Fiber optic cable distribution box
A fiber optic cable distribution box has an interface compartment for interfacing a first set of fibers when routed inside the compartment, with a second set of fibers associated with a fiber optic cable that is routed to the box. A drum region is disposed beneath the interface compartment. The drum region includes a cylindrical wall for supporting a fiber optic cable wound about the wall. The drum region is formed so that the box can turn about the axis of the cylindrical wall when a cable is paid out from the drum region. The interface compartment and the drum region are constructed so that the first set of fibers inside the interface compartment, originate from an inside end portion of the cable wound on the drum region.
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This application is a reissue continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/091,851, filed Apr. 21, 2011; which is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 7,522,806. U.S. Pat. No. 7,522,806 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/728,785, filed Mar. 27, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,400,814, and entitled “Wall-Mountable Optical Fiber and Cable Management Apparatus”. The '785 application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/880,169 filed Jan. 13, 2007, and entitled “Multidwelling Unit (MDU) Drop Box for Fiber Optic Cables”.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drop or distribution boxes for managing fiber optic cables in the deployment of fiber optic networks at subscriber premises.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
The deployment of fiber optic networks at multi-dwelling units (MDUs) and other subscriber premises, requires the use of so-called cable drop or distribution boxes that are designed for mounting on walls or other structures at the premises. Current industry practice calls for the boxes to have a cable entry port at the left side of the box for receiving a fiber optic cable originating from the network provider, and one or more ports at the right side of the box through which a number of fibers associated with individual subscribers at the premises are routed to connect with fibers in the provider cable. See, for example, Corning Cable Systems, Wall-Mountable Connector Housings, at <www.corningcablesystems.com>, and ADC Telecommunications, Indoor Fiber Distribution Terminals—Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), at <www.adc.com/productsandservices/>. See also, 2007 Multilink Catalog, vol. 24, at pages 87-94, disclosing a family of wall mountable fiber optic cable enclosures available from Multilink, Inc., of Elyria, Ohio, USA.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,510 (Dec. 11, 1990) discloses a wall communications outlet wherein cables may enter the outlet through panels inserted at sides of the outlet, or through an opening formed in a backplate of the outlet. Two sets of sidewalls are arranged concentric with the opening in the backplate so that spare lengths of optical fibers can be placed between the sidewalls, according to the patent. International Application No. PCT/IT92/00055 published Nov. 11, 1993, discloses a distribution device for termination of optical ribbon cables. The device has two circular grooves about which a ribbon, and fibers of the ribbon, are wound.
Installation of the known cable boxes by a single worker at a subscriber premises can be difficult and time consuming, however. Further, the known boxes are dimensioned to accommodate older types of fiber optic cables which can not tolerate bend diameters of less than three inches (76.2 mm) without impairing cable performance. Accordingly, the currently available boxes are relatively large, and are not well-suited for widespread deployment of fiber optic networks at multi-dwelling units or other kinds of premises without significant expenditures of time and labor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the invention, a fiber optic cable distribution box includes an interface compartment for interfacing a first set of fibers when routed inside the compartment, with a second set of fibers associated with a cable routed to the box. A drum region extends beneath the interface compartment and includes a cylindrical wall having an axis for supporting a length of a cable wound about the wall. The drum region is constructed so that the box can turn about the axis of the cylindrical wall when a cable is paid out from the drum region. The interface compartment and the drum region are arranged so that the first set of fibers inside the interface compartment, originate from an inside end portion of the cable wound about the wall of the drum region.
For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.
In the drawing:
The box 10 also has a drum region 20 that extends axially upward from a central portion of the base 12. The drum region 20 includes an outer cylindrical wall 22 the outside periphery of which is partially visible in
The cable distribution box 10 also has an interface compartment 30 that is disposed atop the drum region 20, and which has a peripheral side wall 31. In the embodiment of
As mentioned, optical fibers routed into the interface compartment 30 may originate from the inside end portion of a cable wound over the drum region 20 and which passes through the drum wall 22 via the strain relief device 24. In such an application, the fibers are routed through an annular fiber routing region 46 that extends between the outer cylindrical wall 22, and an inner cylindrical wall 48 of the drum region which wall 48 is formed radially inward of the outer wall 22. The strain relief device 24 and the dimensions of the annular fiber routing region 46, are such that individual optical fibers will not be subject to a bend diameter less than that specified for the fibers before entering the interface compartment 30 and terminating in the connectors 44. For example, when using cables of Allwave® Flex™ fiber available from OFS Fitel, the inner wall 48 may have an outside diameter as small as 0.7874 inches (20 mm), and the mean diameter of the fiber routing region 46 may only be about 2.0 inches (50.8 mm).
The sidewall 31 of the interface compartment 30 also has a cable entry or pass through port 50 (
The diameter of the central passage 62 in the tube 60 is preferably sufficient to allow a long narrow tool such as a screwdriver shaft, bolt or other payoff mandrel, to be inserted through the passage from above or below the box 10 so that the tool will act as a spindle about which the box 10 can turn freely. This construction allows a single worker easily to pay out a cable wound on the drum region 20, as may be necessary for a network deployment at a MDU. For example, while holding the handle of an inserted screwdriver in one hand, the worker can use his or her other hand to pull and unwind a desired length of the cable from the drum region 20 while the box 10 is free to turn about the screwdriver shaft.
The box 200 has a single piece cover lid 232 with an integrated hinge 235 for a connector guard or cover 234. Further, a side wall 231 of an interface compartment 230 has a continuous circular disk flange 204 that extends radially outward beneath the compartment 230, parallel to a base 212 of the box. The flange 204 and the base 212 together serve to confine a length of fiber optic cable wound on the outer cylindrical wall 222, within the region between the flange 204 and the base 212. As with the box 10 of
Also, as seen in
Further, as shown in
The cable 260 and its individual fibers are guided over a substantially straight path between the device openings 226, 228, with the aid of a pair of parallel fingers or guides 211 that project upward from the base wall 224c of the device 224 as seen in
Accordingly, the inside end portion of the cable 260 and its individual fibers pass tangentially with respect to the outer cylindrical wall 222 through the cable entry port 225 in the wall, and into the annular fiber routing region 246 of the box 200. Because the yarn surrounding the fibers is anchored to the guides 211 of the strain relief device 224, any force applied externally to the cable 260 when the cable is being wound on or off the outer cylindrical wall 222 of the drum region, will be transferred to the wall 222 in which the device 224 is fixed rather than to the fibers themselves.
Typical MDU cable distribution box installations have single fiber breakouts that egress from the box, wherein each breakout is associated with a corresponding living unit of the premises where the box is installed. Single fiber cables from each living unit are often routed to a box without a terminating connector. The bare ends of these cables can be terminated at the box in various ways. For example, single ended fiber pigtails can be spliced within the box so that splice sleeves are housed in a common space. This requires a chamber or compartment to house the splice in order to prevent damage and to manage fiber slack. Alternatives may include mechanical splicing of the pigtails, which would require a similar chamber or housing. The individual single fiber cables may also be terminated directly with a field installable connector, thus obviating the need for a splice chamber.
The box 300 has an integrated splice chamber or compartment 308 attached or formed underneath the base 312, including a splice tray 309 mounted inside the base. The splice tray 309 may be fixed within the box 300, or affixed directly to a wall. In either case, the box 300 may be installed over the splice compartment 308. Pigtails or terminated ends can then enter or exit a lower section of the compartment through corresponding clearance notches 311 that are cut in a side wall of the base 312.
Connector Parking Area 313The connector parking area or block 313 allows terminated fiber ends to be stored while not in use. The block 313 is constructed and dimensioned to receive and secure a selected one of a number of different commercially available connector parking strips 307 (e.g., type SC) in the block 313. This feature enables the future use of alternate connector types without having to replace the box 300, but at the same time allows installers to forego parking
Latch Holes 315Several latch or security holes 315 may be formed through corresponding feet on the hinged cover lid 332. The latch holes 315 allow the end user to utilize a number of safety lockout methods. For example, one hole 315 can be used with a standard plunger type latching mechanism simply to keep the lid closed. Other holes 315 can be used to receive wire ties, lockout tags, or other security locks.
Each of the subscriber fibers 416 is connected with a corresponding fiber in a cable 418 associated with the box 10 in the ceiling of the subscriber's floor. The cable 418 may be wound initially about the drum region 20 of the box 10, to be partially or fully unwound later for routing to another box 10 that serves as an “aggregation” box which is located, e.g, between a basement 420 and a roof 422 of the MDU 400. The fibers of the cable 418 are terminated in the connectors 44 which, in turn, are connected to the adapters 42 on the internal side of the box connector panel 40.
At the aggregation box 10, each one of the cables 418 containing subscriber fibers from each floor of the MDU 400, enters the aggregation box through its rear pass through port 50 or a faceplate port. As mentioned earlier, the fibers of each cable 418 may be routed inside the box with little if any bending to connect via a multi-fiber connector 44 with a corresponding adapter 42 on the internal side of the box panel 40. A main fiber optic cable 424 serving all subscribers in the MDU 400, is routed between a cable entry box 426 in the basement 420, and the aggregation box 10 in which the main cable fibers connect to the adapters 42 on the external side of the box panel 40 via multifiber connectors 36. A network provider cable 430 is routed to the entry box 426 from outside the MDU 400, and fibers of the cable 430 are connected to corresponding subscriber fibers of the cable 424 inside the entry box 426.
The various embodiments disclosed herein incorporate the following important features in a fiber optic cable distribution box.
1. Reduced physical dimensions for use with newer types of fiber optic cable such as Allwave® Flex™ available from OFS Fitel and which have superior bending performance.
2. An axial drum region that provides for external cable storage and keeps internal fiber routing within safe bending limits.
3. A central through tube that facilitates pay-off of cable wound externally on the drum region, with the use of a common tool such as a screwdriver.
While the foregoing represents preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention includes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A fiber optic cable distribution box, comprising:
- an interface compartment constructed and arranged for interfacing a first set of fibers when routed inside the compartment, with a second set of fibers associated with a fiber optic cable that is routed to the box;
- a drum region extending beneath the interface compartment, wherein the drum region includes a first cylindrical wall having an axis, the wall is dimensioned to support a length of a first fiber optic cable wound about the wall, and the drum region is constructed and arranged so that the distribution box can turn about the axis of the cylindrical wall when a cable is paid out from the drum region; and
- the interface compartment and the drum region are constructed and arranged so that the first set of fibers inside the interface compartment, originate from an inside end portion of the cable wound about the first cylindrical wall of the drum region.
2. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, including a tube arranged to extend coaxially through the drum region, and the tube has a central passage through which an outside shaft or spindle is insertable.
3. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, wherein a first cable entry port is formed in the first cylindrical wall of the drum region for receiving the inside end portion of the first fiber optic cable.
4. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, wherein the drum region includes a second cylindrical wall arranged radially inward and coaxially with the first cylindrical wall, and an annular fiber routing region is defined between the first and the second walls.
5. A cable distribution box according to claim 3, including a strain relief device arranged at the first cable entry port for guiding the inside end portion of the first fiber optic cable through the first cylindrical wall over a path tangential to the circumference of the wall.
6. A cable distribution box according to claim 5, wherein the strain relief device is constructed and arranged to transfer a pull force applied externally to the first fiber optic cable, to the first cylindrical wall of the drum region when the cable is wound on or off the drum region.
7. A cable distribution box according to claim 5, wherein the strain relief device includes one or more guides for securing a strength material beneath an outer jacket of the cable.
8. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, wherein the interface compartment includes a connector panel, and a number of connector adapters mounted in the panel for coupling fiber optic connectors at an externally facing side of the panel, with corresponding fiber optic connectors at an internally facing side of the panel.
9. A cable distribution box according to claim 8, wherein the interface compartment is constructed and arranged to support the connector panel so that a first connector panel can be removed and exchanged with a second connector panel having connector adapters of a type different from a type of adapters mounted in the first connector panel.
10. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, wherein the interface compartment has a side wall, and a number of fingers or tabs that project outward from the side wall for confining the length of the first fiber optic cable when wound about the first cylindrical wall of the drum region.
11. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, including a disk flange that extends radially outward beneath the interface compartment for confining the length of the first fiber optic cable when wound on the first cylindrical wall of the drum region.
12. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, wherein the interface compartment has a side wall, and the side wall has a second cable entry port for receiving a fiber optic cable or cable assembly having a third set of fibers to be coupled via the connector panel with the second set of fibers of the second fiber optic cable routed to the box.
13. A cable distribution box according to claim 8, wherein one or more of the adapters mounted in the connector panel of the interface compartment are constructed and arranged to couple multi-fiber type connectors with one another.
14. A cable distribution box according to claim 1, including a length of the first fiber optic cable wound about the first cylindrical wall of the drum region, and a fiber optic connector for terminating an outside end of the cable.
15. A cable distribution box according to claim 14, wherein the fiber optic connector at the outside end of the cable is a multi-fiber type of connector.
16. A method for installing a fiber optic cable distribution device at an installation location, the fiber optic cable distribution device including a housing defining an interface compartment, the fiber optic cable distribution device also including a fiber optic connector adapter having first and second ports, at least the first port being accessible from inside the interface compartment, the fiber optic cable distribution device further including a drum coupled to the housing and a fiber optic cable coiled about the drum, the drum being located outside the interface compartment, the fiber optic cable including a plurality of optical fibers, at least one of the optical fibers being terminated by a fiber optic connector that is inserted within the first port of the fiber optic connector adapter, the method comprising:
- paying out the fiber optic cable from the drum by rotating the fiber optic cable distribution device about an axis of rotation, wherein the housing, the drum, the fiber optic adapter and the fiber optic connector are rotated together about the axis of rotation as the fiber optic cable is paid out from the drum; and
- installing the fiber optic cable distribution device at the installation location, wherein the drum remains coupled to the housing during and after installation of the fiber optic cable distribution device.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the installation location is a wall.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein in the installation location is a wall of a multi-dwelling unit.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein an outer end of the fiber optic cable is terminated by a multi-fiber connector, and wherein the method further comprises plugging the multi-fiber connector into an adapter at an aggregation box.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the fiber optic cable distribution device and the aggregation box are on different floors of a building.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the fiber optic cable of the fiber optic cable distribution device is a first fiber optic cable, wherein the first fiber optic cable is connected to a second finer optic cable at the aggregation box, and wherein the second fiber optic cable is routed to a cable entry box provided at a different floor of the building from the floors at which the aggregation box and the fiber optic cable distribution device are mounted.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the building is a multi-dwelling unit.
23. A fiber optic cable distribution device comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region, the enclosure having a front side and a back side, the front side having a front cover that can be opened to access the interior region of the interface compartment;
- a cable storage drum coupled to the back side of the enclosure, the cable storage drum being located outside the interior region of the interface compartment, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region;
- a first fiber optic cable coiled about the drum in a direction extending from an inside of the cable storage region toward an outside of the cable storage region, wherein at least a first set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable extend from the inside of the cable storage region into the interface compartment through the back wall of the enclosure; and
- the cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the enclosure and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum.
24. The fiber optic cable distribution device of claim 23, further comprising a plurality of fiber optic adapters carried by the enclosure, the fiber optic adapters including first ports that receive fiber optic connectors associated with the first set of optical fibers.
25. The fiber optic cable distribution device of claim 24, wherein at least the first set of fibers extend from directly the inside of the cable storage region into the interface compartment.
26. The cable distribution device of claim 23, wherein at least the first set of fibers extend from the inside of the cable storage region into the interface compartment without any intermediate coiling of the first set of fibers.
27. A fiber optic cable distribution device comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region;
- a cable storage drum coupled to the enclosure, the cable storage drum being located outside the interior region of the interface compartment, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region;
- a first fiber optic cable coiled about the drum in a direction extending from an inside of the cable storage region toward an outside of the cable storage region, wherein at least a first set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable extend from the inside of the cable storage region directly into the interface compartment; and
- the cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the enclosure and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum.
28. The fiber optic cable distribution device of claim 27, further comprising a plurality of fiber optic adapters carried by the enclosure, the fiber optic adapters including first ports that receive fiber optic connectors associated with the first set of optical fibers.
29. A fiber optic cable distribution device comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region;
- a cable storage drum coupled to the enclosure, the cable storage drum being located outside the interior region of the interface compartment, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region;
- a first fiber optic cable coiled about the drum in a direction extending from an inside of the cable storage region toward an outside of the cable storage region, wherein at least a first set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable extend from the inside of the cable storage region into the interface compartment without any intermediate coiling of the first set of optical fibers; and
- the cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the enclosure and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum.
30. The fiber optic cable distribution device of claim 29, further comprising a plurality of fiber optic adapters carried by the enclosure, the fiber optic adapters including first ports that receive fiber optic connectors associated with the first set of optical fibers.
31. A fiber optic cable distribution device comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region;
- a cable storage drum associated with the enclosure, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region surrounding a drum wall, the drum wall having at least one outer cross-dimension of 3 inches or less;
- a first fiber optic cable coiled within the cable storage region about the drum, the fiber optic cable including optical fibers;
- a plurality of fiber optic adapters positioned at least partially within the interior region of the interface compartment, the fiber optic adapters including first ports that receive fiber optic connectors associated with the optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable; and
- the cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the fiber optic adapters and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum.
32. A fiber optic cable distribution device comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region;
- a cable storage drum coupled to the enclosure, the cable storage drum being located outside the interior region of the interface compartment, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region;
- a first fiber optic cable coiled about the drum, wherein at least a first set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable extend into the interface compartment;
- a plurality of fiber optic adapters carried by the enclosure, the fiber optic adapters including first ports that receive fiber optic connectors associated with the first set of optical fibers, the fiber optic adapters also including second ports accessible from outside the interior region of the enclosure; and
- the cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the enclosure, the fiber optic adapters and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum.
33. A fiber distribution system comprising:
- A) a fiber optic cable distribution device including: an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region; a cable storage drum associated with the enclosure, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region surrounding a drum wall; a first fiber optic cable coiled within the cable storage region about the drum, the fiber optic cable including at least one set of optical fibers; a plurality of first fiber optic adapters positioned at least partially within the interior region of the interface compartment, the first fiber optic adapters including first ports; single fiber optical connectors associated with the set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable at a first end of the first fiber optic cable, the single fiber optical connectors being inserted within the first ports of the first fiber optic adapters; and a multi-fiber fiber optic connector associated with the set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable at a second end of the first fiber optic cable; the fiber optic cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the first fiber optic adapters and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum; and
- B) an aggregation box including at least a second fiber optic adapter that receives the multi-fiber fiber optic connector of the fiber distribution device.
34. The fiber distribution system of claim 33, wherein the second fiber optic adapter connects the first fiber optic cable to a second fiber optic cable having a plurality of optical fibers, the second fiber optic cable being routed from the aggregation box to a cable entry box.
35. The fiber distribution system of claim 33, wherein the cable distribution device and the aggregation box are mounted on different floors of a building.
36. The fiber distribution system of claim 35, wherein the building is a multi-dwelling unit.
37. The fiber distribution system of claim 34, wherein the cable distribution device, the cable entry box and the aggregation box are mounted on different floors of a building.
38. The fiber distribution system of claim 37, wherein the cable entry box is in a basement of the building.
39. The fiber distribution system of claim 38, wherein the building is a multi-dwelling unit.
40. A method for installing a fiber optic distribution system, the fiber optic distribution system including a fiber optic cable distribution device including an enclosure defining an interface compartment, the interface compartment having an interior region; a cable storage drum associated with the enclosure, the cable storage drum including a cable storage region surrounding a drum wall; a first fiber optic cable coiled within the cable storage region about the drum, the fiber optic cable including at least one set of optical fibers; a plurality of first fiber optic adapters positioned at least partially within the interior region of the interface compartment, the first fiber optic adapters including first ports; single fiber optical connectors associated with the set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable at a first end of the first fiber optic cable, the single fiber optical connectors being inserted within the first ports of the first fiber optic adapters; and a multi-fiber fiber optic connector associated with the set of optical fibers of the first fiber optic cable at a second end of the first fiber optic cable, the fiber optic cable distribution device defining an axis of rotation about which the first fiber optic adapters and the drum rotate together in unison as the first fiber optic cable is paid off from the drum, the method comprising:
- paying in the first fiber optic cable off of the drum by rotating the drum and the first fiber optic adapters in unison with one another about the axis of rotation of the fiber optic cable distribution device;
- installing the fiber optic cable distribution device at an installation location, wherein the enclosure, the drum and the first fiber optic adapters are installed as a unit at the installation location;
- routing the second end of the first fiber optic cable to an aggregation box at a location remote from the installation location of the fiber optic cable distribution device; and
- inserting the multi-fiber fiber optic connector at the second end of the first fiber optic cable into a second fiber optic adapter provided at the aggregation box.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein the second fiber optic adapter connects the first fiber optic cable to a second fiber optic cable having a plurality of optical fibers, the second fiber optic cable being routed from the aggregation box to a cable entry box.
42. The method of claim 40, wherein the cable distribution device and the aggregation box are mounted on different floors of a building.
43. The method of claim 42, wherein the building is a multi-dwelling unit.
44. The method of claim 41, wherein the cable distribution device, the cable entry box and the aggregation box are mounted on different floors of a building.
45. The method of claim 44, wherein the cable entry box is in a basement of the building.
46. The method of claim 45, wherein the building is a multi-dwelling unit.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 22, 2014
Date of Patent: Dec 27, 2016
Assignee: CommScope Technologies LLC (Hickory, NC)
Inventors: Daniel Hendrickson (Roswell, GA), Hongbo Zhang (Duluth, GA)
Primary Examiner: Deandra Hughes
Application Number: 14/492,970
International Classification: G02B 6/00 (20060101); G02B 6/44 (20060101);