Optical fiber interconnect cabinets, termination modules and fiber connectivity management for the same

Abstract

Interconnect cabinets for optical fibers include an enclosure and a splitter and termination panel mounted in the enclosure. The splitter has a plurality of optical fiber-connectorized pigtails extending therefrom. Each of the connectorized pigtails is associated with an optical fiber feeder cable to be coupled to a central office. The termination panel has a plurality of optical fiber connection members, ones of which are associated with respective subscriber locations. The connectorized pigtails have a cable length sufficient to allow connection to the plurality of connection members.

That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. An interconnect cabinet for optical fibers, comprising:
 an enclosure;   a splitter mounted in the enclosure that is configured to optically couple a plurality of optical fibers to a single optical fiber and having a plurality of optical fiber connectorized pigtails extending therefrom, each of the connectorized pigtails having a first end optically coupled in the splitter to an optical fiber feeder cable to be coupled to a central office and a second end having an optical connector thereon with an optical fiber extending from the first end to the second end;   a termination panel mounted in the enclosure and having a plurality of optical fiber connection members, ones of which are associated with respective subscriber locations; and   wherein the connectorized pigtails have a cable length from the first end to the second end, without a connector therebetween, sufficient to allow connection to the plurality of connection members and wherein the termination panel is pivotally mounted in the enclosure to allow access to a front and a back side of the connection members from a front side of the enclosure.   
     
     
       2. The cabinet of  claim 1  wherein the optical fiber feeder cable comprises at least one input optical fiber and wherein the splitter optically couples the at least one input optical fiber to the plurality of connectorized pigtails and wherein the plurality of connectorized pigtails have substantially the same length. 
     
     
       3. The cabinet of  claim 2  further comprising an optical fiber cable from the central office coupled to the at least one input optical fiber and optical fiber cables from the subscriber locations coupled to the plurality of connection members. 
     
     
       4. The cabinet of  claim 2  wherein the splitter comprises an optical fiber splitter tray and wherein the enclosure is configured to receive a plurality of optical fiber splitter trays. 
     
     
       5. The cabinet of  claim 4  wherein the enclosure is configured to receive a plurality of termination panels. 
     
     
       6. The cabinet of  claim 2 , wherein the splitter is configured to splice the at least one input optical fiber to the plurality of connectorized pigtails. 
     
     
       7. The cabinet of  claim 1  wherein the termination panel comprises a front panel of a termination module and wherein the termination module further comprises a splice module positioned in the cabinet proximate the termination panel. 
     
     
       8. The cabinet of  claim 1  wherein the enclosure is configured to receive a plurality of termination modules and a plurality of splitters. 
     
     
       9. The cabinet of  claim 1 , wherein the optical fibers in the connectorized pigtails extend continuously without any splicing therein from the first end to the second end. 
     
     
       10. The cabinet of  claim 1 , wherein ones of the connectorized pigtails are coupled to corresponding respective ones of the connection members on the termination panel without a jumper cable therebetween. 
     
     
       11. The cabinet of  claim 1  further comprising a spooling system mounted in the enclosure and configured to receive and store excess cable length of the plurality of connectorized pigtails. 
     
     
       12. The cabinet of  claim 11  wherein the spooling system comprises a plurality of spools displaced from each other in the enclosure by a distance corresponding to a distance between a first and last row of connection members on the termination panel. 
     
     
       13. The cabinet of  claim 11  wherein a distance between a first and a last of the spools is about half the distance between first and last rows of connection members on the termination panel. 
     
     
       14. The cabinet of  claim 13  wherein the spooling system further comprises an initial loop spool configured to receive all the connectorized pigtails and provide the connectorized pigtails a common entry point to the spooling system. 
     
     
       15. The cabinet of  claim 13  wherein the spools comprise half-moon spools. 
     
     
       16. The cabinet of  claim 11  wherein the plurality of connectorized pigtails have substantially the same length. 
     
     
       17. An interconnect cabinet, comprising:
 an enclosure;   a termination panel mounted in the enclosure and having a plurality of optical fiber connection members, ones of which are associated with respective subscriber locations or are associated with an optical fiber feeder cable to be coupled to a central office;   at least one jumper cable for cross-connecting ones of the connection members; and   a spooling system mounted in the enclosure and configured to receive and store excess cable length of the at least one jumper cable;   wherein the at least one jumper cable has a cable length sufficient to allow cross-connecting of the plurality of connection members; and   wherein a distance between a first and a last of the spools is about half the distance between first and last rows of connection members on the termination panel.   
     
     
       18. The cabinet of  claim 17 , wherein the termination panel includes a plurality of regions, each including a plurality of the rows of the connection members and wherein each of the plurality of spools is associated with a respective one of the regions of the termination panel and wherein a distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of spools corresponds to a distance between a first and last row of the connection members on the respective one of the regions of the termination panel. 
     
     
       19. An interconnect cabinet for optical fibers, comprising:
 an enclosure;   a splitter mounted in the enclosure that is configured to optically couple a plurality of pigtail optical fibers to an input optical fiber, the splitter having a plurality of connectorized pigtails extending therefrom with each of the connectorized pigtails including one of the pigtail optical fibers, each of the connectorized pigtails having a first end optically coupled in the splitter to the input optical fiber and a second end having an optical connector thereon with one of the pigtail optical fibers extending from the first end to the second end;   a termination panel mounted in the enclosure and having a plurality of optical fiber connection members;   wherein the connectorized pigtails have a cable length from the first end to the second end, without a connector therebetween, sufficient to allow connection to the plurality of connection members and wherein the termination panel is pivotally mounted in the enclosure to allow access to a front and a back side of the connection members from a side of the enclosure; and   wherein the cabinet includes a first pigtail routing path within the enclosure that extends from the splitter to the termination panel and a second pigtail routing path within the enclosure that extends from the splitter to a pigtail storage location separate from the termination panel;   wherein the termination panel is pivotally moveable relative to the enclosure between a first position allowing access to the front side and a second position allowing access to the back side.   
     
     
       20. The interconnect cabinet of claim 19, wherein the splitter includes a splitter module having an outer housing and a pigtail exit member that projects from the outer housing. 
     
     
       21. The interconnect cabinet of claim 20, wherein the first pigtail routing path and the second pigtail routing path extend through the pigtail exit member.