Adhesive based digital single lens reflex camera sensor cleaner
A cleaning device for removing foreign particles off of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera sensor filter comprising a hand held application wand, a double sided adhesive foam tape and a grouping of extra foam tapes that form a pad which is kept clean within a reusable bag. The user would hold the application wand by the finger grip, remove one release tab from the pad and adhere the base of the application wand to the top of the exposed foam tape so that the shape of the wand base and the foam tape align. The user would then lift up on the wand with their hand and remove the foam tape from the pad. The next step would be to insert the wand base and foam tape into the DSLR lens opening where the sensor filter resides. The foam tape would be pressed down onto the sensor filter and adhere any foreign particles to its adhesive. The wand and foam tape would then be removed by lifting up on the wand with ones hand. The cleaning adhesive is specially designed to leave no residue or contamination on the sensor filter. After cleaning the user would remove the used foam tape from the wand base by hand and discard. The wand would be kept for future cleaning.
This invention relates to digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. More specifically this invention relates to the safe removal of foreign particles that accumulate on the internal imaging sensor filter found within a DSLR camera. A principle function of this invention is to clean the sensor without causing contamination, residue or damage to the sensor filter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTDSLR camera sensor filters are most often cleaned by several means ie; electrostatic brush, sterile swab and liquid and hand held air puffers. Most of these systems don't function at a performance level that is desirable and leave many foreign particles on the sensor filter after cleaning. The brush and the swab cleaning method uses a dragging motion to remove the dust which might scratch the sensor filter during the cleaning process. Also, both the brush and the swab method uses parts that can not pass FAA security check points for airline passenger boarding. The brush uses canned air that can not be taken on a plane by any means and the swab used flammable liquid that can not be carried aboard the passenger compartment of a commercial airliner. Many traveling photographers do not like being separated from their camera equipment due to its high cost and being fragile. So, the ability to offer a device which can be carried on board an airliner is much desired.
An alternative solution would be using a cleaning device that uses a hand held motion of up and down during the cleaning process which would exclude the possible sensor scratching due to the dragging method of the brush and swab. In order to adhere the foreign particles to this new cleaning device an adhesive is being utilized. This adhesive has been specifically designed for glass and plastic applications that will not leave contamination or residue after application. This new cleaning device consists of three main elements, the hand operated application wand, a double sided foam tape and a pad used for storing multiple foam tapes. This new device does not use anything that is considered contraband by the FAA and can be brought aboard the passenger compartment of a commercial airliner.
Regarding prior art of an adhesive sensor filter cleaner, the inventor did a thorough search within the United States Patent and Application archives and could not find any reference to an adhesive based DSLR sensor cleaner that uses an up and down motion, leaves no residue during application and has an application wand, double sided foam tape and a pad for storing multiple foam tapes. It is the inventor's opinion that the above stated adhesive cleaning device is a new and effective invention for the intended use providing certain advantages to be described in detail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is a cleaning device for removing foreign particles from a sensor filter found within the internal workings of a functioning DSLR camera. The unique aspects of the present invention are first, the combination of the three main elements, the application wand, the foam tape and the pad to create an easy to use and safe sensor filter cleaning device for the removal of foreign particles that can be used multiple times. Second, the adhesive used to remove the foreign particles leaves no adhesive residue or contamination after application. The Third feature is the use of soft foam between the application wand and the cleaning adhesive to help cushion and soften the hand held cleaning process. The fourth feature is using removable adhesive tape on the top of the foam so the foam can be removed from the wand by hand and discarded. This provides an effective and easy solution for the reuse of the wand and new cleaning foam tapes that reside on the pad. The island position of this removable adhesive tape is to eliminate the chance of adhesive contamination when the foam tape is kiss-cut during manufacturing. The fifth feature is the combination of many foam tapes to form a pad that is contained within a reseal-able bag. This feature allows for multiple future uses and keeps the unused foam tapes clean. The sixth feature is the unique application wand design, it has a finger grip that offsets the user's fingers so the user can have a clearer sight path of the sensor filter and can apply the invention more easily. The seventh feature is that the application wand base and the cleaning tape are sized so that no matter what size the DSLR sensor is, the foam cleaning adhesive can cover every inch of the sensor filter with only four applications. The eight feature of this new invention is the ability to pass FAA regulations regarding materials that can be carried aboard the passenger's compartment of a commercial airliner.
An alternative feature is the ability to produce pads that contain fewer or greater number of foam tapes in order to achieve a price point for the retail market. An alternative construction would be to apply a sprayed or coated adhesive directly to the sides of the foam to produce the desired adhesive properties found in this invention. Although adhesive is the preferred method of foreign particle removal, an electrostatic soft rubber, film or the like could be used in it's place to pick up the dust particles. This option is currently being researched.
20 Finger Grip
21 Stem
22 Angle Support
23 Base
24 Wand Width Measurement
25 Wand Height Measurement
26 Side View
27 Side View
28 Top View
29 Base Height Measurement
30 Base Width Measurement
40 Release Tab
41 BC9418 High Tack/Medium Tack Removable Tape
42 BC13100 Soft Open Cell Foam
43 3M 2104C Polymask
44 Mylar Carrier Card
45 Reseal able Plastic Bag
50 BC 13100 Width Measurement
51 BC9418 Width Measurement
52 BC 13100 Height Measurement
53 BC9418 Height Measurement
54 Mylar Card Width Measurement
55 Mylar Card Height Measurement
56 Mylar Gap Height Measurement
57 Foam Pad Height Measurement
58 Mylar Gap Width Measurement
59 Foam Pad Width Measurement
70 DSLR Camera Without Lens
71 Sensor Filter of DSLR Camera
72 Internal Wall of DSLR Camera
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTThe cleaning device is made up of three main elements, the application wand FIG. 1, the foam tape
The application wand
The pad
The foam tape
In use, the user would expose the foam pad from the plastic bag 45 and remove a release tab 40 which would reveal the medium tack removable adhesive 41 on the topside of the foam tape, shown in
Claims
1. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter comprising:
- a first adhesive member having a first upper adhesive surface, and a second lower adhesive surface having a greater adhesive strength than the first upper adhesive surface;
- a release tab removably adhered to the first upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member;
- a resilient pad adhered to the second lower adhesive surface of the first adhesive member;
- a polymeric adhesive layer thermally bonded to the resilient pad, the polymeric layer having an adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface facing away from the foam pad; and,
- a protective cover layer removably adhered to the adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface.
2. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 1 wherein the length and width of the first adhesive layer are less than the respective length and width of the resilient pad.
3. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric adhesive layer comprises polyethylene.
4. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface is selected to leave a residue-free sensor surface.
5. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 1 wherein the release tab is removable from an upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member.
6. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor according to claim 1 further comprising a handle adhered to the upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member.
7. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 7 wherein the handle comprises a lower surface for receiving the first upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member and an upper elongate portion.
8. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cleaning members mounted on a supportive under layer, each cleaning member comprising:
- a first adhesive member having a first upper adhesive surface, and a second lower adhesive surface having a greater adhesive strength than the first upper adhesive surface;
- a release tab removably adhered to the first upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member;
- a resilient pad adhered to the second lower adhesive surface of the first adhesive member;
- a polymeric adhesive layer thermally bonded to the resilient pad, the polymeric layer having an adhesive sensor cleaning surface facing away from the foam pad; and,
- a protective cover layer removably adhered to the adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface.
9. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor according to claim 8 further comprising each member being individually releasable from the supportive under layer.
10. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 8 wherein the length and width of the first adhesive layer are less than the respective length and width of the resilient pad.
11. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 8 wherein the polymeric adhesive layer comprises polyethylene.
12. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 8 wherein the adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface is selected to leave a residue-free sensor surface.
13. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 8 wherein the release tab is removable from an upper adhesive surface of the first adhesive member.
14. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 8 wherein the length and width of the first adhesive layer are less than the respective length and width of the resilient pad.
15. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric adhesive layer adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface comprises and acrylic adhesive.
16. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 15 wherein the polymeric adhesive layer adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface has a steel bonding strength of about 1 ounce per square inch.
17. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 15 wherein the polymeric adhesive layer adhesive sensor filter cleaning surface has a steel bonding strength of between about 0.5 and 4 ounces per square inch.
18. A tool for cleaning a digital single lens reflex camera sensor filter according to claim 7 further comprising the upper elongate portion having a central longitudinal axis, and a gripping portion offset from the central longitudinal axis.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 20, 2006
Publication Date: May 22, 2008
Inventor: Ross Wordhouse (Bend, OR)
Application Number: 11/602,025
International Classification: A47L 25/00 (20060101);