Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to telecommunications and multimedia junctions, and particularly to outlet boxes for facilitating telecommunications and multimedia-type junctions and connections within a work space or other place where space is at a premium.  
         [0002]     Outlet boxes designed for the work place need to account for potentially tight space considerations. In particular, providing access to the connectors housed therein from a variety of angles is often advantageous, as seen for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,765. This is especially true of outlet boxes intended to be wall-mounted or otherwise disposed within a visible and usable work space, as opposed to when outlet boxes are mounted in more discreet locations, such as when they are underfloor-mounted or when they reside above a false ceiling. The space limitations associated with a work space might, for example, yield situations where a particular cable only has sufficient length to reach one particular side of an outlet box and/or from one particular angle. Also, fiberoptic cabling generally must avoid sharp turns or bends, and often has a “minimum bend radius” associated with particular cable. Standard outlet boxes having traditional configurations sometimes fail to accommodate the demands of fiberoptic cabling by requiring sharp turns of the cabling in order to plug into particular connectors or by having sharp corners on the perimeter of the box.  
         [0003]     Many different types of outlet boxes exist, but a significant shortcoming of many prior art designs is that they do not support a large number of “gravity-feed” connections, connections where a cable approaches the outlet box at an upward angle or direction such that gravity&#39;s effect on the cable is more minimal, especially with regard to adversely affecting the bend radius near the outlet box. Sometimes even connectors that provide “gravity-feed” connections, such as the ones shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,765, fail to provide sufficient clearance for the cables entering the “gravity-feed” connectors to avoid bend radius problems due to the potential proximity of other office equipment and the like.  
         [0004]     Other outlet boxes fail to provide for easy access to the interior thereof, such as to access cable or switch particular connectors into and out of particular bays of the outlet box. This can limit the adaptability of the outlet box for particular telecommunications or multimedia applications. Still other outlet boxes fail to provide cable slack management features, such as bend radii, inside the boxes. Such failure may encourage deleterious cable kinking and tangling within the boxes. Some boxes may also have connectors oriented to make plugs difficult to insert into or remove from the connectors, especially when adjacent connectors have plugs inserted therein. Still other boxes may require a fiberoptic cable to be twisted to enable a plug to be inserted into its connectors. Twisting of fiberoptic cables, especially when coupled with other stresses, may have detrimental effects on the signals being passed through them. Thus, there is a need for an improved multimedia outlet box.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Disclosed and claimed herein is an outlet box for addressing the above-identified shortcomings of prior devices.  
         [0006]     In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an outlet box having a base including a rear surface of the outlet box, a cover including a front surface of the outlet box, the cover being configured for engagingly fitting over the base, an intermediate portion extending from one or both of the base and cover and extending generally between the rear surface and the front surface, whereby the cover, the base, and the intermediate portion cooperatively define an interior of the outlet box when the cover and the base are engagingly fitted together, the intermediate portion including a pair of opposed inwardly inclined portions and a pair of set-off portions extending from the inner more ends of the inwardly inclined portions, at least one of the inclined portions including an aperture therein, and a connector disposed within the base, the connector having an opening for receiving a plug.  
         [0007]     In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an outlet box having a base including a rear surface of the outlet box, a cover including a front surface of the outlet box, the cover being configured for engagingly fitting over the base, an intermediate portion extending from one or both of the base and cover and extending generally between the rear surface and the front surface, whereby the cover, the base, and the intermediate portion cooperatively define an interior of the outlet box when the cover and the base are engagingly fitted together, the intermediate portion including a pair of opposed inwardly inclined portions, at least one of the inclined portions including an aperture therein, and a connector disposed within the base, the connector having an opening configured for receiving a latched plug, the opening being oriented such that when the latched plug is disposed within the connector, the latch extends toward the front surface of the outlet box. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an assembled outlet box in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded disassembled perspective view of the outlet box of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the base portion of the outlet box of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the underside of the base portion of the outlet box of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is an exploded disassembled perspective view of an outlet box in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the outlet box of  FIG. 5  wherein the outlet box is assembled. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     A modern office communication network can include a variety of voice, data, and video cables which connect, for example, central office telephone equipment to individual telephones and main frame computers to remote personal computers. The terminal ends of these cables are provided with appropriate connectors for selective interconnection to remote equipment. The present invention provides a means to securely mount a variety of these connectors, possibly from different media, in one enclosure for subsequent connection to cables connected to various office equipment.  
         [0015]     In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a 12-port outlet box  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . The outlet box  10  is shown in assembled form in  FIG. 1  and disassembled form in  FIG. 2 . As seen in these figures, the box  10  includes a cover  12  that snappingly engages with, and is disengageable from, a base  14 . The cover includes the front surface  16  of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall  18  that contributes to the intermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutually engaged. The base includes the rear surface  20  of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall  22  upstanding therefrom that, like the side wall  18  of the cover, contributes to the intermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutually engaged.  
         [0016]     As best seen from the plan view of  FIG. 3 , the base and whole box have a distinctive geometry, including a top portion  30 , a pair of inwardly inclined portions  32  extending inwardly from the ends of the top portion, a pair of set-off portions  34  extending from the inner more ends of the inclined portions, and a bottom portion  36  extending from and between the opposite ends of the set-off portions.  
         [0017]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the set-off portions  34  are generally perpendicular to the top portion  30 , while the bottom portion  36  is generally parallel to the top portion  30 , though these relationships need not exist within the context of the invention.  
         [0018]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer more ends of the inwardly inclined portions  32  and the top portion  30  meet at rounded corners  38 . Such rounded corners provide bend radius control for fiberoptic cables if they are wrapped around that portion of the box. Sharper corners might cause damage to fiberoptic or other more fragile cables that might inhibit signal transmission thereover.  
         [0019]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inclined portions  32  are at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the top portion  30 , and/or relative to a vertical orientation, but this angle may vary significantly.  
         [0020]     As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the base  14  includes bays for permitting the insertion into the box of various jack/connector configurations. For example, up to twelve single-position jacks may be accommodated along the interior side of the inwardly inclined portions, six on each side. Alternatively, banks of jacks may be used, such as a single bank of six adjacent jacks or two adjacent banks of three jacks along each inwardly inclined portion. The connectors/jacks may or may not be of identical type, as any combination can be used in the multimedia box.  FIG. 2 , for example, shows fiberoptic connectors and standard telephone jacks in side-by-side configuration.  
         [0021]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes an inlet hole  24  generally in the center thereof for permitting cable to enter the interior of the box there through. In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the hole allows for the cables to flow to the connector positions more easily, and thereby deters unwanted slack within the interior of the box and unnecessary redirections that may increase the chances of damage to fibers or signal degradation.  
         [0022]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, break-out portions  42  are found along the intermediate portion of the box to function as alternate inlets or outlets for cables, especially via means such as raceway.  FIG. 2  shows such a break-out in the top portion  30  of the box. Notches  44  may be used to facilitate the break-outs.  
         [0023]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes mounting holes or bosses  45  that are compatible with NEMA standard single gang and double gang boxes.  
         [0024]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes spooling structures to facilitate cable slack storage. In the shown embodiment, some of the spooling structures  47  are attached to the bosses  45 . In the shown embodiment, the spooling pattern is generally a figure-8. The figure-8 pattern allows for the fiber slack to be spread out over a larger area, thereby avoiding a large bundle of fibers residing about a single diameter.  
         [0025]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one or more cable tie down structures  46  to facilitate the bundling, management, and/or routing of cables within the interior of the box.  
         [0026]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one or more breakouts  48  for an MPO adapter to be inserted.  
         [0027]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one or more magnet pockets  49  for retaining magnets as an alternate method for mounting the box on a surface. The box could alternatively or additionally be supplied with double-sided adhesive foam tape for mounting.  
         [0028]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes labeling areas  52  for identifying the corresponding ports. Such areas  52  may also act as screw covers, hiding screws that secure the cover to the base.  
         [0029]     In the shown embodiment, the base contains four notches to permit the cover to snappingly engage the base. At the notches are screwdriver release pads to facilitate removing the cover from the base.  
         [0030]     As can be seen from the figures, when the shown embodiment is installed in the orientation shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  upon a wall or other vertical surface, the inwardly inclined portions of the box facilitate “gravity-feed” connections in that the plugs approach the connectors at an upward angle. Thus, the cables extending from the plugs do not encounter the same degree of kinking near the plug due to the weight of the cables themselves, as opposed to cables approaching horizontally, downwardly, or at a downward angle. Rather, the more upwardly the approach, the less kinking that is caused.  
         [0031]     Importantly, as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the rectangular section of the box, generally defined by set-off portions  34  and bottom portion  36 , sets the box off from any furniture or other obstructions that may be located just below the box along its vertical mounting surface. Without such a set-off, cables approaching the box at an upward angle would likely encounter kinking issues against the furniture since the cable would have very little distance in which to turn a significant angle.  
         [0032]     Thus, the shown embodiment of the invention includes a trapezoidal section defined primarily by the inclined portions  32  and the top portion  30  residing just above a rectangular (or other quadrilateral) section defined by the set-off portions  34  and the bottom portion  36 . The rectangular section provides set-off and thereby helps prevent breaking the minimum bend radius for optical cables. Additionally, the section providing set-off also prevents the potential problem of difficulty or impossibility of inserting plugs into gravity-feed connectors wherein insufficient space is provided between the connectors and office obstructions, such as desks, cabinets, book cases, computer monitors, wall outlets, thermostats, and the like. Thus, such obstructions can cause damage to optical cable or make difficult or impossible the insertion of plugs when no set-off section is provided.  
         [0033]     The rectangular set-off section of the shown embodiment need not actually be rectangular and the set-off portions need not actually be straight or mutually parallel, as any similar set-off structure could perform similar functions, and such similar structure is considered to be alternative within the context of the invention.  
         [0034]     In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention, there is provided a 24-port outlet box, as shown in  FIGS. 5-6 . The outlet box  110  is shown in assembled form in  FIG. 6  and disassembled form in  FIG. 5 . As seen in these figures, the box  110  includes a cover  112  that snappingly engages with, and is disengageable from, a base  114 . The cover includes the front surface  116  of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall  118  that contributes to the intermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutually engaged. The base includes the rear surface  120  of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall  122  upstanding therefrom that, like the side wall  118  of the cover, contributes to the intermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutually engaged.  
         [0035]     Preferably, base  14  of the 12-port embodiment and base  114  of the 24-port embodiment are identical, and either cover  12  or cover  112  may be used with the common base, depending on whether the 12-port or 24-port embodiment of the outlet box is needed for a particular application.  
         [0036]     In the shown 24-port embodiment, a bridge  124  is snapped into or otherwise engaged with structure of the base  114  to expand the capacity of the box from 12 ports to 24 ports. To provide space for the additional row of connectors, the cover  112  is deeper than its 12-port cover counterpart. The cut-away portion  140  of the cover side wall  118  is also correspondingly larger than its 12-port cut-away portion counterpart to accommodate the bridge and multiple rows of connectors. The 24-port embodiment simply permits more like-sized connectors to be housed within the outlet box, while providing the same flexibility relating to different types, configurations, and orientations of connectors and corresponding plugs. As seen in  FIG. 6 , for example, fiberoptic connectors can adjoin telephone jacks in various combinations.  
         [0037]     In both shown embodiments, at least some of the connectors have openings configured for receiving a latched plug, the openings being oriented such that when corresponding latched plugs are disposed within the connectors, the latches extend toward the front surface of the outlet box. This orientation has the benefit that when various plugs are located within adjacent connectors, it is easier to activate the latch to permit disengagement of one of the plugs when the latch is not located between the adjacent plugs, as it would be if the connectors and plugs were rotated 90 degrees in either direction. Additionally, such an orientation of the connectors may require less twisting of fiberoptic cables resulting from mating with the connectors. The decreased twisting decreases the risk of damaging the fiberoptic cables from an overstressed condition.  
         [0038]     The disclosed invention provides an improved multimedia outlet box. It should be noted that the above-described and illustrated embodiments of the invention are not an exhaustive listing of the forms an outlet box in accordance with the invention could take; rather, they serve as exemplary and illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention as presently understood. Many other forms of the invention are believe to exist. Examples inexhaustively include boxes wherein the inclined portions form angles other than 45 degrees relative to other portions of the box and/or to a vertical orientation, boxes wherein the set-off portions are not mutually parallel or parallel or perpendicular to any particular portions of the box or a vertical orientation, boxes wherein the top portion includes multiple segments not necessarily coplanar or collinear with each other, and boxes wherein the number of connectors housed is greater or lesser than 12 or 24, or the number of rows of connectors is greater than two.  
         [0039]     The invention is defined by the following claims.

Technology Category: 5