Abstract:
A fiber cable storage and management apparatus. The apparatus includes front and rear sections interconnected by a hinge. The front section is configured to hold a length of fiber cable, and both the front and rear sections are slidingly mountable to an electronic chassis. The front section of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus may be alternately retracted out of and inserted into the housing of the electronic chassis. When the front section is retracted out of the electronic chassis housing, the hinge can pivot between a first position in which the front and rear sections of the apparatus are substantially coplanar and a second position in which the front section is rotated below the plane of the rear section. By sliding the front section of the apparatus out of the electronic chassis housing and then rotating the front section downward, easy access is provided to fiber cable stored on the front section.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     N/A 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     N/A 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to optical fiber cable storage and management apparatus, and more specifically to fiber cable storage and management apparatus that can be easily integrated with station equipment of a computer or telecommunications network. 
     In recent years, the use of optical fiber cables for providing Internet, voice, and data services has been rapidly increasing. In general, an optical fiber cable includes a plurality of optical fibers. To deliver such multi-fiber cables to station equipment (e.g., multiplexors, data terminals, computers, etc.) installed at central offices or business/residential premises in a computer or telecommunications network, fiber storage and management devices are often used to provide connection points for a number of the optical fibers. Traditional fiber storage and management devices are typically discrete modules that are frequently made of plastic. Each module typically includes a spool around which fiber loops can be wrapped in a circular fashion. Such fiber storage and management devices not only provide storage for fiber splices and slack, but also provide strain relief, dust-proofing, and protection for the optical fibers. 
     One drawback of traditional fiber storage and management devices is that they are discrete and therefore easily lost or misplaced. Further, such devices are usually not easily incorporated into the different types of station equipment coupled to a computer or telecommunications network. Still further, those fiber storage and management devices that can be incorporated into station equipment often require a significant amount of space to enable a technician to access the optical fibers stored therein. Yet further, the overall size of the station equipment generally increases with the space requirements of the fiber storage and management devices. 
     It would therefore be desirable to have a fiber cable storage and management apparatus that can be easily integrated with station equipment of a computer or telecommunications network. Such a fiber cable storage and management apparatus would have minimum space requirements so as to reduce the overall size of the station equipment. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a fiber cable storage and management apparatus is provided that includes front and rear sections interconnected by a hinge. The front section is configured to hold a length of fiber cable, and both the front and rear sections are slidingly mountable to an electronic chassis. The front section of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus can be alternately retracted out of and inserted into the housing of the electronic chassis. When the front section is retracted out of the electronic chassis housing, the hinge can pivot between a first position in which the front and rear sections of the apparatus are substantially coplanar and a second position in which the front section is rotated below the plane of the rear section. By sliding the front section of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus out of the electronic chassis housing and then rotating the front section downward, easy access is provided to the fiber cable stored on the front section. 
     In one embodiment, a cable storage apparatus includes a first portion including a first section, a second section, and a hinge interconnecting the first and second sections, the first section being configured to hold a length of cable; and, a second portion for supporting the first portion, the second portion being adapted to slidingly receive the first portion and retain the first portion with the first and second sections in a generally coplanar relationship when supported by the second portion. 
     Other features, functions, and aspects of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus will be evident from the Detailed Description of the Invention that follows. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention will be more fully understood with reference to the following Detailed Description of the Invention in conjunction with the drawings of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of station equipment incorporating a fiber cable storage and management apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus of FIG. 1 coupled to the station equipment by a bracket and a spacer; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective, exploded view of the bracket and the spacer of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of station equipment  100  incorporating an illustrative embodiment of a fiber cable manager  110  in accordance with the present invention. The station equipment  100  includes an electronic chassis  102  having generally planar side and back walls  104  and  106 , and an inclined lower support section  108 , which in this illustrative embodiment is a baffle. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the lower support section  108  may alternatively include a horizontal support section. 
     The station equipment  100  may be a multiplexor, a data terminal, a computer, telecommunications equipment, or any other electronic and/or computerized device that may be installed at a central office, a business, a residence, or other suitable location in a computer or telecommunications network. In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic chassis  102  may house a backplane assembly at the back wall  106  and a shelf assembly between the opposing sidewalls  104 . For example, the backplane assembly may include a motherboard with a plurality of connectors mounted thereto for receiving respective daughter cards and/or modules supported by the shelf assembly; and, at least one of the daughter cards and/or modules may include optical interfaces for receiving signals over an optical fiber cable, a portion of which may rest in a cable trough  109 . It should be understood, however, that FIG. 1 merely depicts an exemplary embodiment of the electronic chassis  102 , and that other alternative embodiments or variations may be made. 
     As mentioned above, at least one daughter card and/or module included in the station equipment  100  may receive signals provided by an optical fiber cable. For this reason, the station equipment  100  includes the fiber cable manager  110 , which can be used to store and manage a number of fiber loops. In a preferred embodiment, the station equipment  100  includes a plurality of such fiber cable managers  110 , each of which is slidingly coupled to the lower support section  108  of the-station equipment  110  by a respective pair of brackets  120  (see also FIG.  4 ). It is noted, however, that one or more of the plurality of fiber cable managers  110  may alternatively be slidingly coupled to, e.g., one of the sidewalls  104 , the back wall  106 , a top cover (not shown), or an intermediate support section of the electronic chassis  102 . 
     As depicted in FIG. 2, the fiber cable manager  110  includes a generally planar front section  212  coupled to a generally planar rear section  214  by a hinge  219 , which is of a type to allow the front section  212  to swing between a first position coplanar with the rear section  214  and a second position below the plane of the rear section  214 . When the front and rear sections  212  and  214  are coplanar, narrow edge regions  240   a ,  240   b ,  242   a , and  242   b  (generally indicated by broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the front and rear sections  212  and  214  can slide between the respective brackets  120  and the lower support section  108 . For example, a technician may grasp a handle  215  formed in a front flange portion  211  of the fiber cable manager  110  to slidingly retract (insert) the front section  212  out of (into) the housing of the electronic chassis  102 . The hinge  219  is suitably attached to the front and rear sections  212  and  214  between the narrow edge regions  240   a / 242   a  and  240   b / 242   b  to provide sufficient clearance between the hinge  219  and the brackets  120  as the fiber cable manager  110  is alternately slid out of and into the electronic chassis  102 . 
     FIG. 4 depicts a preferred embodiment of the bracket  120  and a spacer  430 , which in combination slidingly couple the fiber cable manager  110  to the lower support section  108  of the electronic chassis  102 . Each bracket  120  coupling the fiber cable manager  110  to the lower support section  108  has a corresponding spacer  430 . Further, each bracket/ spacer combination used to slidingly couple the fiber cable manager  110  to the lower support section  108  is preferably like the bracket/spacer combination of FIG.  4 . 
     As mentioned above, when the front section  212  is coplanar with the rear section  214  of the fiber cable manager  110 , the narrow edge regions  240   a ,  240   b ,  242   a , and  242   b  of the front and rear sections  212  and  214  can slide between the respective brackets  120  and the lower support section  108  of the electronic chassis  102 . As depicted in FIG. 4, the brackets  120  and spacers (shown in phantom at reference numeral  430 ) are mounted to the lower support section  108  by suitable fasteners such as screws or rivets, which pass through corresponding holes in the brackets  120  and the spacers  430  (see also FIG.  5 ). Each spacer  430  is preferably narrower than its corresponding bracket  120 . Further, the brackets  120  and the spacers  430  are mounted to the lower support section  108  such that the spacers  430  are sufficiently spaced apart to receive the fiber cable manager  110 , and the brackets  120  sufficiently overlap the narrow edge regions  240   a ,  240   b ,  242   a , and  242   b  of the front and rear sections  212  and  214  to support the fiber cable manager  110  on the lower support section  108 . 
     As depicted in FIG. 5, each bracket  120  includes a flange  422  at a proximal end thereof that slants away from the lower support section  108  when the bracket  120  and the spacer  430  are mounted to the lower support section  108 . Further, each spacer  430  includes at least one bevel  432  at a proximal end thereof; and, the front-section  212  includes a pair of bevels  360  (see FIG. 3) at an end adjacent the rear section  214 . The slanted flanges  422  of the brackets  120 , the bevels  432  of the spacers  430 , and the bevels  360  of the front section  212  facilitate the sliding of the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  out of and into the electronic chassis  102  by reducing potential obstructions between the narrow edge regions  240   a ,  240   b ,  242   a , and  242   b  and the brackets  120 /spacers  430 . 
     The rear section  214  includes a flange  216  (see FIG.  2 ), and the bracket  120  includes steps  424  (see FIG.  4 ). When the bracket/spacer combination slidingly couples the fiber cable manager  110  to the lower support section  108 , the flange  216  of the rear section  214  and the steps  424  of the bracket  120  cooperate to limit the extent to which the fiber cable manager  110  can be retracted from the electronic chassis  102 . For example, the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  may be slid out of the electronic chassis  102  until the flange  216  contacts the steps  424 , at which point the front section  212  is outside the housing the electronic chassis  102 . In the illustrated embodiment, when the flange  216  contacts the steps  424 , the edge regions  240   b  and  242   b  of the rear section  214  of the fiber cable manager  110  remain between the respective brackets  120  and the lower support section  108  of the electronic chassis  102 . Further, when the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  is outside the electronic chassis  102 , the front section  212  is free to swing on the hinge  219  to a position below the planes of the rear section  214  and the lower support section  108 . 
     The front flange portion  211  of the fiber cable manager  110  similarly limits the extent to which the fiber cable manager  110  can be inserted into the electronic chassis  102 . For example, the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  may be inserted into the electronic chassis  102  until the front flange portion  211  contacts the edge of the lower support section  108 , at which point the front section  212  is inside the housing of the electronic chassis  102 . In a preferred embodiment, the fiber cable manager  110  includes at least one fastener suitable for maintaining the front section  212  inside the electronic chassis  102 . In the illustrated embodiment, the fiber cable manager  110  includes at least one knob  213  having an integral shaft (not shown) passing through an opening in the front flange portion  211  of the fiber cable manager  110 . The knob shaft can be press-fit into a corresponding hole in a face portion (not shown) of the electronic chassis  102  to prevent the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  from inadvertently sliding out of the electronic chassis  102 . 
     As mentioned above, the fiber cable manager  110  can be used to store and manage a number of fiber loops. Specifically, when optical fibers included in a multi-fiber cable are spliced, a sufficient amount of fiber slack is usually provided near the splices. Such fiber slack is needed to allow a technician to pull the optical fibers from the station equipment, prepare the fiber ends, and then splice them together. After spicing the optical fibers, the technician normally wraps the fiber slack to form at least one fiber loop. In the illustrated embodiment, a first plurality of posts  217  and a second plurality of posts  218  (see FIGS. 2 and 3) are mounted to a surface of the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  to facilitate the storage and management of these fiber loops. The second plurality of posts  218  defines a generally circular path about which the optical fibers can be wrapped. Further, the posts  217  and  218  have respective flange portions that cooperate to prevent the optical fibers wrapped between the posts  217  and  218  from inadvertently unraveling. Accordingly, by sliding the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  to a position outside the electronic chassis  102  and then rotating the front section  212  to a position below the planes of the rear section  214  and the lower support section  108  of the electronic chassis  102 , the technician is provided with easy access to the posts  217  and  218  for subsequent removal and/or storage of the optical fibers. 
     It should be understood that the configuration of the first and second pluralities of posts  217  and  218  depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 is exemplary and that alternative configurations or variations may be made. For example, at least one spool may be mounted to the surface of the front section  212  of the fiber cable manager  110  in place of the posts  217  and  218  to hold the optical fibers. 
     The front and rear sections  212  and  214  of the fiber cable manager  110 , the hinge  219 , the bracket  120 , and/or the spacer  430  may be made of any suitable material such as metal or high-impact plastic. Further, the fiber cable manager  110  can be incorporated into any suitable type of station equipment that is capable of slidably receiving the front and rear sections  212  and  214  of the fiber cable manager  110  and retaining the front and rear sections  212  and  214  in the equipment. Moreover, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the fiber cable manager  110  can be used to store and manage not only optical fiber cables, but any other suitable cable such as copper cable. 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art should further appreciate that variations to and modification of the above-described fiber cable storage and management apparatus may be made without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the present invention should be viewed as limited solely by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.