Patent Application
20230218138
The present invention relates generally to the field of cleaning accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to a foot, shoe, footwear, or boot cleaner. The device is comprised of a housing having a series of walls, a base, and a top surface, with an interior space, a brush head, at least one base member, and at least one opening. The interior space includes piping with at least one horizontal member, at least one perpendicular member, and at least one jet head. The handle is attached to a hose via a female connection member and is in fluid communication via at least one continuous opening. The handle has a valve that controls water and/or water pressure. The connection member further has a container or a reservoir that the individual can use to apply soap to the solution for a better clean. The cleaning device allows an individual to stand on the housing and clean the bottom of their footwear. They can control and operate the device by using a valve and button located on the handle and connection member. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
Shoes, feet, and other footwear such as boots, slippers, sandals, flip flops, and other coverings for feet can collect a multitude of dirt, germs, bacteria, and other debris throughout the day. Individuals often wear their footwear, such as shoes, inside their homes or place them inside their home for safe keeping. This brings in unwanted germs and debris. People who enjoy walking around in their bare feet need to clean or rinse their feet off, such as when coming in from the beach or just walking outside. There is no time-efficient way to clean the bottom of footwear without washing the entire shoe. When someone wants to clean his or her feet or footwear, they have to wash the entire shoe which may take days for them to completely dry to enable them to be worn again. This can create issues when an individual needs to wear the footwear that day or the next day. Further, if an individual wishes to only clean the soles of his or her feet or footwear, they have to do so by hand which can be fairly time consuming. Thus, if an individual is in a rush and needs the soles of their feet or footwear to be clean, they will not be able to get them clean in a timely manner.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved footwear cleaner. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a foot or footwear cleaner that provides a way to clean the sole of the footwear without getting the portion above the sole of the shoe wet. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a foot, shoe, or footwear cleaner that allows a user to clean their feet or footwear with minimal effort. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a shoe cleaner that cleans the soles of shoes in a relatively short period of time, such as a few seconds. There also exists a long felt need in the art for a device that can remove germs, dirt, bacteria, and other debris from individual's shoes before they enter their home, restaurant, office, transportation hub, or other building.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a foot or footwear cleaner. The device has a platform made up of a housing that has an interior space, a brush head, at least one base member, and at least one opening. The interior space has a series of pipes or tubes which include at least one horizontal member, at least one perpendicular member, with the perpendicular and horizontal members connected to one another and at least one jet head. A handle is attached to a hose via the female connection member and is in fluid communication via at least one continuous opening. The handle has a valve that controls water or air pressure. The connection member further has a container or reservoir that the user can use to apply soap, disinfecting or other cleaning solution to the liquid for a more complete cleaning of the footwear.
In this manner, the shoe, foot, or footwear cleaner of the present invention accomplishes all of the foregoing objectives and provides a novel foot, footwear, or shoe cleaner that allows a user to clean the bottom of their feet or shoes without expelling a lot of effort. Further, the device provides a way for users to have clean feet or shoes and not carry dirt and germs into their homes, offices, transportation hubs or other places where individuals may gather.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a foot, or footwear cleaning system. The system has a housing provided on a platform which is sized and configured to receive one and preferably two feet of a user. The platform has a handle connected to the platform to provide a hold bar for the individual using the platform to perform the cleaning operation. The housing has at least one base member and a brush head disposed on the base member and the brush head has bristles which are directed upward to engage the bottom of the feet or footwear placed on the platform base. The housing is further supported by at least one base member. The at least one base member elevates the housing, allowing the water to drain out from underneath the housing and escape the interior space. The brush head allows a user to clean the bottom of their feet or shoes more efficiently. The brush head provides a way for users to scrape off harder to reach dirt and debris. In one embodiment, the brush head is fixedly attached to the housing, in that it cannot be removed from the housing. In another embodiment, the brush head is removably attached via at least one fastener and allows the user to interchange different brush heads for different cleaning tasks, such as a brush head with longer bristles to clean sporting cleats or work boots, or softer bristles to clean the bottom of one's feet.
The system uses a handle which has at least one valve, at least one female attachment member, and at least one continuous opening. The female attachment member is connected to a hose. This connection with the hose supplies the system with the water or other solution needed to clean the user's feet, footwear, or shoes. The handle is in fluid communication with the hose via at least one continuous opening located within the female attachment member. This allows the water to flow throughout the device in order to clean the user's feet or footwear.
The handle also has at least one valve. The valve is used to control the water or air pressure that is being put through the system and onto the user's feet or shoes. In one embodiment, the valve is operated like a dial, allowing the user to twist the valve to control the water or air pressure. In another embodiment, the valve is in the form of a lever which allows the user to control the water or air pressure.
In one embodiment, the handle may have a heating element. The heating element allows the user to be able to use the device in the winter or in freezing temperatures. The heating element heats the housing and platform base which prevents the water from freezing within the device. The handle may further have a fastener that attaches the handle to the connection member.
The system also includes a connection member. The connection member is used to transport the water from the handle to the housing. The connection member has at least one switch. The switch is used to turn the water supply off and on. When the switch is in the off position, it stops the water supply by closing a valve in the connection member. When the switch is in the on position, a valve is opened allowing the water to flow through the connection member and to the housing.
The connection member includes a bent or shaped member that allows for a container to be attached to the connection member. The bent or shaped member includes a female fastener that attaches to the reciprocating male fastener of the container. The housing of the container may be filled with any liquid that can be used to aid in the cleaning or disinfecting of the feet or shoes. In one embodiment, the container automatically puts soap or disinfecting solution into the connection member. In another embodiment, the user has to squeeze the container in order to push the soap or disinfecting solution into the connection member. In either embodiment, the container is refillable and can be detached and attached with ease.
In one embodiment, the device has at least one light source and at least one battery. The light source provides a user with the ability to use the system when lighting or visibility are limited. This allows a user to be able to use the device or system in all lighting conditions. The light source is further powered by at least one battery. The light source may be operated via at least one button. In one embodiment, the button may be pressed to turn the light source off and on. In another embodiment, the button may have a plurality of functions such as changing the brightness of the light source or changing the color of the light source.
The housing is connected to the connection member via at least one fastener. The housing also includes one or more brush or cleaning heads. The brush or cleaning head typically will have a plurality of bristles but may use other cleaning components, such as scouring or abrasive pads. The bristles or pads are used to further clean the bottom of the user's feet or shoe.
The housing contains a series of pipes or tubes that allows the water to flow throughout the housing and to be dispersed to predetermined areas of the platform. The piping has at least one jet head and preferably a plurality of jet heads positioned on the top of the piping. The heads may be spaced equally apart along the length of the pipes or may be concentrated in certain areas to clean those areas of the individual's feet or footwear that may accumulate more dirt than other areas of the feet or footwear. The jet heads direct the cleaning solution through the openings in the top surface of the housing and onto the user's feet or shoe further cleaning the feet or shoe. The piping or tubes positioned in the interior space of the housing further include at least one perpendicular member and at least one horizontal member. In the preferred embodiment, the jet heads are located on the perpendicular member and only are oriented in a way that the directed water hits the bottom of the user's feet or shoes. Further, the horizontal members connect the two perpendicular members and allow the water to flow between the two perpendicular members, thus supplying water to the jet heads.
The bottom surface of the housing has at least one drain. The drain provides a way for the cleaning solution that flows through the jet heads to clean the user's feet or shoes to escape the housing and flow away from the cleansing device. This prevents the interior space of the housing from filling up with water or debris that falls off the user's feet or shoes. In one embodiment, there is only one drain located on the bottom surface. In this embodiment, the bottom surface is convex in such a way that all the water flows toward the drain. In another embodiment, the bottom surface has a plurality of drains which are located directly under each of the jet heads or in different areas of the base platform to allow the cleaning solution to drain away.
The device has at least one opening that is located on the top surface of the housing that corresponds with each of the jet heads. The jet heads direct the water through the openings and onto the user's feet or shoes. The user places their feet or shoes over the openings allowing the cleaning solution to clean the bottom of their feet or shoes. They can also rub their feet or shoes on the brush head or cleaning pads to further clean the feet or shoes.
Accordingly, the foot and footwear cleaner system of the present invention is particularly advantageous as it provides a way to clean the bottom of an individual's feet or footwear without exerting a lot of effort or time. In this manner, the cleaner device and system overcomes the limitations of existing cleaners known in the art.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an improved foot and footwear cleaner system. Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a cleaning device that provides a way to clean the base of one's foot or sole of a shoe without getting the upper portion of the shoe or pants of the wearer wet. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a cleaning system and device that allows a user to clean their feet or shoes with minimal effort. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a foot and footwear cleaning systems and device that is used to clean the soles of feet or shoes in a short period of time, such as a few seconds. There also exists a long-felt need in the art for a device that removes germs, dirt, bacteria, and other debris from an individual's feet or shoes before they enter their home or other facility where individuals may congregate.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of a shoe and foot cleaner. The cleaning system has a housing, a handle, and a connection member. The housing includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a brush head or cleaning pad or surface, at least one base member, and an interior space. The handle has at least one female attachment member, at least one heating element, and at least one valve. The handle is attached to the hose by the female attachment member. The handle has a continuous opening that is in fluid communication with the handle and the hose. The handle includes a valve that can control the water, solution, or air pressure that is output through the device.
The connection member includes a container that allows for a user to supply soap or other cleaning or disinfecting liquid into the system to further clean, disinfect and sanitize the feet and/or shoes of the user. The container is attached to the connection member via at least one male and one female fastener. The connection member is attached to the housing unit via at least one fastener. The interior space includes one or more pipes or tubes which use at least one perpendicular member and at least one horizontal member. The piping or tubing has at least one jet head, and preferably a plurality of jet heads that direct the water, cleaning or disinfecting solution or air through at least one opening and onto the user's feet or shoes. The interior space has at least one drain located on the bottom surface of the housing.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The housing 110 has at least one base member 112, and preferably one base member at each corner of the housing and a plurality of brush heads or cleaning pads 114. In the preferred embodiment, the housing 110 is manufactured from a metal material that can hold the weight of a person such as, but not limited to: aluminum, stainless steel, iron, copper, brass, titanium, or combinations therein. In a differing embodiment, the housing 110 may be manufactured from a strong rigid plastic material that can hold the weight of a person such as, but not limited to: acrylic, polycarbonate, polyethylene, thermoplastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid, acetal, nylon, fiberglass, recycled plastic, biodegradable plastic, or combinations thereof. In the preferred embodiment, the housing 110 is manufactured in a square shape that is large enough for a user to fit both their feet comfortably on the top 115 of the housing 110 having the brush heads or cleaning pads 114. In varying embodiments, the housing 110 may be any shape known in the art that allows a user to stand on the device 100 comfortably.
The housing 110 is further supported by at least one base member 112 although as shown in
The system and device 100 has a handle 120. The handle 120 includes at least one valve 126, at least one female attachment member 122, and at least one continuous opening 124. In the preferred embodiment, the handle 120 is manufactured from a metal material such as, but not limited to, aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, iron, or combinations therein. In differing embodiments, the handle 120 may be manufactured from a plastic material such as, but not limited to: acrylic, polycarbonate, polyethylene, thermoplastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, low-density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid, acetal, nylon, fiberglass, recycled plastic, biodegradable plastic, or combinations thereof.
The handle 120 has at least one female attachment member 122. The female attachment member 122 is connected to the hose 10. This attachment with the hose 10 supplies the device with the water, air, or other cleaning solution needed to clean the user's feet or shoes. The female attachment member 122 may be any fastener or connection member known in the art but in the preferred embodiment, the female attachment member 122 is that of a threaded fastener that cooperates with the threaded hose 10. The handle 120 is in fluid communication with the hose 10 via at least one continuous opening 124 located within the female attachment member 122. This allows the water, air, or other solutions to flow throughout the device 100 in order to clean the user's feet or shoes. While in the preferred embodiment, the system contemplates using water or liquid to clean the feet or footwear of the individual, it should be understood that air pressure may be used to help clean the feet or shoes, or in the alternative, air pressure can be used to dry the feet or footwear of the individual by switching the supply of fluid traveling to the system or device. The user may switch the fluid supply by the switch which turns on and off the fluid as previously discussed in connection with this invention.
The handle 120 also has at least one valve 126. The valve 126 is used to control the water or air pressure that is being output through the device 100 and onto the user's feet or shoes. The valve 126 may be any valve known in the art that allows the user to control the water pressure with minimal effort. In one embodiment, the valve 126 operates like a dial, allowing the user to twist the valve 126 to control the fluid under pressure, such as water or air. In another embodiment, the valve 126 is in the form of a lever which allows the user to control the pressure of the fluid entering the system.
In one embodiment, the handle 120 may have a heating element 125. The heating element 125 may be any heating element known in the art, but preferably it is heating tape. The heating element 125 allows the user to be able to use the system and device 100 in the winter or in freezing temperatures. The heating element 125 heats the system 100 which prevents the water from freezing within the device 100. This allows for year-round use no matter what the weather conditions are. The handle 120 may also include one or more fasteners or welds 128 that attaches the handle 120 to the connection member 130. The fastener or weld 128 may be any fastener known in the art, but it is preferably a threaded fastener to allow the user to disassemble the system when it is not in use making it more compact for storage.
The system and device 100 also includes a connection member 130. The connection member 130 is used to transport the water, solution, or other fluid, such as air, from the handle 120 to the housing 110. The connection member 130 includes at least one switch 132, at least one bent or shaped member 134, at least one container 136, at least one light source 138, at least one battery 139, and at least one male 135 and female fasteners 137.
The connection member 130 has at least one switch 132. The switch 132 is used to turn the water supply off and on. When the switch 132 is in the off position, it stops the water supply by closing a valve in the connection member 130. When the switch 132 is in the on position, a valve is opened allowing the water or other fluid to flow through the connection member 130 and to the housing 110. The switch 132 may be any switch that is known in the art.
The connection member includes a bent or shaped member 134 that allows for a container 136 to attach to the connection member 130. The bent or shaped member 134 has a length that is long enough to protect the container 136 from interfering with the individuals use of the system and may range from about 2 inches to about 6 inches. The bent or shaped member 134 has a female fastener 137 that attaches to the cooperating male threaded fastener 135 of the container 136. The male fastener 135 and female fastener 137 may be any fasteners known in the art such as, but not limited to: threaded fastener, hook and loop, snap-button, magnetic, adhesive, suction, or combinations thereof. The housing 133 of the container 136 may be filled with any liquid that can be used to clean and disinfect feet and shoes, such as soap, disinfecting, deodorizing, sanitizing, fungicide, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the container 136 automatically puts soap or other cleaning or disinfecting solution into the connection member 130, such as through a vacuum which occurs as the primary fluid, water or air, is drawn through the handle and pulls the cleaning solution along. In another embodiment, the user has to squeeze or apply pressure to the container 136 in order to push the soap into the connection member 130. In a still further embodiment, the container 136 may have a metered dispenser built into the container so that a predefined amount of solution is added to the cleaning fluid. The metered dispenser may dispense between 2 and 10 ounces of cleaning, sanitizing or disinfecting solution. In any of these embodiments, the container 136 is refillable and can be detached and attached with ease. The handle may also be provided with a timer 135A so that an individual using the system knows how long to clean their feet or shoes before leaving the system and device.
In one embodiment, the device 100 has at least one light source 138 and at least one battery 139. The light source 138 provides a user with the ability to use the system and device 100 when lighting or visibility are limited. This allows a user to use the system and device 100 in all conditions. The light source 138 further may be any light source such as, but not limited to: LED light, LCD light, fluorescent light, white light, spotlight, area light, fiber optic illuminator, incandescent, halogen, or combinations therein. The light source 138 is further powered by at least one battery 139. The battery 139 may be a disposable battery 139 or a rechargeable battery 139 in the form of an alkaline, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride battery 139, etc., such as any 3V-12 volts DC battery 139 or other conventional battery 139 such as A, AA, AAA, etc., that supplies power to the light source 138. Throughout this specification the terms “battery” and “batteries” may be used interchangeably to refer to one or more wet or dry cells or batteries 139 of cells in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of DC power. References to recharging or replacing batteries 139 may refer to recharging or replacing individual cells, individual batteries 139 of cells, or a package of multiple battery cells as is appropriate for any given battery 139 technology that may be used. The light source 138 may be operated via at least one button 160. In one embodiment, the button 160 may be pressed to turn the light source 138 off and on. In another embodiment, the button 160 may have a plurality of functions such as changing the brightness of the light source 138 or changing the color of the light source 138.
The housing 110 is connected to the connection member 130 via at least one fastener 131. The fastener 131 may be any fastener known in the art but is preferably a threaded fastener to allow the housing 110 and connection member 130 to be in fluid communication. The housing 110 has a brush head 114 and preferably a plurality of individual brushes that make up the brush head 114 surface. The brush head 114 has a plurality of bristles 116. The bristles 116 are used to further clean the bottom of the user's feet or shoe. The bristles 116 may be any natural or synthetic bristles known in the art such as, but not limited to: bamboo, broomcorn, yucca, rattan, boar hair, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, poly corn, nylon, styrene, or combinations thereof. The bristles 116 may have a height ranging from ½″ to about 2″ with about ½″ to about 1″ being preferred. The bristles 116 may also be arranged in patterns with shorter bristles in areas in contact with the sole of the foot or shoe and longer bristles being in contact with the edges of the feet or shoe as will be further described in connection with
The housing 110 has a series of fluid conduits made up of piping 140 that allows the water, air, or other fluids to flow throughout the housing 110. The fluid conduit piping 140 has at least one jet head 142 and preferably a number of jet heads 143 positioned on the top of the piping 140 and in differing positions on the piping to reach different areas of the shoes or feet. The jet heads 142 may be equally spaced around the fluid conduit piping 140 or may be provided in patterns to provide more cleaning power to areas of the feet or footwear that may require more cleaning than other areas of the feet or shoe. The jet heads 142 may all have the same size openings or may have larger openings 143A (
The bottom surface 113 of the housing 110 has at least one drain 150. The drain 150 provides a way for the water or other cleaning solution that flows through the jet heads 142 and 143 to clean the user's feet and shoes to escape the housing 110 and flow away from the device 100. This prevents the interior space 118 of the housing 110 from filling up with water and debris that falls off the user's feet or shoes. In one embodiment, there is only one drain 150 located on the bottom surface 113. In this embodiment, the bottom surface 113 is convex in such a way that all the water flows toward the drain 150. In another embodiment, the bottom surface 113 has many drain openings 150 that are located directly under each of the jet heads 142 and 143.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “shoe cleaner device” and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the shoe cleaner device 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the foot or shoe cleaning system and device 100 of the present invention and its various components can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the cleaner 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the foot or shoe cleaner 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the cleaning system 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the foot or footwear cleaning system and device 100 may be of any size, shape and/or configuration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/298,355, which was filed on Jan. 11, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63298355 | Jan 2022 | US |
