Patent Publication Number: US-2010119765-A1

Title: Cleaning Strips For Cash And Credit Card Machines

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a cleaning strip or cleaning card for cash and credit card machines, with a strip coated with flock fibers and consisting of a carrier material, two mutually opposite strip edges defining a machine direction, and the width, measured transversely to a push-in direction into a cash and credit card machine, of the strip corresponding essentially to the length of a side edge of a banknote or credit card suitable for use in a cash and credit card machine to be cleaned. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Cleaning strips or cleaning cards for machine systems with a card reader and banknote tester having a draw-through reader, mechanical insertion reader or reader having motor-operated draw-in are known. A known strip material consists of a cellulose fleece impregnated, if appropriate, with a cleaning agent. A cleaning card with a full-area flock coating and with a flock coating in the manner of a brick wall pattern is also known. 
     US 2005/0266211 A1 discloses a cleaning card consisting of a nonwoven with elevations arising from the card plane on both sides of the card and serving as cleaning surfaces. 
     A cleaning card consisting of a flexible plastic material, such as, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene, is known from WO 2007/016512 A2. Arcuate portions arise as cleaning surfaces out of the card plane on both sides of the card. 
     With the known cleaning strips and cleaning cards, the card readers and banknote testers of cash and credit card machines cannot always be cleaned satisfactorily without extra effort, and therefore machine failures are increasingly to be expected. 
     Presentation of the Invention 
     The object on which the invention is based is to provide a cleaning strip or a cleaning card of the type initially mentioned with an improved cleaning action. Moreover, the cleaning strip or the cleaning card is to be capable of being handled simply and reliably. 
     The object is achieved according to the invention in that the strip has on at least one of its surfaces at least three transverse strips arranged at a distance from one another transversely to the machine direction and provided with a coating consisting of flock fibers. 
     So that the appliances to be cleaned can be cleaned effectively with as little effort as possible, the transverse strips are preferably arranged on both surfaces or on the front and the rear side of the strip. 
     Preferably, the transverse strips have a width of 5 to 15 mm, preferably of 8 to 12 mm, and a mutual distance of 5 to 20 mm, preferably of 8 to 18 mm. 
     In a particularly preferred embodiment of the cleaning strip or cleaning card according to the invention, the transverse strips arranged on one side of the strip lie between the transverse strips arranged on the other side of the strip. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       Further advantages, features and details of the invention may be gathered from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments and with reference to the drawing in which, diagrammatically, 
         FIG. 1  shows a top view of the front side of a cleaning strip for cash machines; 
         FIG. 2  shows a top view of the rear side of the cleaning strip of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a longitudinal section through the cleaning strip of  FIG. 1  along its line I-I; 
         FIG. 4  shows a top view of the front side of a cleaning card for credit card machines; 
         FIG. 5  shows a top view of the rear side of the cleaning card of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows a longitudinal section through the cleaning card of  FIG. 4  along its line II-II; 
         FIG. 7  shows a longitudinal section through part of a cleaning card for credit card machines during a cleaning operation in an enlarged illustration. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A cleaning strip  10  for cash machines, which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , has, for example, a length L of 185 mm and a width B of 65 mm. In the example shown, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning strip  10  corresponds to the push-in direction x of the banknote tester of a cash machine. The cleaning strip  10  comprises a strip  12  consisting of a flexible carrier material composed, for example, of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a thickness of 0.15 mm. The strip  12  is provided on both sides with transverse strips  14 ,  15  consisting of a flock coating composed, for example, of polyamide (PA) having the flock dimensions 1.00 mm/3.3 dtex, the first number referring to the length of the individual fibers and the second number to the density of the flock. 
     A flock coating or flocking is understood to mean the application of flock fibers to a surface. For this purpose, the surface regions to be flocked are covered, after pretreatment, with an adhesive. The initially randomly arranged flock fibers are oriented in an electrostatic field and are guided onto the surface by the latter. The adhesive is subsequently allowed to cure, and a uniform nap having fibers arising essentially vertically from the surface is obtained. 
     The transverse strips  14 ,  15  consisting of a flock coating have, for example, a width d of 9 mm and a distance between adjacent transverse strips of 15 mm. In the example shown, in each case five transverse strips  14  are arranged on the front side and in each case five transverse strips  15  are arranged on the rear side of the strip  12 , the transverse strips  14  on the front side being arranged so as to be offset with respect to the transverse strips  15  on the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the strip  12  such that the transverse strips  14  on the front side lie in each case between the transverse strips  15  on the rear side, and vice versa. The height h of the transverse strips  14 ,  15  consisting of the flock coating corresponds approximately to the length of the individual flock fibers arising from the surface of the strip  12  consisting of carrier material, that is to say, in the present example, to about 1 mm. 
     A cleaning card  20  for credit card machines which is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 to 6  corresponds in its set-up essentially to the above-described cleaning strip  10  for cash machines and has a length L, corresponding to the dimensions of a credit card, of, for example, 85 mm and a width B of, for example, 54 mm. In the example shown, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning card  20  corresponds to the push-in direction x of the insertion reader of a credit card machine. The cleaning card  20  comprises a card or a strip  22  consisting of a carrier material composed, for example, of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a thickness of, for example, 0.3 mm. The strip  22  is provided on both sides with transverse strips  24 ,  25  consisting of a flock coating composed, for example, of polyamide (PA) with the flock dimensions 1.00 mm/3.3 dtex. 
     The transverse strips  24 ,  25  consisting of flock coating have, for example, a width d of 9 mm and a distance between adjacent transverse strips of 12 mm. 
     In the example shown, in each case four transverse strips  24  are arranged on the front side and in each case three transverse strips  25  are arranged on the rear side of the card or strip  22 , the transverse strips  24  on the front side being arranged so as to be offset with respect to the transverse strips  25  on the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the strip  22  such that the transverse strips  24  on the front side lie in each case between the transverse strips  25  on the rear side, and vice versa. The height h of the transverse strips  24 ,  25  consisting of the flock coating corresponds approximately to the length of the individual flock fibers arising from the surface of the strip  22  consisting of carrier material, that is to say, in the present example, to about 1 mm. 
       FIG. 7  shows the arrangement of the flock fibers  28 , fixed via an adhesive layer  26  on the strip  22  as carrier material, in a transverse strip  24  during the cleaning of a magnetic head  30  of the card reader of a credit card machine. Owing to the brush action of the flock coating, effective cleaning is obtained. The outstanding dirt uptake of the flock prevents the dirt from merely being distributed inside the card reader. The particles are taken up by the fibers and removed by the card being taken out. 
     To increase the cleaning action, the flock coating of the transverse strips  14 ,  15  and  24 ,  25  may be impregnated with a cleaning agent. In this case, the moist cleaning strips or cleaning cards  10 ,  20  are stored in a fluid-tight bag until they are used. 
     The parts to be cleaned by a cleaning strip  10  for cash machines relate, above all, to transport rollers and transport belts, sensors and reference surfaces, and the parts to be cleaned by a cleaning card  20  for credit card machines relate, above all, to transport rollers, sensors, magnetic heads and chips. 
     In the examples illustrated, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning strip or cleaning card always corresponds to the machine direction or the push-in direction, that is to say it corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the banknotes or credit cards which likewise usually have to be pushed in their longitudinal direction into the corresponding cash machine or credit card machine. In machines with banknotes or credit cards which have to be pushed in transversely to their longitudinal direction, the cleaning strips or cleaning cards are likewise pushed in transversely to their longitudinal direction, in any event the transverse strips on the cleaning strips and cleaning cards being arranged transversely to the machine direction or push-in direction. 
     The arrangement of the transverse strips consisting of flock on the cleaning strips and cleaning cards, the width of the transverse strips, the distance between the transverse strips, the length of the flock fibers and the flock density, the chemical composition of the flock, the set-up of the strips and cards and the composition of the carrier materials used are not restricted to the embodiments described above and illustrated by way of example in the drawing. In particular, the scope of protection also embraces cleaning strips and cleaning cards in which only one side is provided with transverse strips and the other side has a full-area or even no flock coating. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 
     
         
           10  cleaning strip for cash machines 
           12  strip consisting of carrier material 
           14 ,  15  transverse strips consisting of flock coating 
           20  cleaning card for credit card machines 
           22  strip consisting of carrier material 
           24 ,  25  transverse strips consisting of flock coating 
           26  adhesive layer 
           28  flock fiber 
           30  magnetic head 
         L length of  10  or  20   
         width of  10  or  20   
         d width of  14 ,  15  or  24 ,  25   
         e distance  14 - 14 ,  15 - 15  or  24 - 24 ,  25 - 25   
         x machine direction 
         h height of the transverse strips or flock fibers