Optical waveguides – Accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-24
2001-01-23
Sanghavi, Hemang (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
Accessories
C385S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178282
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a communication apparatus used in an open-air environment and, in particular, to an attaching arrangement of an optical cable case to a container box of the communication apparatus.
Typically, a communication apparatus of this type is attached to an open-wire or aerial communication cable extended between utility poles in a power network. For the purpose of protection against various influences from an open-air environment, the communication apparatus is accommodated in a container box. An optical cable case having a circular or a polygonal section is attached to the container box to accommodate a surplus length of an optical cable or an optical core line conversion cable.
Referring to
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, a container box
1
of a communication apparatus is illustrated with an optical cable case
2
attached thereto through a conventional attaching arrangement. Generally, the container box
1
is disposed in a vertical or a horizontal position depending upon a circumstance. A surplus length of an optical cable
10
to be accommodated in the optical cable case
2
is drawn into the optical cable case
2
in one direction with respect to a cable accommodating surface
5
′ of the optical cable case
2
.
After its surplus length is accommodated in the optical cable case
2
. an outlet portion of the optical cable
10
is clamped by a cable clamping portion
11
formed in the container box
1
. Typically, the optical cable case
2
and the cable clamping portion
11
are individually fixed to the container box
1
.
Since the cable clamping portion
11
is fixed in the container box
1
, it is difficult to clamp the outlet portion of the optical cable
10
to the cable clamping portion
11
.
The above-mentioned conventional attaching arrangement has several disadvantages. At first, the container box
1
can be disposed in the vertical or the horizontal position as described above. Depending upon the position of the container box
1
, the cable accommodating surface
5
′ of the optical cable case
2
is also changed in position because it is fixed to the container box
1
. The accommodating operation of the optical cable
10
is difficult when the accommodating surface
5
′ of the optical cable case
2
is disposed in one position of the vertical and the horizontal positions.
As a second problem, if the container box
1
has a small mounting space for the optical cable case
2
, the optical cable case
2
must be removed from the container box
1
in order to accommodate the optical cable
10
in the optical cable case
2
. After the optical cable
10
is accommodated, the optical cable case
2
is again mounted in the container box
1
. At this time, a part of the optical cable
10
between the optical cable case
2
and the container box
1
may be caught on any peripheral component or pressed by the optical cable case
2
to be damaged.
As a third problem, it is difficult to clamp the optical cable
10
to the cable clamping portion
11
because it is fixed in the container box
1
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an attaching arrangement of an optical cable case to a container box of a communication apparatus, which is capable of achieving an improvement in operability upon an accommodating operation of an optical cable by adaptively changing a position of a cable accommodating surface of the optical cable case.
It is another object of this invention to provide an attaching arrangement of an optical cable case to a container box of a communication apparatus, which is capable of achieving an improvement in reliability upon a retracting operation of an optical cable by rotating and sliding the optical cable case so as to maintain a radius of curvature allowable to the optical cable.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an attaching arrangement of an optical cable case to a container box of a communication apparatus, which is capable of achieving an improvement in operability upon a clamping operation of an optical cable by forming a cable clamping portion on a slide rail movable to the outside of the container box.
According to this invention, there is provided an attaching arrangement for attaching, to a communication apparatus container box, an optical cable case which comprises a case body for accommodating an optical cable and a case end portion attached to the case body. The attaching arrangement comprises: a first rotary hinge having a first rotary hinge axis for rotatably attaching the case end portion to the container box around the first rotary hinge axis; and a second rotary hinge having a second rotary hinge axis perpendicular to the first rotary hinge axis for rotatably attaching the case end portion to the container box around the second rotary hinge axis.
Preferably, the attaching arrangement further comprises: a slide rail slidably attached to an inner surface of the container box along a direction parallel to the second rotary hinge axis so that the slide rail is slidable from an inside of the container box to an outside of the container box and from the outside of the container box to the inside of the container box. In this case, the first and second rotary hinges rotatably attach the case end portion to a forward end of the slide rail in an advancing direction in which the slide rail moves from the inside of the container box to the outside of the container box.
The attaching arrangement may further comprise: a cable clamping portion formed at a rearward end of the slide rail in the advancing direction in which the slide rail moves from the inside of the container box to the outside of the container box. The cable clamping portion clamps the optical cable which is accommodated by the case body.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4770357 (1988-09-01), Sander et al.
patent: 4824196 (1989-04-01), Bylander
patent: 4948220 (1990-08-01), Violo et al.
patent: 5069516 (1991-12-01), Kohy et al.
patent: 5335349 (1994-08-01), Kutsch et al.
patent: 5511144 (1996-04-01), Hawkins et al.
patent: 62-163003 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 4-116805 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 8-262239 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 10-339817A (1998-12-01), None
Goto Hironobu
Imaizumi Tsuyoshi
Moribe Makoto
Takeda Hitoshi
Tanaka Kiyotaka
NEC Corporation
Sanghavi Hemang
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
Stahl Michael J
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