Abstract:
A bracket is disclosed for managing the entry of one or more wires into an opening of an electronic equipment chassis. The bracket includes mounting holes configured to accept fasteners for engaging the bracket to the chassis. The bracket also includes a wire support portion having openings for receiving ends of a cable tie to secure one or more wires to the bracket. A faceplate portion of the bracket is positionable to overlie the portion of the chassis opening that is not occupied by the wire(s) to prevent access to the interior of the chassis. A plurality of brackets can be provided for electronic equipment chassis that have multiple openings. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosure relates generally to the field of wire management, and more particularly to a structure for managing wires that enter into an equipment chassis. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Installation and management of electronic system wires requires precise placement, particularly where the wires enter or exit an electronic equipment chassis. Such placement should ensure that the wires are not damaged through interaction with the chassis opening or by over-bending. 
     Increases in bandwidth requirements for various electronic systems have resulted in ever more densely packed wiring arrangements. This, coupled with often limited floor space in which to place new equipment means that it is even more important to provide proper management of wires. 
     To provide a desired degree of management and protection of wiring, prior arrangements include enclosing wires in conduits. Such conduits, in addition to protecting the enclosed wires, can also be used to make a direct connection to an opening in the electronic equipment chassis. This provides the additional benefit that the chassis openings are completely covered, thus preventing access to the internals of the chassis during use. 
     As noted, for applications in which there is limited floor space in which to house electronic equipment, the chassis may need to be placed in the middle of the room. This may make the use of conduits impractical either due to their size, inflexibility, or other factors. 
     Thus, there remains a need for a system to organize wires entering and exiting from an electronic equipment chassis to prevent wire damage over the life of the equipment, and which can be used in any of a variety of applications and arrangements. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the foregoing a bracket is disclosed for organizing wires entering/exiting an electronics equipment chassis. The bracket is attached to the chassis in a manner that allows the chassis cover to be removed without having to remove the bracket or the wires attached to the bracket. In addition, the bracket is configured to cover the portion of the wire entry hole that is not occupied by wire so as to prevent access to the chassis internals. 
     The bracket prevents access to the internals of the chassis during use regardless of the number or size of cables passing through a particular opening. The bracket also supports a wide range of cables while still covering the respective opening regardless of the size of the opening and the number/size of wires passing therethrough. 
     For chassis arrangements having multiple wire entry holes, multiple brackets can be used, each of which can accommodate a different number and size of wire. The use of multiple brackets thus allows each wire entry hole to be covered independent from the others. Additionally, the bracket enables wire to be run in virtually any direction outside of the chassis (e.g., above the chassis, straight out of the chassis, or underneath the chassis). 
     A wire entry cover bracket is disclosed. The bracket may include a faceplate portion having a first opening for receiving a first fastener for securing the bracket to an electronic equipment chassis. The bracket may further include a wire support portion coupled to the faceplate portion. The wire support portion may have a second opening for receiving a second fastener for securing at least one wire to the bracket. 
     A wire entry cover bracket is disclosed, including a faceplate portion having a pair of first openings for receiving fasteners to secure the bracket to an electronic equipment chassis. The bracket may also include a wire support portion oriented substantially perpendicular to the faceplate portion. The wire support portion may have a pair of second openings for receiving a cable tie to secure a wire to the bracket. 
     A method is disclosed for mounting a wire to an electronic equipment chassis. The method may include providing a wire entry cover bracket including a faceplate portion having a pair of first openings for securing the bracket to an electronic equipment chassis, and a wire support portion oriented substantially perpendicular to the faceplate portion, the wire support portion having a pair of second openings for securing the wire to the bracket. The method may further include attaching the wire entry cover bracket to the electronic equipment chassis using fasteners inserted into the pair of first openings, and securing a wire to the wire support portion using a cable tie inserted into the pair of second openings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       By way of example, specific embodiments of the disclosed device will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a wire management and wire entry cover bracket in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a plurality of brackets according to  FIG. 1  disposed adjacent an exemplary chassis; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a plurality of brackets according to  FIG. 1  engaged with an exemplary chassis; 
         FIG. 7  is a first perspective view of a plurality of brackets according to  FIG. 1  engaged with an exemplary chassis, the plurality of brackets arranged to support a plurality of wires entering the chassis through respective wire entry openings and to cover a portion of each of the respective wire entry openings; 
         FIG. 8  is a second perspective view of a plurality of brackets according to  FIG. 1  engaged with an exemplary chassis, the plurality of brackets arranged to support a plurality of wires entering the chassis through respective wire entry openings and to cover a portion of each of the respective wire entry openings; 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are third and fourth perspective views, respectively, of a plurality of brackets according to  FIG. 1  engaged with an exemplary chassis, the plurality of brackets arranged to support a differing number and size of wires entering the chassis through respective wire entry openings; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exemplary method for organizing wires according to the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the sake of convenience and clarity, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “lateral,” and “longitudinal” will be used herein to describe the relative placement and orientation of the disclosed bracket, as it appears in the figures. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 , a bracket  1  is shown. The bracket  1  may include a faceplate portion  2  and a wire support portion  4 . In the illustrated embodiment the faceplate and wire support portions  2 ,  4  are oriented perpendicular with respect to each other. It will be appreciated, however, that this angle is not critical and thus the portions may be oriented at other angles with respect to each other depending upon the particular application. 
     The faceplate portion  2  may have a central facing region  6 , and a pair of side flanges  8 ,  10 . Openings  12 ,  14  may be positioned in the pair of side flanges  8 ,  10 . These openings  12 ,  14  may be sized and configured to receive respective fasteners, such as screws, for fixing the bracket  1  to an electronics equipment chassis as will be described in greater detail later. To provide for an enhanced degree of adjustability, the openings  12 ,  14  may be elongated to enable the fasteners to engage the faceplate portion  2  at a variety of locations. In the illustrated embodiment the openings are elongated along the vertical direction. It will be appreciated, however, that the openings could alternatively be elongated in another direction, such as the horizontal direction, to enable alternative adjustability. 
     A forward edge  16  of the wire support portion  4  may be connected to a bottom end  18  of the central facing region  6  of the faceplate portion  2 . In one embodiment, the faceplate portion  2  and the wire support portion  4  are formed from a single piece of material, and the two are bent with respect to each other along ends  16 ,  18 . Alternatively, the portions may be formed as separate pieces and connected via welding, brazing, or other appropriate joining technique. 
     The wire support portion  4  may include a pair of openings  20 ,  22  spaced on laterally opposite sides of a support section  24 . These openings  20 ,  22  can be sized to receive a fastener  26  (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) for securing a portion of a wire  28  to be routed into an electronics equipment chassis  30 . In one embodiment, the fastener  26  may be a cable tie looped through the openings  20 ,  22  and around the wire  28 . Other fasteners, such as tie-wires, string, rubber bands, and the like could alternatively be used. 
     The side flanges  8 ,  10  may extend below the bottom end  18  of the central facing region  6  by an offset distance “OSD.” Thus, the bottom edges  32  of the side flanges  8 ,  10  may extend below the wire support portion  4 . In the illustrated embodiment, the openings  12 ,  14  in the side flanges  8 ,  10  also extend below the wire support portion  4 . This arrangement provides for a large degree of adjustability in the vertical positioning of the bracket  1  with respect to the electronics equipment chassis  30  so that the bracket  1  can be used to secure a wide variety of wire types, sizes and numbers, to the chassis. 
     As can be seen best with reference to  FIG. 4 , the central facing region  6  may have a front face  32  and a back face  34 , while the wire support portion  4  may have an upper surface  36  and a lower surface  38 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the front face  32  of the faceplate portion  2  serves to cover the associated wire entry hole  40  in the electronics equipment chassis  30 , while the lower surface  38  of the wire support portion  4  engages one or more wires  28  that are fed through the wire entry hole ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , an exemplary electronics equipment chassis  30  is shown as a generally rectangular box having a plurality of wire entry holes  40  disposed in a side wall  31  thereof. The illustrated wire entry holes  40  are circular and may each have a non-metallic grommet  42  lining the inner periphery of the hole. It will be appreciated, however, that the wire entry holes can be non-circular, and need not include a grommet. The non-metallic grommets  42  have openings  44  for receiving one or more wires therethrough so as to connect to electronic components containing within the chassis  30 . As can be seen, the brackets  1  can be positioned in front of respective ones of the plurality of wire entry holes  40  so that the openings  12 ,  14  of each of the brackets aligns with associated openings  46  in the chassis  30 . In the illustrated embodiment, the openings  46  are disposed within standoffs  48  fixed to the side wall  31  of the chassis  30 . As will be appreciated, the standoffs  48  compensate for the presence of the grommets  42  which may protrude beyond the front of the sidewall  31  of the chassis. The brackets  1  may be fixed to the standoffs via fasteners  50 , such as screws, disposed within the bracket openings  12 ,  14 .  FIG. 6  shows the brackets  1  firmly fixed to the chassis  30 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 6 , the fasteners  50  are positioned near the top ends of the bracket openings  12 ,  14  so that the central facing region  6  substantially covers the openings  44  of each of the grommets  42 . As can also be seen, the center positioned bracket  1  shares a fastener  50  with each of the right and left positioned brackets  1 , thus providing an economical design from a space standpoint. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show the exemplary electronics equipment chassis  30  with a plurality of wires  28  supported by a plurality of brackets  1 . The wires  28  are engaged with the support portion  4  of each bracket via a cable tie fastener  26 . The wires  28  are positioned beneath the wire support portions  4  so that they engage the lower surface  38  ( FIG. 4 ) of the portions  4 . Thus arranged, the wires  28  enter the respective openings  40  in the sidewall  31  of the chassis  30 . The central facing region  6  of each bracket  1  covers the respective opening  40 , and the wires enter the openings  40  in the space  52  formed by the lower edge  18  of the central facing portion  2 , the lower surface  38  of the wire support portion  4 , and the bottom edges  32  of the side flanges  8 ,  10  ( FIG. 4 ).  FIG. 8  shows that the openings  40  are covered on the bottom by the wires  28  and on the top by the faceplate portions  2  of the brackets  1 . 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show another arrangement of the exemplary electronics equipment chassis  30  with a plurality of wires supported by a plurality of brackets. In these views it can be seen that each of the brackets  1  is adjusted to a different height with respect to the associated opening  40  to accommodate a smaller or larger number of wires (or no wires at all). Thus, as can be seen, the leftmost bracket  1   a  associated with the leftmost opening  40   a  is adjusted upward with respect to the opening so as to accommodate a wire group  28   a  that includes relatively large number of wires. The center bracket  1   b  associated with the center opening  40   b  is adjusted to a maximum downward position so as to cover almost the entire opening, since no wires reside in that opening. The right-most bracket  1   c  associated with the rightmost opening  40   c  is adjusted higher than center bracket  1   b  so as to accommodate the associated wire group  28   c . The right-most bracket  1   c  is, however, adjusted lower than leftmost bracket  1   a  since the wire group  28   c  is smaller than wire group  28   a  associated with the rightmost opening  40   a.    
     As  FIGS. 9 and 10  show, the disclosed bracket  1  can be easily adjusted to customize the fit to a particular arrangement of openings, wire sizes and wire numbers. As a result, the brackets  1  serve a desired wire-support function while also providing maximum coverage of the opening through which the wires are placed. As will be appreciated, this adjustability is further facilitated by the use of cable tie fasteners  26  to engage the wire groups with their associated brackets. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , an exemplary method according for mounting a wire to an electronic equipment chassis will be described. At step  100 , a wire may be positioned through a wire entry opening of an electronics equipment chassis and connected to an internal electronic component in the chassis. At step  110 , a wire entry cover bracket  1  may be positioned adjacent to the wire entry opening so that a faceplate portion  2  of the bracket overlies at least a portion of the opening. At step  120 , the wire bracket  1  may be attached to the chassis using fasteners inserted through a pair of openings disposed in the faceplate portion  2  of the bracket. In one embodiment, the openings are elongated in a vertical orientation. At step  130 , the position of the bracket may be adjusted with respect to the wire entry opening so that the faceplate portion  2  covers a region of the wire entry opening that is not occupied by the wire. At step  140 , the wire may be secured to a wire support portion  4  of the bracket using a cable tie disposed in a pair of elongated openings in the wire support portion. 
     One advantage of the disclosed design is that the brackets  1  attach to the sidewall  31  of the chassis  30 , thus allowing a user to access the internal components of the chassis by removing the chassis cover, and without disturbing the management of the wiring. 
     The bracket also allows the unoccupied area of the wire entry hole (i.e., the portion not occupied by wires) to be covered regardless of the number and size of wires or cable routed through the hole when conduit is not used. Each wire entry hole can be covered independently from the others allowing greater flexibility when wiring the unit. Additionally, it will be appreciated that use of a cable tie to secure the wires to the bracket is not required, such that the bracket may be used to cover a wire entry hole even without the use of a cable tie to organize the wires. 
     In one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the bracket  1  may be made from an aluminum alloy. It will be appreciated that other materials, including other metals, polymers and the like may also be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. 
     As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. 
     While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.