Abstract:
A telecommunications assembly includes a tray assembly including a tray and a cable spool assembly rotatably mounted to the tray, a connector holder arrangement for temporarily holding connectors, wherein the connector holder arrangement is mounted for rotation with the cable spool assembly, and cable storage arrangements for individually storing cables from the cable spool assembly to the connector holder arrangement. After a main cable is unwound from the cable spool assembly, a connector can be removed from the connector holder assembly, and cable slack stored in the cable storage arrangement can be removed allowing connection of the connector to equipment.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/779,703, filed Mar. 13, 2013, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The inventive aspects of this disclosure pertain to devices and methods for deploying, routing, housing, storing, shipping, connecting, and managing telecommunications cable and connections. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Telecommunication cabling systems typically include cabinets that house terminations and connections/interconnections of telecommunication cables. The telecommunication cables can include electrical cables, fiber optic cables, and/or hybrid cables that include both electrical and optical conductors. The cabinets typically allow terminations of the various cables to be connected, disconnected, and/or reconnected to other terminations of the various cables. In this way, the routing of signals across a telecommunications network can be configured and reconfigured as desired. For example, a trunk cable from a main office of a telecommunications provider or a data center may be branched to various branch cables at the cabinet. Each of the branch cables may then be routed to an end-user or to another cabinet. 
         [0004]    The telecommunications cable can be stored on, delivered on, and deployed by spools. The cable is typically wound on the spool at a factory that produced the cable. Upon delivery to an installation site, the cable can be unwound from the spool and deployed. The cabinet can hold terminations/connectors of the cables that are routed to it. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a telecommunications assembly including a tray assembly including a tray and a cable spool assembly rotatably mounted to the tray. A cable holder arrangement temporarily holds connectors wherein the connector holder arrangement is mounted for rotation with the cable spool assembly. Cable storage arrangements are provided for individually storing cables from the cable spool assembly to the connector holder arrangement. 
         [0006]    An aspect of the present disclosure also relates to a method of deploying telecommunications cable comprising providing a telecommunications assembly including a tray assembly and a connector holder arrangement for holding connectors. The tray assembly includes a tray and a cable spool assembly rotatably mounted to the tray. The connector holder arrangement is mounted for rotation with the cable spool assembly. A cable storage arrangement for individually storing cables from the cable spool assembly to the connector holder arrangement also is mounted to the cable spool assembly. The method also includes unwinding a main cable from the cable spool assembly, removing a connector from the connector holder assembly after the main cable is unwound, and removing cable slack of a cable pigtail connected to the connector and the main cable from a cable storage arrangement after the main cable is unwound. 
         [0007]    Aspects of the present disclosure allow for deployment of a main cable from a telecommunications assembly toward a first piece of telecommunications equipment desired for connection to the main cable. At the telecommunications assembly, the main cable can be broken out or fanned out into individual single fiber or multi-fiber cables. These cables can include connectorized ends which are stored on the telecommunications assembly until desired for use. Cable slack is also stored on the telecommunications assembly until desired for use. At the desired time, a connector and the necessary cable slack is removed from the telecommunications assembly and connected to another piece of telecommunications equipment, thereby connecting two pieces of equipment with an intermediate telecommunications assembly. 
         [0008]    Features of the present disclosure allow for deployment of a cable in a first direction away from the telecommunications assembly, and deployment of a secondary cable or cables toward different equipment at the desired time for connection of the equipment. The present disclosure allows for storage of slack before and, if necessary, after deployment of the individual cables from the telecommunications assembly. Features of the present disclosure allow for deployment of only a desired length of the secondary cable or cables. Remaining slack length can remain stored and protected by the telecommunications assembly. In certain implementations, the telecommunications assembly is configured to enable the deployed length of the secondary cable or cables to be rewound/taken back into the telecommunications assembly for storage. 
         [0009]    The telecommunications assembly of the present disclosure provides a solution which eliminates separate patch cords including connectorized opposite ends for connecting a telecommunications assembly with a main spool to other equipment. 
         [0010]    A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. These aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure. A brief description of the drawings is as follows: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a telecommunications assembly having exemplary features of aspects of the present disclosure including a main cable deployment feature and fanout cable deployment features; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a telecommunications assembly having exemplary features of aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a tray assembly suitable for use with the telecommunications assembly of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a cable spool assembly suitable for use with the tray assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a payout cassette according to the principles of the present disclosure, the payout cassette storing a stored portion of a patch cord and paying out excess length of the patch cord; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is the perspective view of the payout cassette of  FIG. 5 , but without the patch cord and with a cover and an anti-friction device of the cassette exploded away from a base portion of the cassette; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the cassette of  FIG. 5  with the cover removed so that an initial amount of slack length of the patch cord is visible stored within the cassette; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the cassette of  FIG. 7  with part of the initial amount of slack length paid-out from the cassette. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of the present disclosure 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 structure. 
         [0021]    In general, the present disclosure enables deployment of a primary cable (e.g., an optical fiber cable) in a first direction away from a telecommunications assembly, and deployment of one or more secondary cables toward different equipment for connection of the equipment. The secondary cable or cables can be deployed before or after deployment of the primary cable. The telecommunications assembly is configured to store and protect any slack (i.e., undeployed) length of the primary and/or secondary cables. In certain implementations, the primary and/or secondary cables can be returned within the telecommunications assembly for storage when not in use. 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a schematic diagram of an example telecommunications assembly  10  having patch cord storage is shown. The telecommunications assembly  10  includes a chassis  12  (e.g., an enclosure, a case, etc.) and a tray assembly  14  (e.g., a shelf assembly, a drawer assembly, etc.) that removably mounts in the chassis  12 . The telecommunications assembly  10  is adapted for mounting to a telecommunications rack. For example, brackets of flanges  13  can extend outwardly from the chassis  12  to secure to the rack (e.g., see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0023]    The tray assembly  14  includes a tray  60  (e.g., a shelf, a drawer, etc.) and a cable spool assembly  62  rotatably mounted to the tray  60 . The tray assembly  14  is adapted for insertion and removal from the chassis  12  as a unit without requiring the cable spool assembly  62  to be detached from the tray  60 . The cable spool assembly  62  is adapted to rotate relative to the tray  60 . A cable  40  (e.g., an optical cable including one or more optical fibers) can be wound around the cable spool assembly  62 . In one example, the cable  40  is a micro-cable. A first end  41  of the cable  40  can be deployed from the chassis  12  by pulling on the first end  41 , thereby rotating the cable spool assembly  62  relative to the tray  60 . 
         [0024]    A second end  42  of the cable  40  is optically coupled to one or more patch cords  44 . In some implementations, each patch cord  44  is at least six feet long. In certain implementations, each patch cord  44  is at least eight feet long. In certain implementations, each patch cord  44  is at least ten feet long. In certain implementations, each patch cord  44  is at least twenty feet long. In other implementations, the patch cord  44  can be any desired length. In some implementations, the patch cords  44  are formed from fiber cable having an outer diameter of about 1.2 mm. In other implementations, the patch cords  44  can be formed from any desired type and size of fiber cable. 
         [0025]    Each patch cord  44  has a distal end  47  terminated by an optical connector  48  (e.g., an SC-type connector, an LC-type connector, and LX.5-type connector, an MPO-type connector, etc.). The terminated ends  47  of the patch cords  44  are temporarily stored at the cable spool assembly  62  so that the terminated ends  47  rotate unitarily with the cable spool assembly  62  when the first end  41  of the cable  40  is deployed. For example, the connectors  48  can be mounted to a connector holder arrangement  64  of the cable spool assembly  62 . The patch cords  44  can be deployed from the chassis  12  as needed by accessing the terminated end  47  of a desired patch cord  44  and pulling the terminated end  47  away from the chassis  12 . Connector holder arrangement  64  can include clips or other devices for holding one or more of the connectors  48 , connector boots  49 , or the cables  44 . 
         [0026]    Slack length  46  of the patch cords  44  is stored at one or more cassettes  100 . The cassettes  100  are mounted to the cable spool assembly  62  and rotate unitarily with the cable spool assembly  62  when the first end  41  of the cable  40  is deployed. For example, the slack length  46  of each patch cord  44  may be stored in one or more loops within a corresponding cassette  100 . The loops are reduced in length (i.e., circumference) as the slack length  46  is paid out from the cassette  100 , thereby allowing the patch cord connectors  48  to be paid out from the chassis  12 . The cable spool assembly  62  does not rotate when one or more of the patch cords  44  are deployed from the chassis  12 . 
         [0027]    The telecommunications assembly  10  allows for storage of slack before and, if necessary, after deployment of the individual cables  40 ,  44  from the telecommunications assembly. In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, only a desired amount of cable  40  need be deployed from the telecommunications assembly  10 . A remainder of the cable  40  can be stored and protected on the cable spool assembly  62 . In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, only a desired amount of one or more of the patch cords  44  need be deployed from the telecommunications assembly  10 . A remainder of each patch cord  44  can be stored and protected at the respective cassette  100 . For example, in one implementation, the cassette  100  may hold about 10 feet of a patch cord  44 . If a user only needs about 6.5 feet deployed, then the cassette  100  will continue to hold and protect about 3.5 feet of the patch cord  44 . 
         [0028]      FIGS. 2-4  illustrate one example implementation of a chassis  12  and tray assembly  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the chassis  12  is generally rectangular in shape (see  FIG. 2 ). The chassis  12  defines an interior region  50 . The interior region  50  is adapted to receive the tray assembly  14 . The chassis  12  defines a first opening  52  that provides access to the interior region  50 . In the depicted embodiment, the first opening  52  is a front opening to the interior region  50 . The chassis  12  also defines a second opening  54  that provides access to the interior region  50 . In the depicted embodiment, the second opening  54  is a rear opening to the interior region  50 . 
         [0029]    In certain embodiments, the telecommunications assembly  10  includes a front cover plate  16 . In the depicted example, the front cover plate  16  is hingedly engaged to the chassis  12 . The front cover plate  16  is adapted to pivot between an open position and a closed position (shown at  FIG. 2 ). As depicted, when in the closed position, the front cover plate  16  extends over and substantially covers the first opening  52 . The front cover plate  16  can be held in the closed position by latches or other such fastening structures. The front cover plate  16  can include labels  18 . The labels  18  can be associated with individual patch cords  44  or patch cord connectors  48 . As depicted, the labels  18  can be viewed when the front cover plate  16  is in the open position. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates one example implementation of a tray assembly  14  suitable for use in the chassis  12  of  FIG. 2 . The tray  60  of the tray assembly  14  includes a plurality of bend radius protectors  90 . When the first end  41  of the cable  40  is deployed from the chassis  12 , the first end  41  is routed through any one of the bend radius protectors  90  disposed on the tray  60 . Each bend radius protector  90  defines a passage including a first arcuate edge and a second arcuate edge. Each of the first and second arcuate edges defines a radius that is greater than the minimum bend radius of a fiber optic cable  40  that passes through the passage so as to reduce the risk of attenuation damage to the fiber optic cable. 
         [0031]    At least one of the bend radius protectors  90  is disposed adjacent to the first opening  52  in the chassis  12  and at least another of the bend radius protectors  90  is disposed adjacent to the second opening  54  in the chassis  12 . In the depicted embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the bend radius protectors  90  disposed at the first opening  52  are oriented so that central axes  92  of the bend radius protectors  90  are aligned. For example, the central axes  92  can be parallel to a lateral direction L. In the depicted embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the bend radius protectors  90  disposed at the second opening  54  are oriented so that the central axes  92  of the bend radius protectors  90  are angled outwardly from the chassis interior  50 . The central axes  92  of these bend radius protectors  90  are disposed at oblique angles relative to the lateral direction L and to a front-to-back direction F-B. 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  illustrates one example implementation of a cable spool assembly  62  suitable for mounting to the tray  60 . The cable spool assembly  62  includes a hub  420 , a first flange  422  engaged to the hub  420 , and a second flange  424  engaged to the hub  420  opposite the first flange  422  (see  FIG. 4 ). The cable  40  is wound around the hub  420  between the flanges  422 ,  424  for storage on the cable spool assembly  62 . The second flange  424  includes an outer surface  150 . The outer surface  150  includes a cable management area  152  and a termination area  154  disposed adjacent to the cable management area  152 . The second end  42  of the cable  40  is routed through the second flange  424  to the cable management area  152 . 
         [0033]    One or more cable fanouts  158  ( FIG. 3 ) can be mounted at the cable management area  152  (e.g., at fanout brackets  159 ). The fanouts  158  separate out individual optical fibers of the cable  40  to form one or more patch cords  44 . In certain implementations, the fanouts  158  upjacket the patch cords  44 . The terminated ends of the patch cords  44  are temporarily stored at the termination area  154  of the second flange  424 . For example, one or more connector holders  64  can be mounted to the termination area  154 . The connector holder  64  is structured to hold one or more of the patch cord connectors  48  so that the connectors  48  can be pulled out through the first opening  52  in the chassis  12 . 
         [0034]    The cable management area  152  also includes a plurality of bend radius protectors  482 . The bend radius protectors  482  are disposed on the outer surface  150  of the second flange  424 . The bend radius protectors  482  are adapted to prevent damage to the optical fibers that are routed from the fanout  158  to the termination area  154 . In the depicted embodiment, each of the bend radius protectors  482  is arcuate in shape and includes a retention projection  484  that extends outwardly from a convex surface  486  of the bend radius protector  482 . 
         [0035]    In the depicted embodiment, a body  426  of the hub  420  is generally oval in shape. The oval shape of the body  426  of the hub  420  allows for a greater length of fiber optic cable  40  to be coiled around the body  426  for a given depth and width of the cable spool assembly  62 . However, it will be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the body  426  of the hub  420  being oval in shape. The body  426  of the hub  420  can have various geometric shapes (e.g., circular, obround, etc.). The body  426  of the hub  420  includes a strain relief protrusion  140 . 
         [0036]    The first flange  422  is engaged to the hub  420 . In the subject embodiment, the first flange  422  is fastened (e.g., screwed, bolted, riveted, welded, bonded, etc.) to the first surface  428  of the hub  420 . The first flange  422  is generally planar and oval in shape. The first flange  422  defines a bore  146  that is adapted for alignment with the central bore  144  of the hub  420  when the first flange  422  is engaged to the hub  420 . 
         [0037]    The second flange  424  is engaged to the hub  420 . In the depicted embodiment, the second flange  424  is fastened (e.g., screwed, bolted, riveted, welded, bonded, etc.) to the second surface  130  of the hub  420 . The second flange  424  includes a central opening  148  that extends through the second flange  424 . The central opening  148  is adapted to receive the strain relief protrusion  140  of the hub  420  when the second flange  424  is engaged to the hub  420  so that the strain relief protrusion  140  extends outwardly from the second flange  424  of the cable spool assembly  62 . In the depicted embodiment, the central opening  148  is oversized to allow the fiber optic cable  40  to pass through the central opening  148  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0038]    The cable spool assembly  62  is rotatably engaged to the tray  60  by a bushing  222 . The bushing  222  is generally cylindrical in shape. The bushing  222  is sized to extend through the strain relief protrusion  140  of the hub  420  and to fixedly secure (e.g., via fastener or keying arrangement) to the tray  60  (e.g., see  FIG. 3 ). As the bushing  222  is generally cylindrical in shape, the cable spool assembly  62  can rotate about the bushing  222 . In certain implementations, a locking arrangement can selectively inhibit rotational movement between the cable spool assembly  62  and the tray  60 . For example, the locking arrangement can be released to deploy the first end  41  of the cable  40  and can be locked when or after deploying the patch cords  44 . 
         [0039]    Additional details regarding one example telecommunications assembly  10  are provided in U.S. Publication Nos. 2011/0317974 and 2011/0044599, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5-7 , an example cassette  100  for paying-out an example patch cord  44  is shown. The cassette  100  is configured to enable a user to pay-out the excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  from the cassette  100 . In particular, a paid-out end  47  (i.e., and the terminating connector  48 ) of the patch cord  44  can be pulled from the cassette  100  at various lengths to bring the paid-out end  47  of the patch cord  44  to a desired location (e.g., to a user termination port, to a piece of telecommunications equipment, etc.). 
         [0041]    As depicted, the cassette  100  does not require a rotary union or substantial accumulated twist in the patch cord  44 . Rather, loops  45  of the slack length  46  of the patch cord  44  within a storage area  110  of the cassette  100  are reduced in length (i.e., circumference) while the patch cord  44  is being paid-out from the cassette  100 . In particular, the loops  45  of the excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  tighten around a wrapping surface  122  of a wrapping area  120  within a storage area  110  when the cassette assembly  100  pays-out the patch cord  44  (compare  FIGS. 7 and 8 ). In other implementations, however, the cassette  100  can include rotational spools, ratcheting spools, or other take-up reels. 
         [0042]    As illustrated at  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cassette  100  includes a housing  180  that further includes a base portion  200  and a cover  300 . The housing  180  extends between a first side  182  and a second side  184 , a first end  186  and a second end  188 , and a first edge  190  and a second edge  192 . In the depicted example, a series of fingers  270  project inwardly from the sides, ends, and edges of the base portion  200  to keep the series of the loops  45  positioned at the one layer deep. The fingers  270  also may hold the cover  300  to the base portion  200 . 
         [0043]    The base portion  200  includes a cavity  210  defining an interior perimeter  212 . The wrapping area  120  is located within the cavity  210 . A second wrapping area  214  also is located within the cavity  210  and adjacent to the perimeter  212 . A substantial majority of the patch cord  44  may be initially loaded in the second wrapping area  214  of the cavity  210  adjacent the perimeter  212  in a series of the loops  45  that are positioned within the cavity  210  one layer deep (see  FIG. 7 ). An initial loop  45 ′ (e.g., the outermost loop) may begin at a cable passage  202 . The cable passage  202  may be adjacent the perimeter  212  and may extend between the cavity  210  and an exterior  102  of the cassette  100  (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  may continue to be wrapped in loops  45  within the cavity  210 . 
         [0044]    As mentioned above, the patch cord  44  tightens around the wrapping surface  122  of the wrapping area  120  within the storage area  110  when the patch cord  44  is paid-out from the cassette  100 . In certain implementations, the wrapping surface  122  is formed on the annular ring  400 . By having the wrapping surface  122  formed on the annular ring  400 , friction may be reduced. The annular ring  400  may be made of a low-friction material (e.g., Teflon®) and, thereby, be an anti-friction device. The annular ring  400  may be rotatably mounted to a mount  260  that is attached to or part of the housing  180  (e.g., the base portion  200 ). In certain embodiments, the mount  260  may be attached to or part of the cover  300 . 
         [0045]    The cassette  100  also includes a transitioning area  160  for transitioning the patch cord  44  from the storage area  110  to the exterior  102  of the cassette  100 . As the patch cord  44  is paid-out of the storage area  110  of the cassette  100 , the patch cord  44  within the storage area  110  generally transfers through the transitioning area  160  and on to the exterior  102  of the cassette  100  where it continues on toward a deployed area. The transitioning area  160  includes a first cable guide  162  and a second cable guide  164  adjacent the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, the first and the second cable guides  162 ,  164  are formed on the base portion  200  of the cassette  100 . 
         [0046]    The first cable guide  162  is spaced away from the annular ring  400  and extends circumferentially around the annular ring  400  along an arc segment concentric with the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, the first cable guide  162  is spaced from the annular ring  400  by a distance sufficient to route a single strand (e.g., loop  45 ) of the patch cord  44  between the first cable guide  162  and the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, the second cable guide  164  is positioned immediately adjacent the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, the second cable guide  164  may have a small clearance with the annular ring  400 . The small clearance, as depicted, is not sufficient in size to receive a strand of the patch cord  44 . 
         [0047]    The cassette  100  also includes a third cable guide  360 . As depicted, the third cable guide  360  is in the form of a slot (i.e., a slit). In the depicted embodiment, the slot extends through the cover  300  of the housing  180 . In other embodiments, the third cable guide  360  may be formed as a channel and thereby may not necessarily extend through the cover  300 . The third cable guide  360  includes a straight segment  362  and a curved segment  364  that is tangent to the straight segment  362 . The curved segment  364  generally follows and continues along a path of the space between the first cable guide  162  and the annular ring  400 . 
         [0048]    As illustrated at  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the cassette  100  is holding a maximum length of the patch cord  44  or near the maximum length of the patch cord  44 , the outermost loops  45  follow the perimeter  212  of the storage cavity  210  as noted above. Upon a cable route reaching the innermost loop  45 , the patch cord  44  departs from following the perimeter  212  and veers toward the annular ring  400 . The patch cord  44  is routed between the first cable guide  162  and the annular ring  400  and then through the curved portion  364  of the third cable guide  360 . Along the third cable guide  360 , the patch cord  44  is elevated above the previous loops  45  and progressively is positioned at an elevation of the cover  300  within the third cable guide  360 . The third cable guide  360  continues until it reaches an edge of the cover  300 . The patch cord  44  follows the third cable guide  360  and continues past the edge of the cover  300  toward the exterior  102  of the cassette  100 . The third cable guide  360  thereby forms at least a portion of an exit  104  for the patch cord  44  as it leaves (i.e., exits) the cassette  100 . 
         [0049]    As illustrated at  FIGS. 7 and 8 , upon the deployment of the patch cord  44 , the loops  45  transition from being positioned adjacent the perimeter  212  to being positioned adjacent or partially adjacent to the annular ring  400 . In particular, the innermost loop  45  draws the excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  from the second to the most innermost loop (loop  45  as depicted in  FIG. 8 ) as the patch cord  44  is deployed from the cassette  100 . As the second to the most innermost loop is drawn toward the rotating ring  400 , it is positioned on an opposite side of the first cable guide  162  from the innermost loop  45 . As the patch cord  44  continues to be deployed, portions of the patch cord  44  that were in the innermost loop  45  exit through the transition area  160  and toward the exterior  102  of the cassette  100 . 
         [0050]    The excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  that has left the innermost loop  45  is replaced by the excess length  46  that is drawn from the second to the most innermost loop. This results in the second to the most innermost loop becoming smaller and drawing material from the third to the most innermost loop. This process continues until all of the excess length  46  that was positioned at the perimeter  212  of the cavity  210  is now positioned adjacent the rotating ring  400  and/or has exited the cassette  100 . The number N of loops  45  of the patch cord  44  within the storage area  110  may remain constant during the cable deployment process. The length of each loop  45  is decreased in magnitude (i.e., circumference) thereby supplying the excess length  46  of the patch cord  44  that is deployed. 
         [0051]    Additional details regarding one example cassette  100  suitable for use with the cable spool assembly  62  are provided in U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/640,422, filed Apr. 30, 2012, and titled “Cable Payout Cassette with Single Layer Cable Storage Area,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0052]    In certain implementations, the cassette  100  can be configured to retract or otherwise receive the slack length of the patch cord  44  back inside the cassette  100 . For example, in some implementations, the slack may be manually threaded back into the cassette  100 . In other implementations, the cassette  100  can include a ratcheted or geared mechanism for winding the slack back into the cassette  100 . 
         [0053]    Suitable implementations of such a cassette  100  are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/640,410, filed Apr. 30, 2012, and titled “Guided Cable Storage Assembly with Switchbacks;” U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/640,435, filed Apr. 30, 2012, and titled “Payout Spool with Automatic Cable Disconnect/Reconnect;” U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/640,449, filed Apr. 30, 2012, and titled “Cable Storage Spool with Center Feed;” and U.S. Publication No. 2011/0024543, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0054]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , one or more of the cassettes  100  can be mounted to the termination region  154  of the cable spool assembly  62 . First ends  43  of the patch cords  44  extend out of the fanouts  158  at the cable management region  152  of the cable spool assembly  62  and are routed to the cassettes  100 . As shown, two or more cassettes  100  may be stacked to form two or more rows at the cable management region  152 . For example, the first side  182  of a first cassette  100  may be placed adjacent to the second side  184  of a second cassette  100 . Other positions of the cassettes  100  can be provided, as desired. 
         [0055]    The slack length  46  of the patch cords  44  is stored within the cassettes  100 , e.g., as detailed above. The distal ends  47  of the patch cords  44  extend outwardly from the cassettes  100  to the one or more connector holders  64  on the cable spool assembly  62 . The patch cord connectors  48  are stored at the connector holder  64 . The fanouts  158 , cassettes  100 , and connectors  48  all rotate in unison with the cable spool assembly  62  when the first end  41  of the cable  40  is deployed from the chassis  12 . 
         [0056]    When the first end  41  of the cable  40  is sufficiently paid-out, the cable spool assembly  62  can be rotationally locked or otherwise inhibited from rotating. A user can selectively pay-out one or more of the patch cords  44  from their respective cassettes  100  as desired. For example, the user may grab the connector  48  associated with one of the patch cords  44 , remove the connector  48  from the connector holder  64 , and pull the connector  48  away from the cassette  100 . In an example, the user pulls the connector  48  out of the chassis  12  through the first opening  52  of the chassis  12 . The connector  48  can be routed and plugged into any desired port to connect to an end user (or other equipment) to an optical network. 
         [0057]    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.