Patent 7960317 was granted and assigned to University of Florida on June, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A method for in-situ solid lubrication of sliding electrical contacts includes the steps of providing a device having a movable electrically conductive first member and an electrically conductive second member, the first and second member being in electrical contact at a slideable electrical contact, and automatically applying an electrically conductive solid lubricant transfer film to the slideable electrical contact during operation of the device. The applying step can be a deposition of the electrically conductive solid lubricant transfer film on a surface of the first member, wherein the electrically conductive solid lubricant transfer film is carried by movement of the first member to the electrical contact.