Patent ID: 6191357
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: H02G

Abstract:
A building entrance protector box providing an interface between a signal transmission media cable having a first plurality of filamentary signal transmission elements and a second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements, the box being divided into a splice chamber receiving the cable and a connector chamber receiving the second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements, and wherein a protector field is disposed in the connector chamber to which the second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements is terminated and a third plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements extends from the splice chamber to the connector chamber, with each of the third plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements being terminated at one end to the protector field and at the other end to a respective one of said first plurality of filamentary signal transmission elements, the box comprising:a housing having a substantially planar base wall adapted for mounting to a support and a plurality of substantially planar surrounding walls each substantially perpendicular to said base wall so as to define an open enclosure containing said splice chamber and said connector chamber;a substantially planar mounting plate mounted within said open enclosure spaced from and parallel to said base wall and disposed within said connector chamber, said mounting plate adapted to have said protector field mounted thereon;a protector module mounted to said mounting plate to form said protector field and including:an insulative protector panel having formed therein a plurality of sockets;a plurality of connector terminals each disposed in a respective one of said sockets and adapted to receive mating terminals of respective protector elements;a mounting bracket covering at least part of said panel and having a mounting flange adapted to engage said mounting plate and be secured thereto so that said panel is secured to said mounting plate, said mounting bracket having a side portion transverse to said mounting flange, said side portion being formed with a pair of openings therethrough with said pair of openings being so situated on said side portion that when said protector module is rotated 180.degree. about an axis orthogonal to said mounting plate, the pair of openings each occupies the position previously occupied by the other of the pair of openings;a first cable extending through a first of said pair of mounting bracket openings, said first cable containing said third plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements and being terminated at respective ones of said plurality of connector terminals; anda second cable extending through the other of said pair of mounting bracket openings, said second cable containing said second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements and being terminated at respective ones of said plurality of connector terminals;wherein when more than one protector module is mounted to said mounting plate, the more than one protector modules can be oriented on the mounting plate so that the first cables of all of the more than one protector modules are isolated from the second cables of all of the more than one protector modules.