Abstract:
A door catch arrangement for cable enclosures incorporates magnetic catch components on the door and on an adjacent open-ended, flared, radius-limiting cable guide installed in at least one open-ended cable port of the enclosure. The cable guide itself covers the rim of the cable port and has two spaced legs, each leg having an end face disposed at the open end of the cable port. A recess in one of the end faces holds a magnet. In its closed position, the door blocks the end of the cable port and a ferromagnetic catch portion on the door opposes the magnet, which keeps the door closed. The positions of the magnet and the ferromagnetic catch portion can be reversed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to enclosures, in particular, to enclosures for terminating and interconnecting signal carrying cables, such as fiber optic cables. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many cable enclosures are designed for rack mounting and have an interior cavity with an intermediate bulkhead, which supports a plurality of connectors. The bulkhead also divides the cavity into front and rear compartments, which may be closed by respective front and rear doors that are removable and/or hinged to the enclosure, and are held closed by a mechanical catch or a lock. The side walls of the enclosure adjacent the front and/or the rear compartments typically are provided with cable ports, which may be open-ended. The open-ended feature facilitates cable routing, and the adjacent door typically closes off the open ends of the cable ports to confine the cables in the ports. Examples of these types of enclosures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,808 to Keith; U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,183 to Ott, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,475 to Regester; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,886 to Lauriello, et al. Flared, radius-limiting cable guides in the cable ports prevent cable damage. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,891 to Falkenberg, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,744 to Douglas, et al. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, a simpler and more cost-effective door catch arrangement for cable enclosures incorporates magnetic catch components on the door and on at least one adjacent open-ended, flared, radius-limiting cable guide installed in an open-ended cable port of the enclosure. 
     The cable guide itself comprises a body having a first leg, a second leg and a bight portion joining proximal portions of the legs, each of the legs having a distal end face directed away from the bight portion. A substantially continuous flared shoulder extends along the legs and the bight portion on one side of the body. The distal end face of one or each leg has a recess. A magnet or a ferromagnetic catch member can be retained in either recess. 
     The cable guide may be substantially symmetrical about a medial plane bisecting the bight portion and substantially perpendicular to the side of the body. The cable guide preferably has an outer peripheral groove in the legs and in the bight portion that facilitates mounting of the cable guide in an open-ended cable port of an enclosure. A retention member extends from the bight portion in a direction opposite the legs and has a lateral retention tab or recess adapted to engage a mating feature on the enclosure wall. 
     The cable enclosure system according to the invention comprises a housing having a plurality of walls defining a cavity. Front edges of at least some of the walls define a front opening providing access to the cavity. A cable port adjacent the front opening extends through at least one of the walls that define the front opening (hereinafter a “ported wall”). The cable port is defined by a rim intersecting the front edge of the ported wall at two spaced locations to define an open end of the cable port at the front edge of the ported wall. A flared radius-limiting cable guide is mounted around the rim of the cable port and terminates in first and second spaced front portions defining therebetween a front cable opening into the cable port. A door is movable between an open position and a closed position in which the door substantially closes the front access opening and the front cable opening and opposes at least the first front portion of the cable guide. A magnet holds the door closed by attracting a ferromagnetic catch portion. Preferably, the magnet is supported by the first front portion of the cable guide and the ferromagnetic catch portion is supported by the portion of the door that opposes that front portion of the cable guide. The positions of the magnet and the ferromagnetic catch portion may be reversed. 
     The housing walls may include a bottom wall (which may include a sliding tray), an opposing top wall and opposing side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, the front edges of those walls defining the front access opening. The housing may have a cable port through each side wall and a cable guide in each cable port; and the door may be hinged at its bottom edge for pivotal movement between a lowered open position and a raised closed position in which it substantially closes the front access opening and both front cable openings. In that configuration, the upper front portion of each cable guide preferably holds a magnet, preferably in a recess. The door correspondingly has ferromagnetic catch portions that oppose and are held by respective magnets when the door is closed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention, including the best mode for carrying out the invention, are described in detail below, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the cable enclosure system of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view thereof from a different angle with the top/rear cover removed and the front door partially open; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view thereof from yet another angle with the top/rear cover removed and the front door partially open; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the cable guide of the invention shown on the right side of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled perspective of the cable guide of the invention shown on the left side of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the cable guide of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevational view thereof; and 
         FIG. 8  is a top or bottom plan view thereof, which also shows a mating portion of the enclosure side wall in cross-section. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As used in this application, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” “upwardly” and “downwardly” are intended to facilitate the description of the invention and its components, and are not intended to limit the structure of the invention or its components to any particular position or orientation. While the enclosure of the invention is designed for routing, interconnecting and storing fiber optic cables, it is also suitable for managing electrical cables. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , an exemplary cable enclosure according to the invention has a generally rectangular metal housing enclosing a cavity and comprising a base portion  10  and a top cover portion  20 . Base portion  10  comprises two upstanding side walls  12  joined to a bottom wall  14 , and a top brace  16  interconnecting the tops of side walls  14 . An L-shaped bracket  18  on the exterior of each side wall  12  facilitates mounting of the enclosure to a rack. Top cover portion  20  is L-shaped and comprises a top wall  22  joined to a depending rear wall (not shown). Top cover portion  20  is supported and retained by in-turned flanges at the tops of side walls  12 , and can be removed by sliding it rearward. A latch and/or lock (not shown) holds top cover portion  20  in the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 . A cable port  24  at the front end of each side wall  12  is defined by a U-shaped rim  26  (see  FIG. 3 , cutaway portion), which intersects the front edge of the side wall. Rim  26  supports a flared, U-shaped, radius-limiting cable guide  50 , described below. Cable access to the rear of the housing is afforded through side wall ports temporarily closed by conventional rubber grommets  28 . 
     A tray  30  is slidably supported above bottom wall  14  in a manner similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,293 to Marchand, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Tray  30  supports a bulkhead bracket assembly  32 , which divides the cavity into a front and rear compartments  34 ,  36  and is adapted to support devices such as connector-bearing “cards” (not shown) that interface with the cables. The front compartment  34  is readily accessible for making connections to cables entering the front compartment through front cable ports  24 , while the rear compartment  36  can be used for making connections to cables entering from the rear and for storing excess cable. A cable manager bar  38  is supported by bulkhead assembly  32  in front compartment  34 . A conventional tray latch  39  engages bottom wall  14  to fix tray  30  within the housing. Tray  30  can be slid forward, if necessary, by lifting latch  39  to disengage it from the bottom wall. 
     A front door  40  is hinged at  42  along its bottom edge to the front of tray  30 . If the enclosure does not have a sliding tray, front door  40  would be hinged to bottom wall  14 . When in the raised position shown in  FIG. 1 , door  40  closes the front opening defined by the front edges of side walls  12 , top wall  22  and tray  30  (and/or bottom wall  14 ), including the front openings of cable ports  24 . Door  40  preferably comprises a translucent or transparent thermoplastic panel  42 , which permits viewing of the cable connections in front compartment  34  when the door is closed. Hinge plates  42  preferably are riveted to door  40  and are of a conventional type that permits door removal through disengagement of the hinge halves by movement of the open door along the hinge axis. Other types of hinges may be used (separable or inseparable), or the bottom edge of the door may be held in place behind prong-like abutments formed on tray  30  (or on bottom wall  14 ), such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,808 to Keith (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Riveted to the inner face of the door at each end thereof is a ferromagnetic catch member in the form of a thin steel plate  44 . If the door is made of steel, separate steel “catch” plates would not be required because the door steel itself would be attracted by the magnets described below. The top edge of the door may carry a label holder  46 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-8 , the cable guide  50  has a generally U-shaped body, preferably molded of thermoplastic material, having two legs  52  joined by a bight portion  54 . Legs  52  are substantially straight and parallel, and the center of bight portion  54  is substantially straight and perpendicular to the legs  52 . A substantially continuous flared shoulder  56  extends along legs  52  and bight portion  54  along one side of the body. A peripheral mounting groove  58  extends around the outside of legs  52  and bight portion  54 , and is sized to embrace the similarly shaped rim  26  of a cable port  24 . Other means could be employed to engage rim  26 . For example, the cable guide could have an integral, substantially continuous lip or flange on one side and integral flexible latch tabs on the other side, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,183 to Ott, et al. (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). 
     A retention member  60  extends rearward from bight portion  54  and has a retention tab  62  (see  FIGS. 6-8 ) projecting laterally toward the flared shoulder  56 . As seen in  FIG. 6  (through an aperture  63 ) and in  FIG. 8 , retention tab  62  has a forward-facing shoulder  64  adapted to engage the inner edge of a hole or notch  66  in side wall  12 . Installation of cable guide  50  simply involves sliding it into the open end of a cable port  24  with the cable port rim  26  in groove  58  of the cable guide. Retention member  60  deflects laterally away from side wall  12  when the ramped leading edge  68  of retention tab  62  (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) encounters the rear portion of rim  26 , and then snaps back flat against side wall  12  when tab  62  engages hole or notch  66  in side wall  12 . In an alternate embodiment, the retention tab could be formed on side wall  12  and the mating hole or notch could be formed on retention member  60 . 
     Each leg  52  of cable guide  50  terminates in a front portion  70  having a distal end face  72  in which a cylindrical recess  74  is formed. A cylindrical magnet  76  is retained in one of the recesses  74 , depending on the location of the cable port. In the embodiment illustrated, that recess is the one farther from the hinged edge of front door  40 . When the door is closed as seen in  FIG. 1 , each steel plate  44  opposes the distal end face  72  of each leg  52 . The opposing magnet  76  attracts steel plate  44  to keep the door closed. Magnet  76  and recess  74  preferably are sized such that a force fit retains the magnet in the recess. Alternatively, or in addition, an adhesive may be used to retain the magnet. The magnet alternatively could take the form of a small rectangular plate adhesively mounted in a complementary shallow recess on distal end face  72 . In alternate embodiments, the positions of the magnet and the ferromagnetic catch portion could be reversed. For example, a small planar magnet could be adhesively mounted on the door, and a small, thin steel member could be adhesively mounted in a complementary shallow recess on a distal end face  72  of the cable guide. 
     The illustrated cable guide  50  is symmetrical about a medial plane that bisects bight portion  54  and is perpendicular to the sides of the body. This symmetry enables the cable guide to be used in any open-ended cable port that is closed by a door. For added holding force, a magnet could be installed in each of the two recesses  74 , but a single magnet usually will suffice. That magnet typically is installed in the recess located farther from the hinged edge of the door. If the cable guide is installed in a location such that both recesses  74  are the same distance from the hinged edge of the door (such as in a top wall above a bottom-hinged door, or in a side wall across from a side-hinged door), the magnet location would be the one closer to the steel portion of the door when closed, or arbitrary if the steel portion is sufficiently large to cover both recesses when the door is closed. 
     The symmetrical, generally U-shaped configuration of the illustrated cable guide is merely exemplary. The shape of the cable guide body typically is determined by the shape of the open-ended housing cable port in which it will be installed. The body usually will have two legs joined by a bight portion, a cable opening defined by the distal ends of the legs, and a recess in the distal end face of at least one leg in which a magnet or a ferromagnetic catch portion is retained. The legs and/or the bight portion need not be straight. For example, a cable guide intended to line the rim of a rounded or C-shaped cable port would have curved legs that diverge from a curved bight portion and then converge toward their spaced distal ends. If such a cable guide has a peripheral mounting groove, its installation would involve squeezing the resilient legs together far enough to permit insertion of the cable guide into the cable port from the outer face of the housing wall. The use of flexible latch tabs referred to above would make installation of such a cable guide easier (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,183 to Ott, et al.). The basic principles of the invention also apply regardless of the aspect ratio of the cable guide and the cable port into which it fits (taller, shorter, deeper or shallower than that illustrated). Furthermore, the shape of the flared shoulder is not limited to that shown in the figures. Any shoulder profile would suffice as long as it prevents damaging sharp bends in cables passing through the cable port. 
     Various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.