Device for cleaning electrical connectors
AssigneeNorman R. Ross
InventorGerald W. Ross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for cleaning male and female electrical connectors, the device providing a body having spaced, opposite ends one of which is adapted for use in cleaning a female electrical connector and the other of which is adapted for use in cleaning a male electrical connector, the body further having guide means on each end for aligning the end with the connector for which it is adapted to clean.
Claims6
A device for cleaning electrical connectors of the type having a female connector and a male connector dimensioned releasably to be disposed in mating relation and wherein the female connector has a body mounting an external elongated boss and having a plurality of elongated bores extending therewithin in substantially parallel relation in a predetermined pattern and wherein the male connector has a housing bounding a chamber dimensioned to receive a portion of the body of the female connector and having a slot dimensioned to receive said boss of the body of the female connector, and a plurality of rod-like terminals spaced from each other within the housing of the male connector in a pattern substantially conforming to said predetermined pattern of the bores of the body of the female connector and each terrminal is dimensioned for individual receipt within one of said bores when the body of the female connector is received within said chamber of the male connector, and said housing mounting a cover pivotal between a closed attitude wherein the cover is disposed in covering relation to said chamber and an opened attitude wherein the cover is pivoted from the chamber, the device comprising:
- an elongated intermediate portion having spaced, opposite ends;
- a female cleaning portion borne on a first opposite end of the intermediate portion and having a substantially cylindrical wall bounding a cavity dimensioned to receive a portion of the body of a female connector therein, said wall having a slot dimensioned to receive said boss of the body of the female connector when said portion of the body is received within said cavity, and a plurality of elongated brushes mounted within said cavity in a pattern substantially conforming to said predetermined pattern of the bores of the body of the female connector for substantially simultaneous individual receipt in a plurality of the bores of the body of the female connector when said body is received within the cavity for abrasively cleaning said bores upon reciprocal movement of the device during said receipt;
- and
- a male cleaning portion borne on a second opposite end of the intermediate portion and having a plurality of elongated brushes each being disposed in juxtaposition to at least one other of said brushes to define an interface area and said interface areas disposed in a pattern substantially conforming to said pattern of the rod-like terminals for engagement of the brushes defining the interface areas with the rod-like terminals for abrasively cleaning said rod-like terminals upon reciprocal movement of the device during said engagement.
A device for cleaning electrical connectors adapted to be disposed in mating relation to establish paths of electrical conductivity therethrough and consisting of a female connector having a plurality of bores extending therewithin along substantially parallel paths and arranged in a predetermined pattern and a male connector having a plurality of rod-like terminals extending along substantially parallel paths and arranged in a predetermined pattern and having dimensions permitting individual slidable receipt within the bores of the female connector releasably to establish said mating relationship, the rod-like terminals enclosed in a housing slidably received about the female connector in said mating relationship, the device comprising a body having a first end portion and an opposite second end portion dimensioned for slidable receipt within said housing of the male connector;
- a plurality of first abrasion members mounted on the first end portion in substantially parallel relation in a pattern substantially conforming to said pattern of the bores of the female connector;
- and a plurality of second abrasion members mounted on the second end portion of the body in substantially parallel relation in a pattern such that each second abrasion member is disposed in juxtaposition to at least one other second abrasion member to define an interface area and said interface areas disposed in a pattern substantially conforming to said pattern of the rod-like terminals whereby said second abrasion members can be placed in mating relation with the rod-like terminals of the male connector and, alternatively, the first abrasion members can be placed in mating relation with the bores of the female connector and in both said mating relationships said connectors cleaned by reciprocation of the body while maintaining the mating relationship.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.