SHOE CLEANING DEVICE WITH HINGED PAN

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of shoe cleaning devices, and more particularly to shoe cleaning pans.

SUMMARY

In some shoe cleaning devices, a scrubbing pad and a drying pad are sewn together along a seam so that the scrubbing pad and drying pad can be folded inwardly towards each other along the seam. A user of this device would step on and wipe their shoes on the scrubbing pad side and then step on and wipe their shoes on the drying pad side. As the seam is repeatedly folded and unfolded with use and storage, and the pads are repeatedly stepped on and wiped on, forces and friction rapidly wear down the pads and the seam connecting the pads. As a consequence, the typical shoe cleaning devices can become rapidly worn down with use, especially by use of one or more athletic teams, such as basketball teams.

Another issue with some shoe cleaning devices is that when the pads are folded together for transportation, the scrubbing pad and the drying pad are in direct contact. In this manner, dirt and moisture from the scrubbing pad can be transferred to the drying pad, soiling the drying pad. Further, pressing a wet scrubbing pad against a drying pad can prevent the scrubbing pad from appropriately drying out.

The present disclosure provides a shoe cleaning device that can be conveniently transported with carrying handles and can be conveniently folded and stored in an upright position perpendicular to a floor or to another flat surface. A hinge assembly connects portions of a housing of the shoe cleaning device and can also act as a stand upon which the housing can be stored in the upright position. The shoe cleaning device can have enhanced durability in relation to typical shoe-cleaning devices, as the housing provides a relatively sturdy framework for scrubbing and drying pads. The underside of the shoe cleaning device can include connection points at which the undersides of the housing portions can be connected while the device is folded. The device may also include traction pads to prevent undesired slipping or movement of the shoe cleaning device along the floor while the device is being used to clean a shoe, is being stood upon, or is otherwise in an unfolded position on a floor or other flat surface.

More specifically, the shoe cleaning device includes a housing having a scrubbing pad housing portion coupled to a drying pad housing portion. The scrubbing pad housing portion retains a scrubbing pad and the drying pad housing portion retains a drying pad. The scrubbing pad housing portion is parallel to the drying pad housing portion when the shoe cleaning device is in a folded state, and the scrubbing pad housing portion is substantially planar with the drying pad housing portion when the shoe cleaning device is in an unfolded state. In the folded state, a hinge assembly holds the shoe cleaning device in an upright position perpendicular to a floor or other flat surface.

A shoe cleaning device includes: a housing having a scrubbing pad housing portion coupled to a drying pad housing portion; wherein the scrubbing pad housing portion is configured retain a scrubbing pad; wherein the drying pad housing portion is configured to retain a drying pad; wherein the scrubbing pad housing portion is parallel to the drying pad housing portion when the shoe cleaning device is in a folded state; wherein the scrubbing pad housing portion is substantially planar with the drying pad housing portion when the shoe cleaning device is in an unfolded state; and wherein in the folded state, a hinge assembly is configured to hold the shoe cleaning device in an upright position perpendicular to a floor or other flat surface.

The scrubbing pad housing portion may be coupled to the drying pad housing portion using the hinge assembly.

The hinge assembly may include a first bracket, a second bracket and a connector coupling the first bracket to the second bracket.

The first bracket may act as a stand to hold the scrubbing pad housing vertically.

The second bracket may act as a stand to hold the drying pad housing vertically.

The connector may be inwardly bendable so that a side edge of the first bracket is parallel to a side edge of the second bracket when the shoe cleaning device is in a folded state.

The connector may be outwardly bendable so that a bottom edge of the first bracket is parallel to a bottom edge of the second bracket when the shoe cleaning device is in an unfolded state.

The connector may be made of a flexible material.

In the unfolded state, a top ridge of the hinge assembly may be between 0.05 inches and 0.8 inches above a scrubbing pad top surface and a drying pad top surface.

In the unfolded state, the hinge assembly may include a hinge assembly height between 1.5 inches and 2.0 inches.

In the folded state, a stand surface of the hinge assembly may include a stand surface width between 2.5 inches and 4.0 inches.

The housing may include one or more carrying handles.

The housing may include two carrying handles which are alignable when the shoe cleaning device is in the folded state.

The scrubbing pad housing portion and the drying pad housing portion may be connectable and securable with securing means.

The shoe cleaning device may include traction-enhancing strips on an underside of the housing.

The scrubbing pad housing may include a scrubbing pad pan which can act as a seat for the scrubbing pad.

The drying pad housing may include a drying pad pan configured to act as a seat for the drying pad.

A method for cleaning a shoe includes: unfolding a shoe cleaning device into a substantially planar position; placing an underside of the shoe cleaning device on a floor or other flat surface; wiping a shoe on a scrubbing pad situated on a first top side of the shoe cleaning device; and wiping a shoe on a drying pad situated on a second top side of the shoe cleaning device.

The method may include inwardly flexing a connector which connects a first bracket and a second bracket of a hinge assembly to unfold the shoe cleaning device into an unfolded position.

The method may include flattening the connector to fold the shoe cleaning device into a folded position in which the device can stand upright from the hinge assembly.

The foregoing and other features of the shoe cleaning device are hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail one or more illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments, however, are but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention can be employed. Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of a shoe cleaning device in an unfolded state.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the shoe cleaning device in the unfolded state.

FIG. 3 is a front section view of the shoe cleaning device in the unfolded state.

FIG. 4 is a front section view of the hinge assembly when the shoe cleaning device is in the unfolded state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shoe cleaning device in a folded state.

FIG. 6 is a front section view of the shoe cleaning device in the folded state.

FIG. 7 is a front section view of the hinge assembly when the shoe cleaning device is in the folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A shoe cleaning device of the present disclosure has enhanced durability and transportability. The shoe cleaning device can be easily stored in a folded position, with a hinge assembly acting conveniently as a stand upon which a scrubbing pad housing and a drying pad housing can be stored vertically. Each of the housings include respective pans designed to catch potential fluids, and respective pads seated within the pans.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe cleaning device (or “device”) 10 in an unfolded state in which the device 10 can be used. The device 10 includes a housing 15 having a scrubbing pad housing portion 17 and a drying pad housing portion 19 connected by a hinge assembly 20. The housing 15 may be made of plastic, such as ABS, or of any other suitable material with sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand being stepped on and wiped against. The housing 15 may also be made of a material that is both water-resistant and impervious to fluids such that water can be retained within the housing 15 without leaking onto a floor or onto another surface, for example. The housing 15 can include a curvature or slope along its edges such that the device can be easier to step on.

The scrubbing pad housing portion 17 surrounds a scrubbing pad 25, which may retain water and/or a cleaning solution, or otherwise may be configured to retain such cleaning solutions or liquids. The scrubbing pad 25 may be foam wrapped in a mesh material, for example. The scrubbing pad 25 may also be foam wrapped in any other material having suitable properties to scrub the shoe, such as suitable abrasiveness. Beneath the scrubbing pad 25 can be a scrubbing pad pan, within which excess water or fluid may be contained. The scrubbing pad housing portion 17 can include a scrubbing side handle 30 for ease of transporting the device 10. The scrubbing pad 25 may be attached to the scrubbing pad housing portion 17 using any suitable method, such as with hook-and-loop closures, with snaps, with compression, or with adhesive.

The drying pad housing portion 19 surrounds a drying pad 35. The drying pad 35 may be foam wrapped in a microfiber or terrycloth material, for example. Beneath the drying pad 35 can be a drying pad pan, within which excess water or fluid may be contained. The drying pad housing portion 19 can include a drying side handle 40 for ease of transporting the device 10. The drying pad 35 may be attached to the drying pad housing portion 19 using any suitable method, such as with hook-and-loop closures, with snaps, with compression, or with adhesive.

Connecting the housing portions 17,19 is a hinge assembly 20 including a first bracket 45, a second bracket 50, and a connector (discussed below) connecting the first bracket 45 and the second bracket 50. In the unfolded state, the height of the first bracket 45 and the second bracket 50 has dimensions that allow the brackets 45,50 to be comfortably stepped over by a user while being able to sturdily hold the device 10 upright while in the folded position. The components of the hinge assembly 20 are discussed in further detail below. When the device 10 is in the folded state, the scrubbing side handle 30 can align with the drying side handle 40, defining a handle assembly which conveniently allows a user to carry both handles 30,40 with one hand.

FIG. 2 illustrates the underside 55 of the device 10 of FIG. 1. The underside 55 can include connecting means 60, such as a hook-and-loop closure, to connect the underside of the housing portion 17 to the underside of the housing portion 19, while the device 10 is in a folded state. The underside 55 can also include traction pads 65, such as rubber strips, or any other suitable feature which can prevent slipping of the device 10 along a smooth surface while the device 10 is in use in the unfolded state.

As shown in FIG. 2, a connector 70 couples the first bracket 45 and the second bracket 50. The connector 70 may extend along the entire length of the hinge assembly 20. Alternatively, there can be multiple connectors 70 distributed along the length of the hinge assembly 20. The connector 70 can be made of a material having suitable flexibility and durability to repeatedly fold inwardly to position the device 10 into an unfolded state and to fold outwardly into a substantially planar position to position the device 10 into a folded state. The connector 70 can be attached to the hinge assembly 20 in any suitable manner, such as with adhesive, compression, or staples. Alternatively or additionally, the connector 70 can include one or more standard (pin type) hinges connected to or contiguous with the respective brackets 45, 50 using any suitable fixing means such as with screws or bolts, and/or using any suitable method such as with sonic welding or heat staking.

FIG. 3 illustrates a section view of the device 10 in an unfolded state. The underside 55 of the housing 15 can include a scrubbing pad pan 75 and a drying pad pan 80 upon which respective bottom surfaces of the scrubbing pad 25 and the drying pad 35 rest. The respective pad pans 75,80 can be contiguous pieces with the respective housing portions 17,19. Alternatively or additionally, the respective pad pans 75,80 can be non-contiguous with the respective housing portions 17,19 and may instead be connected to the housing portions 17,19 using any suitable connecting or fixing means such as adhesive, bolts, staples, or screws. End portions 85 of the housing 15 can be sloped downwardly outwardly away from the center of the device 10, creating a relatively smooth transition between a floor or flat surface and the top of the device 10. In the unfolded state, the hinge assembly 20 has a top ridge 100 which may extend above a top surface of the scrubbing pad 25 and a top surface of the drying pad 35.

FIG. 4 illustrates the hinge assembly 20 in further detail. The hinge assembly 20 includes the first bracket 45 and the second bracket 50 connected by the connector 70. The bracket assembly has an unfolded height dimension 90 and an unfolded length dimension 95. The unfolded height dimension 90 may be tall enough to correspond to a wide enough stand for the device 10 when the device 10 is in the folded position, while being easily stepped over by a user stepping from the scrubbing pad 25 to the drying pad 35. For example, the unfolded height dimension 90 may be between 1.5 inches (approximately 3.8 cm) and 2 inches (approximately 5.1 cm) if the scrubbing pad and drying pad have a height dimension of approximately 1.4 inches (approximately 3.6 cm). Therefore, the hinge assembly 20 would have an unfolded height dimension between 0.1 inches (approximately 0.25 cm) and 0.75 inches (approximately 1.9 cm) above the surfaces of the pads 25,35. The hinge assembly 20 can also have any other suitable unfolded height dimension 90 such that the brackets 45,50 are wide enough to support the center of gravity of the device 10 in the folded position on flat surfaces or on surfaces that are slightly angled up to approximately 5 degrees. The brackets 45,50 can have substantially triangular cross-sections, forming a ridge 100 when the device 10 is in the unfolded state.

The first bracket 45 includes a shoulder 46 which can correspond to an edge of the scrubbing pad pan 75. The second bracket 50 includes a shoulder 51 which can correspond to an edge of the drying pad pan 80. The shoulders 46,51 can act as supports for sides of the pads 25,35 while the pads 25,35 extend upwardly while the device 10 is in the folded position. The shoulders 46,51 can also prevent sliding of the pads 25,35 toward the hinge assembly 20 while the device 10 is in use.

The brackets 45,50, can be contiguous with respective housing portions 17,19. For example, the first bracket 45 can be a single contiguous piece with the scrubbing pad housing portion 17, and the second bracket 50 can be a single contiguous piece with the drying pad housing portion 19. The brackets 45,50 being contiguous with the respective housing portions 17,19, can enhance the durability of the device. Alternatively or additionally, the brackets 45,50 can be separate pieces from the housing 15 and can be attached to the housing portions 17,19 using any suitable method such as adhesive, bolts, or other connecting or fixing means.

The connector 70 can be made of rubber, plastic, or any other suitable material that can withstand repeated inward and outward flexing. The connector 70 must also have suitable material properties to withstand shear and tensile forces resulting from use of the device 10, such as tensile force pulling the housing portions 17,19 outwardly away from each other, or forces pulling one of the housing portions 17,19 forwardly or rearwardly in relation to the other housing portion 17,19. The connector 70 can include selected folding regions 105 in which the connector 70 has reduced thickness to facilitate ease of folding and unfolding the device 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the unfolded state, the connector 70 is in an upwardly facing U-shape, with a first connector arm 110 and second connector arm 115 each extending upwardly within respective first and second receiving grooves 120,125. The first connector arm 110 can be attached to the first bracket 45 via compression within the first receiving groove 120. Similarly, the second connector arm 115 can be attached to the second bracket 50 via compression within the second receiving groove 125. Alternatively or additionally, the connector 70 and connector arms 110,115 can be attached to the respective brackets 45,50 using any other suitable connection or fixing means or combination thereof, such as with adhesive or staples. While the connector 70 is folded along the folding regions 105 into the U-shape, a bottom portion 130 of the connector can be substantially perpendicular to the connector arms 110,115 and substantially parallel to a plane along which the underside 55 of the housing 15 extends.

Turning next to FIG. 5, the device 10 is shown in a folded state in which the hinge assembly 20 is acting as a stand to hold the device 10 in an upright position. While the device 10 is in a folded state, the pads 25,35 face outwardly away from each other, and the underside 55 of the device 10 is folded onto itself. The handles 30,40 align, defining a single handle assembly 135 through which the device 10 can be transported or carried.

A section view of the device 10 in the folded position is illustrated in FIG. 6. As shown, the underside 55 of the device is folded onto itself, and undersides of each of the pans 75,80 are in contact with each other. The scrubbing pad 25 and drying pad 35 may retain liquid while the device 10 is in the folded position, and the hinge assembly 20 is suited to hold the device 10 in an upright position even if one of the pads 25,35 retains more liquid than the other, and therefore is heavier. The shoulders 46,51 on the first bracket 45 and the second bracket 50 support the pads 25,35 to prevent the pads 25,35 from sliding downwardly out of the pans 75,80.

The hinge assembly 20 while the device 10 is in the folded position is shown in further detail in FIG. 7. While the hinge assembly 20 is being folded from the unfolded position, the cross-section of the connector 70 is outwardly flexed out of the U-shape (FIG. 3) and into a substantially planar shape. Therefore, the edges of the hinge assembly 20 that were parallel to each other while the hinge assembly 20 was in the unfolded position are rotated outwardly with the connector arms 110,117, positioning the edges into a position planar with each other when the hinge assembly 20 is in the folded position. Therefore, the edges that are within the hinge assembly 20 forming the top ridge 100 in the unfolded position act as feet upon which the device 10 rests in the folded position. The edges which were planar with each other while the device 10 was in the unfolded state are parallel to each other while the device 10 is in the folded state. The shoulders 46,51 stabilize the pads 25,35 in the upright position.

A shoe cleaning device 10 includes a housing 15 having a scrubbing pad housing portion 17 coupled to a drying pad housing portion 19. The scrubbing pad housing portion 17 retains a scrubbing pad 25 and the drying pad housing portion 19 retains a drying pad 35. The scrubbing pad housing portion 17 is parallel to the drying pad housing portion 19 when the shoe cleaning device 10 is in a folded state, and the scrubbing pad housing portion 17 is substantially planar with the drying pad housing portion 19 when the shoe cleaning device 10 is in an unfolded state. In the folded state, a hinge assembly 20 holds the shoe cleaning device 10 in an upright position perpendicular to a floor or other flat surface.

All features disclosed herein, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed herein, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Although the invention defined by the following claims has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment, equivalent alternations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described integers (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such integers are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any integer which performs the specified function of the described integer (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been described above with respect to only one of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.