The present invention relates to athletic shoe cleaning, more specifically to a device for removing field debris off the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes.
Many sports are played on dirt, grass, or artificial turf fields or pitches, or other natural or artificial turf areas. These sports include baseball, softball, football, rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, cricket and golf. In order to best grip the playing surface and have stable footing, athletes of all abilities and levels who play these sports often wear shoes that have some type of protrusions on the bottom called cleats or spikes. These protrusions are of various sizes and configurations, based on the sport and the shoe design. Field debris including dirt, mud, grass, and pebbles which can affix to the shoe bottom and surround the cleats or spikes may interfere with an athlete's ability to perform at his or her best. In addition to diminished performance during play, the mud and dirt remaining on the shoes can be a problem even after the game. Various methods and devices have been put forth to remove field debris from the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes.
In accordance with one embodiment, a palm-held device for removing field debris off the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes, comprises a handle, connected via a neck, to a cleaning platform below which has a plurality of cleaning pegs protruding orthogonally from the base of the cleaning platform and may include one or more additional scrapers on its ends or sides. The cleaning pegs are sized and arranged to accommodate many different shoe designs and cleat or spike shapes, in order for the device to be more universally applicable.
Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: to provide a palm-held device for removing field debris off the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes which has multiple cleaning elements, that is useful for many different shoe designs and cleat or spike shapes, that is ergonomically designed to be comfortable to grip and use, that allows for the transfer of scraping force directly from the user to the debris on the shoe via the cleaning pegs, that keeps the hands and fingers clean while utilizing it, that avoids potential for injury to the fingers and knuckles by keeping them away from the area being cleaned, that is easily transportable for use at the playing field, that is easily cleaned and stored after use, and that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively in multiple colors. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
One embodiment of the device is illustrated in
In this embodiment, the straight scraper 20 extends outward from the cleaning platform, perpendicular to the cleaning pegs 18. In this embodiment, the straight scraper width 36 is 2 cm, but may range from 1 cm to 4 cm and the straight scraper length 38 is 2 cm, but may range from 1 cm to 4 cm. In this embodiment, the serrated scraper 22 extends outward from the cleaning platform, in the opposite direction of the straight scraper 20, and also perpendicular to the cleaning pegs 18. In this embodiment, the serrated scraper width 40 is 4 cm, but may range from 1 cm to 5 cm and the serrated scraper length 42 is 3 cm, but may range between 1 cm to 4 cm.
In
The height of the cleaning pegs 18 is also depicted in
In the current embodiment, the device may be fabricated from a variety of materials, with the preferred materials being fairly-high strength engineering polymeric materials, with or without fiber reinforced composites. It would be advantageous for the device to be created from an injection molding and could be done as one piece or multiple pieces that were then fused together. It may also be fabricated using additive manufacturing. It is possible that the handle may be coated in a rubberized material for increased grip and comfort. It is also possible for the device to be made out of more than a single material.
Obviously, many modifications may be made without departing from the basic spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than has been specifically described herein.
The palm-held device is used for removing field debris off the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes. The device can be used either while the shoes are being worn or while they are off the feet. In the current embodiment shown in
While tightly gripping the handle 10, the user touches the cleaning pegs 18 to the bottom of the shoe and then uses a repetitive and firm scraping motion to dislodge the field debris. The cleaning pegs 18 should be brought in contact with debris, while ensuring that the cleats or spike on the shoe pass between, or on the side of, the cleaning pegs 18. Having an ergonomic and comfortable grip allows the user to hold the handle tightly in order apply a substantial scraping force directly to the bottom of the shoe, which is especially needed when debris such as mud and dirt is hardened and caked on the shoe. The device can also be used in a repetitive rocking or digging motion to cause the cleaning pegs 18 to dislodge debris located right around the cleats or spikes.
In the current embodiment, the device has two other cleaning elements, in addition to the cleaning pegs 18, which are the straight scraper 20 and the serrated scraper 22. The straight scraper 20 can be used to remove the initial large chunks of dirt and mud before using the cleaning pegs 18. The serrated scraper 22 is useful for digging into caked-on debris, particularly around the base of the cleats or spikes. To use the straight scraper 20, the user grips the handle 10, with the straight scraper 20 facing forward. The user then tips the device at an appropriate angle to contact the straight scraper 20 with the debris on the shoe. To use the serrated scraper 22, the user grips the handle 10, with the serrated scraper 22 facing forward. The user then tips the device at an appropriate angle to contact the serrated scraper 22 with the debris on the shoe and can use a digging or poking motion to loosen the hardened debris.
An additional embodiment would be that the handle 10, shown in
From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of my device become evident:
(a) The palm-held device is useful for removing field debris from many different athletic shoes types which may have different cleat or spike shapes and sizes.
(b) The device can be used both while the athlete has the shoe on his or her foot (such as during a break in a game) to clear away the field debris which builds up on the shoe, or when holding the shoe without being on the foot.
(c) The device is ergonomically designed to be comfortable to grip and use. The handle is positioned vertically above the cleaning platform, such that the planes of those two features are parallel, and both are orthogonal to the main cleaning pegs. This design allows for the transfer of force directly from the user to the debris on the shoe, through the cleaning pegs. A firm strong grip and scraping motion effectively removes the debris.
(d) In addition, positioning the handle directly on top of the device also keeps all parts of the hands clean and avoids potential for injury to the fingers and knuckles caused by impact with cleats or spikes as the scraping motion is applied across the length of the shoe. Using other cleaning devices, in which the handle is at the end of the device, often results in injury of the fingers and knuckles by impact with the cleats or spikes, and also allows the hand to get soiled by the debris, as the scraping motion is applied across the length of the shoe.
(e) Consolidating the main features of the device to align on a single axis, by positioning the handle above the main cleaning pegs, also enables the overall size of the device to be compact and therefore more easily transportable for use at the playing field. The device is easily stored in a pouch and then stowed in a sports bag or in the car.
(f) The device can be made with or more different cleaning implements. In addition to having a plurality of cleaning pegs protruding orthogonally from the base of the cleaning platform, additional scrapers on opposite sides can also be incorporated into the design, as shown in the depicted embodiment.
(g) The device is easily manufactured by injection molding or additive manufacturing out of a lightweight, but relatively strong, material. It can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and could be produced in one or more colors.
(h) Removing the dirt from around the cleats not only helps maintain performance of the athlete on the field but also keeps dirt from messing up other equipment or gear in a sports bag and from getting mud and dirt in a car or house, particularly by younger athletes who often wear their shoes with rubber cleats home from the field.
The reader will see that at least one embodiment of my device for removing field debris off the underside of athletic shoes which have cleats or spikes, provides an economical, lightweight, palm-held ergonomic cleaning assembly that can be used by athletes of any age.
While my above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but rather as an exemplification of one more embodiments thereof. Other variations are possible.
Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/846,755, filed 2019 May 13, by the present inventor, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.