Supports: cabinet structure – For particular electrical device or component – Housing for computer or computer related equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-21
2001-03-20
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3624)
Supports: cabinet structure
For particular electrical device or component
Housing for computer or computer related equipment
C312S311000, C312S223600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203130
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to telecommunications cabinets enclosing wiring interconnections and, more particularly, is concerned with an enhanced telecommunications cabinet assembly having a movable wiring interconnect management tray removably supporting a plurality of modular interconnect panels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The organization and management of voice and data telecommunications networks in building and office environments involves the provision of interconnect panel assemblies in or near work areas. These interconnect panel assemblies establish connection points for both horizontal and vertical runs of cables with one another or with patch cords providing routing to work stations. These interconnect panel assemblies further facilitate terminations between the horizontal cables and patch cords which remain undisturbed when the patch cords leading to the work stations have to be reconfigured to make changes in work station arrangements.
One prior art interconnect panel assembly, which is manufactured and sold by Hubbell Premise Wiring, a division of Hubbell Incorporated, of Stonington, Conn., includes an enclosure having a back wall with pairs of opposite end walls and side walls defining an interior cavity and an open front, and an interconnect panel mounted within the enclosure perpendicular to the back wall and extending across the interior cavity between the opposite side walls of the enclosure so as to divide the interior cavity thereof into separate technician and user chambers on opposite sides of the interconnect panel. These opposite sides of the interconnect panel are thus referred to respectively as the technician side and the user side. A pair of front closure doors which can be referred to as the technician door and the user door are hinged to the opposite end walls of the enclosure and can be closed and locked independently of one another relative to the interconnect panel so as to close the separate technician and user chambers. The interconnect panel has slots through which a plurality of devices in the form of adapters or connectors are fitted to and supported on the interconnect panel. Entry openings are provided through walls of the enclosure proximate the technician and user chambers to allow insertion of the ends of cabling such as fiber optic cables into the one chamber on the technician side of the interconnect panel and optical patch cords into the other chamber on the user side of the interconnect panel. The connectors have faces exposed on the technician side of the interconnect panel to which the ends of the fiber optic cables can be connected and faces exposed on the user side of the interconnect panel into which jacks or the like on the ends of the optical patch cords can be plugged. The chambers are also large enough to store slack portions of the cables and patch cords.
This one prior art interconnect panel assembly has performed well and has achieved general acceptance among optical fiber interconnect products in the commercial marketplace. However, as with all products, a need may arise from time to time for improvements which will enhance performance and eliminate drawbacks which have been discovered during use of the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an enhanced telecommunications cabinet assembly designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The cabinet assembly of the present invention has a removable front cover, a removable top cover, a movable wiring interconnect management adapter tray, and a plurality of modular interconnect panels removably supported by the movable adapter tray. The movable adapter tray supporting the interconnect panels can be lifted from the top of a chassis of the cabinet assembly with the top cover removed and with the front cover in place or slid forward of the top cover with the front cover removed and with the top cover in place. These features of the cabinet assembly provide an optimum number of ways to access the wiring interconnections housed within the cabinet assembly.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an enhanced telecommunications cabinet assembly for enclosing wiring interconnections. The enhanced cabinet assembly comprises: (a) a chassis having a bottom wall with opposite side portions and opposite front and rear end portions and a pair of opposite sidewalls each attached along one of the side portions of the bottom wall and extending upward therefrom so as to define an interior cavity in the chassis between the sidewalls and above the bottom wall thereof, the chassis further having a pair of lower guide members disposed in the interior cavity and spaced apart from one another and each attached on the bottom wall adjacent to one of the sidewalls; (b) a movable interconnect management adapter tray for mounting a plurality of modular interconnect panels, the movable adapter tray being positioned in the interior cavity of the chassis by the lower guide members on the bottom wall of the chassis and capable of undergoing at least one of being lifted upward relative to the bottom wall for removal from the storage cavity of the chassis or slidably moved forward and backward along the lower guide members on the bottom wall toward and away from the front and rear end portions of the bottom wall of the chassis; (c) a front cover for enclosing the interior cavity of the chassis at the front end portion of the bottom wall thereof so as to block access to a front side of the movable adapter tray and modular interconnect panels thereon, the front cover also being movable for exposing the interior cavity of the chassis at the front end portion of the bottom wall thereof so as to provide access to the front side of the movable adapter tray and modular interconnect panels thereon and allow sliding movement of the movable adapter tray between front and rear end portions of the bottom wall of the chassis; and (d) a top cover for enclosing the interior cavity of the chassis above the bottom wall thereof and between the opposite sidewalls thereof so as to block access to the movable adapter tray from above, the top cover also being movable for exposing the interior cavity of the chassis above the bottom wall thereof and between the opposite sidewalls thereof so as to provide access to the movable adapter tray from above.
More particularly, the movable adapter tray includes a main plate with opposite front and rear ends and a plurality of upright posts attached on the main plate adjacent to the front end thereof and extending upward therefrom. The modular interconnect panels can be removably mounted on the upright posts of the movable adapter tray. In one embodiment, the upright posts having upper and lower portions lying in a common vertical plane such that the modular interconnect panels are mounted to the respective upper and lower portions of the posts in vertically aligned rows. In another embodiment, the upright posts have upper portions, lower portions and intermediate portions extending between and interconnecting the upper and lower portions. The upper portions are offset rearwardly and the lower portions are offset forwardly of the intermediate portions such that the modular interconnect panels can be mounted to the respective lower, intermediate and upper portions of the posts in front to back staggered rows.
The movable adapter tray also includes a plurality of tongue plates attached to and extending forwardly from the front end of the main plate and defining slots for receiving cable tie elements. Further, a hook element is attached to and projects upward from the bottom wall of the chassis intermediate between the front and rear end portions thereof. The main plate of the movable adapter tray has a slot element attached thereon adjacent to the rear end thereof and being aligned with and adapted to receive the hook element on the bottom wall of the chassis to limit forward sliding movement of the movable adapter tray along the lower guide members and relative to the bottom wall of
Brown Robert C.
Martin Dale D.
Miller Alan C.
Montgelas Rudolph A.
Sobieski William G.
'Hubbell Incorporated
Cuomo Peter M.
Swartz Michael R.
Tran Hanh V.
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