Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed at an interbay management system including a front spacer, a rear spacer, and an optional mid spacer that are coupled together and connected to a cable management panel. The assembly can be secured adjacent to or between distribution frames. The modular construction of the spacer allows for easy installation, and the variable length enables the spacer to be easily configured to correspond to the type and size of the telecommunication components that are to be supported in the distribution frame.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/108,325, filed Oct. 24, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    A telecommunication cable management system for use between or adjacent to fiber distribution bays or frames. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A fiber distribution frame can be used to support telecommunication components that are connected to other telecommunication components via telecommunication cables, such as patch cords. Slack in these cables can be taken up in cable management systems that are typically located adjacent the fiber distribution frames. The cable management systems protect the cables and keep them organized and out of the way. When multiple fiber distribution frames/racks are used, the cable management systems are often mounted between adjacent fiber distribution frames. Since the fiber distribution frame can be used to support a wide variety of telecommunication components, there is a need for improved cable management systems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure is directed at an interbay management panel connected to a spacer block that includes a front spacer, a rear spacer, and an optical mid spacer. The assembly can be secured adjacent to or between distribution frames. The modular construction of the spacer box allows for easy installation, and the variable length enables the spacer box to be easily configured to correspond to the type and size of the telecommunication components that are to be supported in the distribution frame. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the interbay management system between distribution frames in a first configuration; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the interbay management system between distribution frames shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged front perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of the interbay management system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a rear assembly view of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a rear assembly view of the rear spacer component of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is an assembled view of the rear spacer component of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is an assembly view of the front spacer component of the spacer assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of the interbay management system in a second configuration; 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the interbay management system in a second configuration; 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged front perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of the interbay management system shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged rear perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of the interbay management system shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  is an assembly view of a portion of the embodiment of the interbay management system shown in  FIGS. 13 ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of the spacer assembly of the interbay management system in a third configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a telecommunication cable management system  10  is shown secured between adjacent fiber distribution frames  12 ,  14 . In the depicted embodiment the fiber distribution frames are open frames that include a number of vertically arranged mounting locations supporting telecommunication components. Slack in patch cords and other cables that connect the telecommunication components on the frames can be managed (e.g., protected, routed, stored) in the cable management system  10 . It should be appreciated that although the patch cord management system is shown between two adjacent fiber distribution frames, the patch cord management system could alternatively be secured to an end of a fiber distribution frame. 
         [0021]    In the depicted embodiment, the patch cord management system  10  includes a panel  15  for managing cables extending to or from frames  12 ,  14  or other frame equipment. Panel  15  includes various cable management structures such as cable guides or fingers  17  and cable spools  19  for guiding cables and storing cable slack. In the depicted embodiment of cable management system  10 , panel  15  is mounted to a spacer box or spacer assembly  22 . Panel  15  includes an upper management column  16  that is connected to a lower management column  18 . The lower column  18  is connected to a coupling member  20  of the spacer assembly  22 . In the depicted embodiment the lower column  18  is supported in part on the spacer assembly  22 . It should be appreciated that the upper and lower columns  16 ,  18  can alternatively or additionally be secured to the fiber distribution frames  12 ,  14  either directly or via connection components (e.g., brackets and connection plates). It should also be appreciated that alternative embodiments may include more patch cord management columns or fewer (e.g., a single column, or 3 or more columns). 
         [0022]    In the depicted embodiment, the front face of the spacer assembly  22  is aligned with the front face of the adjacent front guard boxes  24 ,  26 . The rear face of the spacer assembly  22  is aligned with the rear face of the adjacent rear guard boxes  28 ,  30 . The distance D 1  between the front face of the front guard boxes  24 ,  26  and the rear face of the rear guard boxes  28 ,  30  is correlated with the width of the telecommunication components that are to be supported in the distribution frames (the larger the width of the telecommunication components, the larger the distance D 1 ). In some embodiments the distance D 1  is substantially equal to the depth of the largest telecommunication component in the fiber distribution frame. In other embodiments the distance D 1  is slightly larger than the width of the largest telecommunication component in the fiber distribution frame. In such embodiments the front and rear guard boxes and spacer assembly  22  serve as a bumper to protect the telecommunication components housed in the distribution frames. 
         [0023]    In the depicted embodiment the management panel  15  is mounted to the coupling member  20  at the front portion of the spacer assembly  22 . This configuration results in the management panel  15  being generally aligned with the front faces of the telecommunication components mounted in the distribution frames. In other words, the management panel  15  is arranged to be in generally the same plane as the front faces of the telecommunication circuitry in the fiber distribution frames. The close proximity and orientation is desirable for efficiency and ease of use. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-5 , the spacer assembly  22  will be described in greater detail. In the depicted embodiment the spacer assembly  22  includes a front spacer  32  and a rear spacer  34 . The front spacer  32  includes a width W 1 , a height H 1 , and a length D 2 . The width W 1  generally corresponds to the width of the management panel  15 . The width W 1  also defines a minimum distance between adjacent distribution frames  12  and  14  when the management systems are located therebetween. In the depicted embodiment the width W 1  is substantially equal to the distance between adjacent distribution frames  12  and  14 . The rear spacer  34  includes a width, a height, and a length D 3 . In the depicted embodiment the width and height of the rear spacer  34  are substantially the same as the width and height of the front spacer  32 . In the depicted configuration the length D 1  of the spacer assembly  22  is the combination of the lengths of the front spacer D 2  and the rear spacer D 3 . 
         [0025]    In the depicted embodiment the front face of the front spacer  32  includes a support rail  36  and the rear face of the rear spacer  34  includes a support rail  38 . The support rails can be used to provide support for cables (e.g., power cords or strips) that travel horizontally across the spacer and guard boxes. 
         [0026]    In the depicted embodiment the coupling member  20  is connected to the top of the front spacer  32 . The coupling member  20  includes supports that connect to the lower management column  18 . In the depicted embodiment the coupling member  20  includes two generally horizontal support members  40 ,  42  that contact the end of the lower management column  18 . In the depicted embodiment the horizontal support members  40 ,  42  are received in notches  44 ,  46  on the lower patch cord management column  18  (see  FIGS. 3 and 12 ). The coupling member  20  of the depicted embodiment also includes a pair of vertical flanges  48 ,  50 . The vertical flanges  48 ,  50  are configured to be fastened to the back wall of the lower management column  18 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 6-8 , the structure of the rear spacer  34  is described in greater detail. In the depicted embodiment, the rear spacer  34  includes connection members  50 ,  52  that extend into the front spacer  32  and can be connected to the side walls of the front spacer  32 . It should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the connection members  50 ,  52  could alternatively extend from the front spacer  32  to the rear spacer  34  and the connection members could alternatively extend along the outside of the side wall. 
         [0028]    In the depicted embodiment the rear spacer  34  is box shaped and includes a guard plate  78  that attaches over and caps the upper and rear portions of the rear spacer. Until the guard plate  78  is installed inside of the rear spacer it is easy to access, which allows operators to run cables and fasteners therethrough. It should be appreciated that the guard plate  78  can be connected to the rear spacer  34  before of after the management system is positioned between or adjacent to the fiber distribution panels. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , the structure front spacer  32  is described in greater detail. In the depicted embodiment the front spacer  32  includes a box shaped configuration with opposed side walls  54 ,  56  and a bottom wall  58  that connects the side walls. In the depicted embodiment the lack of the top wall enables easy access into the front spacer  32  until the coupling member  20  is connected thereto. The coupling member  20  extends over the top of the front spacer and includes a guard plate  68  that extends over the front face of the front spacer  32 . The coupling member  20  caps the front spacer  32  and defines a space therein. The front spacer includes upper flanges  60 ,  62  and a lower flange  64  for connection to the coupling member  20 . The side walls of the front spacer include apertures for receiving fasteners for connecting the front spacer to the connection members  52 ,  53  of the rear spacer  34  or other structures (e.g., the mid spacer described below). 
         [0030]    As discussed above, in some embodiments it is preferable that the front face of the spacer assembly  22  be aligned with the front face of the adjacent front guard boxes  24 ,  26  and the rear face of the spacer assembly  22  is aligned with the rear face of the adjacent rear guard boxes  28 ,  30 . Since in some embodiments, the distance between the front face of the front guard boxes  24 ,  26  and the rear face of the rear guard boxes  28 ,  30  is correlated with the depth of the telecommunication components, it can be desirable to shorten or lengthen the spacer assembly  22 . In some embodiments alignment between the front and rear faces of the spacer assembly with the front and rear guard boxes is advantageous as it allows objects (e.g., a ladder) to roll or slide across the front or rear of the frames without interruption. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIGS. 10-15 , the cable management system  10  is shown in different configurations that include mid spacers  70  of varying lengths.  FIGS. 10-14  show the patch cord management system in a configuration that includes a mid spacer that has a length D 5 . In the depicted configuration D 5  is about 15 inches long, which makes the spacer in this configuration about twice the length shown in the first configuration, which is absent a mid spacer. In other words, in the depicted embodiment D 1  is about 15 inches long and D 4  is about 30 inches long. As discussed above, this flexibility in length enables the spacer assembly  22  to be adjusted so that its front and rear faces are aligned with the front and rear guard boxes  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 . The length of the spacer assembly  22  can be adjusted based on the depth of the telecommunication components supported on the distribution frames. 
         [0032]    As shown in the depicted embodiment, the management column can in some cases be free-standing (supported by the spacer box which is connected to the fiber distribution frame). The patch cord management system being modular allows it to be more easily assembled, disassembled, and reconfigured. Parts of the assembly of the system can occur somewhere other than in the tight space between the fiber distribution frames. Also, given the secure connection between the spacer assembly  22  and the management panel  15 , in some cases, fewer structural connections are needed between the fiber distribution frames  12 ,  14  and the management panel  15 . 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 14 , the mid spacer  70  is configured to be secured to the connection members  52 ,  53  of the rear spacer  34 . The mid spacer  70  includes a tab  72  that connects to the side walls of the front spacer  32  and a tab  74  that connects to the bottom wall of the coupling member  20 .  FIG. 15  illustrates the patch cord management system in a third configuration that includes a mid spacer  66  that is shorter than the mid spacer  70 . It should be appreciated that many other mid spacer lengths are also possible. 
         [0034]    The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.