Abstract:
A telecommunications connection cabinet includes an enclosure; a splitter mounting location positioned within the enclosure; a fiber connection location positioned within the enclosure; and a connector storage location positioned within the enclosure. The splitter mounting location is located between the fiber connection location and the connector storage location. At least one storage block is mounted at the connector storage location. The storage block is configured to hold the fiber optic connectors of at least some splitter output cables. Each storage block is configured to receive the fiber optic connectors while dust caps are mounted on the ferrules of the fiber optic connectors.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/835,882 filed on Aug. 8, 2007, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/399,944 filed on Apr. 7, 2006, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,277,620, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/871,555 filed on Jun. 18, 2004, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,218,827, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to fiber optic telecommunications connection devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to telecommunications connection cabinets including holders for fiber optic connectors. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Fiber optic connectivity and service is being extended to more and more customers, both commercial and residential. However, not all customers to whom this service is available are currently ready to accept and utilize such service. Additionally, new service and connection devices may be provided in residential or commercial real estate development projects but at a time prior to when the units are constructed or ready for occupancy. In such circumstances, it is desirable to have an easily scalable solution for aiding connection of new customers to existing connections within a piece of installed connection equipment and expansion of the number of connections available within that installed equipment. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a telecommunications equipment cabinet including a splitter connecting an outside plant cable to a plurality of fiber optic cables. The cabinet includes a splitter mounting area, a cable management structure, an array of adapters for optically connecting two fiber optic cables terminated with connectors, and an excess cable storage area. Customer equipment cables are connected to rear of adapters within the adapter array. Cables from the splitter are directed to the cable management structure and to the excess cable storage area where connectors terminating these cables are stored and protected until a connection between the outside plant cable and the customer equipment cable is desired. 
         [0005]    The present invention further relates to a connector holder with at least one opening in a housing for receiving a fiber optic connector and protecting a polished end face of the connector. The connector holder includes a housing with a releasable latch on one end and a mounting tab on the other end which cooperate to releasably mount the housing within an opening in a bulkhead. 
         [0006]    The present invention still further relates to a method of increasing the connection capacity of a fiber optic telecommunications connection cabinet. A splitter is mounted in the cabinet and a cable from the splitter is connected to an outside plant cable. The splitter splits an optical signal from the outside plant cable into a plurality of optical fiber cables terminated with optical fiber connectors. This plurality of cables is directed from the splitter to a cable management area and to an excess cable storage area. A plurality of connectors of these cables are inserted within a connector holder and the connector holder is inserted within a mounting opening in the excess cable storage area. The cabinet includes an array of adapters which may be used as needed to connect a cable from the splitter to a customer equipment cable. 
         [0007]    The present invention still further relates to a splitter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a fiber optic telecommunications connection cabinet including a multi-position fiber optic connector holder according to the present invention, with only illustrative cables shown to indicate routing. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a second embodiment of a fiber optic telecommunications connection cabinet including a multi-position fiber optic connector holder according to the present invention, with only illustrative cables shown to indicate routing. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of a mounting bulkhead for receiving a multi-position fiber optic connector holder as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , with a multi-position fiber optic connector holder inserted within one of a plurality of mounting openings. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a multi-position fiber optic connector holder according to the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a second rear perspective view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a side cross-sectional view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 7 , taken along line  11 - 11 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 7 , taken along line  12 - 12 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a second cross-sectional view of the multi-position fiber optic connector holder of  FIG. 7 , taken along line  13 - 13 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a front perspective view of a fiber optic splitter module as shown within the cabinets of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 14A  is a top view of a fiber optic device according to the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is a front view of a third embodiment of a telecommunications connection cabinet according to the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 16  is a front view of a fourth embodiment of a telecommunications cabinet according to the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 17  is a front perspective view of fifth embodiment of a telecommunications connection cabinet according to the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 18  is a front view of a sixth embodiment of a telecommunications cabinet according to the present invention, with the excess fiber storage area mounted adjacent an inside surface of a side wall. 
           [0028]      FIG. 19  is a front perspective view of a mounting bulkhead for receiving a multi-position fiber optic connector holder as shown in  FIG. 18 , with a multi-position fiber optic connector holder inserted within one of a plurality of mounting openings. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]    Reference will now be made in detail to the 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. 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  shows a telecommunications connection cabinet  100  such as might be mounted on a pedestal or other mount in an area where fiber optic connectivity for customers is desired. Cabinet  100  provides a location for outside plant fiber optic cables to be connected to fiber optic distribution cables. The distribution cables are then lead to customer equipment to provide fiber optic service and connectivity at the customer&#39;s location. A typical arrangement for providing service to customers might include utilizing a splitter to break the signal from an outside plant (OSP) cable into a plurality of distribution cables, each distribution cable providing a connection to a particular piece of customer equipment. A common splitter might separate the optic signal within the OSP cable into thirty-two individual signals and also combine those thirty-two signals into the OSP cable in a bi-directional communication configuration. Cabinet  100  is similar in nature to that disclosed in the commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/613,764, filed on Jul. 2, 2003, entitled “Telecommunications Connection Cabinet,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0031]    A plurality of cables  108  connected to the customer equipment may be directed into cabinet  100 . One or more OSP cables  106  may be directed into cabinet  100  to a splice arrangement, such as a splice tray or panel  110 . OSP cables  106  may be spliced within splice panel  110  to a secondary cable  104 . Secondary cable  104  is directed from splice panel  110  to a first cable management structure  112  and lead to a splitter  102  within a splitter mounting area  103 . Splitter  102  separates the optical signal transmitted over OSP cable  106  and secondary cable  104  into up to thirty-two signals directed into an equal number of fiber distribution cables  114 . Cables  114  are directed from splitter  102  through cable management area  112  and into a second cable management and slack storage area  116  including a plurality of cable slack storage spools  117 . From slack storage area  116 , cables  114  may be directed to either a connector holder within an excess cable storage area  118  or to an adapter within an adapter array  120 . Each of these cables  114  are preferably terminated with a fiber optic connector. 
         [0032]    Within excess cable storage area  118 , a plurality of connector holders  122  are installed within mounting slots in a bulkhead  124 . Connector holder  122  (described in further detail below) includes a plurality of openings for receiving and releasably holding the fiber optic connector. The openings in connector holder  122  preferably do not provide a continuous optical path but rather house and protect a polished end face of an optical fiber within each cable  114  which is mounted to the terminal fiber optic connector. This protection may be provided in combination with an endcap, such as shown in commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/610,325, filed on Jun. 30, 2003, entitled “Fiber Optic Connector Holder and Method,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, connector holder  122  may enclose and protect the polished end face of the connector terminating cable  114  without the need for a protective endcap. 
         [0033]    Within adapter array  120 , a plurality of fiber optic adapters  123  are mounted which receive the connector terminating cable  114 . The connector of cable  114  is received within an opening in a front side of an adapter  123 . Adapter  123  also includes an opening on an opposite rear side which is adapted to receive a connector terminating one of the customer equipment cables  108 . Adapters  123  within adapter array  120  may optically connect one of the cables  114  to one of the cables  108 , for transmission of an optical signal from OSP cable  106  to the customer equipment connected to that cable  108 . Such cable terminating connectors and adapters  123  are well known in the industry. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the connectors are SC connectors and it is anticipated that other types, formats, styles and sizes of telecommunications connectors may be used. 
         [0034]    Cabinet  100  includes a front  126 , a pair of opposing sides  128 , a rear wall  130 , a base  132  and a top  134 , all cooperating to define an interior  136  within which the various components described above are mounted. The components are accessible through an opening  140  in front  126  which may be closed off by a pair of doors  138 . 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an alternative embodiment  200  of a telecommunications connection cabinet includes the same components as cabinet  100 . Some of the components are altered in appearance or location but the functional characteristics are similar to cabinet  100 . Cabinet  100  includes a pair of adapter array panels  121 , and each panel  121  includes a total of four rows of eighteen adapters  123 , or seventy-two adapters  123 . Cabinet  200  includes three such adapter array panels, totaling two hundred sixteen adapters  123 . Both cabinets  100  and  200  include a single bulkhead  124  within excess cable storage area  118 . Each bulkhead  124  includes openings for mounting three rows of three connector holders  122 . Each connector holder  122  includes a total of eight openings for receiving, storing and protecting eight cable connectors of cables  114 , providing total storage for up to seventy-two connectors. 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a bulkhead  224  is shown with nine openings  226  in a front face  228  including a rear surface  229 , and one connector holder  122  positioned within one of the openings  226 . A pair of opposing sidewalls  230  extend rearward from opposite ends of front face  228  to a pair of mounting flanges  232 . Mounting flanges  232  include fastener openings  234  for mounting bulkhead  224  to one of a cabinet  100  or  200 , or a similarly configured cabinet. Bulkhead  224  is similar to bulkhead  124  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , except configured so that front face  228  would be angled toward one side of the cabinet within which it is mounted. Angling of bulkheads including devices for receiving fiber optic connectors is known in the industry and provides for improved cable management and density of installation while aiding in bend radius protection, among other advantages. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , above, bulkhead  124  has equal length sidewalls  230  so that bulkhead  124  is not angled toward either side of cabinet  100  or  200 . 
         [0037]    Each opening  226  includes a first or top end  227  and a second or bottom end  225 . A pair of ears  236  are positioned one each in a pair of opposing sides extending from top end  227  to bottom end  225 , the ears  226  cooperating with a keying feature  238  on connector holder  122  to orient connector holder  122  within opening  226 . Connector holder  122  includes a releasable latch  240  at one end and a tab  242  on the opposite end (shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , below) which cooperate to releasably hold connector holder  122  within opening  226 . It is desirable that the direction of force that may be applied to connector holder  122  by tension in cables  114  be controlled to prevent accidental release of connector holder  122  from opening  226 . Keying features  238  and ears  236  cooperate to ensure that connector holder  122  is properly oriented within opening  226  to resist accidental release caused by such cable tension. 
         [0038]    Openings  226  within front face  228  of bulkhead  224  (and bulkhead  124 ) are sized to also receive up to eight adapters  123  when connector holders  122  are not in position. This allows bulkheads  124  and  224  to provide additional space for optically connecting cables  114  with customer equipment cables  108  for added connection capacity with cabinets  100  and  200 , as well as similarly configured cabinets. 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 to 13 , connector holder  122  includes a housing  160  with eight openings  150  for receiving and releasably holding connectors of cables  114 . As described above, cables  114  are terminated by an SC style connector and openings  150  are configured to receive and releasably hold an SC connector. As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , openings  150  extend through housing  160  from a front  162  to a rear  164  and can each receive a connector of a cable  114  with a dust cap about the polished end face of the optical fiber held by cable  114  and the connector. Such a dust cap is shown in the above-referenced and incorporated U.S. Patent Applications. Alternatively, openings  150  might be close-ended so that the polished end face of the connector can be protected from contamination with or without a dust cap. 
         [0040]    Housing  160  includes a first end or top  152  and a second end or bottom  154 . Releasable latch  240  is mounted to top  152  and tab  242  is in bottom  154 . Extending between top  152  and bottom  154  along sides  166  of housing  160  are rails  156 . Keying feature  238  is positioned along rail  156  and extends beyond a rear face  158  of rail  156 . A portion of housing  160  extending beyond rear face  158  of rail  156  is sized to fit within opening  226 . When inserted within opening  226 , rear face  158  of rail  156  engages front face  228  and keying feature  238  engages one of the ears  236  to properly orient top  152  and bottom  154  of housing  160 . 
         [0041]    To insert housing  160  within opening  226 , bottom  154  is first positioned within opening  226  through front face  228  so that a locking face  243  of tab  242  is behind front face  228  at bottom end  225  and engages rear surface  229  of front face  228 . Top  152  is then inserted within opening  226 . A ramped face  244  of releasable latch  240  engages top end  227  of opening  226  and deflects to permit ramped face  244  and locking face  241  of releasable latch  240  to pass through opening  226 . Locking face  241  of releasable latch  240  engages rear surface  229 . Opposing both locking faces  241  and  243  are rear faces  158  of rails  156 , which are engaging front face  228 . Both keying features  238  engage ears  236  of opening  226 . Releasable latch  240  includes a finger tab  246  which may be depressed to retract locking face  241  so that locking face  241  disengages from rear surface  229  and permits removal of housing  160  from opening  226 . Housing  160  is configured to be inserted through front face  228  of bulkheads  124  or  224  when cabinet  100  or  200  is access through opening  140  in front  126 . 
         [0042]    Referring now to  FIGS. 7 to 13 , housing  160  of connector holder  122  includes an orientation slot  170  and latching arms  168  within each opening  150 . Latching arms  168  cooperate with latching features of an SC style adapter to allow such connectors to be releasably held within openings  150 . For other styles and types of connectors, different latching features might be included within opening  150  to permit these connectors to be releasably held. Orientation slot  170  may cooperate with an orientation feature on the exterior of an SC connector to orient all connectors within openings  150  in the same fashion. Such orientation of connectors is not essential for SC connectors, which have generally symmetrical latching features, but may be desirable for other connectors with different latching configurations. 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIG. 14 , splitter  102  includes a housing  172  with a cable entry  174  for secondary cable  104  and a pair of cable exits  176  (e.g., a boot) for cables  114 . As shown, each cable exit  176  allows for up to sixteen cables  114  to exit housing  172 . Terminating each cable  114  is a connector  180  with a polished end face  182 , shown as an SC connector. Other sizes and layouts of cable exits are anticipated. Different numbers of cables  114  may exit housing  172 , depending on the connection requirements to be satisfied and the optical splitter arrangement  107  within the housing  172 . Mounted to one side of housing  172  is a releasable latch  178  to hold splitter  102  within splitter mounting area  103  of cabinet  100  or  200 , or similarly configured telecommunications connection cabinets. 
         [0044]      FIG. 14A  shows a fiber optic device module  202  similar in layout to splitter  102  with secondary cable  104  and a plurality of cables  114 . Secondary cable  104  may be a single strand cable and module  202  may include a splitter to connector cable  104  with cables  114 , such as described above with regard to module  102 . Alternatively, cable  104  may be a multi-strand cable and module  202  may serve only as a fan-out module separating the strands into cables  114 . Each of the cables  114  are terminated by a connector  180  and each connector  180  is inserted within a connector holder  122 . Such a module  202  may be used in the method of adding connection capacity described below. 
         [0045]    A method of adding connection capacity to cabinet  100  might include installing a preconfigured splitter  102  in combination with one or more connector holders  122 . It is desirable to provide for easy field expansion of connection capacity within cabinet  100  so that cabinet  100  does need to anticipate the ultimate connection configuration for a particular customer service area when installed. Cabinet  100  may be installed with only enough connection capacity to serve the immediate need forecasted for a customer area and allow for incremental expansion as more connections are needed in the area. The following method of adding connection capacity to cabinet  100  is also applicable to cabinet  200  and may be used to initially configure cabinet  100  prior to installation or to expand the capacity of cabinet  100  in the field. 
         [0046]    To increase connection capacity within cabinet  100 , a splitter  102  preconfigured with a cable  104  and thirty-two cables  114  terminated by connectors  180  is used. The splitter  102  is mounted within splitter mounting area  103  and the free end of cable  104  is led into cable management structure  112  and to splice panel  110 . In splice panel  110 , the free end of cable  104  is spliced into an end of an OSP cable  106 . This splice optically connects OSP cable  106  to each of the cables  114 . Connectors  180  of cables  114  are pre-inserted within four connector holders  122 . Cables  114  are led from splitter  102  through cable management structure  112  to second cable management structure  116  where excess cable length may be retained within the cable slack storage arrangement. Since splitter  102  may be preconfigured for use with different cabinets as well as cabinet  100 , the length of cables  114  of splitter may be longer than required for cabinet  100  and this excess length may be held about the cable slack storage spools  117  (see  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0047]    From second cable management area  116 , cables  114  and connector holders  122  with connectors  180  inserted are positioned within excess cable storage area  118 . Each connector holder  122  is simply snapped into one of the openings  226  of bulkhead  124 . Addition of extra connection capacity is now completed. When a customer connection is required, a customer equipment cable  108  is led into cabinet  100  and terminated with a connector  180 . This connector is inserted within a rear opening of an adapter  123  within adapter array  120 . Alternatively, when cabinet  100  is installed, the rear of all adapters  123  in adapter  122  may have customer equipment cables  108  prewired and these cables led to the customer premises in anticipation of future customer hookups. When such a prewired customer desires a live connection, a cable  114  merely needs to be inserted into the front of the appropriate adapter  123 . One of the cables  114  within excess cable storage area  118  is selected and its connector  180  is removed from connector holder  118 . The selected cable  114  is re-routed within second cable management area  116  as needed to provide a desired length of cable and the connector  180  is inserted within the appropriate adapter  123  in adapter array  120 . If connector  180  of the selected cable  114  includes a dust cap to protect the polished end face of the fiber, this dust cap is removed prior to insertion into the adapter  123 . 
         [0048]    Splitter  102  includes thirty-two cables  114  and connectors  180 , inserted within four connector holders  122  when splitter  102  is installed. As these cables  114  and connectors  180  are transferred into adapter array  120 , some or all of the connector holders  122  may be emptied of all connectors  180 . When this happens, the empty connector holder  122  may be removed from excess cable storage area  118  and discarded or recycled. Removal of these empty connector holders  122  would free openings  226  in bulkhead  124  to permit connector holders of additional splitters  102  to be installed and more capacity to be added to cabinet  100 . 
         [0049]    If a connection to customer equipment needs to be terminated, the connector  180  of the appropriate cable  114  may be removed from the adapter  123 . The cable  114  is then rerouted within the cable management structure  116  and the connector  180  inserted within an opening  150  of a connector holder  122  within excess cable storage area  118 . 
         [0050]    Splitter mounting area  103  of cabinet  100  includes spaces to mount up to four splitters  102 , while cabinet  200  provides spaces to mount up to eight splitters  102 . Thus configured, cabinet  100  has a capacity to connect up to split up to four OSP cables into thirty-two cables  114  each, or up to a total of one hundred twenty eight cables  114 . Within adapter array  120  there are a sufficient number of adapters  123  to permit connection of each of these cables  114  to a corresponding customer equipment cable  108 . 
         [0051]    However, cabinet  200  has the capacity to split up to eight OSP cables into thirty-two cables  114  each, or up to a total of two hundred fifty-six cables  114 . Adapter array  120  in cabinet  200  only provides a total of two hundred sixteen adapters  123  for receiving connectors from cables  114 . Once adapter array  120  has been fully populated with cables  114 , there may be up to forty excess cables  114  within excess cable storage area  118  which are not provided with an adapter  123  for connection with a customer equipment cable  108 . 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 13 , housing  160  of connector holder  122  with eight openings  150  has generally the same footprint as an array of eight adapters  123 . When adapter array  120  has been fully populated with cables  114  from splitters  102 , connector holders  122  may be removed from openings  226  in bulkhead  124  and up to eight adapters  123  may be positioned in each opening  226 . By fully filling five of the openings in bulkhead  124  with adapters  123 , an additional forty cables  114  can be connected with customer equipment cables  108 , effectively increasing the capacity of adapter array  120  so that the forty excess cables  114  may be utilized. Even with five of the openings  226  in used by adapters  123 , there are still openings  226  remaining for connector holders  122  so that cables  114  can be stored when connections with customer equipment cables are eliminated or changed. 
         [0053]      FIG. 15  shows a third alternative embodiment of a telecommunications connection cabinet  300 , similar in configuration to cabinets  100  and  200 , but including bulkhead  224  in excess cable storage area  118 . Adapter panels  121  and bulkhead  224  are angled toward cable management structure and slack storage  116  to improve transfer of cables  114  from cable management structure  116  to adapters  123  and to connector holders  122 . In addition, cables supports  302  are provided on both panels  121  and bulkhead  224  to provide support to cables  114  extending to adapters  123  and connector holders  122 , respectively. 
         [0054]      FIG. 16  illustrates a fourth embodiment of a telecommunications connection cabinet  400  according to the present invention. Cabinet  400  is similar in configuration to the previously described cabinets  100 ,  200  and  300 , with a cable a cable management structure  416  with cable slack storage along both sides of adapter array  120  and excess cable storage area  118 . Adapters  123  adjacent the left side of panels  121  are angled toward the left side of cabinet  400  and adapters  123  adjacent the right side of panels  121  are angled toward the right side of the cabinet. 
         [0055]      FIG. 17  is a fifth embodiment of a telecommunications cabinet  500  including side-by-side structure  502  within the cabinet. Each structure  502  is similar in configuration to the contents of cabinet  400 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 18  is sixth embodiment of a telecommunications cabinet  600  where excess cable storage area  118  is positioned alongside one of an interior wall  602 .  FIG. 19  shows a bulkhead  604  including a plurality of openings  226  for receiving connector holders  122 . The other elements within cabinet  600  are similar to the earlier described cabinets Bulkhead  604  includes a pair of mounting flanges  606  and  608  for connection to the interior  602  and cabinet rear wall  130 , respectively. 
         [0057]    The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use 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.