Abstract:
A pivotable cable ring management system for moveably supporting wires on a stationary support structure, the wire management system comprising a mounting member pivotably attachable to a stationary support structure and at least one retention bracket extending from the mounting member, the retention bracket including a substantially circularly-shaped cable ring having two oppositely-facing open sides for accommodating the routing of wires therethrough, a base portion including at least one planar surface for mounting the cable retention bracket to the support structure, and at least one ring section, which includes an inner surface for facing the wires and for making contact therewith, for retaining wires, wherein at least part of the inner surface is convexly curved from one open side of the retention bracket to the other.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims priority to, provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/330,001 filed Oct. 17, 2001 and entitled “PIVOTABLE CABLE RING WIRE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Present Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of wire management systems for electrical component racks, and more particularly to the field of multi-positional mounting members for electrical component racks utilizing moveable retention brackets or rings for securely retaining wires or cables therein. 
     2. Background Art 
     As is well known, electrical component racks are frequently utilized to store computer equipment and other electrical equipment of a variety of types. The various components are mounted on or in such racks in close proximity to one another and connected together by cables, wires, or the like, collectively referred to herein as “wires.” 
     Apparatuses for routing wires within and through the electrical component racks are likewise well known. In particular, a number of such apparatuses have utilized a plurality of rings or similar retention brackets installed in advantageous locations in a given rack, or attached to an elongated mounting member which may installed in a desired location in the rack. Wires may then be held in place on the rack by routing them through the interiors of the respective rings or retention brackets. In order to facilitate simple insertion and removal of wires from the respective rings, a gap commonly exists in the body of each ring, thus connecting the interior of the respective ring or retention bracket to its exterior. Unfortunately, not only does the gap permit wires to be inserted into the ring or retention bracket interior, but it permits wires to escape as well. Thus, retention brackets making use only of fingerlike projections extending toward each other from opposite sides of the mounting member have large gaps which provide only minimal retention properties in the area of the gap. 
     One solution to this problem is to use D-shaped rings which have a very narrow gap at one corner of the “D”. However, many prior art D-rings are rigid structures having fixed gaps which permit only a single wire having a cross-section smaller than the gap to be inserted into the interior at a time, thus limiting the size of wire which may be routed through the D-ring and requiring bundles of wires to be separated in order to install them within the interior of the D-ring. Other prior art D-rings are more flexible and may be bent outward by hand, thus widening the gap, to accommodate the insertion of wires. Unfortunately, the weight or other forces placed on the rings by the wires is usually directed in the same outward direction, and at the same point on the rings, as the force placed on the rings manually during wire insertion. The forces placed on the rings by the wires are frequently enough to bend the rings by themselves, thus widening the gap enough to allow the wires to escape. Thus, a need exists for a ring which is rigid enough to withstand the forces placed on it by the wires it surrounds but which is capable of providing a gap large enough to facilitate the insertion of bundles of wires. 
     A further problem arises with retention brackets which must be temporarily moved from one location to another. Once installed, many wires are disposed statically in that they are not moved out of their initial installed positions or locations unless they are being uninstalled. However, it is frequently advantageous for a wire or collection of wires to be easily moveable from one location to another in order to allow access to a particular area of a rack, to enable wire connections to be made more easily, to maintain a particular physical disposition between the wires and the equipment to which they are connected, or the like. One solution to this problem is to attach retention brackets to a mounting member which is pivotable relative to a stationary support structure. Unfortunately, prior art retention brackets also tend to rotate the wires retained therein as well, and this tends to twist and otherwise stress the wires each time the retention brackets are moved. 
     A further problem with prior art retention brackets involves those surfaces of the brackets which make contact with the wires retained therein. These surfaces, which are typically the inwardly-facing surfaces of the brackets, are typically flat or planar in shape, with minimal curvature at their edges. Thus, wires installed and retained within the brackets are often bent sharply around the edges of the inwardly-facing surfaces. When industry-standard curvature or “bend” requirements or recommendations for wires are not met, there is a much greater risk of damage being done to the wires, either by bending the wires so sharply that they are damaged or through the friction caused by the sharp edges of the retention brackets on the outside surfaces of the wire. Unfortunately, prior art retention brackets generally make no provision for these bend requirements or recommendations. 
     Some prior art retention brackets are believed to be formed from ring sections whose cross-sections are generally round, although they are not known to be formed to take into consideration the above-described “bend” requirements. Ring sections having round, uniform cross-sections are relatively easy to design and manufacture, and thus they are used for a variety of purposes. However, in order to rigidly attach a retention bracket to a mounting member, it is frequently advantageous for the retention bracket to include one or more flat surfaces which may be abutted against the mounting member to provide a stable interface. Unfortunately, ring sections having entirely round cross-sections do not include such flat mounting surfaces. Further, the ring sections of retention brackets must frequently be twisted in order to install wires therein, but must be subsequently able to return to their original shape in order to retain those wires. At the same time, the ring sections must be rigid enough to withstand the twisting forces placed on them by the wires. Unfortunately, ring sections having entirely round cross-sections are typically not capable of meeting these requirements. Thus, a need exists for a retention bracket having convex inner surfaces for safely guiding wires coupled with flat mounting surfaces for mounting the retention bracket to a support structure while at the same time providing the necessary structural strength to reliably retain the wires therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     Briefly summarized, the present invention relates to a pivotable cable ring wire management system for an electrical component rack which utilizes one or more round cable rings in order to securely retain wires or cables therein. Broadly defined, the pivotable cable ring wire management system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a mounting member pivotably attachable to a stationary support structure, and at least one retention bracket extending from the mounting member, the retention bracket including a substantially circularly-shaped cable ring. 
     In features of this aspect, the mounting member is pivotable relative to the stationary support structure about an axis of rotation, the circular shape of the cable ring defines a central axis, and the axis of rotation and the central axis are generally parallel; the axis of rotation and the central axis are both generally vertical; the mounting member is pivotable relative to the stationary support structure about an axis of rotation, and the cable ring extends from the mounting member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation; the mounting member is pivotable relative to the stationary support structure about an axis of rotation, the cable ring defines a generally cylindrical interior defining a central axis, and the axis of rotation and the central axis are generally parallel; the mounting member is a swinging structure attached by hinges to the stationary support structure; the system further includes a swinging structure attached by hinges to the stationary support structure, and the mounting member is attached to the swinging structure; the stationary support structure is a stationary frame assembly, the swinging structure is a gate frame, and the stationary support structure and the gate frame are for supporting at least one electrical component and at least one wire; the cable ring includes two arcuate ring sections discontinuous from each other at a separation point; and some of the surfaces of the ring section face inward, and the inward-facing surfaces of the ring section are convexly shaped. 
     The present invention also includes a method for repositioning a plurality of wires relative to a stationary support structure, wherein the method includes: supporting a circular retention bracket on a mounting member; positioning a plurality of wires in the circular retention bracket in a wire arrangement, the wire arrangement defining an angular orientation; and pivoting the mounting member relative to the stationary support structure such that the wire arrangement is moved relative to the stationary support structure while preserving the angular orientation of the wire arrangement. 
     In features of this aspect, the step of pivoting the mounting member relative to the stationary support structure includes rotating the circular retention bracket around the wire arrangement without rotating the wires; the circular retention bracket defines a central axis, and the step of rotating the circular retention bracket around the wire arrangement without rotating the wires includes rotating the circular retention bracket without rotating the wires relative to the central axis; the step of pivoting the mounting member relative to the stationary support structure includes rotating the circular retention bracket around the wire arrangement without substantially disturbing the wire arrangement; the circular retention bracket defines a central axis, and the step of pivoting the mounting member relative to the stationary support structure includes moving the wire arrangement in an arcuate direction without rotating the wires relative to the central axis; the step of positioning a plurality of wires in the circular retention bracket includes the steps of twisting at least one section of the circular retention bracket to open a gap in the circular retention bracket and maneuvering at least one of the wires through the gap; and the method further includes bending the wires around a convexly-curved surface of the circular retention bracket. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a cable retention bracket for a wire management system has two oppositely-facing open sides for accommodating the routing of wires therethrough, and the cable retention bracket includes: a base portion having at least one planar surface for mounting the cable retention bracket to a support structure; and at least one ring section, which includes an inner surface for facing the wires and for making contact therewith, for routing wires, wherein at least part of the inner surface is convexly curved from one open side of the retention bracket to the other. 
     In features of this aspect, at least one outer surface of the ring section faces away from the wires, and at least a portion of at least one outer surface is flat from one open side of the retention bracket to the other open side of the retention bracket; the ring section has an H-shaped cross-section formed by two generally parallel side elements and one central cross element connecting the two side elements together, and at least one side element of the H-shaped cross-section is convexly curved from one end to the other; the ring section and base portion are integrally formed; the planar surface of the base portion is an outer surface disposed to face away from wires, and the planar surface is disposed generally adjacent to a convexly-curved inner surface of the ring section; the ring section and the base portion together have an H-shaped cross-section formed by two side elements and one central cross element, and at least one side element of the H-shaped cross-section is convexly curved from one end to the other; the base portion further includes an inner surface for facing the wires and for making contact therewith, and at least part of the inner surface is convexly curved from one open side of the retention bracket to the other open side of the retention bracket; the base portion has an H-shaped cross-section formed by two generally parallel side elements and one central cross element connecting the two side elements together, and at least one side element of the H-shaped cross-section is convexly curved from one end to the other; all of the inner surfaces of the ring section are convex from one open side of the retention bracket to the other open side of the retention bracket; the ring section is a first ring section and the cable retention bracket further comprises a second ring section having an inner surface for facing the wires and for making contact therewith, wherein at least part of the inner surface of the second ring section is convex from one open side of the retention bracket to the other; the convexity includes substantially uniform curvature from one open side of the retention bracket to the other; the retention bracket is substantially circular in shape; the outwardly-facing surfaces of the retention bracket are collectively generally cylindrical in shape; and the base portion includes a tab, which includes a plurality of flat surfaces, extending generally away from the ring section for mounting the cable retention bracket to a support structure. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, a swing-gate type mounting rack for supporting at least one electrical component and at least one wire includes: a stationary frame assembly; a gate frame, attached to the stationary frame assembly, which is pivotable relative to the stationary frame assembly about a substantially vertical axis of rotation; and a circular cable ring, extending from the gate frame, which defines a substantially vertical central axis. 
     In features of this aspect, the central axis defined by the circular cable ring remains substantially vertical while the gate frame and the cable ring are rotated relative to the stationary frame assembly; the cable ring includes two oppositely-facing open sides for accommodating the routing of wires therethrough, the cable ring includes an inner surface disposed to face and make contact with wires retained therein, and at least part of the inner surface is convex from one open side of the retention bracket to the other open side of the retention bracket; and the stationary frame assembly is adapted to be attached to a wall. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further features, embodiments, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pivotable cable ring wire management system in an open position in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a cable ring for use with the pivotable cable ring wire management system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cable ring of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the cable ring of FIG. 3 taken along lines  4 — 4 ; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pivotable cable ring wire management system in a closed position in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a top schematic view of a bundle of cables installed in a first orientation in the cable ring of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 7 is a top schematic view of a bundle of cables installed in a second orientation in the cable ring of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a pivotable cable ring wire management system in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The system includes a pivotable mounting member  20  and one or more retention brackets  40 . The mounting member  20  may be a separate mounting bracket similar to the one described in the commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/803,313, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference, or it may be an integral member of a rack, frame or cabinet  10  (generally referred to hereinafter as “racks”). The mounting member  20  is pivotably attached to a stationary support structure  12 , which may be an integral portion of the same rack  10  or may be a separate structure. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a wall-mounted embodiment of the present invention, although it will be understood that many other arrangements are likewise possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. The wall mounted rack  10  shown is of the well-known swing-gate type and includes a stationary frame assembly  14  attachable to a wall and a pivoting gate frame  16  mounted thereon. The stationary frame assembly  14  includes a top front member  22 , a bottom front member  24 , four side horizontal members  26  and a pair of back members  28 . The gate frame  16  includes a top member  30 , a bottom member  32 , and a pair of side members  34 . Each side member  34  of the gate frame  16  is formed with mounting apertures  36  regularly spaced along its front and rear surfaces, thus permitting electronic components and accessories, such as cable rings and the like, to be mounted thereon. The rack  10  further includes pivoting means for pivotably attaching the gate frame  16  to the stationary frame assembly  14 . One pivoting means suitable for use with the present invention is a pin  81  extending vertically from each of the top and bottom members  30 ,  32  of the gate frame  16  to mate with a corresponding pin receptacle  67  disposed in the top and bottom front members  22 ,  24  of the stationary frame assembly  14 . With an upper and a lower pin  81  each residing in a corresponding receptacle  67 , the entire gate frame  16  may be pivoted open upon the pin  81 . A pin and pin receptacle suitable for use with the present invention are disclosed in a co-pending and commonly-assigned patent application entitled “RAMPED LATCH CLOSURE SYSTEM.” 
     As illustrated in FIG. 1, the stationary support structure  12  may be the stationary frame assembly  14 , and the mounting member  20  may be one of the side members  34  of the gate frame  16 . Pivoting retention brackets  40  are installed along the mounting member  20 , which may be rotated relative to the stationary frame assembly  14  about an axis of rotation  19 . Thus, the retention brackets  40  are also allowed to rotate relative to the stationary frame assembly  14  with the rotation occurring about the same axis of rotation  19 . However, it should be obvious that the mounting member  20  may instead be a separate member which may be attached to a gate frame  16  in a swing-gate type rack  10 , and that the stationary support structure  12  may instead be a separate member to which a mounting member  20  may be directly attached. In addition, stationary retention brackets  46  of similar or varying construction may also be installed elsewhere on the rack  10 , although their design is not as important as those which are to rotate. 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 are rear perspective and top elevational views, respectively, of a pivoting retention bracket  40  for use with the pivotable cable ring wire management system of FIG.  1 . Each retention bracket  40  includes a circular, bifurcated O-ring  41  and an attachment means for securing the O-ring  41  to the mounting member  20 . The O-ring  41  is formed from a resilient plastic which may be deformed by applying force but which returns to its original shape as soon as the force is eliminated. As shown, the O-ring  41  is substantially round or circular in shape and includes a proximate base portion  47  and two arcuate ring sections  48 ,  49  extending from the base portion  47 . A distal arcuate tip  50 ,  51  extends from each ring section  48 ,  49 . 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the cable ring of FIG. 3 taken along lines  4 — 4 . As shown therein and in FIG. 2, the respective tips  50 ,  51  are slightly angled relative to their respective ring sections  48 ,  49 . A narrow gap  56  is created at the separation point between the distal ends of the respective tips  50 ,  51 . The gap  56  may be as wide or as narrow as desired and as is commercially practical, although for many applications the gap  56  may be designed to be narrower than the most slender wire  70  to be installed within the O-ring  41 . It should be obvious that the tip lengths and the angles of the tips  50 ,  51  relative to the rest of the ring sections  48 ,  49  may be chosen such that the distal ends or sides of the respective tips  50 ,  51  may actually contact each other, thereby reducing the effective size of the gap  56  to zero, depending upon the application, or to extend alongside each other in an overlapping configuration, thus causing the gap between the tips  50 ,  51  to disappear entirely when viewed from the perspective of FIG.  3 . Also, although wider gaps  56  may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, some of the beneficial effects of the present invention will be maximized by minimizing the size of the gap  56  when viewed from the perspective of FIG. 3, as will become apparent hereinbelow. 
     Collectively, the base portion  47 , the ring sections  48 ,  49  and the tips  50 ,  51  define a circular or cylindrical O-ring interior  58  through which one or more wires, cables and the like (usually generically referred to herein as “wires”)  70  may be routed. The circle or cylinder thus formed defines a central axis  59  upon which the O-ring is centered. Each retention bracket  40  is disposed on the rack  10  such that its central axis  59  is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation  19  of the gate frame  16 , and in one preferred embodiment the two axes are both substantially vertical. Further, the base portion  47 , the ring sections  48 ,  49  and the tips  50 ,  51  may collectively extend in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation  19 , although this is of somewhat less importance than the orientation of the central axis  59  of the O-ring. 
     The attachment means is disposed at or near a location on the O-ring  41  substantially distant from the separation point, and may include more than one feature. One attachment means suitable for use with the present invention is an integrated tab  44  and a plurality of mounting apertures  42 , disposed along the tab  44  and the base portion  47  of the O-ring  41 , together with appropriate screws or other mounting hardware. The apertures  42  may comprise an unthreaded receptacle if the screw is of the self-tapping type, and may comprise an aperture of suitable dimensions to permit an industry-standard machine screw such as the #12-24 screw, as well as other industry-standard screws such as the #10-24 and M 6 , to be inserted therethrough and fastened into a threaded aperture  36  on the mounting member  20 . Other apertures  42  may also be provided for other surface mounting alternatives. Also, an alternative attachment means suitable for use with the present invention includes a hook tab which may be inserted into a corresponding slot, as disclosed in the commonly-assigned, commonly-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/803,313, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other suitable attachment means will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Each ring section  48 ,  49  includes a plurality of surfaces, some of which face inwardly toward the O-ring interior  58 . In order to minimize the possibility of wires  70  passing through the O-ring  41  from being damaged by the surfaces of the O-ring  41 , the inwardly-facing surfaces  60  preferably have a convex shape to help ensure that wires  70  passing over those surfaces are not excessively bent or curved. The convexity may be defined as follows. As discussed previously, the O-ring interior  58  is defined by the  0 ring base portion  47 , the ring sections  48 ,  49  and the tips  50 ,  51 . As illustrated in FIG. 4, the open sides of O-ring interior include a first open side  62  and a second open side  64 , each of which is substantially circular in shape, as illustrated in FIG.  3 . As described hereinafter, wires  70  may be inserted in the O-ring interior  58 , thus effectively routing the wires  70  through one open side  62 ,  64  of the O-ring interior  58  and out the other open side  62 ,  64 . As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the convexity of the inwardly-facing surfaces  60  of the O-ring  41  thus exists between one open side  62  of the O-ring interior  58  and the other open side  64 , so that any wire  70  passing through the O-ring interior  58  would contact only a convexly-shaped portion of the O-ring  41 . The convexity is preferably selected according to industry-standard recommendations for wire curvatures, commonly known as “bends”, which are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. It should also be understood that the convexity feature of the present invention may also be applied to the inwardly-facing surfaces  60  of retention brackets  40  of substantially different geometries, including both open and closed configurations and of both symmetrical and asymmetrical design. 
     FIG. 4 also illustrates a preferred construction of the ring sections  48 ,  49 . The cross-section of each ring section  48 ,  49  shown in FIG. 4 is “H”-shaped, with the sides of the “H” forming the inwardly- and outwardly-facing surfaces  60 ,  54  of the ring sections  48 ,  49 . For ease of manufacture, or if the outwardly-facing surfaces  54  are to come in contact with wires  70  as well, the outwardly-facing surfaces  54  may be convexly-shaped as well. The other faces of the “H” shape may be flat or otherwise shaped as desired, but the overall structure of a ring section  48 ,  49  having the “H” shape promotes strength and the ability to return to the ring section&#39;s original shape after one or both of the ring sections  48 ,  49  have been bent or twisted to allow wires  70  to be inserted therein. 
     In use, one or more of the retention brackets  40  are mounted to the mounting member  20 , which as noted previously may be a portion of the electrical component rack  10  or another suitable structure which is attached to the rack  10 . Once one or more retention brackets  40  are attached, an installer may choose to route wires  70  through the respective O-rings  41 . Though only one such wire  70  is illustrated in FIG. 1, it should be understood that large numbers of wires  70  may be similarly disposed in the retention bracket  40 , as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. If at least one end of a wire  70  remains unconnected, that wire end may simply be inserted through the interior  58  formed by the O-ring  41 . However, wires  70  which are already connected at both ends may be installed within an O-ring  41  as follows. First, pressure may be applied to either or both of the  0 ring tips  50 ,  51 , causing the tips  50 ,  51  to be rotationally deflected, and twisting the respective shafts  48 ,  49  and possibly the base portion  47  as well. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated, when upward pressure is applied to the first tip  50 , when downward pressure is applied to the second tip  51 , or both, the narrow gap  56  between the tips  50 ,  51  becomes considerably wider. Once the wire  70  has been maneuvered through the gap  56  and resides in the O-ring interior  58 , the tips  50 ,  51  may be released, allowing all of the O-ring members to return to their respective positions. 
     As described previously, the O-ring  41  may be formed from a resilient plastic which may be deformed by applying force but which returns to its original shape as soon as the force is removed. In particular, the O-ring  41  may preferably be constructed such that the amount of force required to vertically displace either of the tips  50 ,  51  is relatively small compared to the amount of force required to horizontally displace the tips  50 ,  51 , either relative to each other or relative to the base portion  47 . One suitable construction is illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein the cross-section of each member of the  0 ring  41  is generally H-shaped. As shown in FIG. 3, the width of each of the ring sections  48 ,  49  is relatively uniform, but as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the thickness of each of the ring sections  48 ,  49  is tapered from approximately its junction with the base portion  47  to its respective tip  50 ,  51 . Because the forces exerted on the O-rings  41  by wires  70  that are routed through the O-ring interior  58  tend to be largely directed in the horizontal direction rather than the vertical direction, the described construction is thus able to generally resist the larger forces placed on the members of the O-ring  41  by the wires  70  while still enabling the O-ring tips  50 ,  51  to be easily manipulated by a user to insert or remove wires  70  to or from the O-ring interior  58  using a relatively small amount of force. 
     Once a plurality of wires  70 , sometimes collectively referred to herein as a “bundle,” is installed in a wire arrangement in the O-ring interior  58 , the bundle  70  may be rotated about the axis of rotation  19  of the gate frame. FIGS. 1 and 5 are perspective views of the pivotable cable ring wire management system shown in an open and a closed position, respectively. As shown, the mounting member  20  may be pivoted relative to the stationary support structure  12  about the axis  19 , causing the retention brackets  40  attached to the mounting member  20  to be rotated relative to the axis  19  as well. As the retention brackets  40  move between the open position shown in FIG.  1  and the closed position shown in FIG. 5, the wires  70  contained therein must move as well. However, because the O-ring  41  is circularly-shaped, the retention bracket  40  rotates around the bundle of wires  70  while the angular orientation of the wires  70  relative to the stationary support structure  12  remains substantially constant. FIGS. 6 and 7 are top schematic views of a bundle of cables installed in two different orientations in the cable ring of FIG.  2 . The two views correspond to the position of the pivoting retention brackets  40  in FIGS. 5 and 1, respectively. As illustrated therein, each pivoting retention bracket  40 , but not the wire bundle  70 , rotates about its central axis  59  as the mounting member  20  is pivoted back and forth relative to the stationary support structure  12  about the axis of rotation  19 . 
     Further, the disposition of each of the various wires  70  in the bundle relative to the other wires  70  also remains constant, as illustrated by FIGS. 6 and 7. Thus, although the bundle of wires  70  as a whole is moved in an arcuate direction, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the wires  70  are neither severely twisted nor displaced relative to each other during the movement. Although some small amount of twisting may occur, and although additional bending of the wires  70  may occur as a result of the movement, the twisting will be distributed over a larger portion of each wire  70  and the overall deformation of the wires  70  will not be as great as with previously known wire management systems. 
     In view of the foregoing, it will also be apparent that by minimizing the gap  56  between the tips  50 ,  51  of the ring sections  48 ,  49 , or by overlapping the tips  50 ,  51 , the uniformity of the shape of the O-ring  41  ring when viewed from the perspective of FIG. 3 would be further enhanced. Although not illustrated, when the O-ring  41  forms a perfect circle, there are no irregularities along the inwardly-facing surfaces  60  of the ring sections  48 ,  49 , thus permitting the O-ring  41  to rotate smoothly around a wire bundle  70  retained therein. If the gap  56  between the tips  50 ,  51  of the ring sections  48 ,  49  is increased, then there is a greater likelihood that as the O-ring  41  rotates, one or more wires  70  may become snagged by the irregularity thus created in the shape of the inwardly-facing surfaces  60  of the O-ring  41 . By minimizing that gap  56 , the likelihood of the O-ring  41  rotating smoothly around the bundle  70  is increased. 
     It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.