Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4401—Optical cables
  • G02B6/4405—Optical cables with longitudinally spaced waveguide clamping
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
  • G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
  • G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
  • G02B6/3807—Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs
  • G02B6/3897—Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/444—Systems or boxes with surplus lengths
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/444—Systems or boxes with surplus lengths
  • G02B6/4452—Distribution frames
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/444—Systems or boxes with surplus lengths
  • G02B6/4453—Cassettes
  • G02B6/4455—Cassettes characterised by the way of extraction or insertion of the cassette in the distribution frame, e.g. pivoting, sliding, rotating or gliding
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/4471—Terminating devices ; Cable clamps

Definitions

• This invention relates to fibre optic management systems or distribution centres and in
• Fibre optic management systems or distribution centres are used for the organisation of
• Such management systems can take the form of a cabinet
• a fibre optic management system can also be any other optical fibres and cables entering the building.
• a fibre optic management system can also be any other optical fibres and cables entering the building.
• Patch panels are used for securing
• a patch panel for supporting a plurality
• the patch panel may, for example, be mountable so as
• the patch panel may as an example be
• the patch panel allows for individual movement of connectors
• groups of connectors may be movable with respect to at least part of the patch panel on
• the patch panel of the present invention preferably consists of a main body or frame and at
• the support member is the part of the patch panel in which the
• each support member is used to support a plurality of
• each patch panel has a plurality of support members so that an array of
• Each support member of the patch panel may - 3 - be independently movably mounted within the main body so as to allow movement from the
• Each support member may, for example, be pivotally mounted
• each support is connected to all of the connectors mounted on that support member.
• each support is connected to all of the connectors mounted on that support member.
• the connectors may be mounted in groups of varying number within the support member.
• the connectors may be statically mounted with
• the connectors may, however, be movably mounted with
• Groups of connectors may
• movably mounted can take any appropriate form and the connector may be capable of
• the connectors are preferably slidably mounted within the support member, for
• the connectors could be retained in a mount slidable within a groove provided on
• Each connector preferably has its own individual mount so slidably
• the support - 4 - member may be of a size sufficient to accommodate all of the connectors mounted thereon and
• the patch panel may be provided with means for locking the connectors in either or both the
• the tubing or cabling on either side of the connector must be long enough to allow the
• the present invention also provides a fibre optic management system, such as a cabinet or
• each connector may be conveniently accessed, for example, by moving
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional patch panel already known in the art
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a patch panel according to the
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment in a second position
• Figure 4 is a perspective frontal view of a second embodiment of the present
• Figure 5 is a perspective rear view of the second embodiment shown in Figure 4; - 6 -
• Figure 6 is a perspective frontal view of the second embodiment shown in a second
• Figure 7 is a perspective rear view of the second embodiment shown in Figure 6;
• Figure 8 is a schematic and enlarged view of a detail of the second embodiment
• Figure 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 10 is a plan view of an enlarged detail of one embodiment of means for
• Figure 11 is a plan view and an enlarged detail of a second embodiment of retainer
• Figure 12 is a plan view and an enlarged detail of a third embodiment of retainer
• Figure 13 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a patch panel according to
• Figure 14 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment in a second position
• Figure 15 is the view of Figure 14 with some connectors removed for clarity;
• Figure 16 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment in a third position with
• Figure 17 is the view of Figure 16 with all connectors removed for clarity.
• Figure 1 shows a conventional patch panel of the type used in a cabinet for separating
• the patch panel 1 takes the form of a corrugated support holding an array of
• Each of the connectors 2 is mounted within a separate opening in the patch
• the patch panel 1 holds the connectors 2 forming the connections between one group - 7 - of fibre optic pigtails 3 extending out of the cabinet (not shown) and another group of
• the patch panel shown in Figure 2 is a first embodiment of the present invention and is
• Each support member 6 takes the form of a frame, which is
• each aperture 7 a series of connectors 8 are mounted. This is in contrast to the conventional
• the connectors are mounted in rows in one large
• mount 9 which includes resilient clip arms (not shown) which retain the mount to the
• the support member 6 is not filled to capacity with connectors. Instead a space is left to
• the connectors 8 can be held in the spaced apart position shown in
• the patch panel shown in Figures 2 and 3 provides accessibility to connectors during re ⁇
• the patch panel is also
• the connectors 14 are arranged in rows and columns within the patch panel 12.
• panel 12 is slidably mounted within a pair of guide members 15 having a substantially U-
• the protective covers 16 and 17 may be lifted
• front protective cover 16 can be any suitable front protective cover 16
• a frontal retention plate which in this case takes the form of three
• the patch panel 12 could be adapted to allow for individual connectors or groups of
• connectors to be slidably movable with the patch panel 12 to increase accessibility further.
• FIG. 8 shows schematically how the patch panel 12, the front protective cover 16 and the
• the third embodiment of the present invention (shown in Figure 9) is a further patch panel
• the patch panel 19 has a series of elongate aperture support members 21
• Each support member 21 has a row of
• connectors 22 mounted in a single aperture therein.
• the connectors 22 are each held in a
• respective mount 31 having two opposite resilient arms 23 which act as spring clips to hold
• the mounts 31 are all spaced apart on the support members 21.
• the support member 21 is provided with means for retaining a connector
• mount 31 which means, as described above, take the form of projecting lugs 25 which
• Each series is spaced so that a pair of lugs 25 are in opposing positions and are able to
• the support member 27 is provided with a series of opposing indentations 28.
• a fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 13 to 17.
• the fourth embodiment has a main body 33 from which a series of racks or support members
• Each support member 34 extends.
• Each support member 34 is provided with a series of substantially orthogonally
• faces 35 are open-sided apertures 36 in each of which a connector 37 can be - 11 - individually mounted along the lines described above.
• the pairs of faces 35 extend
• Each support member 34 is provided. Each support member 34 is pivotably mounted to the main body 33 via a
• the patch panel 32 can be placed into a closed, compact position (as shown in Figure
• support members 34 is pivoted to a more open, access position (as shown in Figure 14).
• Connectors 37 can be easily slid through the open side of the apertures 36 for removal.

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26313148

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (14)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (6)

• 1999
  • 1999-01-29 TR TR2000/02394T patent/TR200002394T2/xx unknown
  • 1999-01-29 PL PL99342192A patent/PL342192A1/xx unknown
  • 1999-01-29 KR KR1020007009145A patent/KR20010041104A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-01-29 AU AU22919/99A patent/AU2291999A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-01-29 EP EP99902708A patent/EP1060430A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-01-29 BR BR9908107-5A patent/BR9908107A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-01-29 WO PCT/GB1999/000318 patent/WO1999042881A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-02-12 AR ARP990100608A patent/AR018738A1/es unknown
  • 1999-02-19 PE PE1999000147A patent/PE20000589A1/es not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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