Abstract:
An enclosure for telecommunication cables includes a body that defines an interior of the enclosure, a grounding base secured relative to the body, and at least one strain relief assembly having a strain relief member and grounding member that are jointly coupled to the grounding base. Related methods of installing enclosures are also disclosed.

Description:
PRIORITY APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/018,725, filed on Jun. 30, 2014, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates generally to telecommunication cables, and more particularly to enclosures for telecommunication cables and methods of installing such enclosures. 
         [0003]    In a telecommunications network, there are typically several locations where one or more cables are spliced to other cables. For example, in a fiber optic network, optical fibers from a feeder cable may be spliced to respective optical fibers of one or more distribution cables at one location (such as a “local convergence point” or LCP). The distribution cables may then extend to another location (such as a “fiber distribution terminal”) where the optical fibers of the distribution cable are spliced to optical fibers of one or more subscriber drop cables. The splices at these various locations within a fiber optic network are typically housed within an enclosure (sometimes referred to as “splice closure” or simply “closure”), which may also be configured to house splitters, couplers, and other optical hardware. The closures protect the splices and hardware from environmental degradation, strain, and/or other undesirable forces, thereby increasing the reliability and quality of the splices. 
         [0004]    A variety of designs are known for closures, including dome-type closures and in-line closures. Regardless of the particular design, telecommunication cables extending into an interior of a closure are typically restrained to protect the communication links (e.g., optical fibers or copper wires) carried within the cables from potentially damaging loads such as tensile, torsional, and/or bending loads. This “strain relief” may occur within the interior of the closure or on an exterior of the closure. 
         [0005]    In addition to being provided with strain relief, many cables are electrically grounded to minimize the risk of damage or injury from unwanted electrical current. For example, some fiber optic cables include armor within the cables to provide additional mechanical strength/protection. The material of the armor is typically metal or another electrical conductor. Thus, although the optical fibers in such fiber optic cables may not carry electrical power, the conductive property of the armor creates the potential for electrical shocks and other hazards. 
         [0006]    The strain relieving and grounding are performed when installing a closure in a telecommunications network. Although these steps have been performed in a variety of ways since the first use of closures, there remains room for improvement. Facilitating the steps (and, therefore, the installation of closures) remains desirable. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    One embodiment of the disclosure relates to an enclosure for telecommunication cables. The enclosure includes a body that defines an interior of the enclosure, a grounding base secured relative to the body, and at least one strain relief assembly or system having a strain relief member and grounding member that are jointly coupled to the grounding base. 
         [0008]    An additional embodiment of the disclosure is an enclosure for telecommunication cables that includes means for jointly or simultaneously strain relieving and grounding at least one of the telecommunication cables independently from the other telecommunication cables. Such an enclosure may also include a body that defines an interior of the enclosure and a grounding base secured relative to the body, and in such embodiments the strain relieving and grounding may be with respect to the grounding base. 
         [0009]    Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to an enclosure for telecommunication cables that include a conductive material. The enclosure includes a body defining an interior of the enclosure, a grounding base secured relative to the body, and at least one strain relief assembly or system including a strain relief member and grounding member that are jointly coupled to the grounding base. The grounding base is configured to be electrically coupled to the conductive material (e.g., armor) of at least one of the telecommunication cables without the use of grounding wires. 
         [0010]    Yet another embodiment of the disclosure relates to an enclosure for a plurality of telecommunication cables that each include a conductive material. The enclosure includes a body defining an interior of the enclosure, a grounding base secured relative to the body, and a plurality of strain relief systems coupled to the grounding base. Each strain relief system is configured to independently provide strain relief and electrical grounding for one of the telecommunication cables, such that the grounding base is configured to be electrically coupled to the conductive material of the telecommunication cables via the strain relief systems. The strain relief system may comprise a bracket configured to simultaneously provide the strain relief and electrical grounding such that no other brackets are required. This may be the case if the bracket is formed from a highly conductive material (e.g., brass or copper) and with geometry/dimensions that provide sufficient structural integrity. Alternatively, each strain relief system comprises a separate strain relief member and grounding member that are jointly coupled to the grounding base. 
         [0011]    Any of the embodiments in the disclosure relating to an enclosure for telecommunication cables may be provided in an unassembled or partially assembled state. For example, one embodiment of an enclosure includes a body defining an interior of the enclosure, a grounding base secured or configured to be secured relative to the body, and a strain relief kit. The strain relief kit includes a strain relief member and grounding member configured to be jointly coupled to the grounding base. 
         [0012]    Methods of installing an enclosure on telecommunication cables are also disclosed. One embodiment of such a method involves: extending at least one of the telecommunication cables through an opening of the enclosure; securing the at least one telecommunication cable to a strain relief member; electrically coupling armor material in the at least one telecommunication cable to a grounding member; and jointly coupling the strain relief member and grounding member to a grounding base of the enclosure. Thus, the strain relief member and grounding member are coupled to the grounding base at one or more common locations on the grounding base. 
         [0013]    Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the technical field of telecommunications hardware and equipment. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description, the following detailed description, and the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary, and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understand the nature and character of the claims. It is also to be understood that features and attributes associated with embodiments shown in one of the drawings may be applied to embodiments shown in others of the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of an enclosure for telecommunication cables in an open configuration; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective of the enclosure of  FIG. 1  in a closed configuration; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of an end cap assembly of the enclosure of  FIG. 1 , without having telecommunication cables installed; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3B  is an enlarged perspective view of one embodiment a strain relief assembly for securing and grounding a telecommunication cable on the end cap assembly of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of an exterior of the end cap assembly of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view illustrating the installation of the strain relief assembly of  FIG. 3B ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is an image of a portion of an enclosure according to another embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Various embodiments will be further clarified by the following examples. To this end,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate one example of an enclosure  10  (or simply “closure”) for telecommunication cables. Although the enclosure  10  is shown as dome-type closure for fiber optic cables  12 , the description below relates to details that may apply to other types of enclosures. This includes enclosures having an in-line or other type of arrangement instead of a dome-type arrangement, as well as enclosures designed for use with copper cables instead of or in addition to fiber optic cables. A general overview of the enclosure  10  will be provided simply to facilitate discussion. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the enclosure  10  includes a canister or cover  14  configured to be received over an end cap assembly  16 . The canister  14  is substantially dome-shaped with a first end  18  that is closed and an opposite, second end  20  that is open. A wall  22  of the canister  14  extends around a longitudinal axis between the first and second ends  18 ,  20  to define an internal cavity. Such an arrangement allows the canister  14  to be placed over the end cap assembly  16 , as shown by the arrow in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    The end cap assembly  16  includes an end cap  26  having entry openings  28  to allow the fiber optic cables  12  to extend through the end cap  26 . Although six entry openings are provided around a periphery of the end cap  26  in the embodiment shown, there may be a different number of entry openings in other embodiments. Additionally, in the embodiment shown, the end cap  26  includes a central member  30  and a plurality of sealing members  32  secured around a periphery of the central member  30 . The number of sealing members  32  corresponds to the number of entry openings  28  around the periphery of the end cap  26 . Such an arrangement allows the fiber optic cables  12  to be sealed in each entry opening  28  individually by adjusting (e.g., screwing) pressure members  34  associated with respective sealing members  32 . However, other arrangements not involving individual sealing or separate sealing members are also possible. 
         [0024]    The end cap assembly  16  also includes a fiber management assembly  40  having a frame  42  removably mounted to the end cap  26  and splice trays  44  carried by the frame  42 . The splice trays  44  may be mounted to the frame  42  using bolts  46  and wing nuts  48 , for example. Buffer tubes  50  extending from end portions of the fiber optic cables  12  may be routed to storage areas defined by the frame  42  and/or to the splice trays  44 . The buffer tubes  50  contain optical fibers (not shown) that may be spliced to other optical fibers, with the splices being stored on the splice trays  44 . 
         [0025]    When the canister  14  is placed over the end cap assembly  16 , the components of the fiber management assembly  40  are accommodated in the internal cavity of the canister  14 . A clamping ring  52  or the like may be used to secure the canister  14  to the end cap  26 , thereby closing the second end  20  of the canister  14 . Thus, together the canister  14  and end cap  26  define a body of the enclosure  10 . The body has an interior defined by the internal cavity of the canister  14 . 
         [0026]    Now that a general overview of the enclosure  10  has been provided, reference can be made to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , which illustrate a portion of the end cap assembly  16  and an end portion of one of the fiber optic cables  12  in further detail. As can be seen, the enclosure  10  includes a grounding base  60  secured to the end cap  26 . The grounding base  60  in this embodiment is a ring-shaped plate bolted to the central member  30  of the end cap  26  at various locations (the bolts are not shown). An electrically-conductive path is established from one or more of these locations to one or more locations on an exterior of the end cap  26  where, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a ground cable  62  may be attached via a grounding screw  64 . Some or all of the central member  30  may be formed from an electrically-conducting material to establish the electrically-conductive path. 
         [0027]    Referring back to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the fiber optic cable  12  is configured to be secured to the end cap  26  via the grounding base  60 . More specifically, the enclosure  10  includes a strain relief assembly  70  (or “strain relief system  70 ”) for both securing and grounding the fiber optic cable  12  to the grounding base  60 . Providing a single assembly for both strain relieving and grounding the fiber optic cable  12  with respect to the grounding base  60  facilitates installation of the enclosure  10  in that both actions can occur simultaneously. This ability is due to the strain relief assembly  70  including a strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  configured to be jointly coupled to the grounding base  60 . The joint coupling for the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B  will be more apparent after first describing some additional details of the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74 . 
         [0028]    In the embodiment shown, the strain relief member  72  is in the form of a strain relief bracket and the grounding member  74  is in the form of a grounding bracket. Both the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  are substantially L-shaped. Having substantially similar shapes enables the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  to be stacked or otherwise overlaid before securing the fiber optic cable  12  to the strain relief assembly  70  and before being jointly coupled to the grounding base  60 . For example, the strain relief member  72  may have one or more planar surfaces abutting and facing one or more planer surfaces of the grounding member  76 . In other embodiments, the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  may have different shapes or designs, but each still include a portion configured to be jointly coupled to the grounding base  60  with the other. 
         [0029]    One advantage of having both a strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  as part of the strain relief assembly  70  is that the material of each may be chosen with different purposes in mind. For example, the strain relief member  72  may be formed from a first material with a relatively high strength (e.g., modulus of elasticity), such as stainless steel, to provide the strain relief assembly  70  with most or all of the structural stability required for strain relieving the fiber optic cable  12 . The grounding member  74 , on the other hand, may be formed from a second material with a relatively high electrical conductivity, such as copper or brass, to sufficiently ground the fiber optic cable  12 . The phrase “relatively high” in this context refers to properties of the first or second material in relation to each other. As can be appreciated, strength of the first material need not be compromised to achieve better electrical conductivity, while electrical conductivity of the second material need not be compromised to achieve better strength. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the strain relief assembly  70  may be installed by positioning a portion of a clamp member  76  of the strain relief assembly  70  under armor (hidden from view in  FIG. 5 ) of the fiber optic cable  12 . The clamp member  76  may include both a top plate and bottom plate (not shown to simplify matters) with a portion of the latter being what is partially positioned under/behind the armor of the fiber optic cable  12 . The top plate is positioned on/in front of the armor such that the armor is between the bottom plate and top plate. Vinyl tape  78  or the like may be wrapped around an end portion of the fiber optic cable  12  and over the top plate to help secure the clamp member  76 . The clamp member  76  may also include a threaded stud  80 , which may be integral (e.g., welded) with the bottom plate or top plate or which may be a bolt or the like extending through the top plate and/or bottom plate. 
         [0031]    In the particular embodiment shown, the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  include respective holes  82 ,  84  that allow the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  to be installed onto the threaded stud  80  of the clamp member  76 . The grounding member  74  is installed first so as to be positioned between the strain relief member  72  and top plate of the clamp member  76 . A nut  86  may then be fastened onto the threaded stud  80  to further secure the clamp member  76  to the fiber optic cable  12  and to secure the strain relief member  72 , grounding member  74 , and clamp member  76  together. A portion of the the top plate of the clamp member  76  is held in contact with a portion of the grounding member  74  at this point. 
         [0032]    To further secure the strain relief assembly  70  to the fiber optic cable  12 , a hose clamp  88  or the like may be wrapped around both the end portion of the fiber optic cable  12  and a portion of the strain relief assembly  70  including the strain relief member  72 . The hose clamp  88  wraps around both the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  in the embodiment shown, as the grounding member  74  is positioned between the strain relief member  72  and an outer jacket  90  of the fiber optic cable  12 . Like the clamp member  76 , the strain relief member  72  may also include a threaded stud  92  that may be integral (e.g., welded) with the strain relief bracket or that may be a bolt or the like extending through the strain relief bracket (and possibly through the grounding bracket). Aramid yarn  94  or other strength material from the fiber optic cable  12  is wrapped around the threaded stud  92  of the strain relief member  72  and secured using a nut  96 . Although not shown in  FIG. 5 , the fiber optic cable  12  may also include a strength member secured to strain relief assembly  70  using additional hardware (e.g., a restraining member, threaded stud, and nut) that interfaces with holes  98  in the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74 . 
         [0033]    Referring back to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , and as mentioned above, the strain relief assembly  70  both secures and grounds the fiber optic cable  12  to the grounding base  60 . In the embodiment shown, the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  are jointly coupled to the grounding base  60  by inserting foot portions  102 ,  104  of the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  into a mounting slot  106  provided on the grounding base  60 . The mounting slot  106  may be configured to securely engage the foot portions  102 ,  104 , such as with a snap-fit or the like, so that no threaded fasteners are needed to provide the joint coupling. If desired, however, one or more threaded fasteners may be used to additionally or alternatively provide the joint coupling. For example, in some embodiments a bolt (not shown) may be used to secure the foot portions  102 ,  104  to the grounding base  60 . 
         [0034]    As can be appreciated, when the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  are jointly coupled to the grounding base  60 , the fiber optic cable  12  is both grounded and secured with respect to the grounding base  60 . The grounding in the embodiment described occurs by way of an electrically-conductive path from the armor of the fiber optic cable  12 , through the clamp member  76  and grounding member  74 , and to the grounding base  60  (where the path may continue to the ground cable  62  secured to an exterior of the end cap  26 ; see discussion of  FIG. 4  above). Although the grounding member  74  may provide some support, the strain relief for the fiber optic cable  12  comes primarily from the strength of the strain relief member  72 . As already mentioned, providing a single assembly for both strain relieving and grounding the fiber optic cable  12  with respect to the grounding base  60  facilitates installation of the enclosure  10  in that both actions can occur simultaneously. Additional steps to secure grounding wires or the like between the grounding base  60  and an element (e.g., a clamp member) electrically coupled to armor or other conductive material of a telecommunication cable are not required. 
         [0035]    Other ways of achieving the joint coupling of the strain relief assembly  70  will be appreciated by persons skilled in the field of telecommunications hardware and equipment.  FIG. 6 , for example, illustrates a portion of an enclosure  110  according to another embodiment. The same reference numbers are used in  FIG. 6  to refer to elements corresponding to those in the enclosure  10 . Accordingly, only the differences in the enclosure  110  will be described. 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , one or more support brackets  112  may be secured to the end cap  26  at locations proximate the entry openings  28 . The support brackets  112  are constructed from a material with relatively high electrical conductivity. For example, the support brackets  112  may be constructed from a material with electrically conductive properties the same as or similar to those of the material of the grounding member  74 .  FIG. 6  illustrates the support brackets  112  being bolted directly to the central member  30  of the end cap  26 . Although not shown, a ring-shaped plate similar to the grounding base  60  ( FIG. 3A ) may be provided between the support brackets  112  and central member  30  to serve as the grounding base and electrically couple (i.e., establish an electrically-conductive path between) the support brackets  112 . Alternatively, such a ring-shaped plate may be provided on an exterior of the end cap  26  to electrically couple conductive paths associated with the support brackets  112  so that a ground cable only needs to be secured to a single location on the end cap  26  (similar to  FIG. 4 ). Another alternative is having portions or all of the central member  30  constructed from a material with electrically conductive properties the same as or similar to those of the grounding member  74 . The support brackets  112  and/or the central member  30  may be considered as the grounding base in such embodiments. 
         [0037]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , threaded fasteners  116  (e.g., bolts) are used to secure a bottom portion  118  of each support bracket  112  to the central member  30 . The bottom portion  118  extends in a horizontal plane. The support brackets  112  also include a top portion  120  defined by one or more tabs or walls  122  extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom portion  118  (and, therefore, substantially perpendicular to a ring-shaped plate if one is provided for the grounding base, and/or substantially perpendicular to a top surface of the central member  30 ). Two tabs  122  are provided on each of the support brackets  112  on opposite sides of the corresponding threaded fastener  116  in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0038]    The strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  of the strain relief assembly  70  in this embodiment each have a foot portion  132 ,  134  with a shape similar to that of the support brackets  112 . The foot portions  132 ,  134  may be positioned on the same or different sides of the support brackets  112  and secured to the tabs  122  using bolts  136  or other fasteners. Due to the shape of the tabs  122  and support brackets  112 , the bolts  136  are positioned on opposite sides of the fiber optic cable  12  being secured and grounded by the strain relief assembly  70 . Such an arrangement facilitates access to the bolts  136  and, therefore, facilitates the process of jointly coupling the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  to the support brackets  112  (and, therefore, to the grounding base). 
         [0039]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, variations, combinations, and sub-combinations of the embodiments described above can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims below. For example, although the strain relief member  72  and grounding member  74  are shown and described as separate components, in alternative embodiments a common component may define the strain relief member and grounding member (i.e., the strain relief member and grounding member may be integrally formed as a unitary or monolithic structure). The common component could be in the form of a single bracket configured to simultaneously provide the strain relief and electrical grounding. This may be the case if the bracket is formed from a highly conductive material (e.g., brass or copper) and with geometry/dimensions that provide sufficient structural integrity for strain relief. 
         [0040]    It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method in this disclosure be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. For example, although the fiber optic cable  12  is described above as being secured to the strain relief assembly  70  before securing the latter to the grounding base, in alternative embodiments the strain relief assembly  70  may be secured to the grounding base before securing the fiber optic cable  12 . Accordingly, where a method claim below does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that any particular order be inferred.