The present invention relates generally to a device for cleaning shoes and boots, and, more specifically, to a device for cleaning footwear that is adapted for mounting to a vehicle such as a truck or automobile.
Tracking mud and filth into vehicles is a problem for many people involved in construction, surveying, or any other occupation or recreation that involves traveling to a muddy or dirty location, traipsing around in the mud and dirt, and then getting back into the vehicle. Approaches for cleaning footwear before getting back into the vehicle have been met with limited success. For example, one approach involves using a brush stored in the passenger compartment or trunk of the vehicle to clean footwear before getting into the vehicle. Although this may help to some degree in reducing the amount of dirt and debris tracked into the vehicle, it is often difficult for the user to clean one boot and then the other without putting the first boot back down on the ground and thus soiling it again. Additionally, stowing the dirty brush in the passenger compartment or trunk tends to convey dirt into the vehicle.
Therefore, Applicants have identified the need for a device to enable a user to clean his or her shoes or boots, while avoiding the need to store the brush in the vehicle or put one foot on the ground while cleaning the other foot. The present invention fulfills this need among others.
The present invention provides a robust, retractable footwear cleaner that is readily mounted onto or integrated into a vehicle. Specifically, the footwear cleaning device is sufficiently strong and rigid that it supports the weight of the user, allowing the user to step from the footwear cleaner into the passenger compartment without having to put his or her foot back on the ground. Synergistically, the footwear cleaner of the present invention also provides a step into the passenger compartment, which is particularly beneficial for vehicles that tend to be relatively high off the ground, such as trucks. The footwear cleaner is also retractable and stows under the passenger compartment when not in use, and, thus, does not contaminate the passenger compartment after use. Therefore, the present invention provides a footwear cleaning device which is stowed outside of the passenger compartment and allows the user to step directly from the device into the passenger compartment after use, thereby avoiding re-soiling of his or her shoes.
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is a device adapted for connection to or integration into the frame of a vehicle under the passenger compartment, that provides a sturdy step into the passenger compartment thereby allowing the user to step directly into the passenger compartment immediately after cleaning his or her footwear. In one embodiment, the footwear cleaning comprises: (a) a base for mounting to the frame; (b) an arm having a proximate end and a distal end, the arm being pivotally or slideably operatively attached to the base at the proximate end; (c) a cleaner connected to the distal end of the arm; and (d) an actuator having a moving end attached to the arm, the actuator having an unactuated state and an actuated state, when in the unactuated state, the cleaner is a first distance from the base, when in the actuated state, the cleaner is a second distance from the base, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. Another aspect of the invention is a method for cleaning footwear in which the user cleans his or her footwear without stepping on the ground. In one embodiment, the method comprises: (a) inserting a first foot having footwear into a cleaner extending from under the passenger compartment; (b) cleaning the footwear on the first foot; (c) putting the first foot into the passenger compartment directly without putting it on the ground; (d) inserting a second foot having footwear into the cleaner; (e) cleaning the footwear on the second foot; and (f) putting the second foot into the passenger compartment directly without putting it on the ground.
Referring to
Referring to
The base 101 functions to secure the device 100 to the frame of the vehicle. To that end, the base 101 provides the substrate upon which the various components of the device 100 (such as the arm 102 and actuator 104) are connected, and, in one embodiment, is receptive to means for attaching the base 101 to the vehicle frame. Such means may include, for example, fasteners (such as bolts or screws), clamps, welding, and high-strength industrial adhesives. As shown in
Rather than configuring the base to be connected to the frame as shown in
Referring back to
In one embodiment, the base 101 is symmetrical about axis 10. By having the base 101 symmetrical about the axis 110, it can be mounted on the left or right side of the vehicle merely by flipping it over. For example, the embodiment pictured in
In one embodiment, the base is adapted to be connected to the actuator. In one particular embodiment, the base 101 comprises first and second studs 105 symmetrically disposed on either side of axis 110 such that the actuator can be mounted on either stud depending on the orientation of the base—i.e. whether it is attached to the left right side of the vehicle. (It should be appreciated that although an embodiment is shown in
The arm 102 functions to rigidly connect the cleaner 103 to the vehicle through the base 101 and (in conjunction with the actuator 104) to position the cleaner for use. To this end, the arm 102 comprises a rigid material such as tube steel or aluminum. The tube may be any known tube configuration such as round tube or square tube.
As shown in
The arm 102 may have an angle 121, as shown in
As mentioned above, the arm 102 is configured to extend the cleaner 103 beyond the passenger compartment in a readily-convenient position as shown in
The proximate end 102a may have a variety of different embodiments. In the embodiment in which the arm pivots from the base, the proximate end facilitates the pivoting. In one embodiment, the proximate end 102a comprises an adjustable joint which can be adjusted to change the angle of the arm relative to the base 101. Such functionality may be desirable to adjust the height of the cleaner 103 off the ground as described above. Such adjustment flexibility allows a single arm configuration to be used for a variety of vehicles having different frame heights.
One embodiment of an adjustable proximate end 200 is shown in
The distal end 102b of the arm 102 is configured to be connected to the cleaner 103. A variety of configurations can be used for this purpose. In the embodiment shown in
The arm 102 also comprises a purchase point 102c for connection to the moving end 104a of the actuator 104. As will be obvious to those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure, the purchase point ought to be between the proximate and distal ends 102a, 102b and readily connectable to the moving end 104a of the actuator 104. In the embodiment shown in
The actuator 104 serves to move the arm 102 from its un-actuated position to its actuated position through the movement of the moving end 102a. In its un-actuated position, the arm 102 is essentially parallel to the base 101, thereby allowing it to tuck under the floor boards of a vehicle so as not to extend beyond the passenger compartment of the vehicle. In its actuated position, arm 102 swings away from the base 101 such that the cleaner 103 extends beyond the vehicle body as shown in
The actuator may have a variety of embodiments. For example, the actuator may be mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic. In its simplest form, the actuator is mechanical and may be, for example, a simple cable, which is connected to a purchase point on the arm and is pulled by the user to move the arm into its actuated state. In such an embodiment, it may be preferable to provide a resilient force such as a torsional spring at the pivot point of the proximate end 102a or other spring on the arm to urge the arm into the unactuated state when not in use. Such an embodiment may also include means of locking the lock mechanism to hold the arm in its actuated state until the user is finished and then unlocking the arm such that it swings back into its un-actuated state by virtue of the resilient force mentioned above. The precise configuration of such an embodiment will be obvious to one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure.
In another embodiment, the actuator 104 is powered such that the actuation of the arm 102 can be automated. Such automation may be triggered, for example, by opening of the vehicle door. In one embodiment, the automate actuator 104 is interconnected with the open door relay that is used commonly to turn on lights in the passenger compartment. By interconnecting the actuator with this reply, opening the door will cause the actuator to extend the arm away from the base, while closing the vehicle door will the arm to retract into its un-actuated state. Such electrical interconnections are well known to those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. Alternatively, the actuator may be triggered manually by a switch near the door, accessible by the user from the ground and in the cabin.
The actuator may be pneumatic in which case it may run off the compressed air supply of the host vehicle. Such pneumatic air supplies are common among commercial heavy equipment in larger trucks. Alternatively, pneumatic force may be available through a commercially available cylinder such as those used to open and control doors. Likewise, the actuator may be powered by hydraulic force provided by the vehicle's host hydraulic system, which are common in commercial and farming equipment. In the embodiment shown in
The device in the present invention provides a strong and rigid footwear cleaning device. The rigidity is such that it can support the weight of a user, thereby allowing the user to clean his or her footwear without putting the cleaned footwear back on the ground. For example, the device 100 allows that user to place a first foot into the cleaner 103, clean it, step into the passage compartment with that foot, and then step into the cleaner 103 with the second foot, clean it, and then step directly into the passage compartment without having to put either foot back on the ground.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/218,130 which was filed on Mar. 18, 2014, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/788,336, filed Mar. 15, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61788336 | Mar 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14218130 | Mar 2014 | US |
Child | 15671951 | US |