Abstract:
A cable management apparatus includes a guide rail, a number of slide members slidably mounted to the guide rail, and a number of cable supports. Each of the cable supports includes two arms hinged to each other. Each of the arms forms a first end and a second end. The first end of the former one of two neighboring cable supports and the second end of the latter cable support are rotatably connected to the slide member between the neighboring cable supports. The first end of the last cable support is connected to the guide rail. The cable supports are unfolded with the slide members sliding forwards along the guide rail to spread a cable rested on the cable supports. The cable supports are folded with the slide members sliding rearwards along the guide rail to wind up the cable.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a cable management apparatus. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A server generally includes a chassis and a plurality of electronic devices, such as a power supply, a fan, and a data storage device, slidably mounted in the chassis. The devices are electrically connected to a motherboard or other electronic devices with cables. The cables should be long enough to enable the devices to be withdrawn from the chassis for maintenance without disrupting the electrical connection through the cables. However, the long cables tend to interfere with the components in the chassis if the cables are not properly managed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an embodiment of a cable management apparatus, an electronic device, and a chassis. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, isometric view of the cable management apparatus of  FIG. 1 , which includes three cable supports, three slide members, a guide rail, and a stop member. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion III of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of one of the slide members of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded, isometric view of the slide member of  FIG. 4 , but showing an inverted view. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of the stop member of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but showing the cable management apparatus in a different state, and omitting the chassis. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion VIII of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion IX of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of a cable management apparatus is mounted to a chassis  100  of a server, to manage a cable  300  extending from an electronic device  200  mounted in the chassis  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the cable management apparatus includes three cable supports  10 , three slide members  30 , a guide rail  50  fixed to a bottom of the chassis  100 , and a stop member  70 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , each of the cable supports  10  includes a first arm  12   a  and a second arm  12   b . Each of the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b  includes a long base  121 , and two sidewalls  123  perpendicularly extending from opposite sides of the base  121 , respectively. A plurality of holders  125  is arranged between the sidewalls  123 , and extends from one of the sidewalls  123  to the other sidewall  123 . First ends  127  of the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b  are rotatably connected to each other. Each of the sidewalls  123  of the first arm  12   a  defines a pivot hole  1281  at a second end  128  of the arm  12   a . Two pivot pins  1291  respectively extend out from the sidewalls  123  of the arm  12   b  at a second end  129  of the second arm  12   b.    
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , each of the slide members  30  includes a carriage  31 , two wheel assemblies  33 , and a fastening member  35 . 
     The carriage  31  includes a bottom plate  311 , two blocking tabs  312  extending up from opposite ends of the bottom plate  311 , respectively, two first coupling portions  313  extending up from the bottom plate  311  adjacent to one of the blocking tabs  312 , two second coupling portions  314  extending up from the bottom plate  311  adjacent to the other blocking tab  312 , a substantially L-shaped band  315  extending from a middle of a first one of opposite sides of the bottom plate  311  toward a second one of the sides of the bottom plate  311 , a locking tab  316  formed on the second side of the bottom plate  311 , and a slide portion  317  extending down from the bottom plate  311 . Each of the first coupling portions  313  defines a pivot hole  3131 . A pivot pin  3141  extends from a side of each of the second coupling portions  314  opposite to the other second coupling portion  314 . A hook  3151  is formed on a distal end of the band  315 . The locking portion  316  defines a lock hole  3161 . The slide portion  317  defines two retaining holes  3172  in opposite ends of the slide portion  317  adjacent to the bottom plate  311 . Two semi-circular accommodating notches  3174  are defined in a bottom of the slide portion  317  opposite to the bottom plate  311 . Two recesses  3176  are defined in opposite sides of a middle of the slide portion  317 . 
     Each of the wheel assemblies  33  includes a shaft  332  and two wheels  334  mounted to opposite ends of the shaft  332 . 
     The fastening member  35  is substantially U-shaped, and includes a beam  351 , and two locking arms  353  perpendicularly extending up from opposite ends of the beam  351 , respectively. The beam  351  defines two accommodating notches  3513  in a top corresponding to the accommodating notches  3174 . Two positioning protrusions  3514  protrude from opposite sides of a middle of the beam  351 , corresponding to the recesses  3176 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the guide rail  50  is hollow and defines a rectangular cross section. A slide slot  52  is defined in a top of the guide rail  50 , extending along a longwise direction of the guide rail  50 . Two fixing holes  54  are defined in opposite sidewalls of the guide rail  50  at a first end of the guide rail  50 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the stop member  70  includes a bottom plate  71 , a blocking tab  72  extending up from an end of the bottom plate  71 , two coupling portions  73  extending up from the bottom plate  311 , a substantially L-shaped band  74  extending up from a middle of a first one of opposite sides of the bottom plate  71  toward a second side of the bottom plate  71 , a locking tab  75  formed on the second side of the bottom plate  71 , and a support body  76  extending down from the bottom plate  71 . A pivot pin  731  extends from a side of each of the coupling portions  743  opposite to the other coupling portion  73 . A hook  741  is formed on a distal end of the band  74 . The locking tab  75  defines a locking hole  751 . Two resilient tabs  762  are respectively formed on opposite sides of the support body  76 . A locating protrusion  763  protrudes out from a distal end of each of the resilient tabs  762 . 
     In assembly of one of the slide members  30 , the shafts  332  are respectively received in the accommodating notches  3174  of the carriage  31 . The fastening member  35  is fixed to the carriage  31  with the locking arms  353  engaged in the corresponding retaining holes  3172 , and the positioning protrusions  3514  engaged in the corresponding recesses  3176 . The accommodating notches  3513  are aligned with the corresponding accommodating notches  3174  to rotatably locate the shafts  332  between the carriage  31  and the fastening member  35 . The wheels  334  of each of the wheel assemblies  33  are arranged at opposite sides of the slide portion  317 . 
     The slide members  30  are mounted to the guide rail  50  with the wheel assemblies  33  sliding into the guide rail  50  to be supported on a bottom of the guide rail  50 . The slide portions  317  are slidably received in the slide slot  52 . The stop member  70  is fixed to guide rail  50 , with the support body  76  received in the guide rail  50 , and the locating protrusion  763  retained in the corresponding fixing holes  54  of the guide rail  50 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-9 , the second end of the first arm  12   a  of a first cable support  10  is rotatably connected to the stop member  70  through the pivot pins  731  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  1281 . The second end of the second arm  12   a  of the first cable support  10  is rotatably connected to a first slide member  30  adjacent to the stop member  70  through the pivot pins  1291  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  3131 . The second end of the first arm  12   a  of a second cable support  10  is rotatably connected to the first slide member  30  through the pivot pins  3141  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  1281 . The second end of the second arm  12   b  of the second cable support  10  is rotatably connected to a second slide member  30  adjacent to the first slide member  30  through the pivot pins  1291  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  3131 . The second end of the first arm  12   a  of a third cable support  10  is rotatably connected to the second slide member  30  through the pivot pins  3141  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  1281 . The second end of the second arm  12   b  of the third cable support  10  is rotatably connected to a third slide member  30  away from the stop member  70  through the pivot pins  1291  rotatably engaged in the corresponding pivot holes  3131 . 
     When the electronic device  200  is mounted in chassis  100 , the guide rail  50  is fixed to the chassis  100  adjacent to the cable  300 . The third slide member  30  is fixed to the electronic device  200 . The cable  300  extends through a space bounded by the base  121 , the sidewalls  123 , and the holders  125  of each of the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b . Therefore, the cable  300  is rested on the cable supports  30 . The bands  315  bind the cable  300  together with the corresponding bottom plates  311 . Therefore, the cable  300  is bound to the slide member  30  by the bands  315 . In a similar way, the cable  300  is also bound to the stop member  70  by the band  74 . 
     When the electronic device  200  is slid away from the stop member  70 , the third slide member  30  slides along the guide rail  50  with the electronic device  200 , thereby increasing an angle between the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b  to spread the third cable support  10 , until the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b  of the third support  10  respectively abut against the corresponding blocking tabs  312  of the second and third slide members  30 . The arms  12   a  and  12   b  are stopped from rotating further to ensure the angle between the first and second arms  12   a  and  12   b  less than 180 degrees, thereby facilitating folding the cable support  10  back. With the electronic device  200  sliding on, the second and first cable supports  10  spread one by one to spread the cable  300  orderly. 
     When the electronic device  200  is slid towards the stop member  70 , the third slide member  30  is driven to slide along the guide rail  50  to fold the third cable support  10 , until the sidewalls  123  of the first arm  12   a  abut against the base  121  of the second arm  12   b . With the electronic device  200  sliding on, the second and first cable supports  10  are folded one by one to wind up the cable  300  orderly. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.