WO2017182857A1

WO2017182857A1 - Combined air filter and cable management assembly for electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2017182857A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/054588
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allen Hirashiki; Juan Luis CRUZ; Randall DIAZ
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2016-04-20
Filing date: 2016-07-29
Publication date: 2017-10-26

Abstract

A combined air filter and cable management assembly (30) combines an air filter subassembly (32, 33), a cable management subassembly (31), a side cable seal (22), and a status LED extension bar (41) for an electronic product (51). The air filter subassembly and the cable management subassembly are pivotally mounted on a front side rail (12) of the cabinet (10), with the air filter subassembly outboard of the cable management subassembly. When pivoted outward, an air filter (33) can be changed without disturbing product cables (53). The cable management subassembly supports cables exiting the front panel of the product and directs the cables to the side cable seal. The cable management subassembly maintains the order of the cables when the cables are disconnected, and provides a clear path to remove and replace the product when the cable management subassembly is in an open position. The LED extension bar extends status indications through the two subassemblies.

Description

COMBINED AIR FILTER AND CABLE MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/325,395 filed on April 20, 2016.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a combined air filter and cable management assembly for electronic equipment, particularly cabinet/rack-mounted electronic equipment such as telecommunication equipment.

BACKGROUND

Some electronic equipment products, such as carrier-class telecommunication products, require air filtration as part of Network Equipment Building System/European Telecommunications Standards Institute (NEBS/ETSI) requirements for a central office environment. Implementation is straightforward when airflow is moving vertically from the bottom of the product to the top. Cooling is superior, however, when airflow is moving horizontally, for example front to rear. Implementation of air filtration is very difficult in this circumstance. Conventional solutions provide for front-to-rear airflow mount 1RU (Rack Unit) filters directly on the front panels of products or as removable front covers. These solutions have many disadvantages.

SUMMARY

There are many disadvantages to mounting air filters on the front panel of the product or as removable front covers. First, mounting the filter on the front panel of the product offers minimal area for the filter due to many cable connections and status Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) located on the front panel. Air filters with limited area require more frequent replacement/maintenance. However, users prefer the front panel cables carrying network traffic be left alone, and this makes changing the filter difficult.

Second, filters mounted on the front panel interfere with dressing and positioning of fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables need to be dressed and positioned within the confines of the product dimensions to avoid snagging during removal/replacement of an adjacent product. Removal of the product requires displacing the cable management device after disconnecting the optical cables. Positioning of the cables can be lost, increasing the time required to reconnect.

Third, air filters mounted away from the front panel (for example, as removable covers) block the status LEDs, requiring removal or a viewing window in the filter. The viewing window must be sized and positioned to enable viewing of the LEDs and their legends 80- 100mm away. Removable filters also block light from the front panel, which is further darkened by being recessed behind the filter. The viewing angle must be straight over the LEDs, which is difficult for products mounted at the top or bottom of an equipment cabinet/rack.

Fourth, removable filters not attached to the product tend to get lost and not replaced after servicing of the product.

Finally, sealing the cable transition area between low pressure and ambient air is challenging. Foam is commonly used, but takes time to set. A leak may be created in the foam if the number of optic cables is reduced over the life of the product (commonly seven to ten years). The seal also must meet NEBS/ETSI flammability requirements.

According to different embodiments, a combined air filter and cable management assembly is provided to overcome the disadvantages of existing air-filter solutions.

According to one embodiment, a one-RU tall assembly combines an air filter subassembly, a cable management subassembly, side cable seals, and status LEDs for an electronic product. In a particular embodiment, two assemblies, each assembly covering one-half of the product width, are pivotally mounted over the front panel of the product. Pivot points at each side of the product enable a left-side assembly and a right-side assembly to pivot outward away from the center of the product. Each assembly may be constructed in discrete functional layers, which may be individually pivoted outward. In one exemplary embodiment, the air filter subassembly is the outermost layer since the air filter is most often accessed for servicing. Once the air filter subassembly is pivoted outward, a service technician can slide the air filter off of an air filter mounting bracket and slide a new filter on. The air filter mounting bracket then pivots back into place with the new air filter.

The cable management subassembly includes a pivoting cable management bracket mounted behind the air filter subassembly. The cable management bracket may also be pivoted outward whenever the air filter subassembly is pivoted open. The cable management bracket includes a number of cable support platforms. The cables exit ports in the front panel in a forward direction and turn 90 degrees toward the vertical runs at each side of the cabinet or rack where the cables pass through a cable seal. The cables may be attached to the cable management bracket and support platforms to support their weight and maintain the order of the cables. When the cable management bracket is pivoted outward, an open path is provided for removal of the product from the cabinet/rack. When the cable management bracket is pivoted back into place, the connectors of the cables are positioned in line with their ports for easy reconnection.

An LED extension bar includes a housing that encloses LED light pipes positioned over the status LEDs to extend their status indications outward from the front panel of the product through the thickness of the cable management subassembly and the air filter subassembly, making the status LEDs clearly visible without opening the air filter subassembly or the cable management subassembly. The LED extension bar may be pivotally mounted, for example, on the central end of the left-side or right- side air-filter bracket, enabling the extension bar to be aligned with centrally located front panel status LEDs. In some circumstances, the LED extension bar may be mounted directly to the front panel of the product.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an air filter and cable management assembly for an electronic product mounted in a cabinet. The assembly comprises: (i) an air filter subassembly to be pivotally mounted on a front side rail of the cabinet, wherein the air filter subassembly includes: (a) an air filter mounting bracket that is to be pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet, and (b) an air filter sized to cover at least a portion of the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the air filter is to be slidably mounted on the air filter mounting bracket so as to facilitate removal of the filter from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position; and (ii) a cable management subassembly for mounting on the front side rail of the cabinet inboard of the air filter subassembly, wherein the cable management subassembly supports cables exiting ports in the front panel of the product and directs the cables to the front side rail when the cable management subassembly is in a closed position.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a combined air filter and cable management assembly for an electronic product mounted in a cabinet. The assembly comprises: (i) an air filter subassembly pivotally mounted on a front side rail of the cabinet, the air filter subassembly including an air filter sized to cover the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the filter is slidably mounted on an air filter mounting bracket thereby enabling the filter to be removed from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position; and (ii) a cable management subassembly pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet inboard of the air filter subassembly, the cable management subassembly including a cable management bracket configured to support cables exiting ports in the front panel of the product and to direct the cables to the side rail when the cable management subassembly is in a closed position, and to maintain the order of the cables when the cables are disconnected from the ports in the front panel of the product, wherein the cable management subassembly provides a clear path to remove and replace the product when the cable management subassembly is pivoted to the open position.

In a further embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method of implementing an air filter and cable management assembly for an electronic product mounted in a cabinet. The method comprises: (i) mounting a main bracket to a front vertical side post of the cabinet; (ii) sliding a cable seal subassembly into the main bracket; (iii) pivotally mounting a cable management bracket to the main bracket; (iv) routing cables from ports in the front panel of the product through the cable seal subassembly while attaching the cables to the cable management bracket for support; and (v) pivotally mounting an air filter subassembly to the main bracket so that the air filter subassembly is outside the cable management subassembly, the air filter subassembly including an air filter sized to cover the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the filter is slidably mounted on an air filter mounting bracket of the air filter subassembly thereby enabling the filter to be removed from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position.

The combined air filter and cable management assembly disclosed herein enables the superior cooling advantage of front-to-rear airflow while meeting the air filtration requirement of the central office environment. The assembly provides the maximum amount of filter area possible in a 1RU space. Additionally, the disclosed assembly seals off the area where the front panel cables transition from the product to the cabinet or rack. The cable seal accommodates a large range in cable bundle size, yet remains compliant over time in the event of configuration changes.

By mounting to the cabinet or rack, the disclosed assembly performs independently of the product, allowing universal adaptation for products with the optimized location of the status LEDs in the center. The assembly provides full access and cannot be lost or forgotten to be replaced as with conventional removable parts.

Other advantages include:

1. The outward movement of the air filter breaks a suction effect, allowing the dirty filter to be removed without introducing loose contaminates to enter the product.

2. When the filter-mounting bracket is pivoted outward, the inner

(center) end of the air filter is accessible to grasp and slide off the filter-mounting bracket for easy changing.

3. The sliding action of the air filter is intuitive and insures correct mounting.

4. The filter element is strongly bonded to the filter element backing using hot melt adhesive enhanced by countersunk holes in the filter element backing.

5. The filter element backing closes off the end seals when pivoted into the closed position.

6. The end seals remain compliant for at least 7-10 years, providing sealing around the cable bundle that can change in size over the life of the product.

7. The status LED extension bar allows unobstructed viewing of the product status without opening the air filter or cable management device. 8. The status LED extension bar attaches to the air filter mounting bracket and pivots out of the way in the open position for product access/removal.

Further features and benefits of embodiments of the disclosed assembly will become apparent from the detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a perspective view of an existing equipment cabinet/rack suitable for use with the disclosed assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main mounting bracket and two exemplary sizes of a cable seal in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly showing the cable seal, a pivoting cable management bracket, a pivoting filter mounting bracket, and an air filter positioned for sliding onto the pivoting filter mounting bracket;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an LED extension bar centrally positioned between a left-side air filter and a right-side air filter in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly illustrating its orientation to an electronic product and showing the mounting of the LED extension bar on the end of the air filter mounting bracket;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a left-side assembly with the air filter installed in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of three disclosed assemblies in a stacked configuration three Rack Units (RUs) high; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart schematically illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method of implementing a combined air filter and cable management assembly for an electronic product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed assembly will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the assembly are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the assembly to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like reference signs refer to like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an existing equipment cabinet/rack 10 suitable for use with the disclosed assembly. The illustrated cabinet/rack is an EIA-310-D/E cabinet with seventeen products 11 mounted horizontally to vertical rails 12. Cooling airflow enters at a front panel 13 of each product and exhausts at the rear.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main mounting bracket 21 and two exemplary sizes of a cable seal subassembly 22 in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly. The C-shaped main mounting bracket attaches, for example by screw or bolt, through a central aperture 23 to a mounting hole pattern in one of the front vertical rails 12 of the cabinet/rack 10. In one embodiment, the bracket uses the same mounting screw that is used to attach the product to the cabinet/rack. The horizontal legs 24 point toward the front of the cabinet/rack. In a full assembly, there are two main mounting brackets - a left-side mounting bracket and a right-side mounting bracket. Each mounting bracket, which may be of metal, has three functions:

1. Providing a mounting track for the cable seal subassembly;

2. Providing a pivoting mounting point for the cable management bracket; and

3. Providing a pivoting mounting point for the air filter mounting bracket. The cable seal subassembly 22 seals the area at the left and right sides where the fiber optic/copper cables exit the product and enter the cabinet or rack space. Each cable seal subassembly includes a plastic seal holder 25, which is similar in outer dimensions to the main mounting bracket 21, and a foam rubber seal 26 mounted to the inside of the seal holder.

Outside of the main mounting bracket 21, the cable seal subassembly 22 can pivot open to receive large cable bundles. Once centered in the center of the foam rubber seal 26, the entire cable seal subassembly is slid into the receiving main mounting bracket. Small cable bundles can simply be slid into the foam seal as the foam is oriented to allow the cables to slide on the foam seal surface skin. The depth and width of the cable seal subassembly 22 provides enough surface area to prevent air leakage between the foam rubber seal 26 and the cable bundle. Note the cable bundle should be wrapped before entering and after exiting the foam seal contact area. The layered foam seal provides enough compression to accommodate from one to twenty-four pairs of fiber optic cables. Compression of the front radii of the seals provides sealing in the front and rear gaps between cables and foam seal. The width of the seal accommodates bending of the cable bundle as it transitions from horizontal across the front panel to vertical to exit the cabinet or rack. Radius guides molded into the plastic seal holder provide a smooth bending guide for the fiber optic cables.

In the event of a reduction in cable bundle size, the modularity of the cable seal 22 enables easy replacement. Some leakage may occur until the foam seal recovers and rebounds to its original size.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly 30 showing the cable seal subassembly 22, a pivoting cable management bracket 31, a pivoting air filter mounting bracket 32, and an air filter 33 positioned for sliding onto the pivoting air filter mounting bracket. The elongated C-shaped pivoting cable management bracket 31 attaches to and pivots at the forward ends of the corresponding main mounting bracket 21 (not shown). Cables 53 exiting the front panel ports 54 (see FIG. 5) turn 90 degrees toward the vertical rails 12 of the cabinet/rack 10. The cables may be attached, for example, with hook and loop straps to the bracket to support their weight and keep them in order. The cables may also rest on the support platforms 34. This allows for quick replacment of a host board module by simply disconnecting the cables and pivoting the cable management bracket and attached cables out of the way. The host board module can be removed and replaced while the cables stay in their relative position even while disconnected. When pivoting the cable management bracket back into place, the connectors of the fiber optic cables are automatically positioned in line with their ports for easy reconnection.

The air filter mounting bracket 32 also attaches to and pivots at the forward ends of the corresponding main mounting bracket 21. The elongated C-shaped air filter mounting bracket closes off the gap above and below the cable area. Top and bottom arms of the air filter mounting bracket provide the structure for an air filter frame 35 to slidably engage. The air filter mounting bracket may be inverted for use in the opposite side assembly.

The air filter 33 includes two parts - the air filter frame 35, which may be plastic for example, and a foam filter element 36. The foam filter element may be hot- melt glued to the plastic frame. Chamfered holes (not shown) in the frame provide retention (similar to a flat head rivet). The frame has flanges 37 at the top and bottom to slidably engage the air filter mounting bracket 32. To install or replace the air filter, a technician merely slides it on or off the air filter mounting bracket. The air filter may be used in the left-side or right-side assembly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an LED extension bar 41 centrally positioned between a left-side air filter 33a and a right-side air filter 33b in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly 30. The LED extension bar includes a housing, which may be plastic for example, that encloses LED light pipes (not shown) to bring light from the front panel center LEDs to the front of the air filter. The LED extension bar may be attached to the left (or right) air filter mounting bracket 32, or may be attached directly to the front panel of the product when the housing does not interfere with cable connectors. By way of example, the LED extension bar is shown attached to the left-side air filter mounting bracket in FIG. 5 (discussed below). A backprinted overlay with windows over the light pipes, for example, may be utilized to provide legends identifying the LED functions.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly 30 illustrating its orientation to an electronic product 51 and showing the mounting of the LED extension bar 41 on the end of the left-side air filter mounting bracket 32 for extending status LEDs 52 forward from the product front panel. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the LED extension bar 41 may be pivotably mounted to the non-pivoting side of the mounting bracket 32. Cables 53 exiting the front panel ports 54 turn 90 degrees outward and pass through the foam rubber seal 26 as they exit the sealed area of the product. In FIG. 5, the left side air filter 33a and the right-side air filter 33b are shown for completeness of illustration and to provide the overall context of how various components may be attached. However, the electronic product associated with the right side air filter 33b is not shown. It is noted that, in one embodiment, each of the air filter mounting bracket 32, the cable management bracket 31, and the LED extension bar 41 may be made of plastic.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a left-side assembly 30 with the air filter 33a installed and without the LED extension bar 41 in an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of three disclosed assemblies 30a-30c in a stacked configuration three Rack Units (RUs) high. Additional assemblies may be mounted above or below the three illustrated assemblies to fill an entire cabinet/rack. It is noted here that, in particular embodiments, the top-most and the bottom-most assemblies may be closed off to prevent unfiltered air bypasses. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, if the assembly 30c is the top-most assembly and the assembly 30a is the bottom-most assembly, then air dams (not shown) may be placed at the top-most filter assembly 30c and at the bottom-most filter assembly 30a to prevent unfiltered air bypasses. The closing -off with air dams may complete the filtered-air chambers created as per teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart schematically illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method of implementing a combined air filter and cable management assembly for an electronic product. At step 81, the main bracket 21 is mounted to one of the front vertical side posts 12 of an equipment cabinet/rack. At step 82, the cable seal subassembly 22 is slid into the main bracket. At step 83, the cable management bracket 31 is pivotally mounted to the main bracket. At step 84, cables are routed from the front panel ports through the side cable seal. The cables are attached to the cable management bracket for support and to maintain their order for realignment with the ports if the cables are disconnected. At step 85, the air filter subassembly is pivotally mounted to the main bracket. The air filter subassembly 33 is mounted outboard of the cable management subassembly so that the air filter can be changed without disturbing any cables. At step 86, the LED extension bar 41 is mounted where it overlays the status LEDs on the front panel when the left-side and/or right-side assemblies are closed. This may be at the central end of the left-side subassembly, the central end of the right-side subassembly, or directly on the front panel of the product.

In an alternative embodiment, the pivoting cable management bracket 31, the pivoting air filter mounting bracket 32, and the air filter 33 attach at one side and extend the entire width of the product front panel. This embodiment may be utilized when the status LEDs are located at either the far left side or the far right side of the panel (or when there are no status LEDs). The LED extension bar 41 may be attached to the air filter mounting bracket 32, or may be attached directly to the front panel of the product when the LED extension bar housing does not interfere with cable connectors.

The disclosed combined air filter and cable management assembly thus provides a scalable IRU incremental air filter and cable management solution for front-to-rear cooled electronic products required to meet the NEBS/ETSI air filtration requirements. The assembly provides quick service access to the product by opening hinged doors. The incremental IRU design scales for use with multiple board chassis with full wide or half wide horizontal printed circuit board modules. Left or right side can be replaced without disturbing the other side. The assembly enables tool -less and quick maintenance replacement of the air filter without disturbing the optical cables. The replacement air filter element is low cost and can be mass-produced.

The assembly also manages optical/copper cables to keep them from blocking airflow and to maintain their relative positioning during replacement of the product. An LED extension bar provides unobstructed access to view status LEDs while walking by, and without opening the filter doors. A cable seal subassembly provides sealing at cable exit points on the left and right side of the product. The cable seal subassembly accommodates variable quantities and types of optical/copper cables. The seal material is mechanically compressed on all sides as part of installation (without special parts), filling gaps where the cables meet the foam seal. The assembly provides an integrated solution solving many problems of conventional solutions.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An air filter and cable management assembly (30) for an electronic product (51) mounted in a cabinet (10), said assembly comprising:

an air filter subassembly (32, 33) to be pivotally mounted on a front side rail

(12) of the cabinet, wherein said air filter subassembly includes:

an air filter mounting bracket (32) that is to be pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet, and

an air filter (33) sized to cover at least a portion of the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the air filter is to be slidably mounted on the air filter mounting bracket so as to facilitate removal of the filter from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position; and

a cable management subassembly (31) for mounting on the front side rail of the cabinet inboard of the air filter subassembly, wherein the cable management subassembly supports cables (53) exiting ports (54) in the front panel of the product and directs the cables to the front side rail when the cable management subassembly is in a closed position.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one dimension of the air filter is substantially the same as the corresponding dimension of the mounting bracket.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cable management subassembly is to be pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet inboard of the air filter subassembly, and wherein the cable management subassembly provides a clear path to remove and replace the product when the cable management subassembly is pivoted to the open position.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the cable management subassembly includes: a cable management bracket (31) that is to be pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet, wherein the cable management bracket supports the cables exiting the ports and directs the cables to the front side rail, and wherein the cable management bracket maintains the order of the cables when the cables are disconnected from the ports in the front panel of the product.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cable seal subassembly (22) for mounting on the front side rail, wherein the cable seal subassembly includes a seal holder (25) and a cable seal (26) mounted to the inside of the seal holder, wherein the cable seal allows the cables to exit the product while maintaining an air seal.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the cable seal subassembly is pivotable to receive the cables prior to being slidably mounted inside a main mounting bracket (21).

7. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a Light Emitting Diode (LED) extension bar (41) that includes LED light pipes for extending LED status indications from the front panel of the product to a location visible in front of the cable management subassembly and the air filter subassembly when the cable management subassembly and the outer air filter subassembly are in their closed positions.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein one of the following applies:

the LED extension bar is pivotally mountable to a non-pivoting side of the air filter mounting bracket; and

the LED extension bar is directly attachable to the front panel of the product.

9. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein each of the air filter mounting bracket, the cable management bracket, and the LED extension bar is made of plastic.

10. A combined air filter and cable management assembly (30) for an electronic product (51) mounted in a cabinet (10), said assembly comprising:

an air filter subassembly (32, 33) pivotally mounted on a front side rail (12) of the cabinet, said air filter subassembly including an air filter (33) sized to cover the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the filter is slidably mounted on an air filter mounting bracket (32) thereby enabling the filter to be removed from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position; and

a cable management subassembly (31) pivotally mounted on the front side rail of the cabinet inboard of the air filter subassembly, said cable management subassembly including a cable management bracket (31) configured to support cables (53) exiting ports (54) in the front panel of the product and to direct the cables to the side rail when the cable management subassembly is in a closed position, and to maintain the order of the cables when the cables are disconnected from the ports in the front panel of the product, wherein the cable management subassembly provides a clear path to remove and replace the product when the cable management subassembly is pivoted to the open position.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, further comprising:

a side cable seal (26) mounted on the side rail for allowing the cables to exit the product without breaking an air seal.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a seal holder (25) inside which the cable seal (26) is mounted, wherein the seal holder is pivotable to receive the cables prior to being slidably mounted inside a main mounting bracket (21).

13. The assembly according to claim 10, further comprising a Light Emitting Diode (LED) extension bar (41) that includes LED light pipes for extending LED status indications from the front panel of the product to a location visible in front of the cable management subassembly and the air filter subassembly when the cable management subassembly and the outer air filter subassembly are in their closed positions.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein one of the following applies:

the LED extension bar is pivotally mounted to a non-pivoting side of the air filter subassembly; and

the LED extension bar is directly attached to the front panel of the product.

15. A method of implementing an air filter and cable management assembly

(30) for an electronic product (51) mounted in a cabinet (10), said method comprising: mounting (81) a main bracket (21) to a front vertical side post (12) of the cabinet;

sliding (82) a cable seal subassembly (22) into the main bracket;

pivotally mounting (83) a cable management bracket (31) to the main bracket; routing (84) cables (53) from ports (54) in the front panel of the product through the cable seal subassembly while attaching the cables to the cable management bracket for support; and

pivotally mounting (85) an air filter subassembly (32, 33) to the main bracket so that the air filter subassembly is outside the cable management subassembly, said air filter subassembly including an air filter (33) sized to cover the front panel of the product when the air filter subassembly is in a closed position, wherein the filter is slidably mounted on an air filter mounting bracket (32) of the air filter subassembly thereby enabling the filter to be removed from the bracket when the air filter subassembly is pivoted to an open position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the cable seal subassembly includes a seal holder (25) and a cable seal (26) mounted to the inside of the seal holder, wherein the cable seal allows the cables to exit the product while maintaining an air seal.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: mounting (86) a Light Emitting Diode (LED) extension bar (41) to extend status LED indications from the front panel of the product through the cable management subassembly and the air filter subassembly, thereby making the status LED indications visible when the cable management subassembly and the outer air filter subassembly are in their closed positions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the following applies:

pivotally mounting the LED extension bar to a non-pivoting side of the air filter mounting bracket; and

directly attaching the LED extension bar to the front panel of the product.