Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings – With electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2001-09-04
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
With electrical device
C174S041000, C174S059000, C174S135000, C439S507000, C361S823000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284972
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a distributor for an electrical or an optical network, and to a cable termination for mounting in such a distributor.
Distributors and sub-distributors are already known that are constituted by devices enabling transport cables to be connected to distribution cables for the purpose of connecting subscribers to a distribution network.
In such a distributor or in such a sub-distributor, the transport cables and the distribution cables terminate in cable terminations which are fixed to a frame.
Each cable termination supports connection points for jumpers which are individual conductors (optical or electrical) that provide the link between two connection points, one belonging to a transport cable termination and the other to a distribution cable termination.
In conventional distribution and sub-distributors, cable terminations are disposed in rows and columns and the jumpers need to be of various different lengths, thereby making the general organization of the distributor more complicated.
In addition, if it is desired to modify a connection between two connection points, it is not possible merely to displace one of the ends of a jumper, firstly because of the way in which the jumpers become tangled together, and secondly because the length of the newly-required jumper can be longer than the length of the jumper already in place.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to resolve those problems by proposing a distributor of a novel type.
The present invention provides a distributor comprising a plurality of connection points interconnected by jumpers, the distributor being characterized by the fact that it comprises:
cable terminations each of which is provided with a plurality of connection strips, each strip being designed to receive one or more connector elements constituting the connection points;
a central husband
around the central hub, fixing means for individually connecting the cable terminations, where the cable terminations and the fixing means are organized to that the connection strips of each cable termination are disposed radially relative to the hub when said cable termination is put into place, and so that all of the jumpers can present substantially the same length and can pass from one connection point to another connection point by being laid in part over the hub.
By means of the invention, all of the jumpers can be of the same length, thereby making it easier to displace one of their ends from one cable termination to another, since the maximum distance between two cable terminations passing via the hub is substantially equal to twice the distance between each cable termination and the hub.
In addition, because the jumpers are wound in part around the hub, they come into loose contact over a portion only of their width, thus making it easy for them to slide axially relative to one another, thereby making it easier to extract any jumper that has been taken out of use and also making it easier to install additional jumpers.
In the distributor of the invention, the number of cable terminations present can be just sufficient to establish all of the connections required, it being possible to add other cable terminations to the distributor subsequently.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the cable terminations are externally in the shape of respective portions of a ring disposed concentrically around the hub, and defined between pairs of planes that intersect on the axis of the hub.
In other words, if the cable terminations occupy all of the free space around the hub, then they constitute a ring that is concentric about the hub.
Preferably, the distributor includes a ring around the hub and provided with fixings for securing the cable terminations.
In addition, a jumper protection disk can be provided at the end of the hub to protect the jumpers, and similarly concentric fins situated in the same plane as the protection disk and situated thereabout can be provided to protect the jumpers by holding them between radial partitions inside through channels connecting the vicinity of the hub to each of the cable terminations.
The present invention also provides a cable termination as described above, i.e. for mounting in a distributor to be connected to other cable terminations by jumpers, the cable termination being characterized by the facts that its outside shape is suitable for enabling it to be mounted around a central hub provided in the distributor, and that it is provided with a plurality of connection strips disposed radially relative to the hub when the cable termination is in place, each connection strip being designed to receive one or more connector elements constituting connection points for the jumpers, the outside shape of the cable termination in a particular embodiment being that of a portion of a ring that is concentric with the hub, and that is defined between two planes that intersect on the axis of the hub.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, each connection strip is mounted to pivot individually on its cable termination between a retracted position in which its connection points are presented in a plane perpendicular to the hub, and an extended position in which its connection points project from said plane.
In this embodiment, access to the connection points of a connection strip is made easier by the fact that the strip in question dan be extracted from the plane containing all of the connection points.
Preferably, the cable termination also includes an abutment that is tiltable between a retracted position and a working position in which it serves as a stop for a connection strip in the extended position.
In a particular embodiment, the cable termination includes a pivot pin enabling it to pivot while keeping its jumpers in the same angular sector as when said cable termination is in its normal, in-use position, thereby providing access to its rear face from the front of the distributor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 547078 (1895-10-01), Johnson
patent: 586464 (1897-07-01), Tobey
patent: 1639310 (1927-08-01), Richardson
patent: 3147337 (1964-09-01), Chennell
patent: 3708628 (1973-01-01), Hendriks
patent: 6096973 (2000-08-01), Kluska et al.
patent: A1 37 43 632 (1989-07-01), None
patent: A1 37 43 108 (1989-07-01), None
patent: A1 38 01 876 (1989-08-01), None
Bouvier Pierre J.
Dillat Michel L.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Patel Dhiru R
Proptic
Reichard Dean A.
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