Abstract:
A cable clip with cable segregator includes ends and a side defining an open space, a series of open ended slots for holding and organizing telecommunications cables defined in the open space and outer grooves for mounting the cable clip with segregator into a mounting opening. The slots can be deep enough to hold two cables and may have an interior profile with a narrow opening, a nominal width, and one or more widened portions for receiving cables of different sizes and shapes. The cable clip with cable segregator can also include trumpet flares around the edges of the ends and side to provide bend radius protection for cables passing through the clip. The present invention also relates to a cable riser with cable clips with segregators mounted in a wall of the riser to hold and organize telecommunications cables that pass into the riser. The present invention also relates to a cable riser with cable clips with segregators mounted in a wall of the riser to hold and organize telecommunications cables that pass into the riser, and cable routing clips mounted within the riser defining a plurality of vertical cable paths within the riser. The present invention also relates to a method of loading cable in the riser into a specific cable path based on the entry location through which the cable enters the riser.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to fiber optic cable and other cable management for use in telecommunications systems.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Telecommunications equipment utilizing optical fiber for signal transmission is often mounted within equipment racks that permit a high density of connections to be made in a small space. A high density of connections means that a large number of optical fiber cables will need to be routed to and from the equipment, also in a small space. While the high density of connections possible with optical fiber is one of the principal reasons for utilizing optical fiber in this sort of environment, organizing the large number of optical fiber cables connected to the equipment can be difficult. This difficulty most often arises with respect to the cross-connect or jumper cables connected to these telecommunications racks. Copper systems also experience similar cable management issues.  
           [0003]    The outside plant or interfacility cables connected to such equipment are cables which by their nature do not require frequent disconnect or reconnect, and which are also bundled more densely, with multiple fibers being held within a single cable. In contrast, the cables connected to the front of these equipment racks are single fiber cables which may be disconnected or reconnected often in the course of normal use and configuration of the equipment. The higher number of individual cables and the need to be able to readily move connections require the provision of clear cable segregation, labeling and organization proximate to the front connections of these telecommunications installations.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    One aspect of the present invention relates to a cable routing clip with a rear crosspiece and two clip arms defining an open-ended slot with two overlapping retaining members extending across the slot. Another aspect of the present invention relates to the shape of mounting tabs extending from the rear crosspiece opposite the clip arms for mounting the clip to a wall with rectangular slots. A further aspect of the present invention relates to a cable riser in which are mounted a plurality of cable routing clips defining a plurality of vertical cable paths.  
           [0005]    A further aspect of the invention relates to a cable clip with cable segregator adapted for mounting in a wall having a plurality of slots for receiving telecommunications cables. A further aspect of the present invention relates to a cable clip with segregator which provides bend radius protection for cables passing through the clip. A still further aspect of the invention relates to a cable riser including cable clips with segregators mounted to one of the walls. A still further aspect of the present invention relates to a cable riser including cable clips with segregators mounted in one of the walls and plurality of cable routing clips mounted within the riser defining a plurality of vertical cable paths.  
           [0006]    A further aspect of the present invention is a method for loading telecommunications cables entering a cable riser into vertical cable paths defined along the walls of the riser. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a cable routing clip according to the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a front-end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a rear end view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a first side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a second side view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a top view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cable routing clip of FIG. 1, taken at line  7 - 7  in FIG. 6.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a bridge mounting for the cable routing clip of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a top view of the bridge mounting of FIG. 8.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the wall structure for the bridge mounting of FIG. 8.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cable clip and cable segregator according to the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 13 is a top view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 14 is a side view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 15 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a cable clip and segregator with a gate shown in an open position.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 17 is a front view of the cable clip and segregator shown in FIG. 16 with the gate in a closed position.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 18 is a detail view of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11, showing the area enclosed by circle  16  in FIG. 15.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 18A is a detail view of a cable slot of the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 19 is a profile of two mounting cutouts in a riser wall for mounting the cable clip and segregator of FIG. 11.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 20 is a front view of a cable riser according the present invention mounted to the side of a telecommunications equipment rack.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 with the 32 individual cable paths indicated.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 22 is a close-up perspective view of the top of the cable riser of FIG. 20.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 23 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 with the cable clips and segregators  100  numbered and the six groups of clips  100  indicated.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 24 is a front view of alternative embodiment of a cable riser according to the present invention.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 25 is a front view of the cable riser of FIG. 20 showing cable loading according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0034]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. A similar part in different embodiments will be assigned that same reference number with the addition of an apostrophe differentiate the embodiments.  
         [0035]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 10, a cable routing clip  10  for organizing cables is shown. Clip  10  is useful in a variety of structures, including a cable riser  200  discussed below, for managing telecommunications cables. Clip  10  includes two clip arms  12  and  14 , which have inner faces  16  and  18 , respectively and outer faces  20  and  22 , respectively. A crosspiece  24  extends between the two clip arms  12  and  14 , and crosspiece  24  has a front side  26  and a rear side  28 . Clip arms  12  and  14  have outer ends  30  and  32 , respectively. Retaining tabs  34  and  36  are mounted at outer ends  30  and  32  and extend across a slot  38  which defined by crosspiece  24 , and clip arms  12  and  14 . Retaining tabs  34  and  36  have outer faces  40  and  42 . Outer faces  20  and  22  of clips arms  12  and  14 , and outer faces  40  of retaining tab  34  are sized and shaped to receive indicia of the cables held within slot  38 . Outer face  42  of retaining tab  36  may also be shaped to receive such indicia. Retaining tabs  34  and  36  cooperate to extend fully across the width of slot  38 . As shown in FIG. 2, the retaining tabs actually overlap by an amount A. Retaining tabs  34  and  36  are less than the height of clip arms  12  and  14  and are offset from each other to form a gap  44 . Cables may be placed within or removed from slot  38  by passing the cables through gap  44 . Clip  10  is made of a resilient, deformable material so that cables that might have a diameter or size greater than the width of gap  44  can still be inserted into slot  38  through gap  44 . The overlap A of retaining tabs  34  and  36  is sufficient to permit some outward deformation of clip arms  12  and  14  and still have retaining tabs  34  and  36  extending across slot  38 . In FIG. 6, retaining tabs  34  and  36  are shown angled slightly in toward slot  38 . Cable movement within slot  38  may cause a cable to apply pressure to the inside of retaining tabs  34  or  36 . Biasing the tabs inward toward slot  38  will aid the tabs in resisting this pressure and maintain closure of slot  38  so that no cable are allowed to escape.  
         [0036]    Extending longitudinally from rear side  28  of crosspiece  24  are mounting tabs  46  and  48 , adapted for mounting clip  10  to a wall of a telecommunications equipment rack, a cable riser, or other suitable location. Mounting tabs  46  and  48  are generally parallel with clip arms  12  and  14  and generally extend co-linearly with clip arms  12  and  14 , respectively. Mounting tabs  46  and  48  are designed to fit into vertical tabs slots in sheet metal walls, such as shown in FIGS. 20 through 23, discussed below. Tabs  46  includes a ramped face  50  and a locking notch  54 , which is spaced apart from rear side  28  by a distance B. Tab  48 , ramped face  52  and locking notch  56  are similarly configured. Distance B is based upon the thickness of the wall into which clip  10  will be inserted. Thicker walls will require a larger distance B and thinner walls will permit a smaller distance B. When tabs  46  and  48  are inserted into mounting slots in a wall, ramped faces  50  and  52  press against the inner side of the mounting slots to force tabs  46  and  48  to be deformed outward. After the ramped faces have passed through the mounting slots, tabs  46  and  48 , being made of resilient, deformable material return to their original shape and locking notches  54  and  56  engage the opposite side of the wall to hold clip  10  in place with face  28  against the wall. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 7, mounting tab  48  has a recess  58 , so that tab  48  does not extend to the same height as tab  46 . In situations where the insertion orientation of clip  10  needs to be fixed, the mounting slot for receiving tab  48  can be made shorter than the mounting slot for receiving tab  46 , thus forcing clip  10  to mounted in the desired orientation.  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIG. 7, a cross-section of clip arms  12  and  14  is shown. Cables passing through slot  38  may be directed to one side or the other after they pass through the slot. To prevent violation of bend radius rules for these cables, inner faces  16  and  18  of clip  10  are curved.  
         [0038]    Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 10, an alternative bridge mounting approach for clip  10  is shown. In certain installations, it may be necessary or desirable to mount clips to the front of a wall without having the mounting tabs protruding beyond the rear of the wall. A wall segment  70  is shown, with a front face  60  to which a clip  10  will be mounted. A bridge  62  is formed in the wall  70 , protruding from the front face  60  and having mounting slots  64  and  66  on either side. Mounting tabs  46  and  48  are inserted into slots  64  and  66  as described above and locking notches  54  and  56  engage the rear of bridge  62 . Bridge  62  extends far enough out from front  60  of wall  70  so that mounting tabs  46  and  48  do not protrude beyond rear face  68  when clip  10  is mounted on wall  70 . Mounting slots  64  and  66  shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 are not sized to force the insertion of clip  10  in a particular orientation.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIGS. 11 through 19, the details of a further cable clip  100  with cable segregator  101  are shown. Clip  100  is useful on a variety of structures, including riser  200 , for managing cables, as will be discussed below in greater detail. Clip  100  includes a side  102  and two ends,  104  and  106 . Side  102  and ends  104  and  106  combine to form an open sided housing  110  defining an area  108  within the housing. Into area  108  extend a series of fingers  112  from side  102 , which define a series of cable slots  114  between them. A slot  114  is also defined between a finger  112  and end  104  and a finger  112  and end  106 . As shown in the FIGS. a total of seven fingers  112  cooperate with ends  104  and  106  to form a total of eight cable slots  114 . Each cable slot  114  includes a pair of widened cable holding openings  116 , giving clip  100  a capacity of sixteen cables. Cable slots  114  are sized so that a ribbon optical fiber cable  120  can be inserted as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. Preferably, openings  116  are also sized and shaped to hold a round 3 mm optical fiber cable  118 . While slots  114  are smaller in width than the diameter of cable  118 , clip  100  is made of a resilient, deformable material which, in cooperation with the cover of cable  118  will permit slots  114  to expand enough to permit the insertion of cable  118 . To prevent ribbon cable  120  from accidentally escaping from slot  114 , lip  122  on finger  112  provides an entrance to slot  114  which is slightly narrower than the width of cable  120 . To further prevent accidental escape of cables from slots  114 , a gate pivot  124  and a gate latch  126  are provided, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. A gate  128  with a hinge  130  that pivots about pivot  124  and a catch  132  which releasably latches to latch  126  and which is made of a deformable, resilient material and which extends along the ends of fingers  112  to close off slots  114 , will serve prevent accidental cable escape.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 18A shows slots  114  in more detail. Within slot  114  are regions of varying width. Beginning at the open end of slot  114 , opposite side  102 , a width  168  provides an entry for cables being inserted into slot  114 . Moving toward side  102 , the width of slot  114  then tapers to width  170 , defined by the separation of opposing lips  122 . Continuing toward side  102 , the width expands to a nominal width  172 . Slot  114  then includes opposing openings  116 , defining an expanded width  174 . Continuing again in the direction of side  102 , the slot returns to a nominal width  176  before expanding again with opposing openings  116  defining an expanded width  178 . Between the last set of opposed openings  166  and side  102 , slot  114  returns to a nominal width  180   
         [0041]    Also included as part of housing  110  may be trumpet flares  134 ,  136  and  138  extending from end  104 , end  106  and side  102 , respectively. These trumpet flares serve as radius protection devices for cables  118  and  120  extending through slots  114  if the cables are required to change direction after they pass through slots  114 .  
         [0042]    Clip  100  is adapted for mounting on a wall of a telecommunications equipment rack or to the wall of a cable riser attached to such a rack. This sort of installation is also shown in FIGS. 20 through 23, described below. FIG. 19 shows the shape of a cutout  134  in cable riser wall  136  in which a clip  100  could be mounted. A rear groove  138  in clip  100  is defined by pairs of rear tabs  140  for receiving a rear edge  142  of cutout  134 . A lower groove  144  is defined by a pair of walls  146  receives a lower edge  148  of cutout  134 , and a lower recess  152  with an end wall  164  is provided at the front end of groove  144  to receive a lower tab  150 . An upper groove  154  is defined by a pair of walls  156  receives an upper edge  158  of cutout  134 . From upper edge  158  extends an upper tab  160  which is received in an upper recess  162  formed in the bottom of upper groove  154 . To mount a clip  100  to a wall  136  in a cutout  134 , the following procedure is used: open gate  130 ; holding clip  100  so that rear groove  138  is parallel to wall  136 , angle end  106  of clip  100  into cutout  134  so that upper edge  158  and upper tab  160  engage upper groove  154  and upper recess  162 ; apply pressure to ends  104  and  106  of clip  100  to slightly deform the ends toward each other; pivot lower end  104  into cutout  134  so that lower edge  148  and rear edge  142  are engaged by lower groove  144  and rear groove  138 , respectively; with clip  100  still slightly deformed by pressure on ends  104  and  106 , lower tab will move past end wall  164  and into recess  152 ; and releasing the pressure on ends  104  and  106  to allow clip  100  to regain its default shape and have end wall  164  engage lower tab  150  to hold clip  100  within cutout  134 .  
         [0043]    Referring now to FIGS. 20 through 25, a cable riser  200  with cable routing clips  10  and cable clips  100  with segregators  101  is shown. Riser  200  is attached to a telecommunications equipment rack  202 , in which may be mounted a wide variety of telecommunications equipment which have a large number of ribbon cables  120  or 3 mm cables  118  attached to them. Riser  200  as shown is designed to work with a equipment rack  202  containing a total of  32  cable connection modules, with each module including up to  16  optical fiber connections and having up to 16 optical fiber cables exiting from each module into riser  200 . A clip  100  is provided along an inner wall  204  of riser  200  for each module in rack  202 . The trumpet flares of these clips  100  serve to provide bend radius protection to the cables exiting rack  202  through clips  100  into riser  200  as these cables transition from horizontal passage within rack  202  to vertical passage within riser  200 . Riser  200  is composed of inner wall  204 , a rear angle wall  206 , a rear wall  208 , an intermediate bulkhead  210  and an outer wall  212 . In FIG. 21, mounting tabs  46  and  48  of clips  10  can be seen extending through bulkhead  210  and outer wall  212 . A series of holes  214  through rear wall  208  allow riser  200  to be mounted adjacent a rack  202  using screws or other similar fasteners. A series of holes  216  through flange  218  of bulkhead  210  and also extending through rear wall  208  allow bulkhead  210  to be mounted within riser  200  using screws, bolts or similar fasteners. As shown in FIG. 24, riser  201  is a mirror image of riser  200  for mounting on the opposite side of rack  202 .  
         [0044]    Clips  10  are mounted within riser  200  so as to provide a distinct cable path  220  to each set of up to 16 cables extending through each of the clips  100 . A total of 32 cables paths  220 , each capable of handling up to 16 cables are defined, as shown in FIG. 22. Each cable path  220  is indicated by a circled number associated with the top most clip  10  in that cable path. The numbers for each cable path correspond to numbers assigned to each clip  100 , with the topmost clip  100  labeled  1  and the bottommost clip  100  labeled  32 , as shown on FIG. 23. Sixteen cable paths  220  are located within the inner channel  222 , defined by inner wall  204 , angled wall  206 , rear wall  208 , and bulkhead  210 , providing cable routing and organization to cables exiting from the topmost sixteen clips  100  mounted on inner wall  204 . Sixteen additional cable paths  220  are located within outer channel  224 , defined by bulkhead  210 , rear wall  208  and outer wall  212 , providing cable routing and organization for cables exiting the bottommost sixteen clips  100  mounted on inner wall  204 .  
         [0045]    Clips  100  are in one of six groups, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 25. The groupings of clips  100  correspond to the location of the cable pathway for each clip  100  as defined by clips  10  mounted in riser  200 . The first five clips  100 , numbered  1  through  5 , are in Group I and cables exiting from this group of clips feed into paths  220  numbered  1  through  5 , which are mounted on inner wall  204  and on angled wall  206 . Group II includes the next 6 clips  100 , numbered  6  through  11 , and the cables from these clips feed into paths  220  numbered  6  through  11 , which are mounted on rear wall  208  within inner channel  222 . Group III includes the clips  100  numbered  12  through  16  and cables from these clips feed into paths  220  numbered  12  through  16 , which are mounted on bulkhead  210  within inner channel  222 . Group IV includes clips  100  numbered  17  through  21  and cables from the clips feed into paths  220  numbered  17  through  21  mounted on bulkhead  210  within outer channel  224 . Group V includes clips  100  numbered  22  through  27  and cables from the clips feed into paths  220  numbered  22  through  27  mounted on rear wall  208  within outer channel  224 . Group VI includes clips  100  numbered  28  through  32  and cables from the clips feed into paths  220  numbered  28  through  32  mounted on outer wall  212  within outer channel  224 .  
         [0046]    The pattern for loading cable would generally be counter clockwise for a riser  200  and clockwise for a riser  201 . As shown in the FIGS. path  220  numbered  32  will hold the cables from clip  100  numbered  32 . Clip  100  numbered  32  is the lowest mounted clip  100  in riser  200  and path  220  numbered  32  is the furthest clockwise-located path  220  in riser  200 . Clip  100  numbered  31  is the next lowest mounted clip  100  and the cable from this clip will be held within path  220  numbered  31 , located counterclockwise from path  220  numbered  32  within outer channel  224  of riser  200 . Moving to the next highest mounted clip  100 , up to clip  100  numbered  17 , the cables from each successive numbered clip will be held by the next counterclockwise located cable path within outer channel  224 . Moving up to clip  100  numbered  16 , the cables from this clip will pass into most clockwise mounted path  220  numbered  16  within inner channel  222 . Moving up to clip  100  numbered  15 , the cables from this clip will be held by the next counterclockwise mounted path  220  numbered  15 . Moving to the next highest mounted clip  100 , up to clip  100  numbered  1 , the cables from each successive numbered clip will be held by the next counterclockwise located cable path within inner channel  222 . The same cable loading pattern can be applied within riser  201 , except that the cables from each successive higher mounted clip  100  feeding into a particular channel will be held by the next successive clockwise mounted path  220 .  
         [0047]    With the potential of 512 total cables passing through riser  200 , some manner of coding the clips  10  which combine to make up the 32 different paths  220  is desirable. The maximum number of paths  220  within each group of clips  100  is six. Therefore, if six distinctly marked or colored versions of clip  10  are provided, each path  220  within riser  200  can be uniquely identified by a combination of color or marking, designation of inner or outer channel, and which wall within the channel the clips are mounted on. For example, a series of black clips  10  along outer wall  212  in the outer channel  224  would define path  220  for routing the cables from clip  100  numbered  28 . White clips  10  along bulkhead  210  in inner channel  222  would define path  220  for routing cables from clip  100  numbered  15 . Alternatively, indicia signifying which path  220  a clip  10  belongs to could be placed on front face  40 , first outer face  20  or second outer face  22 , depending on how the clip is mounted within the riser, so that the indicia could be easily seen by a person in front of the riser.  
         [0048]    If higher densities of cabling are required for a particular telecommunications equipment rack, riser  200  could include more than one intermediate bulkhead  210  and thereby provide a greater number of channels and thereby of cable paths  220 . Alternatively, if the density of cabling for an equipment rack is not as high, bulkhead  210  could be removed from riser  200  and the number of paths  220  reduced. The coding scheme for clips  10  described above is adaptable to both higher and lower density alternatives of riser  200 .  
         [0049]    With regard to the foregoing description, it is to be understood that changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of the construction materials employed and the shape, size and arrangement of the parts without the scope of the present invention. It is intended that the specification and depicted aspects be considered exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the broad meaning of the following claims.