receptacle, so that one of the two corresponding guide vanes on each side of said at least one receptacle guides the fiber or cable held in said at least one receptacle as the rotating element is rotated, the method which includes placing the fiber or cable inside said at least one receptacle; hanging the excess fiber or cable through the guide vanes at either end of said at least one receptacle; and rotating the rotating element towards the retractor that delivers the excess fiber or cable in and out of the storage device through said at least one opening in the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is an illustrative view showing a storage device according to an embodiment illustrative of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is an illustrative view showing lower features of a rotating element of the storage device of FIGURE 1; FIGURE 3 is an illustrative view showing an exploded view of the storage device of FIGURE 1 exhibiting a cover; FIGURE 4 is a top view of the storage device of FIGURE 1; FIGURE 5 is a side view taken along the sectional line of the FIGURE 4; FIGURE 6 is a detailed view of a characteristic of a cover of the storage device shown in FIGURE 5; FIGURE 7 is a detailed view of a mechanism of the storage device shown in FIGURE 5; FIGURE 8 is a side view of a storage device of FIGURE 3; FIGURE 9 is a side view taken along a section line of FIGURE 8; FIGURE 10 is a detailed view of a feature of FIGURE 9; FIGURE 11 is a detailed view of another feature shown in FIGURE 9; FIGURE 12 is a top view of the storage device of FIGURE 1 showing a fiber or cable stored within the storage device; FIGURE 13 is a side view of the storage device of FIGURE 3 showing stacking characteristics of the storage device; FIGURE 14 is a side view showing two storage devices of FIGURE 1 stacked together; FIGURE 15 is an illustrative view showing a storage device according to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and FIGURE 16 is an illustrative view showing an exploded view of the storage device of FIGURE 15 showing a cover; FIGURE 17 is a top view of the storage device of FIGURE 16; and FIGURE 18 is a perspective view of the storage device of FIGURE 16; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE MODALITIES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION In the following, illustrative embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments described hereunder, but may be implemented in various forms. The topics defined in the description, such as the construction and detailed elements, are but specific details provided to assist those of ordinary skill in the art in a comprehensive understanding of the invention, and the present invention is defined only within the scope of the attached claims. Throughout the description of the present invention, the same drawing reference numbers for the same elements are used throughout the different figures. Returning now to FIGURE 1, a storage device 100 is shown, according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The storage device 100 may be a storage tray or a splice storage tray. The storage device 100 includes a housing 110 and a rotating element 130. The housing 110 includes a base housing 112 with housing walls 1 14 formed therein to form an internal cavity 115 in the base housing 1 12. The internal cavity 115 It is approximately circular. The base housing 112 is square in shape. However, other geometries are considered, for example the housing base 112 can also be rectangular, circular, or octagonal, etc. The housing walls 114 also form openings 116, 117 at opposite corners of the housing base 112 to accommodate the ingress and egress of a fiber or cable into the circular cavity 1 15. A central hole 118 shape in the center of the circular cavity 115 of the base housing 1 12. A plurality of receiving holes 120 are also formed in the circular cavity 115 of the base housing 112. The plurality of receiving holes 120 are equidistanced in the shape of a circle, the radius of which is located between the radius of the central hole 118 and the radius of the interior of the circular cavity 115. Alternatively, the plurality of receiving orifices 120 may be notches that do not span the entire distance through the base housing 1 12, and the plurality of receiving holes 120 may not be uniformly spaced. At least one guide hole 122 is provided in the base housing 112 outside the circular cavity formed by the housing walls 114. The rotary member 130 includes a rotating element base 131 that is disc-shaped and is of a smaller diameter to the circular cavity 115. In two columns in a central area of the rotary element base 131, a plurality of receptacles 132 are formed, so that the rows of the plurality of receptacles of each column are parallel to each other. The two columns of receptacles are spaced apart so that the first receptacles of the first and second columns can accommodate respective ends of a splice sleeve to be stored. Alternatively, the plurality of receptacles can be formed in only one column in the central area of the rotary element base 131, so that each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles 132 can accommodate a full length of a splice sleeve to be stored. In the present illustrative embodiment, the receptacles are slots formed in an elastomer so that the walls of the receptacles hold a splice sleeve securely. However, it is considered that the receptacles may also be hooks or clips or other similar supports for splice sleeves known in the art. As another example, the central area of the The rotating element base 131 containing the receptacles may also have an articulated cover that snaps into place and would hold the splice sleeves in place. In addition, other materials for the receptacles 132 are also considered as long as the materials allow the fiber or cable to be held securely without damage to the fiber or cable. A plurality of guide fins 134 are formed on two sides of the plurality of receptacles 132, so that a guide fin on each of the opposite sides of the receptacles corresponds to and is aligned with each respective row of receptacles 132. The inner edge of the guide fins on either side of the row of receptacles is aligned with the respective row of the receptacles, and the outer edge of each guide fin is arched toward the edge of the rotating element base 131. The curve of the arch of the fins The guide is located on one side to the left of the guide vanes 134 as the rotating element 130 is turned to the right. The guide vanes 134 are stepped, increasing gradually in length with the length of the guide vane 134 confronting the direction of rotation to the right of the rotating element 130 which is shorter and the length of the guide vane further to the left than it is bigger. An outer edge of the guide flap further to the left travels towards the edge of the rotary element base 131. The radius of curvature of the guide vanes 134 is fixed based on the radius of flexure of the fiber that is used, and the The radius of curvature of the guide fins 134 is tangent to the radius of rotation of the rotating element 130. Along the remainder of the circumference of the rotating element base 131, ie, where the guide fins 134 are not located, the walls of the rotating element 133. The walls of the rotary element are perpendicular to the base of rotating element 131 and an exterior of the walls of the rotary element 133 is flush with the outer edge of the rotating element base 131.

Two finger tongues 136 are placed on the base of rotating element 131, one above and one below the columns of the receptacles 132. The finger tongues 136 extend perpendicular to the base of rotating element 131. Each of the tongues of nail 136 has a nail tab lip 137, as shown in FIGURES 9 and 1 1. Nail tab lip 137 extends away from the center of rotating member 130. Referring to FIGURE 2, it is shown a lower side of the rotary element 130. On the lower part of the rotating element 130 are placed semicircular ridges 140, the outer circumference of which fits within an inner circumference of the central hole 118 of the housing base 112. Two projections 142 are placed on a lower surface of the rotating element base 131, and protrude from the lower surface. Each of the projections 142 is slightly smaller than a corresponding receiving orifice of the plurality of receiving holes 120, as shown in FIGURE 7. In FIGURE 7, the projection 142 is advantageously semi-spherical. However, other geometries are possible. The position of the outgoing 142 corresponds to the position of the plurality of receiving holes 120 in the base housing 112. At least two lower tabs 138 (not shown in FIGURE 2) are placed in the lower part of the rotating element 130, as best shown in FIGS. FIGURES 9 and 10. Each lower tab 138 has a lower tab lip 139 extending in a direction away from the center of the rotating member 130. A splice sleeve containing a splice of a fiber is placed in one of the receptacles 132 in the central area of the rotating element 130. Lengths of the fiber or cable are then moved through the guide fins 134 corresponding to the receptacle 132. Alternatively, a section of fiber or cable It can be placed in one of the receptacles. Once the fiber or cable is placed in the receptacle 132 and moved through the guide vanes 134, the rotating element is placed within the central cavity of the housing 110. Semi-circular ridges 140 and lower tabs 138 in the part The lower part of the rotating element 130 is aligned with an inner circumference of the central hole 118 of the housing 110, and thus guides the positioning of the rotary element 130 inside the housing 1 10. The projections 142 on the lower part of the rotating element 130 lie within the plurality of receiving holes 120 in the base housing 1 12, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7. The ends of the fiber or cable leading away from the splice are hung through the openings 116, 117 formed by the walls of housing 114 of housing 110 and outside housing 110. Rotating element 130 is pressed against housing 110 so that the tongue lips bottoms 139 of the lower tabs 138 fit over the edges of the central hole 118 of the housing 1 10. The lower tab lips 139 of the lower tabs 138 thus support the rotating element 130 in the housing 1 10, while allowing the rotary member 130 rotates within the housing 110. To remove the rotary member 130 from the housing 1 10 again, slight inward pressure is applied towards the lower tab lips 139 of the lower tabs 138 of the rotary member 130 until the bottom tab lips 139 clear central hole 1 18 of housing 110, and rotary member 130 is removed. FIGURES 4 and 12 show views of the rotary element 130 positioned within the housing 110, both without and with stored fiber, respectively. Once the rotating member 130 is secured within the housing 110, one of the nail tongues 136 extends upward on one side of the element. rotary 130 is clamped and the finger tab 136 is used to rotate the rotary member 130 within the housing 110. The rotary member 130 is rotated clockwise in the housing 110 to retract the fiber or cable within the storage cavity 158 formed between the diameter of the rotating element 130 and the housing walls 114 of the housing 110. FIGURE 12 shows a view of the storage tray 100 having a fiber or cable stored in the storage cavity 158. The rotating element 130 is rotated to the left in the housing 110 to supply the fiber or cable from the storage cavity 158 outwardly through the openings 1 16 and 117. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the guide vanes 134 of the rotary member 130 and the openings 116, 117 of the housing 110 can be imitated so as to allow supply of the fiber by rotating the rotary element to the right, and to allow retraction of the fiber or cable by rotating the rotary element to the left. As the rotating element 130 is rotated in the housing 110, the guide vanes 134 help to hold the fiber or cable when the rotating element is rotated so as to avoid damage to the fiber or cable. The guide fins 134 also help the fiber or cable to maintain a certain bending radius while the rotating element 130 is rotated to supply and retract the fiber or cable and while the fiber or cable is stored in the storage device 100. The maintenance of the bend radius prevents a loss of bending in the cable or fiber that is stored in the storage device 100 from occurring. The stepped characteristic of the guide vanes allows the rotating element 130 to be rotated more easily and prevents twisting in the fiber or cable in the case where the fiber or cable surplus from more than one fiber or cable is stored in the storage device 100. Alternatively, someone skilled in the art will understand that the guide fins can also be ridges or spikes or similar. As the rotating element 130 is rotated, the projections 142 slide from the receiving holes 120 in which the projections 142 initially settle toward the next receiving hole in the direction of rotation. Each projection 142 therefore moves from one receiving hole to another as the rotating element 130 is rotated. The protrusions 142 and receiving holes 120 act as a counteracting force for the rotation of the rotating element 130, and prevent the rotary element 130, and hence the fiber or cable stored in the storage tray 100, from unrolling automatically. In other words, the projection 142 and the receiving holes 120 act as a type of locking mechanism or retainer. Returning now to FIGURE 3, the storage device 100 of FIGURE 1 is shown with an optional cover 150. The cover 150 is approximately circular with a diameter corresponding to a diameter of the circular cavity 115 of the housing 1 10. The cover 150 has a slight arc as shown in FIGURE 5. Two notches 156 are formed in the upper part of the cover 150 between the center of the cover 150 and an outer edge 151 of the cover 150. However, alternatively, only one notch can be provided, or multiple notches can be provided. The notches are shown in the figure as circular. However, other geometries would work equally well. In addition, the notch or notches can also be a knob or knobs that an operator could fasten, or holes through the cover so that an operator could place a finger through the hole and rotate the rotary element 130. A detailed view of the indentation 156 is shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. As can be seen from the detailed view of the indentation 156 in FIGURES 5 and 6, the cover 150 is a little thinner in the area of the groove 156. However, it is alternatively possible to maintain the constant thickness of the cover 150 in the area in which notch 156 is formed. A central notch 154 is formed in the center of cover 150, as shown in FIGURE 5. Returning to FIGURE 3, two slots 152 are formed in the upper part of the cover and correspond to the position of at least one nail tab 136 placed on the rotary element 130. A detailed view of the nail tab 136 is shown in FIGURES 9 and 11. As best illustrated by FIGURE 11, FIG. the nail tab 136 includes a nail tab lip 137. Returning back to FIGURE 3, once a fiber or cable is placed on the rotating member 130 and the rotating member 130 is placed and secured in the housing 110 as described above, the cover 150 is placed on the resulting assembly comprising the rotating element 130 and the housing 110. The slots 152 of the cover 150 are aligned with the nail tongues 136 formed in the rotating member, and the cover 150 presses downwards on the housing 110 so that the nail tongues 136 project through the slots 152 in the cover 150. The nail tongue lip 137 of the nail tongues 136 projects through the slots 152 of so that the tongue tab lips 137 overlap the cover 150 and snap into place. The nail tongues 136 and the tongue tab lips 137 therefore act to secure the cover 150 to the housing 110 in order to cover the rotating element 130. With the cover 150 thus secured in place, one of the notches 156 in the cover 150 is then used with a finger to rotate the cover 150, and in turn the housing 110 and the rotating element 130 within the housing 110 in order to supply and retract the fiber or cable from the storage tray 100. Said in other words, the cover 150 is rotated using one of the notches 156, and this movement in turn, catches the corresponding nail tab 136 extending through a respective one of the slots 152 in the cover 150, causing the nail tab 136 to also move and to thereby rotate the rotating member 130 within the housing 110. To remove the cover 150 from the housing 110, slight pressure is applied to the area of the notches 156. while the nail tongues 136 are pressed towards the center of the cover 150. The light pressure combined with the pressure on the nail tongues 136 allows the nail tongue lips 137 to pass through the slots 152 so that cover 150 can be removed. Referring now to FIGURE 13, a side view of the storage device 100 of FIGURE 3 is shown. The lower tabs 138 extend below the base housing 112 of the housing 110. The opening 1 16 allows a fiber or cable between or exit the storage device 100, and the nail tab 136 extends through the slot in the cover 150. FIGURE 14 shows a first storage device 200 and a second storage device 300 in one configuration. Referring to FIGS. 3, 13 and 14, for stacking two or more storage devices, the lower tabs 138 extending from the bottom portion of the base housing 112 of a first storage device 200 are placed within the central notch 154. in the cover 150 of a second storage device 300. The lower tabs 138 of the first storage device 200 act to secure the first storage device 200 to the second storage device 300. In addition, a guide post (not shown) can be provided. and slid through the guide holes 122 formed in the base housing 112 of the housing 110 of each storage device 200, 300. The guide post and guide holes 122 allow the storage devices 200, 300 to be stacked one on top of the other, as shown in FIGURE 14, or to be hung on the guide post. Using any method, multiple storage devices can be stacked or hung from side to side in order to provide easy storage and handling of the storage trays, for example, within a storage enclosure, fiber distribution structure, cross connection, assembly optical or piece of test equipment, or other suitable area. FIGS. 15-18 show a storage device according to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGURE 15, a storage device according to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The storage device 400 in accordance with this illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 110 and a rotating element 130. Since the characteristics of the rotary member 130 are the same as described above, a repetitive description will be omitted. As in the previous illustrative embodiment, the housing 1 10 includes a base housing 112 with housing walls 114 formed therein to form an internal cavity 1 15 in the base housing 112. A central hole 118 is formed in the center of the housing. base housing 112. A plurality of receiving holes 122 are formed in the base housing 112 in a circle that surrounds the central hole 118. The plurality of receiving holes 122 may be equidistanced. A plurality of guide holes 122 are also provided in the base housing 112 outside the internal cavity 115 formed by the housing walls 114. However, in the current illustrative embodiment, the housing walls 14 form only one opening 116 to accommodate the ingress and egress of a fiber or cable within the inner cavity 115. As in the above illustrative embodiment, a splice sleeve containing a splice of a fiber can be placed inside a receptacle 132 in the center of the rotating element 130. Alternatively, a terminating end of the fiber or cable or a piece of fiber or cable may be placed within the receptacle 132 at the center of the rotating member 130. The lengths of the fiber or cable are displaced then through the guide fins 134 which are placed on each side of the receptacle 132, or in the case of storage of a terminating end of the fiber or cable the length of the cable can be moved through the guide fin 134 only in a side. As in the above illustrative embodiment, guide vanes 134 assist the fiber or cable when the rotating element is rotated so as to avoid damage to the fiber or cable. The guide fins 134 also help the fiber or cable to maintain a certain bending radius while the rotating element 130 is rotated to supply and retract the fiber or cable. The maintenance of the bend radius prevents a loss of bending in the cable or fiber that is stored in the storage device 400 from occurring. The guide vanes can be guide ridges or pins, etc., as described above with respect to the description of the previous illustrative modality. Once the fiber or cable is seated in the receptacle 132 and travels through the guide vanes 134, the rotating member is positioned within the internal cavity 115 of the housing 110. Semi-circular ridges 140 and lower tabs 138 on the lower part of the rotating element 130 are aligned with an inner circumference of the central hole 1 18 of the housing 110, and thus guide the placement of the rotary element 130 within the housing 110. The protrusions 142 in the lower part of the rotary element 130 settle within the one of the plurality of receiving holes 120 in the base housing 112, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 7. However, in the current illustrative embodiment, the end or ends of the fiber or cable leading away from the end of termination or splice are hung only through the opening 116 formed by the housing walls 1 14 of the housing 1 10, and outside the housing 1 10. The rotating element 130 is then pressed against the housing 110 so that the lower tab lips 139 of the lower tabs 138 fit over the edges of the central hole 1 18 of the housing 110. lower tab lips 139 of lower tabs 138 therefore support rotating element 130 in housing 110, while allowing rotating element 130 to rotate within housing 110. To remove rotating element 130 from housing 110 again, a slight internal pressure is applied to the lower tab lips 139 of the lower tabs 138 of the rotary member 130 until the lower tab lips 139 clear the central hole 118 of the housing 110, and the rotary element 130 is removed. Once the rotating element 130 is fitted within the housing 110, one of the nail tongues 136 extending upward on one side of the rotating member 130 is clamped and used to rotate the rotary member 130 within the housing 110. The element Rotary 130 is rotated clockwise in housing 1 10 to retract the fiber or cable within storage cavity 158 formed between the diameter of rotary member 130 and housing walls 1 14 of housing 1 10. Rotary element 130 is turned to the left in the housing 1 10 to supply the fiber or cable from the storage cavity 158 through openings 116 and 117. As the rotating element 130 is rotated in the housing 110 in order to retract or supply the fiber or cable, the projections 142 slide from the receiving hole between the plurality of receiving holes 120 in the base housing 112. The projections 142 and receiving holes 120 act as a counter force for the rotation of the rotary element 130, and prevent the rotary element 130, and hence the fiber or cable stored in the storage device 400, from unrolling automatically. In other words, the projections 142 and receiving holes 120 act as a kind of locking mechanism or catch. The present illustrative embodiment provides a storage device 400 which is slightly safer against dust and other elements since there is only one opening 16. Alternatively, storage device 400 of this illustrative embodiment may also include cover 150, as shown in FIGURE 16. The structure and function of the cover 150 in this illustrative embodiment is the same as in the previous illustrative embodiment, and therefore said description is omitted. FIGURES 17 and 18 show top views and perspectives of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGURE 16. While illustrative embodiments of the present invention having a plurality of receptacles for storing splice sleeves have been described above, also considered a storage device that would have only one receptacle 132 in the center of the rotating element base 131. The splice sleeve or cable would then be placed within the receptacle 132 and the excess fiber or cable lengths travel through the guide fins as described previously. In such a case, the number of guide vanes could be reduced, and more fiber or cable could be stored in the storage cavity of the storage device. In addition, illustrative embodiments have been described with reference to storing a fiber or cable. However, someone skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of the invention also applies to storing flat or individual filament shapes of cable and fiber. As described above, according to the illustrative embodiments of the present invention, the fiber or cable can be stored easily and safely, and the risk of breaking the fiber or otherwise damaging the fiber or cable is diminished. The Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are also easy to use, and require little skill or training on the part of the operator, since the fiber's bending radius is maintained by the receptacles 132 and the guide fins 134 of the rotating member 130. Illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as described in the appended claims.

Claims (25)

1. A storage device for storing cable or fiber, the storage device characterized in that it comprises: a housing, having an internal cavity and at least one opening between the internal cavity and the outside of the housing; and a rotating element that is removably and rotatably positioned within the internal cavity of the housing and has at least one receptacle for holding the cable or fiber. The storage device according to claim 1, further characterized in that a central hole is formed in the center of the internal cavity of the housing, and wherein at least two lower tabs are placed on a lower surface of the rotating element, the position of the lower tabs corresponding to an inner circumference of the central hole, and wherein, when the rotary element is placed within the internal cavity, the lower tabs extend through the central hole and the lower tab lips placed in the middle. the lower tabs secure the rotating element within the housing so that the rotating element can rotate freely. 3. The storage device according to claim 2, further characterized in that the lower part of the rotating element has semicircular ridges, an outer circumference which is the same as an internal circumference of the central hole of the internal cavity of the housing, and in where the semicircular ridges guide the rotating element in rotation. The storage device according to claim 2, further characterized in that at least one nail tab is placed on the rotating member for use in the rotation of the rotating element when it is placed in the accommodation. The storage device according to claim 2, further characterized by a plurality of finger tabs on the rotating member for use in rotating the rotating member when it is placed in the housing. The storage device according to claim 2, further characterized in that a plurality of receiving holes are formed in a circle in the internal cavity, and at least one projection is formed on the lower surface of the rotating member in a position that corresponds to the plurality of receiving orifices, wherein, when the rotating element is placed within the internal cavity, said at least one projection sits within one of the plurality of receiving orifices and provides a counter-force against rotation of the rotating element . The storage device according to claim 1, further characterized in that a plurality of guide vanes are formed in the rotary member at either end of said at least one receptacle, so that a corresponding two of the guide vanes in any side of said at least one receptacle guiding the fiber or cable held in said at least one receptacle as the rotating member is rotated, and wherein the guide vanes control the curvature of the fiber or cable. The storage device according to claim 7, further characterized in that each of the plurality of guide vanes forms an arc, a radius of the arc based on a radius of flexure of the fiber or cable. 9. The storage device according to claim 8, further characterized in that the radius of the arc is tangent to a radius of the rotating element. 10. The storage device according to claim 5, characterized in that it further comprises a cover, having a plurality of slots corresponding to the plurality of nail tongues, wherein, when the cover is placed on the housing, having the rotating element placed therein, the plurality of tongues of The finger of the rotating element extends upwards through the plurality of slots in the cover and a lip of the nail tongue in each of the plurality of finger tongues secures the cover to the housing. 11. The storage device according to claim 10, further characterized in that the cover has at least one nail notch placed in said cover. The storage device according to claim 10, further characterized in that the cover has a central notch. The storage device according to claim 12, further characterized in that the lower tabs of the storage device, having the rotating member positioned therein and the cover placed thereon, extend into a central notch of a storage device. second storage device, thereby securing the storage device to the second storage device. The storage device according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cable or fiber is a cord or fiber cord. 15. The storage device according to claim 1, further characterized in that said at least one receptacle holds a splice sleeve containing a splice of the cable or fiber. 16. A storage device for storing cable or fiber, the storage device characterized in that it comprises: a housing, having an internal cavity and at least one opening between the internal cavity and the exterior of the housing; and a rotating element that has placed therein a means to securely hold the cable or fiber. The storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises means for rotatably and removably securing the rotating element in the internal cavity of the housing. 18. The storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises means for guiding the rotation of the rotating element within the internal cavity of the housing. The storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises means for rotating the rotating element within the housing. The storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that it also comprises means for preventing the rotary element from unrolling automatically. 21. The storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises means for controlling the radius of curvature of the fiber or cable when the rotating element is rotated. 2

2. A rotating element for use in a splice storage device, characterized in that the rotating element comprises: a base member; at least one receptacle, which is placed in a central area of the base member, for supporting at least one splice sleeve containing a spliced fiber; and a plurality of guide fins, which are placed on the base member, one of the plurality of guide vanes positioned at either end of said at least one receptacle. 2

3. The storage device according to claim 22, further characterized in that each of the plurality of guide vanes forms an arc, a radius of the arc based on a radius of flexure of the specified fiber. 2

4. The storage device according to claim 23, further characterized in that the radius of the arc is tangent to a radius of the rotating element. 2

5. A method for storing a fiber or cable in a storage device that includes a housing, having an internal cavity and at least one opening between the internal cavity and the exterior of the housing, and a rotating element that is removable and rotatably placed inside the internal cavity of the housing and has at least one receptacle for holding the cable or fiber, characterized in that a plurality of guide vanes are formed in the rotating member at either end of said at least one receptacle, so that a The corresponding of the two guide vanes on either side of said at least one receptacle guides the fiber or cable held in said at least one receptacle as the rotatable element is rotated, the method comprising: placing the fiber or cable within said at least one receptacle; hanging the excess fiber or cable through the guide vanes at either end of said at least one receptacle; and rotating the rotating member to retract or supply the excess fiber or cable in or out of the storage device through said at least one opening in the housing.