US-12619042-B2 - Fiber enclosures having strengthening ribs

Abstract

A fiber enclosure includes a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body. The lid includes a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp. The closure body includes an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the closure body lip and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps.

Inventors

• Dani Liu
• Zachary Michael Thompson

Assignees

• CORNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230928

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A fiber enclosure, comprising a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body, wherein: the lid comprises a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp; the closure body comprises an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the closure body lip and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps; the upper body portion defines a primary volume; and the closure body further comprises a lower body portion extending from the upper body portion and defining an inlet volume in communication with the primary volume, the lower body portion comprising a port wall comprising an express fiber cable port and a plurality of drop cable ports, wherein the plurality of lid ribs individually correspond and align with the plurality of body ribs.
2. 2 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lid ribs comprises at least three lid ribs between each clamp of the plurality of clamps.
3. 3 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of body ribs comprises at least three body ribs between each clamp of the plurality of clamps.
4. 4 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein at least one rib of each of the plurality of lid ribs and the plurality of body ribs comprise a greater thickness than an adjacent rib.
5. 5 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of lid ribs and the plurality of body ribs are triangular.
6. 6 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the fiber enclosure is substantially circular in shape.
7. 7 . The fiber enclosure of claim 1 , wherein: the port wall is recessed relative from an outer edge of the upper body portion, such that the express fiber cable port and the plurality of drop cable ports are positioned in a separate plane from the upper body portion and recessed from the outer edge of the upper body portion.
8. 8 . The fiber enclosure of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of drop cable ports is positioned within a common plane with the express fiber cable port.
9. 9 . The fiber enclosure of claim 7 , wherein the express fiber cable port is sized to receive a double external cable assembly module (ECAM).
10. 10 . A fiber enclosure comprising a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body, wherein: the lid comprises a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp; the closure body comprises an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the closure body lip and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps; the upper body portion defines a primary volume; and the closure body further comprises a lower body portion extending from the upper body portion and defining an inlet volume in communication with the primary volume, the lower body portion comprising a port wall comprising an express fiber cable port and a plurality of drop cable ports, wherein at least one rib of each of the plurality of lid ribs and the plurality of body ribs comprise a greater thickness than an adjacent rib.
11. 11 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of lid ribs and the plurality of body ribs are positioned directly across from one another.
12. 12 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of lid ribs comprises at least three lid ribs between each clamp of the plurality of clamps.
13. 13 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of body ribs comprises at least three body ribs between each clamp of the plurality of clamps.
14. 14 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of lid ribs and the plurality of body ribs are triangular.
15. 15 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the fiber enclosure is substantially circular in shape.
16. 16 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , wherein: the port wall is recessed relative from an outer edge of the upper body portion, such that the express fiber cable port and the plurality of drop cable ports are positioned in a separate plane from the upper body portion and recessed from the outer edge of the upper body portion.
17. 17 . The fiber enclosure of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of drop cable ports is positioned within a common plane with the express fiber cable port.
18. 18 . The fiber enclosure of claim 16 , wherein the express fiber cable port is sized to receive a double external cable assembly module (ECAM).
19. 19 . The fiber enclosure of claim 10 , further comprising an o-ring disposed between the lid lip of the lid and the closure body lip of the closure body, wherein the plurality of body ribs and/or the plurality of lid ribs correspond to a location of relaxation of the o-ring.
20. 20 . A fiber enclosure, comprising a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body, wherein: the lid comprises a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp; the closure body comprises an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the closure body lip and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps; the upper body portion defines a primary volume; and the closure body further comprises a lower body portion extending from the upper body portion and defining an inlet volume in communication with the primary volume, the lower body portion comprising a port wall comprising an express fiber cable port and a plurality of drop cable ports, wherein portions of the port wall adjacent the express fiber cable port and the plurality of drop cable ports are recessed relative to an outer edge of the upper body portion, such that the express fiber cable port and the plurality of drop cable ports are positioned in a separate plane from the upper body portion and recessed from the outer edge of the upper body portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2022/022302 filed on Mar. 29, 2022, which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/169,151, filed Mar. 31, 2021, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND The present disclosure generally relates to fiber enclosures and, more specifically, fiber enclosures having strengthening ribs for improved sealing. Fiber optic cables are widely used for telecommunications applications where high information capacity, noise immunity and other advantages of optical fibers may be desirable. Fiber cable architectures are emerging for connecting homes and/or business establishments, via optical fibers, to a central location, for example. A trunk or main cable (also referred to herein as an “express fiber cable”) may be routed, for example, through a housing subdivision, business district, etc., and small fiber count “drop cables” may be spliced to the main cable at predetermined spaced apart locations to allow connectivity. A typical main cable may be installed underground and have multiple drop cables connected thereto. Each of the drop cables, in turn, may be routed to an optical network unit (ONU), which may serve one or more locations (e.g., homes, business, etc.) or directly to one or more locations (e.g., homes, businesses, etc.). Drop cable installation may occur at a fiber drop access point. The fiber drop access point may generally include a vault located underground in which spliced connections between the main cable and drop fiber cables is made within a fiber enclosure. It is desirable for fiber enclosures to be fluid-tight to prevent influx of water, dirt, and/or debris which may negatively impact spliced connections. SUMMARY Fiber enclosures having improved sealing from external contaminates (e.g., water, dirt, and/or other debris) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a fiber enclosure includes a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body. The lid includes a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp. The closure body includes an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the closure body lip and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps. In another embodiment, a fiber enclosure includes a closure body, a lid removably coupled to the closure body, an o-ring positioned between the closure body and the lid, and a plurality of clamps coupling the lid to the closure body. The lid includes a lid body, a lid lip extending from the lid body between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of lid ribs connecting the lid lip and the lid body thereby providing a lid reinforcement between each adjacent clamp. The closure body includes an upper body portion, a closure body lip extending from the upper body portion between each of the plurality of clamps, and a plurality of body ribs connecting the body rib and the upper body portion, thereby providing a closure body reinforcement between each of the adjacent clamps. The o-ring is disposed between the lid lip and the closure body lip, wherein the plurality of body ribs and/or the plurality of lid ribs correspond to a location of relaxation of the o-ring. These and additional features provided by the embodiments described herein will be more fully understood in view of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which: FIG. 1A depicts a top perspective view of a fiber enclosure according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; FIG. 1B depicts a bottom perspective view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; FIG. 1C depicts a side view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; FIG. 1D depicts a front view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; FIG. 1E depicts a rear view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1A, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; FIG. 1F depicts a cross-sectional view of the fiber e