US 6,805,248 B2Granted

Electrical equipment rack and cable management arm assembly

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsDavid Frederick Champion, Edward John McNulty, Charles Edmond White, III, Kevin Lavern Schultz

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A cable arm assembly manages cables between an equipment rack and an equipment unit slidably installed in the equipment rack. The assembly includes two cable arms, each having an offset bracket at one end, which are pivotally joined to provide a minimum bend radius for cables. A first hinge plate is pivotally attached between the first cable arm and a rack mounted bracket. A second hinge plate is pivotally attached between the second cable arm and a bracket mounted on the equipment unit. Fingers extending from the hinge plates limit the pivotal movement of each plate with respect to its bracket. The finger on the first plate prevents the arm assembly from hitting the opposite side of the rack as the equipment unit is sliding forward. The finger on the second plate prevents the two arms from locking when the equipment unit is extended fully forward.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An electrical equipment rack assembly, comprising:

an electrical equipment rack including a rack attachment bracket;
an electrical equipment unit slidably attached to said rack and having a fully inserted position and a fully extended position, said equipment unit including a unit attachment bracket;
and
a cable arm assembly having a normal, service and extended position, the cable arm assembly comprising:
a first cable arm having first and second ends;
a second cable arm having first and second ends;
a first joint pivotally attaching the first end of said first cable arm to the first end of said second cable arm;
a first hinge plate having first and second ends, the first end of said first hinge plate being pivotally attached to said rack attachment bracket, the second end of said first hinge plate being pivotally attached to the second end of said first cable arm;
a second hinge plate having first and second ends, the first end of said second hinge plate being pivotally attached to said unit attachment bracket, the second end of said second hinge plate being pivotally attached to the second end of said second cable arm;
and
said first hinge plate including a first stop means for limiting the rotation of said first hinge plate relative to said rack attachment bracket;
wherein:
when said equipment unit is in said fully inserted position, said cable arm assembly can be positioned in either said normal position wherein said cable arm assembly is positioned adjacent said equipment unit, or in said service position wherein said cable arm assembly is positioned away from said equipment unit;
and
when said equipment unit is in said fully extended position, said cable arm assembly is in said extended position.

12 more elements

A cable arm assembly, for use with an electrical equipment rack including a rack attachment bracket and an electrical equipment unit slidably attached to the rack, the equipment unit including a unit attachment bracket, said cable arm assembly comprising:

a first cable arm having first and second ends;
a second cable arm having first and second ends;
a first joint pivotally attaching the first end of said first cable arm to the first end of said second cable arm;
a first hinge plate having first and second ends, the first end of said first hinge plate being pivotally attachable to the rack attachment bracket, the second end of said first hinge plate being pivotally attached to the second end of said first cable arm;
a second hinge plate having first and second ends, the first end of said second hinge plate being pivotally attachable to the unit attachment bracket, the second end of said second hinge plate being pivotally attached to the second end of said second cable arm;
and
said first hinge plate including a first stop means for limiting the rotation of said first hinge plate relative to the rack attachment bracket.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.