Cleaning Pad Assembly

Abstract

The invention details the designs of cleaning pad assemblies for use with heating tools including for example soldering cartridges and soldering irons. The cleaning pads of the assembly are designed to effectively remove and clean the solder from heating tools during and at the end of soldering operations, and allow the collection of the removed solder.

1 . A cleaning pad assembly for use in cleaning bonding material from a heating tool, the cleaning pad assembly comprising:
 a cleaning pad having a base and a plurality of projections extending upward from said base, said projections formed to define gaps for removing and containing solder.   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections have a height greater than the thickness of the projection at the point of contact with said base. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections further define open spaces having dimensions equal to or greater than the width of said gaps, said open spaces for containing removed solder. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections have a cross sectional shape selected from one or more of the group consisting of circular, triangular, square, arcuate, right angle, acute angle, obtuse angle, plus sign (“+”) shaped, “S” shaped, asterisk shaped, “U” shaped, “Y” shaped and linear. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the projections have a constant thickness and define gaps having a width in the range of 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the projections have a truncated thickness decreasing with height. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the projections have a shape selected from the list including: cone, column, pyramid, rectangular column or elliptic cylinder. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning pad is formed from high temperature resins, silicon rubber or elastomeric polymers. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning pad is formed from brass, brass alloys or aluminum alloys. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections are formed from brass, brass alloys or aluminum alloys secured to a base formed from resin, silicon rubber or elastomeric polymer. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections have an obtuse angle shape and are configured in groups of six to form a hexagon with gaps between said projections and an open space in the middle of the hexagon for accumulating solder. 
     
     
         12 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections have a “Y” shape and are configured in groupings of six to form hexagons within a honeycomb pattern, with gaps between said projections and an open space in the middle of the hexagons for accumulating solder. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections have round or conical shape and are configured in groups of three to form gaps between adjacent projections and an open space between the groups of three projections, the open space for accumulating solder. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said projections are configured in groups of three with a center projection having an arcuate, “U” shape, right angle, or acute angle shape and two adjacent linear shaped projections forming gaps between adjacent projections to remove solder. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning pad is reversible and said base of said cleaning pad has an underside having an array of projections in a pattern different from an array patterns of the projections on a upper-side of said base. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning pad assembly further includes a peripheral wall having a rigidity greater than the rigidity of said projections. 
     
     
         17 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 4 , wherein said projections have a height greater than the thickness of the projection at the point of contact with said base and said projections have a truncated thickness decreasing with height. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 17 , wherein said base of said cleaning pad is formed from the group of materials consisting of high temperature resins, silicon rubber or elastomeric polymers and said projections are formed from the group of materials consisting of high temperature resins, silicon rubber or elastomeric polymers, brass, brass alloys and aluminum alloys. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning pad assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an enclosure having a bottom section and a removable dome, said removable dome including an opening to allow the insertion of the soldering tool being cleaned through the opening to contact the projections of the cleaning pad.   
     
     
         20 . A cleaning pad assembly for use in cleaning bonding material from a heating tool, the cleaning pad assembly comprising:
 a cleaning pad base, said cleaning pad base formed from the group of materials consisting of high temperature resins, silicon rubber or elastomeric polymers;   a plurality of projections extending upward from said base, said projections formed to define gaps having a dimension of at least 0.1 mm, and open spaces for removing and containing solder, said projections having a height greater than the thickness of the projection at the point of contact with said base and said projections having a truncated thickness decreasing with height; and   an enclosure having a bottom section and a removable dome, said removable dome including an opening to allow the insertion of the soldering tool being cleaned through the opening to contact the projections of the cleaning pad.