Patent Application
20220248937
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of sanitizing devices of existing art and more specifically relates to shoe sanitizing devices.
Footwear, such as shoes and boots, collects dirt and debris from use in the outdoors. The simple door mat is provided at most dwellings to provide a means for cleaning the soles of the shoes being worn by people entering the dwelling. Door mats are not very effective at removing dirt and debris, such as grass, snow, sand, etc., embedded in the treads of such shoes. Door mats eventually get dirty and become less effective in removing dirt. Mechanical devices for cleaning footwear have been developed, but have not proven to be effective in both cleaning and sanitizing the bottom and sides of the shoes or boots being cleaned. A suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,818 to Eileen M. Holleran relates to an apparatus for cleaning the lower portion of shoes. The described apparatus for cleaning the lower portion of shoes includes an apparatus for quickly and easily removing the soil from the lower portions of shoes by means of powered brushes adapted to the contours of the shoe and includes means for self-cleaning the brushes and collecting the soil.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known shoe sanitizing device art, the present disclosure provides a novel shoe sole cleaning device. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a pressure sensitive, motor driven, shoe sole cleaning device.
A shoe sole cleaning device is disclosed herein. The shoe sole cleaning device includes a base housing a dirty water reservoir, a top plate, a series of spray nozzles, and at least one bristle roller brush having bristles. Extending from the base is a housing having a water-acceptance port, a user interface, a clean water reservoir, a pump, a motor, a water intake line, and a water sprayer line. The water intake line is in fluid communication with the clean water reservoir and is configured to deliver water from the clean water reservoir to the pump. The water sprayer line is connected to the pump and configured to deliver liquid to the series of spray nozzles. The series of spray nozzles are in alignment with the at least one bristle roller brush and configured to disperse the liquid from the clean water reservoir on to the at least one bristle roller brush. A battery power source configured to power the shoe sole cleaning device. The bristle roller brushes are configured to rotate and remove germs, dirt, mud, and other debris from shoes.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a shoe sole cleaning device, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to shoe sanitizing and more particularly to a shoe sole cleaning device as used to improve the effective and efficient sanitizing and removal of debris from footwear.
Generally, the present invention comprises a battery powered, automated shoe sole cleaning device having soft bristle roller brushes. The soft bristle roller brushes are configured to rotate and remove germs, dirt, mud, and other debris from shoes. The device includes a pressure sensor for activation of the device when stepped on by a user. The device further includes a refillable, liquid reservoir with dispensing nozzles. The reservoir may be filled with water or liquid cleaners/sanitizers. The dispensing nozzles are in alignment to moisten the roller brushes when the device is activated. The shoe sole cleaning device further preferably comprises a digital display to broadcast the status of the device to a user. The device includes a removeable tray for collection and disposal of liquid and debris removed from footwear. A sensor is provided in the tray and is in communication with the digital display in order to notify a user when the tray needs to be emptied and the reservoir needs to be refilled. The bristle roller brushes may be set to various speeds and the speed is user-selected via a toggle switch. The powered bristle roller brushes of the shoe sole cleaning device loosen and remove dirt, germs, and bacteria that collect on shoe soles. The shoe sole cleaning device may include features for drying the shoe soles after use, such as but not limited to an air blower and a platform with cloth mat.
In one embodiment, the base of the shoe sole cleaning device is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and measures approximately eighteen inches in length by eight inches in width by four inches in height (18″×8″×4″). The front two inches (2″) of length rise for an additional three inches (3″) in height. On a sidewall of this raised portion is an extending slot into which water may be applied within a clean water reservoir. This clean water reservoir in the front two-inch (2″) length segment of the base is of an approximate forty-ounce (40 fl oz) capacity, and includes a water-volume sensor and pump. The pump connects to hoses ending in spray nozzles. The spray nozzles are strategically positioned on interior sidewalls of the base unit for horizontal projection onto two (2) cylindrical bristle roller brushes, each measuring approximately ten inches in length by two and one-half inches in diameter (10″×2.5″). Both of the bristle roller brush and the pump are powered by a motor, which is contained in a compartment directly above the aforementioned clean water reservoir.
Fitting directly above the bristle roller brushes is a top plate, which includes slotted apertures that are perpendicular to the positioning of the aforementioned bristle roller brushes, and through which the bristles of the bristle roller brushes project. This tray, which attaches to the base by depression springs, includes a metal tab on a lower-front corner. The tab corresponds with a second metal tab on an interior sidewall of the base, and wiring from that second metal tab extends to the motor. Directly below these bristle roller brushes is a dirty water reservoir. A water-volume sensor is included in the dirty water reservoir. On the top section of the raised portion of the base, directly above the clean water reservoir, is a volume display that connects by wire to, and reads the notations of the volume sensors of each container. In alternative embodiments, the shoe sole cleaning device may include only one (1) water-volume sensor in only one (1) of its water containers, and may also be made without any water-volume sensor(s). Also featured on the top section are a power button, motor speed-selecting buttons, and a battery power indicator. A battery for powering of the motor, pump, display, and sensors is included in this same housing above the clean water reservoir.
A method of using the shoe sole cleaning device is as follows: after filling the clean water reservoir with clean water, a user may depress the power button and then apply a foot and shoe upon the top plate, and then depress that plate to activate the unit. Water will then be pumped from the clean water reservoir and be sprayed onto the at least one bristle roller brush, which will be rotating against the shoe sole to conduct its cleaning. Used water will then drop to collect in the dirty water reservoir. The user may also select speed of brush rotation to ensure desired cleaning. When the clean water reservoir nearly empties, or when the dirty water reservoir nearly fills to capacity, the user will receive notification from the display screen. After use, the user can enter a home or other structure with confidence in shoe cleanliness and in the hygienic cleanliness of his or her shoes, thus leaving no floor markings and transferring no dirt or germs.
The shoe sole cleaning device may be made in different sizes and shapes, and may be made of various materials of adequate durability and resistance. The shoe sole cleaning device may be made in variations that include only a single water-storing compartment, and which would recollect water after it is originally used on the cleaning brushes. The shoe sole cleaning device can be made in variations that include a raised handle for the user to grip during use. The shoe sole cleaning device can be made in variations that include a compartment for storage of a cleaning agent, and a pump and hose/nozzle for application of the cleaning agent upon the brushes. In such variation, the original water-storing compartment and corresponding hose/nozzle may or may not be retained for rinsing away the applied cleaning agent.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
