Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8138419?dq=6,993,661
Timestamp: 2014-03-17 00:18:57
Document Index: 153505487

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 1050712']

Patent US8138419 - Cable management accessories - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA vertical cable manager includes a base, an interconnected double-spine assembly topped by a top frame, and a pair of doors. The double-spine assembly is supported by the base. Each door is removably coupled at each lower corner to the base and at each upper corner to the top frame, thus permitting...http://www.google.com/patents/US8138419?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8138419 - Cable management accessoriesAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8138419 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/695,893Publication dateMar 20, 2012Filing dateJan 28, 2010Priority dateJan 7, 2008Also published asUS7893356, US7999183, US8273989, US8330043, US20090236117, US20100101820, US20100122830, US20100126750, US20100126751, WO2009089306A1, WO2009089306A4Publication number12695893, 695893, US 8138419 B2, US 8138419B2, US-B2-8138419, US8138419 B2, US8138419B2InventorsJose Arturo Garza, Daniel Alaniz, D. Brian Donowho, James I. Lawrence, Joshua James YOUNG, Wayne Arnold Zahlit, Hillman Lee BAILEY, Lawrence Randolph GRAVELLOriginal AssigneeChatsworth Products, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (102), Non-Patent Citations (11), Classifications (13) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetCable management accessoriesUS 8138419 B2Abstract A vertical cable manager includes a base, an interconnected double-spine assembly topped by a top frame, and a pair of doors. The double-spine assembly is supported by the base. Each door is removably coupled at each lower corner to the base and at each upper corner to the top frame, thus permitting each door to be opened or hinged along either of its lateral sides or removed entirely. The double-spine assembly may support selectively repositionable mounting members, which may in turn support a large cable spool, a selectively repositionable shelf-mounted handle spool assembly, and various other cable management accessories.
What is claimed is: 1. A vertical cable manager, comprising:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a U.S. continuation patent application of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. �120 to, U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/350,216, filed on Jan. 7, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,999,183, and published as US 2009/0236117 A1, which '216 application is a U.S. nonprovisional patent application of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. �119(e) to each of the following;
U.S. Patent Application No. 61/019,599 to Garza, filed Jan. 7, 2008; U.S. Patent Application No. 61/019,592 to Hathcock, filed Jan. 7, 2008; U.S. Patent Application No. 61/020,741 to Hathcock, Jan. 13, 2008; U.S. Patent Application No. 61/020,745 to Garza, filed Jan. 14, 2008; and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/095,308 to Donowho, filed Sep. 8, 2008.
U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/299,950 to Alaniz et al., filed Jan. 7, 2008; U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/302,236 to Donowho et al., filed Jan. 14, 2008; U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/302,304 to Donowho et al., filed Jan. 14, 2008; U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/302,305 to Lawrence et al., filed Jan. 14, 2008; U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/302,309 to Lewis II et al., filed Jan. 14, 2008; and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/019,596 to Donowho et al., filed Jan. 7, 2008. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
Racks, frames, cabinets and the like for supporting computer and other electronic equipment are very well known. Similarly, raceways for routing cables and wires to and from that equipment are likewise well known. In particular, a number of raceways have been proposed for routing cables, wires and the like (generally referred to hereinafter as �cables�) vertically through or adjacent to equipment racks, frames, cabinets and the like (generally referred to hereinafter as �mounting fixtures�). Such raceways may be used to route cables vertically to equipment mounted or otherwise supported on a mounting fixture from other equipment on the mounting fixture, from an overhead or underfloor raceway, or the like. These cables are generally routed in the vertical direction to a point adjacent to the desired equipment and then routed in the horizontal direction to the desired equipment.
It is often advantageous to provide a cable raceway having a front portion and a rear portion, wherein two separate channels are established. In such raceways, the separate channels are commonly established by a partition or �midsection,� often with passthrough openings therein. Known products utilize a fixed midsection that is attached to the vertical side rails in one position only. The fixed midsection provides strength and rigidity to the total structure. One downside of a fixed midsection is that it reduces cable capacity. Furthermore, installers find it difficult to position cables front-to-back, and lashing bars and spools are not flexibly available. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,150 to Follingstad et al. discloses the use of spools, but the positions of the spools are relatively fixed.
Improvement is also needed in the area of cable management features within the vertical cable manager. Conventional tie-down features included such devices as bridge lances or punched slots in the sheet metal comprising the rear �wall� of the cable management space. The use of such features required a more tedious �threading� of Velcro ties. Furthermore, previous methods almost uniformly required that Velcro tie wraps be threaded through bridge lances or through punched slots in sheet metal, often requiring access to both the front and the rear of the manager. Thus, a need exists for improved cable management features within the vertical cable manager.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention according to a first aspect is a vertical cable manager, including a first column assembly; a second column assembly, parallel to but spaced apart from the first column assembly; a top frame connecting a top end of the first column assembly to a top end of the second column assembly; and a base connecting a bottom end of the first column assembly to a bottom end of the second column assembly; wherein the top frame and the base are structurally sufficient to support the second column assembly, relative to the first column assembly, without further structural support members.
The cable guide 44,45 may be mounted on a front or rear bracket 60,61 of the support column 46 by aligning the snap fasteners 64 with the rectangular apertures 48 in the support column 46 and then pressing the fasteners 64 through the apertures 48. As the fasteners 64 are inserted, one or more preferably-beveled portion of each fastener 64 may make contact with the support column 46, thus urging the deflection thereof, until the fasteners 64 are inserted a sufficient distance and �snap� into place, thereby retaining the guide 44,45 and preventing its removal. Each cable guide 44,45 may be further secured to the respective support column 46 by inserting fasteners (not shown) through the small round apertures 49 in the support column 46.
The respective projections 63 are evenly spaced along the length of the cable guide 44,45 at a standardized spacing. In the embodiment shown and described, the spacing between the respective projections 63 is equal to a single standard rack mounting unit (�RMU�), but it should be obvious that other standard spacings could be used such as spacings measured in alternative units or spacings which are multiples of the RMU. By using such a standard spacing, it is ensured that a cable ring 68 is disposed at, and dedicated to, each RMU along the height of a rack 20. The benefit of this is further described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,119,282.
As described previously, conventional tie-down features included such devices as bridge lances or punched slots in the sheet metal comprising the rear �wall� of the cable management space. The use of such features required a more tedious �threading� of Velcro ties. Furthermore, previous methods almost uniformly required that Velcro tie wraps be threaded through bridge lances or through punched slots in sheet metal, often requiring access to both the front and the rear of the manager.
The various lashing bars described or illustrated herein each allow for a single person remaining on one side of the vertical manager to easily wrap a Velcro tie wrap around the cable bundle and the lashing bar, securing the cable bundle and drawing it back into the rear of the cable management space. The �loops� or �humps� of the various alternative lashing bar assemblies provide additional security for insuring anchored cable bundles do not slip vertically from the point where they were anchored and also provide a means for subdividing the cable management space vertically within the vertical cable manager.
Each bar assembly provides a rigid beam to which a flexible but generally stiff bundle of data/communications cables may be anchored. Each bar assembly makes use of Velcro or other tie wraps much easier than threading such ties through small sheet metal features. The greater ease of use as well as not being confined to a limited number of tie-down points creates a more flexible cable management space and allows for greater utilization of the potential capacity of the vertical cable manager. The �loops� provide a means to subdivide the vertical cable management space into two or more vertical channels, allowing for more specific routing spaces for cable within the manager.
Each lashing bar and/or bar assembly can be made from solid, round metal bar stock, formed sheet metal, extruded metal (such as aluminum) or composite, or a variety of other materials. As illustrated, the bar assembly can be provided in a simple straight section with or without perforations down its length, with or without repeating strain relief features down the length, or can include one or more �loop� features which are affixed to the bar.
The depth of each recess 109 relative to the edge of its respective opening 108 corresponds to the extent of each boss 120 from the side of its respective stub 118. More particularly, the depth of the recess 109 is chosen such that as the stub 118 is pushed through the opening 108, the rim of each recess 109 bears against the beveled deflection face 124 on one of the bosses 120, deflecting it radially inward, until the widest portion is passed and the stepped retention face 126 is reached. Because the stepped retention face 126 is narrower than the widest portion of the bosses 120, each boss 120 then �snaps� into place and is held in place by an appropriate step or ledge (visible in FIG. 27) on the retention face 126.
In FIGS. 13-18, the midsection members 80, and thus the accessories supported thereby, are mounted in a forward-most position in the cable manager 30. However, FIGS. 28 and 29 are side cross-sectional views of the vertical cable manager 30 of FIG. 13 with the accessories disposed in first and second alternative arrangements, respectively. More particularly, in FIG. 28, the midsection members 80, and thus the accessories supported thereby, are mounted in a center position in the cable manager 30, while in FIG. 29, the midsection members 80, and thus the accessories supported thereby, are mounted in a rearward-most position in the cable manager 30. Of course, as used herein, �forward� and �rearward� are relative terms, and it will be apparent to the Ordinary Artisan that any of these arrangements may be reversed such that the midsection members 80, and any accessories supported thereby, are oriented in the opposite direction, or for some midsection members 80 and accessories to face forward and for others to face rearward. Furthermore, although not illustrated, it will also be appreciated that combinations of these arrangements may likewise be accomplished. For example, one set of midsection members 80, and accessories supported thereby, may be mounted in apertures 58 in one of the columns, with the accessories on it extending in one direction, and another set of midsection members 80, and accessories supported thereby, may be mounted in apertures 58 in another of the columns, with the accessories on it extending in the opposite direction. Other permutations will likewise be appreciated by the Ordinary Artisan.
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