System and method for providing final drop in a living unit in a building

Abstract

A system and method for providing a final drop in a living unit in a building. The system comprises a point-of-entry unit, such as a low profile base unit, disposed within the living unit at a location corresponding to an access position of horizontal cabling disposed in a hallway of the building that provides a first anchor point. The system also includes an adhesive-backed duct, having one or more communication lines disposed therein, mountable to a wall within the living unit. The system also includes a second anchor point, such as a wall receptacle, disposed within the living unit to receive a first communication line via the duct. The components of the system are also designed with very low impact profiles for better aesthetics within the living unit.

1 . A system for providing a final drop in a living unit of a building, comprising:
 a point-of-entry unit disposed within the living unit at a location corresponding to an access position of horizontal cabling disposed in a hallway of the building that provides a first anchor point;   an adhesive-backed duct, having one or more communication lines disposed therein, mountable to a wall within the living unit; and   a second anchor point disposed within the living unit to receive a first communication line via the duct.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the point-of-entry unit comprises a low profile access base unit. 
     
     
         3 . The system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second anchor point comprises a wall receptacle to receive the first communication line via the duct. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first communication line is a first drop fiber. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the duct comprises a conduit portion having a bore formed along a longitudinal axis of the duct to hold at least the first drop fiber and a flange structure, wherein adhesive backing is disposed on a rear surface of the flange structure. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein at least the first drop fiber is terminated via an optical connector. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the conduit is formed centrally with respect to a lateral plane of the flange structure. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the access base unit includes a wall mounting portion and a low profile cover, the cover being mountable over or onto at least a portion of the duct, the wall mounting portion including a main port to fit over a hole formed in the wall, the base unit having a fiber slack storage area disposed between the wall mounting portion and the low profile cover. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the base unit includes a coupling to couple a drop fiber to a service provider line. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the adhesive backing comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the flange structure comprises a first flange extending outward in a first lateral direction from the conduit and a second flange extending outward in a second lateral direction from the conduit. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the duct comprises a strength member. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the strength member is longitudinally disposed between the flange structure and the adhesive backing. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the strength member is longitudinally disposed in the conduit portion. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the duct comprises a plurality of conduit portions, with each conduit portion having a bore formed along a longitudinal axis of the duct, and wherein each conduit portion houses at least one separate drop fiber. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the duct is formed from a clear polymeric material. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the conduit portion further includes an electrical wire. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the wall receptacle includes at least one connector terminating a first drop fiber and a coupling that couples the terminated first drop fiber to a jumper cable. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the wall receptacle includes a first cover portion and a second cover portion that are openable and closable independent of each other. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the duct is flexible such that it can be bent around a curved surface. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the duct has a lateral dimension from about 0.2 inches to about 1 inch, and a height of less than about 0.1 inch to about 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein an inner diameter of the bore is about 20% or less larger than an outer diameter of the drop fiber disposed therein. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the duct comprises a conduit portion having a bore formed longitudinally therein, the conduit portion attached to a flange structure via a thin web of material having a thickness such that upon modest application of a peeling force, a segment of the conduit portion can be detached or peeled away from the flange structure. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the duct includes a conduit portion having a bore formed along a longitudinal axis of the duct to hold at least the first drop fiber, the conduit portion having a longitudinal slot formed therein to provide for insertion and removal of the first drop fiber. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the flange structure comprises a first flange extending along the longitudinal axis of the duct and extending laterally outward from the conduit portion in a first direction and a second flange extending along the longitudinal axis of the duct and extending laterally outward from the conduit portion in a second direction, wherein a first recess portion is disposed between the conduit and the first flange, and a second recess portion is disposed between the conduit and the second flange. 
     
     
         26 . A system for providing a final drop to a living unit in a building, comprising:
 a point-of-entry unit disposed within the living unit at a location corresponding to an access position of horizontal cabling disposed in a hallway of the building that provides a first anchor point;   an optically clear or translucent adhesive tape, having a drop fiber with a clear buffer coating, mountable to a wall within the living unit, wherein the drop fiber is disposed between an adhesive portion of the optically clear or translucent adhesive tape and the wall; and   a second anchor point disposed within the living unit to receive the drop fiber via the optically clear adhesive tape.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the point-of-entry unit comprises a low profile access base unit, and the second anchor point comprises a wall receptacle to receive the first communication line via the duct. 
     
     
         28 . A method of providing a final drop in a living unit in a building, comprising:
 establishing a service line point of entry in the living unit, the service line communicating with a telecommunications service provider;   providing an adhesive-backed duct, pre-populated with one or more drop lines and mountable to a wall within the living unit, wherein a first drop line is coupled to the service line;   mounting the adhesive-backed duct to the living unit wall, and   coupling the first drop line to an anchor point disposed in the living unit at a distance from the point of entry.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the first drop line comprises an optical fiber. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the adhesive-backed duct spans the entire distance between the service line point of entry and the anchor point. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the anchor point comprises a wall receptacle, further comprising providing a jumper to connect the wall receptacle to an optical network terminal (ONT). 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein establishing a service line point of entry in the living unit comprises mounting a low profile access base unit at a location in the living unit corresponding to an access position of horizontal cabling disposed in a hallway of the building.