Patent Publication Number: US-11656421-B2

Title: Telecommunications boxes with movable adapter holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/876,597, filed on Jul. 19, 2019. The disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates generally to telecommunications boxes and, in particular, to telecommunications boxes having a movable adapter holder configured to provide a technician with improved access to adapters, for example, fiber optic adapters, for installing, uninstalling, reconfiguring, cleaning, servicing, etc. fiber optic connectors and fiber optic cables terminated by such connectors. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As demand for telecommunications increases, fiber optic networks are being extended in more and more areas. Conventionally, fiber optic enclosures are used to provide a subscriber access point to the fiber optic network. Such a fiber optic enclosure is connected to the fiber optic network through a subscriber cable connected to a network hub. 
     In many situations, the design of fiber optic enclosures is limited to a maximum size that presents space constraints that limit the amount of room in the box with which a technician has to work. Such space constraints make situations difficult for the technician when installing connectors, cleaning adapter ports, or working with the fiber management. 
     It may be desirable to provide a telecommunications box, or fiber box, with a small footprint and volume that still provide ample working room for the technician. It may be desirable to provide a box having an adapter holder that can be selectively latched and unlatched from a back wall of the box such that the adapter holder can be moved away from the back wall to provide additional room for a technician to work. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various aspects of the disclosure, a telecommunications box includes a first housing portion defining an interior of the box and a second housing portion pivotally coupled with the first housing portion. The second housing portion is configured to cover the first housing portion to prevent access to the interior of the box. The box includes an adapter panel removably coupled with the first housing portion, and the adapter panel being configured to receive at least one fiber optic adapter that coupled a fiber of a distribution cable to a fiber of an output cable. The box includes an inner cover pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and configured to be selectively coupled with the adapter panel. The inner cover and the adapter panel are configured to separate the interior of the box into a first interior portion and a second interior portion. The inner cover and the adapter panel are configured to permit access to the first interior portion of the box and to block access to the second interior portion of the box when the inner cover and the adapter panel are fixedly coupled to one another and the adapter panel is fixedly coupled to the first housing portion. The adapter panel is configured to be pivotal with the inner cover relative to the first housing portion to a raised configuration that provides a technician with improved access to a side of the adapter panel facing the first interior portion when the inner cover is coupled with the adapter panel and the adapter panel is uncoupled from the first housing. The inner cover is configured to be movable away from the adapter panel when the inner cover is uncoupled from the adapter panel and the adapter panel is coupled with the first housing portion in a stowed configuration 
     In accordance with some aspects of the disclosure, a telecommunications box includes a first housing portion, a second housing portion, an adapter panel, and an inner cover. The second housing portion is configured to be pivotally coupled with the first housing portion, the adapter panel is configured to be selectively coupled with the first housing portion, and an inner cover is configured to be pivotally coupled to the first housing portion selectively coupled with the adapter panel. The inner cover and the adapter panel are configured to permit access to the adapter panel when the inner cover and the adapter panel are fixedly coupled to one another and the adapter panel is fixedly coupled to the first housing portion. The inner cover is configured to be movable away from the adapter panel when the inner cover is uncoupled from the adapter panel and the adapter panel is coupled with the first housing portion in a stowed configuration. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the first housing portion defines an interior of the box. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the second housing portion is configured to cover the first housing portion to prevent access to the interior of the box. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the adapter panel is configured to receive at least one fiber optic adapter that couples a fiber of a distribution cable with a fiber of an output cable. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the inner cover and adapter panel are configured to separate the interior of the box into a first interior portion and a second interior portion. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the inner cover and the adapter panel are configured to permit access to the first interior portion of the box and to block access to the second interior portion of the box when the inner cover and the adapter panel are fixedly coupled to one another and the adapter panel is fixedly coupled to the first housing portion. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the adapter panel is configured to be pivotal with the inner cover relative to the first housing portion to a raised configuration that provides a technician with improved access to a side of the adapter panel facing the first interior portion when the inner cover is coupled with the adapter panel and the adapter panel is uncoupled from the first housing. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the second housing is configured to pivot about a first axis relative to the first housing portion, and the inner cover is configured to pivot about a second axis relative to the first housing portion. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the first axis and the second axis are parallel with one another. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the adapter holder includes a base portion and an adapter panel portion that are disposed perpendicular to one another. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the base portion include a retention structure configured to cooperate with a retention structure of the first housing portion to selectively secure the adapter holder to the first housing portion. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the base portion is configured to be removably coupled with a back wall of the first housing portion, and the adapter panel portion extends perpendicular to the back wall proximate a middle of the back wall. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the adapter holder is configured such that the fiber of the distribution cable and the fiber of the output cable are permitted to remain connected with the adapter holder when the adapter holder is moved between the raised configuration and the stowed configuration. 
     In some aspects of the aforementioned telecommunications box, the side of the adapter panel facing the first interior portion and the output cables in the first interior portion are permitted to remain undisturbed when the inner cover is moved away from the adapter holder. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an exemplary telecommunications box according to various aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a top view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  1     
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  1    with an adapter holder in a raised configuration. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  1    with the adapter holder in a stowed configuration. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  1    with the adapter holder and inner cover removed. 
         FIG.  6    is an enlarged perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  1    with the adapter holder and inner cover removed. 
         FIG.  7    is a top view of another exemplary telecommunications box according to various aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  7    with the adapter holder in a raised configuration. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of the telecommunications box of  FIG.  7    with the adapter holder in a stowed configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS.  1 - 6    illustrate an exemplary telecommunications box  100 , for example, a fiber box that is part of a fiber optic telecommunications system. The box  100  includes a first housing portion  102  having a back wall  104  and four side walls  106   a - 106   d . The back wall  104  and the four side walls  106   a - d  define an interior  108 , which can be closed by a second housing portion  110 . The first and second housing portions  102 ,  110  can be closed to form a perimeter seal about one plane, thereby permitting a box having a shallow lid to provide a simple and reliable seal. 
     The second housing portion  110  can be pivotally coupled with the first housing portion  102 , for example, via at least one hinge  105  such that the second housing portion  110  is configured to pivot relative to the first housing portion  102  between a first closed position (not shown) and a second open position as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 6   . In one embodiment, the at least one hinge  105  may be disposed at a first wall  106   a  of the four side walls of the first housing portion  102  and a corresponding wall of the second housing portion  104 . Of course, any conventional means for coupling the second housing portion  110  with the first housing portion  102  such that the second housing portion  110  is movable between closed and open positions is contemplated by this disclosure. 
     As would be understood by persons having ordinary skill in the art, in the first closed position, the second housing portion  110  blocks access to the contents of the box  100 . In the second open position, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4   , the second housing portion  110  is configured to allow access to an adapter holder  112  and an inner cover  114 . The inner cover  114  may be pivotally mounted to the first housing portion  102  at the first wall  106   a  such that a pivot axis of the inner cover  114  is parallel to a pivot axis between the first and second housing portions  102 ,  110 . It should be appreciated that, in some aspects, the inner cover  114  may be pivotally mounted at any other one  106   b - 106   d  of the four side walls of the first housing portion  102 . However, for the reasons discussed more fully below, it may be preferable to pivotally mount the inner cover  114  at the first wall  106   a.    
     Referring to  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the box  100  includes two columns  116  adjacent the first wall  106   a . The columns  116  extend upward from the base  104  of the first housing portion  102 . Each of the columns  116  includes a receiving hole  120  near an end  118  away from the base  104  and a guiding notch  122  from the receiving hole  120  to the end  118 . In the event that the holes  120  are not through holes, the holes  120  face one another. In some aspects, the holes  120  may be through holes. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the inner cover  114  includes hinge arms  124  that extend from a first edge  126  of the inner cover  114 . Each of the hinge arms  124  includes a hinge pin  128  that is sized and arranged to be received by a respective one of the receiving holes  120 . The hinge arms  124  are spaced apart from one another and the hinge pins  128  extend from their respective hinge arms  124  in directions opposite to one another such that the hinge pins  128  can both be seated in their respective receiving holes  120  to provide the pivotal relationship between the inner cover  114  and the first housing portion  102 . The guiding notches  122  may help to guide the hinge pins  128  into the receiving holes  120  when coupling the inner cover  114  with the first housing portion  102 . 
     The inner cover  114  includes a fastener hole  130  at a second edge  132  that is opposite to the first edge  126 . The fastener hole  130  is configured to receive a fastener (not shown) such as, for example, a security screw. It should be understood that other conventional fasteners are contemplated by the disclosure. 
     The adapter holder  112  is configured to house a plurality of adapters (not shown) that are configured to optically couple fiber output cables to connectorized ends of one or more distribution cables (not shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4   ). The adapter holder  112  includes a base portion  134  and an adapter panel portion  136  that are disposed perpendicular to one another. As best shown in  FIG.  3   , the adapter panel portion  136  defines a plurality of openings  138 . Each opening  138  is sized to securely receive the aforementioned adapters. The adapter panel portion  136  includes a receiving hole  140  configured to be aligned with the fastener hole  130  and to receive the fastener such that the adapter holder  112  and the inner cover  114  can be coupled together in a coupled configuration. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  1  and  4   , in a stowed configuration, the base portion  134  is configured to be removably coupled with the back wall  104  of the first housing portion  102 , and the adapter panel portion  136  extends perpendicular to the back wall  104  near the middle of the back wall  104 . As illustrated, the base portion  134  may include through holes  144  that are aligned with and configured to receive retention structures  142  protruding from the back wall  104 . In some aspects, the retention structures  142  may be snap fit fingers that are received in the through holes  144  and provide a snap fit coupling between the base portion  134  and the back wall  104 . 
     When the inner cover  114  and the adapter holder  112  are in the coupled configuration and the adapter holder  112  is in the stowed configuration, a technician has access to connectors and adapters disposed at a field side  108   a  of the interior  108  (right side of the box  100  in  FIG.  2   ), but the technician does not have access to a plant side  108   b  of the interior (left side of the box in  FIG.  2   ) that is closed by the inner cover  114 . It should be understood that the distribution cables may enter the plant side  108   b  of the interior  108  of the box  100  via one or more first ports  190 , while the output cables may exit the field side  108   a  of the interior  108  of the box  100  via one or more second ports  192 . 
     Although the technician can access the field side  108   a  of the interior  108  when the base portion  134  of the adapter panel portion  136  is coupled with the back wall  104 , it may be difficult to grasp and/or manipulate the various connectors, adapters, and fiber cables on the field side  108   a  due to the limited space between the adapter panel portion  136  and the wall  106   c  opposite to the first wall  106   a . In order to provide easier access to the connectors, adapters, and fiber cables on the field side  108   a , the base portion  134  can be uncoupled from the back wall  104  to a raised configuration. For example, the retention structures  142  are configured to be removed from the through holes  144  to release the adapter holder  112  and permit the adapter holder  112  and the inner cover  114  to pivot together relative to the first housing portion  102  to the raised configuration shown in  FIG.  3   . In the embodiment shown, the snap fit fingers can be squeezed together by the technician so that the base portion  134  can be uncoupled from the back wall  104 . In the raised configuration, the adapter panel portion  136  is positioned at a better angle, enabling the technician to more easily access fiber optical components on the field side  108   a  for optical inspection, optical cleaning, maintenance, and fiber cable management. 
     As long as the inner cover  114  and the adapter holder  112  remain coupled together as the adapter holder  112  is moved to the raised configuration, technician access to the plant side  108   b  remains limited. However, in some instances, a technician may need to access the plant side  108   b  of the interior but may not want to disturb the connector, adapters, and/or fiber cables on the field side  108   a . In such instances, the technician can keep the adapter holder  112  coupled to the back wall  104  in the stowed configuration and, assuming that the technician has a security key to unlock the security fastener, the inner cover  114  can be uncoupled from the adapter holder  112  such that the inner cover  114  can be pivoted relative to the first housing portion  102  while the adapter holder  112  remains stationary and coupled to the back wall  104 . 
     The foregoing embodiment of the box  100  thus provides a method to gain improved access to the adapters, connectors, and/or fiber cables on the field side  108   a  of the box  100  by coupling the adapter holder  112  with the inner cover  114  such that the adapter holder  112  can be moved away from the back wall  104  by pivoting with the inner cover  114 . Even while the adapter holder  112  pivots with the inner cover  114 , the plant side  108   b  of the adapters remains separated and largely inaccessible. 
       FIGS.  7 - 9    illustrate another exemplary telecommunications box  700 , for example, a fiber box that is part of a fiber optic telecommunications system. The box  700  includes a first housing portion  702  having a back wall  704  and four side walls  706   a - 706   d . The back wall  704  and the four side walls  706   a - d  define an interior  708 , which can be closed by a second housing portion  710 . The first and second housing portions  702 ,  710  can be closed to form a perimeter seal about one plane, thereby permitting a box having a shallow lid to provide a simple and reliable seal. 
     The second housing portion  710  can be pivotally coupled with the first housing portion  702 , for example, via at least one hinge  705  such that the second housing portion  710  is configured to pivot relative to the first housing portion  702  between a first closed position (not shown) and a second open position as shown in  FIGS.  7 - 9   . In one embodiment, the at least one hinge  705  may be disposed at a first wall  706   a  of the four side walls of the first housing portion  702  and a corresponding wall of the second housing portion  704 . Of course, any conventional means for coupling the second housing portion  710  with the first housing portion  702  such that the second housing portion  710  is movable between closed and open positions is contemplated by this disclosure. 
     As would be understood by persons having ordinary skill in the art, in the first closed position, the second housing portion  710  blocks access to the contents of the box  700 . In the second open position, as shown in  FIGS.  7 - 9   , the second housing portion  710  is configured to allow access to an adapter holder  712  and an inner cover  714 . The inner cover  714  may be pivotally mounted to the first housing portion  702  at the first wall  706   a  such that a pivot axis of the inner cover  714  is parallel to a pivot axis between the first and second housing portions  702 ,  710 . It should be appreciated that, in some aspects, the inner cover  714  may be pivotally mounted at any other one  706   b - 706   d  of the four side walls of the first housing portion  702 . However, for the reasons discussed more fully below, it may be preferable to pivotally mount the inner cover  714  at the first wall  706   a.    
     The box  700  includes two columns (not shown) similar to the two columns  116  shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6    and described above. As best illustrated in  FIG.  7   , the inner cover  714  includes hinge arms  724  that extend from a first edge  726  of the inner cover  714 . Each of the hinge arms  724  includes a hinge pin  728  that are sized and arranged to be received by a respective one of the receiving holes  120  of the columns  116 . The hinge arms  724  are spaced apart from one another and the hinge pins  728  extend from their respective hinge arms  724  in directions opposite to one another such that the hinge pins  728  can both be seated in their respective receiving holes  120  to provide the pivotal relationship between the inner cover  714  and the first housing portion  702 . The guiding notches  122  may help to guide the hinge pins  728  into the receiving holes  120  when coupling the inner cover  714  with the first housing portion  702 . 
     The inner cover  714  includes a fastener hole  730  at a second edge  732  that is opposite to the first edge  726 . The fastener hole  730  is configured to receive a fastener (not shown) such as, for example, a security screw. It should be understood that other conventional fasteners are contemplated by the disclosure. 
     The adapter holder  712  is configured to house a plurality of adapters (not shown) that are configured to optically couple fiber output cables to connectorized ends of one or more distribution cables (not shown in  FIGS.  7 - 9   ). The adapter holder  712  includes a base portion  734  and an adapter panel portion  736  that are disposed perpendicular to one another. As best shown in  FIG.  3   , the adapter panel portion  736  defines a plurality of openings  738 . Each opening  738  is sized to securely receive the aforementioned adapters. The adapter panel portion  736  includes a receiving hole  740  configured to be aligned with the fastener hole  730  and to receive the fastener such that the adapter holder  712  and the inner cover  714  can be coupled together in a coupled configuration. 
     As best shown in  FIG.  9   , in a stowed configuration, the base portion  734  is configured to be removably coupled with the back wall  704  of the first housing portion  702 , and the adapter panel portion  736  extends perpendicular to the back wall  704  near the middle of the back wall  704 . As illustrated, the base portion  734  may include through holes  744  that are aligned with and configured to receive retention structures  742  protruding from the back wall  704 . In some aspects, the retention structures  742  may be snap fit fingers that are received in the through holes  744  and provide a snap fit coupling between the base portion  734  and the back wall  704 . 
     The box  700  includes one or more fiber management structures  750  coupled with the base portion  734  of the adapter holder  712 . Thus, the fiber management structures  750  are configured to pivot with the adapter holder  712 . The fiber management structures  750  may be separate structures that are coupled with the base portion  734  (fixedly or removably) or the fiber management structures  750  may be integrally formed with the base portion  734  as a single piece of unitary construction. Each fiber management structure  750  may include a curved guide panel  752  that extends perpendicular to the base portion  734  and is configured to maintain fiber cables at a minimum bend radius to prevent kinking and, thus, potential signal loss. Each of the fiber management structures  750  may include a first planar guide panel  754  that extends perpendicular to the base portion  734  and are spaced from the curved guide panel  752  such that fiber cables can be positioned between the curved guide panel  752  and the first planar guide panel  754 . Each of the fiber management structures  750  may include a second guide panel  756  that extends from an end of the curved guide panel  752  toward the first guide panel  754  but are spaced from the first guide panel  754  to allow fiber cables to be moved into an interior space  758  defined by the curved guide panel  754 , the first guide panel  756 , and the second guide panel  758 . In some embodiments, a fiber optic cables can be coupled with the curved guide panel  754 , the first guide panel  756 , and the second guide panel  758 , for example, with tie wraps, Velcro, or the like. 
     When the inner cover  714  and the adapter holder  712  are in the coupled configuration and the adapter holder  712  is in the stowed configuration (not shown), a technician has access to connectors and adapters disposed at a field side  708   a  of the interior  708  (right side of the box  700  in  FIG.  7   ), but the technician does not have access to a plant side  708   b  of the interior (left side of the box  700  in  FIG.  7   ) that is closed by the inner cover  714 . 
     Although the technician can access the field side  708   a  of the interior  708  when the base portion  734  of the adapter panel portion  736  is coupled with the back wall  704 , it may be difficult to grasp and/or manipulate the various connectors, adapters, and fiber cables on the field side  708   a  due to the limited space between the adapter panel portion  736  and the wall  706   c  opposite to the first wall  706   a . In order to provide easier access to the connectors, adapters, and fiber cables on the field side  708   a , the base portion  734  can be uncoupled from the back wall  704  to a raised configuration. For example, the retention structures  742  are configured to be removed from the through holes  744  to release the adapter holder  712  and permit the adapter holder  712  and the inner cover  714  to pivot together relative to the first housing portion  702  to the raised configuration shown in  FIG.  3   . In the embodiment shown, the snap fit fingers can be squeezed together by the technician so that the base portion  734  can be uncoupled from the back wall  704 . In the raised configuration, the adapter panel portion  736  is positioned at a better angle, enabling the technician to more easily access fiber optical components for optical inspection, optical cleaning, maintenance, and fiber cable management. 
     As long as the inner cover  714  and the adapter holder  712  remain coupled together as the adapter holder  712  is moved to the raised configuration, technician access to the plant side  708   b  remains limited. However, in some instances, a technician may need to access the plant side  708   b  of the interior but may not want to disturb the connector, adapters, and/or fiber cables on the field side  708   a . In such instances, the technician can keep the adapter holder  712  coupled to the back wall  704  in the stowed configuration and, assuming that the technician has a security key to unlock the security fastener, the inner cover  714  can be uncoupled from the adapter holder  712  such that the inner cover  714  can be pivoted relative to the first housing portion  702  while the adapter holder  712  remains stationary. 
     The foregoing embodiment of the box  700  thus provides a method to gain improved access to the adapters, connectors, and/or fiber cables on the field side  708   a  of the box  700  by coupling the adapter holder  712  with the inner cover  714  such that the adapter holder  712  can be moved away from the back wall  704  by pivoting with the inner cover  714 . Even while the adapter holder  712  pivots with the inner cover  714 , the plant side  708   b  of the adapters remain separated and largely inaccessible. 
     Additional embodiments include any one of the embodiments described above, where one or more of its components, functionalities or structures is interchanged with, replaced by or augmented by one or more of the components, functionalities, or structures of a different embodiment described above. 
     It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims. 
     Although several embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed in the foregoing specification, it is understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come to mind to which the disclosure pertains, having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. It is thus understood that the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein above, and that many modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims which follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the present disclosure, nor the claims which follow.