This application is a National Stage Patent Application of PCT/US2019/027892, filed on Apr. 17, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to fiber optic patch panels or enclosures for pre-terminated cassette modules.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Large data centers frequently deploy rows of racks and/or cabinets for cross-connect applications. The installation of high density fiber optic patch panels has been simplified and made more reliable by utilizing pre-terminated cassette modules installed in rack-mount enclosures. Although these pre-terminated cassettes have addressed many installation issues in terms of eliminating the need for field termination and polishing, they've introduced others. In particular, there are certain applications that require installation/maintenance from the rear side of the enclosure and others that lend to front-side installation/maintenance. Many enclosures in the market only allow either front side or rear side installation/maintenance; and, while there are a few solutions in the market that do allow for front and rear side access, the removal of the cassette module can be cumbersome in tight quarters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In a first example embodiment, a patch panel includes a cabinet and a cassette. A pair of cassette guides is positioned within the cabinet. The pair of cassette guides are spaced along a lateral direction such that the cassette is receivable between the pair of cassette guides. The cassette is slidable along a transverse direction on the pair of cassette guides. The transverse direction is perpendicular to the lateral direction. At least one of the pair of cassette guides includes a first rail and a second rail that are spaced apart along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the lateral and transverse directions. The cassette is slidable along the transverse direction between the first and second rails. Each end of the first rail is cantilevered such that each end of the first rail is moveable along the vertical direction.

In a second example embodiment, a patch panel includes a cabinet and a cassette. A pair of cassette guides is positioned within the cabinet. The pair of cassette guides are spaced along a lateral direction such that the cassette is receivable between the pair of cassette guides. The cassette is slidable along a transverse direction on the pair of cassette guides. The transverse direction is perpendicular to the lateral direction. At least one of the pair of cassette guides includes a first rail and a second rail that are spaced apart along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the lateral and transverse directions. The cassette is slidable along the transverse direction between the first and second rails. Each end of the first rail is cantilevered such that each end of the first rail is moveable along the vertical direction. Each end of the second rail is not cantilevered such that each end of the second rail is fixed along the vertical direction. The first rail is elastically deformable such that each end of the first rail is moveable along the vertical direction by no less than three millimeters.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

