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AssigneeAdtran, Inc.
InventorsGrant Joseph Kruse, James Brian Coker, Jacob Daniel McCleary
Estimating the term…
A blank, or dummy, face plate element engages top and bottom edges of a cabinet frame, directly behind a front panel card insertion opening that provides access to multiple card slots of an electronic equipment rack. The dummy face plate includes a rearwardly projecting, upper lip, that is located adjacent to a top edge of the face plate, and has a notch immediately adjacent to the rear surface of the face plate. The notch fits within and is captured by an upper edge of the cabinet frame. A rearwardly projecting, generally U-shaped, flexible lower lip is provided adjacent to a lower edge of the face plate and includes a pair of finger grips. The flexible lower lip has a ridge that becomes aligned with the lower edge of the faceplate when the lower lip is flexed upwardly toward the first lip, and a notch adjacent to the ridge that is captured by the cabinet frame. Card-simulating wall portions extend from the face plate alongside the upper and lower lips and are sized and shaped to fit within and slidably engage upper and lower card insertion tracks of an empty card slot, as the dummy face plate is installed.
A dummy panel face plate element for closing a card insertion opening of an electronic equipment cabinet, said card insertion opening being sized to expose a plurality of electronic circuit card slots that contain card insertion tracks into which electronic circuit cards are slidably insertable to engage a backplane connector, and including a respective individual card slot of said plurality of card slots, said dummy panel face plate element comprising:
A dummy panel face plate element for closing a card insertion opening of an electronic equipment cabinet, said card insertion opening being sized to expose a plurality of electronic circuit card slots, an individual card slot of said plurality of electronic card slots containing card insertion tracks into which a respective electronic circuit card is slidably insertable to engage a backplane connector, said dummy panel face plate element comprising:
A blank face plate for engaging an electronic equipment rack directly behind a front panel card insertion opening providing access to multiple card slots, into an individual card slot of which an electronic circuit card is insertable, said blank face plate comprising a generally flat face plate element, a rearwardly projecting upper lip located adjacent to a top edge of said face plate, and having a first notch configured to receive and be captured by a first portion of said equipment rack, a rearwardly projecting, generally U-shaped, flexible lower lip adjacent to a lower edge of said face plate, said flexible lower lip having a second notch configured to receive and be captured by a second portion of said equipment rack, and a simulated circuit card structure having card-simulating wall portions extending from and solid with said generally flat face plate element and being sized to fit within and slidably engage upper and lower card insertion tracks of said individual card slot.
A method of closing a card insertion opening of an electronic equipment cabinet, said card insertion opening being sized to expose a plurality of electronic circuit card slots, an individual card slot thereof having upper and lower card insertion tracks into which a respective electronic circuit card is slidably insertable to engage an associated backplane connector therefor, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.