Optical waveguides – Accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-28
2001-03-13
Font, Frank G. (Department: 2877)
Optical waveguides
Accessories
C385S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201920
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates in general to housing units for containing fiber optic connections and in particular to a housing unit that has guide walls to prevent excessive bending of the optical fibers within the housing.
BACKGROUND ART
Fiber optic cables are used for transmitting voice, data and video communications. In a typical installation, a provider cable will extend to a connector unit or center at the user's facility. This unit includes a housing that may be mounted to a wall. The provider optical cable contains a bundle of individual fibers, each fiber transmitting optical signals. The provider cable passes through a provider port in the housing and the individual fibers, having connectors on the ends of the fibers, mount to adapters in a connector panel. The connector panel has a plurality of apertures, one for each connector/adapter. A customer fiber cable leads from various work stations to the housing through a customer port and optically connect with the provider fibers at the connector panel.
It is standard procedure to provide adequate slack for the provider cable to allow for reorganization of the connectors and to replace connectors later if needed. Normally slack is provided by the use of pigtail extensions that are spliced to the ends of the provider fibers. A slack holder is mounted in the housing for being wrapped with the slack.
It is important to avoid bending the fibers more than a specified radius, normally 1.25 to 1.5 inches. The housings are provided with space surrounding the slack holder to allow the installer to accomplish installation without excessive bending. However, avoiding excessive bending relies upon the skill of the installer.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In this invention, guide walls are provided within the housing to substantially eliminate any possibility of excessive bending of the fibers. The slack holder has at least one guide wall mounted in the housing next to it. The guide wall has a curved portion to guide the fibers of the provider cable to and from the slack holder. The connector panel has a connector panel guide wall mounted in the housing next to the connector panel. The panel guide wall also has a curved portion to guide the fibers of the provider cable to the panel without excessive bending. Similarly, a customer cable guide wall is located between the customer port and the customer panel. The customer cable guide wall has a curved portion to guide the fibers of the customer cable from the customer port to the customer side of the connector panel.
The guide walls are mounted to a back wall of the housing and extend orthogonally from the back wall. The provider and customer ports for the provider and customer fiber optic cables are located in side walls of the housing. A splice tray compartment is located between the connector panel and the provider port for receiving splice trays that splice pigtail extension fibers to the fibers of the provider cable. The splice tray compartment also has a splice tray guide wall with a curved portion for guiding the fibers to and from the splice tray compartment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4898448 (1990-02-01), Cooper
patent: 5109467 (1992-04-01), Hogan et al.
patent: 5497444 (1996-03-01), Wheeler
Siecor Premises Fiber Optic Products Catalog, Sixth Edition; Siecor Corporation; Apr., 1996; Portions 2.29, 2.22, 2.25, 2.27, 2.42, 2.48.
Elder Carrie Lynn
Noble Jennifer D.
Font Frank G.
Nguyen Sang Hoang
Siecor Operations LLC
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