WO2019014295A1

WO2019014295A1 - Mounting features for securing a telecommunications component in a telecommunications terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2019014295A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/041550
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Austin Keenum; Edward Joseph REED; Rodger Alan Tenholder
Original assignee: Corning Research & Development Corporation
Priority date: 2017-07-14
Filing date: 2018-07-11
Publication date: 2019-01-17

Abstract

A telecommunications terminal includes a housing defining an interior volume that includes a first mounting feature and a second mounting feature. The first mounting feature includes a first plurality of mounting openings for mounting a telecommunications component to the housing. The second mounting feature includes a second plurality of mounting openings for mounting the telecommunications component to the housing. The first and second mounting features are rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of the position of the first and second plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume of the housing. By independently rotating the first and second mounting features, a variety of telecommunications components can be secured to the housing.

Description

MOUNTING FEATURES FOR SECURING TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPONENTS IN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS TERMINAL

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/532573, filed July 14, 2017, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to mounting features, and more particularly to mounting features for securing telecommunications components, such as optical/electrical converters, in a telecommunications terminal.

BACKGROUND

[0002] As a result of the ever- increasing demand for broadband communications involving voice, video, and data transmission, telecommunication and cable media service providers and/or operators have increasingly relied on fiber optics to provide large bandwidth telecommunication service to their subscribers. Fiber optic solutions have become the main part of telecommunication networks. Optical cables can transmit voice, data, and video signals over very long distances at very high speed. Because of this, developments in fiber optic telecommunication networks have consistently focused on extending the optical fiber closer to the subscriber, to the point that currently some subscribers can be connected directly to the fiber optic network through FTTx (fiber to the specific location "x") technology, including FTTH (fiber-to-the-home), which provides an "all optical" communication network to the subscribers at their homes. This dynamic subscriber bandwidth demand exists whether optical fiber reaches all the way to the subscriber or not.

[0003] Accordingly, except with respect to a totally new subscriber installation, e.g., a new development or new portion of a development, or a "green field" project, advancing the fiber optic network all the way to the subscriber may not be easily accomplished, practical, or even possible. One reason is the existence of a legacy electrical telecommunication network infrastructure and investment, which cannot be discarded or disregarded, whether for economic, technical, or other reasons. In such cases, service providers are compelled to study ways to optimize the use of the legacy infrastructure to move the fiber optic network as close as possible to the subscriber premises. Typically, the legacy infrastructure includes electrical wiring buried in trenches; for instance, wiring over which plain old telephone service (POTS) communication was provided to the subscriber. The POTS network may involve twisted copper pair wiring that runs from the subscriber premises to some type of convergence point located a certain distance from the subscriber premises.

[0004] Service providers initially considered utilizing the existing telecommunication cabinets that provide a convergence location for the electrical telecommunication wiring of subscribers in a community or area, as the location to transition from optical to electrical communication service. This approach, referred to as a fiber-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) solution, was attractive to the service providers as the cabinets were already in existence, were suitably protected from the elements, and were provided with electrical power, which would be needed for the optical/electrical converters. These cabinets may have been located at points so as to cover a certain minimum number of subscribers at a maximum distance. Typically, the distance from the farthest subscriber to the cabinet may be several hundred meters or more. Although such distance may not affect the quality of voice transmission over electrical wiring, it can impact the transmission of data as bandwidth increases. So much so, that even relatively limited transmission distances may have a major impact on the amount and speed of bandwidth that can be transmitted to the subscriber over an existing electrical telecommunication system. In this regard, a distance of several hundred meters can compromise the ability to provide current bandwidth needs of a subscriber, much less future needs. While the development of high bandwidth solutions for copper wiring, including, as examples, VDSL and G.fast, help with the bandwidth issue, even these protocols can lose effectiveness over what would seem to be not that large of a distance. Because of this reality, service providers are beginning to accept that they cannot assume that a FTTC solution, in which they rely on advancing the fiber optic network to an existing centrally located service provider convergence cabinet, will provide sufficient bandwidth that subscribers require and demand, now and in the future.

[0005] Accordingly, service providers are now focusing on ways in which to advance the fiber optic network to a distribution point closer to the subscriber. This approach is referred as a fiber-to-the-distribution point (FTTdp) solution. The distribution point can be any existing location where communication hardware is already present, or a new location that does not currently have any communication hardware. In either case, the distribution point may be located in an area that is much smaller than the area in a convergence cabinet. The location may be a closet inside a home or business, or on a pole or wall outside of a home or business, for example.

[0006] The distribution point housing in an FTTdp solution may include telecommunications components for converting optical signals into electrical signal, such as optical/electrical conversion devices. In many cases, the manufacturer of the optical/electrical conversion device is different than the manufacturer of the distribution point housing and other hardware components of the telecommunications system. As such, it is often necessary to customize the distribution point housing to fit a particular optic/electrical conversion device. This customization is time consuming and costly for manufacturers of hardware components and housings, which cost may then be passed on to the service providers and customers. Similar situations may exist for hardware components and housings at other locations in a telecommunications (i.e., locations that may not be associated with FTTdp). Consequently, there is an unresolved need for a telecommunication terminal housing that can accommodate various types, sizes, and shapes of telecommunications components, such as optical/electrical conversion devices.

SUMMARY

[0007] A telecommunications terminal may include a housing defining an interior volume having first and second mounting features therein. As used herein, the term "telecommunications terminal," and similar terms, includes, but is not limited to, any type of closure, cabinet, box, terminal, or other enclosure for housing a portion or portions of a telecommunications system. The telecommunications terminal may be completely enclosed or may be partially or fully open to the environment, for example, by one or more openings in the terminal. The telecommunciations terminal may include any type of telecommunications components, such as optical/electrical conversion components, splitters modules, splice trays, powering components, for example, but may also non-telecommunications components. The term "telecommunications," and similar terms, are not limited to voice communications but may include any type of communication or data transmission, such as video, internet, VOIP, etc. The first mounting feature may include a first plurality of mounting openings for mounting a conversion assembly to the housing and the second mounting feature may include a second plurality of mounting openings for mounting the conversion assembly to the housing. While a conversion assembly is used as an example herein, the first and second mounting features may be used to mount any type of telecommunications component or non- telecommunications component to the telecommunications terminal. The first and second mounting features are rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of a position of the first and second plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume. The terminal may also include a conversion assembly for converting optical signals to electric signals, or some other type of telecommunications component. The conversion assembly may be coupled to one or more of the mounting openings of the first mounting feature and one or more of the mounting openings of the second mounting feature. The adjustability of the first and second mounting features allows for securing various types, sizes and shapes of telecommunications components to the telecommunciations terminal. In particular embodiments, the first and second mounting features may be circular and may include planar surfaces for securing to the telecommunications compoments. The mounting openings of the first and second mounting features may be included on the planar surfaces.

[0008] A mounting frame for a telecommunications terminal is also described herein. The mounting frame includes a first axis, a second axis, a first mounting feature rotatably coupled to the first axis, and a second mounting feature rotatably coupled to the second axis. The first mounting feature may include a first plurality of mounting openings and is rotatable to allow for adjustment of a position of the first plurality of mounting openings with respect to the frame. Likewise, the second mounting feature may include a second plurality of mounting openings and is rotatable to allow for adjustment of a position of the second plurality of mounting openings with respect to the frame. The frame may also include a slack storage route for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable. The slack storage route may include at least one semi-circular flange and may also include other routing features to direct a telecommunications cable along the slack storage route. The slack storage route may be configured so that the slack cable encircles the telecommunications component secured to the mounting features, thereby allowing for an organized placement of features within the telecommunications terminal.

[0009] A method of mounting a conversion assembly to a telecommunications terminal is also described herein. The method may include rotating a first mounting feature to align a first mounting opening of the mounting feature with a first conversion assembly opening (also called a mounting location) of a conversion assembly. The method may also include rotating a second mounting feature to align a second mounting opening of the second mounting feature with a second conversion assembly opening (also called a mounting location) of the conversion assembly. The first conversion assembly opening may then be secured to the first mounting opening and the second conversion assembly opening may be secured to the second mounting opening. An optical fiber cable and an electrical cable may then be secured to the conversion assembly. As described in more detail herein, slack lengths of the optical fiber cable and the electrical cable may be routed on a slack storage route around the conversion assembly.

[0010] Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing the embodiments as described in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.

[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary, and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understand the nature and character of the claims.

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), and together with the description serve to explain principles and operation of the various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 A is a perspective view of an exemplary telecommunications terminal having mounting features for securing a telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal;

[0014] FIG. IB is a perspective view of the telecommunications terminal of FIG. 1A with the telecommunications component removed;

[0015] FIG. 1 C is a front view of a telecommunications terminal having six mounting features;

[0016] FIG. ID is a front view of another telecommunications terminal having six mounting features;

[0017] FIG. 2A is a front view an exemplary mounting feature;

[0018] FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the exemplary mounting feature of FIG. 2A;

[0019] FIG. 2C is a perspective view of another exemplary mounting feature;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a partial, detail perspective view of the mounting features of FIG. 1 A; [0021] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal having mounting features positioned to secure a second telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal;

[0022] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the telecommunications terminal of FIG. 4A with the second telecommunications component secured to the mounting features;

[0023] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal having mounting features positioned to secure a third telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal;

[0024] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the telecommunications terminal of FIG. 5A with the third telecommunications component secured to the mounting features;

[0025] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal having mounting features positioned to secure a fourth telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal;

[0026] FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the telecommunications terminal of FIG. 6A with the fourth telecommunications component secured to the mounting features;

[0027] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal having mounting features positioned to secure a fifth telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal;

[0028] FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the telecommunications terminal of FIG. 7A with the fifth telecommunications component secured to the mounting features; and

[0029] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal having another embodiment of mounting features for securing a telecommunications component in the telecommunications terminal.

[0030] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a method for mounting a conversion assembly to a telecommunications terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Several embodiments of a telecommunications terminal having mounting features for securing a telecommunications component within the telecommunications terminal are described herein. The telecommunications terminal may include a housing that defines an interior volume and first and second mounting features in the interior volume for mounting a telecommunications component to the housing. The first and second mounting features may be rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of the position of mounting openings on the first and second mounting features. By adjusting the position of mounting openings within the interior volume, various types of telecommunications components may be secured in a telecommunications terminal.

[0032] For example, in some embodiments the mounting features may be circular to allow for easily rotating the mounting features within the telecommunications terminal. The axis of rotation of the first and second mounting features may be spaced apart so that the first and second mounting features are independently rotatable. The first and second mounting features may include planar surfaces that include the mounting openings for securing the telecommunications component thereto. The mounting openings may be organized in one or more radial columns of mounting openings. The radial columns may be spaced apart from each other by a radial distance and the location of the mounting openings of each radial column may be spaced apart to allow for incremental adjustment of the placement of relevant mounting openings. For example, in some embodiments the total radial distance between the one or more radial columns is equal to or less than 180 degrees with between about 10 and about 30 degrees between adjacent radial columns. For example, in one embodiment each mounting feature includes nine radial columns that are spaced 22.5 degrees from each other. Thus, all of the mounting openings are accessible by rotating the mounting feature less than or equal to 180 degrees. The first and second mounting feature may also include a flange and with recesses corresponding to each of the one or more radial columns. The recesses may interface with a movable protrusion coupled to the telecommunications terminal to hold the mounting features at defined radial positions when the protrusion is engaged with one of the recesses.

[0033] Example embodiments of a telecommunications terminal having mounting features will now be described in detail with respect to the attached figures. FIGS. 1A and IB illustrate an exemplary telecommunications terminal 10 having mounting features 12, 14 for securing a telecommunications component 16 (FIG. 1A) in the telecommunications terminal 10. An example telecommunications component 16 is shown in FIG. 1A but is not depicted in FIG. IB for ease of illustrating the mounting features 12, 14.

[0034] The example telecommunications terminal 10 includes a housing 18 having a base 20 and a cover 22. The base 20 and the cover 22 define an interior volume 24 when the cover 22 is in a closed position. The cover 22 may be pivotally coupled to the base 20. In some embodiments, the cover 22 and the base 20 of the housing 18 are designed to reduce or prevent ingress of water dust or other elements into the interior volume 24. The cover 22 is illustrated in the open position in FIG. 1A and is not illustrated in the remaining figures for ease of illustration.

[0035] The telecommunications terminal 10 may include one or more openings 26, 30 to allow cables or other elements to pass into or out of the interior volume 24. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, for example, telecommunications terminal 10 includes a feeder cable opening 26 for receiving one or more fiber optic feeder cables 28 and a distribution cable opening 30 for exiting copper distribution cables 32. The feeder cable opening 26 and the distribution cable opening 30 may also include grommets (not illustrated) or other sealing features to reduce or prevent ingress of water, dust, or other elements into the interior volume 24.

[0036] The telecommunications terminal 10 may be any size or shape depending on the intended use and the intended location of the telecommunications terminal 10. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1A, the telecommunications terminal 10 is designed to be secured to a wall, post, or other surface using upper and lower flanges 34, 35 having openings 36 therethrough. The telecommunications terminal 10 in FIG. 1A is rectangular having dimensions of approximately 215mm by 240mm by 76mm, but it will be understood that terminals having other shapes and sizes are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0037] The telecommunications terminal 10 may include a first mounting feature 12 and a second mounting feature 14 in the interior volume 24. The first and second mounting features 12, 14 are rotatably coupled to the housing 18 to allow for adjustment of the position of mounting openings 42, 44 on the first and second mounting features 12, 14, as will be described in more detail below. The first and second mounting features 12, 14 may be directly coupled to the housing 18 (not illustrated) or may be coupled to a frame 38 that is coupled to the housing 18, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and IB, the frame 38 is removably coupled to the housing 18 by one or more nuts 40. Thus, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB, the first and second mounting features 12, 14 are rotatably coupled to a frame 38 and the frame 38 is coupled to the telecommunications terminal 10. It is to be understood that the features described and illustrated herein as being coupled to or forming part of the frame 38 may, in other embodiments, be coupled to or integral with the telecommunications terminal 10. For example, the mounting features 12, 14 may be rotatably coupled directly to the base 20 of the telecommunications terminal 10 rather than being coupled to the frame 38 in some embodiments. [0038] The first and second mounting features 12, 14 are rotatable to allow for adjustment of a position of the first plurality of mounting openings 42 and the second plurality of mounting openings 44 in the interior volume 24. The first and second mounting features 12, 14 each include a planar surface 46, 48 that contains the mounting openings 42, 44, respectively. The planar surfaces 46, 48 allow for securing various sizes and shapes of telecommunications components (for example, telecommunications component 16 in FIG. 1A) to the mounting features 42, 44, as many telecommunications components include a planar back surface (not shown).

[0039] While two mounting features (that is, the first mounting feature 12 and the second mounting feature 14) are illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB, it is to be understood that the frame 38 may include more than two mounting features in other embodiments. For example, FIG. 1C illustrates a frame 38 with six mounting features 39 arranged in three rows and two columns. In addition, FIG. ID illustrates a frame 38 with six mounting features 39 in two rows and three columns. In other embodiments, a frame 38 or telecommunications terminal 10 may include more or less than six mounting features and the mounting features may be arranged in any suitable orientation to allow for mounting of telecommunications components.

[0040] The first and second mounting features 12, 14 may be any suitable size and shape. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB, for example, the first and second mounting features 12, 14 are circular and each includes a centrally located axis of rotation 50, 52 (FIG. 2B).

[0041] The axis of rotation 50 of the first mounting feature 12 (also called the first axis of rotation) is parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation 52 of the second mounting feature 14 (also called the second axis of rotation). In some embodiments, the axis of rotation 50 of the first mounting feature 12 comprises a protrusion 51 that mates with an opening 55 of the first mounting feature 12. Likewise, in some embodiments the axis of rotation 52 of the second mounting feature 14 comprises a protrusion 53 that mates with an opening 57 in the second mounting feature. In some embodiments, a distance between the first axis of rotation 50 and the second axis of rotation 52 is greater than a sum of a radius of the first mounting feature 12 and a radius of the second mounting feature 14. This spacing may allow the first and second mounting features 12, 14 to be independently rotatable (that is, the first mounting feature 12 is rotatable while the second mounting feature 14 remains in position, and the second mounting feature 14 is rotatable while the first mounting feature 12 remains in position; in addition, the first mounting feature 12 may be rotated in one direction while the second mounting feature 14 is rotated in the opposite direction).

[0042] As discussed above, the first and second mounting features 12, 14 are adjustable to allow for coupling various types of telecommunications components to the telecommunications terminal 10. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and I B, for example, a conversion assembly 58 is coupled to the telecommunications terminal 10 by the first and second mounting features 12, 14. The conversion assembly 58 is operable to convert optical signals to electric signals when coupled to input fiber optic feeder cable 28 and copper distribution cables 32. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the conversion assembly 58 may include at least one optical interface 130 and a plurality of electrical interfaces 132 for coupling the fiber optic feeder cable 28 and the copper distribution cable 32. As used therein, the term optical feeder cable means one or more telecommunications cables that extend from an optical line terminal or other component in a central office and/or fiber distribution hub, and includes, but is not limited to, armored cables, drop cables, microduct cables, aerial cables and direct bury cables. The term copper distribution cable means one or more cables extending from a distribution enclosure or terminal to a specific area for the purpose of providing telecommunications service to that area, and includes, but is not limited to, shielded and unshielded coaxial cable.

[0043] As noted above, the telecommunications components, like the conversion assembly 58 in FIG. 1 A, may have various shapes, sizes, and arrangements of mounting elements. For example, the conversion assembly 58 in FIG. 1A includes two mounting flanges 60, 62 that include oblong mounting slots 64, 66, respectively. A first mounting slot 64 is positioned near a bottom surface 70 of the conversion assembly 58 and a second mounting slot 66 is positioned near to a top surface 70 of the conversion assembly 58. As illustrated by the various telecommunications components 98, 100, 102, 104 in FIGS. 4B, 5B, 6B, and 7B, respectively, each telecommunications components 98, 100, 102, 104 may have different mounting configurations depending on the size, shape, or other consideration of the telecommunications component. As such, mounting various types of telecommunications components in a telecommunications terminal 10 can prove to be difficult. The first and second mounting features 12, 14, however, allow for mounting various types of telecommunications components by way of the rotatable mounting features 12, 14 to align mounting openings 42, 44 with the mounting features of various telecommunications components. [0044] For example, in FIGS. 1A and IB the first and second mounting features 12, 14 are positioned such that at least one mounting opening 42, 44 of each of the first and second mounting features 12, 14 aligns with the first and second mounting slots 64, 66 of the conversion assembly 58. The conversion assembly 58 is then coupled to the telecommunications terminal 10 by securing fasteners (not shown) through the first and second mounting slots 64, 66 and into the corresponding mounting openings 42, 44. Thus, the adjustability of the first and second mounting features 12, 14 allows for securing the conversion assembly 58 to the telecommunications terminal 10.

[0045] In addition, the adjustability of the first and second mounting features 12, 14 may also allow for proper alignment of the telecommunications component 16 within the telecommunications terminal 10. For example, the adjustability of the first and second mounting features 12, 14 allows for securing the conversion assembly 58 in the telecommunications terminal 10 with the optical interface 130 of the conversion assembly 58 positioned toward the top of the telecommunications terminal 10 and the electrical interface 132 of the conversion assembly 58 positioned toward the bottom of the telecommunications terminal 10. This may allow for organized routing of the fiber optic feeder cable 28 and the copper distribution cables 32, as described in more detail below.

[0046] Referring again to FIG. 1A, the frame 38 may also include a slack storage route 72 for routing the fiber optic feeder cable 28 and/or the plurality of output copper distribution cables 32 around the conversion assembly 58. As used herein, the term "slack storage route" refers to a pathway within the telecommunications terminal 10 defined by one or more features, such as flanges, posts, routing guides, grooves, rings, reels, etc., for storing slack lengths of cable. The slack storage route 72 may include an inner slack storage route 74 and an outer slack storage route 76, each of which includes one or more semi-circular flanges 78 for guiding at least a portion of a telecommunications cable, such as the fiber optic feeder cable 28 and the output copper distribution cables 32, along the inner slack storage route 74 or the outer slack storage route 76. Example embodiments of the inner slack storage route 74 and the outer slack storage route 76 are illustrated schematically in FIG. IB by dashed lines showing possible routing paths for cables within the telecommunications terminal 10. It is to be understood that in other embodiments the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 may have slightly different paths within the telecommunications terminal 10 and may include additional or different slack storage features, such as grooves, reels, posts, routing guides, instead of or in addition to the semi-circular flanges 78 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB. As with the other features of the frame 38, the slack storage routes 74, 76 may be integral or attached to the frame 38, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB, or may be integral with or attached to the telecommunications terminal 10 in other embodiments.

[0047] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 (also called the first and second slack storage routes) are located between the first and second mounting features 12, 14 and a side wall 80 of the housing 18. Thus, when a slack cable, such as the fiber optic feeder cable 28, is stored in the inner or outer slack storage routes 74, 76, the slack cable encircles the mounting features 12, 14. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A a portion of the fiber optic feeder cable 28 is routed on both the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 and the stored portion of the fiber optic feeder cable 28 encircles the mounting features 12, 14. The routing of the slack fiber optic feeder cable 28 around the mounting features 12, 14 allows for organized placement of the conversion assembly 58 within the telecommunications terminal 10 and reduces interference between the placement of the conversion assembly 58 and the slack fiber optic feeder cable 28.

[0048] In some embodiments, the inner slack storage route 74 is configured to hold slack lengths of the fiber optic feeder cable 28 with the jacket removed while the outer slack storage route 76 is configured to hold slack lengths of the fiber optic feeder cable 28 with the jacket. The inner slack storage route 74 may also include a splice holder 82 for holding a splice housing 106. In some embodiments, for example, the incoming optical fiber (or fibers) 170 from the fiber optic feeder cable 28 may be spliced to a connectorized optical fiber 172 that is coupled to the telecommunications component 16 after passing through the inner slack storage route 74. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1A and IB, the inner slack storage route 74 is located between the first and second mounting features 12, 14 and the outer slack storage route 76 and has an inner peripheral shape that corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the mounting features 12, 14.

[0049] The frame 38 may also include other features in addition to the first and second mounting features 12, 14 and the slack storage routes 74, 76. For example, the frame may also include connector adapter mounts, such as an Optitap adapter mount, patch panel mounts, splice tray mounts, and/or SC or LC adapter mounts. As discussed above, these features may be attached to or integral with the frame 38, or may be attached to or integral with the telecommunications terminal 10. [0050] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an example embodiment of a first mounting feature 12 in more detail. Although only the first mounting feature 12 is illustrated, the second mounting feature 14 may have identical features. The first mounting feature 12 includes mounting openings 42 (also called first mounting openings) that are arranged in one or more radial columns 84 of mounting openings 42. The radial columns 84 each include one or more mounting openings 42 positioned along a straight line extending from the first axis of rotation 50 to an edge 198 (FIG. 2A) of the first mounting feature. The successive mounting openings 42 in a single radial column 84 are positioned at increasingly larger distances from the first axis of rotation 50.

[0051] Each radial column 84 is spaced from the adjacent radial column 84 (or adjacent radial columns 84) by a radial distance 136. In some embodiments, the radial distance 136 is between about ten and about thirty degrees. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a total radial distance between the first radial column 146 and the last radial column 160 is equal to or less than 180 degrees and the radial distance 136 between adjacent radial columns 84 is about 22.5 degrees. In this embodiment, the first mounting feature 12 need not be rotated more than about 180 degrees in order to position the desired mounting opening 42 at the desired location.

[0052] The mounting openings 42 of adjacent radial columns 84 are also positioned in relation to each other to provide for minor adjustments to the location of the pertinent mounting opening 42 by rotating the first mounting feature 12. For example, the first mounting opening 144 of a first radial column 146 is spaced a first distance 142 from the first axis of rotation 50. The first mounting opening 150 of the second radial column 152 is spaced a second distance 148 from the first axis of rotation 50 that is slightly less than the first distance 142. Likewise, the first mounting opening 156 of the third radial column 158 is spaced a third distance 154 from the first axis of rotation 50 that is slightly less than the second distance 148. For example, in some embodiments the first distance 142 is about 29mm, the second distance 148 is about 28.5mm, and the third distance 154 is about 28mm. This pattern continues for the remaining radial columns 84 until the last radial column 160. Thus, the user can adjust the location of the applicable mounting opening 42 by an interval of about 0.5 mm (that is, the difference between the third distance 154 and the second distance 148, or the difference between the second distance 148 and the first distance 142) by rotating the first mounting feature 12 in a first direction 90. [0053] Once the first mounting feature 12 has been rotated to the last radial column 160, the pattern described above, in which the interval between the adjacently positioned mounting openings 42 of the adjacent radial columns 84 changes by an interval of about 0.5 mm, restarts again from the second mounting opening 143 in the first radial column 146. This pattern of rotating the first mounting feature 12 in the first direction 90 until the last radial column 160 is reached, and then restarting again from the first radial column 146, etc., can be used to adjust the location of the applicable mounting opening 42 until the last mounting opening 162, which is the closest mounting opening 162 to the first axis of rotation 50.

[0054] It is to be understood that the interval between adjacently positioned mounting openings 42 of the adjacent radial columns 84 may be more or less than about 0.5 mm. For example, in some embodiments the interval is between about 1mm and about .25mm. In other embodiments, the interval is between about 0.6mm and 0.4mm.

[0055] FIG. 2C illustrated another embodiment of an alternative first mounting feature 12 wherein a total radial distance between the radial columns 84 is 360 degrees. In other words, the pattern described above, in which adjacently positioned mounting openings 42 from adjacent radial columns 84 are spaced at intervals, continues in one direction, the first direction 164 without the need to restart at the first radial column 146 (FIG. 2A). Thus, the mounting feature 12 is rotated in a first direction 164 to adjust the location of the applicable mounting opening 42 by the chosen interval, for example, about 0.5 mm, until the last mounting opening 166, which is closest mounting opening 42 to the axis of rotation 50.

[0056] Referring now to the embodiments in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the first mounting feature 12 may include a flange 34 that extends from the planar surface 46. The flange 34 may include recesses 96 corresponding to each of the radial columns 84. As shown in FIG. 2B, the flange 34 may also include radially spaced recesses 96 that are placed where there are no radial columns 84. In FIG. 2C, however, each recess 96 is radially aligned with a radial column 84.

[0057] Referring now to FIG. 7, which is a partial, detail perspective view of the first mounting feature 12 and frame 38 of FIG. 1A, the frame 38 may include a movable protrusion 94 for interfacing with the recesses 96 of the first mounting feature 12. The protrusion 94 holds the first mounting feature 12 at a desired radial position when the protrusion 94 is engaged with one of the recesses 96 and allows rotation of the first mounting feature 12 when the protrusion 94 is disengaged with the recesses 96. The recesses 96 and the movable protrusion 94 may be shaped such that the protrusion 94 disengages with the recesses 96 in response to a rotational force applied to the first mounting feature 12 and then moves into place in the following recess 96, for example, due to an inwardly biased nature of the protrusion 94, when the following recess 96 is aligned with the protrusion 94. As such, incremental, radial positioning of the first mounting feature 12 can be accomplished by rotating the first mounting feature to sequentially engage, disengage, and then re-engage the protrusion 94 with sequential recesses 96 as the first mounting feature 12 is rotated.

[0058] As noted above, FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B illustrate various orientations of the first and second mounting features 12, 14 to accommodate different types of telecommunications components 98, 100, 102, 104. In FIG. 4A, for example, the second mounting feature 14 is rotated so that the mounting openings 44 are positioned opposite from the mounting openings 42 of the first mounting feature 12. As shown in FIG. 4B, one mounting opening 42 of the first mounting feature 12 and one mounting opening 44 of the second mounting feature 14 are aligned with mounting locations 168 on an RFOG (Radio Frequency Over Glass) unit 98 (also called a second telecommunications component) thereby allowing the RFOG unit 98 to be secured to the telecommunications terminal 10. By adjusting the first and second mounting features 12, 14, the RFOG unit 98 can be secured to the telecommunications terminal 10 with the interfaces 174 of the RFOG unit 98 oriented towards the openings 26, 28 of the telecommunications terminal 10. When the RFOG unit is coupled to input and output cables (not illustrated), slack cable can be stored in the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 around the RFOG unit 98.

[0059] In FIGS. 5A and 5B, another example telecommunications component, a global- powered, four- way splitter 100 (also called a third telecommunications component), that is secured to the mounting features 12, 14. The mounting features 12, 14 are adjusted to accommodate the location of the mounting locations 176 of the global-powered four-way splitter 100. By adjusting the first and second mounting features 12, 14, the global-powered, four-way splitter 100 can be secured to the telecommunications terminal 10 with the interfaces 178 of the global-powered, four-way splitter 100 oriented towards the openings 26, 28 of the telecommunications terminal 10. When the global-powered, four-way splitter 100 is coupled to input and output cables (not illustrated), slack cable can be stored in the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 around the global-powered, four-way splitter 100.

[0060] FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views of yet another exemplary telecommunications component, an RFOG unit 102 (also called a fourth telecommunications component) having a slightly different orientation of mounting locations 182. A user can rotate the mounting features 12, 14 to match two of the mounting openings 42, 44 with the mounting locations 182 of the RFOG unit 102 to secure the RFOG unit to the mounting features 12, 14. By adjusting the first and second mounting features 12, 14, the RFOG unit 102 can be secured to the telecommunications terminal 10 with the interfaces 180 of the RFOG unit 102 oriented towards the openings 26, 28 of the telecommunications terminal 10. When the RFOG unit 102 is coupled to input and output cables (not illustrated), slack cable can be stored in the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 around the RFOG unit 102.

[0061] FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of yet another exemplary telecommunications component, a passive four-way splitter 104 (also called a fifth telecommunications component) having a slightly different orientation of mounting locations, which include mounting apertures 184 and mounting slots 186. The passive four-way splitter 104 is secured to the mounting features 12, 14 in FIG. 7B. By adjusting the first and second mounting features 12, 14, the passive four-way splitter 104 can be secured to the telecommunications terminal 10 with the interfaces 188 of the passive four-way splitter 104 oriented towards the openings 26, 28 of the telecommunications terminal 10. When the passive four-way splitter 104 is coupled to input and output cables (not illustrated), slack cable can be stored in the inner and outer slack storage routes 74, 76 around the passive four- way splitter 104.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the exemplary telecommunications terminal 10 having another embodiment of mounting features 108, 110 for securing a telecommunications component (not shown) in the telecommunications terminal 10. Each mounting feature 108, 110 includes a planar surface 1 12 including a plurality of mounting openings 116 and a slack storage feature 120. The mounting features 108, 1 10 are slideably coupled to the frame 114 at slots 124 that allow for lateral positioning of the mounting features 108, 110. The mounting features 108, 110 are independently movable to allow for independent positioning of the mounting openings 1 16 of each mounting feature 108, 110. The mounting features 108, 1 10 may be coupled to the frame 114, as illustrated in FIG. 8, or may be directly coupled to the telecommunications terminal 10.

[0063] FIG. 9 illustrates a method 200 for mounting a telecommunications component to a telecommunications terminal. The method 200 includes rotating a first mounting feature 12 to align a first mounting opening 42 of the mounting feature 12 with a first conversion assembly opening (for example, mounting locations 168 in FIG. 4B, mounting locations 176 in FIG. 5B, mounting locations 182 in FIG. 6B, and mounting apertures 184 and mounting slots 186 in FIG. 6B), as shown at block 202. The method also includes rotating a second mounting feature 14 to align a second mounting opening 42 of the second mounting feature 14 with a second conversion assembly opening of the telecommunications component, as shown at block 204. The method may also include securing the first conversion assembly opening to the first mounting opening 42, as shown at block 206, and securing the second conversion assembly opening to the second mounting opening 42, as shown at block 208.

[0064] The method 200 may also include coupling an optical fiber cable (such as, for example, fiber optic feeder cable 28 in FIG. 1A) to the conversion assembly and coupling an electrical cable (such as, for example, copper distribution cable 32 in FIG. 1A) to the conversion assembly. This step may be performed before or after the conversion assembly is secured to the first and second mounting openings. Slack lengths of the optical fiber cable, the electrical cable, or both, can be stored on a slack storage route (such as, for example, slack storage route 72 in FIG. 1A). The slack storage route may be positioned such that at least a portion of the optical fiber cable is stored between the first and second mounting features 12, 14 and a wall of a telecommunications terminal 10, and at least a portion of the electrical cable is stored between the first and second mounting features 12, 14 and the wall of the telecommunications terminal 10.

[0065] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that any particular order be inferred.

[0066] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Since modifications combinations, sub-combinations and variations of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A telecommunications terminal, comprising:

a housing defining an interior volume;

a first mounting feature in the interior volume, the first mounting feature comprising a first plurality of mounting openings for mounting a telecommunications component to the housing, the first mounting feature rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of a position of the first plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume; and

a second mounting feature in the interior volume, the second mounting feature comprising a second plurality of mounting openings for mounting the telecommunications component to the housing, the second mounting feature rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of a position of the second plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume.

2. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, further comprising a telecommunications component mounted to the housing by the first mounting feature and the second mounting feature.

3. The telecommunications terminal of either claim 1 or 2, wherein the first mounting feature comprises a first planar surface and the second mounting feature comprises a second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface comprises the first plurality of mounting openings and the second planar surface comprises the second plurality of mounting openings.

4. The telecommunications terminal of either claim 1 2, wherein the first and second mounting features are circular.

5 The telecommunications terminal of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first mounting feature comprises a first axis of rotation and the second mounting feature comprises a second axis of rotation, wherein the first axis of rotation is spaced from the second axis of rotation by a distance greater than a sum of a radius of the first mounting feature and a radius of the second mounting feature.

6. The telecommunications terminal of claim 5, wherein the first axis of rotation is parallel to the second axis of rotation.

7. The telecommunications terminal of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises a side wall and wherein the interior volume comprises a slack storage route for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable, wherein at least a portion of the slack storage route is located between the first and second mounting features and the side wall of the housing.

8. The telecommunications terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least a portion of the slack storage route comprises an inner slack storage route and an outer slack storage route, wherein the inner slack storage route is located between the first and second mounting features and the outer slack storage route.

9. The telecommunications terminal of claim 8, wherein the inner slack storage route comprises a first semi-circular flange and the outer slack storage route comprises a second semi-circular flange.

10. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of mounting openings comprises one or more radial columns of mounting openings.

11. The telecommunications terminal of claim 10, wherein each radial column of the one or more radial columns is spaced from an adjacent radial column by a radial distance between about ten and about thirty degrees.

12. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1 1, wherein a total radial distance between the one or more radial columns is equal to or less than 180 degrees.

13. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1 1, wherein a total radial distance between the one or more radial columns is equal to or less than 360 degrees.

14. The telecommunications terminal of claim 10, wherein the first mounting feature comprises a flange and wherein the flange comprises recesses corresponding to the one or more radial columns.

15. The telecommunications terminal of claim 14, wherein the housing further comprises a protrusion in the interior volume for interfacing with the recesses, wherein the protrusion holds the first mounting feature at a radial position when the protrusion is engaged with one of the recesses and allows rotation of the first mounting feature when the protrusion is disengaged with the recesses.

16. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein the first and second mounting features are directly coupled to the housing.

17. The telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein first and second mounting features are coupled to a frame, and wherein the frame is coupled to the housing.

18. A telecommunications terminal, comprising:

a housing defining an interior volume;

a mounting frame in the interior volume of the housing;

a frame comprising a first axis of rotation and a second axis of rotation, the frame removably positionable in a telecommunications terminal;

a first mounting feature comprising a first plurality of mounting openings, the first mounting feature rotatably coupled to the mounting frame and having a first axis of rotation to allow for adjustment of a position of the first plurality of mounting openings with respect to the frame; and

a second mounting feature comprising a second plurality of mounting openings, the second mounting feature rotatably coupled to the frame and having a second axis of rotation to allow for adjustment of a position of the second plurality of mounting openings with respect to the frame.

19. The mounting frame of claim 18, wherein the frame further comprises a slack storage route for storing at least a portion of a telecommunications cable, wherein the slack storage route comprises at least one semi-circular flange.

20. The mounting frame of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first plurality of mounting openings comprises one or more radial columns of mounting openings and wherein the first mounting feature comprises a recess corresponding to each of the one or more radial columns.

21. The mounting frame of claim 20, wherein the frame comprises a protrusion, wherein the protrusion holds the first mounting feature at a radial position when the protrusion is engaged with one of the recesses and allows rotation of the first mounting feature when the protrusion is disengaged with the recesses.

22. A method of mounting a conversion assembly to a telecommunications terminal, comprising:

rotating a first mounting feature to align a first mounting opening of the first mounting feature with a first conversion assembly opening of a conversion assembly;

rotating a second mounting feature to align a second mounting opening of the second mounting feature with a second conversion assembly opening of the conversion assembly; securing the first conversion assembly opening to the first mounting opening;

securing the second conversion assembly opening to the second mounting opening; coupling an optical fiber cable to the conversion assembly; and

coupling an electrical cable to the conversion assembly.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising routing at least a portion of the optical fiber cable between the first and second mounting features and a wall of a

telecommunications terminal.

24. A telecommunications terminal, comprising:

a housing defining an interior volume;

an optical/electrical conversion component in the interior volume;

a first mounting feature in the interior volume, the first mounting feature comprising a first plurality of mounting openings for mounting the optical/electrical conversion component to the housing, the first mounting feature rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of a position of the first plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume; a second mounting feature in the interior volume, the second mounting feature comprising a second plurality of mounting openings for mounting the optical/electrical conversion component to the housing, the second mounting feature rotatably coupled to the housing to allow for adjustment of a position of the second plurality of mounting openings in the interior volume.