Cable management panel with sliding drawer and methods

Abstract

An optical fiber cable management panel includes drawer assemblies, each including a drawer slidable within a chassis. The drawer assemblies are secured together by a bracket that includes an interlock arrangement with the chassis. Such an interlock arrangement includes a non-threaded stud engaging a hole. Radius limiters may be part of the drawer assembly and include a cable entry aperture have a closed perimeter and a flared cable guide surface around most of, and preferably all of, the closed perimeter to allow for the entry of cables from all directions. A control mechanism controls movement of the radius limiter relative to the drawer assembly. The control mechanism includes a rotating member that has an axis of rotation transverse to the slidable motion of the radius limiter and normal to the radius limiter.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An optical fiber cable management panel comprising:
 (a) a drawer assembly including a chassis and a drawer, the drawer defining lateral sides;
 (i) said drawer being slidably mounted within said chassis; and 
 (ii) said drawer assembly defining a storage interior; and 
   (b) a cable radius limiter mounted to said drawer assembly and movable with said drawer relative to the chassis, the cable radius limiter defining a curved cable trough with a trough entry having a closed perimeter, wherein the radius limiter is oriented such that the trough entry of the curved cable trough is located adjacent and extends out past one of the lateral sides defined by the drawer, and such that the curved cable trough directs cabling routed within the trough toward the storage interior defined by the drawer assembly.   
     
     
         2 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 8 , wherein said rotating member includes a wheel. 
     
     
         3 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the curved cable trough is defined by first and second curved walls and a base that bridges the first and second curved walls. 
     
     
         4 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the cable radius limiter includes a hinged cover, a part of the entry into the curved cable trough of the radius limiter being defined by the cover. 
     
     
         5 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 4 , wherein the cable radius limiter further includes a latching arrangement configured to latch the cover in a closed position. 
     
     
         6 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 4 , wherein the hinged cover piece is attached by a snap-fit connection. 
     
     
         7 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the radius limiter is also slidably movable relative to the drawer, wherein the optical fiber cable management panel further includes a control mechanism secured to said drawer assembly to synchronize slidable movement of said cable radius limiter relative to slidable movement of said drawer within said chassis. 
     
     
         8 . An optical fiber cable management panel according to  claim 7 , wherein said control mechanism includes a rotating member oriented to rotate between said drawer and said chassis and said rotating member has an axis of rotation that is normal to the slidable movement of said cable radius limiter.