# US 12,178,317 B2 · Apparatus and method for treating shoes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,178,317 B2 - Document ID: US12178317B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/356,259 - Filed: 2021-06-23 - Published: 2021-12-30 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-06-24 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Hyunsun Yoo; Jeong Guen Choi; Joohyeon Oh; Jae Myung Lim; Byoungjoon Han; Sang Yoon Lee; Hyunju Kim; Jeaseok Seong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178317B2 ## CPC - A47B 57/04: with means for adjusting the inclination of the shelves - A47B 61/04: for shoes, hats, umbrellas, or the like {(shoe racks as an implement for the manufacture of shoes A43D117/00)} - A47L 23/02: Shoe-cleaning machines, with or without applicators for shoe polish - A47L 23/18: Devices for holding footwear during cleaning or shining (shoe-lasts A43D3/00); Holding devices with stretching effect - A47L 23/20: Devices or implements for drying footwear, also with heating arrangements (cabinets for shoes A47B61/04) - A61L 2/07: Steam - A61L 2/10: Ultraviolet [UV] radiation - A61L 2/14: Plasma, i.e. ionised gases - A61L 2/24: Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation - A61L 2/26: Accessories - A61L 2103/50: Textiles, e.g. bedwear or towels - A61L 2202/11: Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps - A61L 2202/122: Chambers for sterilisation - A61L 2202/14: Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs - A61L 2202/17: Combination with washing or cleaning means - A47B: TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE (furniture jointing F16B) - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) - A61L: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agents employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes A61K) ## Abstract A shoe treating apparatus including a sensor part including at least one sensor, a motor part configured to control tilting of at least one shelf, and a processor electrically connected to the sensor part and the motor part is provided. The processor may identify an approach of a user by using the at least one sensor, and may generate, based on the identified user approach, a control signal for adjusting a tilt speed of the at least one shelf. Also, the processor may transmit the generated control signal to the motor part to adjust the tilt speed of the at least one shelf. A method of operating a shoe treating apparatus is also provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A shoe treating apparatus, comprising: at least one storage space; at least one shelf tiltably mounted in the at least one storage space; at least one sensor; a motor part configured to control tilting of the at least one shelf; and a processor electrically connected to the at least one sensor and the motor part, the processor being configured to: identify an approach of a user by using the at least one sensor, generate, based on identifying the user approach, a control signal for adjusting a tilt speed of the at least one shelf, and transmit the generated control signal to the motor part to adjust the tilt speed of the at least one shelf. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify a distance between the shoe treating apparatus and the user by using the at least one sensor, and generate a control signal to adjust the tilt speed of the at least one shelf based on the identified distance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmit the generated control signal to the motor part, and adjust the tilt speed of the at least one shelf based on the identified distance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the identified distance, acquire tilt speed information of the at least one shelf, the tilt speed information being stored in the memory, and control an operation of the motor part based on the acquired tilt speed information. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify, by the at least one sensor, whether a door of the shoe treating apparatus is opened, and based on the door being opened, stop an operation being performed in the at least one storage space while allowing the at least one shelf to continue tilting. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an upper cabinet, wherein the at least one storage space is in the upper cabinet, wherein the operation is a normal treatment operation, and wherein the processor is further configured to: identify, by the at least one sensor, whether the door is closed, and based on the door being closed, resume the normal treatment operation in the at least one storage space. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to, when the door is identified as having been closed, allow the at least one shelf to tilt at a tilt speed corresponding to the normal treatment operation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify a height of the user by the at least one sensor, and based on the identified height of the user, adjust the tilt angle of the at least one shelf by the motor part. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a camera, a door open/close sensor, a weight sensor, a distance measurement sensor, a knock-on sensor, a fingerprint sensor, or an infrared (IR) sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf includes a plurality of shelves, and wherein the processor is further configured to control a tilting direction of each shelf of the plurality of shelves to be different from an adjacent one or more shelfs of the plurality of shelves. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: rotate at least two rotary members located at a right side surface of a first shelf of the plurality of shelves clockwise by the motor part, and rotate at least two rotary members located at a right side surface of a second shelf disposed below the first shelf counterclockwise by the motor part to tilt the first shelf and the second shelf in different tilting directions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an upper cabinet; a lower cabinet; and a display, wherein the at least one storage space comprises an upper cabinet storage space and a lower cabinet storage space, and wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to display state information based on at least one of normal treatment on at least one shoe stored in the upper cabinet storage space and intensive treatment on at least one shoe stored in the lower cabinet storage space. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state information comprises information indicating a state of normally treating the at least one shoe stored in the upper cabinet storage space by adjusting at least one of the temperature or humidity inside the upper cabinet based on at least one of a material, type, or condition of the at least one shoe stored in the upper cabinet storage space. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The shoe treating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state information comprises information indicating a state of intensively treating the at least one shoe stored in the lower cabinet storage space by performing at least one of a foreign substance removal function, a sanitizing and deodorizing function, a steaming and sanitizing function, a dehumidifying and drying function, or a nourishing and water-repellent coating function on the at least one shoe stored in the lower cabinet storage space based on at least one of a material, a type, or a condition of the at least one shoe stored in the lower cabinet storage space. ### Claim 15 A method of operating a shoe treating apparatus, the method comprising: identifying an approach of a user by using at least one sensor; based on identifying the user approach, generating, by a processor, a control signal for adjusting a tilt speed of at least one shelf in at least one storage space of the shoe treating apparatus; and adjusting the tilt speed of the at least one shelf on the basis of the generated control signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the generating of the control signal comprises: identifying a distance between the shoe treating apparatus and the user using the at least one sensor; and generating a control signal to adjust the tilt speed of the at least one shelf on the basis of the identified distance. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: identifying, by using the at least one sensor, whether a door of the shoe treating apparatus is opened; and based on opening the door, stopping an operation being performed in the at least one storage space while allowing the at least one shelf to continue tilting. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein stopping the operation comprises: identifying, by using the at least one sensor, whether the door of the shoe treating apparatus is closed; and based on closing the door, resuming the normal treatment operation in the at least one storage space. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising, when the door is identified as having been closed, allowing the at least one shelf to tilt based on a tilt speed corresponding to the normal treatment operation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one shelf comprises a plurality of shelves, and wherein resuming the normal treatment operation in the at least one storage space comprises controlling a tilting direction of each shelf of the plurality of shelves to be different from an adjacent one or more shelfs of the plurality of shelves.