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US 11,745,974 B2Granted
Wound cable holder with improved cable deployment control
AssigneeCommScope Technologies LLC
InventorErik J. Gronvall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Holders for wound cables. The holders include retention features to control the rate at which cable windings are unwound during cable deployment. In some examples, the cable holder includes a pair of spaced apart spools and the cable is wound in windings configured as figure-8's. In some examples, the retention features include flexibly resilient fingers positioned to contact the windings at one or more retention points positioned at a deployment end of the holder.
Claims17
A wound cable holder, comprising:
- a holder body supporting a plurality of cable windings of a cable, the cable windings being positioned along a cable deployment axis defined by the holder body, the cable deployment axis defining a cable deployment direction, the holder body further defining a cable deployment end;
- and
- a cable winding retainer positioned at the cable deployment end, the cable winding retainer being positioned and configured to successively contact the cable windings as the cable is deployed from the holder body and provide a resistive force against each successive cable winding in a direction that is opposite to the cable deployment direction,
- wherein the holder body comprises a pair of spaced apart spools;
- wherein the cable winding retainer crosses a midpoint between the two spools;
- wherein the holder body includes a housing that houses the spools;
- and
- wherein the cable winding retainer includes a pair of flexibly resilient fingers having fixed ends fixed to top and bottom panels of the housing.
5 more elements
A wound cable holder, comprising:
- a holder body supporting a plurality of cable windings of a cable, the cable windings being positioned along a cable deployment axis defined by the holder body, the cable deployment axis defining a cable deployment direction, the holder body further defining a cable deployment end;
- and
- a cable winding retainer positioned at the cable deployment end, the cable winding retainer being positioned and configured to successively contact the cable windings as the cable is deployed from the holder body and provide a resistive force against each successive cable winding in a direction that is opposite to the cable deployment direction,
- wherein the holder body comprises a pair of spaced apart spools;
- wherein fixed ends of the flexibly resilient fingers are fixed to the spools;
- wherein free ends of the flexibly resilient fingers include tabs that nest with each other;
- and
- wherein the flexibly resilient fingers cross a reference line that intersects a midpoint between the spools and is perpendicular to the cable deployment axis.
5 more elements
A wound cable holder, comprising:
- a housing;
- a holder body defining a cable deployment end, the holder body including a pair of spaced apart spools supported within the housing, the spools having central axes that are parallel to a cable deployment axis defined by the holder body, the housing supporting the holder body and a patch panel of optical fiber adapters;
- and
- a pair of cable winding retainers positioned at the cable deployment end and further positioned and configured to contact and apply a resistive force against a cable winding when a cable is deployed from the holder body,
- wherein the cable winding retainers include a pair of flexibly resilient fingers having fixed ends fixed to top and bottom panels of the housing;
- and
- wherein the flexibility resilient fingers cross a reference line that intersects the central axes of the spools and is perpendicular to the cable deployment axis.
4 more elements
A wound cable holder, comprising:
- a housing;
- a holder body defining a cable deployment end, the holder body including a pair of spaced apart spools supported within the housing, the spools having central axes that are parallel to a cable deployment axis defined by the holder body, the housing supporting the holder body and a patch panel of optical fiber adapters;
- and
- a pair of cable winding retainers positioned at the cable deployment end and further positioned and configured to contact and apply a resistive force against a cable winding when a cable is deployed from the holder body,
- wherein the cable winding retainers include a pair of flexibly resilient fingers;
- wherein fixed ends of the flexibly resilient fingers are fixed to the spools;
- wherein free ends of the flexibly resilient fingers include tabs that nest with each other;
- and
- wherein the fingers cross a reference line that intersects a midpoint between the spools and is perpendicular to the cable deployment axis.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.