Abstract:
A cable hanger for securing a cable to a supporting structure having an aperture includes: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; and a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms. The arms and locking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of a cable into a space between the arms, and the locking projections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure. The cable hanger further includes: a pair of tabs extending inwardly from each arm into the space between the arms; and a gripping finger extending generally perpendicularly from each tab and generally tangentially to an outer surface of the cable.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No 62/250,254, filed Nov. 3, 2016, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to devices for supporting cables and in particular, to hangers for securing cables to support structures. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Cable hangers are commonly used to secure cables to structural members of antenna towers and or along tunnel walls. Generally, each cable is attached to a structural member by cable hangers mounted at periodically-spaced attachment points. 
         [0004]    Antenna towers and/or tunnels may be crowded due to the large numbers of cables required for signal-carrying. Over time, as systems are added, upgraded and or expanded, installation a additional cables may be required. To conserve space, it may be desirable for each set of cable hangers to secure more than a single cable. Certain cable hangers have been constructed to secure multiple cables; other cable hangers have a stackable construction that permits multiple cable hangers to be interlocked, extending outwardly from each mounting point/structural member. Stacked and multiple-cable-type cable hangers significantly increase the number of cables mountable to a single attachment point. 
         [0005]    One popular stackable cable hanger is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,191,836 to Korczak, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. Hangers disclosed therein have generally a U- or C-shaped profile with rounded arms. A locking projection extends from the free end of each arm, and the “root” of the hanger that spans the fixed ends of the arms has a large aperture. The hanger can hold a cable between the arms; gripping of the cable is enhanced by short fingers that extend inwardly from the arms to engage the cable. Hangers can be “stacked” onto each other by inserting the locking projections of one hanger into the large aperture of the next hanger, 
         [0006]    One variety of cable hanger of this type is the SNAP-STAK® hanger, available from CommScope, Inc. (Joliet, Ill.). The SNAP-StAk® hanger is offered in multiple sizes that correspond to the outer diameters of different cables. This arrangement has been suitable for use with coaxial RF cables, which tend to be manufactured in only a few different outer diameters; however, the arrangement has been less desirable for fiber optic cables, which tend to be manufactured in a much greater variety of diameters. Moreover, fiber optic cables tend to be much heavier than coaxial cables (sometimes as much as three times heavier per unit foot), which induces greater load and stress on the hangers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supporting structure having an aperture. The cable hanger comprises: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; and a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms. The arms and locking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of a cable into a space between the arms, and the locking projections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure. The cable hanger further comprises: a pair of tabs extending inwardly from each arm into the space between the arms; and a gripping finger extending generally perpendicularly from each tab and generally tangentially to an outer surface of the cable. Upon insertion of the cable, each tab deflects toward its respective arm, and the gripping fingers engage and grip the cable. 
         [0008]    As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supporting structure having an aperture, the cable hanger comprising: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; and a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms. The anus and locking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of a cable into a space between the arms, and the locking projections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure, The cable hanger further comprises: a pair of tabs extending inwardly from each arm into the space between the arms; and a gripping finger extending from each tab, wherein each tab includes a ridge that extends inwardly at an angle relative to the gripping finger. Upon insertion of the cable, each tab deflects toward its respective arm, and the gripping fingers engage and grip the cable. 
         [0009]    As a third aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supporting structure having an aperture, the cable hanger comprising: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; and a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms. The arms and locking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of a cable into a space between the arms, and the locking projections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure. The cable hanger thither comprises: a pair of tabs extending inwardly from the base panel into the space between the arms; and a gripping finger extending generally perpendicularly from each tab and generally tangentially to an outer surface of the cable. Upon insertion of the cable, each tab deflects toward its respective arms and the gripping fingers engage and grip the cable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0010]    FIG,  1  is a perspective view of a prior art cable hanger. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the prior art cable hanger of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a cable hanger according to embodiments of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the cable hanger of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a cable hanger according to alternative embodiments of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the cable hanger of  FIG. 5 , 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a cable hanger according to farther embodiments of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the cable hanger of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will he thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments. 
         [0019]    Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that are used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the below description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms “a”, an and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
         [0020]    Referring now to the figures, a prior art cable hanger, designated broadly at  10 , is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The hanger  10  includes curved arms  5  that extend from a flat base  6 . Locking projections  7  extend from the free ends of the arms  5 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the locking projections  7  are inserted into a reinforced hole  8  in a tower structure  4  to mount the hanger  10  thereon. The base  6  of the hanger  10  includes a reinforced hole  9  that can receive the projections of another hanger  10  to mount a second cable. 
         [0021]    As can be best seen in  FIG. 2 , the arms  5  include arcuate sections  14  that together generally define a circle within which a cable can be grasped. Two cantilevered tabs  12  extend radially inwardly and toward the base  6  at one end of the arcuate sections  14 , and two cantilevered tabs  16  extend radially inwardly and toward the base  6  from the opposite ends of the arcuate sections  14 . The cantilevered tabs  12 ,  16  are deployed to deflect radially outwardly when the hanger  10  receives a cable for mounting; this deflection generates a radially inward force from each tab  12 ,  16  that grips the jacket of the cable. 
         [0022]    As discussed above, fiber optic cables tend to be much denser than coaxial cables, and therefore generate a much greater load than coaxial cables of similar diameter. Also, fiber optic cables are currently offered in a larger variety of outer diameters. Accordingly, the hanger  10  may not be suitable for the mounting of some fiber optic cables. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrated a cable hanger, designated broadly at  110 , that may be more suitable for the mounting of fiber optic cables of varying diameters. The hanger  110  has a base  106 , arms  105  and locking projections  107  that are identical or similar to the analogous structures in the hanger  10 . However, in the cable hanger  110 , tabs  112 ,  116  extend generally radially inwardly from the arcuate sections  114  of the arms  105 . Each of the tabs  112 ,  116  extends from an edge of an opening  115  in the arcuate section  114 . In addition, each of the tabs  112 ,  116  has a straight gripping finger  113 ,  117  that extends generally perpendicularly from its corresponding tab  112 ,  116 . The free end of each tab  112 ,  116  extends slightly beyond its joint with its respective gripping finger  113 ,  117  to form a ridge  112   a ,  116   a . Each tab  112 ,  116  also has a window  112   b ,  116   b , with the corresponding gripping finger  113 ,  117  extending from an edge of the corresponding window  112   b ,  116   b.    
         [0024]    As can be envisioned horn  FIG. 4 , the cable hanger  110  can be mounted by slipping a cable between the locking projections  107  and into the space S between the arms  105 . As the locking projections  107  are drawn toward each other and inserted into a mounting hole (of either a mounting structure or another cable hanger that is already mounted in place), the gripping fingers  113 ,  117  engage the jacket of the cable, as do the ridges  112   a ,  116   a.    
         [0025]    When engaging a cable, the cantilevered tabs  112 ,  116  can be deflected significantly toward the arm  105  on which they are mounted. Also, the gripping fingers  113 ,  117  can be deflected significantly toward the tab  112 ,  116  on which they are mounted. As such, the tabs  112 ,  116  and gripping fingers  113 ,  117  can enable the cable hanger  110  to accommodate a wide variety of cable diameters. 
         [0026]    Also, as the degree to which the tabs  112 ,  116  are deflected increases, the radially inwardly-directed force increases. Thus, a thicker cable (which presumably would often be heavier than a thinner cable) is subjected to a higher gripping force. This effect is enhanced by the generally perpendicular orientation of the gripping fingers  113 ,  117 ; as the cable diameter increases and increases the deflection of the tabs  112 ,  116 , deflection of the gripping fingers  113 ,  117  relative to the tabs  112 ,  116  also increases, further enhancing the gripping force. 
         [0027]    Additionally, the ridges  112   a ,  116   a  are positioned to “bite” into the cable jacket to provide additional grip on the cable. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , another embodiment of a cable hanger, designated broadly at  210 , is shown therein. The cable hanger  210  is somewhat similar to the cable hanger  110  in that it includes a base  206 , arms  205  and locking projections  207 , as well as having gripping fingers  213 ,  217  mounted on tabs  212 ,  216 . However, the arms  205  of the cable hanger  210  are not smoothly arcuate, but instead include straight sections  205   a ,  205   b ,  205   c  and a curved section  205   d . Cable hangers having this general configuration of the base, arms and locking projections are discussed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/206,558, filed Aug. 18, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. 
         [0029]    The cable hanger  210  is employed in the same manner as the cable hanger  110 , with a cable being inserted into the space S between the arms  205  and being gripped by the gripping fingers  213 ,  217  and the ridges  212   a ,  216   a  of the tabs  212 ,  216 . 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , another embodiment of a cable hanger, designated broadly at  310 , is shown therein. The cable hanger  310  is somewhat similar to the cable hanger  210  in that it includes a base  306 , arms  305  and locking projections  307 , as well as having gripping fingers  313 ,  317  mounted on tabs  312 ,  316 . However, the tabs  312  do not extend from the arms  305 , but instead originate from the base  306 . The tabs  312  are formed to follow the contours of the straight sections  305 ,  305   b  of the arms  305  before extending into the space S between the arms  305 . 
         [0031]    The cable hanger  310  is employed in the same manner as the cable hanger  210 , with a cable being inserted into the space S between the arms  305  and being gripped by the gripping fingers  313 ,  317  and the ridges  312   a ,  316   a  of the tabs  312 ,  316 . 
         [0032]    Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the cable hangers discussed above are typically formed of a metallic material, such as steel, and may be formed as a unitary member (often from a flat blank stamped from sheet steel and bent into a desired shape). As an example, the openings  115  in the arcuate sections  114  of the arms  105  of the cable hanger  110  are formed when the tabs  112 ,  116  are bent relative to the arcuate sections  114  during stamping, and the windows  112   a ,  116   a  are formed when the gripping fingers  113 ,  117  are bent relative to the tabs  112 ,  116  during stamping. 
         [0033]    Also, it will be apparent to those of skill in this art that the cable hangers  110 ,  210 ,  310  can be arranged in a “stacked” relationship by inserting the locking projections of one cable hanger into the mounting hole in the base of a second cable hanger in the manner described above with respect to cable hanger  10 . The second cable hanger may be identical to or different from the first cable hanger as needed for hanging the cable in question. 
         [0034]    It should be noted that the gripping fingers of the cable hangers may include gripping features, such as barbs, coined edges, and/or gripping flanges such as those shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/248,460, filed Oct. 30, 2015 (Attorney Docket No. 9833-55PR3), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. Also, the gripping fingers are shown as being straight, but may be somewhat curved, bent, angled or the like and still provide sufficient gripping three for use with this invention. 
         [0035]    The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.