CABLE MANAGEMENT ENCLOSURE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to cable enclosures and, in particular, to a wall-mounted cable management enclosure that provides an organized net installation and provides easy access to the cable for handling. To provide cable (such as fiber or copper) to the desktop, it is desired to provide an outlet box or enclosure at a connection point within the work area for as much as 6 fibers and also be able to integrate copper connections. There are not many suppliers of such a box and those that exist are inadequate in one way or another. Amp, Inc. has a multimedia outlet sold under the commercial name of Hideout. Its main disadvantages are the lack of storage / handling wear fiber, density limitations (4 fibers or 2 fibers / 4 copper) and the lack of identification of a fiber port. Amp's multimedia output has identification areas for each pair of fiber ports, but does not provide an identification area for each individual port. Siecor Corporation produces an enclosure sold under the trade name of Ruggedized Information Outlel (RIO). Its main disadvantages are its large size (height, width and depth), density limitations (4 fibers / 4 copper), the lack of fiber port identification areas, and a high cost. Mod-Tap, Inc. produces an enclosure sold under the trade name of Passport Fiber Píate. Its disadvantages are its difficulty in loading fiber wear in order to maintain good fiber handling, lack of space to properly handle fiber coils near the connectors / adapters and density limitations (6 fibers or 4 fibers / 2 copper). The above discussions and other disadvantages and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or reduced through the cable management enclosure of the invention. This low profile cable outlet box provides an area to handle the wiring to the work area (an area located near the station equipment that includes telephones, data terminals and computers), providing a connection point for connectors 2 , 4 or 6 fibers using sliding panels in the adapter. They are also provided for copper connections with the integration of an individual series wall plate, which can be mounted to the cable management enclosure cover to adapt up to 6 modular supports. The base of the cable management enclosure provides a lightening of fiber input cable tension plus storage and handling of up to one meter of wear as much as 6 fibers. A disconnect cover on the base to provide a dust proof and protection for the fibers. A bolted adaptation to consolidated base is included to add safety, if desired. Molded icon cavities allow identification of the fiber port with the use of color coded, disconnected icons. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings, in which similar elements are numbered in a similar manner in the various FIGURES: FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the base of the cable management enclosure; FIGURE 2 is a front plan view of the base; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the base shown in FIGURE 3; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the base of the cable management enclosure; FIGURE 6 is a front plan view of a sliding adapter plate for sliding with the base of the cable management enclosure; FIGURE 7 is a side plan view of the sliding adapter plate shown in FIGURE 6;
FIGURE 8 is a rear plan view of the sliding adapter plate shown in FIGURE 6; FIGURE 9 is a front plan view of the cable management enclosure cover; FIGURE 10 is a top view of the cover; FIGURE 11 is a bottom view of the cover; FIGURE 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cover, - FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of the cover; FIGURE 14 is a front view of a variation of the cover; FIGURE 15 is a front view of a second variation of the cover; FIGURE 16 is a top view of a dust board; FIGURE 17 is a side view of the dust board; FIGURE 18 is a bottom view of the dust board; FIGURE 19 is a perspective view of the dust board; FIGURE 20 is a perspective view of a variation of the base for use with the dust board;
FIGURE 21 is a perspective view of a base including locating protuberances; and FIGURE 22 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement for mounting the base to a wall box. FIGURE 1 shows the base of the cable management enclosure generally shown at 10. A pair of holes 90 is formed in the base 10 to provide mounting of the base 10 to a wall box (not shown). The base 10 includes four cable retainers generally shown at 12, 14, 16 and 18 molded into the base 10, which are designed not only to retain the wound fiber effectively when a wall is assembled, but also to facilitate the winding of the cable that enters the base. The cable retainers 12 and 14 have an internal angled plate 24 and an external angled plate 26. Each plate has an edge that forms an oblique angle with at least the other edge of the plate. The plates 24 and 26 are positioned above the base of the handling enclosure as shown in FIGURE 2. A space is provided between the plates 24 and 26 to allow the insertion of the cable into the cable retainers 12 and 16. By using two plates 24 and 26, the cable is held in the cable retainer efficiently. The cable retainer 14 has an internal curved plate 28 and an external curved plate 30. A space is provided between the plates 28 and 30 to allow the insertion of the cable in the cable retainer 14. Plates 28 and 30 are placed on top The base of the cable management enclosure as shown in FIGURE 5. The cable retainers 18 are L-shaped brackets that have a top surface placed above the base of the cable management enclosure as shown in FIGURE. 5. This provides a space for the insertion of the cable into the cable retainer 18. The angle direction of the cable retainers 12 and 16 and the curve of the cable retainer 14 allow the cable (such as fiber or copper) to be easily loaded in a winding state. Observe that the cable seals enclose the cable, so that the cable-wound loops resist gravity; and from this manara can not slip to the bottom of the base 1C. The incoming wire (from the inside of the building wall) is inserted into the box through a central opening 20 formed in the base 10. The wire must be secured to the base in some way to allow the winding / Wear cable management starts from an effective starting point and so that the cable once wound, remains in that state. The cable is initially connected to the base through a cable grip generally shown at 22. Two cable ties 22 are provided to allow access to the cable management enclosure from several directions. It is understood that any number of wire clips can be used and the placement of the wire clips 22 is not limited to that shown in FIGURE 1. As shown in FIGURE 3, each wire clip 22 includes a wire shelf. cable clamp 32 molded directly onto the centralized cable retainers 12 and 16, which is the most effective point for starting the winding of the cable in the cable retainers starting from the upper part or the base opening lower part 20. The central location of the holding shelf 32 also makes it easier for the opposite-edge cable grip to be placed in the corners, top or bottom of the base opening. The holding shelf 32 provides a generous plane for easily attaching a wide variety of types and sizes of cables and its position relative to the surface of the base also allows a generous space to be easily loaded with that same type / size diversity. cable. The lower clamp shelf 32 includes an angled cable tie retention slot 34, which is molded in the cable clamping shelf 32 and provides for easy installation of any variety of cable joints normal to the industry. There is an opening 20
(shown in FIGURE 1) in the base, which is located directly below the lower holding shelf 32 which exposes the surface of the wall to which the base 10 is mounted. The angle of the retaining slot 34 is such that when the cable joint (not shown) is inserted, the tip of the cable joint contacts the surface of the wall through the opening 20 in the base 10 and continues forward towards the opening 20 for facilitate grip on the tip of the cable grip, which is then directed through the cable tie closure mechanism and subsequently tightened around the input cable to secure the cable to the shelf 32. The cable management enclosure includes a plurality of posts 36 formed in the base 10. Posts 36a formed in the interior of the base include a support member 38. As shown in FIGURE 1, the cable management enclosure can accommodate 3 double connectors or 6 ports for connection fiber optic cable A wall plate that is mounted on the cover of the cable management enclosure can adapt 6 copper connections. In this way, the cable management enclosure of the present invention has a density of 6 fibers and 6 of copper, which is not available in the prior art discussed above. The external posts 36b are formed on the side of the base and do not require additional support. Each post 36 includes at least one channel 40 running over the length of the post 36. The channel 40 becomes narrower towards the bottom of the base 10 of the cable management enclosure. A sliding adapter plate 42 (shown in FIGS. 6-8) is positioned between the posts 36. The adapter-slide plate 42 is designed to allow easy mounting of cable adapters (not shown) on the slide adapter plate 42. As shown in FIGURE 6, the sliding adapter plate 42 has an opening 44 for receiving a cable adapter (not shown in the drawings). The size and / or number of openings formed in the sliding adapter plate 42 will vary depending on the size and shape of the cable adapter. The sliding adapter plate 42 also has a flange 46 which engages in channel 40 formed in the posts 36. Once the adapter is placed in the sliding adapter plate 42, the sliding adapter plate 42 is placed between the posts 36 aligning the flanges 46. with the channels 40. The sliding adapter panel 42 provides a stable / secure adapter assembly, easy installation / removal of the adapter plates loaded in the factory inside-out of the base 10, and ensures that proper orientation is obtained. The normal method in the industry to secure an adapter is through the use of 2 screws aligned through clear holes in the flange of the adapter and then threaded into 2 tapered holes in the mounting surface. Sliding adapter plate 42 utilizes 2 cylindrical posts 48 which provide 2 important benefits. The cylindrical posts 48 eliminate the need for screws and very expensive past holes in the mounting surface through the diameter of the posts which is such that it is fixed through the flange holes of the adapter (clearly) and the length of the holes. posts being longer than the thickness of the adapter flange. This aspect is applicable to the type of adapter that does not use mounting fasteners. Once the adapter is installed against the mounting surface on the adapter plate 42, with the posts 48 through the adapter flange holes, the upper portions of these posts are subsequently and mechanically compressed to effect the retention of the adapter to the mounting surface of the adapter plate 42. The timing for installing an adapter on adapter plate 42, therefore, is reduced and other costs are reduced as well as no past holes or screws are required. It is understood that posts 48 need not be cylindrical, but rather in any way as long as the posts are adjusted through the holes provided in the adapter. In addition, certain adapters are designed to be retained in a panel fuse through metal mounting fasteners. The types of adapters, however, tend to oscillate within the panel fuse. The posts 48 on the adapter plate 42 increase the stability of any adapter (in particular, adapters designed with metal mounting fasteners). The posts 48 serve to eliminate or greatly reduce the "swinging" action the fasteners themselves should allow for clarity between the panel and the edge of the fastener. The posts 48, once inside the adapter flange holes limit the oscillating movement adapter, due to the restriction provided in the presence and the fixation of the posts 48 in the flange holes of the adapter. Sliding adapter plate 42 facilitates the installation of adapters in an enclosure, such as this cable management enclosure. The sliding adapter plate 42 has been designed with a fuse 44 that fits the adapter, which is installed in the factory and the resulting subassembly (or "load adapter plate") is supplied to the customer. Sliding adapter plate 42 includes ridges 46 that are configured to fit easily into corresponding channels 40 formed in posts 36. These ridges 46 have a "Y" shape, i.e. the top of the rim is wider than the bottom of the flange as shown in FIGURE 7. The channels 40 have a similar shape, but inverted. As shown in FIGURE 5, the upper part of the channel 40 is wider than the bottom of the channel 40. When the sliding adapter plate 42 is placed between two posts 36, the flanges 46 are led towards the channels 40 due to the large clarity provided between the bottom of the flange 46 and the upper part of the channel 40. As the sliding adapter plate 42 is lowered, a slight interference between the flange 46 and the channel bottom 40 provides a snug fit for stability. In addition, the upper wide portion of the flange 46 provides a slight interference fit with the upper wide portion of the channel 40. The flange 46 and the channel 40 may have shapes different from those described and shown herein. This shape of the flange 46 and channel 40 has the additional benefits by providing a snug fit between the sliding adapter plate 42 and the posts 36. A typical adapter (copper or fiber) is designed with some key mechanism (for example a slot or plug). of connection) for the purpose of aligning the matching connector (obturator). It is desirable that this mechanism be oriented in such a way that it is as visible as possible from the perspective of where the individual may be placed when ready to match a connector with the adapter. The factory installs the adapter to the slide adapter plate 42 with the key mechanism
(groove, uprights, etc.) oriented towards the upper plate of the sliding adapter plate 42. The installer can easily identify the upper part of the sliding adapter plate 42 locating the wide part of the flange 46. The wide portion of the flange 46 will not be fixed in the narrow portion of the channel 40. Therefore, the wide portion of the flange 46 should always be towards the top of the post 36. If the key mechanism of an adapter inserted in the sliding adapter plate 42 is placed looking into the portion wide of flange 46, this ensures that maintenance personnel will be able to see the key mechanism when serving the cable management enclosure. Sliding adapter plate 42 also provides the reversibility of hybrid adapters. The hybrid adapters have a first type of matching contact surface at one end and a second type of matching contact surface at the other end. When the sliding adapter plate 42 is placed between the posts 36, one end of the adapter will extend out of the cable management enclosure. Since the sliding adapter plate 42 is reversible, the customer can place the hybrid adapter so that any of the contact surfaces faces the outside of the cable management enclosure. It is understood that the shape of the flange and the channel are illustrative and one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a variety of ways will be achieved to achieve the reversible capability and position control of the sliding adapter plate.
FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of the cable management enclosure cover shown generally at 50, which is snapped onto the base of cable management enclosure 10 shown in FIGURE 1. The sides of the cover 50 are shown in FIG. they use towards a flat area in the background, which includes molded identification areas 52 to accept an identification icon. The present invention provides identification areas for each port. The modality shown in FIGURE 13 is designed for six fiber ports. The cover 50 includes a mounting section of recessed sheet metal 56 that includes a flange 70, which receives a normal wall plate. In an illustrative embodiment, the wall plate (not shown) the cover 50 and the base 10 are mounted to the wall box using standard screws placed in the holes 72. The molded identification areas 52 receive fiber port identification tabs color coded, removable placed by jump quickly. The molded identification areas 52 are integral to the cable management enclosure deck at the bottom, directly above each of the six fiber ports. These identification areas 52 adapt normal tabs, which are available in a variety of colors and include an icon on one or both sides (such as a computer, telephone, etc.) this allows the complete identification of the coding by color and / or function for each port, which is needed for non-double applications. As previously discussed, the enclosure sold under the trade name Mod-Tap includes the identification for each group of two ports. In this way a more detailed identification can be achieved with the cable management enclosure cover 50 of the present invention. FIGURE 9 is a front view of the cover of the cable management enclosure 50 and FIGURE 10 is a top view. FIGURE 11 is a bottom plan view of the cable management enclosure cover 50 illustrating the mechanism for releasably attaching the cover 50 to the base 10. The cover 50 includes a pair of projections 58 formed on the internal wall of the enclosure. cover 50. A tab 62 is formed on the inside of the cover 50 at the top of the cover 50. To mount the cover 50 to the base 10, the tab 62 is inserted into the depression 64 (shown in FIGURE 5) . The cover 50 is then hinged until the projections 58 engage the depressions 60 (shown in FIGURE 5). To release the cover 50, the release tab 54 is compressed to remove the projections 58 from the depressions 60. The cover is made from an elastic material, and flexes without degrading its structural properties.
Although the projection 58, the depressions 60, the tab 62 and the depression 64 hold the cover 50 to the base 10 it is usually desirable to provide additional security. In order to prevent personnel from interfering with the cable in the cable management enclosure, a hole 66 is formed in the cover 50 to accept a security screw (not shown). The hole in the cover 50 corresponds to a protrusion 68 formed in the base 10. The protrusion has a hollow center for receiving a self-tapping screw or it can be threaded to receive a threaded screw. This hole 66 is positioned such that when the wall plate is mounted in the wall sheet mounting section 56, the hole 66 is concealed. Alternatively, holes for security screws may be provided in areas provided for labels. As shown in FIGURE 14 a label area 68 is molded in the cover 50 and the safety screw hole 66 is provided in the label area. A corresponding protrusion 68 is placed on the base 10 to accept the safety screw. Then, a label is inserted into the label area 68 to hide the head of the security screw, in order to reduce the possibility of an unauthorized individual removal of the cover, and thus expose the connections within the potential damage. It is understood that one or more label areas 68 and security screws may be used.
In the above-described embodiment, in order to remove the cover 50, the wall plate placed within the assembly section of attached plates 56 must be removed, since the flange 70 has an interior dimension that is smaller than the outer dimension than the wall plate. Once the cable management enclosure has been loaded with copper and fiber connections, there are occasional needs to reopen the enclosure. The most common need is to re-clean the fiber connections (due to the degradation effect, the which has the dust or dirt in the operation of the transmission) and, therefore, it is desirable to be able to open the box in such a way that the wall plate and the corresponding copper connections are not damaged. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIGURE 15 the flange 70 is either removed or reduced, so that the front opening 56 'of the cover 50 is larger than the wall plate so that, when the cover 50 is opened, the The wall plate is released and remains attached to the base 10. However, this configuration produces an air gap around the wall plate, which is undesirable. To reduce the dust ingress a dust plate 74 is incorporated, which is fixed on the base 10 and is larger than the opening of the cover 50 to thus close all the gaps between the wall plate and the cover opening. FIGS. 16-19 are views of the dust plate 74. The dust plate includes two screw holes 76 for accepting a screw that connects the wall plate, the dust plate 74 and the base 10 to the plate. wall. This counter-dust plate 74 is designed to be self-biased within the base through the use of screw protrusions 78, whose outer diameter freely fits into the internal diameter of the corresponding protuberances 80 molded into the base 10, as shown in FIG. shown in FIGURE 20. The hole 76 through the protrusions of anti-dust plate 78 fits a normal wall box screw and, therefore, a single screw is all that is required (one on the top and another at the bottom) to hold the wall plate, the anti-dust plate 74 and the base 10 of the cable management enclosure to the wall box. When the wall plate and the dust plate 74 are installed, there is easily access to the fiber conditions at the bottom of the base 10 for cleaning purposes. The connectors are made to coincide with the adapters, which are installed in the sliding adapter plates 42. In this way, to re-clean, the sliding adapter plate 42 slides up and away from the base 10, the connector disengages from the The adapter is cleaned, and the adapter is again coupled again, and then the slide adapter plate 42 slides back to the base 10.
In mounting the plate base 10 to the wall box it is desirable to provide a location mechanism for positioning the base 10 relative to the wall box. As shown in FIGURE 21, location protrusions 82 can be placed on the back side of the base 10 to align the base with the wall box. The base may optionally include a double-sided adhesive tape to assist in the positioning of the base 10 relative to the wall box. The location protrusions 82 can be positioned so as to couple the corners of the wall box as shown in FIGURE 21. It is understood that a variety of locations can be used for the location protrusions 82, so that they can be adapted wall boxes of different sizes. Alternatively, protuberances 82 of extra location may be provided on the rear part of the base 10. The installer could then simply adjust the jump protrusions 82 not necessary. This provides a universal base plate 10 that can be modified in the field for the installation of wall boxes of various sizes. FIGURE 22 illustrates an alternative to location protrusions 82 described above. FIGURE 22 is a cross-sectional view of the base 10 and the anti-dust plate 74 in an alternative embodiment. The base 10 is mounted to the wall box using suspension screws shown generally at 84. The suspension screw 84 has a head 86, which includes a central threaded region. The suspension screw 84 also includes a screw screw portion 88. The base 10 is first shown to the wall box by placing the suspension screw 84 through the hole 90 and engaging a threaded hole in the wall box. The counter dust plate 74 includes protuberances 78 surrounding the head 86. The wall plate and the dust plate 74 can then be attached to the base 10 through a screw that engages the threaded head 86. The holes 90 can be placed in several locations in order to adapt different wall boxes. Of course, the protuberances 78 on the counter-dust plate 74 are aligned with the holes 90 in the base 10. The cable management enclosure is designed to provide superior cable handling in a low profile outlet box, accessories of fiber containment that greatly facilitate the security procedure of the cable that enters the base and winding the cable slightly loose (up to 1 meter for each of the six connections) there is also enough space to adapt up to (6) fiber connections and ( 6) copper and is designed so that it does not interfere with mounted adapters / connectors. In addition, they are supplied mounted to a sliding adapter plate, which easily slides in and out of the base to facilitate access to the connections. Another aspect allows the wall plate to remain uninterrupted if the box is reopened for purposes such as cleaning the fiber connections. Finally, the design is extremely functional and also remains relatively small. Since several preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from it without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.