Patent ID: 7995357

Claim:
A telecommunications system, comprising: a) a telecommunications frame having a front, a rear, and first and second opposing sides, the front, rear, and sides defining a frame interior; b) a patch panel region located within the frame interior, the patch panel region defining a plurality of patch panel connections, the patch panel connections being accessible from the front of the telecommunications frame; c) an active equipment region located within the frame interior, the active equipment region defining a plurality of equipment connections, the equipment connections being accessible from the front of the telecommunications frame; d) a slack storage panel located between the patch panel region and the active equipment region, the slack storage panel having at least one cable routing pathway, wherein no portion of the cable routing pathway overlaps another portion of the cable routing pathway; e) a first vertical cable channel located at the first side of the telecommunications frame, and a second vertical cable channel located at the second side of the telecommunications frame; and f) patch cords interconnected to the patch panel connections and the equipment connections, wherein patch cords located adjacent to the first side of the frame are routed from the patch panel connections through only the first vertical cable channel prior to entering the slack storage panel, and wherein patch cords located adjacent to the second side of the frame are routed from the patch panel connections through only the second vertical cable channel prior to entering of the slack storage panel, each of the patch cords interconnected to the connections of the patch panel region entering the slack storage panel in a generally horizontal direction; g) wherein the patch cords are routed to the equipment connections in the active equipment region from only one of the first side and the second side of the telecommunications frame.