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`US009690064 B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Sauter et al.
`
`(IO) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 9,690,064 B2
`Jun.27,2017
`
`(54) MULTI-GANG CASSETTE SYSTEM
`
`(71) Applicant: Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.,
`Melville, NY (US)
`
`(72)
`
`Inventors: Tom Sauter, Seattle, WA (US); Gary
`Bernstein, Bothell, WA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Co., Ltd.,
`Melville, NY (US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 14/937,817
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Nov. 10, 2015
`
`(65)
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2017/0131500 Al May 11, 2017
`
`Int. Cl.
`G02B 6100
`G02B 6144
`U.S. Cl.
`CPC ........ .
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`G02B 614452 (2013.01); G02B 614455
`(2013.01)
`
`Field of Classification Search
`CPC .. G02B 6/4452; G02B 6/3897; G02B 6/4471;
`G02B 6/4453; G02B 6/4454
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
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`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
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`2013, 3 pages.
`
`(Continued)
`
`Jennifer Doan
`Primary Examiner -
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm -Amin, Turocy & Watson
`LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A cassette mounting system allows fiber optic cassettes of
`different sizes to be mounted on the same fiber optic tray or
`other mounting surface. Cassettes configured for use in the
`system comprise rails on the left and right sides of the
`cassette, which are configured to engage with rail guides on
`the fiber optic tray to facilitate mounting the cassettes on the
`tray. Adjacent guide rails on the tray define cassette bays
`within which single-gang cassettes can be installed. Multi(cid:173)
`gang cassettes are also configured with clearance areas
`between the gangs that allow guide rails to reside underneath
`the cassette when mounted on the tray, allowing both
`multi-gang cassettes and single-gang cassettes to be installed
`on the tray. The cassettes include integrated front-facing
`release mechanisms that can be easily accessed from the
`front of the tray to facilitate unlocking the cassettes and
`removing the cassettes from the tray.
`
`20 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets
`
`

`

`US 9,690,064 B2
`Page 2
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`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`2012/0106911 Al*
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`Written Opinion for International Application No. PCT/US2016/
`060907 dated Feb. 22, 2017, 4 pages.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Jun.27,2017
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`FIG, 1
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`FIG. 2
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`11700
`
`MOUNT A FIRST FIBER OPTIC
`CASSETTE OF A FIRST SIZE ON A
`CASSETTE TRAY
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`1702
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`MOUNT A SECOND FIBER OPTIC
`CASSETTE OF A SECOND SIZE ON THE
`CASSETTE TRAY
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`DISENGAGE A CASSETTE, OF THE
`FIRST FIBER OPTIC CASSETTE OR THE
`SECOND FIBER OPTIC CASSSETTE, BY / 1706
`PRESSING A FRONT-FACING RELEASE
`LATCH INTEGRATED IN THE
`CASSETTE'S HOUSING
`
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`REMOVE CASSETTE THROUGH THE
`FRONT OF THE CASSETTE TRAY
`
`/ 1708
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`FIG. 17
`
`

`

`US 9,690,064 B2
`
`1
`MULTI-GANG CASSETTE SYSTEM
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`The disclosed subject matter relates to a fiber optic
`cassette system, and, for example, to a cassette system that
`allows cassettes of different sizes to be installed within the
`same cassette mounting system.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`2
`the cassette. The latching mechanism can comprise a latch(cid:173)
`ing tab configured to engage with an aperture in the surface
`of the cassette tray when the cassette is fully engaged with
`the guide rail (that is, when the cassette reaches a designated
`stopping position), thereby securing the cassette in place on
`the tray. A front-facing release latch at the front end of the
`latching mechanism can be actuated to disengage the latch(cid:173)
`ing tab from the aperture, freeing the cassette for removal
`through the front of the cassette system. In one or more
`10 embodiments, the rail guides comprise sections of the tray
`surface that are raised to form ledges with which the cassette
`rails engage.
`It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
`15 description and the following detailed description are
`intended to provide an overview or framework for under(cid:173)
`standing the nature and character of the disclosure. The
`accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
`understanding, the drawings illustrate various embodiments,
`20 and together with the description serve to explain the
`principles and operation of the concepts disclosed.
`However, these aspects are indicative of a few of the
`various ways in which the principles of the subject matter
`can be employed. Other aspects, advantages, and novel
`25 features of the disclosed subject matter will become appar(cid:173)
`ent from the following detailed description when considered
`in conjunction with the drawings. It will also be appreciated
`that the detailed description may include additional or
`alternative embodiments beyond those described in this
`30 sunnnary.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
`
`Fiber optic cables are often used as a medium for tele(cid:173)
`communication and computer networking due to their flex(cid:173)
`ibility, high data capacity, and immunity to interference.
`Since light is used as the data transmission medium, fiber
`optic cables can carry data over long distances with little
`attenuation relative to electrical data transmission. Fiber
`optic cables are used in many types of applications, includ(cid:173)
`ing local area networks that use optical transceivers, corpo(cid:173)
`rate intranets that deploy optical pathways for high-speed
`transmission of data on a corporate campus, or other such
`data transmission applications.
`Fiber optic cassettes are often used to organize and
`manage fiber optic connections within telecommunication
`wiring enclosures. An example cassette-based system may
`include a fiber optic enclosure within which are installed one
`or more fiber optic trays, with one or more fiber optic
`cassettes mounted on each tray. Such cassette-based systems
`are typically designed around a single size of cassette.
`The above-described deficiencies of the conventional
`technologies are merely intended to provide an overview of
`some of the problems of current technology, and are not
`intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of
`the art, and corresponding benefits of some of the various
`non-limiting embodiments described herein, may become 35
`further apparent upon review of the following detailed
`description.
`
`SUMMARY
`
`The following presents a simplified summary of the
`disclosed subject matter in order to provide a basic under(cid:173)
`standing of some aspects of the various embodiments. This
`sunnnary is not an extensive overview of the various
`embodiments. It is intended neither to identify key or critical
`elements of the various embodiments nor to delineate the
`scope of the various embodiments. Its sole purpose is to
`present some concepts of the disclosure in a streamlined
`form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is
`presented later.
`One or more example embodiments described herein
`relate to a fiber optic cassette system designed to allow
`multiple different sizes of cassettes to be mounted within the
`system. To this end, cassette trays of the system are config(cid:173)
`ured with cassette mounting interfaces that work in con- 55
`junction with specially designed single-gang and multi-gang
`cassettes to allow both single-gang and multi-gang cassettes
`to be mounted on the same tray simultaneously.
`Both single-gang and multi-gang cassettes configured for
`use within the cassette system described herein can comprise 60
`rails on the right and left side of the cassette. When the
`cassette is installed through the front of the cassette tray, the
`rails on either side of the cassette engage with rail guides
`formed on the tray to guide the cassette into position. In
`order to lock the cassettes in place on the tray, both single- 65
`gang and multi-gang cassettes include a latching mechanism
`on the left side, on the right side, or in a middle section of
`
`FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of an example fiber
`optic tray that includes a cassette mounting system.
`FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the example fiber
`optic cassette tray with a number of cassettes and adapter
`plates installed thereon.
`FIG. 3 is a top view of a mounting interface on which are
`40 mounted a number of fiber optic cassettes of different sizes.
`FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view illustrating installation
`of an example single-gang adapter plate into a cassette bay
`of a mounting interface.
`FIG. 5 is a view of a single-layer cassette tray, on which
`45 are mounted two single-gang cassettes.
`FIG. 6 is a top view of an example double-gang cassette
`with the top of the cassette housing removed to expose the
`interior of the cassette.
`FIG. 7 is a top view depicting a double-gang cassette and
`50 a single-gang cassette mounted on the same cassette tray.
`FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a double-gang cassette
`installed on a mounting interface of a tray.
`FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of a dual-gang cas(cid:173)
`sette.
`FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a dual-gang cassette
`depicting components of a latching mechanism integrated
`into the cassette housing.
`FIG. 11 is a view depicting a spring and release mecha(cid:173)
`nism disposed within a dual-gang cassette.
`FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view of a cassette that
`illustrates interaction between a release mechanism and a
`spring of a latching mechanism integrated into the housing
`of the cassette.
`FIG. 13 depicts a cassette fully installed on a tray and
`locked in position.
`FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional side view of a single-gang
`cassette.
`
`

`

`US 9,690,064 B2
`
`3
`FIG. 15 is a three-dimensional view of a fiber optic
`enclosure in which are installed a number of fiber optic
`cassette trays.
`FIG. 16 is a view depicting an example cassette tray being
`installed within an enclosure.
`FIG. 17 is a flowchart of an example methodology for
`mounting fiber optic cassettes on a fiber optic tray or other
`mounting surface.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`The subject application now will be described more fully
`hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in
`which example embodiments of the subject application are
`shown. The various embodiments may, however, be embod(cid:173)
`ied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as
`limited to the example embodiments set forth herein, but on
`the contrary, the subject application is to cover all modifi(cid:173)
`cations, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit
`and scope of the subject application as defined by the claims.
`The example embodiments may be combined, other embodi(cid:173)
`ments may be utilized, and structural changes may be made
`without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject
`application.
`It will be understood that the terms "comprises" and/or
`"comprising," when used in this specification, specify the
`presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, ele(cid:173)
`ments, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence
`or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,
`operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
`Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes,"
`"has," "possesses," and the like are used in the detailed
`description, claims and drawings, such terms are intended to
`be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as
`"comprising" is interpreted when employed as a transitional
`word in a claim.
`In addition, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive
`"or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless specified
`otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is
`intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations.
`That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both
`A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied under any of
`the foregoing instances.
`Moreover, articles "a" and "an" as used in the subject
`specification and annexed drawings should generally be
`construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise
`or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
`Moreover, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean
`serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect
`or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily
`to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other
`aspects or designs.
`In the following description, for purposes of explanation,
`numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a
`thorough understanding of the subject disclosure. It may be
`evident, however, that the subject disclosure may be prac(cid:173)
`ticed without these specific details. The subject disclosure is
`now described with reference to the drawings wherein like
`reference numerals are used to refer to like elements
`throughout.
`As noted in the background, fiber optic cassettes, either
`single-gang or multi-gang, used within a given enclosure are
`typically configured in uniform shapes or sizes. Discrete and
`size specific cassette bays in conventional telecommunica(cid:173)
`tion wiring enclosures are not typically configured to accom(cid:173)
`modate variously sized or shaped cassettes.
`
`4
`A fiber optic cassette system according to one or more
`embodiments described herein comprises one or more cas(cid:173)
`sette trays on which cassettes of various sizes can be
`mounted. Rail guides on the cassette trays are configured to
`interface with corresponding rails of both single-gang and
`multi-gang cassettes to facilitate guiding the rails into posi(cid:173)
`tion on the trays. The cassettes themselves have a structure
`that, in conjunction with the rail guide design, allows both
`single-gang and multi-gang cassettes to be mounted simul-
`lO taneously and in various positions on a given tray. As such,
`different sizes of cassettes or adapter plates can be installed
`on the cassette tray without modification of the cassette
`system. A spring-loaded latching mechanism integrated in
`15 the cassette housing includes a latching tab or protrusion that
`engages with an aperture on the tray when the cassette is
`fully engaged with the rail guides. The latching mechanism
`includes a front-facing release latch that, when actuated,
`disengages the latching tab from the aperture, allowing the
`20 cassettes to be removed through the front of the tray. The
`latching tab comprises the sole locking point between the
`cassette and the tray, and thus the cassette can be unlocked
`for removal from the tray by actuating a single release latch
`that is easily accessible from the front of the tray (or from
`25 the front of the enclosure in which the tray is disposed). The
`trays can be installed within a fiber optic enclosure to
`facilitate management and organization of fiber optic con(cid:173)
`nections.
`FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of an example fiber
`30 optic tray 102 that includes a cassette mounting system
`according to one or more embodiments. The tray 102 is
`shown without cassettes in FIG. 1 for clarity. Example tray
`102 is designed to hold multiple fiber optic cassettes, and to
`be installed in a fiber optic enclosure. It is to be appreciated,
`35 however, that the features described herein for mounting
`cassettes of different sizes on a common cassette mounting
`system are not limited to use in such fiber optic trays, but
`rather are applicable to any system in which fiber optic
`cassettes are to be mounted on a surface for management and
`40 organization of fiber optic connections.
`The example tray 102 depicted in FIG. 1 comprises two
`rows of cassette bays 106-a lower row (including cassette
`bay 106A) located on the main tray surface, and an upper
`row (including cassette bay 106B) located on a raised
`45 mounting interface 104 that is elevated above the main tray
`surface. Each cassette bay 106 is defined by a pair of parallel
`rail guides 108 on the left and right sides of the bay. The rail
`guides 108 are designed to interface with rails located along
`the left and right sides of the respective cassettes or adapter
`50 plates, as will be described in more detail below. The rail
`guides 108 are spaced substantially equidistant along the
`respective mounting surfaces, such that the space between
`adjacent rail guides 108 generally corresponds to the width
`of a single-gang cassette to be mounted on the tray 102. As
`55 will be described in more detail below, since multi-gang
`cassettes are wider than single-gang cassettes by multiple
`factors (e.g., a dual-gang cassette is approximately twice as
`wide as a single-gang cassette, a three-gang cassette is
`approximately three times as wide as a single-gang cassette,
`60 etc.), a multi-gang cassette will span more than one rail
`guide. In one or more embodiments, each cassette bay 106
`has an associated locking aperture 124 disposed on the
`mounting surface near one of the guide rails. As will be
`described in more detail below, the locking aperture 124 is
`65 configured to receive a spring-loaded locking protrusion
`built into the cassette to facilitate locking the cassette in
`place within the cassette bay 106.
`
`

`

`US 9,690,064 B2
`
`5
`FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the example fiber
`optic cassette tray 102 with a number of cassettes and
`adapter plates installed thereon, and FIG. 3 is a top view of
`the installed cassettes. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the
`cassette mounting system allows a user to mount cassettes of
`different sizes (e.g., both single-gang and multi-gang cas(cid:173)
`settes) on the same cassette tray 102 simultaneously at any
`position on the mounting interfaces. In the example depicted
`in FIGS. 2 and 3, a single-gang cassette 112, a dual-gang
`cassette 110, and a single-gang adapter plate 114 are
`mounted on the upper mounting interface 104 of tray 102 in
`selected positions. As described in more detail below, any
`combination of single-gang cassettes (or adapter plates) and
`multi-gang cassettes (or adapter plates) can be disposed
`simultaneously on the upper and lower mounting interfaces
`of the cassette tray 102 subject to overall space limitations
`of the mounting surfaces. The cassettes and adapter plates
`are held in place on the tray by rail guides 108, which
`interface with rails located along the left and right sides of
`the respective cassettes and adapter plates. When a cassette
`is installed from the front of the tray 102, the rail guides 108
`ensure that the cassette is oriented in the correct position on
`the tray. Notches 406 disposed on the cassette rails engage
`with notches on the front-facing ends of the rail guides 108,
`preventing the cassettes from over-traveling through the rear
`of the tray as the cassette is being installed between two rail
`guides. Thus, the rail guides 108 prevent rearward and
`sideways movement of the cassette when the cassette is fully
`installed between the rail guides.
`Throughout this disclosure, it is to be understood that the 30
`structural features described herein area intended for use
`with both fiber optic cassettes and fiber optic adapter plates.
`Accordingly, mounting features described in connection
`with either a cassette or an adapter plate are to be understood
`to be equally applicable to both cassettes and adapter plates. 35
`FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view illustrating installation
`of an example single-gang adapter plate into a cassette bay
`of the upper mounting interface 104 of tray 102 (single-gang
`cassettes can also be installed in a similar manner). As
`shown in this figure, each rail guide 108 comprises an 40
`elongated section of the mounting surface that is raised to
`form a ledge on both sides of the elongated section. The
`front-facing end 132 of each rail guide 108 is notched on the
`left and right side in order to allow the rails 404 of the
`adapter plate 402 or cassette to enter the rail guides 108 and 45
`pass under the ledges of the rail guides 108.
`After the rails 404 have entered the front end of their
`respective rail guides 108, the adapter plate 402 or cassette
`can be pushed rearward until notches 406 disposed on the
`rails 404 engage with the front-facing end 132 of the rail 50
`guides. This engagement prevents continued rearward
`movement of the adapter plate 402 or cassette when the
`adapter plate 402 or cassette is fully installed on the mount(cid:173)
`ing interface, ensuring that the adapter plate 402 or cassette
`is correctly located on the tray. The rear-facing end 122 of 55
`each rail guide 108 is not notched, creating a secondary
`stopping mechanism to prevent the adapter plate 402 or
`cassette from over-traveling beyond the rear side of the rail
`guides.
`The cassettes and adapter plates include integrated latch- 60
`ing mechanisms 120 that lock the cassettes and adapter
`plates in place on the mounting interface when fully
`installed on the tray. For example, adapter plate 402 reaches
`the stopping position (e.g., when the notches 406 of the rails
`404 engage with the front-facing end 132 of the rail guides), 65
`a locking protrusion of the latching mechanism 120 engages
`with an aperture 124 on the mounting surface (see also FIG.
`
`6
`1 for another view of the relative locations of the apertures
`124 relative to the rail guides). Thus, when the adapter plate
`402 is fully installed and locked into position, the rail guides
`108 prevent rearward and sideways movement of the adapter
`plate 402, while the locking tab of latching mechanism 120
`prevents forward and rearward movement of the adapter
`plate 402. The cassettes of the present cassette mounting
`system-both single-gang and multi-gang-include similar
`integrated latching mechanisms 120. Although the illustra-
`lO tions depict the integrated latching mechanism as compris(cid:173)
`ing a locking protrusion that interfaces with an aperture 124,
`some embodiments of the cassette system may include other
`types of latching mechanisms without departing from the
`15 scope of this disclosure.
`The latching mechanisms 120 include front-facing release
`latches 116. Actuating the release latch 116 disengages the
`locking protrusion of the latching mechanism 120 from the
`mounting surface and unlocks the adapter plate 402 or
`20 cassette, allowing the adapter plate 402 or cassette to be
`removed through the front of the tray 102. As shown in
`FIGS. 2 and 3, single-gang cassette 112 and adapter plate
`114 include release latches 116B and 116C located on the
`right side of their respective housings, while double-gang
`25 cassette 110 includes a release latch 116A located in a
`middle section between the two gangs of the cassette. Each
`release latch 116 is accessible from the front of the tray,
`allowing the user to easily access the release latch from the
`front.
`In the example cassette tray system illustrated in FIGS.
`1-4, the cassette tray 102-with its upper and lower rows of
`cassette bays-is designed to allow two-layered stacking of
`cassettes and adapter plates. However, it is to be appreciated
`that this two-layered configuration is only intended to be
`exemplary, and that trays configured to allow stacking of
`more than two layers are within the scope of one or more
`embodiments described herein. As the number of layers
`increases, the density of the cassettes and/or adaptor plates
`is also increased, thereby increasing the connectivity density
`of the enclosure in which the tray is installed. Similarly, the
`cassette mounting features described herein can also be
`implemented on single-layer cassette trays. FIG. 5 is a view
`of a single-layer cassette tray 502 on which are mounted two
`single-gang cassettes 504. In this example, the single-gang
`cassettes 504 are installed on the left-most and right-most
`cassette bays, respectively, leaving two adjacent empty
`cassette bays in the middle of the tray. The mounting
`interface features described herein allow the user to install
`either two more single-gang cassettes in these two empty
`cassette bays, or to install one double-gang cassette span(cid:173)
`ning the two adjacent cassette bays. As described below,
`structural features of the double-gang cassette (and other
`multi-gang cassettes having more than two gangs) allow the
`cassette to be installed on the same cassette mounting
`system without physically modifying the cassette or the
`mounting interface.
`FIG. 6 is a top view of example dual-gang cassette 110
`with the top of the cassette housing removed to expose the
`interior of the cassette 110, and FIG. 7 is a top view
`depicting dual-gang cassette 110 and single-gang cassette
`112 mounted on the same cassette tray (also with the top of
`the cassette housings removed). Dual-gang cassette 110
`comprises a first gang 604A and a second gang 604B within
`which optical fibers and/or cables can be routed. As
`described in previous examples, a pair of rails 404A and
`404B are disposed on the left and right side, respectively, of
`the cassette 110. These rails are configured to interface with
`
`

`

`US 9,690,064 B2
`
`7
`rail guides 108 on the cassette tray to facilitate guiding and
`holding the cassette 110 into place on the tray.
`Whereas a single-gang cassette 112 or adapter plate 114
`will interface with two adjacent rail guides 108 when
`installed on the mounting interface of the tray (that is, the 5
`two adjacent rail guides on either side of a single cassette
`bay 106), a double-gang cassette will interface with three
`rail guides 108. This is illustrated in FIG. 8, which is a
`cross-sectional view of a dual-gang cassette 110 installed on
`the mounting interface of a tray. As shown in this figure, 10
`non-adjacent rail guides 108C and 108E interface with rails
`404A and 404B (obscured in FIG. 8, located below rail
`guides 108C and 108E) to hold dual-gang cassette 110 in
`place on the mounting surface. Since dual-gang cassette 110 15
`is approximately twice the width of single-gang cassette
`(which is designed to fit between two adjacent rail guides),
`the dual-gang cassette 110 also spans an intermediate rail
`guide 108D. This intermediate rail guide 108D is located
`underneath a middle portion of the cassette 110 correspond- 20
`ing to the joint area between the two gangs 604A and 604B.
`In order to accommodate this intermediate rail guide 108D,
`a clearance area 602-such as a slot or raised area-is
`formed al