TW202239093A - Cable manager with a hinged door - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable manager connected to a network rack that routes cables in and around the network rack. The cable manager includes a body with plurality of fingers extending from the body. The distal end of at least one finger includes a hinge pin holder. The cable manager also includes a door hingedly attached to the fingers extending from the body. The door has a front, a back, edges, and at least one hinge pin receptacle positioned along the edges of the door. The hinge pin receptacle houses a magnet to enable the door to attach to the hinge pin holder of the at least one finger to hold the door in a closed position.

Description

Cable manager with hinged door

The present invention relates to a horizontal cable manager, and more particularly to a horizontal cable manager with a magnetic hinged door. The invention also relates to an upright cable manager with a magnetic hinged door. [Cross Reference to Related Applications]

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/937,920, filed July 24, 2020, which asserts U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/ 882,736, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art horizontal cable manager 80 mounted to a rack 50 positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager 100 . Horizontal cable manager 80 is visually mismatched because vertical cable manager 100 includes finger-like protrusions with increased length. As a result, the front of the horizontal cable manager 80 is set back from the front of the vertical cable manager 100 .

Figure 2 illustrates a side view of a prior art horizontal cable manager 80. The top and bottom of the horizontal cable manager include molded-in hinge sockets. Hinge receptacles accept extruded plastic doors or metal doors with plastic snap hinge elements. The opening and closing of this hinged door requires considerable strength.

As a result, it would be desirable to provide a horizontal cable manager with improved aesthetics, including longer fingers, to match the vertical cable manager. It would also be desirable to provide a horizontal cable manager with an improved hinged door that requires less force to open and close. It would also be desirable to provide an upright cable manager with an improved hinged door.

Horizontal cable managers route cables in and around the network rack. The horizontal cable manager includes a body with a rear and a plurality of fingers extending from the rear of the body. A plurality of fingers are arranged in an upper row extending from an upper portion of the rear portion and a lower row extending from a lower portion of the rear portion. The upper and lower rows of fingers are parallel to each other to create paths for routing cables therein. The distal end of at least one finger has a hinge pin clip or a cable management flag. The horizontal cable manager also includes a door hingedly attached to a finger extending from the body. The door has a front, a rear, a top edge, a bottom edge, and at least one hinge pin receptacle positioned along the top or bottom edge of the door. The hinge bolt receptacle houses a magnet for enabling the door to be attached to the hinge bolt clamp of the at least one finger to hold the door in the closed position.

Another aspect of the invention is a cable manager for routing cables in a network rack. The cable manager has a body and a door. The body has a plurality of fingers, at least one of which has a hinge pin clamp at the distal end. The door is hingedly attached to a finger extending from the body. The door has a front, a rear, and at least one hinge bolt receptacle positioned along at least one edge of the door. The hinge pin receptacle houses a magnet for enabling the door to be attached to the hinge pin clamp of the finger to hold the door in the closed position.

Another aspect of the invention is an upright cable manager for routing cables in a network rack. The vertical cable manager has a finger assembly including vertically engaged finger segments. The finger segment has a central spine with a plurality of fingers and a plurality of hinged fingers extending from at least one edge of the central spine. The upright cable manager also includes a cross member that engages the finger assembly laterally. The upright cable manager also includes a door hingedly attached to a hinged finger extending from the central spine of the finger segment.

3-5 illustrate the horizontal cable manager 150 of the present invention mounted to a standard 19" wide network rack 50. As described below, the horizontal cable manager 150 includes longer finger-like protrusions. The length of the fingers will 190 front surface 192 is placed adjacent to the front of the vertical cable manager 100. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. Front surface 112. As a result, the overall aesthetics of installing the horizontal cable manager 150 adjacent to the vertical cable manager 100 is improved.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the horizontal cable manager 150 includes a body 152 and a door 190 . Body 152 includes a rear portion 154 having a plurality of fingers 170 extending therefrom. The length of the fingers 170 has been extended compared to the fingers of the horizontal cable manager 80 of the prior art. The fingers 170 are arranged in an upper row extending from the upper portion 156 of the rear portion 154 and a lower row extending from the lower portion 158 of the rear portion 154 . The upper and lower rows of fingers 170 are parallel to each other and create paths for routing cables therein. The tabs 170 are angled toward the upright center of the body 152 to provide access for a technician to any equipment 60 mounted above or below the horizontal cable manager 150 .

Each end 160 of the rear portion 154 includes a plurality of holes 162 for receiving fasteners 70 to secure the body 152 of the horizontal cable manager 150 to the network rack 50 .

The distal end 172 of each finger 170 has a cable management flag 174 or hinge pin clip 182 . Each cable management flag 174 includes a first member 176 , a second member 178 , and a third member 180 . Each member of the cable management flag can vary in size, length, and shape depending on the location of the fingers and the height of the horizontal cable manager. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the cable management flag 174 located near the end 160 of the body 152 is wider than the cable management flag 174 located near the center of the body 152 . The cable management flags 174 extending from the alignment fingers 170 in the upper and lower rows are identical.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the distal ends 172 of the alignment fingers 170 in the upper and lower rows include two sets of hinge pin clips 182 . However, the distal end 172 of the finger 170 may have an additional hinge pin grip, if desired. The hinge pin clamp 182 is generally a U-shaped member 184 designed to hold a ferrous hinge pin 186 . As discussed below, the hinge pin clip 182 receives one of the hinge receptacles 200 extending from the rear 194 of the door 190 .

8-11 illustrate the door 190 of the horizontal cable manager 150 . The front 192 of this door 190 includes similar design elements to those found on the Panduit Patchrunner 2 Upright Cable Manager door. For example, gate 190 includes a pentagon with two right angles and V-shaped word lines.

The rear portion 194 of the door 190 includes a plurality of hinge receptacles 200 . The hinge receptacle 200 is located along the top edge 196 and the bottom edge 198 of the door 190 . Each hinge socket 200 includes a rare earth magnet 202 that allows the door 190 to attach at the distal end 172 of the finger 170 of the body 152 to the ferrous hinge pin 186 held by the hinge pin clamp 182 . Each hinge socket 200 also includes a plurality of strengthening ribs 204 .

Rare earth magnet 202 and ferrous hinge pin 186 form a magnetic hinge mechanism that allows door 190 to be attached to cable manager body 152 with little effort. The magnetic hinge mechanism also allows the door 190 to be easily opened with a slight pull on the top or bottom edges 196, 198 of the door 190, respectively.

The hinge receptacle 200 and hinge pin clamp 182 are oriented in a manner that allows the door 190 to open and rotate up to 190 degrees about the upper hinge pin 186 (see FIG. 12 ) or up to 190 degrees about the lower hinge pin 186 (see FIG. 13 ). When the door 190 is opened upwards more than 180 degrees around the upper hinge pin 186, the door 190 rests in the open position against the first member 176 of the cable management flag 174 for easy access to the cable manager. Cables laid inside the body 152. When the door 190 is opened downward around the lower hinge pin 186, it may be allowed to hang downward at 180 degrees to facilitate access to the cables inside the cable manager body 152.

If desired, the door 190 can also be completely removed from the cable manager body 152 by pulling horizontally on the door 190 away from the cable manager body 152 .

Figure 14 illustrates a horizontal cable manager 150 and hinged door 190 of the present invention having different heights. For example, the horizontal cable manager 150 can be designed so that it is 2 rack units (2RU), 3 rack units (3RU), or 4 rack units (4RU) tall. The hinged door 190 is adjusted in height to accommodate a plurality of horizontal cable managers 150 .

FIG. 15 illustrates an alternative horizontal cable manager 210 embodiment. Horizontal cable manager 210 includes additional magnets 220 at each hinge location. An additional magnet 220 holds the door 214 in the open position by switching the door 214 to the hold open detent position when the door 214 reaches the fully open position from closed to approximately 110 degrees. By applying force to close the door 214, the holding open detent is easily removed.

Another alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 . The magnet 320 is mounted in the door 314 and the cable manager body 312 in such a way that the axis of magnetic force forms the hinge axis for the door 314 . The door 314 is opened by eliminating the shear magnetic attraction force on the opening side, which is formed by the upper magnet 320 or the lower magnet 320, and rotating the door 314 along the hinge axis.

The door may also include a number of stiffeners, as dictated by the door size, required flexibility, and form warpage.

FIG. 18 illustrates the horizontal cable manager 150 and vertical cable manager 500 of the present invention mounted to a network rack 50 . Figure 19 illustrates a partial exploded view of the vertical cable manager 500 mounted to the network rack 50 with the door 510 removed. This door 510 will be described below with respect to FIGS. 27-30.

20-26 illustrate the stand-up cable manager 500 without the door 510 installed. Standing cable manager 500 is formed from finger assembly 520 , cross member 570 , and stabilizing base 600 . A stabilizing base 600 is attached to the bottom of each parallel finger assembly 520, which allows the upright cable manager 500 to stand independently. This makes setup and installation of the vertical cable manager 500 easier.

Finger assembly 520 includes two injection molded finger segments 522 joined together upright. Each injection molded finger segment 522 includes a lower upright connector 524 and an upper upright connector 530 . As illustrated in FIG. 22 , the lower upright connector 524 includes two rack mounting holes 526 and a buckle 528 positioned between the rack mounting holes 526 . The upper vertical connector 530 includes two rack mount holes 532 and a vertical engagement receptacle 534 . The finger segments 522 are engaged together by snaps 528 and upstanding engagement receptacles 534 . The mounting bolts 560 pass through the frame mounting holes 526 in the lower vertical connector 524 and the upper vertical connector 530 and are locked by the mounting nuts 562 . The mounting bolts 560 can also pass through the holes 52 in the network rack 50 to lock the finger segments 522 to the network rack 50 .

FIG. 23 is a medial view of finger segment 522 , and FIG. 24 is a lateral view of finger segment 522 . Finger segment 522 includes a central spine 536 having fingers 538 and hinge fingers 542 extending from central spine 536 . Fingers 538 and hinge fingers 542 extend from both edges of central spine 536 . Alternatively, finger segment 522 may have a configuration in which finger 538 and hinge finger 542 protrude from only one edge and extend only forward.

The fingers 538 have an upturned flag 540 at this end to effectively accommodate cables between adjacent fingers 538 . Hinge fingers 542 here used to hold metal hinge pins 546 have hinge flags or clips 544 at their ends for interacting with the door 510 covering the upright cable manager 500 .

The central spine 536 includes additional rack mounting holes 548 and accessory mounting holes 550 at various locations along the central spine 536 . The central spine 536 also includes a cross member groove 552 and a locking buckle 554 for receiving the cross member 570 .

Finger segments 522 are laterally joined together using cross member 570 . Cross member 570 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 25 and 26 . Each cross member 570 is attached to the finger segment 522 via the geometry at the end 572 of the cross member 570 and the cross member groove 552 and locking catch 554 in the central spine 536 . Cross member 570 includes connection protrusion 574 , stabilization protrusion 576 , and locking protrusion 578 . Each connecting protrusion 574 is angled such that as the engagement of the cross member 570 in the cross member groove 552 in the central spine 536 increases, the connection becomes tighter. Locking tab 578 locks into locking catch 554 on central spine 536 of finger segment 522 and prevents disengagement of cross member 570 from finger segment 522 . The stabilizing protrusions 576 prevent tilting rotation of the cross member 570 . Cross members 570 may include, but are not limited to, additional features such as bridge forms 580 for use with cable management cable ties or hook and loop ties, and mounting holes 582 for cable management accessories, such as slack spools 590 (See Figure 25).

27-30 illustrate the door 510 of the present invention and the installation of the door 510 on the finger assembly 520 of the vertical cable manager. Similar to the door 190 of the horizontal cable manager 150, the door 510 of the vertical cable manager includes magnetic hinges that improve the functionality of the door 510 by allowing the vertical cable manager 500 to be easily opened and closed, while providing Direct attachment of network rack 50.

The outside of the door 510 includes design elements such as a pentagon with two right angles and a V-shaped word line. The inside of the door 510 includes a magnet pocket or receptacle 512 into which a magnet 514 is inserted. The pin guide 516 helps position the magnet pocket 512 against the metal hinge pin 546 held by the hinge flag 544 of the hinge finger 542 . Door guide 518 helps to position door 510 upright at the end of hinge finger 542 .

FIG. 29 illustrates a detailed view of the magnetic hinge with the upright cable manager door 510 in the closed position. FIG. 30 illustrates a detailed view of the magnetic hinge with the upright cable manager door 510 in the open position. As noted above, the magnetic hinges function similarly to those found in the horizontal cable manager 190, but in an upright orientation. The magnet 514 on the door 510 is magnetically attached to the hinge pin 546 on the hinge finger 542 of the finger segment 522 . When one side of the door 510 is pulled with sufficient force, the magnetic connection on that side of the door 510 is overcome and the door 510 will rotate open about the magnet 514 and the hinge pin 546 on the opposite side. Closing the door 510 brings the magnet 514 and hinge pin 546 together, and the magnetic attraction holds the door 510 in the closed position. Complete removal of the door 510 is achieved by pulling both sides of the door 510 simultaneously so that the magnetic attraction force is eliminated on both sides simultaneously.

The modular structure of the finger elements allows the width to be varied by using cross members of different widths. The overall width can vary between, but is not limited to, 6 inches, 8 inches, and 10 inches in width. The door is built in a specific width, so the width of the door must match the width of the finger assembly.

Furthermore, while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teachings of the invention. The foregoing description and what has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings are provided by way of illustration only and not limitation.

50: Rack 52: hole 60: Equipment 70: Fasteners 80:Horizontal Cable Manager 100: Upright Cable Manager 110: door 112: front surface 150:Horizontal Cable Manager 152: Ontology 154: Rear 156: upper part 158: the lower part 160: end 162: hole 170: Sudden finger 172: distal end 174: Cable management flag 176: first component 178: Second component 180: The third component 182:Hinge pin clamp 184: U-shaped member 186:Hinge pin 190: door 192: front surface 194: Rear 196: top edge 198: Bottom edge 200: hinge socket 202: Rare earth magnet 204: reinforced ribs 210: Horizontal cable manager 214: door 220: magnet 312: Cable manager body 314: door 320: magnet 500: Upright Cable Manager 510: door 512: Magnet pocket 514: magnet 516: Pin guide 518: Door guide 520: Finger component 522: finger fragment 524: Lower vertical connector 526: Rack mounting holes 528: buckle 530: Upper upright connector 532: Rack mounting holes 534: Upright joint socket 536: Central Spine 538: finger 540: Banner 542: hinge finger 544: fixture 546: hinge pin 548: Rack mounting holes 550: Accessory mounting holes 552: cross member groove 554: lock buckle 560: Mounting bolts 562: Install the nut 570: cross member 572: end 574: connection protrusion 576: Stabilizing Protrusion 578: locking protrusion 580:Bridging form 582: Mounting hole 590: Slack spool 600: stable base

[ FIG. 1 ] Is a perspective view of a prior art horizontal cable manager mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager.

[FIG. 2] It is a left side view of the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 1. [FIG.

[ Fig. 3 ] is a perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of the present invention mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to the vertical cable manager.

[ FIG. 4 ] is a perspective view before the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 3 is installed in a rack positioned adjacent to the vertical cable manager.

[ Fig. 5 ] A perspective view before the horizontal cable manager of Fig. 3 is installed in a rack.

[ Fig. 6 ] A front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of Fig. 3 .

[ Fig. 7 ] A front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of Fig. 6 with the hinged door removed.

[ FIG. 8 ] is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager hinged door of FIG. 6 .

[ FIG. 9 ] is a rear perspective view of the horizontal cable manager hinged door of FIG. 8 .

[ FIG. 10 ] is a perspective view of the hinge socket of the hinged door of the horizontal cable manager in FIG. 9 .

[ FIG. 11 ] A perspective view of a partially pivoting hinged door of the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 6 .

[FIG. 12] A left side view of the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 6 with the hinged door opened and rotated around the upper hinge.

[FIG. 13] A left side view of the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 6 with the hinged door opened and rotated about the lower hinge.

[ FIG. 14 ] A front perspective view of a plurality of horizontal cable managers having different heights mounted to a rack.

[ Fig. 15 ] is a side view of an alternative horizontal cable manager of the present invention.

[FIG. 16] is a top right perspective view of an alternative horizontal cable manager of the present invention.

[ FIG. 17 ] is a top left perspective view of the alternative horizontal cable manager of FIG. 16 .

[ FIG. 18 ] is a perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of FIG. 3 mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to the vertical cable manager.

[FIG. 19] A three-dimensional partial exploded view of the rack and the vertical cable manager of FIG. 18.

[ Fig. 20 ] A perspective view without a door of the vertical cable manager of Fig. 19 .

[FIG. 21] A partial exploded view of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 20. [FIG.

[FIG. 22] An exploded view of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 19 and the finger assembly of the rack.

[FIG. 23] A perspective view of the inside of the finger segment of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 19. [FIG.

[ FIG. 24 ] is a perspective view of the outside of the finger segment of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 19 .

[Fig. 25] is a three-dimensional partial exploded view of the finger segment and the cross member of the vertical cable manager of Fig. 19.

[ Fig. 26 ] A perspective view of a cross member of the vertical cable manager of Fig. 25 .

[ FIG. 27 ] is a perspective view of the outer door of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 18 .

[FIG. 28] A perspective view of the inside of the door of FIG. 27. [FIG.

[FIG. 29] A partial perspective view of the finger segment of the vertical cable manager of FIG. 18 engaging the door.

[FIG. 30] A partial perspective view of the finger segment of the upright cable manager of FIG. 29 detached from the door.

50: Rack

150:Horizontal Cable Manager

190: door

500: Upright Cable Manager

Claims (20)

A cable manager for routing cables in a network rack, the cable manager comprising: a body having a plurality of fingers extending from the body, wherein at least one of the fingers has a hinge pin grip at a distal end; and A door hingedly attached to a finger extending from the body, the door having a front portion, a rear portion, and at least one hinge pin receptacle positioned along at least one edge of the door, the hinge pin receptacle receiving a A magnet that enables the door to be attached to the hinge pin clamp of the at least one finger to hold the door in the closed position. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the hinge pin clamp is a U-shaped member, and the U-shaped member holds the hinge pin. The cable manager of claim 2, wherein the magnet and the hinge pin form a magnetic hinge mechanism for enabling the door to be attached to the body, whereby the magnetic hinge mechanism allows the door to move from the edge of the door Open when one of them is engaged. The cable manager of claim 2, wherein the hinge pin receptacle and the hinge pin clamp allow the door to open and rotate up to 190 degrees about the hinge pin. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the cable manager is a horizontal cable manager. The cable manager of claim 1, wherein the cable manager is an upright cable manager. A cable manager for routing cables in a network rack, the cable manager comprising: a body having a back and a plurality of fingers extending from the back of the body, wherein the distal ends of the fingers have one of a cable management flag and a hinge pin clamp; and a door hingedly attached to a finger extending from the body, the door having a front, a rear, edges, and a hinge pin receptacle positioned along the edges, Wherein the hinge pin holders of the fingers receive a hinge pin receptacle extending from the rear of the door. The cable manager of claim 7, wherein the hinge pin receptacle further comprises magnets and the hinge pin clamp further comprises hinge pins, whereby the magnets engage the hinge pins to hold the door closed in position. The cable manager of claim 8, wherein the hinge pin clamp further comprises a magnet for holding the door in the open detent position. The cable manager of claim 7, wherein the cable manager is a horizontal cable manager. The cable manager of claim 7, wherein the cable manager is an upright cable manager. An upright cable manager for routing cables in a network rack, the upright cable manager comprising: a finger assembly comprising uprightly joined finger segments, wherein the finger segments have a central spine with a plurality of fingers and a plurality of articulating fingers extending from at least one edge of the central spine; a cross member transversely engages the finger assembly; and A door is hingedly attached to a hinged finger extending from the central spine of the finger segments. The upright cable manager of claim 12, further comprising a lock secured to at least one base of the at least one finger assembly for stabilizing the upright cable manager. The vertical cable manager of claim 12, wherein the finger segments include a lower vertical connection portion and an upper vertical connection portion; the lower vertical connection portion includes a mounting hole and a buckle, and the upper vertical connection portion includes a mounting hole and Upright engagement receptacles; whereby the snap engages the upright engagement receptacles to uprightly engage the finger segments, and fasteners are installed through the mounting holes to lock the upright engaged finger segments. The upright cable manager of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of fingers has an upturned flag at the distal end of the fingers, and each of the plurality of hinged fingers There are hinge flags at the distal ends of the hinge fingers, wherein the hinge flags hold hinge pins for interacting with the door. The upright cable manager of claim 15, wherein the door includes a magnet pocket with a magnet mounted therein to enable the door to be attached to a hinge pin in the hinge flag of the hinge fingers, to Hold the door in the closed position. The upright cable manager of claim 16, wherein the door further comprises a latch guide for positioning the magnet pockets against hinges held by hinge flags of the hinge fingers bolt. The upright cable manager of claim 16, wherein the door further comprises a door guide for upright positioning the door at the ends of the hinged fingers. The upright cable manager of claim 12, wherein the central spine further includes cross member recesses and locking buckles for receiving the cross members. The upright cable manager of claim 19, wherein the cross members have connecting tabs, and stabilizing tabs that engage the cross member recesses in the central spine; and the cross members have locking tabs that The locking buckles are engaged in the central spine to prevent disengagement of the cross members from the finger assemblies.

Images