Background

Some optical cable organizers include enclosures housing pivotal management trays. Feeder fibers and distribution fibers are routed into the enclosures, spliced, and stored at the management trays. The trays can be pivotally mounted to one or more groove plates, which are coupled to a mounting panel within the enclosure. The fiber splices are accessed by pivoting the trays between stowed positions and access positions. Additional storage for feeder fibers and/or distribution fibers can be provided within the enclosure.

Improvements are desired.

Summary

Some aspects of the disclosure are directed to a tray organization system including a mounting panel defining cable securement arrangements at a first end; and groove plates coupled to the mounting panel. The groove plates include at least one groove plate of a first type defining a tray receiving region configured to pivotally retain a plurality of trays along parallel hinge axes, a tube channel extending along a first side of the tray receiving region orthogonal to the hinge axes, a fiber channel extending along an opposite second side of the tray receiving region orthogonal to the hinge axes, and a fiber bridge disposed adjacent the tube channel. Open sides of the tube channel and the fiber channel provide access to the tray receiving region. The fiber bridge includes an internal sidewall inhibiting access to the tray receiving region. The fiber bridge guides the fiber to the next groove plate.

Other aspects of the disclosure are directed to a tray organization system including a mounting panel extending from a first end to a second end and from a first side to a second side. The second side of the mounting panel is configured to receive at least one blown fiber tube (e.g., a transition tube mounted over a blown fiber bundle) at the first end and the first side of the mounting panel is configured to receive a plurality of feeder fibers at the first end. A first groove plate is coupled to the mounting panel. The first groove plate defines a tube channel at the second side of the mounting panel, a fiber channel at the first side of the mounting panel, a fiber bridge disposed adjacent the tube channel, and a tray receiving region intermediate the tube channel and the fiber channel. Interiors of the tube channel and the fiber channel are accessible to the tray receiving region. The fiber bridge includes a sidewall inhibiting access to the tray receiving region, instead guiding the distribution fibers to the next groove plate. Trays are mounted to the tray receiving region of the first groove plate.

Other aspects of the disclosure are directed to an example groove plate including a base, a fiber channel defined at a first side of the base, a tube channel defined at a second side of the base, and a fiber bridge defined at the second side of the base. The base defines a tray receiving region that is configured to retain management trays, which are each configured to pivot about a hinge axis extending parallel to the first and second ends of the base. The fiber channel extends between the first and second ends of the base. The fiber channel has an open side that provides access between the fiber channel and the tray receiving region. The tube channel extends between the first and second ends of the base. The tube channel has an open side that provides access between the tube channel and the tray receiving region. The fiber bridge extends between the first and second ends of the base separate from the tube channel. The fiber bridge has a closed side facing the tray receiving region.

A method of routing optical fibers onto a series of trays mounted to groove plates of an organization system includes routing blown fiber tubes onto a first end of a mounting panel and into an extended tube channel defined by a first plurality of groove plates; and routing each blown fiber tube out of the extended tube channel and towards a corresponding one of the trays. The method also includes routing first optical fibers through an extended fiber bridge defined by the first plurality of groove plates and into a first extended fiber channel defined by a second plurality of groove plates; and routing each first optical fiber out of the first extended fiber channel and towards a

corresponding one of the trays. The method also includes routing second optical fibers from corresponding ones of the trays, through a second extended channel defined by the first and second plurality of groove plates, and towards the first end of the mounting panel.

A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example tray organization system including an enclosure holding management trays coupled to a mounting panel via two different types of groove plates in accordance with principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows the management trays and groove plates exploded from the mounting panel of FIG. 1 so that additional details of the mounting panel are visible;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a first of the two types of groove plate including a fiber channel, a tube channel, and a fiber bridge;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the example groove plate of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the example groove plates of FIG. 3 with tubes routed through the tube channel and towards a tray receiving region and with fibers routed through the fiber bridge;

FIG. 6 is a first end view of the groove plates and trays of FIG. 2 with a second type of groove plate being disposed in front of the first type of groove plate as oriented in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along the 7-7 line;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along the 8-8 line; FIG. 9 is an end view of a second of the two types of groove plate including first and second fiber channels;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the example groove plate of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along a plane extending between an anchoring section and a mounting section of the mounting panel and directed towards the second end of the mounting panel so that tubes are visible extending through an extended tube channel and fibers are visible extending through an extended bridge and second fiber channel; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a back of the mounting panel so that an access to the extended tube channel and a storage region for the blown fiber tubes are visible.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

In general, the disclosure is directed to a tray organization system including optical management trays pivotally coupled to a mounting panel using groove plates. The groove plates aid in transitioning optical fibers and/or blown fiber tubes into and out of the management trays. The groove plates also provide channels for routing the optical fibers and/or blown fiber tubes from a port or anchor point of the organization system to the management trays. In some types of optical systems, feeder fibers are routed along a first side channel of the groove plates to the management trays and distribution fibers are routed along a second side channel of the groove plates to the management trays. In certain types of optical systems (e.g., in fiber to the home applications), blown fiber tubes also can be routed along the second side of the groove plates to the management trays for coupling to feeder fibers.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the tray organization system 100 includes an enclosure 105 defining a port end 101 at which optical fiber cables and/or blown fiber cables can access an interior of the enclosure 105. Optical fibers and/or blown fiber tubes can be routed from the port end 101 to a mounting panel 110 disposed within the enclosure 105. For example, optical fibers can be broken out from one or more feeder cables and/or from one or more distribution cables. One or more blown fiber tubes can be threaded over fiber bundles blown through blown fiber cables. The optical fibers and blown fiber tubes (or the cables from which they are broken out) can be secured to the mounting panel 110 using anchor brackets 108.

After securing the fibers, the fibers can be routed around fiber management structures 106 (e.g., storage spools, bend radius limiters, etc.) to store slack length and/or to change the direction of the fibers. For examples, some optical fibers can be routed about the management structures 106 is a Figure-8 pattern at the anchoring area 111a. In certain implementations, blown fiber tubes can be routed at a back side of the anchoring region 111a and secured there (e.g., see FIG. 12). For example, the channel through which the blown fiber tubes can be routed may be accessible from the back of the anchoring region 11 la of the mounting panel 110 (see FIG. 12).

The mounting panel 110 extends from a first end 112 to a second end 113 and from a first side 114 to a second side 115. The mounting panel 110 includes an anchoring section 11 la disposed at the first end 112, a mounting section 11 lb that extends from the anchoring section 11 la to the second end 113 of the mounting panel 110, and sidewalls 116, 118 that extend along at least the mounting section 11 lb. The anchor brackets 108 are coupled to the anchoring section 11 la of the mounting panel 110 at the first end 112. The management trays 120 are coupled to the mounting section 11 lb of the mounting panel 110 via the groove plates 130,160.

Each groove plate 130, 160 extends between a first end 131, 161 and a second end 132, 162; and between a first side 133, 163 and a second side 134, 164. The groove plates 130, 160 are oriented so that the first ends 131, 161 face towards the anchoring section 11 la of the mounting panel 110 and the second ends 132, 162 face towards the second end 113 of the mounting panel 110. In some implementations, the groove plates 130, 160 latch to the mounting panel 110 by sliding rigid tabs 138, 168 at the first sides 133, 163 of the groove plates 130, 160 beneath a shoulder 117 defined at a first sidewall tabs 139, 169 engage with latching hooks 119 defined by a second sidewall 118 of the mounting panel 110. In certain implementations, one or more alignment pegs 137, 167 can be received at recesses or apertures defined in the mounting section 11 la of the mounting panel 110 to enhance positioning of the groove plates 130, 160 on the mounting panel 110.

Each groove plate 130, 160 defines a tray receiving region 150, 180 that is configured to pivotally retain a plurality of trays 120 along parallel hinge axes P, P'. The hinge axes P, P' extend between the first sides 133, 163 and second sides 134, 164 of the groove plates 130, 160. For example, the tray receiving region 150, 180 includes one or more pivot hinges 151, 181 configured to receive pivot pins 124 of the trays 120 so that the pivot pins 124 extend parallel to the first and second ends 131, 132, 161, 162 of the groove plates 130, 160. The tray receiving region 150, 180 also defines transition channels 152, 182 that aid in routing optical fibers and/or tubes between the groove plates 130, 160 and the management trays 120.

The groove plates 130, 160 define routing paths from the anchoring section 111a of the mounting panel 110 to the management trays 120. A first type of groove plates 130 can be used to route blown fiber tubes and optical fibers (e.g., distribution fibers) towards the trays 120 (e.g., see FIGS. 3-8). A second type of groove plates 160 are used to route only optical fibers (e.g., feeder fibers and distribution fibers) towards the trays 120 (e.g., FIGS. 9 and 10). In certain implementations, the first type of groove plates 130 are coupled to the mounting panel adjacent the anchoring section 111a. The second type of groove plates 160 are coupled to the mounting panel 110 between the first type of groove plates 130 and the second end 113 of the mounting panel 110 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Accordingly, tubes are routed to the management trays 120 located closer to the first end 112 of the mounting panel 110 (e.g., see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first type of groove plate 130 defines a fiber channel 141, a tube channel 143, and a fiber bridge 145. Feeder fibers can be routed to a first side of the management trays 120 along the fiber channel 141. Blown fibers can be routed to a second side of the management trays 120 along the tube channel 143. Distribution fibers can be routed to the second side of the management trays 120 along the fiber bridge 145. The fiber bridge 145 maintains separation between the optical fibers routed therethrough and any tubes routed through the tube channel 143.

Accordingly, the fiber bridge 145 may inhibit damage to the optical fibers that could otherwise be caused by the tubes if routed together.

In some implementations, the fiber channel 141 is disposed along the first side 133 of the first type of groove plate 130 (e.g., to receive feeder fibers), the tube channel 143 is disposed along the second side 134 of the first type of groove plate 130, and the fiber bridge 145 is disposed along the second side 134 of the first type of groove plate 130. In other implementations, however, the tube channel 143 and fiber bridge 145 can be disposed at the first side 133 of the groove plate 130 and the fiber channel 141 can be disposed at the second side 134 of the groove plate 130 (e.g., to receive distribution fibers). For convenience, however, this disclosure will describe applications in which fiber channel 141 is disposed at the first side 133 and the tube channel 143 and fiber bridge 145 are disposed at the second side 134. Of course, the principles of the disclosure apply equally when the channels 141, 143, 145 are flipped.

In some implementations, the groove plates 130 of the first type includes a base 140 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 and between the first and second sides 133, 134. The base 140 also includes a mounting side 135 and a routing side 136 that define major surfaces of the base 140. The alignment peg(s) 137 are disposed at the mounting side 135 of the base 140. The routing side 136 defines the tray receiving region 150, the fiber channel 141, the tube channel 143, and the fiber bridge 145. The tray receiving region 150 is disposed between the fiber channel 141 and the tube channel 143. Fiber separators 153 are disposed between the tray receiving region 150 and the fiber channel 141. Tube separators 155 are disposed between the tray receiving region 150 and the tube channel 143.

The fiber channel 141 includes a tunnel structure located at the first side 133 of the groove plate 130. The tunnel structure defines an interior 142 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 of the groove plate 130. The tunnel structure defines an open side (or multiple side openings) 147 facing towards the tray receiving region 150. The open side(s) 147 enables optical fibers to be routed from the interior 142 of the fiber channel 141, through the fiber separators 153, along the transition channels 152, and towards the management trays 120. In certain implementations, the tunnel structure also may include a channel slot 154 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 of the groove plate 130 to facilitate routing the optical fibers into the interior 142 of the fiber channel 141.

The fiber bridge 145 includes a tunnel structure located at the second side 134 of the groove plate 130. The tunnel structure defines an interior 146 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 of the groove plate 130. The tunnel structure of the fiber bridge 145 defines a closed side 149 facing towards the tray receiving region 150. The closed side 149 inhibits access between the fiber bridge interior 146 and the tray receiving region 150. In certain implementations, the fiber bridge tunnel structure also may include a channel slot 158 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 of the groove plate 130 to facilitate routing the optical fibers into the interior 146 of the fiber bridge 145. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a finger or tab 159 can extend into the slot 158 to aid in retaining the fibers within the fiber bridge interior 146.

The tube channel 143 also is located at the second side 134 of the groove plate 130. The tube channel 143 defines an interior 144 extending between the first and second ends 131, 132 of the groove plate 130. An open side 148 of the tube channel 143 faces towards the tray receiving region 150 of the groove plate 130. The open side 148 enables optical fibers to be routed from the interior 144 of the tube channel 143, through the tube separators 155, along the transition channels 152, and towards the management trays 120.

In some implementations, the tube channel 143 is disposed between the base 140 and the fiber bridge 145. For example, a separating wall 157 may extend between the tube channel 143 and the fiber bridge 145. In certain implementations, the separating wall 157 may be positioned to run planar with the base 140 so that the fiber bridge interior 146 and fiber channel interior 142 have a common dimension and/or common position relative to the base 140. To accommodate the tube channel 143 in such implementations, the groove plate base 140 includes a contoured section 156 that extends away from the routing side 136 of the base 140 to form the tube channel 143. In certain implementations, the contoured section 156 extends past a backplane B of the base 140 (see FIG. 3). In certain implementations, the contoured section 156 may thin as the contoured section 156 extends towards the second side 134 of the groove plate 130, thereby further providing space for the interior 144 of the tube channel 143. The mounting section 11 lb of the mounting panel 110 can define a recess or aperture 111c to accommodate the contoured section 156 of the groove plate 130 (see FIGS. 2 and 12).

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a second type of groove plate 160 includes a base 170 including a first fiber channel 171 at the first side 163 of the groove plate 160 and a second fiber channel 175 at the second side 164 of the groove plate 160. Each fiber channel 171, 175 defines an interior 172, 176 that extends from the first end 161 of the groove plate 160 to the second end 162. Each of the fiber channels 171, 175 also defines an open side (or multiple openings) 173, 177 that faces towards the fiber receiving region 180. Slots 174, 178 are defined in the fiber channels 171, 175 opposite the base 170 to facilitate routing the optical fibers into the channel interiors 172, 176. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the slots 174, 178 are defined by a gap between an outer contoured member and one or more inner members having L- shaped profiles (e.g., see FIG. 9).

A mounting side 165 and a routing side 166 define the major surfaces of the base 170. First fiber separators 183 are disposed on the routing side 166 of the base 170 between the first fiber channel 171 and the tray receiving region 180. Second fiber separators 184 are disposed on the routing side 166 of the base 170 between the second fiber channel 175 and the tray receiving region 180. Alignment pegs 167 are disposed on the mounting side 165 located opposite the routing side 166 of the base 170 for engagement with apertures in the mounting panel 110. The second type of groove plates 160 can be mounted to any portion of the mounting section 11 lb of the mounting panel 110. For example, the groove plates 160 can be mounted over the aperture 111c defined in the mounting panel 110 without any interference. Distribution fibers can be routed along the first fiber channel 171 to the first side of the management trays 120. Feeder fibers (e.g., from a fiber bridge 145 of the first type of groove plate 130) can be routed along the second fiber channel 175 to the second side of the management trays 120. The feeder fibers can be spliced to the distribution fibers at the management trays 120.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8, a group of one or more of the first type of groove plates 130 may be coupled to the mounting panel 110 end-to-end. Another group of one or more of the second type of groove plates 160 may be coupled to the mounting panel 110 end-to-end. The first group can be disposed between the anchoring section 11 la of the mounting panel 110 and the second group. The fiber channels 141 at the first sides 133 of the groove plates 130 and the first fiber channels 171 at the first sides 163 of the groove plates 160 cooperate to form a first extended fiber channel 190 (e.g., see FIG. 11). The tube channels 143 at the second sides 134 of the groove plates 130 cooperate to form an extended tube channel 192 (e.g., see FIG. 11). The fiber bridges 145 of the groove plates 130 cooperate to form an extended fiber bridge 194. The second fiber channels 175 of the groove plates 160 cooperate to form a second extended fiber channel 196 (e.g., see FIG. 11).

Accordingly, feeder fibers (or other optical fibers) can be routed from the anchoring section 11 la of the mounting panel 110, along the first extended fiber channel 190, to the first side of any management trays 120 coupled to any of the groove plates 130, 160. Blown fiber tubes can be routed from the anchoring section 11 la of the mounting panel 110, along the extended tube channel 192, to the second side of any management trays 120 coupled to any of the groove plates 130 of the first group.

Distribution fibers can be routed from the anchoring section 111 a of the mounting panel 110, along the extended fiber bridge 194 and the second extended fiber channel 196, to the second side of any management trays 120 coupled to any of the groove plates 160 of the second group. The extended fiber bridge 194 and the second extended fiber channel 196 cooperate to form one extended channel 198 through which distribution fibers can be routed to trays 120. In certain implementations, distribution fibers can be routed through the extended fiber bridge 194 and routed directly onto an adjacent second type of groove plate 160 towards the second fiber separators 184 without passing through the corresponding second channel 175 or the second extended fiber channel 196 (see FIG. 8).

In some implementations, at least one of the groove plates 130 of the first group may be pre-installed on the mounting panel 110. The blown fiber tubes 210 can be pre- cabled (e.g., at the factory, central office, etc.) through the tube channel 143 or extended tube channel 192 and towards the tray receiving region 150 of a respective groove plate 130 (e.g., see FIGS. 5-8). In certain implementations, the blown fiber tubes 210 also can be pre-cabled onto respective trays 120 at the tray receiving region 150. For example, an optical fiber bundle (e.g., optical fibers contained within a sheath) can be threaded through the tubes 210 and the tubes 210 can be mounted onto the trays 120 at the factory.

The pre-cabling of the tubes 210 enables distribution fibers 220 (or other optical fibers) to be routed in the field without interfering with the blown fiber tubes 210 and without damaging the feeder fibers. For example, the feeder fibers 220 can be routed first through the extended fiber bridge 194 to the second extended fiber channel 196, and then through the second extended fiber channel 196 to trays 120 of one or more groove plates 160 of the second group. In certain implementations, the groove plates 160 of the second type also may be pre-installed at the mounting panel 110. In certain implementations, the groove plates 160 of the second type also may be subsequently installed in the field.

The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. List of Reference Numerals and Corresponding Features

100 tray organization system

101 port end

105 enclosure

108 fiber/tubes securement brackets

110 mounting panel

111a anchoring region

111b mounting region

111c recess or aperture

112 first end

113 second end

114 first side

115 second side

116 first side wall

117 shoulder

118 second side wall

119 latches

120 trays

122 tray body

124 pivot pin

126 splice region

128 storage region

130 first type of groove plate

131 first end

132 second end

133 first side

134 second side

135 mounting side

136 routing side 137 alignment peg

138 fixed tab

139 latching tab

140 base

141 fiber channel

142 interior of fiber channel

143 tube channel

144 interior of tube channel

145 fiber bridge

146 interior of fiber bridge

147 open side of fiber channel

148 open side of tube channel

149 closed side of fiber bridge

150 tray receiving region

151 pivot hinge

152 transition channels

153 fiber separators

154 fiber channel slot

155 tube separators

156 contoured section

157 separating wall

158 fiber bridge slot

160 second type of groove plate

161 first end

162 second end

163 first side

164 second side

165 mounting side

166 routing side

167 alignment peg 168 fixed tab

169 latching tab

170 base

171 first fiber channel

172 interior

173 open side

174 slot

175 second fiber channel

176 interior

177 open side

178 slot

180 tray receiving region

181 pivot hinge

182 transition channels

183 first fiber separators

184 second fiber separators

190 first extended fiber channel

192 extended tube channel

194 extended fiber bridge

196 second extended fiber channel

198 extended channel