Shoe cover applicator device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6543075
  • Patent Number
    6,543,075
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, July 10, 2001
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 8, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A shoe cover application device having a holding member for holding a shoe cover open in a receiving position to accommodate the insertion of a user shoe. The shoe cover application device also includes a separation member that separates the shoe cover from the holding member allowing the shoe cover to constrict around the user's shoe inserted into the shoe cover while the shoe cover was in the receiving position. Shoe covers of various materials, shapes and sizes may be used with the shoe cover application device of the present invention.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Protective disposable garments such as gowns, drapes, caps and shoe covers have been used for many years to minimize contamination in “cleanrooms” such as laboratories and medical operating rooms. Disposable shoe covers, in particular, are of great importance in these environments, as shoes are in constant contact with the “clean” area. In settings such as these, the shoe covers serve to protect the sterile atmosphere from dust and any other contaminates human traffic may introduce.




Shoe covers also serve to protect the wearer from hazards already present in these environments. The shoe covers prevent the wearer from being exposed to hazards such as electricity, chemicals, metals, microbiological agents, disease and tools. It is thus desirable to design a disposable shoe cover that prevents the transmission of contaminates to and from a shoe.




The use of disposable shoe covers is not limited to the aforementioned environments. Each environment requires a shoe cover made of a material having specific characteristics. As a result, disposable shoe covers may need to be fabricated from a wide array of materials including polyethylene or polypropylene sheet materials, non-woven fabrics or other disposable materials. It is therefore also desirable to design a disposable shoe cover that can be manufactured out of varied materials. Furthermore, the assortment of shoe shapes and sizes necessitate disposable shoe covers of various shapes and sizes.




Finally, it is necessary to design a disposable shoe cover that can be applied onto the wearer's shoe without the handling of the disposable shoe cover itself. If not, the purpose of maintaining a sterile preparation routine before entering to the clean room area may be defeated. Manual handling of the shoe covers may spoil the sanitary nature of the shoe covers. Most disposable shoe covers available today require manual application.




Nonetheless, attempts to address this concern have been made. An example of an automated shoe cover application device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,939 which discloses an operation wherein the wearer's shoe is wrapped in heat-shrinkable material upon the insertion of the wearer's foot into a shrink-wrap device. While this type of device may do away with the need to manually handle the shoe cover during is application upon a shoe, it is not adaptable to be used with a wide range of disposable shoe covers made of the varying materials needed for various types of sanitary environments.




Additionally, such a device is expensive, complicated and could be dangerous. A heat-shrinking operation, such as the one disclosed in the aforementioned patent, requires multiple motors, a heating unit, heating elements, a blower and extensive wiring and electrical controllers. These elements are not only expensive but also form an intricate system that is difficult to maintain and repair. Furthermore, such an extensive electrical heating system increases the risk of injury to the user who must set his or her foot into the device to have it shrink-wrapped.




As described above, many approaches for applying shoe covers to a wearer's shoe have been proposes. Yet, there remains a need for a simple, inexpensive and safe means for applying shoe covers to a wearer's shoe without the handling of the shoe cover itself. Further, there is a need for an automatic shoe cover applicator compatible with shoe covers of varied materials, shapes and sizes.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follow, an in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.




To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodies and broadly described, the invention consists of shoe cover application device having a holding arrangement to hold a shoe cover open in a receiving position for the insertion of a user's shoe. There is also a separation member operable to separate the shoe cover from the holding arrangement allowing the shoe cover to constrict around the user's shoe that was inserted into the shoe cover while the shoe cover was in the receiving position.




An embodiment of the present invention also includes a guiding system utilized to guide the shoe covers from a storage bin to the holding arrangement, a retaining member responsible, while in a retaining position, for preventing the guiding of the shoe covers from the storage bin to the holding arrangement, and an actuator to both initiate the operation of the separation member and control the position of the retaining member.




It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe cover application device that applies a shoe cover to a user's shoe with the manual handing of the shoe cover itself.




It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic shoe cover application device that is simple, inexpensive and safe to use.




It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automatic shoe cover application device compatible with shoe covers of varied materials, shapes and sizes.




These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front view of a first embodiment of a shoe cover application device according to the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a portion of the device according to FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is an exploded side view of a portion of the device according to FIG.


1


.





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of another portion of the device according to FIG.


1


.





FIG. 5

is a close-up perspective view of the retaining member of present invention.





FIG. 6

is a close-up top view of the guide members of the present invention.





FIG. 7

is a close-up perspective view of the application portion of the present invention.





FIG. 8

is a close-up perspective view of the linkage system of the present invention.





FIG. 9

is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the device according to FIG.


1


.





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of a continuous type shoe cover lineal used with the device according to FIG.


1


.











Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.




DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT





FIGS. 1-8

show the preferred embodiment of a shoe cover applicator device


100


. As shown specifically in

FIG. 1

, the shoe cover applicator device


100


has a body


10


, base


20


, and bin


30


. The bin


30


is configured to receive a package


200


of shoe covers. In one embodiment, the package


200


consists of continuous disposable shoe covers in a sealed package, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,139, filed herewith. An example of the continuous type disposable shoe cover


310


is shown in FIG.


10


.




The continuous type disposable shoe cover


310


of the preferred embodiment as shown in

FIG. 10

will now be described in detail. As seen in the figure, multiple continuous type disposable shoe covers


310


are joined in a lineal


300


of shoe covers


310


. Each shoe cover


310


may be separated from the adjoining shoe covers


310


using perforated edges


380


. Each individual shoe cover


310


comprises a pair of side walls


320


, a heel portion


340


and a toe portion


350


. Together the side walls


320


, the heel portion


340


, and the toe portion


350


define an opening for receiving a shoe.




The shoe covers


310


include tubes


330


formed along the longitudinal edges of the shoe covers


310


. The tubes


330


are separated from the side walls


320


along cut lines


360


to form the heel portion


340


and toe portion


350


. The tubes


330


allow the shoe cover


310


to be conveyed through device


100


. The shoe covers


310


are also provided with at least one elastic member


370


disposed below the tubes


330


and between the heel portion


340


and toe portion


350


. The elastic member


370


permits the shoe cover


310


to contract around a shoe inserted into the shoe cover


310


and thereby substantially surround the shoe. It should be understood to one skilled in the art that multiple elastic member


370


or other means known in the art may be used to contract the shoe cover


310


about a shoe.




Generally, during operation, the shoe covers


310


are delivered from the package


200


, through the device


100


, to an application portion


80


. In the application portion


80


, the shoe cover


310


is positioned to accommodate entry of the user's foot. The user inserts his or her foot into the opened shoe cover


310


and then pulls his or her foot away from the device


100


. As the user's foot is pulled away from the device


100


, the shoe cover


310


is separated from the device


100


and another shoe cover


310


is delivered to the application portion


80


awaiting the next user. The operation of the device


100


will be described in more detail below.




Turning now specifically to FIG.


2


.

FIG. 2

shows the communication between the package


200


of shoe covers


310


and the device


100


. Specifically, the package


200


has an opening (not shown) that may be aligned with an opening (not shown) in bin


30


. The shoe covers


310


are manually or automatically fed from package


200


to the device


100


through the openings in the package and bin


30


respectively. Automatic feed of the shoe covers


310


may be triggered by sensing the entry of the foot into the device


100


or the user's actuation of a button, lever, trigger or other means known in the art.





FIG. 2

also illustrates the guiding system


40


of the preferred embodiment. The guiding system


40


functions to guide the shoe cover


310


through the device


100


and deliver the shoe covers


310


to the application portion


80


.




In the preferred embodiment, the guiding system


40


includes a funnel


44


and guide members


45


. The funnel


44


comprises a pair of sloped arms


44




a


and


44




b


and neck


44




c


. The shoe covers


310


are drawn from package


200


, through the funnel


44


and neck


44




c


, and onto the guide members


45


. The sloped arms


44




a


and


44




b


of the funnel


44


are mounted on the interior of body


10


. One or both of the arms


44




a


and


44




b


may be biased so as slightly “give” as the shoe covers


310


are drawn though device


100


to prevent tearing or separation of the shoe covers


310


. The “give” may be provided by a spring


47


or other means known in the art.




Preferably, arm


44




a


is pivotally mounted on body


10


using a hinge (not shown) or the like. The spring provides the bias to arm


44




a


. The hinge is set to limit the movement of arm


44




a


in the upward direction. The spring biases arm


44




a


upwards against the natural tendency of arm


44




a


to rotate downward about the hinge.




Although arm


44




a


is shown in

FIG. 2

as being pivotally mounted on body


10


, it is to be understood that funnel


44


merely needs to yield sufficiently to prevent the tearing or separation of the shoe covers


310


. For instance, it is not necessary that only one of arms


44




a


and


44




b


may be mounted on body


10


in the fashion described above. Both arms


44




a


and


44




b


may be spring mounted on body


10


. Moreover, either of arms


44




a


and


44




b


could be manufactured of naturally resilient material providing the “give” required of funnel


44


and not requiring the spring and hinge-mount arrangement of the preferred embodiment.




From the funnel


44


, the shoe covers


310


are fed, again either manually or automatically, to guide members


45


. As shown in

FIG. 3

, the guide members


45


extend through body


10


to application portion


80


. The guide members


45


are shaped, contoured and spaced apart to not only complete the conveyance of the shoe covers


310


to the application portion


80


but to also hold the shoe cover


310


at least substantially open in the application portion


80


facilitating the insertion of a user's foot into the shoe cover


310


. The guide members


45


also preferably include mounting portions


45




b


to mount the guide members


45


to the base


20


using mounting members


22


as shown in FIG.


2


.




In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device


100


employs the continuous type disposable shoe cover


310


shown in FIG.


10


. Accordingly, each guide member


45


is designed to fit into each tube


330


of shoe cover


310


. It is important that the tubes


330


of the shoe covers


310


slide along guide members


45


with minimal resistance to avoid the tearing or separation of the shoe covers


310


. Thus, although any elongated shape may be suitable for guide members


45


, it is preferred that the guide members


45


be shafts having cylindrical cross-sections. Additionally, it is preferable that the guide members


45


are made of low-friction materials, such as teflon, or coated with such a material to minimize the risk of tearing or separating the shoe covers


310


.




As mentioned above, the guide members


45


are spaced apart, at least in the application portion


80


of device


100


, to hold open the shoe covers


310


so that the user may insert his or her foot into the shoe cover


310


. In particular, the ends, or holding portions,


45




a


of the guide members


45


are spaced to hold open the shoe covers


310


within the application portion


80


of the device


100


.




In the preferred embodiment using the shoe cover


310


of

FIG. 10

, the spacing of the holding portions


45




a


is sufficient to pull the tube


330


of the shoe cover


310


apart. Yet, since the tubes


330


are separated from the body of the shoe cover


310


along the cut lines


360


, the heel portion


340


and toe portion


350


of the shoe covers


310


are not forced apart by the holding portions


45




a


. The spacing of the holding portions


45




a


pulls apart only the opposing tubes


330


and opposing side walls


320


of the shoe cover


310


, providing the user with an adequate opening in which to insert his foot.




Although the preferred arrangement of the guiding system


40


is described above, it is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that a more intricate or simpler guiding system


40


could be incorporated into the shoe cover


310


applicator device


100


. For instance, the shoe covers


310


could be drawn out of package


200


and delivered to application portion


80


via vacuum power or other mechanically or electrically powered conveying means. Additionally, the funnel guide


44


may be eliminated altogether. And, other suitable conveying means known in the art could be incorporated into the shoe application device in lieu of the guide members


45


. By way of example, as an alternative to guide members


45


, a clamping device could hold the shoe cover


310


in place as it is conveyed through device


100


.




As described above, through the guiding system


40


of the preferred embodiment, the shoe covers


310


are delivered from package


200


to application portion


80


. At application portion


80


, the shoe covers


310


are ready to accommodate the insertion of the user's foot. After the user inserts his or her foot into the shoe cover


310


, the shoe cover


310


is separated or released from the device


100


so that the user may remove the shoe with the shoe cover


310


on. Following the separation or release of the shoe cover


310


, the process starts over (i.e. a new receiving shoe cover


310


is delivered to a receiving position at application portion


80


). This new receiving shoe cover


310


is now ready for the next user to insert his or her foot therein.




To carry out the aforementioned separation, release and delivery operations, the device


100


preferably includes a separation member


85


and a retaining member


75


along with an actuator


70


for actuating each. It is to be understood by one skilled in the art, however, that a single component within the device


100


could replace the separation member


85


and the retaining member


75


to perform their respective functions. Nonetheless, in the preferred embodiment, the retaining member


75


cooperates with the guiding system


40


to selectively restrict or permit the advance of the shoe covers


310


throughout the device


100


and delivery of the shoe covers


310


to application portion


80


. The separation member


85


acts to separate the shoe cover


310


from the device once the shoe cover


310


is on the user's foot.




More specifically with respect to the preferred embodiment, the user may activate an actuator


70


, which in turn triggers the release of a retaining member


75


and activates the separation member


85


. The release of retaining member


75


permits the transport of the shoe cover


310


through the device


100


. In the same way, the release or deactivation of actuator


70


returns retaining member


75


to an active state and deactivates the separation member


85


. While in their active states, retaining member


75


inhibits the movement of the shoe covers


310


through device


100


and separation member


85


separates the shoe cover


310


from device


100


.




Referring now to FIG.


4


.

FIG. 4

shows actuator


70


, retaining member


75


, separation members


85


and how each of these elements cooperates with guide members


45


of the preferred embodiment. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the actuator


70


consists of a foot pedal activated when a user's foot depresses the foot pedal. Although actuator


70


is shown as a foot pedal, actuator


70


may be a push button, knob, switch, lever or the like. Additionally, the actuator


70


may be triggered manually, via sensing means (e.g. an optical sensor) or even voice activated. Actuator


70


is employed to release the retaining member


75


and initiate the operation of separation member


85


.




In the preferred embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 4

, both the actuator


70


and guide members


45


extend into the application portion


80


of the device


100


. There, the guide members


45


are spaced apart so as to hold the shoe cover


310


open within the application portion


80


. The application portion


80


includes a foot tray


81


. The guide members


45


preferably run along the longitudinal edges of the foot tray


81


while the actuator


70


extends over the foot tray


81


between the guide members


45


.




The foot tray


81


may be configured to receive shoe types of various shapes and sizes.

FIG. 7

shows a close-up of the preferred embodiment of foot tray


81


. As can be seen in the Figure, the foot tray


81


may comprise a channel


83


for receiving the sole of a shoe and channel


84


within channel


83


for receiving a high-heel portion of a shoe. Alternatively, the foot tray


81


could include interchangeable platforms of varying configurations to accept a wide assortment of different shoe sole shapes according to the footwear requirements of the environment within which the device


100


is used.




Additionally, the preferred embodiment, a toe guide


82


is positioned in application portion


80


. The toe guide


82


is generally configured to receive the front (toe) portion of the user's shoe. Preferably, the toe guide


82


is coupled to retaining member


75


, as shown in FIG.


5


.




With the guide members


45


holding the shoe cover


310


open in the receiving position within the application portion


80


, the shoe cover


310


overlies both the actuator


70


and the foot tray


81


. Thus, upon insertion of a shoe into the receiving shoe cover


310


, actuator


70


is depressed (activated) and the shoe rests upon the foot tray


81


substantially surrounded by the receiving shoe cover


310


. The activation of the actuator


70


releases the retaining member


75


and initiates the operation of the separation member


85


. The release of retaining member


75


along with the activation of separation member


85


permits the withdrawal of the user's foot from the foot tray


81


with the shoe cover


310


substantially surrounding the shoe.




In the preferred embodiment, separation member


85


includes of a pair of cutting blades positioned at the mounting portions


45




b


of the guide members


45


, as shown in FIG.


6


. As the user slides his or her foot off the foot tray


81


, the separation member


85


separates the shoe cover


1310


from device


100


. Particularly, the cutting blades slice open the tubes


330


of the shoe cover


310


that hold the shoe cover


310


on guide members


45


as the shoe cover


310


passes the cutting blades on the mounting portions


45




b


of guide members


45


. Thus, the shoe cover


310


is separated from the device


100


and is free to contract around the wearer's shoe.




Although the preferred embodiment describes the separation member


85


as a pair of cutting blades, it is to be understood that any appropriate means known in the art of separating the shoe cover


310


from the device


100


may be utilized. It should be evident to one skilled in the art that various separating members are available to cooperate with any suitable means known in the art for delivering the shoe covers


310


to the application portion


80


, including the guide members


45


of the preferred embodiment.




As mentioned above, actuator


70


operates to release retaining member


75


. The preferred linkage system is illustrated in detail in FIG.


9


. However, it is to be understood by one skilled in the art that any mechanical or electrical connection may be used to translate the activation of actuator


70


into the release of retaining member


75


.




Turning now to preferred embodiment shown in

FIG. 9

, body


10


houses a linkage system


50


and actuator


70


. The linkage system


50


preferably includes a rectangular tray


51


with folded-up edges


51




a


and


51




b


, a pair of intermediate links


52


having apertures


52




a


and


52




b


at each end and a retaining member


75


having a pair of mounting members


54


extending from each end, as shown in FIG.


5


. Apertures


51




c


,


51




d


,


51




e


and


51




f


are provided in the folded-up edges


51




a


and


51




b


of rectangular tray


51


. Each of the mounting members


54


includes a pair of apertures


55




a


,


55




b


,


55




c


, and


55




d


. The actuator


70


is coupled to the rectangular tray


51


, which in turn is coupled to an end of the intermediate link


52


. The opposite end of the intermediate link


52


is coupled to retaining member


75


.




The preferred linkage system


50


also comprises a U-shaped mounting bracket


61


, mounting rods


62


and


67


, connecting rods


63


and


64


, limiting rod


65


and biasing member


66


. Mounting bracket


61


is fixed to the inside of body


10


. Mounting rod


62


passes through apertures


55




c


and


55




d


to couple retaining member


75


to mounting bracket


61


so that the retaining member


75


may rotate about mounting rod


62


. Mounting rod


67


passes through apertures


51




e


and


51




f


of rectangular tray


51


to couple the rectangular tray


51


to the mounting bracket


61


. Thusly, one longitudinal edge of the rectangular tray


51


may rotate about mounting rod


67


. Connecting rod


63


passes through apertures


52




b


of each intermediate links


52


and through apertures


55




a


and


55




b


of the mounting members


54


to pivotally couple the intermediate links


52


and the retaining member


75


. Thus, intermediate links


52


rotate relative to the retaining member


75


. Finally, connecting rod


64


passes through apertures


52




a


of intermediate links


52


and apertures


51




c


and


51




d


in the rectangular tray


51


, coupling each of the intermediate links


52


to the folded-up edges


51




a


and


51




b


of the rectangular tray


51


.




The actuator


70


, may be coupled, or fixed, at one end, to the rectangular tray


51


so that the motion imparted to the actuator


70


is transferred to rectangular tray


51


. The other end of actuator


70


extends out of body


10


and is freestanding. The range of motion of both rectangular tray


51


and actuator


70


is limited by biasing member


66


and limiting rod


65


. Biasing member


66


, shown in

FIG. 3

, is preferably but not limited to, a spring, and is mounted to both the mounting bracket


61


and the rectangular tray


51


. The spring


66


is set to restrain the upward movement of rectangular tray


51


. The limiting rod


65


is mounted at each end to mounting bracket


61


above the linkage system


50


to limit the upward movement of linkage system


50


and in turn the upward movement of the actuator


70


.




The body


10


and base


20


of the shoe cover application device include a removable exterior casing


90


. Casing


90


serves as a protective cover to minimize contamination of the shoe covers


310


within the shoe cover application device


100


. Optionally, a retractable cover (not shown) conceals the application portion


80


of the shoe cover application device


100


. Such a cover could comprise manually activated or automated sliding or pivoting panels, or a removable cap or casing. With such a cover, the shoe covers


310


are not exposed to contaminants when they are situated in the application portion


80


.




The operation of the preferred embodiment will now be described. The continuous type shoe cover


310


is loaded into the shoe cover application device


100


as each fresh package


200


is inserted into bin


30


. The package


200


is opened at opening


201


and set into bin


30


so that opening


201


aligns with opening


35


in bin


30


. Removable casing


90


is removed and the first continuous disposable shoe cover


310


in the lineal


300


is manually, or by other means, pulled from package


200


. The continuous shoe cover lineal


300


is then fed through the neck


45


of funnel guide


44


. While retaining member


75


is raised to a non-retaining position, each tube


330


of the shoe cover


310


is then set on the each guide pipe


45


and drawn through the shoe application device


100


. The shoe cover


310


is fed along guide pipe


45


until the shoe cover


310


overlays the application portion


80


and actuator


70


. The spacing of the guide members


45


at holding portions


45




a


hold open the shoe cover


310


against the bias of the elastic member


370


so that the user may place his or her foot inside it. Although the guide members


45


are illustrated at a particular spacing, it is to be understood by one skilled in the art that the spacing of the guide members


45


may be adjusted, or adjustable, to accommodate shoes of various widths. Once the shoe cover


310


is in position to be applied to a shoe within the application portion


80


, the retaining member


75


is released and allowed to return to its natural retaining position; precluding the shoe cover lineal


300


from advancing through the shoe application device


100


. The casing


90


may then be reattached to the shoe application device


100


.




Alternatively, the shoe covers


310


may be automatically drawn out of the package


200


using vacuum power or other means known in the art and positioned on guiding system


40


to be fed through the device


100


. Moreover, shoe covers


310


within package


200


may alternatively be interlocked so that as one is removed from the package


200


and positioned on guiding system


40


, the next shoe cover


310


is drawn out of the package


200


ready for placement upon the guiding system


40


.




Once the user is ready to wear the shoe cover


310


, he actuates the freestanding end of the actuator


70


. Preferably, the user steps on a pedal located below the receiving shoe cover


310


within the application portion


80


; depressing the pedal or freestanding end of the actuator


70


into channel


83


so that the user's foot is within the receiving shoe cover


310


. The pressing of the pedal causes the front longitudinal edge of the rectangular tray


51


to move downward as the rear longitudinal edge of the rectangular tray


51


rotates about mounting rod


67


. Connecting rod


64


does not permit intermediate links


52


from rotating relative to rectangular tray


51


. Thus, the downward motion of rectangular tray


51


is transmitted to intermediate links


52


. As the intermediate links


52


move downward, retaining member


75


pivots about the longitudinal axis mounting rod


62


since mounting rod


62


is fixed to mounting bracket


61


. However, connecting rod


63


is not fixed to the mounting bracket


61


. Therefore, as retaining member


75


pivots about the longitudinal axis of mounting rod


62


, mounting members


54


of the retaining member


75


rotate relative to intermediate links


52


. Through this rotation, retaining member


75


is moved to a non-retaining position as actuator


70


is depressed.




At this point, the user's foot is in the receiving shoe cover


310


and the retaining member


75


is in a non-retaining position. As long as the retaining member


75


is in a non-retaining position, the continuous shoe cover lineal


300


is free to advance along the guide members


45


. The user then pulls his or her foot, enclosed by the shoe cover


310


, off of the foot tray


81


allowing the elastic member


370


to contract and substantially enclose the user's shoe. Upon the user's action, the actuator


70


is released which, through linkage system


50


and mounting system


60


, causes the retaining member


75


to rotate to a retaining position. As the user pulls his or her shoe off of foot tray


81


with the shoe cover


310


on the shoe, separation member


85


cut away the tubes


330


of the receiving shoe cover


310


from the holding portions


45




a


of the guide members


45


. Simultaneously, the receiving shoe cover


310


is torn away from the shoe cover lineal


300


at the perforation


380


; leaving the subsequent shoe cover


310


in a receiving position upon the holding portions


45




a


of the guide members


45


.




As an alternative to guide members


45


, the shoe cover


310


could be held in place as it is conveyed through the shoe application device


100


by a clamping device. A clamp releasing mechanism or the like positioned at application portion


80


would be used instead of separation member


85


operating in conjunction with retaining member


75


as a separating system.




The preferred embodiment has been described above. However, it is to be understood that various modifications and additional features are available to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, although a mechanically driven shoe cover applicator device has been described in detail, the continuous shoe cover lineal could be loaded, fed and driven through the device using any apt mechanical or electronic means including vacuum or hydraulic power. The device may coin operated, actuated via a push-button, hand lever, infrared sensors or any other suitable means of actuation. Additionally, handrails may be provided to help the user maintain his or her balance as they use the device.




It should also be understood that various changes and substitutes and alterations could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A shoe cover application device for applying a shoe cover to a shoe comprising:a holding member, said holding member configured to hold a first shoe cover in a receiving position; a separation member; a retaining member having a retaining position and a non-retaining position; and an actuator selectively controlling the movement of said retaining member from the retaining position to the non-retaining position; wherein when said retaining member is in the non-retaining position said separation member is operable to separate the shoe cover from said holding member.
  • 2. The shoe cover application device of claim 1 further comprising:a storage bin; and a guiding system, said guiding system guiding the first shoe cover to said holding member from said bin.
  • 3. The shoe cover application device of claim 2, wherein said actuator is coupled to said retaining member such that the activation of said actuator releases said retaining member from the retaining position.
  • 4. The shoe cover application device of claim 2 wherein said guiding system is coupled to said holding member to guide a second shoe cover to said holding member once the first shoe cover has been separated from said holding member.
  • 5. The shoe cover application device of claim 4, wherein said retaining member is disposed to prevent said guiding system from guiding a shoe cover to said holding member when said retaining member is the retaining position.
  • 6. The shoe cover application device of claim 1 wherein said actuator is activated by the insertion of a shoe into the first shoe cover.
  • 7. The shoe cover application device of claim 6 wherein said actuator comprises a foot pedal disposed below the first shoe cover.
  • 8. The shoe cover application device of claim 1, wherein said separation member comprises a cutting member for cutting said first shoe cover away from said holding member.
  • 9. The shoe cover application device of claim 1, wherein said separation member is positioned such that upon removal of a shoe inserted into the first shoe cover, while the shoe is at least partially surrounded by the first shoe cover, said separation member separates the first shoe cover from said holding member allowing the first shoe cover to constrict around the shoe.
  • 10. The shoe cover application device of claim 1, further comprising:a storage bin; and a guiding system, said guiding system guiding the shoe cover to said holding member from said bin; wherein the activation of said actuator releases said retaining member from said retaining position thereby allowing the removal of a shoe inserted into the first shoe cover, with the shoe at least partially surrounded by the first shoe cover.
  • 11. The shoe cover application device of claim 2, wherein the first shoe cover is one end of a continuous lineal of shoe covers.
  • 12. The shoe cover application device of claim 11 wherein said retaining member is disposed to prevent said guiding system from guiding the first shoe cover to said holding member and to prevent the separation of the first shoe cover from the lineal of continuous shoe covers while said retaining member is in the retaining position.
  • 13. The shoe cover application device of claim 12, wherein said actuator is coupled to said retaining member such that the activation of said actuator releases said retaining member from the retaining position.
  • 14. The shoe cover application device of claim 12 wherein said actuator is coupled to said retaining member such that the activation of said actuator release said retaining member from the retaining position, thereby allowing the first shoe cover to be separated from said holding member by said separation member and separated from the lineal of continuous shoe covers.
  • 15. The shoe cover application device of claim 14 wherein said guiding system is coupled to said holding member to guide a second shoe cover in the lineal of continuous shoe covers to said holding member once the first shoe cover is separated from said holding member and the lineal of continuous shoe covers.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2000/02031 Jul 2000 TR
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