Related Application

[0001] The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/433,834, filed December 14, 2016, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.

Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to devices for supporting cables and, in particular, to hangers for securing cables to support structures.

Background of the Invention

[0003] Cable hangers are commonly used to secure cables to structural members of antenna towers and or along tunnel walls. Generally, each cable is attached to a structural member by cable hangers mounted at periodically-spaced attachment points.

[0004] Antenna towers and or tunnels may be crowded due to the large numbers of cables required for signal-carrying. Over time, as systems are added, upgraded and/or expanded, installation of additional cables may be required. To conserve space, it may be desirable for each set of cable hangers to secure more than a single cable. Certain cable hangers have been constructed to secure multiple cables; other cable hangers have a stackable construction that permits multiple cable hangers to be interlocked extending outwardly from each mounting point/structural member. Stacked and multiple-cable-type cable hangers significantly increase the number of cables mountable to a single attachment point. [0005] One popular stackable cable hanger is discussed in U.S. Patent No. 8,191,836 to Korczak, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. One such cable hanger, designated broadly at 10, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hanger 10 includes curved arms 5 that extend from a flat base 6. Locking projections 7 extend from the free ends of the arms 5. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking projections 7 are inserted into a reinforced hole 8 in a tower structure 4 to mount the hanger 10 thereon. The base 6 of the hanger 10 includes a reinforced hole 9 that can receive the projections of another hanger 10 to mount a second cable.

[0006] As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the arms 5 include arcuate sections 14 that together generally define a circle within which a cable can reside. Two cantilevered tabs 12 extend radially inwardly and toward the base 6 at one end of the arcuate sections 14, and two cantilevered tabs 16 extend radially inwardly and toward the base 6 from the opposite ends of the arcuate sections 14. The cantilevered tabs 12, 16 are deployed to deflect radially outwardly when the hanger 10 receives a cable for mounting; this deflection generates a radially inward force from each tab 12, 16 that grips the jacket of the cable.

[0007] Hangers can be "stacked" onto each other by inserting the locking projections 7 of one hanger into the large hole 9 of the next hanger. One variety of cable hanger of this type is the SNAP-STAK® hanger, available from CommScope, Inc. (Joliet, Illinois).

[0008] The SNAP-STAK® hanger is offered in multiple sizes that correspond to the outer diameters of different cables. This arrangement has been suitable for use with RF coaxial cables, which tend to be manufactured in only a few different outer diameters; however, the arrangement has been less desirable for fiber optic cables, which tend to be manufactured in a much greater variety of diameters. Moreover, fiber optic cables tend to be much heavier than coaxial cables (sometimes as much as three times heavier per unit foot), which induces greater load and stress on the hangers.

[0009] Multiple approaches to addressing this issue are offered in co-assigned and copending U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0281881 to Vaccaro, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference in full. One cable hanger discussed in this publication is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and designated broadly at 610 therein. The cable hanger 610 is somewhat similar to the cable hanger 10, inasmuch as it has a base 606, curved arms 605 and locking projections 607 that resemble those of the hanger 10 discussed above. However, the cable hanger 610 also has flex members 618 that define chords across the arcuate sections 614 of the arms 605. As can be seen in FIG. 4, cantilevered gripping members 612, 616 extend from the flex members 618 and into the cable-gripping space S within the arms 605. It can also be seen in FIG. 3 that the flex members 618 are tripartite, with two vertically offset horizontal runs 618a, 618c merging with the arcuate sections 614 of the arms 605 and a vertical run 618b extending between the horizontal runs 618a, 618c. The gripping members 612, 616 extend from opposite sides of the vertical run 618b and are vertically offset from each other.

[0010] In use, the cable hanger 610 is employed in the same manner as the cable hanger 10; a cable is inserted into the space S between the arms 605, which are then closed around the cable as the locking projections 607 are inserted into a mounting hole. The cantilevered gripping members 612, 616 can help to grip and to center the cable within the space S. The presence of the flex members 618, which are fixed end beams rather than cantilevered tabs, can provide additional gripping force beyond that of the cable hanger 10.

[0011] In view of the foregoing, it may be desirable to provide additional configurations of cable hangers to enable a technician to adapt to different cable sizes and mounting conditions.

Summary

[0012] As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an insert for mounting multiple cables in a cable hanger. The insert comprises: a gripping portion configured to engage multiple cables; and a wrapping portion attached to the gripping portion and configured to wrap around the gripping portion as it receives cables.

[0013] In some embodiments, the insert may be employed in combination with a cable hanger and multiple cables, wherein the multiple cables are received in the gripping portion, the wrapping portion is wrapped around the gripping portion, and the insert is received in the cable hanger.

[0014] As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an insert for mounting multiple cables in a cable hanger, comprising: a gripping portion configured to engage multiple cables, the gripping portion having a central body and a plurality of recesses configured to receive cables; and a wrapping portion attached to the gripping portion and configured to wrap around the gripping portion as it receives cables. The insert is a monolithic component formed of a polymeric or elastomeric material. [0015] As a third aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an insert for mounting multiple cables in a cable hanger, comprising: a gripping portion configured to engage multiple cables; and a wrapping portion attached to the gripping portion and configured to wrap around the gripping portion as it receives cables. The gripping portion and the wrapping portion are formed of a monolithic strip of metallic material.

Brief Description of the Figures

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art cable hanger.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a top view of the prior art cable hanger of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another prior art cable hanger.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 3.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a top view of a cable hanger insert capable of mounting multiple cables according to embodiments of the invention, with the insert in its unrolled condition.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a top view of the cable hanger insert of FIG. 5 in a rolled condition with multiple cables captured therein.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a top view of the cable hanger insert and cables of FIG. 6 being mounted in a cable hanger such as that of FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a top view of the cable hanger insert, cables and cable hanger of FIG. 7 with the insert mounted in the cable hanger and the cable hanger mounted to a mounting structure.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a top view of a cable hanger insert according to alternative embodiments of the invention shown in an unrolled condition.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a top view of a cable hanger insert according to further embodiments of the invention, the cable hanger insert shown in its unrolled condition.

[0026] FIG. 11 is a top section view of the cable hanger insert of FIG. 10 in a rolled condition with multiple cables mounted therein.

[0027] FIG. 12 is a partial side view of the cable hanger insert of FIG. 11 mounted in a cable hanger such as that of FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0028] FIG. 13 is a partial side view of a cable hanger insert according to alternative embodiments of the invention mounted in a cable hanger such as that of FIGS. 3 and 4. [0029] FIG. 14 is a top view of a cable hanger insert according to further embodiments of the invention with cables mounted therein.

Detailed Description

[0030] The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that are used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the below description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) is referred to as being "attached", "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly attached", "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0032] Referring now to the drawings, a cable hanger insert, designated broadly at 100, is shown in FIG. 5. The insert 100 is formed from a unitary strip, such as steel, that includes a gripping portion 101 with a plurality of undulations 102 and a wrapping portion 104. One or more slots 106 are present in the wrapping portion 104 adjacent the undulation 102 nearest the wrapping portion 104. A hook or other fastening feature 108 extends from the free end of the wrapping portion 104.

[0033] The insert 100 is shown in FIG. 5 in an unrolled (and in this instance generally flat) condition. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the insert 100 can be formed into a rolled condition in which wrapping portion 104 wraps around the undulations 102 of the gripping portion 101, such that the undulations 102 are positioned radially inwardly from the wrapping portion 104. The hook 108 is inserted into one of the slots 106 to maintain the insert 100 in the rolled condition.

[0034] As can be seen from FIG. 6, any or all of the undulations 102 may serve as receptacles that capture and grasp a cable 120. In some embodiments, the rolling of the insert 100 into the rolled condition of FIG. 6 will cause each of the undulations 102 to collapse somewhat, which may provide additional gripping force for the undulations 102. Thus, the undulations 102 may be sufficiently wide to receive a cable 120 with no or minimal insertion force when the insert 100 is unrolled as in FIG. 5, but will grip the cables 120 tightly when the insert 100 is rolled into the rolled condition of FIG. 6.

[0035] The undulations 102 may be of any size desired to hold cable. Typically, the undulations 102 are sized to hold cables 120 sized at 4 to 17 mm in diameter.

[0036] As can be seen in FIG. 7, once the cables 120 are inserted into the insert 100 and the insert 100 is rolled into the rolled condition, the insert 100 and cables 120 can be inserted into a conventional cable hanger, such as that shown in FIG. 3 at 610. The gripping members 612, 616 of the cable hanger 610 can grip the insert 100 and cables 120. Once the insert 100 and cables 120 are received by the cable hanger 610, the cable hanger 610 can be mounted onto a mounting structure 150 (such as an antenna tower or the like) in a conventional manner (FIG. 8).

[0037] The insert 100 may be formed of a variety of materials, such as steel and other metals. The insert 100 may be stamped from a sheet of material, such as steel, and bent by known methods into the configuration shown in FIG. 5. As such, the insert 100 may be a monolithic component.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 9, another embodiment of a cable hanger insert, designated broadly at 100', is illustrated therein. The insert 100' is similar to that of the insert 100 with the exception that the undulations 102' include cable gripping features 103. The cable gripping features 103 may be barbs, lances, teeth, or other grip-enhancing features. In some

embodiments, the gripping features 103 may be bent or struck from the sheet of material used to form the insert 100.

[0039] Referring now to FIG. 10, another cable hanger insert, designated broadly at 200, is shown therein. The insert 200 comprises a wrapping portion 204 with slots 206 similar to those of the insert 100. However, rather than undulations, the insert 200 has a gripping portion 202 that includes gripping features 210 such as barbs, nubs, lances and the like on one side thereof. On the opposite side of the gripping portion, a series of discontinuous flanges 212 extend from one edge of the gripping portion 202 away from the gripping features 210 (see also FIG. 12). A latch 208 extends from the free end of the gripping portion 202.

[0040] As can be seen in FIG. 11, the insert 200 can be wrapped around multiple cables 250. The insert 200 can be secured by inserting the latch 208 into one of the slots 206 of the wrapping portion 204. The gripping features 210 extend radially inwardly from the gripping portion 202 and are therefore positioned to penetrate and grip the cables 250. The discontinuity of the flanges 212 enables the insert 200 to be relatively easily bent into the desired shape.

[0041] The wrapped insert 200 and cables 250 can then be inserted into a cable hanger such that shown at 610 above, after which the cable hanger 610 can be mounted to a mounting structure in the conventional manner, As shown in FIG. 12, the flanges 212 of the wrapped insert 200 can rest on the upper surfaces of the flex members 618 and/or the gripping members 612, 616 of the cable hanger 610, which can provide additional support and security to the mounting of the insert 200 within the cable hanger 610.

[0042] FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative cable hanger insert 200' that is similar to the cable hanger insert 200, but which includes flanges 213 on the lower edge of the gripping portion 202' in addition to the flanges 212' on the upper edge of the gripping portion 202'. As can be seen in FIG. 13, the inclusion of both flanges 212' and 213 on the insert 200' enables the insert 200 to grasp the flex members 618 of the cable hanger 610 more tightly.

[0043] The inserts 100, 100', 200, 200' may be formed of a variety of materials, such as steel and other metals. The inserts 100, 100', 200, 200' may be stamped from a sheet of material, such as steel, and bent by known methods into the configuration shown in FIG. 5. As such, the inserts 100, 100', 200, 200' may be monolithic components.

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 14, another cable hanger insert, designated broadly at 300, is shown therein. The insert 300 includes a central gripping portion 302 and an attached wrapping strip 304. The gripping portion 302 includes a central body 306 with multiple recesses or pockets 308 (the illustrated embodiment includes four pockets 308) sized to serve as receptacles to hold cables 350. The wrapping strip 304 wraps around the cables 350 and can be secured near its fixed end with a latch/slot arrangement, a button/slot arrangement, VELCRO® fasteners, tape or other adhesives, or the like. The insert 300 and wrapped cables 350 can then be inserted into a cable hanger that is then mounted to a mounting structure. [0045] The insert 300 may be formed of a variety of materials, including polymeric and elastomeric materials such as EPDM rubber. The insert 300 may be formed via injection molding, transfer molding, compression molding, 3-D printing, or the like.

[0046] Those skilled in this art will appreciate that, although the cable hangers 10, 610 are shown herein, the inserts discussed above may be employed with a variety of cable hanger designs, including others discussed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0281881 to Vaccaro, supra, and other offered under the SNAP-STAK trade name by CommScope, Inc.

[0047] It can be seen that, by using cable hanger inserts such as those shown above, a conventional cable hanger that is designed to grasp a single cable can be used to grasp multiple smaller cables. This capability can provide the technician with great flexibility in mounting cables on an antenna tower or the like. Also, cable hangers with inserts held therein may also stack onto, or receive in stacked fashion, other cable hangers that hold either a single cable in conventional fashion or multiple cables with an insert as described above.

[0048] Those skilled in this art will appreciate that other configurations of cable hanger inserts may be suitable for use with cable hangers. For example, the inserts may have more or fewer receptacles/pockets/undulations than are shown herein. The undulations may be shaped differently. The inserts 100. 100' may include flanges such as those shown at 212 on insert 200 to further support the insert within the cable hanger, as may the insert 300. The inserts 100, 100', 200, 200' may lack a hook/latch and slots for securing of the wrapping portion to the gripping portion, and in some instances may rely on another securing technique. Other options may also be suitable.

[0049] The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.