US-12620753-B2 - Outside plant cable add and drop enclosure

US12620753B2US 12620753 B2US12620753 B2US 12620753B2US-12620753-B2

Abstract

A cable enclosure including a main portion, a multi-cable terminal secured to the main portion, and a sealing assembly for accommodating at least one cable portion and for providing a watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the at least one cable portion and between the sealing assembly and the main portion.

Inventors

Kenichiro Takeuchi
David Zhi Chen

Assignees

GO!FOTON HOLDINGS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220729

Claims (15)

1 . A cable enclosure comprising: a main portion; at least one multi-cable terminal secured to the main portion comprising at least one sub-structure configured to receive a service cable; and a sealing assembly for accommodating at least one cable portion and for providing a watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the at least one cable portion and between the sealing assembly and the main portion, wherein the at least one sub-structure includes: one or more cable connection elements; a cable seal positioned within the at least one sub-structure; a base; and a lid configured to close against the base.
2 . The cable enclosure of claim 1 , wherein when the service cable is within the at least one sub-structure and the lid is closed against the base, the cable seal provides a watertight seal around one or more connection elements.
3 . The cable enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sub-structure includes a port sealer configured to provide a watertight seal between the at least one sub-structure and the main portion.
4 . The cable enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the sealing assembly includes at least one gasket for providing the watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the main portion.
5 . The cable enclosure of claim 4 , wherein the sealing assembly includes a first half having a first gasket and a second half having a second gasket, wherein the first half and second half are each configured to be coupled to the main portion.
6 . The cable enclosure of claim 4 , wherein the sealing assembly further includes an inwardly protruding portion configured to protrude into the main portion when the sealing assembly is coupled to the main portion.
7 . The cable enclosure of claim 6 , wherein the at least one gasket is in contact with a perimeter of the inwardly protruding portion.
8 . The cable enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the main portion includes: a slack tray configured to house a portion of the at least one cable portion; a splice tray atop the slack tray; and a separator configured to house at least a portion of an intermediate cable, wherein one or more fibers from the at least one cable portion are spliced to one or more fibers from the intermediate cable at the splice tray.
9 . The cable enclosure of claim 8 , wherein the slack tray is positioned between the splice tray and the separator.
10 . The cable enclosure of claim 8 , further comprising an option module.
11 . The cable enclosure of claim 10 , wherein the option module is coupled to the splice tray.
12 . The cable enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising an external anchor secured to the main portion.
13 . The cable enclosure of claim 12 , wherein at least one service cable is configured to extend from the multi-cable terminal to the external anchor.
14 . The cable enclosure of claim 13 , wherein the at least one service cable is removably connected to the external anchor.
15 . A cable enclosure comprising: a main portion; at least one multi-cable terminal secured to the main portion; and a sealing assembly for accommodating at least one cable portion and for providing a watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the at least one cable portion and between the sealing assembly and the main portion, wherein the sealing assembly includes: at least one gasket for providing the watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the main portion, and an inwardly protruding portion configured to protrude into the main portion when the sealing assembly is coupled to the main portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/270,283, filed Oct. 21, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND The increasing deployment of electronic and fiber optic networks has given rise to an increasing need to manage the distribution of signals in such networks. Often, the distribution of signals is managed through the routing of cables associated with the signals and involves the use of multi-cable terminals that allow for selective connection between cables at designated points in a network. The increasing need to manage signal distribution is particularly acute with respect to fiber optic communications. For example, fiber optic communication signals between individual homes and a fiber network may be implemented through an Outside Plant (OSP) terminal, such as a drop box. In such a system, the terminal may couple a high capacity main cable to a multiple of lower capacity cables so that communication signals for each home may be delivered via the corresponding low capacity dedicated cable. In this manner, there is no need to run a high capacity cable to each home. Moreover, the terminal may be constructed so as to allow cables to be easily connected to the terminal and easily disconnected from the terminal, as dictated by circumstance. For instance, if a home's dedicated cable is damaged the cable may be readily disconnected from the terminal and replaced with a new cable. BRIEF SUMMARY In creating the technology described in this disclosure, it was recognized that a desirable feature of multi-cable terminals is an optimized combination of ease-of-use and component protection. Such optimization is among the advantages of the technology. In accordance with an aspect of the technology described in this disclosure a cable enclosure includes a main portion, at least one a multi-cable terminal secured to the main portion, and a sealing assembly for accommodating at least one cable portion and for providing a watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the at least one cable portion and between the sealing assembly and the main portion. The multi-cable terminal may comprise at least one sub-structure configured to receive a service cable. The at least one sub-structure may include one or more cable connection elements, a cable seal positioned within the at least one sub-structure, a base, and a lid configured to close against the base. When the service cable is within the at least one sub-structure and the lid is closed against the base, the cable seal may provide a watertight seal around the one or more connection elements. The at least one sub-structure may include a port sealer configured to provide a watertight seal between the at least one sub-structure and the main portion. The sealing assembly may include at least one gasket for providing the watertight seal between the sealing assembly and the main portion. The sealing assembly may include a first half having a first gasket and a second half having a second gasket, wherein the first half and second half are each configured to be coupled to the main portion. The sealing assembly may further include an inwardly protruding portion configured to protrude into the main portion when the sealing assembly is coupled to the main portion. The at least one gasket may be in contact with a perimeter of the inwardly protruding portion. The main portion may include a slack tray configured to house a portion of the at least one cable portion, a splice tray atop the slack tray, and a separator configured to house at least a portion of an intermediate cable, wherein one or more fibers from the at least one cable portion are spliced to one or more fibers from the intermediate cable at the splice tray. The slack tray may be positioned between the splice tray and the separator. The cable enclosure may further comprise an option module. The option module may be coupled to the splice tray. The cable enclosure may further comprise an external anchor secured to the main portion. At least one service cable may be configured to extend from the multi-cable terminal to the external anchor. The at least one service cable may be removably connected to the external anchor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Also, for purposes of clarity not every component may be labeled in every drawing. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a cable enclosure according to an embodiment. FIG. 1B is a perspective view a cable enclosure according to another embodiment. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a portion of cable enclosure showing two sub-structures of the enclosure in an open position. FIG. 2B is a perspective view the arrangement of FIG. 2A, in which the entire enclosure is shown. FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a cable enclosure showing parts of the enclosure without sh