Abstract:
An electrical edge connector cleaning device consisting of an essentially planar board having embossed areas at opposite ends that operate as an abrasive due to parallel striations used to create the embossed areas. The device is configured such that a first opposite end operates to clean male edge connectors by employing leverage means to assist in burnishing the connectors and a second opposite end operates to clean female edge connector sockets by embossing a top and a bottom surface of a lip that is then repeatedly inserted into and removed from a female edge connector socket to burnish the contacts.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of cleaning devices for circuit board connectors, and more specifically to abrasive devices used to clean edge connectors for circuit boards and circuit board sockets. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Many computers, and most personal computers, use circuit boards having input/output connectors that are typically referred to as edge connectors. Most home video games also use game cartridges having edge connectors to interface the game cartridge with the video game computer. Edge connectors, as with electrical connectors not manufactured using expensive gold alloys, chemically react with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin but non-conductive oxide layer which then acts as an insulator to inhibit the flow of current between the edge connector pad and the edge connector socket. In addition to chemical reactions related to oxidation, particulate contaminants such as dust, smoke and hydrocarbons in the environment operate to form insulating layers at the junction between edge connectors and edge connector sockets that prevent good electrical conduction. 
     Prior art methods for cleaning electrical contacts have employed such devices as Q-TIPs, cotton, cloth or felt layers adhered to planar boards or sticks, soaked with alcohol or mild soapy solutions to wipe the contact surfaces. These procedures while effective for male contact surfaces, such as the edge connectors, have been ineffective for female contact surfaces, such as the sockets used for edge connectors, due to the fact that the female contact surfaces are inherently recessed, making it difficult or impossible to reach the contact surface. Furthermore, these methods had little, if any, effect on chemically adhering oxide layers which inhibit electrical conduction. Additionally, these methods are undesirable due to the inconvenience of the liquid solvents involved. 
     More modern methods employ abrasive techniques to clean the insulating layers that form on contact surfaces. One such method is to employ a layer of burnishing material, such as commonly available aluminum oxide films, to a planar surface which can then be applied to the contact surfaces. While this has advantages over prior methods in cleaning female contact surfaces, the applied burnishing materials of prior teachings are actually applied to planar, surfaces rather than being part of the planar surface; thus, these films will themselves wear through the abrasive process and must be replaced. Furthermore, the application of burnishing materials contained in prior teachings has lacked insight for adapting even those techniques disclosed to a wide variety of uses. 
     Therefore, there is a long standing and continuing need within the teachings of the prior art for a convenient, inexpensive means to clean electrical contacts that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of uses. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an electrical contact cleaning device that is particularly suited to cleaning edge connector contacts and even more specifically to the cleaning of the connectors used in video games. Although the present invention is not limited to cleaning video games, as a further example of the present inventions usefulness computer card slots and the edge connectors typically used on computer circuit boards may also be burnished by the present invention. 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides a planar device having first and second opposite ends, upon which embossed areas formed from parallel striations composed of a percentage of crushed glass, operate as abrasives to burnish electrical contacts. The first end is formed specifically for the cleaning of male edge connectors and has cross members that provide leverage means whereby leverage can be applied through the handle that separates the first and second opposite ends. The second end is specifically formed for cleaning of female edge connector sockets and has the embossed area on both a top and a bottom surface of a lip. The lip is then inserted into the female socket and removed repeatedly to burnish the contacts. Guide rails assist the insertion of the lip. 
     The disclosure contained herein will make apparent the above described features as well as various modifications to those skilled in the art obvious when taken in conjunction with detailed description of the enclosed drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention being used to clean female electrical edge connectors. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention being used to clean male edge connector strips. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, shown is a preferred embodiment of the invention, a tool 10 for cleaning electrical contacts is made of a plastic or a polymer material which is resilient, flexible and not easily broken. It is molded into basically a flat implement having a hand grip 12 strengthened by thickened ribbed support edges 14 and 16. The tool 10 has a first end 18 having an embossed area 20 formed in a rectangular shape by a plurality of parallel striations 21. The parallel striations 21 are an essential element of the invention and in the preferred embodiment of the invention consist of between 5-10% of crushed glass which gives the embossed area an abrasive effect on male edge connectors when the embossed area 20 of first end 18 is used with a scrubbing motion. A cross ribbed under-structure for the first end 18 is illustrated by dotted lines indicating parallel cross members 24, 26 and orthogonal cross members 28, 30. These cross members serve to provide support and rigidity. However, the cross members have a more specific function in the specific embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 in which the invention as disclosed herein is used as an electrical contact cleaner for video games. Here, the first end 18 is used to clean the male electrical edge connector contacts on the game cartridge and cross members 24, 26, 28 and 30 operate to secure the embossed area 20 of the first end 18 against the inside of the game cartridge such that the embossed area 20 is pressed against the male edge connector contacts. The first end 18 is designed to have a width smaller than the width of the game cartridge to enable a lateral scrubbing movement in a direction perpendicular to the parallel striations 21, as shall be discussed further hereinbelow. 
     Still referring to FIG. 1, the second end 32 of the cleaning tool 10 is useful for cleaning the female edge connector contacts commonly used in video games. Here, the second end 32 has a lip 34 having an embossed area 35 consisting of parallel striations 36 again being composed of 5-10% crushed glass. The lip 34 is designed to be inserted into a video game in a manner similar to that used for inserting the video game cartridge. Thus, lip 34 tapers as it approaches edge 40 and edges 38,40 and 42 are beveled to ease insertion. The overall size and shape of lip 34 is compatible with the edge connector strip that is normally inserted into the video game. Beveled upper guide rails 44, 46 and beveled lower guide rails 48, 50 are designed to properly orient and position the second end 32 into the video game such that a repeated inserting and removing of lip 34 into the female edge connector strip inside the video game will remove undesired nonconductive layers that have formed on the female connectors through oxidation of the conductive material use to form the connectors or from particulate matter that exists in the ambient environment. Structural advantages are gained from employing rails 14, 16 on handle portion 12 by the addition of strength and rigidity. The second end 32 has lip 34 having embossed area 35 existing on both the top and bottom surfaces of lip 34 consisting of parallel striations 36. Here, the orientation of guide rails 46, 50 is seen as well as the distal relationship between first end 18, second end 32 and connecting handle portion 12. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention, as disclosed herein, and as such shows the present invention in its intended use as a tool 10 for cleaning electrical contact surfaces for female connector sockets 56, 58 that are compatible with male edge connectors. A typical female edge connector terminal 52 has a cavity 54 defined by female connector sockets 56,58 in which cavity 54 the lip 34 of the second end 32 of tool 10 is inserted. As a repeated insertion and removal motion is made as designated by arrow 55 parallel striations 36 contained on lip 34 remove insulating layers that may have formed on female connector sockets 56, 58. It needs to be understood that connector terminal 52 resides inside a computer or video game and that the computer or video game is not shown in FIG. 1 for the purposes of clarity. However, guide rails 44, 46, 48 and 50 are constructed to guide lip 34 into cavity 54 without error in the insertion process, due to the design of guide rails 44, 46, 48 and 50 being exactly matched for the computer or video game system in which they are to be used. Although the specific embodiment shown is for a video game in which connector terminal is recessed deep within the assembly of video game, the lip 34 containing parallel striations 36 can be used for other uses such as personal computer card slots in situations where the female edge connectors defining the card slot cavity are spaced the same as female edge connectors 56, 58 defining cavity 54 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the first end 18 of tool 10 is shown in a perspective view detailing the present invention&#39;s operation to clean male edge connectors 70. The male edge connectors 70 are contained on a shelf 62 within cartridge walls 64, all of which are contained as part of video game cartridge 60. The male edge connectors 70 exist on upper side 66 and lower side 68 of shelf 62. The embossed area 20 containing parallel striations 21 will be placed directly against male edge connectors 70 and cross members 24, 26, 28 and 30 will press against cartridge wall 64. Ridges 65, 67 are typically lip-type devices that exist in video game cartridges and the first end 18 of the tool 10 is constructed such that cross member 24 will rest against either ridge 65 or 67 depending on which strip of edge connectors are being burnished. Thus, an applied pressure is created and by moving tool 10 in direction of arrow 72 the male edge connectors will be burnished. Furthermore, increased pressure is easily achievable by using handle 12 as a lever resulting is even more significant burnishing of male edge connectors 70. 
     While the invention has been described in detail by specific reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is understood that variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.