Abstract:
A payout cassette for a cable, which extends between first and second ends, stores and pays-out the cable. The cassette includes a storage area and a transitioning area. The storage area stores a stored portion of the cable between first and second generally parallel cable constraining surfaces that are spaced a distance from each other. The distance is sufficiently large to allow a single cable thickness to slide between the cable constraining surfaces and is sufficiently small to prevent another cable thickness from crossing over the signal cable thickness within the storage area. Thus, the storage area includes a single cable layer and thereby keeps the cable from becoming tangled. The transitioning area is adapted to transition the cable from the stored portion within the storage area to a paid-out portion of the cable that is external to the storage area. The transitioning area is at least partially positioned within an interior of the storage area.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of 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. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Spools, reels, cassettes, and cartridges can be used to store telecommunications cable (e.g., electrical cable and/or fiber optic cable). The spools include a hub or a drum about which the cable is wound. The hub of the spools is often cylindrical, and the cable is often wrapped around the cylindrical hub in a predominantly circumferential manner. By winding up the cable on the spool, the cable can be compactly stored and transported, protected from tangling and kinking, and kept ready for easy deployment. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a payout cassette (i.e. a cartridge, a dispenser, etc.) for a telecommunications cable. The telecommunications cable extends between a first end and a second end. The payout cassette pays-out the telecommunications cable when the first end of the telecommunications cable is pulled away from the payout cassette. The cassette also stores the telecommunications cable. The telecommunications cable has a cross-dimension. The cassette includes a storage area and a transitioning area. The storage area is adapted to store a stored portion of the telecommunications cable. The storage area includes a first cable constraining surface that is spaced a distance from a second cable constraining surface. The storage area extends between the first and the second cable constraining surfaces. The first and the second cable constraining surfaces are positioned generally parallel to each other. The distance is sufficiently large to allow the cross-dimension of the telecommunications cable to slide between the first and the second cable constraining surfaces and is sufficiently small to prevent a first portion of the stored portion of the telecommunications cable from crossing over a second portion of the stored portion of the telecommunications cable within the storage area. Thus, the storage area includes a single layer of the telecommunications cable and thereby keeps the telecommunications cable from becoming tangled. The transitioning area is adapted to transition the telecommunications cable from the stored portion within the storage area to a paid-out portion of the telecommunications cable that is external to the storage area. The transitioning area is at least partially positioned within an interior of the storage area. 
     Other aspects of the present disclosure include the transitioning area having a first cable guide that may be spaced from a rotatable ring and may extend circumferentially around the rotatable ring along a first arc segment. The first arc segment may be concentric with the rotatable ring. The first cable guide may be spaced from the rotatable ring by a passage distance that provides sufficient space to route a single strand of the telecommunications cable between the first cable guide and the rotatable ring. A second cable guide may be positioned immediately adjacent the rotatable ring and may extend circumferentially around the rotatable ring along a second arc segment. The second cable guide may have a clearance with the rotatable ring. The clearance might not be sufficient in size to position a strand of the telecommunications cable within. The first and/or the second cable guides may be attached to a base of the payout cassette. The payout cassette may further include a third cable guide that may be in the form of a slot (i.e., a slit) or a channel. The third cable guide may include a straight segment and/or a curved segment that may be tangent to the straight segment. The curved segment may generally follow and continue along a path of the passage distance between the first cable guide and the rotatable ring. Along the slot or the channel of the third cable guide, the telecommunications cable may be elevated above the storage area. The third cable guide may continue until it reaches an exterior of the payout cassette at an exit. 
     Still other aspects of the present disclosure include a payout cassette that includes a telecommunications cable and a housing for storing and deploying the telecommunications cable. The housing may include a base portion and a cover. The base portion may include a cavity with a perimeter and a wrapping area within the perimeter of the cavity. The telecommunications cable may be initially loaded in the cavity adjacent the perimeter in a series of loops that may be positioned within the cavity one layer deep. An initial loop may begin at a cable passage adjacent the perimeter that may extend to an exterior of the payout cassette. The initial loop may be positioned within the cable passage (i.e., an entrance passage) and wrapped adjacent the perimeter until the initial loop has extended around the perimeter. Cable wrapping may continue with a second loop that may be positioned adjacent the initial loop and may follow the initial loop as it extends around the perimeter. Likewise, the cable wrapping may continue with a third loop that follows the second loop, a fourth loop that follows the third loop, etc. In certain embodiments, the initial loop is initially wrapped in contact with the perimeter, thereby maximizing a length of the initial loop. Likewise, the second loop may be in contact with the initial loop and thereby include a maximum length of the telecommunications cable. Likewise, the third loop may be in contact with the second loop, and the fourth loop may be in contact with the third loop, etc. 
     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. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  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 telecommunications cable and paying out a paid-out portion of the telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 2  is the perspective view of  FIG. 1 , but without the telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 3  is the perspective view of  FIG. 2 , but with a cover and an anti-friction device of the payout cassette exploded away from a main housing of the payout cassette; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the payout cassette of  FIG. 1  with the cover of  FIG. 3  removed and a currently stored portion of the telecommunications cable substantially equal to an initially stored portion of the telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is the top plan view of  FIG. 5 , but with some of the initially stored portion of the telecommunications cable having been transferred to the paid-out portion of the telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is similar to the view of  FIG. 8 , but with the cover of  FIG. 3  installed and the telecommunications cable of  FIG. 1  removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     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. 
     According to the principals of the present disclosure, an example cassette assembly  100  is adapted to pay-out an example telecommunications cable  500 . The cassette assembly  100  can pay-out an extended length of the telecommunications cable  500  without disconnecting the telecommunications cable  500  from a first end  502  (i.e. a paid-out end). The cassette assembly  100  can pay-out the extended length of the telecommunications cable  500  without disconnecting the telecommunications cable  500  from a second end  504  (i.e. a base end). In particular, the paid-out end  502  can be pulled from the cassette assembly  100  at various lengths including the extended length to bring the paid-out end  502  of the telecommunications cable  500  to a desired location. 
     As depicted, the cassette assembly  100  does not require a rotary union or substantial accumulated twist in the telecommunications cable  500 , but rather loops  510  of a stored portion  520  of the telecommunications cable  500  within a storage area  110  of the cassette assembly  100  are reduced in length (i.e., circumference) while the cassette assembly  100  is paying-out a paid-out portion  530  of the telecommunications cable  500 , as illustrated by changes in routing of the telecommunications cable  500  between  FIGS. 5 and 6  and  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In particular, the loops  510  of the stored portion  520  of the telecommunications cable  500  tighten around a wrapping surface  122  of a wrapping area  120  within the storage area  110  when the cassette assembly  100  pays-out the telecommunications cable  500  (see  FIG. 6 ). The telecommunications cable  500  is thereby transferred from the stored portion  520  to a transitional portion  525  and then to the paid-out portion  530 . In the depicted embodiment, the transitional portion  525  is adjacent an inner-most loop  510   i  and the base end  504  is adjacent an outer-most loop  510   o . In the depicted embodiment, the paid-out end  502  is continuously connected to the base end  504  while the telecommunications cable  500  is being paid-out. Thus, a first device, connected to the first end  502 , may be continuously connected to a second device, connected to the second end  504 , while the telecommunications cable  500  is being paid-out and/or stored. Likewise, the first device, connected to the first end  502 , may be continuously connected to the telecommunications cable  500  while the telecommunications cable  500  is being paid-out and/or stored, and/or the second device, connected to the second end  504 , may be continuously connected to the telecommunications cable  500  while the telecommunications cable  500  is being paid-out and/or stored. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 1-9 , the example cassette assembly  100  is illustrated, according to the principles of the present disclosure. As depicted, the cassette assembly  100  includes a terminal  150 . As depicted, the terminal  150  is not substantially extendable from the cassette assembly  100 . As depicted, the terminal  150  is generally stationary with the cassette assembly  100 . In certain embodiments, the terminal  150  may be fixed with a main housing  200  of the cassette assembly  100 . As depicted, the terminal  150  is attached to the housing  200  by a terminal portion  540  (e.g., a base cable portion) of the telecommunications cable  500 . The terminal  150  can be connectorized by a fiber optic connector and/or a fiber optic adaptor. The terminal  150  can be permanently or semi-permanently connected to a fiber optic component, a fiber optic network, the second device, etc. If it is desired to change the position of the first end  502 , the terminal  150  can remain connected to the fiber optic component, the fiber optic network, the second device, etc. 
     To accommodate the first end  502  changing position, particularly when the change in position results in a difference in length between the terminal  150  (and/or the second end  504 ) from the first end  502 , individual loops  510   1-4  of the loops  510  of the stored portion  520  of the telecommunications cable  500  may become smaller and thereby transfer cable length to the paid-out portion  530  of the telecommunications cable  500 . In certain embodiments, a number N of loops  510   1-N  does not change as the telecommunications cable  500  is paid-out over a pay-out range (i.e., starting from a fully retracted configuration to a fully deployed configuration). In the depicted embodiment, the telecommunications cable  500  extends continuously between the first end  502  and the second end  504 . In preferred embodiments, pulling the first end  502  actuates the cassette assembly  100 . When the cassette assembly  100  actuates, the housing  200  typically remains stationary. 
     As illustrated at  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cassette assembly  100  includes a housing  180  that further includes the housing  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 . Two or more of the cassette assemblies  100  may be stacked. For example, the first side  182  of a first of the cassette assemblies  100  may be placed adjacent to the second side  184  of a second of the cassette assemblies  100 . The second ends  504  of the first and the second of the cassette assemblies  100  may be merged (e.g., continuous with each other) thereby creating a cassette assembly that can pay-out the telecommunications cable  500  from either of two ends (i.e., the first ends  502  of the first and the second of the cassette assemblies  100 ). 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the housing  200  (e.g., a base portion) includes a cavity  210  with a perimeter  212  and a first wrapping area  214  in the cavity  210  within and adjacent to the perimeter  212 . The cavity  210  also includes a second wrapping area  234  that may serve as the wrapping area  120 . A substantial majority of the telecommunications cable  500  may be initially loaded in the first wrapping area  214  of the cavity  210  adjacent the perimeter  212  in a series of the loops  510  that are positioned within the cavity  210  one layer deep (see  FIG. 5 ). An initial loop  510   1  (i.e., the outermost loop  510   o ) 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. 1, 5, and 6 ). The telecommunications cable  500  may continue from the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  to the cable passage  202  and may be positioned within the cable passage  202  (i.e., an entrance passage). The initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  may be wrapped adjacent the perimeter  212  until the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  has extended around the perimeter  212 . The cable wrapping may continue with a second loop  510   2  that is positioned adjacent the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  and follows the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  as it extends around the perimeter  212 . Likewise, the cable wrapping may continue with a third loop  510   3  that follows the second loop  510   2 , a fourth loop  510   4  that follows the third loop  510   3 , etc. In certain embodiments, the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  is initially wrapped in contact or near contact with the perimeter  212 , thereby maximizing or substantially maximizing a length (i.e., a circumference) of the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o . Likewise, the second loop  510   2  may be in contact or near contact with the initial loop  510   1 ,  510   o  and thereby include a maximum length of the telecommunications cable  500 . Likewise, the third loop  510   3  may be in contact or near contact with the second loop  510   2 , and the fourth loop  510   4  may be in contact or near contact with the third loop  510   3 , etc. As depicted, the telecommunications cable  500  may be wrapped in the first wrapping area  214  of the cavity  210  inside of (i.e., within an interior of) the perimeter  212 . 
     The terminal portion  540  of the telecommunications cable  500  of the cassette  100  may extend from the cable passage  202  to the second end  504  of the telecommunications cable  500 . In the depicted embodiment, the terminal portion  540  is not substantially extendable or retractable and is of a substantially fixed length. 
     As mentioned above, the telecommunications cable  500  tightens around the wrapping surface  122  of the wrapping area  120  within the storage area  110  when the cassette assembly  100  pays-out the telecommunications cable  500 . In the depicted embodiment, the second wrapping area  234  of the cavity  210  serves as the wrapping area  120  (see  FIG. 4 ), and a wrapping surface  402  of an annular ring  400  includes the wrapping surface  122 . 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 main housing  200 ). In certain embodiments, the mount  260  may be attached to or part of the cover  300 . 
     The cassette  100  further includes a transitioning area  160  for transitioning the telecommunications cable  500  from the storage area  110  to the exterior  102  of the cassette  100 . As the telecommunications cable  500  is paid-out of the storage area  110  of the cassette  100 , the telecommunications cable  500  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  that is spaced away from the annular ring  400  and extends circumferentially around the annular ring  400  along an arc segment. In the depicted embodiment, the arc segment is concentric with the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, the first cable guide  162  is spaced from the annular ring  400  by a space  410  (e.g., a distance) sufficient to route a single strand of the telecommunications cable  500  between the first cable guide  162  and the annular ring  400 . In the depicted embodiment, a 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 telecommunications cable  500 . In the depicted embodiment, the first and the second cable guides  162 ,  164  are formed on the housing  200  of the cassette  100 . 
     The cassette  100  further 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  410  between the first cable guide  162  and the annular ring  400 . 
     As illustrated at  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the cassette  100  is holding a maximum length of the telecommunications cable  500  or near the maximum length of the telecommunications cable  500 , the outermost loop  510   1 ,  510   o , the second loop  510   2 , the third loop  510   3 , etc. follow the perimeter  212  of the storage cavity  210 , as mentioned above. Upon a cable route reaching the innermost loop  510   i , the telecommunications cable  500  departs from following the perimeter  212  and veers toward the annular ring  400 . The telecommunications cable  500  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 telecommunications cable  500  is elevated above the previous loops  510   1-4  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 telecommunications cable  500  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 telecommunications cable  500  as it leaves (i.e., exits) the cassette  100 . The second cable guide  164  may assist in preventing the telecommunications cable  500  from following the annular ring  400  and may peel the telecommunications cable  500  from the annular ring  400  and direct the telecommunications cable  500  toward the third cable guide  360 . A space may be created between the second cable guide  164  and the first cable guide  162  adjacent a portion of the circumference of the annular ring  400  so that as the telecommunications cable  500  winds around the annular ring  400  and exits, the telecommunications cable  500  does not get pinched and thereby prevented from being pulled out. The transitioning area  160  may include the space between the second cable guide  164  and the first cable guide  162 . 
     As depicted, the main housing  200  of the housing  180  includes a series of fingers  270  that project inwardly. The series of the fingers  270  are spaced at the elevation of the cover  300  and form a space  272  with a bottom surface  216  of the cavity  210  that is substantially equal to a space  218  between an interior  302  of the cover  300  and the bottom surface  216  of the cavity  210 . The space  218  keeps the series of the loops  510  positioned within the cavity  210  at the one layer deep. 
     The fingers  270  may provide a convenient holding arrangement for initially wrapping the loops  510  of the telecommunications cable  500  about the perimeter  212 . The cover  300  may include a series of notches  370  or recesses that match the fingers  270  of the housing  200 . The housing  200  may include a flange  280  that extends around an outer perimeter of the housing  200 . The cover  300  may fit inside the flange  280 . The flange  280  may include an opening aligned with the third cable guide  360  that allows the telecommunications cable  500  to exit through the flange  280  at the exit  104 . 
     As illustrated at  FIGS. 7 and 8 , upon the deployment of the telecommunications cable  500 , the loops  510  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  510   i  draws the telecommunications cable  500  from the second to the most innermost loop ( 510   3  as depicted at  FIG. 8 ) as the telecommunications cable  500  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  510   i . As the telecommunications cable  500  continues to be deployed, portions of the telecommunications cable that were in the innermost loop  510   i  exit through the transition area  160  and toward the exterior  102  of the cassette  100 . The telecommunications cable  500  that has left the innermost loop  510   i  is replaced by the telecommunications cable  500  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 telecommunications cable  500  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 of loops N of the telecommunications cable  500  within the storage area  110  may remain constant during the cable deployment process. The length of each loop  510  is decreased in magnitude (i.e., circumference) thereby supplying the length of the telecommunications cable  500  that is deployed. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the cavity  210  is an obround shape that includes semicircular ends spaced from each other. In other embodiments, the cavity  210  may have other shapes (e.g., circular, oval, etc.). In the depicted embodiment, the rotating ring  400  is positioned concentric to the semicircular end positioned opposite the cable entrance  202 . 
     In preferred embodiments, features within the cassette  100  are shaped to provide bend radius protection to a fiber optic cable. 
     The first end  502  and/or the second end  504  of the telecommunications cable  500  may be connectorized by a connector  600  (e.g., a fiber optic connector). 
     Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure, and it should be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.