Cleaning device for optical fiber components

Abstract

A cleaning device ( 10, 110, 210 ) may be a card-like member such as a flap ( 16, 116 ), integrally formed with a dispenser container ( 12 ), or a slotted member ( 36 ) mounted on a stand-alone cleaning device ( 110 ). A cleaning wipe fabric ( 22, 122 ) is suspended over a plurality of cleaning slots ( 26 a - 26 d, 126 a - 126 d ) and held under moderate tension so that the wipe fabric, when deflected by a fiber optic end or the like being cleaned, sags within the cleaning slot to better enclose and clean the tip of the fiber optic end. Used cleaning fabric ( 22, 122 ) can easily be removed and replaced as needed to avoid using the same area of fabric more than once.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cleaning device for optical fiber strands comprising:
 a support member having a fabric support surface having a slotted portion in which are formed one or more cleaning slots having respective slot depths and floor surfaces;   a free length of a cleaning wipe fabric disposed in a cleaning position upon the fabric support surface with at least a portion of the free length of the fabric overlying the slotted portion of the support surface to define a cleaning section of the fabric with one or more portions of the cleaning section suspended over the one or more cleaning slots to define one or more suspended portions of the fabric, the fabric having a modulus of stiffness which is high enough to bridge the cleaning slots and low enough to sag into the cleaning slots under the conditions defined below;   the slot depth of the one or more cleaning slots is sufficient to allow the suspended portions of the fabric to sag into their associated one or more cleaning slots when cleaning pressure is applied to the suspended portions of the fabric by wiping tips of such optical fiber strands on the suspended portions to clean such tips;   a fabric-retaining structure operatively associated with the support member and disposed so as to expose one or more of the suspended portions of the fabric to access by such optical fiber strands, the fabric-retaining structure serving (1) to removably secure such fabric in the cleaning position whereby the tip of a fiber optic strand can be cleaned by wiping such tip over one or more of the suspended portions of the fabric, and (2) to release such fabric for fabric-advance travel relative to the support surface, whereby such travel serves to position a fresh section of the fabric in the cleaning position.   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning device of  claim 1  wherein the slot depth of the one or more cleaning slots is such as to preclude such cleaning pressure from forcing the one or more suspended portions of the fabric into contact with the floor of the associated cleaning slot. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning device of  claim 2  wherein the slot depths of the one or more cleaning slots is such as to allow the tip of such fiber optic strand to force the fabric covering the tip into only minimal contact with the floor of the cleaning slot whereby to minimize potential for abrasion, breakage or shearing of individual filaments or fibers of the wipe fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the support member comprises a card-like member comprising a flap of a dispenser container within which is disposed a roll of the cleaning wipe fabric. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein a plurality of the cleaning slots are provided in the support member. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the fabric-retaining structure comprises one or more retention members disposed on the support member and moveable between a securement position in which the fabric is retained in the cleaning position and a release position in which the fabric is released for fabric-advance travel. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the fabric-retaining structure comprises one or more feed slots through which the fabric is fed, the feed slots being configured to exert a frictional drag on the fabric which drag is sufficient to secure the fabric in the cleaning position while under such cleaning pressure but insufficient to prevent fabric-advance travel. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning device of  claim 7  wherein the support member is a card-like member. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning device of  claim 7  wherein the fabric-retaining structure comprises at least one feed slot upstream of the one or more cleaning slots and at least one feed slot down-stream of the one or more cleaning slots, as sensed in the direction of fabric-advance travel of such fabric along the support member. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaning device of  claim 9  comprising at least two feed slots disposed adjacent to each other along the fabric-advance travel path, with no cleaning slot interposed between them. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaning device of  claim 9  wherein fabric-advance travel of such fabric is along a travel path extending longitudinally along the support member, and the feed slots are disposed orthogonally to the travel path. 
     
     
         12 . The cleaning device of  claim 11  wherein the cleaning slots are disposed parallel to the travel path. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the fabric has a tape-like configuration and is contained within a dispenser container which comprises a dispenser box within which a roll of the fabric is contained, and the dispenser box has a feed slot formed therein through which the fabric exits the box for engagement with the card-like member. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the support member and the fabric-retaining structure are so configured that fabric-advance movement of such fabric comprises dragging such fabric in a travel path across the fabric support surface. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning device of  claim 14  further comprising an electrically conductive material disposed on the fabric support member and in the travel path, whereby the electrically conductive material contacts the fabric to dissipate static electrical charges from the fabric. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the support member has a plurality of cleaning slots, each of which is distinctively marked. 
     
     
         17 . The cleaning device of  claim 16  wherein there is associated with each cleaning slot a distinctive code symbol selected from the class consisting of one or more of a distinctive color, a distinctive geometric shape, a number, and a letter of the alphabet, the cleaning fabric being thin enough for the code symbol to show through the fabric. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning device of  claim 1 ,  claim 2  or  claim 3  wherein the device comprises a dispenser container within which is disposed a cleaning wipe fabric and wherein the free length of cleaning wipe fabric extends from within the dispenser container to exteriorly of the dispenser container.