IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,081,164
Granted Patent B2
US 9,081,164 · App. 13/594,474 · Granted Jul 14, 2015

Fiber management panel

Inventors: Timothy G. Badar (St. Paul, MN); Jose Federico Mendoza (Ciudad Juarez, MX); Gustavo Cano (Ciudad Juarez, MX); Edward T. Landry (Plymouth, MN); Marcelo Enrique Ruiz (Juarez, MX); Dominic J. Louwagie (Eden Prairie, MN)
Assignee: ADC Telecommunications, Inc.
G02B6/4471G02B6/4455G02B6/3897
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,081,164
App. No.
13/594,474
Filed
Aug 24, 2012
Granted
Jul 14, 2015
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2874
USPC
385/135
Abstract

A telecommunications termination panel includes a pivoting tray with cable connection locations. Cables extending to the connection locations enter through the rear or the side and exit through the side of the panel. Cable management structures direct cables to and away from the connection locations. A first trough extends from the rear to the front of the panel housing, the first trough raised from the floor thereof. A second trough extends from the rear to the front of the tray and is pivotal relative to the first trough with movement of the tray. When the tray is closed, the troughs are parallel and when the tray is open, the troughs are perpendicular to each other. The second trough is raised from the first trough such that cables extending from the first into the second trough are not pinched when the tray is pivoted closed.

Claims (14)

1. A telecommunications termination panel comprising:

a housing including a top, a bottom, a first side and a second opposing side defining a front opening and a rear opening, the rear opening adjacent the first side, the rear opening being usable as a cable entry/exit into/from the housing, the first side of the housing also defining a side opening adjacent the front opening, the side opening being usable as a cable entry/exit into/from the housing; and

a tray including a front wall, a rear wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the tray pivotably mounted within the housing, the tray pivotable through the front opening of the housing between an open access position and a closed position wherein the front wall substantially blocks the front opening of the housing, the tray pivoting about a vertical axis located adjacent the first side of the housing, the tray defining a cable entry/exit opening adjacent the vertical pivot axis and a plurality of connection locations for connecting a first cable entering the housing to a second cable exiting the housing;

wherein the housing includes a first cable trough defining a cable path extending from the rear opening toward the cable entry/exit opening of the tray for guiding cables between the rear opening and the tray when the termination panel is used as a rear entry or exit panel;

wherein the tray includes a second trough defining a cable path extending from the cable entry/exit opening of the tray toward the rear wall of the tray, the second trough being pivotally disposed with respect to the first trough with the movement of the tray such that when the tray is in the open access position, the first and second troughs are generally perpendicular to each other and when the tray is in the closed position, the first and second troughs are parallel to each other with the second trough overlapping the first trough to prevent pinching of a cable extending from the rear opening of the housing to the tray if the panel is used as a rear entry or exit panel.

2. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein the tray defines an outer perimeter, the tray including a wall extending upward along at least a portion of the outer perimeter, the tray including a cover hingedly mounted to the wall, the cover pivotable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the tray and the cover define a larger dimension than the front opening of the housing when the cover is in the open position such that the tray is movable from the open position to the closed position only when the cover is in the closed position.

3. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 2 , wherein the connection locations include adapters to connect optical fiber cables, the adapters mounted in one of a plurality of telecommunications modules mounted to the tray with each module moveably mounted along a line of travel above the tray, each one of the modules including a plurality of adapters for holding a fiber optic connector, each adapter having opposite ends for coupling to a fiber optic connector, each one of the adapters movable with one of the modules along the line of travel, and further wherein the cover may not be moved to the closed position when any module is extending upward along the line of travel.

4. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 3 , wherein the cover and the adapters are positioned such that when the tray is pivoted from the open position to the closed position, the cover, when in the open position, contacts the housing before the adapters contact the housing to prevent damage to the adapters.

5. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein the tray includes a first series of cable management structures for routing optical fiber cables from the connection locations toward the axis of pivot with bend radius protection.

6. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein the tray defines a recess underneath the second cable trough for accommodating the first cable trough of the housing.

7. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein both the first cable trough and the second cable trough define cable management fingers for keeping cables within the troughs.

8. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein the first cable trough is raised from the bottom of the housing and the second cable trough overlaps the first cable trough when the tray is in the closed position.

9. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , wherein the termination panel is mounted on an equipment rack either above or below a like termination panel.

10. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1 , further comprising a cable puller structure for temporarily attaching an end of a cable through the rear opening of the housing to the tray when the tray is in the closed position such that movement of the tray to the open position pulls the cable through the housing to position the attached end of the cable adjacent to and accessible through the front opening of the housing.

Assignments (19)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 049905/0504 Recorded Dec 19, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC (F/K/A ARRIS ENTERPRISES, INC.); ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; RUCKUS WIRELESS, LLC (F/K/A RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.)
Reel/Frame 071477/0255 →
PARTIAL TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS RECORDED AT R/F 060752/0001 Recorded Apr 13, 2023
From: WILMINGTON TRUST
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
Reel/Frame 063322/0209 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2023
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
Reel/Frame 063270/0220 →
PARTIAL TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Jul 15, 2022
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
Reel/Frame 060671/0324 →
PARTIAL RELEASE OF ABL SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
Reel/Frame 060649/0305 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2022
From: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
To: BISON PATENT LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 060641/0312 →
PARTIAL RELEASE OF TERM LOAN SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
Reel/Frame 060649/0286 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST
Reel/Frame 060752/0001 →
ABL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049892/0396 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 049892/0051 →
TERM LOAN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; ARRIS TECHNOLOGY, INC.; RUCKUS WIRELESS, INC.; ARRIS SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049905/0504 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: REDWOOD SYSTEMS, INC.; ALLEN TELECOM LLC; ANDREW LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 048840/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: REDWOOD SYSTEMS, INC.; ALLEN TELECOM LLC; ANDREW LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 049260/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (ABL) Recorded Jan 13, 2016
From: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037514/0196 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (TERM) Recorded Jan 13, 2016
From: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037513/0709 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2015
From: COMMSCOPE EMEA LIMITED
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 037012/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2015
From: TYCO ELECTRONICS SERVICES GMBH
To: COMMSCOPE EMEA LIMITED
Reel/Frame 036956/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2015
From: ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.; TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH
To: TYCO ELECTRONICS SERVICES GMBH
Reel/Frame 036908/0443 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 8, 2013
From: BADAR, TIMOTHY G.; MENDOZA, JOSE FEDERICO; CANO, GUSTAVO; LANDRY, EDWARD T.; RUIZ, MARCELO ENRIQUE; LOUWAGIE, DOMINIC J.
To: ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 030972/0007 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61526983 · Aug 24, 2011
Related Publication 20130170810A1 · Jul 4, 2013