Patent Application
20170315322
The present invention is directed to buried and underground communication transmission lines and related devices, and more particularly to a stubbed terminal housing for fiber optic transmission lines for use in communication vaults including underground or grade level boxes including those incorporating a pedestal housing.
Various electrical and fiber optic communication transmission lines or other equipment used for buried and underground utilities are commonly contained in enclosures that protect the underground wiring cables, fiber taps and splices, service lines, etc. from the environment. Initial construction often requires installation of such a below-ground enclosure, commonly referred to as a grade level utility vault or box. At a later date, if services are to be provided to the premises, the cover for the grade level box is removed and connections are made inside and/or in the above-ground pedestal housing mounted on the grade level box. The above-ground connections are protected from the weather but also must be protected from vandalism and tampering. There is also a need to provide a pedestal housing assembly that can be readily installed and opened to facilitate further connections and/or service with minimal time and labor costs.
The present invention is applicable to any system for storing and protecting underground or buried electrical conductors and devices from the environment and for facilitating access to them while making further connections, providing service, making new installations, and the like. The invention is applicable to electrical utility connections normally using buried or underground lines or connections such a cable TV, data transmission lines, various types of telecommunications, optical fiber connections, commonly referred to as “fiber to the premises,” services lines, water meters, electrical power distribution, and other utilities equipment.
One embodiment of the invention provides an optical fiber distribution and vault system for making service connections to optical fiber contacts initially contained in a grade level box. A pedestal housing can be incorporated with the vault or box which is used to bring the fiber taps and splices above ground. Incorporated within the vault or box or in the pedestal housing are tethered or stubbed fiber optic terminals, however the current design for such terminals are not ideal for use in utility vault or box and pedestal housing deployment. Commercially available stubbed terminals have angled ports which create closure cover interference making them impractical for use for both pedestal and grade level vault deployments. Consequently, a need exists for an improved stubbed fiber optic terminal which is suitable for use in both pedestal housing and grade level vault deployments.
One embodiment of the invention comprises a tethered or stubbed fiber optic terminal housing for deployment in a grade level box/utility vault or a pedestal housing which includes a main housing and an attachment portion for providing a slip fit with a pedestal state located within the pedestal housing. Alternatively the housing can be mounted on a bracket within the pedestal or vault or attached directly to a pedestal faceplate or the wall of the vault by a threaded fastener. The terminal housing includes an interior cavity and a plurality of openings where the main fiber optic cable can enter into the housing through an opening and be split or separated such that individual fibers of the fiber optic cable can exit the housing individually through an array of stubbed ports allowing the individual fibers to make connections to other locations within the pedestal or vault.
As shown in
The attachment portion 18 includes a cavity 28 formed by an opening in its lower surface 30 so that the housing can be mounted on top of a pedestal stake 32 as shown in
The main body portion 16 is hollow in that the bottom section 22 attaches to the domed section 20 to provide a hollow interior cavity 40 in which a signal splitter 42 can be positioned wherein the fiber optic cable 44 that enters into the housing through main fiber optic cable port 24 attaches and individual fiber optic fibers 46 extend off the splitter and exit the cavity 40 through secondary fiber optic fiber ports 26. For the example illustrated in
Referring to
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with respect to an embodiment thereof, it is to be understand that changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the full intended scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. For example, the cable inlet port, although illustrated as circular, can be oval or slotted in shape to accommodate other forms of fiber optic cables, such as ribbon cables. Similarly, the fiber optic fiber outlet ports can be positioned on another surface of the housing depending upon the particular application to efficiently utilize the space provided in the pedestal or communications vault.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/329,050 filed Apr. 28, 2016, the entire contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62329050 | Apr 2016 | US |
