Patent Application
20250082137
The present disclosure relates to a foot cleaner.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
The present disclosure provides a convenient way to clean between the toes while decreasing the risk of hypotension, dizziness, back injury, and prolonged stress on hip flexors.
Some of the constituents required while cleaning between the toes is, bending over (hypotension/dizziness and back strain), squatting (knee strain), or pulling the leg towards the chest (stresses hip flexors).
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a foot cleaning assembly can include a rod having a first end and a second end, a plurality of moveable tines supported at the first end of the rod, and an actuation mechanism to laterally adjust a spacing between the plurality of movable tines.
According to a further aspect, the movable tines are covered with an absorbent material.
According to a further aspect, the actuation mechanism includes a housing connected to the first end of the rod.
According to a further aspect, the actuation mechanism includes a rotatable dial drivingly attached to a gear mechanism that drives a rack axially along a direction of the rod and drives at least four separate lever arms that move the tines attached to the lever arms.
According to a further aspect, the gear mechanism includes a plurality of gears.
According to a further aspect, the rotatable dial is positioned on the housing of the actuation mechanism.
According to a further aspect, the gear mechanism is supported within the housing.
According to a further aspect, the plurality of gears include a first gear attached to the rotatable dial and a second gear laterally meshed with the first gear.
According to a further aspect, the plurality of gears includes a third gear fixed to the second gear and drivingly engaged with the rack.
According to a further aspect, a soap dispensing device is supported at the second end of the rod.
According to a further aspect, the soap dispensing device has a container to hold soap.
According to a further aspect, a housing supports an outlet for the soap dispensing device adjacent to the movable tines.
According to a further aspect, the soap dispensing device includes a pathway for soap to be dispensed from the container and to the outlet.
According to another aspect, a foot cleaning assembly can be a rod having a first end and a second end, a plurality of tines supported at the first end and sized and configured to fit between the toes of a user, and a soap dispensing device supported by the rod and including an outlet at the first end of the rod.
According to a further aspect, the soap dispensing device has a container to hold soap.
According to a further aspect, the soap dispensing device includes a pathway for soap to be dispensed from the container and to the outlet.
According to a further aspect, a shaft with a handle extends from the container.
According to a further aspect, the shaft with a handle is inside the container and has a plunger at an end opposite the handle that seals an internal peripheral surface of the container.
According to a further aspect, the soap dispensing device is supported by a clamp to the rod.
According to a further aspect, the clamp is adjustable along an axial direction of the rod.
The present disclosure has a one-size-fits-all adjustable, ergonomic water bottle handle, in which the body soap/cleanser is loaded. Also, the water bottle handle can have a sprayer trigger which, when squeezed, allows soap to be allocated via a hose that sits anterior/superior of the movable tines.
The present disclosure can have a plunger handle which helps decrease wrist strain. When the plunger handle is drawn upwards, it draws the cleaning solution into the plunger tube. When the plunger handle is pressed downwards, the cleaning solution is disseminated via a hose to the movable tines and, subsequently, into the atmosphere. The hose, which can wind around the rod, also connects to the plunger cap that is located at the bottom of the plunger. The hose then allows the cleaning solution to be transported from the plunger tube to the hose and to the movable tines.
The movable tines are ergonomically designed to easily slide between the toes with a sponge-like material covering the tip of the movable tines. The foot cleaner also has an adjustable dial knob that sits anterior/superior of the movable tines that allows narrowing/widening of the movable tines to adhere to various foot sizes. Also, the foot cleaner has an adjustable pin-locking body that adjusts in height, which makes it convenient for various sized individuals.
Also, the foot cleaner have another adjustable dial knob which allows manipulation of the height of the pole, which makes it convenient for various sized individuals to use.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
A foot cleaning assembly 10, as shown in
The rod 12 is the component to which all other components can be supported from. The rod 12 can be an elongated solid or hollow bar the user utilizes to reach their toes. The rod 12 can be made of metal, plastic, another material, or a combination that will maintain the general structure while being handled by a user. The rod 12 can be transparent or a solid color and it is contemplated that some components of the assembly can be seated inside of the rod 12.
As shown in
As shown in
The first shaft 30, when drivingly engaged by the user via the rotatable dial 26, rotates the first gear 28 that is inside the housing 22 and meshed with a second gear 34. The second gear 34 is mounted to a second shaft 36 that is pivotally mounted inside the housing 22 and has a third gear 38 vertically attached to the second shaft 36. The axes of rotation for the second gear 34, second shaft 36, and third gear 38 are aligned and parallel to the axes of rotation for the first gear 28, first shaft 30, and rotatable dial 26. The third gear 38 is meshed with a rack 40. When the rotatable dial 26 is driven by the user, the first gear 28 is also driven by the first shaft 30 which drives the second gear 34, second shaft 36, third gear 38, and the rack 40.
The rack 40 drives four different lever arms 42 that are attached to the tines 14 and allows the lateral spacing 32 of the tines 14 to be adjusted, which extend outside of the actuation mechanism 16 housing 22. The rack 40 is meshed with at least four lever arms 42. The lever arms 42 are spaced in the housing 22 to have two lever arms 42 on both sides of the rack 40 meshed with the gear teeth that extend from the sides of the rack 40. The rack 40 can be meshed to the third gear 38 and two lever arms 42 on one side, and two lever arms 42 on the other side. When the rack 40 is driven either forward or backward, the lever arms 42 that are meshed with the rack 40 and pivotally mounted inside the housing 22 rotate to as much as ninety degrees in the fully opened position. The rack 40 moves back and forth in a direction that is parallel to the center axis of the rod 12. When the rack 40 is fully extended, the rack 40 is in position one and as far forward as it can be inside the actuation mechanism 16 housing 22. When the rack 40 is fully retracted, the rack 40 is in position two and as far backward in the housing 22 and closest to the rod 12 from which the actuation mechanism 16 housing 22 is supported. The rack 40 cannot become unmeshed with the third gear 38 or lever arms 42 because the lever arms 42, from which the tines 14 extend, are stopped by contacting the actuation mechanism 16 housing 22. The rack 40 and the plurality of gears can be made from metal, plastic, or any material that will maintain rigidity to drive the actuation mechanism 16 and adjust the lateral spacing 32 of the tines 14. It is contemplated that the actuation mechanism 16 can be driven using more than or less than three gears. Further, it is contemplated that the number of lever arms 42 can be reduced to two or more.
As shown in
As shown in
The container 48 is used to store soap for the foot cleaning assembly 10. Having soap be readily available and allowed to traverse to the outlet 44 on the first, or lower, end of the foot cleaning assembly 10 allows for persons with back injuries or other restrictions to not have to bend over to apply soap to their feet.
The container 48 can be a cylindrical bottle with a first end and a second end and shaft 52 that extends through the second end. The shaft 52 can include a handle 54 the user can hold the foot cleaning assembly 10 with and a plunger 56 that is inside the container 48. When the shaft 52 is pushed on, the shaft 52 pushes the plunger 56 and expels soap through a pathway 50 that traverses to the outlet 44. The pathway 50 begins at the first, or lower, end of the container 48. It is contemplated that the handle 54 can include a trigger function that would drive the shaft 52 with the plunger 56 without having to push on the handle 54 itself, but would include another support for the handle 54 to the foot cleaning assembly 10.
The soap dispensing device 46 is supported to the rod 12 by a clamp 58. The clamp 58 has a rotatable dial 60 that tightens and loosens the clamp 58 allowing for the clamp to move axially along the rod 10 to configure to the user's preference. The clamp 58 holds the soap dispensing device 46 on the container 48 at the first, or lower, end.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/581,709, filed on Sep. 11, 2023. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63581709 | Sep 2023 | US |
