US-20260128574-A1 - CABLE ATTACHMENT SYSTEM

US20260128574A1US 20260128574 A1US20260128574 A1US 20260128574A1US-20260128574-A1

Abstract

There is provided a cable attachment system for sealing and retaining a communications cable is provided. The cable attachment system comprises a housing having a first end and a second end. The cable attachment system comprises a sealing member couplable to the second end of the housing. The sealing member comprises at least two cover elements. The sealing member further comprises an elastically deformable sealing material. The at least two cover elements are movable between a first position in which the cover elements are spaced away from each other, and a second position in which the cover elements and the elastically deformable sealing material form a seal between the sealing member and the communications cable. The cable attachment system further comprises a locking member configured to releasably engage with the cover elements to lock the cover elements in the second position.

Inventors

Ilias Kadi
Martijn Nisse Van Der Velde

Assignees

CORNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251107

Claims (20)

1 . A cable attachment system for sealing and retaining a communications cable, the system comprising: a housing having a first end and a second end, a sealing member couplable to the second end of the housing, the sealing member comprising at least two cover elements and an elastically deformable sealing material, the at least two cover elements being movable between a first position in which the cover elements are spaced away from each other, and a second position in which the cover elements and the elastically deformable sealing material form a seal between the sealing member and the communications cable; a locking member configured to releasably engage with the cover elements to lock the cover elements in the second position.
2 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two cover elements are hingedly coupled to the second end of the housing by means of a respective hinge for each cover element.
3 . A cable attachment system according to claim 2 , wherein the at least two cover elements are movable between the first and the second position about their respective hinges.
4 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein each cover element comprises a portion of elastically deformable sealing material configured to form a continuous seal around an inner perimeter of the sealing member when the cover elements are in the second position.
5 . A cable attachment system according to claim 4 , wherein when the first cover member and the second cover member are in the second position the seal defines a first opening at or proximate a first end of the sealing member and a second opening at or proximate a second end of the sealing member, the seal also defining a channel between the first opening and the second opening; and wherein the first opening has a smaller area than the second opening.
6 . A cable attachment system according to claim 5 , wherein the first end of the sealing member is adjacent the second end of the housing when the sealing member and the housing are coupled.
7 . A cable attachment system according to claim 4 , wherein the elastically deformable sealing material is a gel.
8 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the cable attachment system further comprises a clamping member configured to abut the locking member and engage with the housing to keep the locking member engaged with the housing.
9 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member comprises a sealing member engaging mechanism for engaging with a corresponding locking member engaging mechanism.
10 . A cable attachment system according to claim 9 , wherein the sealing member engaging mechanism comprises at least one engaging element on each cover element.
11 . A cable attachment system according to claim 10 , wherein the locking member engaging mechanism comprises at least two engaging elements, each configured to engage with an engaging element of each cover element.
12 . A cable attachment system according to claim 11 , wherein the engaging element on each cover element comprises a slot, and the at least two engaging elements on the locking member comprise corresponding teeth.
13 . A cable attachment system according to claim 11 , wherein the engaging element on each cover element is a tooth, and the at least one engaging element on the locking member are corresponding slots.
14 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the locking member comprises at least one cable removal prevention mechanism to prevent removal of the cable from the locking member.
15 . A cable attachment system according to claim 14 , wherein the cable removal prevention mechanism comprises at least one resilient protrusion projecting inwardly in the locking member, the at least one resilient protrusion being configured to be deflected by a cable to allow movement of the communications cable through the locking member in a first direction.
16 . A cable attachment system according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one resilient protrusion engages with the communications cable to prevent movement of the cable in a second direction, opposing the first direction.
17 . A cable attachment system according to claim 15 , wherein the locking member comprises two or more resilient protrusions spaced around an outer perimeter of the locking member.
18 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the clamping member threadedly engages with an outer surface of the housing.
19 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the cable attachment system is configured to retain and seal a fiber optic cable.
20 . A cable attachment system according to claim 1 , wherein the first end of the housing comprises a cable retention mechanism configured to fix the cable relative to the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Application Ser. No. 63/717,643 filed on Nov. 7, 2024, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD This disclosure relates to the field of cable attachment system for inserting a telecommunication cable containing optical fibers, copper wires or coax cable into a telecommunications enclosure, for example into a terminal closure, pre-stubbed terminal, optical network terminal or other junction box. BACKGROUND Telecommunication cables are ubiquitous and used for distributing all manner of data across vast networks. The majority of cables are electrically conductive cables (typically copper), although the use of optical fiber cables is growing rapidly in telecommunication systems as larger and larger amounts of data are transmitted. Additionally, as data transmissions increase, the fiber optic network is being extended closer to the end user which can be a premise, business, or a private residence. As telecommunication cables are routed across data networks, it is necessary to periodically open the cable so that one or more telecommunication lines therein may be spliced, thereby allowing data to be distributed to other cables or “branches” of the telecommunication network. At each point where a telecommunication cable is opened, it is necessary to provide a telecommunication enclosure to protect the exposed interior of the cable. The cable branches may be further distributed until the network reaches individual homes, businesses, offices, and so on. These networks are often referred to as fiber to the X (FTTX) networks which can include fiber to the premise (FTTP), fiber to the home (FTTH) and fiber to the antenna (FTTA) networks. In an FTTH network, optical fiber is brought to the end user and connected to the optical network terminal (ONT) unit mounted on a wall at the end user. The ONT converts this optical signal into conventional electrical signals to provide voice (telephone), Internet (data) and video signals to the end user. Blown Fiber is a technology used to deploy FTTH in many countries. Protective tubes or ducts are lain in the ground and the fiber-optic cables are then installed by being blown through the protective tube by a medium such as air or water. Fiber terminals are one type of telecommunication enclosure that is typically located near an end user in a FTTP network to distribute the final service to the end user. Typical fiber terminals are designed to drop services (to provide service connections) to a small number of premises having typically between four to twelve end users. The last service connection from the fiber terminal is made to the ONT, located at the end user using a drop cable. Typically, an optical connector attached to the terminal end of an optical fiber of the cable is preferred to allow quick, reliable field installation. A number of cable attachment systems are known in the art. It is generally known to provide cable attachment systems which fix and seal cables containing optical fibers, copper wires or coax cable into a telecommunications enclosure. However, existing solutions suffer from a number of drawbacks. In particular, one drawback with existing cable attachment systems is that with the recent growth of fiber optic networks, operators installing the availability of trained operators has become problematic. Many operators today are less qualified and under pressure to work faster. This can lead to poor installation of cable attachment systems by operators due to a lack of adherence to proper procedures. This in turn leads to dissatisfied users of the network. Another drawback of existing solutions is that these are required to be packaged with numerous plastic parts and grommets. This is to ensure that the cable attachment system can be adapted to be used with a wide range of cable diameters, ensuring watertightness and fixation of different cables. This results in a significant amount of unnecessary waste as most of the plastic parts and grommets remain unused. The production of these spare parts is also very costly for the manufacturer. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a cable attachment system which does not suffer from the above drawbacks. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a cable attachment system which are cheaper and has a reduced impact on the environment. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a cable attachment system which is easier and faster to install, meaning that operators require less training. SUMMARY According to an aspect, a cable attachment system for sealing and retaining a communications cable is provided. The cable attachment system comprises a housing having a first end and a second end. The cable attachment system comprises a sealing member couplable to the second end of the housing. The sealing member comprises at least two cover elements. The sealing member fu