Claims
- 1. Distribution apparatus for cross connecting first optical fibers from a trunk cable to second optical fibers from a plurality of distribution cables, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing having members which define a storage space;
- a tray for receiving a length of each of said first and second optical fibers;
- means for mavably attaching said tray to said housing wherein said tray may be moved between a storage position in said storage space and an access position generally outside said storage space; and
- means, contained within said storage space, for interconnecting one of said first fibers from said trunk cable to one of said second fibers from one of said distribution cables, said interconnecting means including a third pigtail optical fiber, first means for connecting said third fiber to said one first fiber from said trunk cable and second means for connecting said third fiber to said one second fiber of said one distribution cable, said third fiber also including a length being received and stored in said tray.
- 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said tray includes a bottom wall and a generally oval outer sidewall extending at approximately a right angle from said bottom wall, said sidewall including a plurality of openings for routing at least two of said one first fiber, said one second fiber and said third fiber therethrough.
- 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said tray further includes an inner wall extending upright from said bottom wall, said inner wall being spaced from said outer wall to define a first routing passage therebetween.
- 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said inner wall surrounds an area, said tray further including a pair of spools in said area and means for fastening said spools to said tray, said spools being spaced from each other and having portions spaced from said inner wall to define a second routing passage between said spools and between said spools and said inner wall.
- 5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said tray also includes a plurality of first covering tabs attached to said inner wall, said covering tabs partially retaining at least one of said one first fiber, said one second fiber and said one third fiber in at least one of said first and second routing passages.
- 6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said spools include second covering tabs for mating with said first covering tabs so as together to completely cover over portions of said second routing passage, said spool fastening means including means for rotating said spools in order to separate said first and second covering tabs.
- 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said interconnecting means includes first means for fastening said first connecting means to the bottom wall of said tray within the area enclosed by said inner wall and second means for fastening said second connecting means to one of the outer sidewall and the bottom wall of said tray.
- 8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said housing includes within said storage space means for containing said first connecting means, said interconnecting means including means for holding said second connecting means adjacent to said tray, said third fiber extending between said first and second connecting means.
- 9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein one of said members of said housing is a wall, said apparatus also including means for clamping said trunk cable to said housing and means, attached to said wall, for retaining a portion of said first fiber against said wall as said first fiber extends between said clamping means and said containing means and for retaining a portion of said third fiber against said wall as said third fiber extends between said containing means and said tray.
- 10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said tray includes a plurality of covering tabs attached to one of said inner and said outer walls, said tabs extending generally over said first routing passage to removably retain one of said first, second and third fibers therein.
- 11. Distribution apparatus for cross conencting first optical fibers from a trunk cable with second optical fibers from a plurality of distribution cables, said apparatus comprising:
- a walled housing enclosing a storage space, said housing having an openable front wall for exposing said storage space;
- a plurality of trays;
- means for swingably attaching each of said trays to said housing, said trays being moveable between said storage space through said front wall when opened to an access position in space substantially outside said storage space;
- means, attached to said housing for routing a first fiber from said trunk cable to each of said trays;
- a plurality of pigtail fibers, at least one pigtail fiber for each of said trays;
- each of said trays including first means for storing a slack portion of at least one of said trunk cable fibers, each of said trays further including second means for storing a slack portion of said at least one pigtail fiber;
- first means, attached to each of said trays, for connecting said at least one trunk cable fiber to said at least one pigtail fiber;
- second means, attached to each of said trays, for connecting said at least one pigtail fiber to said at least one second fiber in one of said distribution cables.
- 12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 including means for clamping said trunk cable to said housing.
- 13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 including third means in each of said trays for storing a slack portion of said one second fiber.
- 14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said tray attaching means includes a hinge pin, said trays each including openings for said pin whereby said trays are rotatable about said pin.
- 15. Apparatus in accordance with claim 12 wherein said routing means includes a clamp attached to said housing near said trunk cable clamping means, and a plurality of tubes, each of said tubes extending from said clamp to a different one of said trays.
- 16. Distribution apparatus for cross connecting first optical fibers from a trunk cable with second optical fibers from a plurality of distribution cables, said apparatus comprising:
- a walled housing enclosing a storage space;
- a drawer;
- means for enclosing said drawer;
- means for attaching said enclosing means to said housing;
- said housing and said enclosing means defining a storage space, said drawer having a first position in said storage space, said drawer being slideable outwardly to a second position substantially outside said storage space;
- a plurality of trays;
- means for attaching said trays to said housing, said attaching means including means for moving each tray between said storage space and an access position in space substantially outside said storage space;
- first means for routing each of said first fibers from said trunk cable to said drawer;
- a plurality of pigtail fibers;
- means for splicing a first end of each of said pigtail fibers to a different one of said first fibers, said splicing means being contained in said drawer;
- means, attached to each of said trays, for connecting a second end of each of said pigtail fibers to a different one of said second fibers;
- second means for routing each of said pigtail fibers from said splicing means through one of said trays to said connecting means; and
- third means for routing each of said second fibers through one of said trays to outside said storage space of said housing.
- 17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein each of said second routing means includes a first channel in said one tray and wherein each of said third routing means includes a second channel in said one tray, said first channel for receiving and storing at least a portion of one of said pigtail fibers, said second channel for receiving and directing said second fiber from said connecting means to outside said housing.
- 18. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein each of said trays has a top and a bottom, said top defining a plane, said trays including surfaces and edges being one of perpendicular to said plane and not greater than 90 degrees from perpendicular when viewed from said top and one of perpendicular to said plane and not greater than 90 degrees from perpendicular when viewed from said bottom, whereby each of said trays may be molded using a pair of tools which travel toward and away from one another in directions perpendicular to said plane.
- 19. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said housing has opposite sides and said apparatus further includes first means for guiding said trunk cable along one of said sides and second means for guiding said distribution cables along one of said sides.
- 20. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said tray moving means includes means for stacking into a stack a plurality of trays, said attaching means providing for attaching and detaching from said housing said stack as a unit.
- 21. Apparatus in accordance with claim 20 wherein said moving means includes means for rotating all of said trays in said stack about an axis, said stacking means including means for preventing one tray from being rotated more than 90 degrees with respect to a next adjacent said tray.
- 22. Apparatus in accordance with claim 20 wherein said stacking means includes a hinge plate with a plurality of spaced-apart, aligned sleeves and a hinge pin for fitting in said sleeves, said stacking means further including a pair of holding plates for each tray, each pair of said holding plates being held by said hinge pin and being separated by one of said sleeves, one of said trays being received between each of said pairs of holding plates and being held by each, said tray attaching means attaching said hinge plate to said housing.
- 23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said housing has a front and said trays have a corner and an arcuate side diagonally opposite from said corner, each of said pairs of holding plates being attached to one of said trays at said corner, said apparatus including a pair of adjacent stacks of trays, each of said stacks being attached to said housing at opposite sides of said front of said housing, said arcuate sides allowing said stacks to be located nearer to one another than an angled corner would allow while also allowing each of said trays to rotate out of said storage space past said adjacent stack.
- 24. Apparatus in accordance with claim 23 wherein said first guiding means includes means for clamping said trunk cable to said one side, said clamping means including pliable jaws and a pliable grommet whereby cables of various diameters are readily held.
- 25. Distribution apparatus for storing optical fibers, comprising:
- a housing having members which define a storage space;
- a plurality of trays with each having an endless main passage for routing at least one of said optical fibers therein, each of said trays having an outer wall and an entry opening in said outer wall through which said one optical fiber may be routed to enter or to exit with respect to said main passage,
- said main passage in each of said trays having generally opposite sides, each of said trays also including a second routing passage extending generally from one of said opposite sides to the other, each of said trays further including a sidewardly extending portion having a third routing passage formed therein, said third routing passage having an open end, said plurality of trays including first and second trays vertically stacked and adjacent with respect to one another;
- means for movably attaching each of said trays to said housing wherein each of said trays may be moved between storage position in said storage space and an access position generally outside said storage space; and
- means for connecting a pair of said trays together in stacked alignment and means for routing said one fiber from one tray to the other for storage in both,
- said connecting means including a bulkhead facing said open end of said third routing passage of each of said first and second tray, said bulkhead holding said first and second trays together.
- 26. Apparatus in accordance with claim 25 wherein each of said trays has a traverse opening on a side of said tray generally opposite said entry opening, said bulkhead also having an opening for allowing said fiber stored in said first tray to pass from said open end of said third routing passage of said first tray through said bulkhead opening to said traverse opening in said second tray.
- 27. Apparatus in accordance with claim 26 wherein said first and second trays include means for detachably snapping said bulkhead thereto.
- 28. A method of cross connecting an optical fiber from a trunk cable to an optical fiber from a distribution cable, said method comprising the steps of:
- clamping a plurality of fibers from a trunk cable to a side of a housing;
- swinging one of a plurality of trays movably attached to said housing through an open front wall of said housing to provide easy access to said one tray;
- routing one of said trunk cable fibers from said clamp to said one tray;
- connecting said one trunk cable fiber to a pigtail fiber attached to a first connector attached to said one tray;
- connecting said distribution cable fiber to said pigtail fiber attached to a second connector attached to said one tray;
- routing said distribution cable fiber through said one tray; and
- swinging said one tray back into said housing.
- 29. A method of cross connecting a first optical fiber from a trunk cable to a second optical fiber from a distribution cable, said method comprising the steps of:
- guiding said trunk cable along a side of a housing;
- routing a plurality of first fibers from said trunk cable through a first opening in said side of said housing to a drawer containing means for splicing each of said first fibers to first ends of different pigtail fibers;
- splicing in said drawer each of said first fibers to the first ends of different pigtail fibers;
- swinging selectively trays movably attached to said housing out of and back into said housing to provide access to said trays;
- connecting one of said second fibers at each of different connecting means to the second end of different ones of said pigtail fibers, said pigtail fibers being routed from said splicing means in said drawer to first channels in different ones of said trays, and thereafter to means for connecting a second end of said pigtail fiber to one of said second fibers from said distribution cables;
- routing each of said second fibers through a second channel in different ones of said trays and through a second opening in said housing; and
- closing said drawer and swinging said trays back into said housing.
Parent Case Info
The present application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 821,234, filed Jan. 22, 1986, now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 776,822 filed Sept. 17, 1985, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0116480 |
Aug 1984 |
EPX |
0149250 |
Jul 1985 |
EPX |
0146478 |
Aug 1985 |
EPX |
0211208 |
Feb 1987 |
EPX |
2735106 |
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DEX |
59-74523 |
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JPX |
60-169811 |
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JPX |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
821234 |
Jan 1986 |
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Parent |
776822 |
Sep 1985 |
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