IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,009,670
Granted Patent B2
US 11,009,670 · App. 16/488,455 · Granted May 18, 2021

High fiber count termination device

Inventors: Scott C. Kowalczyk (Savage, MN); James J. Solheid (Lakeville, MN); Soutsada Vongseng (Chanhassen, MN)
Assignee: CommScope Technologies LLC
G02B6/4454G02B6/4452
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,009,670
App. No.
16/488,455
Filed
Aug 23, 2019
Granted
May 18, 2021
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2883
USPC
385/135
Abstract

A termination enclosure includes a chassis configured to hold optical terminations and optical splices. The optical splices are mounted to a removable splice drawer. In certain examples, the splice drawer is removed through a rear of the chassis while the optical terminations remain at the chassis. Optical splices can be made at a workstation remote from the chassis and stored in the splice drawer, which is inserted back into the chassis.

Claims (38)

1. A fiber distribution terminal comprising:

a chassis;

a plurality of optical adapters disposed at the chassis, the optical adapters having internal-facing ports and external-facing ports;

a splice tray mounting arrangement that is removably coupled to the chassis, the splice tray mounting arrangement including a base carrying a splice tray mounting location so that removing the splice tray mounting arrangement from the chassis also removes the splice tray mounting location from the chassis, the splice tray mounting location being configured to receive a plurality of splice trays, the splice tray mounting arrangement also including a bend radius management arrangement carried by the base, the bend radius management arrangement being configured to route an optical cable around the splice tray mounting location to store excess length of the optical cable;

a splice tray mounted at the splice tray mounting location; and

an optical cable including a plurality of optical fibers having first ends terminated at optical fiber connectors and second ends that are unterminated, the optical fiber connectors being received at the internal-facing ports of the optical adapters, at least some of the unterminated ends being received at the splice tray.

2. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the splice tray is a first splice tray; and wherein a plurality of splice trays including the first splice tray are received at the splice tray mounting location.

3. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 2 , wherein the splice tray mounting location includes mounting structure configured to separately receive each splice tray so that the splice trays are independently movable relative to the splice tray mounting arrangement.

4. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 3 , wherein the splice trays independently pivot relative to each other at the mounting structure.

5. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the splice tray is configured to hold a plurality of mass fusion splices.

6. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the optical cable is sheathed in a mesh sleeve.

7. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the optical cable includes at least 288 optical fibers.

8. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the optical cable has an excess length of at least six feet.

9. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the optical adapters are carried by a plurality of cassettes disposed at the chassis.

10. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 9 , wherein each cassette outputs an optical fiber ribbon that forms part of the optical cable.

11. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 10 , wherein the optical fiber ribbons of at least some of the cassettes are joined together as the optical cable.

12. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 9 , wherein the cassettes are disposed at a front of the chassis and the splice tray mounting arrangement is disposed at a rear of the chassis.

13. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the splice tray mounting arrangement is elevated above a bottom of the chassis to provide a gap between the splice tray mounting arrangement and the bottom of the chassis.

14. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a rear cover that mounts to a rear of the chassis to enclose the splice tray mounting arrangement.

15. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the splice tray mounting arrangement is removable from the chassis by sliding the splice tray mounting arrangement out through a rear of the chassis and unwinding the optical cable from around the bend radius management arrangement to reach a workstation spaced from the chassis.

16. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the base of the splice tray mounting arrangement slides within guides defined at interior walls of the chassis.

17. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the base of the splice tray mounting arrangement slides over glides disposed at interior walls of the chassis.

18. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 17 , wherein sidewalls of the splice tray mounting arrangement slide beneath top glides.

19. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the bend radius management arrangement includes a plurality of bend radius limiters mounted about the splice tray mounting location.

20. The fiber distribution terminal of claim 1 , wherein the bend radius management arrangement includes a cable spool.

21. A fiber distribution terminal comprising:

a chassis;

a plurality of optical adapters disposed at the chassis, the optical adapters having internal-facing ports and external-facing ports, wherein the optical adapters are carried by a plurality of cassettes disposed at the chassis, wherein the cassettes are disposed at a front of the chassis; and

a splice tray mounting arrangement that is removably coupled to the chassis, the splice tray mounting arrangement being disposed at a rear of the chassis, the splice tray mounting arrangement including a base carrying a splice tray mounting location so that removing the splice tray mounting arrangement from the chassis also removes the splice tray mounting location from the chassis, the splice tray mounting location being configured to receive a plurality of splice trays, the splice tray mounting arrangement also including a bend radius management arrangement carried by the base, the bend radius management arrangement being configured to route an optical cable around the splice tray mounting location to store excess length of the optical cable.

22. A fiber distribution terminal comprising:

a chassis;

a plurality of optical adapters disposed at the chassis, the optical adapters having internal-facing ports and external-facing ports;

a splice tray mounting arrangement that is removably coupled to the chassis, the splice tray mounting arrangement including a base carrying a splice tray mounting location so that removing the splice tray mounting arrangement from the chassis also removes the splice tray mounting location from the chassis, the splice tray mounting location being configured to receive a plurality of splice trays, the splice tray mounting arrangement also including a bend radius management arrangement carried by the base, the bend radius management arrangement being configured to route an optical cable around the splice tray mounting location to store excess length of the optical cable; and

a first splice tray mounted at the splice tray mounting location, and wherein a plurality of splice trays including the first splice tray are received at the splice tray mounting location; the splice tray mounting location includes mounting structure configured to separately receive each splice tray so that the splice trays are independently movable relative to the splice tray mounting arrangement, wherein the splice trays independently pivot relative to each other at the mounting structure.

23. A fiber distribution terminal comprising:

a chassis;

a plurality of optical adapters disposed at the chassis, the optical adapters having internal-facing ports and external-facing ports;

a splice tray mounting arrangement that is removably coupled to the chassis, the splice tray mounting arrangement including a base carrying a splice tray mounting location so that removing the splice tray mounting arrangement from the chassis also removes the splice tray mounting location from the chassis, the splice tray mounting location being configured to receive a plurality of splice trays, the splice tray mounting arrangement also including a bend radius management arrangement carried by the base, the bend radius management arrangement being configured to route an optical cable around the splice tray mounting location to store excess length of the optical cable, wherein the splice tray mounting arrangement is removable from the chassis by sliding the splice tray mounting arrangement out through the rear of the chassis and unwinding the optical cable from around the bend radius management arrangement to reach a workstation spaced from the chassis.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 058843/0712 Recorded Jan 12, 2026
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE NORTH CAROLINA, LLC (F/K/A COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA); COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 074591/0389 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 058875/0449 Recorded Dec 19, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC (F/K/A ARRIS ENTERPRISES, INC.); COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 069743/0057 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2024
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE INC., OF NORTH CAROLINA; OUTDOOR WIRELESS NETWORKS LLC; RUCKUS IP HOLDINGS LLC
To: APOLLO ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY LLC
Reel/Frame 069889/0114 →
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 →
TERM LOAN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 15, 2021
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 058875/0449 →
ABL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 15, 2021
From: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC; COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC; COMMSCOPE, INC. OF NORTH CAROLINA
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 058843/0712 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 28, 2020
From: KOWALCZYK, SCOTT C.; SOLHEID, JAMES J.
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 054753/0720 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 28, 2020
From: VONGSENG, SOUTSADA
To: COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Reel/Frame 054753/0734 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62462740 · Feb 23, 2017
Related Publication 20200249411A1 · Aug 6, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 12,253,732 US 12,613,391