Shoe cleaning device
AssigneePsi-Ets
InventorJoel J. Bleth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shoe cleaning device using liquid sprays and including a housing with a base portion and two side portions. The side portions are spaced from each other and extend upwardly from the base portion to form a U-shaped opening through the housing. In the preferred embodiment, rollers support the user's shoe as it is moved through the housing. Crisscrossing, upwardly directed sprays then strike and clean the shoe bottom while downwardly directed side sprays clean the shoe sides. Any portions of the upwardly directed, crisscrossing sprays not striking the user's shoe are captured in the opposing side portions and directed into the base portion. In this manner, the bottoms and sides of the user's shoes can be effectively cleaned without getting the user's leg or the tops of the shoes wet.
Claims36
A device primarily intended for cleaning the bottom of a shoe, said device including:
- a housing having a base portion and two side portions, said side portions extending upwardly from said base portion and being spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of a central plane, said base portion and said spaced-apart side portions defining a substantially U-shaped opening in said housing, said U-shaped opening formed by said base portion and said side portions having a substantially open end and a substantially open top,
- said housing further including a porous, shoe supporting member extending substantially horizontally between said side portions adjacent said base portion and means for spraying liquid upwardly through said porous, shoe supporting member toward said side portions wherein the bottom of a shoe on the porous, shoe supporting member will be struck and cleaned by said upwardly spraying liquid,
- each of said spaced-apart side portions being hollow and having means for capturing the liquid sprayed toward the respective side portion, said capturing means of each side portion including wall sections extending upwardly from adjacent said base portion and substantially about a vertical axis, each side portion further including a top section capping said upwardly extending wall sections to form a substantially closed, upper end, said top section and wall sections defining a cavity in each hollow side portion,
- each of said side portions further including a vertically extending opening into the cavity of the respective side portion defined by an edge portion extending at least partially about an axis substantially perpendicular to said central plane, each of said openings as formed by said edge portions facing toward said central plane and each other, and
- said spraying means further including means for directing said liquid through said porous, shoe supporting member and through the respective opening in each side portion into the cavity therein wherein the respective, hollow side portions capture said directed liquid.
A method for cleaning the bottom of a shoe using liquid, said method including the steps of:
- (a) providing a housing with a base portion and two side portions extending upwardly from said base portion and spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of a central plane to form a substantially U-shaped opening in said housing, the U-shaped opening having a substantially open end and a substantially open top,
- (b) providing a porous, shoe supporting member extending substantially horizontally between said side portions adjacent said base portion,
- (c) placing the bottom of the shoe on said porous, shoe supporting member,
- (d) directing at least one liquid spray from one side of said central plane upwardly through said porous, shoe supporting member toward the bottom of the shoe and toward the side portion on the opposite side of the central plane,
- (e) directing at least one liquid spray from the other side of said central plane upwardly through said porous, shoe supporting member toward the bottom of the shoe and toward the side portion on the opposite side of the central plane, and
- (f) capturing in each respective side portion of said housing the liquid directed toward the respective side portion passing by the bottom of said shoe being cleaned.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.