Abstract:
A spool for a telecommunications cable. The spool winds-up and pays-out the cable without accumulating twist in the cable. The spool can also pay out a distal end of the cable and mount a proximal end of the cable. Because no twist is accumulated in the cable, the first end and/or the second end of the cable can remain connected while the spool is winding-up or paying-out. The spool includes a base, a cable wrap reverser, and a hub. The spool is adapted to wrap the cable about the base in a first wrapping direction and is adapted to wrap the cable about the hub in an opposite second wrapping direction. The cable wrap reverser is adapted to transition and guide the cable from the first to the second wrapping direction.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Spools or reels 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 
     Features of the present disclosure relate to a spool for a telecommunications cable. The spool includes a base, a cable wrap reverser, and a hub. The base includes a spool mount and a first cable wrapping area and defines a rotation axis. The cable wrap reverser includes a cable guide and is rotatably mounted about the rotation axis of the base. The hub includes a second cable wrapping area and is rotatably mounted about the rotation axis of the base. 
     The base of the spool is adapted to hold a first end of the telecommunications cable, and the spool is adapted to pay-out the telecommunications cable from the spool when a second end of the telecommunications cable, adjacent the second cable wrapping area, is pulled away from the spool. 
     The spool is adapted to wrap the telecommunication cable adjacent the first end about the first cable wrapping area of the base in a first wrapping direction and is adapted to wrap the telecommunication cable about the second cable wrapping area of the hub in a second wrapping direction. The first and the second wrapping directions are generally opposite from each other. The cable wrap reverser is adapted to transition and guide the telecommunications cable from wrapping in the first wrapping direction on the first cable wrapping area to wrapping in the second wrapping direction on the second cable wrapping area. 
     The spool of the present disclosure is able to wind-up and pay-out the telecommunications cable without causing the accumulation of twist in the cable. The spool can also pay out the second end of the telecommunication cable and mount the first end of the telecommunication cable. Because no twist is accumulated in the telecommunication cable, the first end and/or the second end of the telecommunication cable can remain connected while the spool is winding-up or paying-out. 
     These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad aspects of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a spool for a telecommunications cable in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the spool of  FIG. 1  with an access cover shown transparently in phantom line; 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the spool of  FIG. 1  with the access cover of  FIG. 2  removed and a spool cover separated from the spool; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the spool of  FIG. 1  with the access cover of  FIG. 2  removed and the spool cover of  FIG. 3  separated from the spool; 
         FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the spool of  FIG. 1  with the access cover of  FIG. 2  removed and the spool cover of  FIG. 3  separated from the spool; 
         FIG. 6  is another perspective view of the spool of  FIG. 1  with the spool cover of  FIG. 3  shown transparently in phantom line and a telecommunications cable shown in a retracted configuration; 
         FIG. 7  is the perspective view of  FIG. 6  showing the spool of  FIG. 1  with the spool cover of  FIG. 3  shown transparently in phantom line and the telecommunications cable of  FIG. 6  shown slightly extended; 
         FIG. 8  is the perspective view of  FIG. 6  showing the spool of  FIG. 1  with the spool cover of  FIG. 3  shown transparently in phantom line and the telecommunications cable of  FIG. 6  shown increasingly extended; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a base of the spool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the base of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a plan view of the base of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a cable wrap reverser of the spool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a hub of the spool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a cover of the spool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 15  is another perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a cross sectional view of a fiber optic cable telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 17  is a cross sectional view of an electrical telecommunications cable; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of an alternate cable wrap reverser including a pulley; 
         FIG. 19  is a schematic view of a spring between the base of  FIG. 9  and the cable wrap reverser of  FIG. 12  and another spring between the base of  FIG. 9  and the hub of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a schematic view of a ratchet between the base of  FIG. 9  and the cable wrap reverser of  FIG. 12  and another ratchet between the base of  FIG. 9  and the hub of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a schematic view of the spool of  FIG. 1  including a gear set; 
         FIG. 22  is a partial perspective view illustrating an adapter and a connector, the connector terminating the telecommunications cable of  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 23  is the partial perspective view of  FIG. 22  but with the connector disconnected from the adapter. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It is often desirable to deploy a telecommunications cable with a length of the telecommunications cable varying for various purposes. For example, it may be desired to connect the telecommunications cable to various ports that vary in location and/or distance from each other. It is often desirable to retract a telecommunications cable when the telecommunications cable is not connected and thereby keep the telecommunications cable from cluttering a cabinet and/or a work area, etc. 
       FIGS. 1-8  illustrate a spool  10  for a telecommunications cable  12  in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The spool  10  includes a base  14 , a cable wrap reverser  16 , a hub  18 , a cover  20 , and an access cover  76 . 
     The spool  10  allows for one end of the telecommunications cable  12  to be unwrapped from a spooled area of cable while the opposite end of the telecommunications cable  12  remains stationary, without causing twists in the telecommunications cable  12 . 
     As depicted, the base  14  of the spool  10  is adapted for stationary mounting and includes a bulkhead  22  to mount the spool  10 . The base  14  includes an axle  24  and thereby defines an axis A 1  (see  FIGS. 9-11 ). The base  14  can include a connector mount  26  (see  FIG. 9 ) for mounting a connector  28  that terminates the telecommunications cable  12  (see  FIG. 5 ). The connector mount  26  can mount an adapter  30  that, in turn, can connect with the connector  28 . A cap  84  can cover the adapter  30 . The base  14  can include a slot  32  to allow passage of the telecommunications cable  12  through the base  14 . The base  14  can include cable guide features  34  to guide the telecommunications cable  12  between a cable wrapping area  36  and the connector mount  26  or other feature. In applications where the telecommunications cable  12  is a fiber optic cable  40  (see  FIG. 16 ), the cable guide features  34  are adapted to prevent the fiber optic cable  40  from bending sharply (e.g., bending that would cause an optical fiber within the fiber optic cable  40  to be bent sharper than a minimum bend radius Rmin. The base  14  can include cover retainers  38  to retain and mount the cover  20  on the base  14 . As depicted, the base  14  can mount the cover  20  in multiple orientations. In particular, the base  14  can mount the cover  20  in four different orientations. The cable wrapping area  36  can be a predominantly cylindrical surface  42  with a radius of Rb (see  FIG. 11 ). In applications where the telecommunications cable  12  is the fiber optic cable  40 , the radius Rb can be greater than the minimum bend radius Rmin. The base  14  can include a flange  56  (see  FIG. 10 ) adjacent the cable wrapping area  36 . 
     The base  14  rotatably mounts the cable wrap reverser  16  about the axis A 1 . The cable wrap reverser  16  can include bearings  44  (see  FIG. 12 ) adapted to mount on the axle  24  of the base  14 . The cable wrap reverser  16  includes a cable guide  46  that can define a radius Rw. In applications where the telecommunications cable  12  is the fiber optic cable  40 , the radius Rw can be greater than the minimum bend radius Rmin. As depicted at  FIG. 12 , the cable guide  46  includes a U-shaped configuration. In other embodiments, the cable guide  46  can be a pulley  48 .  FIG. 18  illustrates an alternate cable wrap reverser  16 ′ including the pulley  48  as the cable guide  46 . The cable guide  46  defines an axis A 2 . As depicted, the axis A 2  is generally perpendicular to the axis A 1  when the spool  10  is assembled. The axis A 2  may intersect the axis A 1  or may be offset from the axis A 1  when the spool  10  is assembled. As depicted, the cable wrap reverser  16  includes a generally cylindrical surface  82 , and the cable wrap reverser  16 ′ includes a generally cylindrical surface  82 ′. The cylindrical surface  82 ,  82 ′ is depicted as being centered about the axis A 1  when the spool  10  is assembled. The cylindrical surface  82 ,  82 ′ is depicted as defining a radius Rr. 
     As depicted, the base  14  rotatably mounts the hub  18  about the axis A 1 . The hub  18  can include bearings  50  (see  FIG. 13 ) adapted to mount on the axle  24  of the base  14 . The hub  18  includes a cable wrapping area  52  that can define a radius Rh. In applications where the telecommunications cable  12  is the fiber optic cable  40 , the radius Rh can be greater than the minimum bend radius Rmin. The hub  18  can include a flange  54  adjacent the cable wrapping area  52 . The flange  54  can include a passage  58 . The flange  54  can serve to keep the telecommunications cable  12  from slipping off of the hub  18 . The passage  58  through the flange  54  can provide a route for the telecommunications cable  12  while the spool  10  is being assembled (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     In the depicted embodiment, the radii Rb, Rr, and Rh are substantially equal to each other. In addition, the cable wrapping areas  36  and  52  and the cylindrical surface  82 ,  82 ′ are substantially aligned and coaxial with each other. The spool  10  with the cable wrap reverser  16  forms coils of the telecommunications cable  12  that are coaxially arranged, but are wound in opposite directions. The coils or portions of the coils can approximate a helix with one coil being a right hand helix and the other coil being a left hand helix. 
     The base  14  of the spool  10  can hold a first end  60  of the telecommunications cable  12  (see  FIG. 5 ). Alternatively, the first end  60  of the telecommunications cable  12  can be free of the base  14 , and the telecommunications cable  12  can pass through the base  14 . A second end  62  of the telecommunications cable  12  can be extended from the spool  10  as shown at  FIGS. 6-8 . The second end  62  of the telecommunications cable  12  can be terminated by a connector  64 . The second end  62  of the telecommunications cable  12  can be extended (i.e., paid out) from the spool  10  by pulling on the second end  62  in a direction away from the spool  10 . 
     The spool  10  is adapted to wrap the telecommunications cable  12  adjacent the first end  60  about the cable wrapping area  36  of the base  14  in a first wrapping direction (e.g.,  FIGS. 3 and 4  show the telecommunications cable  12  wrapped in a right hand direction about the cable wrapping area  36 ) and is adapted to wrap the telecommunication cable about the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  in a second wrapping direction, (e.g.,  FIGS. 3 and 4  show the telecommunications cable  12  wrapped in a left hand direction about the cable wrapping area  52 ). The cable wrap reverser  16  is adapted to transition and guide the telecommunications cable  12  from wrapping in the first wrapping direction on the cable wrapping area  36  to wrapping in the second wrapping direction on the cable wrapping area  52 . The first and the second wrapping directions are generally centered on the rotation axis A 1  (e.g., the wrapping directions can approximately form a helix that is centered on the rotation axis A 1 ). 
     The cover  20  can include a cable exit  68 . The cable exit  68  can be positioned as desired by mounting the cover  20  on the base  14  at a corresponding orientation. The cover  20  can be secured to the base  14  by fastening a fastener opening  78  on the cover  20  to a fastener opening  80  on the base  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the fastener opening  80  is located at an end of the axle  24  of the base  14  and can be a threaded fastener opening concentric with the axis A 1 . When the spool  10  is assembled, the cable exit  68  can be positioned to tangentially guide the telecommunications cable  12  off and on the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  when the second end  62  of the telecommunications cable  12  is pulled away from the spool  10 . The spool  10  can include a torsion spring  70  connected between the cable wrap reverser  16  and the base  14  (see  FIG. 19 ). The spool  10  can include a torsion spring  72  connected between the hub  18  and the base  14  (see  FIG. 19 ). The torsion spring  70  urges the cable wrap reverser  16  to rotate about the rotation axis A 1  when the torsion spring  70  is wound. The cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16  is adapted to wrap the telecommunications cable  12  in the first wrapping direction about the cable wrapping area  36  when the cable wrap reverser  16  is rotated by the torsion spring  70 . The cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  is adapted to feed the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  52  to the cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16  when the cable wrap reverser  16  is rotated by the torsion spring  70 . The cable wrapping area  52  is adapted to wrap the telecommunications cable  12  adjacent the second end  62  when the cable wrap reverser  16  is rotated by the torsional spring  70 . 
     The spool  10  can include a ratchet  74  connected between the cable wrap reverser  16  and the base  14  (see  FIG. 20 ). The ratchet  74  is adapted to allow the telecommunications cable  12  to be paid-out from the spool  10  and hold the torsional spring  70 ,  72  from urging the cable wrap reverser  16  from rotating about the rotation axis A 1  when the torsional spring  70 ,  72  is wound. The ratchet  74  can be releasable by various methods known in the art. 
     The spool  10  can include a ratchet  86  connected between the hub  18  and the base  14  (see  FIG. 20 ). The ratchet  86  is adapted to allow the telecommunications cable  12  to be paid-out from the spool  10  and hold the torsional spring  70 ,  72  from urging the hub  18  from rotating about the rotation axis A 1  when the torsional spring  70 ,  72  is wound. The ratchet  86  can be releasable by various methods known in the art. 
     Certain hubs of certain spools and cable wrapping areas of certain spools can be non-cylindrical (e.g., hexagonal, square, rectangular, etc.). 
     The principles of the present disclosure also include a method of wrapping the telecommunications cable  12  about the spool  10 . The method includes: wrapping the telecommunications cable  12  about the cable wrapping area  36  of the base  14  of the spool  10  in a first wrapping direction, wrapping the telecommunications cable  12  about the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  in a second opposite wrapping direction, transitioning the telecommunications cable  12  with the cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16  from the first wrapping direction on the cable wrapping area  36  to the second wrapping direction on the cable wrapping area  52 , and rotating the cable wrap reverser  16  and thereby unwrapping a portion of the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  52 , transitioning the unwrapped portion of the telecommunications cable  12  with the cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16 , and wrapping the transitioned portion of the telecommunications cable  12  about the cable wrapping area  36  of the base  14  of the spool  19  in the first wrapping direction. 
     The wrapping method can also include wrapping additional telecommunications cable  12  about the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  as the rotating cable wrap reverser  16  unwraps the portion of the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  52 . The wrapping method can further include the additional telecommunications cable  12  being wrapped about the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  at a wrapping rate about double an unwrapping rate of the portion of the telecommunications cable  12  being unwrapped from the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  by the rotating cable wrap reverser  16 . 
     The principles of the present disclosure also include a method of unwrapping the telecommunications cable  12  from the spool  10 . The method includes: unwrapping the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  36  of the base  14  of the spool  10  in a first unwrapping direction, unwrapping the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  in an opposite second unwrapping direction, transitioning the telecommunications cable  12  with the cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16  from a first wrap direction on the cable wrapping area  36  to an opposite second wrap direction on the cable wrapping area  52 , rotating the cable wrap reverser  16  and thereby unwrapping a portion of the telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  36 , transitioning the unwrapped portion of the telecommunications cable  12  with the cable guide  46  of the cable wrap reverser  16 , and wrapping the transitioned portion of the telecommunications cable  12  about the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  in the second wrap direction. 
     The unwrapping method can also include unwrapping additional telecommunications cable  12  from the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  as the rotating cable wrap reverser  16  wraps the portion of the telecommunications cable  12  on the cable wrapping area  52 . The unwrapping method can further include the additional telecommunications cable  12  being unwrapped from the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  at an unwrapping rate about double a wrapping rate of the portion of the telecommunications cable  12  being wrapped on the cable wrapping area  52  of the hub  18  of the spool  10  by the rotating cable wrap reverser  16 . 
     The spool  10  can be powered by the pulling of the telecommunications cable  12 , the spring  70 ,  72  of the spool, a hand crank, a motor, and various other means. The base  14 , the cable wrap reverser  16 , and/or the hub  18  of the spool  10  can be geared to one another by a gear set  88  (see  FIG. 21 ). The gear set  88  can cause the hub  18  to turn twice as fast as the cable wrap reverser  16 . The telecommunications cable  12 , in combination with its above described routing, can serve to gear the base  14 , the cable wrap reverser  16 , and/or the hub  18  of the spool  10  to one another. The telecommunications cable  12  can cause the hub  18  to turn twice as fast as the cable wrap reverser  16 . The hub  18  and the cable wrap reverser  16  typically turn in the same direction. 
     The telecommunications cable  12  is wound/unwound without causing twists in the telecommunications cable  12 , even though one end of the telecommunications cable  12  remains stationary. 
     The telecommunications cable  12  can be the fiber optic cable  40  (see  FIG. 16 ), an electrical cable  66  (see  FIG. 17 ), or other cables such as a hybrid fiber optic/electrical cable. In the depicted embodiment, the telecommunications cable  12  is a multi-fiber fiber optic telecommunications cable and the connector  28  is a multi-fiber fiber optic connector. In other embodiments, the telecommunications cable  12  can be a single-fiber fiber optic telecommunications cable and the connector  28  can be a single-fiber fiber optic connector. The connector  28  terminates the telecommunications cable  12  and can be connected with the adapter  30  (See  FIGS. 22 and 23 ). 
     From the forgoing detailed description, it will be evident that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.