Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Tool coated or impregnated with material supply
Utility Patent
1999-02-19
2001-01-02
Spisich, Mark (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Tool coated or impregnated with material supply
C015S118000, C015S210100, C015S220400, C401S010000, C401S037000, C401S196000
Utility Patent
active
06167584
ABSTRACT:
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119 and/or 365 to 9800513-5 filed in Sweden on Feb. 20, 1998; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a tool for cleaning optical fibers particularly suited for cleaning optical fibers retained to form optical ribbon fibers.
BACKGROUND
Before splicing optical fibers or connecting optical fibers to active/passive components the protective coatings of the optical fibers have to be removed over a distance at the ends of the fibers and then the fibers have to be cut off to produce new, fresh end surfaces, which are flat and located in planes which are accurately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the respective fibers. When using in particular optical fibers made of quarts glass, which have protective coatings of polymers, and removing the coatings small particles are formed, which often rather strongly adhere to the fibers and which must be removed before the cutting operation. Otherwise erroneous angles of the planes of the end surfaces can be obtained owing to errors when placing the fibers in the cutting apparatus. Also directly before splicing a cleaning operation can be required. In simple manual cleaning often a suitable cellulose fiber material such as cotton is used, which is moistened with some kind of alcohol and is wiped over the ends of the fibers.
Also specially designed cleaning devices have been proposed. Thus in the West German patent document DE,C1 33 41 919 a manual tool for cleaning optical fibers is disclosed, which have their primary protective coating left but on which dirt particles can remain after removing a secondary protective coating having a filling mass resident therein. The tool consists of a pair opposite cleaning pads of an absorbing material having a flexible pile
6
, which is arranged to be folded about a hinge
8
, and a container
5
for cleaning liquid. When using the tool, first the pads are impregnated with cleaning liquid from the container
5
, after which the fibers are placed on the pad
4
and the pad
3
is folded down and blocked by means of a snap lock
9
. The tool is then moved in the longitudinal direction of the fibers.
In the published International patent application WO,A1 91/13837 an automated fiber handling system comprising a station for cleaning fibers is disclosed, see FIGS.
6
A-
6
C. Strips of special paper are moved over rubber pads, impregnated with cleaning liquid from a nozzle and then the opposite rubber pads are pressed to each other, the moistened paper strips then being pressed against the fiber end, which is then moved between the paper strips.
In the Japanese patent application JP,A 9-197 156 a tool for splicing optical fibers is described. In the tool a cleaning part
8
is used for removing dirt before the splicing operation.
These prior constructions perform a cleaning in only one step by bringing an absorbing body holding a cleaning liquid to contact a fiber end. After this contact cleaning liquid can still remain on the fiber end and possibly also particles hold by this liquid.
SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool for optical fibers, which in a simple and efficient way can clean an end of an optical fiber.
The problem, which the inventions intends to solve is how an end of an optical fiber will be cleaned by a simple operation, so that effectively all particles are removed and further so that no solvent residues remain on the optical fiber end.
A cleaning tool intended primarily for cleaning ribbon fibers, from which the protective coating has been removed over an end portion, consists of opposite plush pads and opposite cotton or paper pads, which are secured to a base part which can be folded to a closed state. The plush pads are dipped to absorb a cleaning liquid such as an alcohol before the cleaning operation. Then the alcohol is sucked into the plush cloth, while the other pads of the tool comprising hardly pressed cotton or paper, remain dry. An end of an optical fiber is then moved over the two sets of pads, first contacting the moistened plush pads and thereafter contacting the adjacent dry pads. Thereby the washing and drying of optical fibers can be executed in a single step.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the methods, processes, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 623056 (1899-04-01), Wellborn
patent: 1179359 (1916-04-01), Kennedy
patent: 2069406 (1937-02-01), Esch
patent: 2622256 (1952-12-01), Vojacek
patent: 2715291 (1955-08-01), Sweigert
patent: 2908923 (1959-10-01), Schlechter
patent: 2968056 (1961-01-01), Aveni
patent: 3813722 (1974-06-01), Sapochinik
patent: 5056180 (1991-10-01), Stanton
patent: 5461747 (1995-10-01), Clausen et al.
patent: 3341919 (1983-11-01), None
patent: 0 509 737 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 91/13837 (1991-09-01), None
Abstract for JP 9197156 filed Jul. 31, 1997.
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Spisich Mark
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
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