Coded Lanyards Linking Telecommunications Ports and Mating Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for efficient and effective identification systems to assist technicians in mating and demating fiber optic cables with connectors and ports in telecommunications equipment, particularly in outdoor environments, where multiple ports and connectors can be difficult to distinguish and manage.
Innovation Solution
The use of coded lanyards that link telecommunications equipment ports with dust caps or adapters, featuring identifying indicia such as colors, markings, shapes, letters, or numbers, to facilitate quick recognition and connection of compatible components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ports and connectors are used in telecommunications equipment, then the bandwidth and connectivity capabilities are improved, but the difficulty of identification and management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color coding to lanyards associated with ports and connectors. Each port and its corresponding connector are assigned matching colored lanyards (e.g., blue port with blue lanyard, green port with green lanyard). This visual color differentiation enables technicians to quickly identify and match compatible components among multiple ports and connectors, directly resolving the identification difficulty while maintaining high connectivity capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lanyards as intermediary identification elements between ports and connectors. These lanyards serve as visual mediators that link specific ports to their compatible connectors through matching colors and codes. The lanyards hang visibly from ports and are attached to dust caps on connectors, creating an intermediate visual reference system that simplifies the matching process without affecting the actual optical connectivity
2Reliability
If technicians need to identify and mate connectors to ports accurately, then connection reliability is improved, but the time required for deployment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary identification through pre-assigned color codes and lanyards on ports before connectors are attached. Technicians can identify the correct port for a connector before making the actual connection. The lanyards are pre-installed on ports with specific color patterns that correspond to compatible connector types, allowing technicians to quickly match components without trial and error, thus maintaining high connection reliability while reducing deployment time
Solution Approach 2:
The color-coded lanyard system provides immediate visual confirmation of compatibility. When a technician sees a port with a blue lanyard, they know to connect it to a connector with a matching blue lanyard. This visual color-matching system eliminates the need for checking port numbers or connector types, enabling rapid and accurate connections that simultaneously improve deployment speed and ensure connection reliability
3Ease of operation
If coded lanyards with identifying indicia are added to ports and connectors, then identification ease is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a universal color-coding scheme where the same color patterns and lanyard designs serve multiple functions: identification, compatibility indication, and visual matching. The same blue lanyard design can be used across different port types (SC, LC, ST) as long as they use the same connector interface. This universal approach simplifies the overall system by using a standardized identification methodology rather than requiring unique complex coding for each port type
Solution Approach 2:
The color-coded lanyards provide a simple visual identification system that adds minimal complexity. Instead of complex alphanumeric codes or technical specifications, the system uses intuitive color patterns (solid colors, stripes, patterns) that are easily distinguishable at a glance. The lanyards themselves are simple physical components that attach to existing port and connector structures, adding identification capability without fundamentally altering the device architecture
Data Source
AI summary
A telecommunications closure includes a plurality of connector ports, and a plurality of dust caps for the connector ports wherein a lanyard connects one of the dust caps with one of the ports. The dust caps are mateable and demateable with each of the ports. The closure with the dust caps in place are sealed for outdoor use. All of the port bodies of the ports have the same general color. All of the dust caps have the same general color as the port bodies. The lanyards may have different colors from the port bodies and different colors from the dust cap. Some lanyards can match the color of the port bodies and/or the dust cap bodies. At least two lanyards may have different colors from each other. One or more identification areas can be provided on the lanyard for labeling, printing or marking indicia on the identification areas.