Spool with multi-position loop keeper

Abstract

A spool device (60, 90) for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable (800) in a storage configuration (870) includes a base (100, 600), a spool member (300, 700), and a loop engaging member (440, 740). The base (100, 600) includes a plurality of cable holders (110, 110x, 110y, 110a, 110p) configured for receiving a first portion (822, 822a, 822p) and a second portion (824, 824p) of the cable (800). The spool member (300, 700) is mounted to the base (100, 600) and includes a wrapping area (314, 714) that is configured for storing a coiled portion (826) of the cable (800). The loop engaging member (440, 740) is configured for engaging a looped portion (828) of the cable (800) and thereby secures at least the coiled portion (826) and the looped portion (828) of the cable (800). The spool device (60, 90) may be used as an adjustable overlength device for looped cable. The spool device (60, 90) may store and dispense the cable (800) while ends (802, 804) of the cable (800) remain connected to stationary first and second devices (902, 904), respectively.

1 .- 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A spool device configured for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable in a storage configuration, the spool device comprising:
 a base;   a spool member mounted to the base, the spool member including a wrapping area configured for storing a coiled portion of the telecommunications cable;   at least one loop engaging member configured for engaging a looped portion of the telecommunications cable and thereby securing at least the coiled portion and the looped portion of the telecommunications cable in the storage configuration;   and a spool wall positioned between the wrapping area and at least portions of the at least one engaging member.   
     
     
         30 . The spool device of  claim 29 , wherein the first cable holder, the second cable holder, the wrapping area, and the at least one loop engaging member are all configured to route the telecommunications cable with bend radii greater than a predetermined minimum bend radius. 
     
     
         31 . The spool device of  claim 30 , wherein the predetermined minimum bend radius is 15 mm. 
     
     
         32 . The spool device of  claim 29  wherein the wrapping area defines a first axis and the at least one loop engaging member defines a second axis substantially parallel to and spaced from the first axis. 
     
     
         33 . The spool device of  claim 29 , wherein the base includes at least a first cable holder configured for receiving a first portion of the telecommunications cable and a second cable holder configured for receiving a second portion of the telecommunications cable, wherein the base defines a perimeter, wherein the first cable holder and the second cable holder each respectively extend from an entrance/exit at the perimeter to an interior end, wherein the first cable holder and the second cable holder are each respectively oriented at the entrance/exits with a predetermined orientation with respect to the perimeter, and wherein the first cable holder and the second cable holder are each respectively oriented at the interior end to be substantially tangential to the wrapping area in a same rotational direction. 
     
     
         34 . The spool device of  claim 29 , further comprising a wall including at least one cable passage, the wall positioned between the wrapping area and at least portions of the first cable holder and the second cable holder, the at least one cable passage configured to transfer a first transitional portion of the telecommunications cable from the first portion of the telecommunications cable to a first strand of a pair of strands of the coiled portion of the telecommunications cable, and the at least one cable passage further configured to transfer a second transitional portion of the telecommunications cable from the second portion of the telecommunications cable to a second strand of the pair of strands of the coiled portion of the telecommunications cable. 
     
     
         35 . The spool device of  claim 34 , wherein the wall is one piece with the spool member. 
     
     
         36 . The spool device of  claim 29 , wherein the base includes a releasable mount and the spool member includes a mount engaging arrangement, wherein the mount engaging arrangement releasably attaches to the releasable mount and thereby mounts the spool member to the base, and wherein the mount engaging arrangement detaches from the releasable mount and thereby unmounts the spool member from the base. 
     
     
         37 . The spool device of  claim 36 , wherein the spool member is rotationally fixed to the base when the mount engaging arrangement of the spool member is releasably attached to the releasable mount of the base. 
     
     
         38 . The spool device of  claim 34 , wherein the at least one cable passage includes at least two of the cable passages and separate ones of the at least two cable passages are configured to transfer the first transitional portion and the second transitional portion, respectively. 
     
     
         39 . The spool device of  claim 29 , wherein the spool wall includes at least one cable passage. 
     
     
         40 . The spool device of  claim 39 , further comprising a one-way device, wherein the spool wall and the at least one loop engaging member are included on a spool wall member that is rotatably mounted to the base, and wherein the one-way device allows the spool wall member to rotate in a wrapping direction and substantially prevents the spool wall member from rotating opposite the wrapping direction. 
     
     
         41 . A method of storing a portion of a telecommunications, the method including:
 providing a spool device having a base, a wrapping area, and at least one loop engaging member;   providing a telecommunications cable;   looping the telecommunications cable and thereby forming a looped portion ( 828 ) of the telecommunications cable;   routing the first portion of the telecommunications cable on a first cable holder of the base;   routing a second portion of the telecommunications cable on a second cable holder of the base;   wrapping the telecommunications cable on the wrapping area and thereby forming the coiled portion of the telecommunications cable; and   securing the looped portion of the telecommunications cable on the at least one loop engaging member and thereby securing at least the coiled portion and the looped portion of the telecommunications cable in the storage configuration.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 connecting a first end of the telecommunications cable to a first mounted device prior to wrapping the telecommunications cable on the wrapping area of the spool member; and   connecting a second end of the telecommunications cable to a second mounted device prior to wrapping the telecommunications cable on the wrapping area of the spool member.   
     
     
         43 . A spool device configured for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable in a storage configuration, the spool device comprising:
 a spool member positioned between a first wall and a second wall and defining a wrapping area for the telecommunications cable; and   a loop engaging member located on the first wall on a side opposite the spool member, the loop engaging member for engaging a looped portion of the telecommunications cable.   
     
     
         44 . The spool device of  claim 43 , wherein the first wall is rotatable with respect to the second wall. 
     
     
         45 . The spool device of  claim 44 , wherein the first wall is rotatable with respect to the second wall in only a single direction. 
     
     
         46 . The spool device of  claim 43 , wherein the loop engaging member includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged loop engaging members. 
     
     
         47 . The spool device of  43 , wherein the spool member includes a plurality of partition members extending in a direction generally parallel to the first and second walls.