Horizontal Cable Manager with Sloped Fingers and Air Dam
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable management systems for patch panels and network equipment racks face difficulties in accessing and connecting cables due to manual handling challenges, leading to potential poor connections and communication issues.
Innovation Solution
A cable manager with a central section and dual routing sections, featuring sloping fingers with arcuate surfaces and passthrough openings, designed for improved cable routing and access, including an air blocking device for thermal control, to facilitate easier cable management and connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual cable connection is used at patch panels, then installation flexibility is maintained, but connection quality deteriorates due to difficulty in accessing the panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (cable management system with guide channels and positioning features) between the cables and the patch panel. This intermediary structure facilitates proper cable alignment and positioning, making manual connection easier while ensuring consistent connection quality by preventing misalignment and poor contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system performs preliminary actions by pre-organizing, guiding, and positioning cables before they reach the patch panel connectors. The guide channels and positioning features prepare the cables in advance, ensuring they are properly aligned and accessible, which improves both the ease of connection and the reliability of the connection quality.
2Ease of operation
If standard cable routing is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but cable access difficulty increases due to poor ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs three-dimensional guide channels and positioning structures that extend in multiple dimensions (depth, height, and lateral positioning) to improve cable accessibility. By utilizing vertical and lateral dimensions rather than simple planar routing, the system provides ergonomic cable access while maintaining a compact overall form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system is segmented into multiple functional components including guide channels, positioning features, and routing sections. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function (guiding, positioning, routing) efficiently, improving cable access ease while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through modular functionality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If passthrough openings are provided for cable routing, then cable flexibility is improved, but thermal control capability deteriorates due to unrestricted airflow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different characteristics to different regions of the cable management system. Passthrough openings are provided in areas where cable routing flexibility is needed, while thermal control features (such as barriers or directed channels) are implemented in specific locations where heat management is critical. This allows simultaneous achievement of cable flexibility and thermal control in different local zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary thermal management features (such as thermal barriers or directed airflow channels) within the passthrough openings. These intermediary elements allow cables to pass through while simultaneously managing airflow and heat dissipation, thus maintaining cable routing flexibility while improving thermal control capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable manager provides horizontal cable management of adjacent patch panels or network equipment on network distribution racks. The cable manager includes a central section and a front cable routing section and is mountable on a network rack. The front cable routing section extends from the front side of the central section and includes a first plurality of spaced fingers. The cable manager can also include a rear cable routing section that includes a second plurality of spaced fingers. The first plurality of spaced fingers and the second plurality of spaced fingers may be sloped to provide hand access. One or more passthrough openings can be provided in the central section to allow routing of cabling from the front section to the rear section. An air dam may be inserted into the passthrough openings to control the flow of cool inlet air. Either or both of the front and rear sections can include a removable cover.