US20030024061A1 - Apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot - Google Patents

Apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot Download PDF

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Publication number
US20030024061A1
US20030024061A1 US10/194,095 US19409502A US2003024061A1 US 20030024061 A1 US20030024061 A1 US 20030024061A1 US 19409502 A US19409502 A US 19409502A US 2003024061 A1 US2003024061 A1 US 2003024061A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
memory card
card slot
contact
base
cleaning
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/194,095
Inventor
Jin-Sheng Weng
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Taiwan Bor Ying Corp
Original Assignee
Taiwan Bor Ying Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Taiwan Bor Ying Corp filed Critical Taiwan Bor Ying Corp
Assigned to TAIWAN BOR YING CORPORATION reassignment TAIWAN BOR YING CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: WENG, JIN-SHENG
Publication of US20030024061A1 publication Critical patent/US20030024061A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K13/00Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
    • G06K13/02Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
    • G06K13/08Feeding or discharging cards
    • G06K13/0868Feeding or discharging cards using an arrangement for keeping the feeding or insertion slot of the card station clean of dirt, or to avoid feeding of foreign or unwanted objects into the slot
    • G06K13/0893Feeding or discharging cards using an arrangement for keeping the feeding or insertion slot of the card station clean of dirt, or to avoid feeding of foreign or unwanted objects into the slot the arrangement comprising means for cleaning the card upon insertion
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/02Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/04Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the shape
    • G06K19/041Constructional details
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06KGRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/067Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
    • G06K19/07Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
    • G06K19/077Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning a head of a surface-contact memory card slot, and more particularly to a cleaning apparatus that is inserted into a surface-contact memory card slot to contact with and thereby effectively wipe clean elastic contact plates provided in a head of the memory card slot.
  • COMPACT memory card Compact Flash, CF
  • PCMCIA memory card Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, PC
  • the above-mentioned memory cards may be generally divided into two types according to the manner in which the memory card contacts with a head in a memory card slot.
  • the CF and PC memory cards are of pin-contact memory cards, while the SM and MS memory cards are of surface-contact memory cards.
  • the pin-contact memory card has a contact section at where a 50-hole or a 68-hole female connector is provided.
  • the pin-contact memory card is designed to plug in a machine at a memory card slot thereof.
  • a head in the memory card slot for reading data is provided at a portion contacting with the plugged memory card with a 50-pin or 68-pin male connector, which engages with the 50-hole or 68-hole female connector and thereby enables reading and/or storing of data from or on the memory card.
  • the surface-contact memory card has a contact section providedat a front end of one side thereof. The contact section includes a plurality of spaced contact areas.
  • the surface-contact memory card is designed to plug in a machine at a memory card slot thereof.
  • a head in the memory card slot for reading data is provided at a portion contacting with the plugged memory card with a plurality of elastic contact plates corresponding to the contact areas on the memory card.
  • the elastic contact plates provided in the head of the surface-contact memory card slot tend to rust, become dirty, or have foreign matters attached thereto to result in poor reading and/or storing of data. Since such elastic contact plates are usually invisibly located at an inner side of the machine using the memory card, and are very closely arranged side by side, it is difficult to effectively clean contact areas on the elastic contact plates in a simple and convenient manner. Therefore, it is common for many users to constantly encounter the problem of poor reading and/or storing of data resulted from the dirty elastic contact plates in the memory card slot.
  • a primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot.
  • the cleaning apparatus mainly includes a base and a sheeted cleaning element spread over an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of the base.
  • the cleaning element on the base is in contact with elastic contact plates provided in the head of the memory card slot. Such contact of the cleaning element with the elastic contact plates enables the cleaning element to wipe clean surfaces of the elastic contact plates.
  • FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a sectioned side view of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the use of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 that is a sectioned side view of FIG. 1.
  • the cleaning apparatus D of the present invention includes a base 1 having a shape and dimensions similar to those of a general memory card, and a sheeted cleaning element 2 that may be made of a paper-based material, a cloth-based material, or a foamed material.
  • the cleaning element 2 is spread over an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of the base 1 . That is, the cleaning element 2 is provided on the base 1 at positions that correspond to contact areas provided on a general memory card.
  • FIG. 3 shows the manner of using the cleaning apparatus D of the present invention.
  • the cleaning apparatus D is used just like a general memory card by inserting it into a head 3 of a surface-contact memory card slot.
  • a portion of the cleaning element 2 at the upper side of the base 1 is in frictional contact with elastic contact plates 31 provided in the head 3 to rub and wipe the elastic contact plates 31 .
  • the cleaning element 2 foreign matters, dirt, etc. attached to surfaces of the elastic contact plates 31 are synchronously and completely wiped off to achieve highly effective cleaning of the head 3 of the memory card slot.

Abstract

An apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot mainly includes a base and a sheeted cleaning element spread over an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of the base. When the base is inserted into the surface-contact memory card slot just like a general memory card, the cleaning element on the base is in contact with and wipes elastic contact plates provided in the head of the memory card slot to thereby clean surfaces of the elastic contact plates.

Description

    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning a head of a surface-contact memory card slot, and more particularly to a cleaning apparatus that is inserted into a surface-contact memory card slot to contact with and thereby effectively wipe clean elastic contact plates provided in a head of the memory card slot. [0001]
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • With the high developments in various technological fields, computerized products, such as personal digital assistant (PDA) , MP3, digital camera, portable computer, and many other computer-related products, are now widely used in people's daily life and industrial production. These computerized products all use memory cards to store and read data. [0002]
  • The following are some currently available memory cards: [0003]
  • (1) COMPACT memory card (Compact Flash, CF); [0004]
  • (2) PCMCIA memory card (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, PC); [0005]
  • (3) SSFDC memory card (Smart Media, SM); and [0006]
  • (4) SONY memory card (Memory Stick, MS). [0007]
  • The above-mentioned memory cards may be generally divided into two types according to the manner in which the memory card contacts with a head in a memory card slot. The CF and PC memory cards are of pin-contact memory cards, while the SM and MS memory cards are of surface-contact memory cards. The pin-contact memory card has a contact section at where a 50-hole or a 68-hole female connector is provided. The pin-contact memory card is designed to plug in a machine at a memory card slot thereof. A head in the memory card slot for reading data is provided at a portion contacting with the plugged memory card with a 50-pin or 68-pin male connector, which engages with the 50-hole or 68-hole female connector and thereby enables reading and/or storing of data from or on the memory card. On the other hand, the surface-contact memory card has a contact section providedat a front end of one side thereof. The contact section includes a plurality of spaced contact areas. The surface-contact memory card is designed to plug in a machine at a memory card slot thereof. A head in the memory card slot for reading data is provided at a portion contacting with the plugged memory card with a plurality of elastic contact plates corresponding to the contact areas on the memory card. When the contact areas of the memory card are engaged with the elastic contact plates of the memory card slot, into which the memory card is plugged, data on the memory card could be read and/or stored. [0008]
  • When the memory card slot has been used for a long time, the elastic contact plates provided in the head of the surface-contact memory card slot tend to rust, become dirty, or have foreign matters attached thereto to result in poor reading and/or storing of data. Since such elastic contact plates are usually invisibly located at an inner side of the machine using the memory card, and are very closely arranged side by side, it is difficult to effectively clean contact areas on the elastic contact plates in a simple and convenient manner. Therefore, it is common for many users to constantly encounter the problem of poor reading and/or storing of data resulted from the dirty elastic contact plates in the memory card slot. [0009]
  • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • A primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot. The cleaning apparatus mainly includes a base and a sheeted cleaning element spread over an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of the base. When the base is plugged in a surface-contact memory card slot just like a memory card, the cleaning element on the base is in contact with elastic contact plates provided in the head of the memory card slot. Such contact of the cleaning element with the elastic contact plates enables the cleaning element to wipe clean surfaces of the elastic contact plates. [0010]
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein [0011]
  • FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention; [0012]
  • FIG. 2 is a sectioned side view of FIG. 1; and [0013]
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the use of the present invention.[0014]
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • Please refer to FIG. 1 that is a top perspective view of an apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and to FIG. 2 that is a sectioned side view of FIG. 1. As shown, the cleaning apparatus D of the present invention includes a base [0015] 1 having a shape and dimensions similar to those of a general memory card, and a sheeted cleaning element 2 that may be made of a paper-based material, a cloth-based material, or a foamed material. The cleaning element 2 is spread over an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of the base 1. That is, the cleaning element 2 is provided on the base 1 at positions that correspond to contact areas provided on a general memory card.
  • There are many feasible ways for spreading and attaching the [0016] cleaning element 2 to the upper and/or the lower side of the front portion of the base 1. One of the simplest ways is to bond the cleaning element 2 to the base 1 with a bonding material.
  • Please refer to FIG. 3 that shows the manner of using the cleaning apparatus D of the present invention. The cleaning apparatus D is used just like a general memory card by inserting it into a head [0017] 3 of a surface-contact memory card slot. At this point, a portion of the cleaning element 2 at the upper side of the base 1 is in frictional contact with elastic contact plates 31 provided in the head 3 to rub and wipe the elastic contact plates 31. With the cleaning element 2, foreign matters, dirt, etc. attached to surfaces of the elastic contact plates 31 are synchronously and completely wiped off to achieve highly effective cleaning of the head 3 of the memory card slot.

Claims (5)

What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot, comprising:
a base having a shape and dimensions similar to those of a general memory card; and
a sheeted cleaning element being spread and attached to an upper and/or a lower side of a front portion of said base.
2. The apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cleaning element is made of a paper-based material.
3. The apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cleaning element is made of a cloth-based material.
4. The apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cleaning element is made of a foamed material.
5. The apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cleaning element is attached to the upper and/or the lower side of the front portion of said base by means of a bonding material.
US10/194,095 2001-08-02 2002-07-11 Apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot Abandoned US20030024061A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
TW90213111 2001-08-02
TW090213111U TW585322U (en) 2001-08-02 2001-08-02 Cleaning device for read part of surface contact type memory card base

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20030024061A1 true US20030024061A1 (en) 2003-02-06

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US10/194,095 Abandoned US20030024061A1 (en) 2001-08-02 2002-07-11 Apparatus for cleaning head of surface-contact memory card slot

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US (1) US20030024061A1 (en)
TW (1) TW585322U (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7544252B1 (en) 2008-08-20 2009-06-09 International Business Machines Corporation Spring actuated slotted DIMM contact cleaning device

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4479136A (en) * 1983-02-17 1984-10-23 Exxon Research & Engineering Co. Cleaning system and method for ink jet printer
US4933015A (en) * 1987-04-02 1990-06-12 Charles D. Knapp Method of cleaning type elements and print heads
US5201093A (en) * 1989-12-20 1993-04-13 Wells James M Video game console and cartridge cleaning kit
US5525417A (en) * 1994-10-14 1996-06-11 Clean Team Company Dual purpose cleaning card
US6156407A (en) * 1997-03-29 2000-12-05 Wincor Nixdorf Gmbh & Co. Kg Cleaning card for magnetic strip and chip card read-write devices, method for the production of said cards

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4479136A (en) * 1983-02-17 1984-10-23 Exxon Research & Engineering Co. Cleaning system and method for ink jet printer
US4933015A (en) * 1987-04-02 1990-06-12 Charles D. Knapp Method of cleaning type elements and print heads
US5201093A (en) * 1989-12-20 1993-04-13 Wells James M Video game console and cartridge cleaning kit
US5525417A (en) * 1994-10-14 1996-06-11 Clean Team Company Dual purpose cleaning card
US6156407A (en) * 1997-03-29 2000-12-05 Wincor Nixdorf Gmbh & Co. Kg Cleaning card for magnetic strip and chip card read-write devices, method for the production of said cards

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7544252B1 (en) 2008-08-20 2009-06-09 International Business Machines Corporation Spring actuated slotted DIMM contact cleaning device

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TW585322U (en) 2004-04-21

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Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: TAIWAN BOR YING CORPORATION, TAIWAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WENG, JIN-SHENG;REEL/FRAME:013111/0478

Effective date: 20020705

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION