Supports: racks – Special article – Electrically powered
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-03
2004-04-13
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Electrically powered
C439S540100, C439S456000, C361S727000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719149
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to accommodation apparatuses for communication devices, and more particularly, to an accommodation apparatus for media converters.
2. Description of the Related Art
A media converter, as used herein, refers to a device configured to convert a signal propagating through a first transmission medium to a signal for propagation through a second transmission medium, different from the first transmission medium. The transmission media can include, for example, an Unshielded Twisted Pair (“UTP”) cable, and an optical fiber cable (single mode or multimode), where an electrical signal from the UTP cable is converted by the media converter to an optical signal for propagation in the optical fiber cable.
The low level network arbitration protocol used on the Ethernet is referred to as CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection). CSMA/CD is typically used as the Media Access Control (MAC) technology for a Local Area Network (LAN). Using CSMA/CD, a communication node attempting to transmit data listens for data transmission by other nodes, and waits to begin transmission of its own data until confirming there is no transmission by other nodes in the communication system. A high-speed LAN transmitting base band signals at a transmission speed of 100 Mbps is called the 100BASE standard, which includes the 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX. The 100BASE-TX uses a UTP cable as a transmission medium, while 100BASE-FX uses an optical fiber cable as a transmission medium.
Media converters inexpensively provide not only a LAN Ethernet with signal transmissions using an optical fiber cable of several kilometers, but also FTTH (Fiber To The Home). In addition, the rapid development of optical fiber cables and LANs/WANs (Wide Area Networks) has demanded use of scores of media converters.
Media converter racks typically house a plurality of media converters, wherein each converter has, for example, 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX ports. Such racks realize centralized management of the media converters, while standardized, for example, by the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) and the EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance).
A plurality of media converters having a small number of ports are often used instead of one media converter having many ports for exchange, operation, and wire configuration purposes. For instance, when each media converter is assigned to a different area, an area affected by an exchange of one faulty media converter can be limited to the area assigned to the broken media converter.
Conventional media converter racks typically use a tray, fixed onto a frame, to house several media converters in a row, and the racks eventually demand multistage, stacked trays so as to use a large number of media converters. Therefore, while attaching or exchanging a media converter to a first tray, a second, upper tray, just above the first tray needs to be arduously removed from the frame. A similar problem occurs when a power unit is mounted onto one tray.
In addition, a specific type of small media converter has, for example, a 100BASE-TX port at its front surface, a 100BASE-FX at its back surface, and various operational switches at its top surface. Therefore, in order to manipulate various switches at the top surface of the media converter on the tray, it is necessary to arduously remove the upper tray just above it or inconveniently insert a finger between the top surface of the media converter and the upper tray.
Moreover, where a media converter is mounted on the tray such that the front surface of the media converter faces the tray's front surface, the 100BASE-FX port faces the tray's rear surface. Consequently, it is difficult to remove or route an optical fiber cable connected to the 100BASE-FX port through the tray's front plane, reducing the network wire configuration flexibility. The conventional rack also does not have a structure such that it may easily facilitate attachments, exchanges, operations, and wire configurations of the media converters.
An improved media converter accommodation apparatus would therefore be beneficial.
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS
An accommodation apparatus, configured to house a plurality of communication devices for connection to transmission media, comprises a support part fixed to an external frame, and a loading part, movable relative to the support part, wherein the loading part has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the loading part is configured to detachably house the plurality of communication devices, and wherein the first surface and the second surface provide the transmission media access to the communication device.
The second surface can be located opposite to the first surface, and the accommodation apparatus may further comprise a restraint part configured to restrict a moving distance of the loading part relative to the support part.
In the accommodation apparatus, the transmission media may comprise first and second transmission media, and the communication device may be a media converter configured to convert a signal for the first transmission medium to a signal for the second transmission medium, wherein the first transmission medium is connected to the media converter through the first surface of the loading part, and wherein the second transmission medium is connected to the media converter through the first and second surfaces of the loading part.
Another aspect of the invention comprises method of installing a media converter in a media converter housing rack, wherein the method comprises slidably removing a rack housing from a bracket housing, wherein the rack housing is not completely removed from the bracket housing. The method further comprises fastening a media converter between a plurality of bridge parts on the rack housing in a first plane of the rack housing, connecting a transmission medium to the media converter, routing the transmission medium from the medium converter in the first plane of the rack housing to a second plane of the rack housing, and connecting a power cable from a power supply to the media converter, wherein the power supply is positioned in the first plane of the rack housing.
In an additional aspect of the invention, an accommodation apparatus configured to detachably house a plurality of communication devices connected to transmission media comprises a first loading part, configured to securely support a power unit, and a second loading part, configured to accommodate the transmission media connected to the communication device, wherein the second loading part is located at an elevation different from that of the first loading part in the accommodation apparatus.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a communication device housing rack comprises a frame, a plurality of brackets, fixed to the frame, and a plurality of racks, configured to be slidably engaged and movable with respect to the plurality of brackets, wherein each rack is configured to house a plurality of communication devices and a power unit on a first plane, and wherein a communication medium connected to at least one of the communication devices is routed to a second plane in the rack, parallel to the first plane.
The racks may comprise a front end plate having a plurality of windows so as to provide access to the communication devices, and a bottom plate having at least one access hole proximal to an area where the communication device is housed so as to allow the transmission media to pass through the access hole.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6077113 (2000-06-01), Lecomte
patent: 6181549 (2001-01-01), Mills et al.
patent: D463416 (2002-09-01), Tomino et al.
patent: 6522551 (2003-02-01), Hsu et al.
patent: D472242 (2003-03-01), Tomino
patent: 6543940 (2003-04-01), Chu
patent: D474772 (2003-05-01), Dequchi et al.
patent: 6574100 (2003-06-01), Anderson
Allied Telesis Kabushiki Kaisha
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
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