US 10996417

US patent 10996417, titled "Fiber optic enclosure with internal cable spool and movable cover," was assigned to Commscope Technologies LLC. The inventors are Scott C. Kowalczyk, Jonathan Walter Coan, and Jonathan R. Kaml. The patent was filed on January 19, 2018, and issued on May 4, 2021.

Abstract:
The patent describes a fiber optic enclosure assembly designed to house optical fiber connections. It features a housing with an interior region and a bearing mount. A cable spool is engaged with the bearing mount, allowing it to rotate within the housing. A termination module is situated on the cable spool, rotating in unison with it. The patent also outlines a method for dispensing a fiber optic cable from the enclosure, which involves rotating the cable spool (around which a subscriber cable is coiled) about the housing's axis until the desired length of cable is paid out. A termination module is located on the cable spool.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a wall-mountable fiber optic enclosure that includes a base, sidewalls, and a pivotal cover. The cover can be moved to expose or cover a front access opening. The enclosure has a first opening for an incoming cable and a second opening in one of its sidewalls. Inside, there's a spool containing a second fiber optic cable. This cable has a connector that plugs into a fiber optic adapter, which is positioned away from the sidewalls. The spool can rotate to allow the second cable to be paid out, and importantly, the fiber optic connector rotates along with the spool. When the cover is open, a technician can access the fiber optic adapter's ports from the front of the enclosure, but this access is blocked when the cover is closed.
• Claim 13: This claim details a fiber optic enclosure with a housing featuring a front, back, sides, and a movable front cover. It includes a cable opening in one of the sides. A spool inside the housing holds a coiled fiber optic cable with at least one optical fiber connected to a fiber optic connector. A fiber optic adapter is placed within the housing, with ports that receive the fiber optic connector. The front cover, when closed, prevents access to these connector ports from the front, but allows access when open. As the cable is paid out, the spool, along with the fiber optic connector and adapter, rotates. The claim further specifies a routing path for a subscriber cable within the housing, leading from the cable opening to the adapter's second port, with a portion of this path located between the inside of the front cover and an axial end of the spool when the cover is closed.
• Claim 22: This claim focuses on a wall-mountable fiber optic enclosure comprising a base, sidewalls, and a pivotal cover. It has a cable opening. A cable spool is mounted to rotate within the enclosure, and its rotation axis is set at an angle (transverse) to the cover's pivot axis. A fiber optic cable is spooled on it, ending in a fiber optic connector that rotates with the spool. A fiber optic adapter is mounted within the enclosure, having ports for the fiber optic connector. The cover, when in its closed position, extends over and covers the fiber optic adapter.

Litigation Status:
As of April 26, 2026, US Patent 10996417 is active. There is an active US case filed in the Delaware District Court (case/1:24-cv-00440) and a PTAB case IPR2025-01119 that has been filed but not instituted on merits. Additionally, the first worldwide family litigation for this patent family has been filed. No specific dockets for the year 2026 from the CAFC database were found explicitly for patent 10996417 in the provided information.