US-20260126609-A1 - CABLE TROUGH FOR MANAGING FIBER-OPTIC CABLES

Abstract

A cable management trough member designed for organized cable routing and separation within various environments. The trough member including a base with a planar top surface, bounded by a first end, a second end, and opposing sides, forming a perimeter. Extending upward from the base are a first and a second sidewall, together with the base forming a trough-like shape. An intermediary divider, situated between the sidewalls, rises from the base to a defined top edge, contributing to the structural integrity and functionality of the trough. The divider can be characterized by a materially weakened area near its base, which enhances flexibility and adaptability in cable management applications. The trough member is constructed as a single, unitary piece through an extrusion process, ensuring robustness and uniformity. The design includes distinct planar surfaces of the divider that are substantially orthogonal to the base, facilitating efficient cable organization and ease of access.

Inventors

• Holly SIMONS
• Mark T. BRADBURY
• Brent Campbell
• Ruben ARVILLA
• Adrian Eugenio PONCE

Assignees

• COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251230

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A cable management trough member comprising: a base including a planar top surface, a first end, and a second end, an opposing facing bottom surface, and a first side and a second side, the first end, the second end, and the first side and the second side forming a perimeter of the base; a first sidewall and a second sidewall extending upwardly away from the planar top surface of the base, wherein the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the base define a trough shape; and an intermediary divider positioned between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the intermediary divider extending upwardly away from the planar top surface of the base between a base portion and a top edge portion, wherein the intermediary divider defines a materially weakened area in proximity to the base portion.
2. 2 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the base, the first sidewall, the second sidewall and the intermediary divider are formed as a unitary, single piece member.
3. 3 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the trough member is formed by an extrusion process.
4. 4 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the intermediary divider defines a first planar divider surface and a second planar divider surface extending between the base portion and the top edge portion, wherein the first planar divider surface and the second planar divider surface face away from one another.
5. 5 . The cable management trough member of claim 4 , wherein the first planar divider surface and the second planar divider surface are substantially orthogonal to the planar top surface of the base.
6. 6 . The cable management trough member of claim 4 , wherein a distance between the first planar divider surface and the second planar divider surface defines a wall thickness of the intermediary divider.
7. 7 . The cable management trough member of claim 4 , wherein a thickness of the intermediary divider in proximity to the base is less than about 85% of a wall thickness.
8. 8 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall extend upwardly from the planar top surface of the base by a first distance, and the intermediary divider extends upwardly from the planar top surface of the base by a second distance, wherein the second distance is at least half of the first distance.
9. 9 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the top edge portion of the intermediary divider defines a rounded crest.
10. 10 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the intermediary divider extends between a first intermediary divider end and a second intermediary divider end.
11. 11 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the base portion of the intermediary divider defines at least one of scoring, a plurality of perforations, an channel extending at least partially along a length of the intermediary divider between a first intermediary divider end and a second intermediary divider end.
12. 12 . The cable management trough member of claim 1 , wherein the intermediary divider defines a single chamfered channel positioned along one edge of the base of the intermediary divider adjacent to the planar top surface, wherein the single chamfered channel serves to remove a portion of the base of the intermediary divider.
13. 13 . A method of sizing a cable management trough member, comprising: cutting a trough member to a first length along a first plane, the trough member defining a base including a planar top surface extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and an intermediary divider positioned between the first sidewall and the second sidewall extending upwardly away from the planar top surface, wherein a base of the intermediary divider coupling the intermediary divider to the planar top surface defines a materially weakened area; cutting the intermediary divider to a second length along a second plane parallel to the first plane, wherein the second length is shorter than the first length; and bending the intermediary divider relative to the base to cause the materially weakened area to break, thereby enabling separation of a portion of the intermediary divider from the base.
14. 14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising operably coupling the trough member a component of a modular cable management system, wherein the component comprises at least one of a bend, coupling, or a cable drop portion of the modular cable management system.
15. 15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising using a tool to score a base of the intermediary divider prior to bending.
16. 16 . A cable management system comprising: a trough member including: a base defining a length extending between a first end and a second end along a longitudinal axis, a width extending between a first side and a second side along a lateral axis, and a thickness extending between a planar top surface and an opposed facing bottom surface along a vertical axis; a first sidewall coupled to the first side of the base and a second sidewall coupled to the second side of the base, the first sidewall and the second sidewall extending upwardly a first distance above the planar top surface of the base; an intermediary divider positioned between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the intermediary divider extending upwardly a second distance above the planar top surface of the base between a base portion and a top edge portion, wherein the intermediary divider defines a materially weakened area in proximity to the base portion to aid in separation of a portion of the intermediary divider from the base.
17. 17 . The cable management system of claim 16 , wherein the intermediary divider defines a first planar divider surface and a second planar divider surface extending between the base portion and the top edge portion, wherein a distance between the first planar divider surface the second planar divider surface define a wall thickness of the intermediary divider, and wherein the materially weakened area in proximity to the base portion of the intermediary divider is defined by a second thickness having a smaller dimension than the wall thickness.
18. 18 . The cable management system of claim 17 , wherein the materially weakened area comprises a chamfered channel extending along a longitudinal axis of the intermediary divider.
19. 19 . The cable management system of claim 17 , wherein a thickness of the intermediary divider in proximity to the base is less than about 85% of the wall thickness.
20. 20 . The cable management system of claim 16 , wherein the second distance is at least half of the first distance.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a Continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2024/035861, filed on Jun. 27, 2024, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/524,405, filed on Jun. 30, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to cable management structures and methods for use with telecommunication equipment and racks, and more particularly to troughs, fittings and couplings for a cable management system. BACKGROUND Cable management structures play an important role in efficiently housing and organizing the large number of telecommunications cables that are associated with equipment-mounted racks in modern telecommunications systems. In particular, these cable management structures aid in ensuring that the cables extending to and from the equipment, as well as those mounted within the racks, are effectively managed and organized. In some cases, the cable management structures can be in the form of cable racks or raceways to provide a trough-like structure mountable to the ceiling or floor of a data center. These racks or raceways enable management and routing of cables within the data center. In many cases, these cable management structures are modular, meaning that the structures can use a range of generic components such as straight sections or lateral troughs, elbows or bends, size reducers, cable drops, and other elements, which are typically joined together by a coupler or junction component to form a complete cable management structure. By utilizing these components, a customized cable management structure can be created to cater to the specific requirements of each installation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,719 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,471,868 show various trough systems and components that can be assembled in a variety of configurations. Although a variety of components may be provided for improved modularity and customization, the straight sections of the cable management structures typically come in fixed lengths. As a result, many of these straight lengths may need to be cut to match the precise dimensions of the data center room, which can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring careful measurement and precise cutting to ensure a proper fit. SUMMARY Some aspects of the disclosure are directed to a cable management system including a straight section or other trough member configured to be mated with other modular components, which includes an intermediary divider extending upwardly from a base positioned between sidewalls of the trough member to separate and organize cables positioned within the trough member. To inhibit interference the intermediary divider does not extend all the way to the ends of the straight section, leaving a gap between the end of the divider and the end of the straight section. In many installations, the straight sections need to be customized to fit the dimensions of the equipment or data room. One aspect of the disclosure provides a cable management system including a trough member having a base including a planar top surface, a first end, and a second end, an opposing facing bottom surface, and a first side and a second side, the first end, the second end, and the first side and the second side forming a perimeter of the base, a first sidewall and a second sidewall extending upwardly away from planar top surface of the base, wherein the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the base define a trough shape, and an intermediary divider positioned between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the intermediary divider extending upwardly away from the planar top surface of the base between a base portion and a top edge portion, wherein the intermediary divider defines a materially weakened area in proximity to the base portion. In one implementation, the base, first sidewall, second sidewall and the intermediary divider are formed as a unitary, single piece member. In one implementation, the trough member is formed by an extrusion process. In one implementation, the intermediary divider defines a first planar divider surface and a second plane or divider surface extending between the base portion and the top edge portion, wherein the first planar divider surface and the second planar divider surface face away from one another. In one implementation, the first planar divider surface and the second planar divider surface are substantially orthogonal to the planar top surface of the base. In one implementation, a distance between the first planar surface and the second planar surface defines a wall thickness of the intermediary divider. In one implementation, a thickness of the intermediary divider in proximity to the base has a thickness of less than about 85% of the wall thickness. In one implementation, the