Title of Invention	FIBER OPTIC MODULE AND SYSTEM INCLUDING REAR CONNECTORS
Abstract	A telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a removable holder. A method of mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis.

Title of Invention

FIBER OPTIC MODULE AND SYSTEM INCLUDING REAR CONNECTORS

Abstract

A telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a removable holder. A method of mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis.

Full Text	WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 FIBER OPTIC MODULE AND SYSTEM INCLUDING REAR CONNECTORS Field The present invention generally relates to fiber optic telecommunications equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to fiber optic modules and chassis for holding fiber optic modules. Background In fiber optic telecommunications systems, it is common for optical fibers of transmission cables to be split into multiple strands, either by optical splitting of a signal carried by a single stranded cable or by fanning out the individual fibers of a multi-strand cable. Further, when such systems are installed, it is known to provide excess capacity in the installations to support future growth and utilization of the fibers. Often in these installations, modules including splitters or fanouts are used to provide the connection between transmission fibers and customer fibers. To reduce the cost and complexity of the initial installation and still provide options for future expansion, a module mounting chassis capable of mounting multiple modules may be used in such an installation. While the chassis may accept several modules, the initial installation may only include fewer modules mounted in the chassis, or enough to serve current needs. These chassis may be configured with limited access to one or more sides, or may be mounted in cramped locations. In addition, some of these chassis may be pre-configured with the maximum capacity of transmission cables to accommodate and link to modules which may be installed in the future. Since it is desirable to have access to components within the chassis for cleaning during the installation of a new module, some provision or feature of the chassis will desirably permit a user to access and clean the connectors of these pre-connectorized and pre-installed transmission cables. It is also desirable for the chassis to be configured to ensure that modules are installed correctly and aligned with other components within the chassis to mate with the pre-connectorized and pre-installed transmission cables. WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 Summary The present invention relates to a telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a removable adapter holder. The present invention further relates to a method of mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis. Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows: FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a telecommunications assembly with a plurality of fiber optic modules installed through a front opening. FIG. 2 is a front perspective of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1, taken from an opposite side. FIG. 3 is a front view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a top view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a side view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1, with one of the modules exploded out of the assembly and mounting flanges removed from the upper and lower surfaces of the chassis. FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a side view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 7, with a fiber optic adapter holder exploded out of the assembly. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1, taken through the center of one of the modules mounted within the assembly. 2 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 FIG. 11 is a front view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1, with one of the modules removed to show the adapter holder mounted within the interior of the assembly. FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the adapter holder of FIG. 11, removed from the assembly. FIG. 13 is a front view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a rear view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is a side view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12. FIG. 16 is a top view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12. Detailed Description Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications assembly 10 with mounting locations 12 for mounting a plurality of modules 14. Assembly 10 includes a chassis or housing 16 with a first major side 18, a second major side 20 and a pair of opposing transverse sides 22 extending between the first and second major sides. A mounting flange 24 may be mounted to each of the major sides extending generally oppositely of each other. A secondary or alternative mounting flange 26 may also be mounted to one of the major sides to provide options for mounting housing 16 to a particular size or shape of equipment rack, cabinet or other type of installation. Housing 16 defines a front opening 28 through which modules 14 are inserted within an interior 30 (shown below in FIG. 7) of housing 16. Openings 32 may be defined in the transverse sides 22 to permit access by a person into interior 30. Openings 32 may include a protective pad 34 about a perimeter to provide chafe and other-injury to any hands which may pass into or out of interior 30 through one of the openings 32. Visible through opening 32 in FIG. 1 is a housing 40 of one of the modules 14 mounted within front opening 28. Flanges 24 and 26 may include a plurality of fastener openings 36 for mounting housing 16 where needed in a telecommunications installation. Referring now to FIG. 2, each module 14 includes a releasably catch 42 adjacent second major side 20. As can be seen below in and described with to 3 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 FIG. 10, catch 42 engages a portion of housing 16 to hold module 14 within front opening 28 and can also he deflected to permit withdrawal of module 14 from housing 16. Each module 14 also may include one or more cable exits 44 extending from a front face 46. Cable exits 44 permit telecommunications cables within module 14 to be directed outside of module 14, as will be described below with regard to FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 2, front faces 46 of modules 14 are angled with regard to front opening 28, which may aid in the direction of cables exiting module 14 toward a desired location in the telecommunications installation. It is anticipated that front faces 46 could be made generally parallel to front edges 38 of transverse sides 22 at front opening 28 within the scope of the present disclosure. Referring now to FIG. 3, modules 14 includes unequal length flanges 48 and 50 which are received within correspondingly sized slots 52 and 54, respectively. Flange 48 and slot 52 are smaller in size than flange 50 and slot 54. Slot 52 is sized so that, while flange 48 may be received within slot 52, larger flange 50 will not fit. This ensures that modules 14 are positioned within front opening 28 in a particular desired orientation. Similar flanges are described in commonly- owned U.S. Patent No. 5,363,465, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Opposite latch 42 and mounted to housing 16 at each mounting location 12 are an adapter holder 56 releasably held within front opening 28 by a thumbscrew 58. Adapter holder 56 is described in further detail below with regard to FIGS. 9 to 16. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, housing 16 further includes a back 60 opposite front opening 28, substantially closing off the rear of housing 16. Openings may be provided through back 60 to allow cables or air to pass, but it is anticipated that user access into interior 30 of housing 16 will be made through front opening 28. As shown in FIG. 6, on one end of modules 14, a lip or finger grip 62 may be included to aid removal of module 14 from housing 16. Finger grip 62 is preferably positioned on module 14 opposite latch 42 so that a user may apply opposing force with fingers or hands to securely grasp the module and remove it from housing 16. Referring now to FIG. 7, latch 42 of module 14 includes a recessed area 66 which engages an edge 64 of mounting location 12 to hold module 14 in place within front opening 28. Recessed area 66 is formed near a distal end of latch 42 and a flexible portion 68 extends from recessed area 66 to a point of connection 4 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 to a first side 70 of module 14. Flexible portion 68 is resiliency deformable and allows a user to deflect latch 42 to disengage recessed area 66 from edge 64 and remove module 14 from housing 16 or for latch 42 to deflect as module 14 is inserted into front opening 28 and engage edge 64. Module 14 includes a second opposing side 72 and a back 78. An intermediate rear face 76 is formed in second side 72 by an inset side portion 74. A pair of fiber optic connectors 80 is positioned in rear face 76 to mate with fiber optic adapters mounted to adapter holder 56 within interior 30 of housing 16. Module housing 40 also includes a first transverse face 82 extending between first side 70, second side 72, back 78 and front face 46. A second transverse face 84 closes off the opposite side of module housing 40 between front face 46 and back 78 but extends beyond sides 70 and 72 to form flanges 48 and 50 (flange 50 is not visible in FIG. 7). hi FIG. 8, flange 50 is visible as an extension of second transverse face 84 beyond side 70 of module 14. Module housing 40 may include curved transitions 86 between sides 70 and 72 and back 78. Transitions 86 may be shaped to provide bend radius protection to cables within interior 30 as the cables extend to adapters 88. Alternatively, sides 70 and 72 may terminate directly at back 78, depending on the needs for placing components within module housing 40 and efficiencies in manufacturing of module housing 40. FIG. 9 shows assembly 10 with adapter holder 54 exploded out from interior 30. Holder 54 includes an extension 86 to hold and position a pair of adapters 88 to engage connectors 80 of module 14. Each adapter 88 includes a first or rear end 90 and a second or front end 92, and each of the first and second ends are adapted to receive a fiber optic connector which may terminate a fiber optic cable. FIG. 10 shows a cross-section of assembly 10 with a first cable 94 extending from connector 80 to an optical component 98, mounted within an interior 96 of module housing 40. Optical component 98 may be a splitter or a fan-out or another type of optically significant element. First cable 94 may be a multi-strand fiber cable with a plurality of strands of optical fiber and optical component 98 may be a fanout to separate the individual strands into each of a plurality of second cables 100. Second cables 100 extend from optical component 98 to cable exit 44. Alternatively, first cable 94 maybe a single fiber whose signal is separated by optical component 98 which is a splitter and a plurality of second cables 100 carrying portions of the signal from first cable 94 may extend to cable exit 44. The 5 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 arrangement of optical fiber and sheathing at cable exit 44 may be as disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/658,802, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. An outside cable 102 may extend to rear end 90 of adapter 88 and be terminated by a connector 104. Connector 104 may be received in rear end 90 to be optically connected to connector 80 of module 14. Cable 102 may extend from interior 30 of housing 16 through an opening in one of sides 18,20, or 22 in housing 16. Referring now to FIG. 11, assembly 10 has a module removed from one of the mounting locations 12 and includes an alternative adapter holder 154 in that mounting location 12. Holder 154 includes a shield 108 in front of second ends 92 of adapters 88. In some installations, a housing 16 may be installed and a cable 102 led to and connected to first ends 90 of adapters 88, before a module 14 is placed in the associated mounting location 12. If cable 102 is illuminated and transmitting light signals, shield 108 will prevent accidental exposure to these signals which might damage eyes or other sensitive organs, or nearby communications equipment. In FIG. 12, holder 154 includes an opening 124 through extension 86 through which adapters 88 are mounted. Thumbscrew 56 extends through a front flange 114 and pair of wall engaging flanges 116 extend backward from adjacent front flange 114. Alternatively, other releasable features, such as snap fit devices, quarter turn fasteners, swell latches or similar features may be used in place of thumbscrew 56 on holder 54 or 154. Positioned between a forward end of each flange 116 and front flange 114 is a slot 118. Toward a rear end of flanges 116 are a pair of wall slots 120. As shown in FIG. 10, an inner wall 110 is positioned within interior 30 offset inwardly from first major surface 18. Wall slots 120 extend along both sides of inner wall 110. A turned-in forward edge 112 of first major surface 18 engages slot 118. These engagements between housing 16 and holder 154 correctly position adapters offset from inner wall 110 within interior 30 to engage connector 80 on rear face 76 of module 14. A central member 122 extends from front flange 114 between wall flanges 116 to extension 86 to correctly position adapters 88 within interior 30 between front opening 28 and rear 60. Referring now to FIGS. 13 to 16, extension 86 of holder 154 includes a plurality of fastener openings 124 for mounting adapters 88 to extension 86. 6 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 Fasteners 126 may be extended through side flanges 128 of adapter 88 to permit secure mounting of adapters 88. Adapters 88 are shown as SC style connectors, although other types, styles and formats of adapters may be used within the scope of the present disclosure and connectors 80 and 104 changed to mate with these alternative adapters. Within each of the adapters 88 shown may be an alignment device, such as a split sleeve 130 to correctly position optical fiber terminated in a ferrule and held by connectors 80 and 104. Such alignment devices and termination ferrules are well known in the art. Shield 108 is curved when viewed from the side, as in FIG. 15, so that shield 108 will be deflected by module 14 as module 14 is inserted into interior 30 through front opening 28 so that connectors 80 can mate with adapters 88. Shield 108 is preferably made of a resilient deformable material that will return to the position shown in FIG. 154 when the module 14 is withdrawn from mounting location 12. Shield 108 may be connected to central member 122 by a pair of fasteners such as screws 132. Alternatively, shield 108 could be connected to holder 154 by being formed integrally with holder 154 or by spot-welding or other fastening techniques. As rear 60 closes off the rear of housing 16 so that is no access to the rear any modules 14 mounted at a mounting location 12, providing a second shield 108 to block light from first end 90 of each adapter 88 is not needed as shown. However, if any sensitive equipment is mounted within module 14 or housing 16, it may be desirable to have a second shield 108 blocking first side 90 of adapters 88. Insertion of module 14 into housing 16 at one of the mounting locations 12 may include first unfastening thumbscrew 56 and removing holder 54 or 154 from interior 30 through front opening 28. Cable 102 preferably includes enough excess length or slack within interior 30 to permit adapters 88 to be pulled through opening 28. Once positioned outside of interior 30, connector 104 of cable 102 can be removed from first end 90 of adapter 88 to permit a polished endface of an optical fiber within cable 102 to be cleaned. Connector 104 can then be reinserted within first end 90. Holder 54 or 154 can be reinserted within interior 30 so that the holder engages inner wall 110 and inward turned extension 112 and thumbscrew 56 resecured. Insertion of module 14 into front opening 28 begins the mating of module 14 to housing 16 and adapters 88. Flanges 48 and 50 engage slots 52 and 54, respectively, as module 14 is inserted. Connectors 80 and portions of 7 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 second side 72 engage and deflect shield 108 (if present) as connectors 80 approach second ends 92 of adapters 88. Further insertion of module 14 brings connectors 80 into and contact with adapters 88 and the connectors are received within second ends 92. Latch 42 is deflected inward as module 14 is inserted and then springs back so that recessed area 66 engages edge 64. Module 14 is now mounted within front opening 28 and interior 30 at mounting location 12 and in position to process and transmit signals from cable 102 through first cable 94, optical component 98 and second cable 100 within module interior 96. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. 8 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 What is claimed is: 1. A telecommunications assembly comprising: a chassis and a module mounted within the chassis; the chassis including: a housing defining an interior space accessible through an open front, the housing including a back opposite the open front; a plurality of mounting locations within the interior space; at least one fiber optic adapter corresponding to each of the mounting locations mounted within the interior space, the fiber optic adapters each including a front end directed toward the open front and a back end directed toward the back, each end configured to receive a fiber optic connector; and, a holder for holding at least one fiber optic adapter at each mounting location, the holder removable from the interior space through the open front of the chassis to permit access to the back end of the adapter mounted to the holder, the holder positioning the adapter within the interior space behind the open front; and, the module mounted at one of the mounting locations and including a housing with a rear face to which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector engaging the at least one fiber optic adapter within the chassis. 2. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, the module further comprising: at least one optical component within an interior of the housing of the module; a front face with a cable exit; and, a first optical fiber cable within the interior extending from the connector of the rear face to the optical component, and at least one second optical fiber cable extending from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face. 3. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the first optical fiber cable within the interior of the module is a multi-fiber cable including a plurality of optical fiber strands, the optical component is a fanout, and a plurality of second optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the cable exit of the front 9 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 face, each second optical fiber cable including one of the strands of the first optical fiber cable. 4. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the optical component is an optical splitter, the first optical fiber cable includes a single strand of fiber and a plurality of second optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face. 5. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the module includes a pair of fiber optic connectors on the rear face, the holder includes two fiber optic adapters which each receive one of the fiber optic connectors, and the module includes a pair of optical components. 6. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the module includes a pair of cable exits on the front face. 7. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the cable exit includes a bell shaped portion to provide bend radius protection to the at least one second optical fiber cable extending through the cable exit 8. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the rear face of the module is positioned forward of a rear most extension of the housing of the module. 9. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear face of the module is positioned forward of a rear most extension of the housing of the module. 10. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the holder positions the at least one adapter forward of the back of the chassis. 11. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of modules, each module mounted at one of the mounting locations. 10 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 12. The telecommunications assembly of claim 11, wherein each module includes a pair of opposing mounting flanges and each mounting location includes a pair of opposing slots to receive the flanges of the modules. 13. The telecommunications assembly of claim 12, wherein one of the flanges is larger than the other and only one of the slots is sized to receive the larger flange. 14. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the holder is positioned adjacent one of the sides of the chassis and includes a forward extension along the adjacent side to the front opening, the forward extension releasably held to the chassis by a removable fastener. 15. The telecommunications assembly of claim 14, wherein the removable fastener is a thumbscrew captively held by the forward extension of the holder and removably received within a fastener opening of the chassis. 16. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the mounting locations of the chassis further includes a fiber optic cable extending to and received within the rear of the at least one of the fiber optic adapters, and removal of the holder through the front opening of the chassis allows access to the fiber optic cable received within the rear of the adapter. 17. The telecommunications assembly of claim 16, wherein the fiber optic cable extending to the rear of the fiber optic adapter may be accessed by removing the holder through the front opening of the chassis, the fiber optic cable may be removed from the rear of the adapter and cleaned, the fiber optic cable may be replaced within the adapter and the holder repositioned within the chassis. 18. A method of mounting a module within a chassis comprising: providing the chassis including a front opening and a module mounting location, a holder positioned within an interior of the chassis at the module mounting location and accessible through the front opening, the holder holding a fiber optic adapter with a connector of a fiber optic cable received in a rear of the 11 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 adapter, and further providing a module adapted to be mounted at the mounting location, the module including a rear face with a fiber optic connector; removing the holder and the fiber optic adapter from the interior of the chassis through the front opening; removing the connector of the fiber optic cable from the rear of the adapter and inspecting an endface of an optical fiber within the fiber optic cable; replacing the connector with the fiber optic cable within the rear of the adapter; replacing the holder within the chassis at the mounting location; inserting the module within the chassis through the front opening at the mounting location and engaging a front of the adapter with the connector of the rear face of the module. 19. The method of claim 18, further providing the mounting location with a pair of opposing slots and the module with a pair flanges, one of the flanges larger than the other and only one of the slots sized to receive the larger flange, the method further comprising aligning the larger flange of the module with the slot of the mounting location sized to receive the larger flange prior to inserting the module through the front opening of the chassis. 20. A telecommunications module comprising: a housing defining an interior and including first and second pairs of opposing sides, a front face, a rear face and a back spaced from the front face; the rear face positioned adjacent one of the sides of the housing and facing generally toward the back of the housing; a mounting flange extending beyond each of the opposing sides of one of the first and second pairs of opposing sides of the housing; at least one fiber optic connector mounted to the rear face and positioned to be inserted into a mating adapter with a rearward movement of the housing, the at least one fiber optic connector having an end disposed between the front face and the back of the housing; and, a cable exit positioned in the front face of the housing; 12 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 a first fiber optic cable within the interior of the housing extending from the at least one fiber optic connector of the rear face to an optical component mounted within the interior of the housing; a second fiber optic cable within the housing extending from the optical component to the cable exit in the front face. 21. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the cable exit includes a bell-shaped outer extension beyond the front face. 22. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the housing includes a flexible latching tab extending adjacent to the front face. 23. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the rear face of the housing is positioned adjacent to a recess defined by the housing. 24. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein one flange extends substantially further from the adjacent side than the other flange. 25. A telecommunications module comprising: a housing defining an interior and including first and second pairs of opposing sides, a front face, a rear face and a back spaced from the front face; the rear face facing generally toward the back of the housing; the rear face defining at least one connector holder location for holding a fiber optic connector having a longitudinal connector axis extending parallel to a module axis extending between the front face and the back, wherein an end of the connector is disposed outside of the interior defined by the housing; the rear face positioned at a location between the front face and the back; the front face including a cable exit location in communication with the interior defined by the housing. 26. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the cable exit includes a bell-shaped outer extension beyond the front face. 13 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 27. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the housing includes a flexible latching tab extending adjacent to the front face. 28. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the rear face of the housing is positioned adjacent to a recess defined by the housing. 29. An adapter module comprising a bulkhead defining: a fastener holder for holding a fastener extending in a first longitudinal direction; a longitudinal flange extending from the fastener holder in a directional parallel to the first longitudinal direction; and, a main body extending from the longitudinal flange, the main body defining adapter locations; and, a plurality of adapter mating components positioned in the adapter locations of the main body of the bulkhead, each adapter mating component configured to mate two connectors for fiber optic signal transmission between the connectors, wherein each adapter mating component aligns the two connectors in a direction parallel to the first longitudinal direction. 30. The adapter module of claim 29, further comprising a fastener in the fastener holder. 31. The adapter module of claim 29, wherein the plurality of adapter mating components are aligned in a direction transverse to the first longitudinal direction. 32. The adapter module of claim 29, further comprising a moveable shutter positioned to cover each of the adapter mating components. 33. A telecommunications chassis comprising: a housing with a first major side, a second major side, and a pair of opposing transverse sides extending between the major sides defining an interior with an front opening and a back opposite the front opening; 14 WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827 a plurality of mounting locations defined for telecommunications modules inserted through the front opening with each module generally oriented parallel to one of the transverse sides; each mounting location including an adapter holder, each adapter holder removably mounted within the interior of the housing and including at least one fiber optic adapter, each fiber optic adapter including a front end and a rear end, each end configured to receive a mating fiber optic connector; each adapter holder orienting the at least one fiber optic adapter with a front end positioned to receive the mating fiber optic connector inserted through the front opening toward the back and generally parallel to the sides; each adapter holder positioned to hold the at least one fiber optic adapter within the interior of the housing at a location behind the front opening and forward of the back, so that a fiber optic cable with a mating fiber connector may be directed to and inserted within the rear end of the at least one fiber optic adapter; each adapter holder removable from the interior of the housing through the front opening so that the rear end of the at least one fiber optic adapter may be accessed outside of the interior. 34. The telecommunications chassis of claim 33, further comprising a removable fastener mounting each adapter holder to the housing. 35. The telecommunications chassis of claim 34, further comprising a longitudinal mount for sliding each adapter holder into and out of the housing. 36. The telecommunications chassis of claim 33, further comprising a longitudinal mount for sliding each adapter holder into and out of the housing. 15 A telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a removable holder. A method of mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis.

Full Text

WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
FIBER OPTIC MODULE AND SYSTEM INCLUDING REAR
CONNECTORS
Field
The present invention generally relates to fiber optic
telecommunications equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to
fiber optic modules and chassis for holding fiber optic modules.
Background
In fiber optic telecommunications systems, it is common for optical
fibers of transmission cables to be split into multiple strands, either by optical
splitting of a signal carried by a single stranded cable or by fanning out the
individual fibers of a multi-strand cable. Further, when such systems are installed, it
is known to provide excess capacity in the installations to support future growth and
utilization of the fibers. Often in these installations, modules including splitters or
fanouts are used to provide the connection between transmission fibers and customer
fibers. To reduce the cost and complexity of the initial installation and still provide
options for future expansion, a module mounting chassis capable of mounting
multiple modules may be used in such an installation.
While the chassis may accept several modules, the initial installation
may only include fewer modules mounted in the chassis, or enough to serve current
needs. These chassis may be configured with limited access to one or more sides, or
may be mounted in cramped locations. In addition, some of these chassis may be
pre-configured with the maximum capacity of transmission cables to accommodate
and link to modules which may be installed in the future. Since it is desirable to
have access to components within the chassis for cleaning during the installation of a
new module, some provision or feature of the chassis will desirably permit a user to
access and clean the connectors of these pre-connectorized and pre-installed
transmission cables.
It is also desirable for the chassis to be configured to ensure that
modules are installed correctly and aligned with other components within the chassis
to mate with the pre-connectorized and pre-installed transmission cables.

WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
Summary
The present invention relates to a telecommunications assembly
including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The
modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector.
Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters.
Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location
positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter
of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a
removable adapter holder. The present invention further relates to a method of
mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the description, illustrate several aspects of the invention and
together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the
invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a telecommunications assembly
with a plurality of fiber optic modules installed through a front opening.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective of the telecommunications assembly of
FIG. 1, taken from an opposite side.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a top view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the telecommunications
assembly of FIG. 1, with one of the modules exploded out of the assembly and
mounting flanges removed from the upper and lower surfaces of the chassis.
FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the telecommunications assembly
of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 7,
with a fiber optic adapter holder exploded out of the assembly.
FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the telecommunications
assembly of FIG. 1, taken through the center of one of the modules mounted within
the assembly.
2

WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
FIG. 11 is a front view of the telecommunications assembly of FIG.
1, with one of the modules removed to show the adapter holder mounted within the
interior of the assembly.
FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the adapter holder of FIG. 11,
removed from the assembly.
FIG. 13 is a front view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a rear view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12.
FIG. 15 is a side view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12.
FIG. 16 is a top view of the adapter holder of FIG. 12.
Detailed Description
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the
present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever
possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer
to the same or similar parts.
FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications assembly 10 with mounting
locations 12 for mounting a plurality of modules 14. Assembly 10 includes a
chassis or housing 16 with a first major side 18, a second major side 20 and a pair of
opposing transverse sides 22 extending between the first and second major sides. A
mounting flange 24 may be mounted to each of the major sides extending generally
oppositely of each other. A secondary or alternative mounting flange 26 may also
be mounted to one of the major sides to provide options for mounting housing 16 to
a particular size or shape of equipment rack, cabinet or other type of installation.
Housing 16 defines a front opening 28 through which modules 14 are
inserted within an interior 30 (shown below in FIG. 7) of housing 16. Openings 32
may be defined in the transverse sides 22 to permit access by a person into interior
30. Openings 32 may include a protective pad 34 about a perimeter to provide chafe
and other-injury to any hands which may pass into or out of interior 30 through one
of the openings 32. Visible through opening 32 in FIG. 1 is a housing 40 of one of
the modules 14 mounted within front opening 28. Flanges 24 and 26 may include a
plurality of fastener openings 36 for mounting housing 16 where needed in a
telecommunications installation.
Referring now to FIG. 2, each module 14 includes a releasably catch
42 adjacent second major side 20. As can be seen below in and described with to
3

WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
FIG. 10, catch 42 engages a portion of housing 16 to hold module 14 within front
opening 28 and can also he deflected to permit withdrawal of module 14 from
housing 16. Each module 14 also may include one or more cable exits 44 extending
from a front face 46. Cable exits 44 permit telecommunications cables within
module 14 to be directed outside of module 14, as will be described below with
regard to FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 2, front faces 46 of modules 14 are angled with
regard to front opening 28, which may aid in the direction of cables exiting module
14 toward a desired location in the telecommunications installation. It is anticipated
that front faces 46 could be made generally parallel to front edges 38 of transverse
sides 22 at front opening 28 within the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring now to FIG. 3, modules 14 includes unequal length flanges
48 and 50 which are received within correspondingly sized slots 52 and 54,
respectively. Flange 48 and slot 52 are smaller in size than flange 50 and slot 54.
Slot 52 is sized so that, while flange 48 may be received within slot 52, larger flange
50 will not fit. This ensures that modules 14 are positioned within front opening 28
in a particular desired orientation. Similar flanges are described in commonly-
owned U.S. Patent No. 5,363,465, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference. Opposite latch 42 and mounted to housing 16 at each mounting location
12 are an adapter holder 56 releasably held within front opening 28 by a thumbscrew
58. Adapter holder 56 is described in further detail below with regard to FIGS. 9 to
16.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, housing 16 further includes a back
60 opposite front opening 28, substantially closing off the rear of housing 16.
Openings may be provided through back 60 to allow cables or air to pass, but it is
anticipated that user access into interior 30 of housing 16 will be made through front
opening 28. As shown in FIG. 6, on one end of modules 14, a lip or finger grip 62
may be included to aid removal of module 14 from housing 16. Finger grip 62 is
preferably positioned on module 14 opposite latch 42 so that a user may apply
opposing force with fingers or hands to securely grasp the module and remove it
from housing 16.
Referring now to FIG. 7, latch 42 of module 14 includes a recessed
area 66 which engages an edge 64 of mounting location 12 to hold module 14 in
place within front opening 28. Recessed area 66 is formed near a distal end of latch
42 and a flexible portion 68 extends from recessed area 66 to a point of connection
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to a first side 70 of module 14. Flexible portion 68 is resiliency deformable and
allows a user to deflect latch 42 to disengage recessed area 66 from edge 64 and
remove module 14 from housing 16 or for latch 42 to deflect as module 14 is
inserted into front opening 28 and engage edge 64. Module 14 includes a second
opposing side 72 and a back 78. An intermediate rear face 76 is formed in second
side 72 by an inset side portion 74. A pair of fiber optic connectors 80 is positioned
in rear face 76 to mate with fiber optic adapters mounted to adapter holder 56 within
interior 30 of housing 16.
Module housing 40 also includes a first transverse face 82 extending
between first side 70, second side 72, back 78 and front face 46. A second
transverse face 84 closes off the opposite side of module housing 40 between front
face 46 and back 78 but extends beyond sides 70 and 72 to form flanges 48 and 50
(flange 50 is not visible in FIG. 7). hi FIG. 8, flange 50 is visible as an extension of
second transverse face 84 beyond side 70 of module 14. Module housing 40 may
include curved transitions 86 between sides 70 and 72 and back 78. Transitions 86
may be shaped to provide bend radius protection to cables within interior 30 as the
cables extend to adapters 88. Alternatively, sides 70 and 72 may terminate directly
at back 78, depending on the needs for placing components within module housing
40 and efficiencies in manufacturing of module housing 40.
FIG. 9 shows assembly 10 with adapter holder 54 exploded out from
interior 30. Holder 54 includes an extension 86 to hold and position a pair of
adapters 88 to engage connectors 80 of module 14. Each adapter 88 includes a first
or rear end 90 and a second or front end 92, and each of the first and second ends are
adapted to receive a fiber optic connector which may terminate a fiber optic cable.
FIG. 10 shows a cross-section of assembly 10 with a first cable 94
extending from connector 80 to an optical component 98, mounted within an interior
96 of module housing 40. Optical component 98 may be a splitter or a fan-out or
another type of optically significant element. First cable 94 may be a multi-strand
fiber cable with a plurality of strands of optical fiber and optical component 98 may
be a fanout to separate the individual strands into each of a plurality of second cables
100. Second cables 100 extend from optical component 98 to cable exit 44.
Alternatively, first cable 94 maybe a single fiber whose signal is separated by
optical component 98 which is a splitter and a plurality of second cables 100
carrying portions of the signal from first cable 94 may extend to cable exit 44. The
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arrangement of optical fiber and sheathing at cable exit 44 may be as disclosed in
commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/658,802, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
An outside cable 102 may extend to rear end 90 of adapter 88 and be
terminated by a connector 104. Connector 104 may be received in rear end 90 to be
optically connected to connector 80 of module 14. Cable 102 may extend from
interior 30 of housing 16 through an opening in one of sides 18,20, or 22 in housing
16.
Referring now to FIG. 11, assembly 10 has a module removed from
one of the mounting locations 12 and includes an alternative adapter holder 154 in
that mounting location 12. Holder 154 includes a shield 108 in front of second ends
92 of adapters 88. In some installations, a housing 16 may be installed and a cable
102 led to and connected to first ends 90 of adapters 88, before a module 14 is
placed in the associated mounting location 12. If cable 102 is illuminated and
transmitting light signals, shield 108 will prevent accidental exposure to these
signals which might damage eyes or other sensitive organs, or nearby
communications equipment.
In FIG. 12, holder 154 includes an opening 124 through extension 86
through which adapters 88 are mounted. Thumbscrew 56 extends through a front
flange 114 and pair of wall engaging flanges 116 extend backward from adjacent
front flange 114. Alternatively, other releasable features, such as snap fit devices,
quarter turn fasteners, swell latches or similar features may be used in place of
thumbscrew 56 on holder 54 or 154. Positioned between a forward end of each
flange 116 and front flange 114 is a slot 118. Toward a rear end of flanges 116 are a
pair of wall slots 120. As shown in FIG. 10, an inner wall 110 is positioned within
interior 30 offset inwardly from first major surface 18. Wall slots 120 extend along
both sides of inner wall 110. A turned-in forward edge 112 of first major surface 18
engages slot 118. These engagements between housing 16 and holder 154 correctly
position adapters offset from inner wall 110 within interior 30 to engage connector
80 on rear face 76 of module 14. A central member 122 extends from front flange
114 between wall flanges 116 to extension 86 to correctly position adapters 88
within interior 30 between front opening 28 and rear 60.
Referring now to FIGS. 13 to 16, extension 86 of holder 154 includes
a plurality of fastener openings 124 for mounting adapters 88 to extension 86.
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Fasteners 126 may be extended through side flanges 128 of adapter 88 to permit
secure mounting of adapters 88. Adapters 88 are shown as SC style connectors,
although other types, styles and formats of adapters may be used within the scope of
the present disclosure and connectors 80 and 104 changed to mate with these
alternative adapters. Within each of the adapters 88 shown may be an alignment
device, such as a split sleeve 130 to correctly position optical fiber terminated in a
ferrule and held by connectors 80 and 104. Such alignment devices and termination
ferrules are well known in the art.
Shield 108 is curved when viewed from the side, as in FIG. 15, so
that shield 108 will be deflected by module 14 as module 14 is inserted into interior
30 through front opening 28 so that connectors 80 can mate with adapters 88. Shield
108 is preferably made of a resilient deformable material that will return to the
position shown in FIG. 154 when the module 14 is withdrawn from mounting
location 12. Shield 108 may be connected to central member 122 by a pair of
fasteners such as screws 132. Alternatively, shield 108 could be connected to holder
154 by being formed integrally with holder 154 or by spot-welding or other
fastening techniques. As rear 60 closes off the rear of housing 16 so that is no
access to the rear any modules 14 mounted at a mounting location 12, providing a
second shield 108 to block light from first end 90 of each adapter 88 is not needed as
shown. However, if any sensitive equipment is mounted within module 14 or
housing 16, it may be desirable to have a second shield 108 blocking first side 90 of
adapters 88.
Insertion of module 14 into housing 16 at one of the mounting
locations 12 may include first unfastening thumbscrew 56 and removing holder 54
or 154 from interior 30 through front opening 28. Cable 102 preferably includes
enough excess length or slack within interior 30 to permit adapters 88 to be pulled
through opening 28. Once positioned outside of interior 30, connector 104 of cable
102 can be removed from first end 90 of adapter 88 to permit a polished endface of
an optical fiber within cable 102 to be cleaned. Connector 104 can then be
reinserted within first end 90. Holder 54 or 154 can be reinserted within interior 30
so that the holder engages inner wall 110 and inward turned extension 112 and
thumbscrew 56 resecured. Insertion of module 14 into front opening 28 begins the
mating of module 14 to housing 16 and adapters 88. Flanges 48 and 50 engage slots
52 and 54, respectively, as module 14 is inserted. Connectors 80 and portions of
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
second side 72 engage and deflect shield 108 (if present) as connectors 80 approach
second ends 92 of adapters 88. Further insertion of module 14 brings connectors 80
into and contact with adapters 88 and the connectors are received within second ends
92. Latch 42 is deflected inward as module 14 is inserted and then springs back so
that recessed area 66 engages edge 64. Module 14 is now mounted within front
opening 28 and interior 30 at mounting location 12 and in position to process and
transmit signals from cable 102 through first cable 94, optical component 98 and
second cable 100 within module interior 96.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete
description of the manufacture and use of the invention. Since many embodiments
of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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What is claimed is:
1. A telecommunications assembly comprising:
a chassis and a module mounted within the chassis;
the chassis including:
a housing defining an interior space accessible through an
open front, the housing including a back opposite the open front;
a plurality of mounting locations within the interior space;
at least one fiber optic adapter corresponding to each of the
mounting locations mounted within the interior space, the fiber optic adapters each
including a front end directed toward the open front and a back end directed toward
the back, each end configured to receive a fiber optic connector; and,
a holder for holding at least one fiber optic adapter at each
mounting location, the holder removable from the interior space through the open
front of the chassis to permit access to the back end of the adapter mounted to the
holder, the holder positioning the adapter within the interior space behind the open
front; and,
the module mounted at one of the mounting locations and including a
housing with a rear face to which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector
engaging the at least one fiber optic adapter within the chassis.
2. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, the module further
comprising:
at least one optical component within an interior of the housing of the
module;
a front face with a cable exit; and,
a first optical fiber cable within the interior extending from the
connector of the rear face to the optical component, and at least one second optical
fiber cable extending from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face.
3. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the first optical fiber
cable within the interior of the module is a multi-fiber cable including a plurality of
optical fiber strands, the optical component is a fanout, and a plurality of second
optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the cable exit of the front
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
face, each second optical fiber cable including one of the strands of the first optical
fiber cable.
4. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the optical component
is an optical splitter, the first optical fiber cable includes a single strand of fiber and
a plurality of second optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the
cable exit of the front face.
5. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the module includes a
pair of fiber optic connectors on the rear face, the holder includes two fiber optic
adapters which each receive one of the fiber optic connectors, and the module
includes a pair of optical components.
6. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the module includes a
pair of cable exits on the front face.
7. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the cable exit includes
a bell shaped portion to provide bend radius protection to the at least one second
optical fiber cable extending through the cable exit
8. The telecommunications assembly of claim 2, wherein the rear face of the
module is positioned forward of a rear most extension of the housing of the module.
9. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear face of the
module is positioned forward of a rear most extension of the housing of the module.
10. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the holder positions
the at least one adapter forward of the back of the chassis.
11. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality
of modules, each module mounted at one of the mounting locations.
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
12. The telecommunications assembly of claim 11, wherein each module
includes a pair of opposing mounting flanges and each mounting location includes a
pair of opposing slots to receive the flanges of the modules.
13. The telecommunications assembly of claim 12, wherein one of the flanges is
larger than the other and only one of the slots is sized to receive the larger flange.
14. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein the holder is
positioned adjacent one of the sides of the chassis and includes a forward extension
along the adjacent side to the front opening, the forward extension releasably held to
the chassis by a removable fastener.
15. The telecommunications assembly of claim 14, wherein the removable
fastener is a thumbscrew captively held by the forward extension of the holder and
removably received within a fastener opening of the chassis.
16. The telecommunications assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the mounting
locations of the chassis further includes a fiber optic cable extending to and received
within the rear of the at least one of the fiber optic adapters, and removal of the
holder through the front opening of the chassis allows access to the fiber optic cable
received within the rear of the adapter.
17. The telecommunications assembly of claim 16, wherein the fiber optic cable
extending to the rear of the fiber optic adapter may be accessed by removing the
holder through the front opening of the chassis, the fiber optic cable may be
removed from the rear of the adapter and cleaned, the fiber optic cable may be
replaced within the adapter and the holder repositioned within the chassis.
18. A method of mounting a module within a chassis comprising:
providing the chassis including a front opening and a module
mounting location, a holder positioned within an interior of the chassis at the module
mounting location and accessible through the front opening, the holder holding a
fiber optic adapter with a connector of a fiber optic cable received in a rear of the
11

WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
adapter, and further providing a module adapted to be mounted at the mounting
location, the module including a rear face with a fiber optic connector;
removing the holder and the fiber optic adapter from the interior of
the chassis through the front opening;
removing the connector of the fiber optic cable from the rear of the
adapter and inspecting an endface of an optical fiber within the fiber optic cable;
replacing the connector with the fiber optic cable within the rear of
the adapter;
replacing the holder within the chassis at the mounting location;
inserting the module within the chassis through the front opening at
the mounting location and engaging a front of the adapter with the connector of the
rear face of the module.
19. The method of claim 18, further providing the mounting location with a pair
of opposing slots and the module with a pair flanges, one of the flanges larger than
the other and only one of the slots sized to receive the larger flange, the method
further comprising aligning the larger flange of the module with the slot of the
mounting location sized to receive the larger flange prior to inserting the module
through the front opening of the chassis.
20. A telecommunications module comprising:
a housing defining an interior and including first and second pairs of
opposing sides, a front face, a rear face and a back spaced from the front face;
the rear face positioned adjacent one of the sides of the housing and
facing generally toward the back of the housing;
a mounting flange extending beyond each of the opposing sides of
one of the first and second pairs of opposing sides of the housing;
at least one fiber optic connector mounted to the rear face and
positioned to be inserted into a mating adapter with a rearward movement of the
housing, the at least one fiber optic connector having an end disposed between the
front face and the back of the housing; and,
a cable exit positioned in the front face of the housing;
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
a first fiber optic cable within the interior of the housing extending
from the at least one fiber optic connector of the rear face to an optical component
mounted within the interior of the housing;
a second fiber optic cable within the housing extending from the
optical component to the cable exit in the front face.
21. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the cable exit includes
a bell-shaped outer extension beyond the front face.
22. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the housing includes a
flexible latching tab extending adjacent to the front face.
23. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein the rear face of the
housing is positioned adjacent to a recess defined by the housing.
24. The telecommunications module of claim 20, wherein one flange extends
substantially further from the adjacent side than the other flange.
25. A telecommunications module comprising:
a housing defining an interior and including first and second pairs of
opposing sides, a front face, a rear face and a back spaced from the front face;
the rear face facing generally toward the back of the housing;
the rear face defining at least one connector holder location for
holding a fiber optic connector having a longitudinal connector axis extending
parallel to a module axis extending between the front face and the back, wherein an
end of the connector is disposed outside of the interior defined by the housing;
the rear face positioned at a location between the front face and the
back;
the front face including a cable exit location in communication with
the interior defined by the housing.
26. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the cable exit includes
a bell-shaped outer extension beyond the front face.
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
27. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the housing includes a
flexible latching tab extending adjacent to the front face.
28. The telecommunications module of claim 25, wherein the rear face of the
housing is positioned adjacent to a recess defined by the housing.
29. An adapter module comprising
a bulkhead defining:
a fastener holder for holding a fastener extending in a first
longitudinal direction;
a longitudinal flange extending from the fastener holder in a
directional parallel to the first longitudinal direction; and,
a main body extending from the longitudinal flange, the main
body defining adapter locations; and,
a plurality of adapter mating components positioned in the adapter
locations of the main body of the bulkhead, each adapter mating component
configured to mate two connectors for fiber optic signal transmission between the
connectors, wherein each adapter mating component aligns the two connectors in a
direction parallel to the first longitudinal direction.
30. The adapter module of claim 29, further comprising a fastener in the fastener
holder.
31. The adapter module of claim 29, wherein the plurality of adapter mating
components are aligned in a direction transverse to the first longitudinal direction.
32. The adapter module of claim 29, further comprising a moveable shutter
positioned to cover each of the adapter mating components.
33. A telecommunications chassis comprising:
a housing with a first major side, a second major side, and a pair of
opposing transverse sides extending between the major sides defining an interior
with an front opening and a back opposite the front opening;
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WO 2006/052675 PCT/US2005/039827
a plurality of mounting locations defined for telecommunications
modules inserted through the front opening with each module generally oriented
parallel to one of the transverse sides;
each mounting location including an adapter holder, each adapter
holder removably mounted within the interior of the housing and including at least
one fiber optic adapter, each fiber optic adapter including a front end and a rear end,
each end configured to receive a mating fiber optic connector;
each adapter holder orienting the at least one fiber optic adapter with
a front end positioned to receive the mating fiber optic connector inserted through
the front opening toward the back and generally parallel to the sides;
each adapter holder positioned to hold the at least one fiber optic
adapter within the interior of the housing at a location behind the front opening and
forward of the back, so that a fiber optic cable with a mating fiber connector may be
directed to and inserted within the rear end of the at least one fiber optic adapter;
each adapter holder removable from the interior of the housing
through the front opening so that the rear end of the at least one fiber optic adapter
may be accessed outside of the interior.
34. The telecommunications chassis of claim 33, further comprising a removable
fastener mounting each adapter holder to the housing.
35. The telecommunications chassis of claim 34, further comprising a
longitudinal mount for sliding each adapter holder into and out of the housing.
36. The telecommunications chassis of claim 33, further comprising a
longitudinal mount for sliding each adapter holder into and out of the housing.

15

A telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted
within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one
fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber
optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a
mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating
with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are
mounted to a removable holder. A method of mounting a telecommunications module
within a chassis.

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=SfRl+78Op8UcnSkGuytcYw==&loc=wDBSZCsAt7zoiVrqcFJsRw==

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Patent Number

270142

Indian Patent Application Number

1566/KOLNP/2007

PG Journal Number

49/2015

Publication Date

04-Dec-2015

Grant Date

30-Nov-2015

Date of Filing

03-May-2007

Name of Patentee

ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC

Applicant Address

13625 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	NHEP, PONHARITH	9013 WEST 137TH STREET SAVAGE, MINNESOTA 55378
2	ZIMMEL, STEVEN C.	5516 12TH AVENUE SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55417
3	SMITH, TREVOR D.	17860 LIV LANE EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA 55346

PCT International Classification Number

H04Q 1/14

PCT International Application Number

PCT/US2005/039827

PCT International Filing date

2005-11-02

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	10/980,978	2004-11-03	U.S.A.