US 2,009,067,800 · Filed 2008-07-31
The Angled Panel That Squeezed More Fiber Optic Ports Into Server Racks
This patent describes a clever tray system for fiber optic cables in data centers—the kind of thick cables that carry internet signals between servers. The trick is using angled panel surfaces instead of flat ones, which lets technicians cram more connections into the same space and keep cables neatly organized without a tangled mess.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a fiber optic adapter module with angled panel surfaces that face different directions rather than sitting flat against each other. What's protected here is the specific geometry of how those panels are tilted toward one another, plus the design of flared end surfaces that create extra interior space for cables to route without getting kinked or squeezed. Someone making an unlicensed copy would need to avoid this multi-angle panel arrangement and the way it organizes adapters in three-dimensional space.
Why it matters
In data centers, space is money—every square inch of rack real estate costs real dollars. This patent lets equipment designers pack more fiber optic connections into the same footprint, which means faster upgrades, easier maintenance, and lower installation costs. The tilting tray feature also improves access for technicians working in tight spaces, reducing installation time and errors. For manufacturers of networking infrastructure, that translates to competitive advantage in the dense, high-speed data center market.
Real-world use
Every time a data center technician plugs in a fiber optic cable to connect servers or routers in a cramped equipment rack, they're likely benefiting from this angled-panel design that gives them room to work and keeps cables organized.
Original USPTO abstract
A fiber optic adapter module and tray. The fiber optic adapter module supports fiber optic adapters for fiber optic connections. The fiber optic adapter module may be included on an extendible tray portion of a fiber optic equipment tray and selectively configured to be tilted when extended for providing enhanced access to the fiber optic adapter module. In one embodiment, an adapter module panel of the fiber optic adapter module that supports fiber optic adapters contains at least two forward facing panel surfaces angled to one another to provide more surface area for supporting a higher density of fiber optic adapters and/or for neat routing and organizing of fiber optic connections. One or more fourth flared panel surfaces may also be included on an end(s) of the adapter module panel to provide sufficient interior space for fiber optic connections adjacent or proximate to sides of the fiber optic equipment tray.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,009,067,800
- Filing date
- 2008-07-31
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Mariano Perez Vazquez / Juan Miguel Gonzalez / Esparza Fernando M / Valdez Cesar E / Dennis Robert W / Ugolini Alan W
- Inventor(s)
- VAZQUEZ MARIANO PEREZ, GONZALEZ JUAN MIGUEL, ESPARZA FERNANDO M., VALDEZ CESAR E., DENNIS ROBERT W., UGOLINI ALAN W.
- CPC class
- H04Q1/142
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