Patent Publication Number: US-2021176888-A1

Title: Cable manager with a hinged door

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/937,920, filed on Jul. 24, 2020, which claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/882,736, filed on Aug. 5, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a horizontal cable manager, and more particularly to a horizontal cable manager with a magnetic hinged door. The present invention also relates to a vertical cable manager with a magnetic hinged door. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates prior art horizontal cable managers  80  mounted to a rack  50  positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager  100 . The horizontal cable managers  80  are visually mismatched because the vertical cable manager  100  includes finger projections that have an increased length. As a result, the front face of the horizontal cable managers  80  is set back from the front face of the vertical cable managers  100 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of the prior art horizontal cable manager  80 . The top and bottom of the horizontal cable manager include molded-in hinge receptacles. The hinge receptacle receives an extruded plastic door or a metallic door with plastic snap-in hinge elements. The opening and closing of this hinge door require a considerable amount of force. 
     As a result, it would be desirable to provide a horizontal cable manager with improved aesthetics including longer finger projections to match the vertical cable manager. It is also desirable to provide a horizontal cable manager with an improved hinge door that requires less force to open and close. It is also desirable to provide a vertical cable manager with an improved hinge door. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A horizontal cable manager routes cables in and around a network rack. The horizontal cable manager includes a body with a back and a plurality of fingers extending from the back of the body. The plurality of fingers is arranged in an upper row extending from an upper portion of the back and a lower row extending from a lower portion of the back. The upper row of fingers and the lower row of fingers are parallel to each other to create a pathway for routing the cables therein. The distal end of at least one finger has a hinge pin holder or a cable management flag. The horizontal cable manager also includes a door hingedly attached to the fingers extending from the body. The door has a front, a back, a top edge, a bottom edge, and at least one hinge pin receptacle positioned along the top edge or the bottom edge of the door. The hinge pin receptacle houses a magnet for enabling the door to attach to the hinge pin holder of the at least one finger to hold the door in a closed position. 
     Another aspect of the invention is a cable manager that routes cables in a network rack. The cable manager has a body and a door. The body has a plurality of fingers wherein a distal end of at least one finger has a hinge pin holder. The door is hingedly attached to the fingers extending from the body. The door has a front, a back, and at least one hinge pin receptacle positioned along at least one edge of the door. The hinge pin receptacle houses a magnet for enabling the door to attach to the hinge pin holder of the finger to hold the door in a closed position. 
     Another aspect of the invention is a vertical cable manager that routes cable in a network rack. The vertical cable manager has finger assemblies that include vertically joined finger segments. The finger segments have a center spine with a plurality of fingers and a plurality of hinged fingers extending from at least one edge of the center spine. The vertical cable manager also includes cross members that laterally join the finger assemblies. The vertical cable manager also includes doors hingedly attached to the hinged fingers extending from the center spine of the finger segments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of prior art horizontal cable managers mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager. 
         FIG. 2  is a left side view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of the present invention mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager. 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 3  mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 3  mounted to the rack. 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 6  with the hinge door removed. 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the horizontal cable manager hinge door of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of the horizontal cable manager hinge door of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the hinge receptacle of the horizontal cable manager hinge door of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 6  with the hinge door partially rotated. 
         FIG. 12  is a left side view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 6  with the hinge door opened and rotated around the upper hinge. 
         FIG. 13  is a left side view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 6  with the hinge door opened and rotated around a lower hinge. 
         FIG. 14  is a front perspective view of multiple horizontal cable managers having varying heights mounted to a rack. 
         FIG. 15  is side view of an alternative horizontal cable manager of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a top right perspective view of an alternative horizontal cable manager of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a top left perspective view of the alternative horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the horizontal cable manager of  FIG. 3  mounted to a rack positioned adjacent to a vertical cable manager. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective partially exploded view of the rack and vertical cable manager of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 19  without the doors. 
         FIG. 21  is a partially exploded view of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 20 . 
         FIG. 22  is an exploded view of the finger assembly of the vertical cable manager and the rack of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the inside of a finger segment of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the outside of a finger segment of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective partially exploded view of the finger segments and cross member of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 26  is a perspective view of the cross member of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 27  is a perspective view of the outside door of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 28  is a perspective view of the inside of the door of  FIG. 27 . 
         FIG. 29  is a partial perspective view of a finger segment of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 18  engaging the door. 
         FIG. 30  is a partial perspective view of the finger segment of the vertical cable manager of  FIG. 29  with the door disengaged. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 3-5  illustrate the horizontal cable manager  150  of the present invention mounted to a standard 19″ wide network rack  50 . As described below, the horizontal cable manager  150  includes longer finger projections. The length of the fingers places the front surface  192  of the door  190  near the front of an adjoining vertical cable manager  100 . For example, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the front surface  192  of the door  190  of the present invention is near the front surface  112  of the door  110  of the vertical cable manager  100 . As a result, the overall aesthetics of the horizontal cable manager  150  mounted adjacent to the vertical cable manager  100  have improved. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the horizontal cable manager  150  includes a body  152  and a door  190 . The body  152  includes a back  154  with a plurality of fingers  170  extending therefrom. The length of the fingers  170  has been extended compared to the fingers of the prior art horizontal cable manager  80 . The fingers  170  are arranged in an upper row extending from the upper portion  156  of the back  154  and a lower row extending from the lower portion  158  of the back  154 . The upper and lower rows of the fingers  170  are parallel to each other and create a pathway for routing cables therein. The fingers  170  are angled toward the vertical center of the body  152  to provide a technician access to any equipment  60  installed above or below the horizontal cable manager  150 . 
     Each end  160  of the back  154  includes a plurality of holes  162  for receiving fasteners  70  to secure the body  152  of the horizontal cable manager  150  to the network rack  50 . 
     The distal end  172  of each finger  170  has either a cable management flag  174  or a hinge pin holder  182 . Each cable management flag  174  includes a first member  176 , a second member  178 , and a third member  180 . Each member of the cable management flags can differ in size, length, and shape depending on the location of the finger and the height of the horizontal cable manager. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the cable management flags  174  located near the ends  160  of the body  152  are wider than the cable management flags  174  located near the center of the body  152 . The cable management flags  174  extending from aligned fingers  170  in the upper and lower rows are identical. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the distal end  172  of the aligned fingers  170  in the upper and lower rows include two sets of hinge pin holders  182 . However, if desired, the distal end  172  of the fingers  170  could have additional hinge pin holders. The hinge pin holders  182  are generally U-shaped members  184  designed to hold a ferrous hinge pin  186 . As discussed below, the hinge pin holder  182  accepts one of the hinge receptacles  200  extending from the back  194  of the door  190 . 
       FIGS. 8-11  illustrate the door  190  of the horizontal cable manager  150 . The front  192  of the door  190  includes design elements similar to the design features found on the Panduit Patchrunner 2 vertical cable manager door. For example, the door  190  includes a pentagon with two right angles and chevron character lines. 
     The back  194  of the door  190  includes a plurality of hinge receptacles  200 . The hinge receptacles  200  are positioned along the top edge  196  and the bottom edge  198  of the door  190 . Each hinge receptacle  200  includes a rare earth magnet  202  which allows the door  190  to attach to the ferrous hinge pins  186  held by the hinge pin holders  182  at the distal end  172  of the fingers  170  of the body  152 . Each hinge receptacle  200  also includes a plurality of strengthening ribs  204 . 
     The rare earth magnets  202  and the ferrous hinge pin  186  form a magnetic hinging mechanism that allows for an effortless attachment of the door  190  to the cable manager body  152 . The magnetic hinging mechanism also allows for the door  190  to easily open with a mild pulling force on either the top or bottom edge  196 ,  198 , respectively, of the door  190 . 
     The hinge receptacle  200  and the hinge pin holder  182  are oriented in such a way as to allow the door  190  to be opened and rotated up to 190 degrees around the upper hinge pins  186  (see  FIG. 12 ) or rotated up to 190 degrees around the lower hinge pins  186  (see  FIG. 13 ). When the door  190  is opened upward around the upper hinge pins  186  past 180 degrees, the door  190  will rest in an open position against the first members  176  of the cable management flags  174  to facilitate access to the cables routed inside the cable manager body  152 . When the door  190  is opened downward around the lower hinge pins  186 , it can be allowed to hang downward at 180 degrees to facilitate access to cables inside the cable manager body  152 . 
     The door  190  can also be completely removed from the cable manager body  152 , if desired, by pulling on the door  190  horizontally away from the cable manager body  152 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates the horizontal cable manager  150  and the hinged door  190  of the present invention having varying heights. For example, the horizontal cable manager  150  can be designed so it is 2 rack units (2RU), 3 rack units (3RU), or 4 rack units (4 RU) high. The height of the hinged door  190  is adjusted to accommodate the heights of the various horizontal cable managers  150 . 
       FIG. 15  illustrates an alternative horizontal cable manager  210  embodiment. The horizontal cable manager  210  includes additional magnets  220  at each hinge location. The additional magnets  220  hold the door  214  in an open position by toggling the door  214  into a hold open detent position when the door  214  reaches the fully open position of about 110 degrees from closed. The hold open detent is easily defeated by applying a force to close the door  214 . 
     Another alternative embodiment is illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . The magnets  320  are installed in the door  314  and the cable manager body  312  in such a way that the axis of the magnetic force forms the hinge axis for the door  314 . The door  314  is opened by defeating the shear magnetic attraction on the opening side and rotating the door  314  along the hinge axis formed by either the upper magnets  320  or the lower magnets  320 . 
     The door could also include a number of stiffening ribs as dictated by the door size, the necessary flexibility, and molding warp. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates a horizontal cable manager  150  and a vertical cable manager  500  of the present invention mounted to a network rack  50 .  FIG. 19  illustrates a partially exploded view of the vertical cable manager  500  mounted to the network rack  50  with the doors  510  removed. The doors  510  will be described below with respect to  FIGS. 27-30 . 
       FIGS. 20-26  illustrate the vertical cable manager  500  without the doors  510  installed. The vertical cable manager  500  is formed from finger assemblies  520 , cross members  570 , and stabilizing bases  600 . A stabilizing base  600  is attached to the bottom of each parallel finger assemblies  520  which allows the vertical cable manager  500  to be free standing. This enables easier set up and installation of the vertical cable manager  500 . 
     The finger assemblies  520  include two injection molded finger segments  522  that are vertically joined together. Each injection molded finger segment  522  includes a lower vertical connection  524  and an upper vertical connection  530 . As illustrated in  FIG. 22 , the lower vertical connection  524  includes two rack mounting holes  526  and a snap  528  positioned between the rack mounting holes  526 . The upper vertical connection  530  includes two rack mounting holes  532  and a vertical joining receptacle  534 . The finger segments  522  are joined together by the snap  528  and vertical joining receptacle  534 . Mounting bolts  560  pass through the rack mounting holes  526  in the lower vertical connection  524  and the upper vertical connection  530  and are secured by mounting nuts  562 . The mounting bolts  560  may also pass-through holes  52  in a network rack  50  to secure the finger segments  522  to the network rack  50 . 
       FIG. 23  is an inside view of a finger segment  522  and  FIG. 24  is an outside view of a finger segment  522 . The finger segment  522  includes a center spine  536  with fingers  538  and hinge fingers  542  extending from the center spine  536 . The fingers  538  and the hinge fingers  542  extend from both edges of the center spine  536 . Alternatively, the finger segment  522  may have a configuration where the fingers  538  and the hinge fingers  542  project from only one edge and only extend forward. 
     The fingers  538  have an upturned flag  540  at the end to effectively contain cables between adjacent fingers  538 . Hinge fingers  542  have a hinge flag or holder  544  at the end which serves to hold a metallic hinge pin  546  for interacting with the door  510  that covers the vertical cable manager  500 . 
     The center spine  536  includes additional rack mounting holes  548  and accessory mounting holes  550  at various positions along the center spine  536 . The center spine  536  also includes cross member slots  552  and locking snaps  554  that receive the cross member  570 . 
     The finger segments  522  are joined together laterally using cross members  570 . The cross members  570  are illustrated in detail in  FIGS. 25 and 26 . Each cross member  570  attaches to the finger segment  522  via the geometry at the ends  572  of the cross member  570  and the cross-member slots  552  and the locking snaps  554  in the center spine  536 . The cross member  570  includes connection tabs  574 , stabilizing tabs  576 , and locking tabs  578 . Each connection tab  574  is angled so that the connection gets tighter as cross member  570  engagement in the cross-member slots  552  in the center spine  536  increases. The locking tabs  578  lock into the locking snaps  554  on the center spine  536  of the finger segments  522  and prevent disengagement of cross member  570  from the finger segment  522 . The stabilizing tabs  576  prevent tilting rotation of the cross member  570 . The cross members  570  can include, but are not limited to, additional features such as bridge forms  580  to use with cable management cable ties or hook and loop ties and mounting apertures  582  for cable management accessories, such as a slack spool  590  (see  FIG. 25 ). 
       FIGS. 27-30  illustrate the doors  510  of the present invention and the installation of the doors  510  on the vertical cable manager&#39;s finger assemblies  520 . Similar to the door  190  of the horizontal cable manager  150 , the doors  510  of the vertical cable manager include a magnetic hinge that improves the functionality of the door  510  by allowing the vertical cable manager  500  to be easily opened and closed while providing a direct attachment to the network rack  50 . 
     The outside of the door  510  includes design elements such as a pentagon with two right angles and chevron character line. The inside of the door  510  includes magnet pockets or receptacle  512  with magnets  514  inserted therein. Pin guides  516  help to position the magnet pockets  512  against the metallic hinge pins  546  held by the hinge flag  544  of the hinge fingers  542 . Door guides  518  help position the door  510  vertically at the end of the hinge fingers  542 . 
       FIG. 29  illustrates a detailed view of the magnetic hinges with the vertical cable manager door  510  in a closed position.  FIG. 30  illustrates a detailed view of the magnetic hinges with the vertical cable manager door  510  in an open position. The magnetic hinges function like those found in the horizontal cable manager  190 , as described above, but in a vertical orientation. Magnets  514  on the door  510  are magnetically attached to hinge pins  546  on hinge fingers  542  of the finger segment  522 . When one side of the door  510  is pulled with sufficient force, the magnetic connection on that side of the door  510  is overcome and the door  510  will rotate open around the magnets  514  and hinge pins  546  on the opposite side. Closing the door  510  brings magnets  514  and hinge pins  546  together and the magnetic attraction holds the door  510  in the closed position. Complete removal of the door  510  is achieved by pulling on both sides of door  510  simultaneously so that the magnetic attraction is simultaneously defeated on both sides. 
     The modular construction of the finger assembly allows for varying widths by using different widths of the cross member. The overall width can vary between but is not limited to 6-inch, 8 inch, and 10 inch widths. The door is constructed at a dedicated width so the door width must match the width of the finger assembly. 
     Furthermore, while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have 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 teaching of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation.