WO2023137287A1

WO2023137287A1 - Improved fiber routing and management for a fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure

Info

Publication number: WO2023137287A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/060422
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bart Mattie Claessens; Geert Van Genechten
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies Llc
Priority date: 2022-01-14
Filing date: 2023-01-10
Publication date: 2023-07-20
Also published as: EP4463729A1

Abstract

Optical fiber management assemblies. The assemblies can be installed in telecommunications equipment, such as telecommunications closures. According to some example embodiments, the assemblies can require fewer parts. Some example embodiments can provide increased versatility in fiber routing capabilities. Some example embodiments can provide improved coupling of assembly parts.

Description

IMPROVED FIBER ROUTING AND MANAGEMENT FOR A FIBER MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY OF A TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLOSURE

Cross-Reference To Related Application

This application is being filed on January 10, 2023, as a PCT International application and claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 63/299,612, filed on January 14, 2022, and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/317,644 filed March 8, 2022, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to improvements in assemblies for routing and organizing optical fibers at telecommunications equipment.

Background

Optical fibers of telecommunications networks are managed at telecommunications equipment located at different network distribution locations. Such telecommunications equipment can include closures, cabinets, shelves, panels and so forth. The equipment typically includes management assemblies to organize, store, route and connect optical fibers within the network. For example, optical fibers from provider side cables can be routed and optically connected to optical fibers of subscriber side cables using such assemblies. The assemblies can include features for supporting optical fiber splices, ferrules, connectors, adapters, splitters, wave divisionmultiplexers and so forth. In addition, the assemblies can include features for storing and protecting optical fibers. In addition, the assemblies can include features for fixing end portions of cable jackets so that optical fibers can emerge from the cable jackets and be organized on the other equipment.

The assemblies can include fiber management trays, which can be used to, e.g., support splices and other fiber management components between incoming and outgoing optical fibers that are routed onto the trays. The optical fibers can be loose single optical fibers and/or ribbonized fibers in the form of flat ribbons or rollable ribbons. A typical fiber management assembly can include a support structure to which multiple fiber management trays are pivotally mounted in a stack. The pivoting permits access to a desired one of the stack of trays.

The assemblies can include features for securing and guiding protective tubes that hold lengths of optical fibers beyond where they have emerged from the cable jackets. In addition, the assemblies can include fiber routers that include guide walls for gently guiding optical fibers from sheath holders to fiber management trays of the assembly.

Summary

In general terms, the present disclosure relates to improvements in optical fiber management assemblies.

In further general terms, the present disclosure relates to improvements in methods of optical fiber routing on optical fiber management assemblies.

In further general terms, the present disclosure relates to improvements in fiber optic closures and other fiber optic distribution equipment.

In further general terms, the present disclosure is directed to optical fiber management assemblies that optimize various attributes of the assembly, such as ease of assembling and use of the assembly, and/or ease and versatility in routing fibers to different areas of the assembly and/or improvements in coupling features for securely coupling pieces of the assembly together.

Different networking applications can demand different optical fiber routing schemes. Features of the assemblies of the present disclosure can advantageously accommodate different optical fiber routing schemes.

In further general terms, the present disclosure is directed to optical fiber management assemblies that advantageously minimize the number of differently configured molds required to manufacture parts for the assembly.

According to certain specific aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a sheath containing an optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a sheath holding location, the sheath holding location being closer to one of the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure than to the other of the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure; and routing the optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays from the sheath holding location without routing the optical fiber to the closer of the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure.

According to certain other specific aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in a figure 8 or a half figure 8 configuration, the assembly defining a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a sheath containing an optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a sheath holding location, the sheath holding location being located on the left side or the right side of the reference line; and routing the optical fiber from the sheath holding location to the other side of the reference line before routing the optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures. According to certain other specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure is provided, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly; a back sheath holder region above the back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly, the back sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; a fiber organizing region at the front of the assembly and above the fiber routing region, the fiber organizing region including pivotally mounted optical fiber management trays; a cover that, when connected to a piece of the assembly, fully covers the fiber routing structures; and a fiber routing channel extending from a back end of the fiber routing channel at the back sheath holder region to a front end of the fiber routing channel at the fiber routing region at the front of the assembly, wherein no portion of the cover covers the fiber routing channel when the cover is connected to the piece of the assembly.

According to certain other specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure is provided, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly; a back sheath holder region above the back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly, the back sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; a first cover that fully covers the fiber routing structures; and a second cover having an open configuration and a closed configuration, the second cover being configured to pivotally connect to a piece of the assembly such that the second cover can selectively cover a portion of the back sheath holder region when the second cover is in the open configuration and selectively uncover the portion of the back sheath holder region when the second cover is in the closed configuration, without detaching the second cover from the piece.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure, includes: an assembly piece; and a module configured to pivotally support optical fiber management trays, the assembly piece and the module defining a coupling interface, the interface including three pairs of coupling features, each pair being structurally different from the other pairs, the interface being configured to allow the module to be lockingly mounted to the assembly piece in only one orientation.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure is provided, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including: a sheath holder region; a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations; and pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures, wherein the assembly defines a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure; and wherein the sheath holder region and the fiber routing region are structurally configured to define: a first fiber routing path from a sheath holding location in the sheath holder region on one side of the reference line to the other side of the reference line before routing the optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures; and a second routing path from the sheath holding location to the fiber routing structure on the same side of the reference line as the sheath holding location before routing the optical fiber to the fiber routing structure on the other side of the reference line.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure is provided, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly; a back sheath holder region above the back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly, the back sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; and a first cover having an open configuration and a closed configuration, the first cover being configured to pivotally connect to a piece of the assembly such that the first cover can selectively cover a portion of the back sheath holder region when the first cover is in the open configuration and selectively uncover the portion of the back sheath holder region when the first cover is in the closed configuration, without detaching the first cover from the piece.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, a method, includes: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a first sheath containing a first optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a first sheath holding location that is closer to the left fiber routing structure than to the right fiber routing structure; routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays from the first sheath holding location without routing the first optical fiber to the left fiber routing structure; securing a second sheath containing a second optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a second sheath holding location that is closer to the right fiber routing structure than to the left fiber routing structure; and routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays from the second sheath holding location without routing the second optical fiber to the right fiber routing structure.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in a figure 8 or a half figure 8 configuration, the assembly defining a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a first sheath containing a first optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a first sheath holding location, the first sheath holding location being located on the left side of the reference line; routing the first optical fiber from the first sheath holding location to the right side of the reference line before routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures; securing a second sheath containing a second optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a second sheath holding location, the second sheath holding location being located on the right side of the reference line; and routing the second optical fiber from the second sheath holding location to the left side of the reference line before routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures.

According to further specific aspects of the present disclosure, an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure is provided, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including: a sheath holder region; a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations; and pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures, wherein the assembly defines a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure; and wherein the sheath holder region and the fiber routing region are structurally configured to define: a first fiber routing path for a first optical fiber from a first sheath holding location in the sheath holder region on a left side of the reference line to the right side of the reference line before routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures; and a second fiber routing path for a second optical fiber from a second sheath holding location in the sheath holder region on a right side of the reference line to the left side of the reference line before routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures.

A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the examples disclosed herein are based.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are intended for use in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description. Embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of example telecommunications equipment that can support an optical fiber management assembly according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a further perspective view of the equipment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example optical fiber management assembly according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a further perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a further perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a further perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a base to which the assembly of FIG. 3 can be snap-connected.

FIG. 8 is a further perspective view of the base of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a partial exploded view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a further partial exploded view of the portion of the assembly of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a planar view of the portion of the assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the called-out portion of FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the fiber router of the assembly of FIG 3.

FIG. 15 is a further perspective view of the fiber router of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a further perspective view of the portion of the assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the called-out portion of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a further perspective view of the portion of the assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the called-out portion of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the fiber router cover of the portion of the assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 21 is a further perspective view of the fiber router cover of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 11, including the cover of FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 3 with sheath holder covers in a closed configuration.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 3 with sheath holder covers in an open configuration.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of a further portion of the assembly of FIG. 3 with sheath holder covers in an open configuration.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of one of the sheath holder covers of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 27 is a further perspective view of the sheath holder cover of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a further perspective view of the sheath holder cover of FIG. 26.

FIG. 29 is a further perspective view of the sheath holder cover of FIG. 26.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged, perspective view of a portion of the basket of the assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of one of the fiber management tray support modules of the assembly of FIG. 3. FIG. 32 is a further perspective view of the module of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 illustrates a portion of a mounting interface between the module of FIG. 31 and the basket of FIG. 30.

FIG. 34 is another view that illustrates a portion of a mounting interface between the module of FIG. 31 and the basket of FIG. 30.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto. Any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the claimed invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, example telecommunications equipment 10 is shown. In the depicted example, the equipment 10 includes a sealable and re-enterable closure. In other examples, the equipment can include other components at a distribution location of an optical fiber network. Such equipment can include, for example, a cabinet, a drawer, a shelf, or a panel for organizing and routing optical fibers.

The closure 10 includes a first housing piece 12 (in this case, a dome), and a second housing piece 14 configured to cooperate with the first housing piece to define a sealable and re-enterable telecommunications closure for managing optical fibers. The first and second housing pieces 12, 14 define a sealable and re-enterable interior closure volume in which other fiber managing equipment, including an optical fiber management assembly according to the present disclosure, can be positioned.

A clamp ring 16 having a clamp can be used to clamp and seal together the housing pieces 12 and 14.

Cables carrying optical fibers can enter the closure volume via sealable ports 19 defined by the second housing piece 14. Such cables can include trunk cables, feeder cables, branch cables, and distribution cables (also known as drop cables). Typically, optical fibers from one cable entering the closure are spliced to optical fibers of one or more other cables entering the closure to establish an optical signal path at the closure 10 (or other signal distribution equipment) from a provider side cable to one or more customer side cables, or an optical signal between a branch cable and any of: another branch cable, a trunk cable, a feeder cable, or a distribution cable. Branch cables can be used to route optical signals from one telecommunications closure to another telecommunications closure.

In addition to splicing, other fiber management activities can be performed with telecommunications equipment housed within the closure volume. Such activities can include, without limitation, indexing fibers, storing fibers (typically in one or more loops) and splitting fibers.

Splices, such as mechanical splices or fusion splices, can be performed at the factory or in the field, e.g., at the closure 10 positioned in the field.

The cables entering the closure can include optical fibers of different configurations such as loose fibers and fiber ribbons. The fiber ribbons can be flat ribbons or rollable ribbons. The loose fibers can be individual fibers or bundled loose fibers protected by a common protective sheath or tube. For fiber ribbons, the fibers of the entire ribbon can be spliced to the fibers of a corresponding fiber ribbon at the same time, e.g., using a mass fusion splicing procedure.

Splice bodies can be used to protect the splices both in the case of individual fiber splices and mass fiber splices, such as mass fusion splices. The splice bodies are held in splice holders also known as splice chips. Fiber management trays of a fiber management assembly positioned in the interior sealable and re-enterable volume defined by the closure 10 can support such splice holders (or splice chips).

As used herein, positioning and orientational terms such as up, down, upper, lower, above, below, front, back, rear, forward, backward, rearward, horizontal, vertical, and so forth, may be used to refer to relative positioning of components in an assembly or portions of a component relative to each other when positioned in an assembly. Such terminology is provided as a descriptive aid and does not limit how components or portions of components may be positioned or oriented in practice.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, a fiber management assembly (or, simply, assembly) 100 in accordance with the present disclosure, and that can be housed in the closure volume of the closure 10 of FIG. 1, will be described. In addition, components of the assembly 100 can be installed on or in other telecommunications equipment that are not sealable closures, such as cabinets, panels, drawers, racks, shelves, and so forth. The assembly 100, as well as individual components or pieces of the assembly 100 and various combinations of the components of the assembly 100, can provide one or more advantages in manufacturing cost and efficiency, assembling efficiency, and/or ease and versatility of routing optical fibers on the assembly across different network applications. Additional advantages will be bome out by the present disclosure.

In some examples, pieces of the assembly 100 are constructed of a molded polymeric material.

In some examples, pieces of the assembly 100 are configured to snap-connect to one another and/or to other components of a telecommunications closures, such as a base.

The assembly 100 defines a first axis, or vertical axis 102, a second axis 104, and a third axis 106. The first axis 102, the second axis 104, and the third axis 106 are mutually perpendicular. The second axis 104 and the third axis 106 define a horizontal plane. The assembly 100 extends from a top 108 to a bottom 110 along the first axis 102. The assembly 100 extends from a first side 112 to a second side 114 along the second axis 104. The assembly 100 extends from a front 116 to a back 118 along the third axis 106.

The assembly 100 also includes a vertical stack 123 of fiber management tray support modules 122. The stack 123 is mounted at a front of the assembly 100. The stack 123 includes a selectable number of modules 122 stacked along a stacking axis, which is parallel to the axis 102.

Each module 122 is configured to pivotally support a plurality of optical fiber management trays 124. Each optical fiber management tray 124 can be used to provide optical signal routing between optical fibers of cables entering the closure or other equipment. For instance, each fiber management tray 124 can include structures (also known as splice chips) that hold splices of optical fibers, where each splice optically connects an optical fiber and another optical fiber. In addition, or alternatively, each tray can support optical fiber adapters that provide an interface for two connectors terminating optical fibers to be optically coupled to each other while secured to the tray. In addition, or alternatively, each tray can support a signal splitter or a wave division multiplexer for further signal management of optical fibers on the tray.

The assembly 100 defines regions with different functions. Referring to FIGS. 7-8, an example base 200 is depicted. The base 200 is configured to mount the assembly 100 and to be received within the closure volume of the closure 10. For example, the base 200 defines pockets 202 that can receive via snap-lock interface the cable jacket fixation interface plates 113 of the assembly 100 (FIG 3). In addition, the base 200 defines receivers 204 configured to receive sealing blocks. Such sealing blocks can seal about cable jackets as the cables enter the closure and are fixed to the plates 113. The base 200 defines a cable sealing region 130 in that it can hold seal blocks that can be pressurized against walls of the sealing region 130 (e.g., using an actuator that compresses a spring mechanism) to form seals around cable jackets of cables entering the closure.

Referring again to FIGS. 3-6, above the cable sealing region 130 (FIGS. 7-8) are a front cable jacket fixation region 132 and a rear cable jacket fixation region 134. Each cable jacket fixation region (or, cable fixation region) 132, 134 is configured to mount cable jacket fixation subassemblies. The cable jackets of the cables entering the closure must be anchored to minimize damage to the optical fibers that could result if the cables were to shift within the closure. Optical fibers emerge from the ends of the fixed cable jackets of the cables. The optical fibers can be managed as loose fibers or as groups of fibers protected by sheaths or tubes. Typically, portions of the fibers will be protected by such sheaths and other portions, e.g., portions on the fiber management trays, will not be protected by such sheaths. In some examples, the cables entering the closure can include a strength member, such as aramid yam or a rigid rod. Typically, the strength member is also anchored in the cable jacket fixation region 132, 134 to minimize possible damage to the optical fibers.

Above the cable jacket fixation regions 132 and 134 is a front sheath holder region 144 and rear sheath holder regions 142, 147. The sheath holder regions 142, 147 and 144 are for securing sheaths that protect optical fibers extending from the cable jacket fixation regions 132 and 134. Securing the sheaths can minimize possible damage to optical fibers and enhance organization of loose fibers emerging from the ends of the sheaths. Typically, the sheaths can be shaved off at or near the sheath holder regions 142, 147 and 144, and loose fibers continue from the ends of the sheaths. In other examples, the sheaths are held at or near the sheath older regions 142, 147 and 144 and continue until another component of the assembly is reached, such as a fiber management tray, at which point the sheath is shaved off and the fiber(s) extend from the end of the sheath. Above the front sheath holder region 144 at the front of the assembly 100 is a fiber routing region 152 defined by a fiber router 155 (FIG. 9). The fiber routing region 152 is configured to route fibers from the front sheath holder region 144 to an appropriate side (left or right) of the fiber management region 136. The fiber routing region 152 is also configured to route fibers from the left and right portions of the rear sheath holder regions 142, 147 to the appropriate side (left or right) of the fiber management region 136.

The rear sheath holder regions 142, 147 can also serve as a fiber routing region for routing fibers extending from the ends of held sheaths at the rear of the assembly 100 to the fiber routing region 152 at the front of the assembly 100.

The fiber management region 136 of the assembly 100 is positioned at the front of the assembly 100 above the fiber routing region 152. The fiber management region 136 includes the pivotally mounted fiber management trays 124 and the modules 122 that support the trays 124. Fibers enter the trays 124 from the left side and the right side of the fiber routing region 152 via left and right fiber entry/exit openings defined by the trays. On the trays, fibers can be looped, spooled, and their splices held using features of the trays.

At the rear of the assembly 100 and above the rear sheath holder regions 142, 147 is a loop storage region 138. The loop storage region 138 includes a basket 139 that includes fiber retaining features for retaining fibers in the basket 139 as loops. The basket has a basket volume in which fiber loops can be stored, the basket volume being defined by a main surface 141 of the basket and a wall 143 of the basket extending from the main surface parallel to the axis 106. The basket volume is further defined by fiber retaining lips 151 and 153 that serve to retain fibers between the lips 151, 153 and the main surface 141. The positions of the retainers 151 can be adjusted parallel to the axis 106. In the example shown, the position of the retainer 153 is fixed.

Typically, optical fibers stored in loops in the loop storage region 138 (e.g., in the basket volume of the basket 139) are protected by sheaths or tubes extending from the cable jacket fixation region 134. The fibers remain stored and protected until needed for signal transmission, at which point the relevant tube can be removed from the loop storage region 138, shaved off and held in one of the rear sheath holder regions 142, 147, and the needed optical fiber routed from the rear sheath holder region 142, 147 can then be routed to the fiber management region 136. Surfaces of walls 157, 159 of the rear sheath holder regions 142, 147 define a pathway 161 from the cable jacket fixation region 134 to the basket volume of the basket 139. Thus, sheathed fibers can be routed directly from the cable jacket fixation region 134 for loop storage in the basket 139 via the pathway 161.

Referring to FIGS. 9-10 and 20-21, the assembly 100 also includes a front cover 162. The front cover 162 is configured to releasably snap-connect to the walls 163 to cover and thereby protect the front sheath holder region 144 and the fiber routing region 152. Covering these regions can further serve to retain optical fibers or sheathed optical fibers on their desired routing paths in the fiber routing region 152.

Referring to FIGS. 9-10 and 25-28, the assembly 100 includes rear covers 164. Each rear cover 164 is configured to pivotally mount at one of the walls 165 and releasably snap-connect at the opposing wall 157, 159 to cover and thereby protect the sheaths secured in the corresponding rear sheath holder region 142, 147.

Referring to FIGS. 11-15, the assembly 100 includes a piece 166. The piece 166 can be of unitary, seamless construction. The piece 166 includes the front cable jacket fixation region 132, the front sheath holder region 144, and the fiber routing region 152.

The fiber routing region 152 includes various fiber routing structures such as substantially round or otherwise curved and enclosed or substantially enclosed bend control structures 182, 184, fiber retaining lips 169 and 170, interior fiber retaining lips 172 for looping fiber slack within the bend control structures 182, 184, and guide posts 170 for guiding and routing optical fibers along different pathways defined by the fiber routing region from the sheath holder region 144 to the fiber management region 136. The bend control structures 182, 184 are positioned and configured for optical fibers to be routed about them in, e.g., figure-8 and half figure-8 configurations for purposes of storing fiber slack, and redirecting fibers from one side of the assembly to the other side of the assembly without overbending the fibers.

The number of guide posts 171 can correspond to a number of cables (e.g., drop cables) whose fibers can be routed and in the fiber routing region 152. Thus, the guide posts 171 can define fiber routing lanes for facilitating keeping track of which fibers belong to which cables as they are routed into the fiber routing region 152. For instance, each lane defined by one or more posts 171 can be designated for the optical fibers of one or two cables. The sheath holder region 144 includes mounting structures 174. The mounting structures 174 are configured to mount sheath holder modules that hold sheaths containing optical fibers.

The fiber routing region 152, which defines a fiber router, includes features that can improve fiber routing and fiber routing versatility. For example, the front sheath holder region 144 and the fiber routing region 152 are entirely open to each other along the reference line 180 (parallel to the axis 104), except for the guide posts 171. Thus, a first fiber 2 extending from the end of a sheath 5 that is held at a sheath holding location 179 by a sheath holder mounted in the front sheath holder region 144 can be guided directly from the end of the sheath 5 to the right bend control structure 184, then to the right fiber channel 186, and then to desired tray 124. Meanwhile, a second fiber 3 extending from the same sheath 5 can be guided to the left bend control structure 182, then to the right bend control structure 184 (e.g., in a half-figure 8 configuration), then to the right fiber channel 186, and then to a desired tray 124. Meanwhile, a third fiber 4 extending from the same sheath 5 can be guided directly to the left bend control structure 182, then to the left fiber channel 188 and then to a desired tray.

Similarly, a fourth fiber 7 extending from the end of a sheath 6 that is held at a sheath holding location 181 by a sheath holder mounted in the front sheath holder region 144 on the right side of the line 190 can be guided directly from the end of the sheath 6 to the left bend control structure 182, then to the left fiber channel 188 (and then to desired tray 124) or to the right fiber channel 188 (and to the desired tray 124) via the right bend control structure 184. Meanwhile, a fifth fiber 7 extending from the same sheath 6 can be guided directly to the right bend control structure 184, then to the right fiber channel 186, and then to a desired tray 124.

Thus, the example depicted routing schemes of the fibers 2, 3 and 4 and the fibers 7 and 9 are just two of many possible routing schemes that can be accommodated due to the configuration of the routing structures of the fiber routing region 152. For instance, similar routing flexibility can be achieved with fibers extending from sheaths on both the left side and the right side of the reference line 190, which extends parallel to the axis 102. That is, due to the open communication between the sheath holder region 144 and the fiber routing region 152 along the reference line 180, optical fibers extending from sheath holders in the sheath holder region 144 on the right side of the reference line 190 can be routed directly to either the bend control structure 182 or the bend control structure 184, and likewise optical fibers extending from sheath holders in the sheath holder region 144 on the left side of the reference line 190 can be routed directly to either the bend control structure 182 or the bend control structure 184. Similarly, due to the open communication between the sheath holder region 144 and the fiber routing region 152 along the refence line 180, optical fibers in the sheath holder region 144 can be routed directly to either the bend control structure that is closer to the fibers in the sheath holder region 144 or directly to the control structure that is farther from the fibers in the sheath holder region.

A fiber guiding structure 199 with curved guide surfaces is centered on the reference line 190 and can help, together with posts 171, to guide optical fibers from one of the spooling structures to the other.

Referring to FIGS. 14-21, the piece 166 includes a catch 210 and a guide 212 on each side. The piece 166 also includes a cover mount 211 centered relative to the axis 104. The cover mount 211 includes a catch 213. Each catch 210, 213 is configured to snappingly engage a corresponding coupling feature (e.g., a shoulder) 215 of the cover 162, while the guide 212 is received in a corresponding recess 219 of the cover 162, thereby allowing easy snap connection mounting at three different points of the cover 162 to the piece 166 to cover the fiber routing region 152 (including the entirety of both fiber routing structures) and the front sheath holder region 144. The recesses 219 have a tapering width to facilitate proper alignment of the cover 162 and the and snapconnecting features. By flexing the arm 223 and the tabs 225, the snap-connecting features can be disengaged and the cover can be released and removed from the piece 166.

However, the cover 162 is configured advantageously (e.g., with material voids), such that when it is fully mounted to the piece 166, it does not cover the fiber routing channels 214 and 216 which extend from the back of the assembly 100 to the front of the assembly 100 at the right and left sides of the assembly 100, respectively. The channel 214 is configured to guide optical fibers from one of the rear sheath holder regions 142 to the right fiber channel 186, and thereby to a desired tray 124. The channel 216 is configured to guide optical fibers from the other of the rear sheath holder regions 142 to the left fiber channel 188, and thereby to a desired tray 124. In this manner, optical fibers of cables entering the closure volume and whose jackets are fixed at the rear cable jacket fixation region 134 can nevertheless be routed for management (e.g., splice holding) in the fiber management region 136 at the front of the assembly 100 even with the cover 162 fully installed on the piece 166 and without having to remove the cover 162.

Because the fiber routing channels 214 and 216 remain uncovered by the cover 162, the routing of fibers from the rear sheath holder regions 142 to the fiber management region 136 at the front of the assembly 100 can be more easily performed. For example, the cover 162 need not be removed from the piece 166 in order to perform this routing, while still permitting lateral, rather than axial, insertion of the fibers into the channels 214, 216.

Referring now to FIGS. 23-29, each rear cover 164 is configured to cover one of the rear sheath holder regions 142. Each rear sheath holder region 142 includes structures 220 for mounting sheath holder modules thereto. The sheath holder modules are themselves configured to hold sheaths of optical fibers, which can then be guided to the channels 214, 216 via curved wall surfaces 224, 226.

Each rear cover 164 includes a cover body 230. The cover body 230 includes a first coupler arrangement 232 and a second coupler 234. The second coupler 234 can be a notch that defines a shoulder 236. The first coupler arrangement 232 includes pairs 237 and 238 of clip arms 240, each pair 237, 238 straddling a receiver 242. Each receiver 242 is configured to receive a bar (e.g., a rod) 250. Alternatively, each receiver 242 is configured to receive a pin. Installing the bar 250 (or pin) in a receiver 242 causes the clip arms 240 to snap over the bar or pin, securing the bar or pin in the receiver 242 while allowing pivoting motion of the cover 164 about a pivot axis running longitudinally through the bar or pin. In some examples, such pivoting axis is parallel to the axis 102.

This pivotal coupling of the coupler arrangement 232 to the bars or pins 250 allow the covers 164 to be pivoted open and closed relative to the rear sheath holder regions 142 (see FIGS. 23 (covers 164 are closed) and 24-25 (covers 164 are open)) without completely detaching the cover 164 from the rest of the assembly 100. That is, the covers 164 can be opened without creating loose parts of the assembly.

Each cover 164 can include ribs 252, 254 for structurally reinforcing and strengthening the first coupler arrangement 232.

The notch 234 is configured to receive a flexibly resilient arm 260 of one of the rear sheath holder regions 142, allowing a catch 262 projecting from the arm 260 to snappingly engage the shoulder 236 to thereby snappingly lock the cover 164 in a closed configuration while the cover rests on the rearward facing surface 261 of the corresponding wall 157, 159. To unlock the cover 164 to pivot it to an open configuration, the corresponding arm 260 can be flexed generally toward the other arm, thereby releasing the catch 262 from the shoulder 236. Once the arm 260 is released, it resiliently returns to its pre-flexed position.

Each cover 164 includes a handling tab 270 having grips 272. The handling tab 270 can facilitate opening and closing of the cover 164 with respect to the corresponding rear sheath holder region 142. In addition, for greater stability when the cover 164 is closed and locked, the handling tab 270 is positioned and configured to rest on one of the optical fiber retainers 269 of the basket, the optical fiber retainers 269 being elongate along a dimension oblique to the axes 102, 104.

The cover 164 for each of the rear sheath holder regions 142 is of identical construction. Thus, for example, a single mold (rather than different molds for left and right covers) can be used to construct the covers 164 for both rear sheath holder regions 142, which can advantageously reduce manufacturing cost and/or reduce the number of differently constructed parts needed for the assembly 100. In some examples, each rear sheath holder region cover is symmetrical back-to-front. In the example shown, the cover 164 is not symmetrical back-to-front.

Referring to FIGS. 30-34, the assembly 100 provides an improved mounting interface between each module 122 and the front of the basket 139. The improved interface allows each module 122 to installed on the front of the basket 139 in only one orientation, thereby facilitating assembling of the assembly 100 and, e.g., minimizing improper assembling of the assembly 100.

The basket 139 is a unitarily formed aspect of a piece 300 (see FIG. 9). At the front of the basket, the piece 300 defines interface features for mounting modules 122. The interface features include arrangements at the left side and the right side of the axis 102 up and down the piece 300 parallel to the axis 102 of ribs 302, tabs 304, and slots 306. The slots 306 are elongate parallel to the axis 102. The ribs 302 have curved surfaces 308 and protrude in directions parallel to the axis 104. The tabs 304 project frontwards from the surface 310.

Each module 122 includes structures 314 that defines curved recesses 312. Each module 122 includes hooks 318. Each module 122 includes retainers 316. To install a module 122 on the piece 300, the hooks 318 enter the slots 306, and then the module 122 can be slid downward into snap-lock engagement with the piece 300. For example, the structures 314 can resiliently flex until the ribs 302 snappingly engage the recesses 312. In addition, to further augment the strength of the mounting interface between the module 122 and the piece 300, the tabs 304 are received in the retainers 316 (which are closed at their top ends) as the module 122 is slid downward and the hooks 318 hook over the piece 300 below the slots the hooks are received in (see FIG. 33).

The hooks 318 and the slots 306 define a first pair of couplers. The ribs 302 and the structures 314 define a second pair of couplers. The tabs 305 and the retainers 316 define a third pair of couplers. Each pair of couplers is structurally different from the other pairs of couplers.

Due to the configurations of the hooks 318 and the retainers 316, the module 122 can be snap-lockingly mounted to the piece 300 in only one orientation. Referring to FIG. 31, because the tray coupling arrangements 320 of each module 122 are configured to be pitched at a downward angle for improved space utilization within the closure, it is important that the modules 122 are mounted in the correct orientation, which is facilitated by the mounting interface just described.

Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure, and it should be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative examples set forth herein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of routing optical fibers, comprising: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a first sheath containing a first optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a first sheath holding location that is closer to the left fiber routing structure than to the right fiber routing structure; routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays from the first sheath holding location without routing the first optical fiber to the left fiber routing structure; securing a second sheath containing a second optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a second sheath holding location that is closer to the right fiber routing structure than to the left fiber routing structure; and routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays from the second sheath holding location without routing the second optical fiber to the right fiber routing structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the routing the first optical fiber includes routing the first optical fiber to the right fiber routing structure; and wherein the routing the second optical fiber includes routing the second optical fiber to the left fiber routing structure.

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3. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first optical fiber is spliced to another optical fiber at a splice that is supported on the corresponding one of the fiber management trays.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, further comprising: routing another optical fiber from the first sheath holding location to the left fiber routing structure.

5. A method of routing optical fibers, comprising: providing an optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly including a sheath holder region, a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in a figure 8 or a half figure 8 configuration, the assembly defining a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure, the assembly further including pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures; securing a first sheath containing a first optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a first sheath holding location, the first sheath holding location being located on the left side of the reference line; routing the first optical fiber from the first sheath holding location to the right side of the reference line before routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures; securing a second sheath containing a second optical fiber in the sheath holder region at a second sheath holding location, the second sheath holding location being located on the right side of the reference line; and routing the second optical fiber from the second sheath holding location to the left side of the reference line before routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the routing the first optical fiber includes routing the first optical fiber to the right routing structure; and wherein the routing the second optical fiber includes routing the second optical fiber to the left routing structure.

7. The method of any of claims 5-6, further comprising routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber management trays.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first optical fiber is spliced to another optical fiber at a splice that is supported on the one of the fiber management trays.

9. The method of any of claims 5-8, further comprising routing the first optical fiber in a half figure 8 configuration about the right fiber routing structure and the left fiber routing structure.

10. The method of any of claims 5-9, further comprising routing the first optical fiber in a full figure 8 configuration about the right fiber routing structure and the left fiber routing structure.

11. The method of any of claims 5-10, further comprising routing another optical fiber from the first sheath holding location to one of the fiber routing structures along a path that is entirely on the left side of the reference line.

12. The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein the routing first optical fiber includes routing the first optical fiber through a channel toward the plurality of trays, the channel being positioned above the fiber routing region.

13. The method of any of claims 1-12, further comprising installing the assembly in a sealable closure volume of a telecommunications closure.

14. An optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly comprising: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly; a back sheath holder region above the back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly, the back sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; a fiber organizing region at the front of the assembly and above the fiber routing region, the fiber organizing region including pivotally mounted optical fiber management trays; a cover that, when connected to a piece of the assembly, fully covers the fiber routing structures; and a fiber routing channel extending from a back end of the fiber routing channel at the back sheath holder region to a front end of the fiber routing channel at the fiber routing region at the front of the assembly, wherein no portion of the cover covers the fiber routing channel when the cover is connected to the piece of the assembly.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the fiber management trays are configured to support optical fiber splices.

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16. The assembly of any of claims 14-15, wherein the cover is configured to snapconnect to the piece of the assembly to fully cover the fiber routing structures.

17. The assembly of any of claims 14-16, wherein the fiber routing channel is continuous with another fiber routing channel elongate parallel to the first axis and positioned at the front of the assembly, the another fiber routing channel being configured to guide optical fibers to the fiber management trays.

18. The assembly of any of claims 14-16, further comprising another fiber routing channel positioned at the opposite side of the assembly from the fiber routing channel, the another fiber routing channel extending from a back end of the another fiber routing channel at the back sheath holder region to a front end of the another fiber routing channel at the fiber routing region at the front of the assembly, wherein no portion of the cover covers the another fiber routing channel when the cover is connected to the piece of the assembly.

19. A telecommunications closure, comprising: housing pieces configured to cooperate to form a sealable and re-enterable closure volume; the assembly of any of claims 14-18 positioned in the closure volume; and fiber optic cables having jackets secured at the front cable jacket fixation region and the back cable jacket fixation region, an optical fiber of one of the cables being routed through the fiber routing channel from the back of the assembly to the front of the assembly.

20. An optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly comprising: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly;

26 a back sheath holder region above the back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly, the back sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; and a first cover having an open configuration and a closed configuration, the first cover being configured to pivotally connect to a piece of the assembly such that the first cover can selectively cover a portion of the back sheath holder region when the first cover is in the open configuration and selectively uncover the portion of the back sheath holder region when the first cover is in the closed configuration, without detaching the first cover from the piece.

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the first cover is configured to snap connect to the piece in the closed configuration.

22. The assembly of any of claims 20-21, wherein the first cover includes a handling tab.

23. The assembly of any of claims 20-22, wherein the first cover includes a coupler arrangement for pivotally coupling the first cover to a bar or a pin of the piece.

24. The assembly of claim 23, wherein the coupler arrangement includes one or more reinforcement ribs.

25. The assembly of any of claims 20-24, further comprising a second cover having an identical construction to the first cover,

27 wherein the piece is configured to pivotally mount the first cover at a right side of the back sheath holder region and to pivotally mount the second cover at a left side of the back sheath holder region such that the second cover can selectively cover another portion of the back sheath holder region when the second cover is in an open configuration and selectively uncover the another portion of the back sheath holder region when the second cover is in a closed configuration, without detaching the second cover from the piece.

26. The assembly of claim 25, wherein the second cover is configured to snap connect to the piece in the closed configuration.

27. The assembly of any of claims 25-26, wherein the second cover includes a handling tab.

28. The assembly of any of claims 25-27, wherein the second cover includes a coupler arrangement for pivotally coupling the second cover to a bar or a pin of the piece.

29. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the coupler arrangement of the second cover includes one or more reinforcement ribs.

30. The assembly of any of claims 25-29, wherein when the first cover and the second cover are pivotally mounted to the piece, the first cover and the second cover are configured to open in opposite directions from each other and to close in opposite directions from each other.

31. The assembly of any of claims 20-30, further comprising another cover configured to fully cover the fiber routing structures.

32. A telecommunications closure, comprising: housing pieces configured to cooperate to form a sealable and re-enterable closure volume; and the assembly of any of claims 20-31 positioned in the closure volume.

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33. The method of any of claims 1-13, wherein the routing includes routing the fiber about a guide post positioned above the sheath holding region and having an elongate dimension parallel to the third axis.

34. An optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure, comprising: an assembly piece; and a module configured to pivotally support optical fiber management trays, the assembly piece and the module defining a coupling interface, the interface including three pairs of coupling features, each pair being structurally different from the other pairs, the interface being configured to allow the module to be lockingly mounted to the assembly piece in only one orientation.

35. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the assembly piece includes a basket for storing loops of optical fibers.

36. The assembly of any of claims 34-35, wherein one of the pairs includes a slot and a hook, another of the pairs includes a tab and retainer, and the other of the pairs includes a recess and a rib.

37. An optical fiber management assembly of a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly comprising: a sheath holder region; a fiber routing region above the sheath holder region and including fiber routing structures including a right fiber routing structure and a left fiber routing structure positioned to the left of the right fiber routing structure, the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber routing structure being configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or half figure 8 configurations; and

29 pivotally mounted fiber management trays positioned above the fiber routing structures, wherein the assembly defines a reference line parallel to the first axis extending between the left fiber routing structure and the right fiber outing structure; and wherein the sheath holder region and the fiber routing region are structurally configured to define: a first fiber routing path for a first optical fiber from a first sheath holding location in the sheath holder region on a left side of the reference line to the right side of the reference line before routing the first optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures; and a second fiber routing path for a second optical fiber from a second sheath holding location in the sheath holder region on a right side of the reference line to the left side of the reference line before routing the second optical fiber to one of the fiber routing structures.

38. An optical fiber management assembly for a telecommunications closure, the assembly extending along a first axis from a bottom of the assembly to a top of the assembly, the assembly extending along a second axis from a left side of the assembly to a right side of the assembly, the assembly extending along a third axis from a front of the assembly to a back of the assembly, the first axis, the second axis and the third axis being mutually perpendicular to one another, the assembly comprising: a back cable jacket fixation region at the back of the assembly; a front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly; a front sheath holder region above the front cable jacket fixation region at the front of the assembly, the front sheath holder region being configured to secure sheaths containing optical fibers; a fiber routing region at the front of the assembly and above the front sheath holder region, the fiber routing region including fiber routing structures configured to route optical fibers in figure 8 and/or a half figure 8 configurations; a fiber organizing region at the front of the assembly and above the fiber routing region, the fiber organizing region including pivotally mounted optical fiber management trays; a cover that, when connected to a piece of the assembly, fully covers the fiber routing structures; and

30 a fiber routing channel extending from a back end of the fiber routing channel at the back of the assembly to a front end of the fiber routing channel at the fiber routing region at the front of the assembly, wherein no portion of the cover covers the fiber routing channel when the cover is connected to the piece of the assembly.

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