What is claimed is:
1. A cartridge for supporting an optical backplane, comprising:
a base;
an upper portion coupled with the base; and
optical connector slots for supporting one or more optical connectors of the optical backplane disposed within the cartridge.
2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein walls of the upper portion approximate a predetermined radius of curvature.
3. The cartridge of claim 2, wherein the optical backplane mounts within the upper portion such that the predetermined radius of curvature of the upper portion supports the optical backplane in a predetermined range of radius of curvature.
4. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the optical connector slots are sized and dimensioned to support and mount the one or more optical connectors with a friction fit.
5. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is made of a material selected from the list of metal, plastic, composite, ceramic, and wood.
6. The cartridge of claim 1, further comprising optical card slots disposed in the upper portion for supporting one or more optical cards.
7. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the optical card slots are sized and dimensioned to support at least a portion of the one or more optical cards with a friction fit.
8. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is sized and dimensioned to facilitate a flow of air therethrough for cooling.
9. An optical component, comprising:
a housing;
at least one plane disposed within the housing;
a cartridge disposed within the housing proximal to the at least one plane; and
an optical backplane disposed within the cartridge such that one or more optical connectors coupled with the optical backplane are supported by the cartridge and the one or more optical connectors further couple with the at least one plane.
10. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the cartridge comprises a base and a upper portion.
11. The optical component of claim 10, wherein walls of the upper portion together with the base portion approximate a predetermined radius of curvature.
12. The optical component of claim 11, wherein the optical backplane mounts within the upper portion and the base portion such that the predetermined radius of curvature of the upper portion and base portion supports the optical backplane in a predetermined range of radius of curvature.
13. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the cartridge comprises one or more optical connector slots.
14. The optical component of claim 13, wherein the one or more optical connector slots are sized and dimensioned to support and mount the optical connectors with a friction fit.
15. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the cartridge is made of a material selected from the group of metal, plastic, composite, ceramic, and wood.
16. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the cartridge comprises one or more optical card slots disposed in the upper portion for supporting one or more optical cards.
17. The optical component of claim 16, wherein the one or more optical card slots are sized and dimensioned to support and mount at least a portion of the one or more optical cards with a friction fit.
18. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the cartridge is sized and dimensioned to facilitate a flow of air therethrough for cooling.
19. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the base of the cartridge is coupled with the housing with at least one of a locking device, a fastening device, a weld, and adhesive.
20. The optical component of claim 9, wherein the plane comprises one of a mid-plane and a backplane.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of casting metal strip comprising:
(a) assembling a pair of casting rolls laterally disposed to form a nip between them,
(b) assembling an elongated metal delivery nozzle extending along and above the nip between the casting rolls, with at least one segment having a main portion and an end portion having a reservoir portion having passages adapted to deliver molten metal to a casting pool and an inner trough extending longitudinally through the main portion and into the end portion beneath the reservoir portion, with end walls at opposite ends thereof, the inner trough communicating with outlets adjacent bottom portions formed in each segment adapted to deliver molten metal to the casting pool,
(c) introducing molten metal through the elongated metal delivery nozzle to form a casting pool of molten metal supported on the casting rolls above the nip, such that molten metal is caused to flow into the inner trough of the delivery nozzle, from the inner trough through the outlets and through the reservoir portion passages into the casting pool, and
(d) counter rotating the casting rolls to deliver cast strip downwardly from the nip.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the inner trough has a bottom portion with a convex upper surface.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the inner trough has a bottom portion with a concave upper surface.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the reservoir portion in the end portion of each segment has parts on opposite sides of the inner trough and longitudinally extending weirs adjacent the side walls of the inner trough adapted to allow molten metal to flow over the weirs from the inner trough into the reservoir portion.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the inner trough in the end portion of each segment extends under the reservoir portion, and has a weir positioned between the reservoir portion and the inner trough in the main portion of each segment adapted to allow molten metal to flow over the weir from the inner trough into the reservoir portion.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 where the outlets in communication with the inner trough extend to adjacent to the end of each segment.
7. A metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip comprising at least one elongated segment having a main portion and an end portion having a reservoir portion having passages adapted to deliver molten metal to a casting pool and an inner trough extending longitudinally through the main portion and into the end portion beneath the reservoir portion with end walls at opposite ends thereof, the inner trough communicating with outlets adjacent bottom portions formed in each segment adapted to deliver molten metal to the casting pool.
8. The metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip as claimed in claim 7 where the inner trough has a bottom portion with a convex upper surface.
9. The metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip as claimed in claim 7 where the inner trough has a bottom portion with a concave upper surface.
10. The metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip as claimed in claim 7 where the reservoir portion in the end portion of each segment has parts on opposite sides of the inner trough and longitudinally extending weirs adjacent the side walls of the inner trough adapted to allow molten metal to flow over the weirs from the inner trough into the reservoir portion.
11. The metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip as claimed in claim 7 where the inner trough of each segment extends under the reservoir portion in the end portion, and has a weir positioned between the reservoir portion and the inner trough in the main portion of each segment adapted to allow molten metal to flow over the weir from the inner trough into the reservoir portion.
12. The metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip as claimed in claim 7 where the outlets in communication with the inner trough extend adjacent to the end of each segment.