This application pertains to signal transmission systems with signals carried over optical fibers. More particularly, this invention pertains to cable management fanning strips and fiber distribution modules and frames.
The increased use of optical fiber transmission in the telecommunications industry has resulted in a need for the development of optical fiber termination equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,688 concerns an optical fiber distribution frame for managing the optical fiber terminations and other equipment.
Notwithstanding prior design efforts, the optical fiber signal transmission industry is in continued need of new designs of optical fiber distribution and management equipment.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cable management fanning strip is disclosed which includes a one-piece molded plastic body including an elongated base extending in a linear direction along a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of cable retainers extending from the base. The cable retainers hold fiber optic cables in an organized manner in and around fiber optic distribution and other equipment.
In a first preferred embodiment of a cable management fanning strip, each cable retainer includes a plurality of extending fingers. Each finger includes: an arched portion defining a first width; a linear portion extending from the ached portion extending parallel to the base, and defining a second width, the second width smaller than the first width; and an angled portion extending from the linear portion where the angled portion extends toward the base, with a tip positioned adjacent to the arched portion of an adjacent finger, and the angled portion defining a third width smaller than the second width.
In a second preferred embodiment of a cable management fanning strip, each cable retainer includes a first finger portion extending linearly from the base and terminating in a tip, each first finger portion including a blocking tab extending from the first finger portion at a spaced-apart distance from the base, and also spaced from the tip. Each retainer further includes a second finger portion having an arched portion extending from the base and extending toward the linear extension of the first finger portion. The second finger portion includes an inner projecting tab at an end of the arched portion positioned between the blocking tab and the base.
A further aspect of the present invention further relates to a connector module mountable to a rack or frame where the connector module includes a housing including a front panel defining a plurality of fiber optic terminations. Adjacent to the front panel are first and second front fanning strips on opposite sides of the panel for managing cables extending to a front side of the front panel. In one preferred embodiment of the connector module, the first preferred embodiment of the fanning strip is utilized for the front fanning strips. The connector module further includes an interior accessible through the rear of the housing. A fanning tree is provided in a central location of the interior of the housing for managing cables extending to a rear side of the front panel. In one preferred embodiment of the connector module, the second preferred embodiment of the fanning strip is utilized on the fanning tree. One embodiment of the fanning tree includes two fanning strips of the second preferred embodiment.