Patent Publication Number: US-RE41353-E

Title: Cable manager for network rack

Description:
Applicant claims, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the benefit of priority of the filing date of Mar. 28, 2000, of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/192,989, filed on the aforementioned date, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Application Ser. No.  09 / 814 , 621 , filed on Mar.  22 ,  2001 , is a continuation- in - part of application Ser. No.  09 / 261 , 881 , filed on Mar.  3 ,  1999 , now U.S. Pat. No.  6 , 437 , 243 .   
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to cable management devices for patch panel or network equipment racks, and more particularly to a cable manager for use with adjacent patch panels or network equipment on distribution racks or within cabinets, with an improved finger and cover design. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Cabling, such as UTP, ScTP, coax and fiber optic cabling, is being increasingly used in the telecommunications industry to provide data, voice, video, or audio information. Patch panel or network equipment enclosure and rack systems are well-known in the industry and provided to manage and organize such cables to or from equipment or cross-connect systems. These systems usually include a standard EIA 19″, 23″ or other distribution frame rack on which one or more patch panels, network equipment, fiber optic enclosures and the like are mounted. Enclosures within the rack serve various functions, including operation as slack trays, splice trays, cable organizers and patch panels. These racks also serve as inter-connect or cross-connect enclosures when interfacing with equipment, or may serve as a telecommunications closet, allowing the cables to be terminated, spliced, patched or stored at places along their length. 
     The rack usually is formed of a frame having mounting apertures located along vertical legs or walls of the rack. Patching equipment, such as a patch panel, is mounted on the rack so as to define generally a patching side where patch cords coming from an active device or another patch panel can be cross-connected and interconnected, and a distribution side where cables from network equipment or a work station area are terminated. Generally some form of cable management is also provided on both sides of the rack to support and route the cables. While preventing detrimental bending is always important even for copper cabling, with the increasing use of fiber optic connectors as applied to connector rack systems, proper cable management and bend radius control has become increasingly important. Many known systems are unable to provide complete bend radius control, are inefficient in use, difficult to manufacture, or have other drawbacks and thus, improvement in the cable management of network rack systems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved cable management device. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cable manager for a network rack with an improved finger design that provides more effective bend radius control. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a single cable manager device that provides improved cable management to each side of a network rack. 
     It is still further an object of the present invention to provide an improved readily installable molded cable manager with a hinged cover for a network rack system. 
     Various ones of the above and other features and objects of the invention are provided by a cable manager mountable to a network rack. The cable manager includes a central section and a front cable routing section. The central section has a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section. The front cable routing section extends from the front side of the central section and includes a plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section. Each of the plurality of spaced fingers has an arcuate surface that provides bend radius control. A slit is medially disposed along the arcuate surface and extends from a distal end of the finger towards a proximal end of the finger. At least one ear laterally extends from the distal end in a receiving space between adjacent fingers. 
     Various ones of the above and other features and objects of the invention are also provided by a cable manager mountable to a network rack, comprising a central section, a front cable routing section and a rear cable routing section. The central section has a longitudinal width sized to fit within the network rack, a front side, a rear side, and rack mounting holes provided on opposite longitudinal ends of the central section. The front cable routing section extends from the front side of the central section and includes a first plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the front side of the central section and retaining flanges extending from distal ends of multiple ones of the first plurality of spaced fingers. The rear cable routing section extends from the rear side of the central section, the rear cable routing section including a second plurality of spaced fingers extending transversely from the rear side of the central section and retaining flanges extending from distal ends of multiple ones of the second plurality of spaced fingers. 
     Various ones of the above and other features and objects of the invention are also provided by a network rack containing the above cable manager. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a top front perspective view of a cable manager of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top rear perspective view of the cable manager of  FIG. 1 , with the rear cover removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a top front perspective view of the cable manager of  FIG. 1 , shown with closed covers; 
         FIG. 4  is a top front perspective view of the cable manager of  FIG. 1  with a front cover in a top open position; 
         FIG. 5  is a top front perspective view of a cable manager of  FIG. 1  with the cover in a bottom open position; 
         FIG. 6  is a top rear perspective view of the cable manager of  FIG. 1 , shown with closed covers; 
         FIG. 7  is a top front perspective view of a network rack having a pair of the cable managers mounted on the rack; 
         FIG. 8  is a top rear perspective view of a network rack having a pair of the cable managers mounted on the rack; 
         FIG. 9  is a partial perspective view of a hinged cover; and 
         FIG. 10  is a partial view of the hinged cover of  FIG. 9  in an open position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A cable manager  10  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is generally shown in FIGS.  1 - 10  and is useful in providing horizontal cable management in a network rack. 
     Cable manager  10  is preferably formed by an injection molding process in which two halves, preferably identical halves, are molded and then snap fit together to form a single cable manager device that is mountable on and provides cable management to both a patching side and a distribution side of a network rack. A suitable rack is a conventional 19″ or 23″ EIA network rack that has spaced vertical rails or legs that allow mounting of various numbers of rack elements thereon. However, the invention is equally applicable to other known or subsequently developed racks. Moreover, a network rack need not be an open frame structure as in the above EIA racks, but may include mounting cabinets or enclosures having mounting features and walls defining openings that can receive and fix rack elements, such as cable manager  10 , patch panels, and the like. 
     As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , cable manager  10  generally includes a front cable routing section  12 , a rear cable routing section  14  and a central section  16 , which preferably has passthrough capabilities. The front and rear cable routing sections  12 ,  14  generally include a pair of back-to-back channels each formed by a base section  18 ,  20  and a plurality of upstanding fingers  30 ,  40  disposed longitudinally along at least one and preferably two opposing sides (front and rear) of the respective base sections. 
     Central section  16  has a suitable height, a longitudinal width sized to fit within a desired network rack, and a depth which approximates the depth dimension of rack legs  60  ( FIGS. 3 and 7 ) or a mounting cabinet (not shown) to which the cable manager  10  is mounted. In the case of a 19″ network rack, the width would be approximately 19″ when mounted horizontally on the rack and the height would be a multiple of 1.75″, which is a standard single device height. However, these are exemplary and may change depending on the size and type of rack used. Each longitudinal end of the central section  16  contains a plurality of mounting holes  50  that mount the cable manager to a frame structure, such as legs  60  of a standard rack system or to walls of a mounting cabinet (unshown). The legs  60  (or other equivalent mounting frame structure) have various apertures that allow mounting of the cable manager to the rack by a suitable mounting element, such as a bolt, that extends through the mounting holes and rack apertures aligned therewith. The base sections  18 ,  20  are integrally connected by a central wall and a plurality of strengthening walls  22  to comprise the central section  16 . 
     The central section  16  of the cable manager is preferably a passthrough section that includes one or more passthrough openings  56 . The passthrough openings  56  allow installers the ability to route cables from one side of the rack to the other (i.e., from the patching side to the distribution side and the converse). The passthrough openings  56  preferably are formed with curved sidewalls that provide bend radius control to the cables routed through the passthrough openings. 
     The front cable routing side of the cable manager (front section  12 ) preferably forms the patching side where active equipment is interconnected or patch cords on a patch panel are cross-connected. As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  7 , patching side fingers  30  extend from base section  18  in the form of two parallel and spaced rows that define a cable channel. Fingers are separated from adjacent fingers  30  to provide a space  32  for routing cables from within the cable channel to the equipment either above or below on the rack. The fingers  30  preferably extend outwardly beyond the frame legs  60  as shown. Each of the plurality of patching side fingers  30  are formed having an inwardly directed arcuate surface at least on a distal portion of the finger. The arcuate surfaces of fingers  30  have a predefined minimum radius that provides a bend radius control surface for wires and cables. The minimum bend radius can vary depending on the types of wires and cables used. An exemplary radius may be 1″ or greater for many applications. However, the minimum bend radius should be selected to correspond to desired criteria of cable(s) to be managed by the cable manager. 
     Fingers  30  are also provided with a pair of ears  34  formed near the distal end with each ear extending towards an opposing ear formed on an adjacent finger  30 . The ears  34  preferably have a generally triangular configuration that provides angled surfaces which assist in the insertion and removal of cables from in between the fingers. As the formation of the fingers with an arcuate cross-section has been found to result in a relatively stiff structure, each finger  30  on the patching side also includes a slit  36  medially disposed along the arcuate surface of the finger. Slit  36  is formed to extend from the distal end towards the base approximately one-half the length of finger  30 . Slit  36  provides additional flexibility to fingers  30  during routing of cables. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 3-5 , the patching side of cable manager  10  includes a hingedly connected front cover  52 , which can be rotated 180° up or down. That is, cover  52  can be opened from either side. Cover  52  may also be completely removable. Cover  52  is hingedly connected to cable manager  10  by a plurality of spaced apart pairs of hinge brackets  54  having apertures. The hinge brackets  54  are dimensioned so as to releasably engage with the tops of a pair of opposing ears  34  formed on adjacent patching fingers  30 . A release tab  62  is formed in between hinge brackets  54  to allow for easier releasing of cover  52  by extending beyond the remaining periphery of cover  52 . 
     A more detailed description of hinged cover  52  will be described with respect to  FIGS. 9-10 . Hinge brackets  54  include a semi-spherical aperture  55  that mates with a corresponding ear  34  to allow rotation thereabout and a locking tab  53  that engages with an edge of ear  34  to lock the cover in an open position when cover  52  is opened about 180°. Cover  52  can be closed by pulling forward on the cover to release locking tab  53  and allow rotation of cover  52  back to a closed position. 
       FIG. 7  shows a pair of cable manager devices  10  mounted on a network rack having a pair of rack legs  60 , adjacent to a plurality of patch panels  64 . As shown, the cable managers  10  may be provided either above and/or below a patch panel  64 . The lower cable manager device  10  is shown with the cover  52  rotated pen in the down position. As can be seen, cables  70 , which terminate connectors connected to patch panels  64 , are routed through the spaces  32  and around fingers  30  into the cable routing section whereby they exit at either end. With the inventive cable manager  10 , good horizontal cable management can be achieved. 
     The rear side of the cable manager (rear section  14 ) preferably forms the distribution side where cables from network equipment or a work station area can be terminated. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , distribution side fingers  40  are formed having arcuate portions  42  at least on a distal portion and a flat portion  44  at a proximal portion. As discussed above with reference to the front patching side, when the fingers are formed with an arcuate configuration, they are relatively stiff. On the distribution side, the installer often has need for greater access to the adjacent patch panels for their hands and other tools. Thus, by forming fingers  40  with the initial flat platform section  44 , the fingers  40  can be made more flexible. The distal ends of fingers  40  on the distribution side include lips  48  for engagement with a duct cover  58 . A suitable duct cover may snap fit on upstanding member  49  (see FIGS.  6  and  8 ). Alternatively, a hinged cove as used on the front section may be provided. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 8 , the distribution side also includes a stepped down portion  46  that provides additional room to accommodate a tool and/or a hand of an installer. That is, the base section  20  on the distribution side is narrower than the base section  18  on the patching side so that fingers  40  on the distribution side are spaced a little farther from the rear side of adjacent patch panels to provide additional clearance for the installer. 
     Selected fingers from both sets of fingers  30 ,  40  also include respective retaining flanges  38 ,  39  formed on the distal ends to help retain routed cables  70  when a cover is not present. 
     While the particular embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation.