# US 6,724,970 B2 · Cable management device for mixed media

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- Number: US 6,724,970 B2
- Document ID: US6724970B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/364,074
- Filed: 2003-02-11
- Published: 2003-07-03
- Granted: 2004-04-20
- Earliest claimed: 2000-11-28
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Ravi Shankarnarayan Adapathya; William Laird Dungan; Pat Gallarelli; Todd William Justus; Mark John Lawrence; Timothy Andreas Meserth; Lisa Michele Vizer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6724970B2

## CPC

- G02B 6/44524: {with frame parts or auxiliary devices mounted on the frame and collectively not covering a whole width of the frame or rack (cassettes G02B6/4453)}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

A method and structure for managing computer hardware cable media is provided, featuring a support having a frontal face, at least one flange, and at least one curved surface projecting from the support frontal face for receiving and guiding cable media. The curved surface has a radius sufficiently large enough to receive and redirect cable media by bending the cable media without cracking or causing other damage to the cable media. The flange is connected to a computer rack system rail so that support is overlapping at least one hardware component connected to the computer rack system, thereby allowing a portion of the rack space occupied by the flange and the support to be utilized by other hardware components, increasing the effective usable space of the rack system. Cable media are received onto the curved surface, redirected by bending along the curved surface, and ultimately distributed in discrete bundles of cable media to hardware devices. The discrete bundles of cable media are spaced from any other cable media, so that the bundle of cable media may be disconnected from its associated hardware device or otherwise manipulated by hand without disturbing any other cable media.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device comprising:
a support having a frontal face;
at least a first curved surface projecting from the support frontal face, said at least first curved surface having a first radius sufficiently large to receive and redirect a first type of cable media without cracking or causing other damage to the first type of cable media;
at least a second curved surface projecting from the support frontal face, said at least second curved surface having a second radius with a minimum value different from that of the first radius to receive and redirect a second type of cable media; and
a pair of rack mounting flanges operatively connected to the support, said pair of rack mounting flanges being spaced relative to each other and being offset a predefined distance from said frontal face wherein the offset defines at least one dimension of a passage through which air flows when said device is mounted to another surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 wherein the first type of cable media includes fiber-optic cable media.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2 wherein the second type of cable media includes non fiber-optic cable media.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 wherein minimum radius of the first curve surface is 1.5 inches.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4 wherein minimum radius for the second curve surface is 0.5 inches.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 wherein the support is fabricated from planar sheet metal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 wherein the support and mounting flanges are fabricated from a single sheet of planar sheet metal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1 wherein the offset is at least 0.075 inches.

### Claim 9

A device comprising:
a support having a frontal face;
at least a first curved surface projecting from the support frontal face, said at least first curved surface having a first radius sufficiently large to receive and redirect a first type of cable media without cracking or causing other damage to the first type of cable media; and
at least a second curved surface projecting from the support frontal face, said at least second curved surface having a second radius with a minimum value different from that of the first radius to receive and redirect a second type of cable media;
at least one flange for mounting said device operatively connected to the support and offset a predefined distance from said frontal face; and
at least one removable pull-out arm having a curved surface of a predefined radius operatively mounted to said frontal face.