EP0180530A1 - Device to range and to dry shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

this device consists of an enclosure under the upper face of which are fastened a plurality of slides (3) which each serve for the support and translational movement of a plurality of rods or suspension devices (1) supporting the shoes, and which have, from the rear face of the enclosure, a first zone (12) in which they are straight and are spaced so as to permit storage of the shoes, then a second zone (13) in which they are arranged in groups, converging on one another. <IMAGE>

Description

There are cases in which it is important to speed up the drying of shoes. This is particularly so, for example, for ski boots, more particularly for those used for rental. For this particular application, there is a type of device in accordance with French patent No. 2,406,790 in which the shoes are each carried by an inclined tube from bottom to top on which the shoe is engaged, rod down, and through which can be brought in a stream of hot air accelerating drying, all the tubes of the device being carried by a single box serving as a frame.

Such devices are effective, but require, for their use, a large area, and whether or not they are wearing shoes. The volume of the box frame is, in fact, immutable and, if this frame has shoe support tubes on its two sides, empty spaces must be provided on either side of the device to allow access to all shoes.

The invention aims to remedy this drawback. It relates to an installation consisting of an enclosure under the upper face of which are fixed a plurality of slides which each serve to support and translate a plurality of rods or hangers supporting the shoes and present, from the face rear of the enclosure, a first zone in which they are rectilinear and have a spacing allowing the storage of the shoes, then a second zone in which they go by converging towards each other.

The enclosure thus delimits two zones: a first zone in which the lines of a slide are spaced from those of the neighboring slide (s) to allow the storage of the shoes, with a view to their drying, and a second zone intended for storage lines which are stripped of shoes and can therefore be brought together. Thanks to the converging direction of the slides in this second zone and thanks to their distribution by groups, the stripped lines of shoes are thus gathered at the entrance of the installation, forming groups which are separated from each other, this which facilitates access to the shoes worn by the lines located in the rear area.

Heating means can be provided in the first zone in order to speed up the drying of the shoes. A retractable partition is then interposed between the two zones. This separation is constituted, for example, by a slatted curtain.

• - l'enceinte peut avoir une forme de parallélépipède rectangle, la première zone destinée au stockage et au séchage des chaussures étant celle arrière, et la deuxième zone destinée au stockage des suspentes dégarnies de chaussures étant celle avant ;
• - l'enceinte peut avoir une forme générale cylindrique à axe vertical, comporter des glissières pour suspentes à direction radiale et délimiter trois zones concentriques : celle extérieure destinée au stockage et au séchage des chaussures, celle intermédiaire destinée à la manutention des chaussures, et celle intérieure destinée au stockage des suspentes dégarnies de chaussures, au moins un espace vide étant prévu dans la zone extérieure pour servir de couloir d'accès à la zone intermédiaire.

Various forms can be adopted for the production of the enclosure itself. Thus :

• - The enclosure can have the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the first zone intended for the storage and drying of the shoes being that rear, and the second zone intended for the storage of the hanging lines of shoes being that before;
• - the enclosure can have a generally cylindrical shape with a vertical axis, include slides for hangers with radial direction and delimit three concentric zones: the external one intended for the storage and drying of the shoes, the intermediate one intended for the handling of the shoes, and that interior intended for the storage of the hanging lines of shoes, at least one empty space being provided in the exterior zone to serve as an access corridor to the intermediate zone.

Whatever the shape of the enclosure, the same installation having to receive shoes of various sizes, different spacings are given to the slides which then correspond each to one or a few determined sizes.

Regarding the lines and their means of supporting the shoes, various arrangements are possible.

According to one embodiment, each hanger consists of a rod or a tube comprising, over its entire height, holes used for hanging, at adjustable height, of individual supports for shoes, constituted by a metal wire folded into a pin, to form two branches, one of which is constantly in abutment against the hanger and the other of which, tending to fold elastically against the first, receives the shoe and keeps it pressed against the hanger.

According to an alternative embodiment, each hanger is constituted by a tube to which is connected, by a joint, an oblique tube receiving the shoe, and the hanger tube is supplied with hot air by a sheath which is located on the underside, or floor, of the installation, below the rectilinear zone of each slide, and is connected to the source of hot air.

Means are also provided to allow the hanger tube to be in communication with the lower duct of hot air only when the hanger occupies a position of use to determine a drying position.

According to one embodiment, the hanger is, for this purpose, freely articulated around a transverse horizontal axis on a carriage supporting it in one of the upper slides of the installation, and it carries at its lower end a shoe articulated by which it freely rests on the lower sheath of hot air which has openings with which communicates the hanger tube when it is brought into a position to determine the drying of the shoes, each of these openings being equipped with a valve closing automatically when, by moving the hanger, the communication between the hanger tube and the sheath ceases.

• Figure 1 est une vue de face en élévation, illustrant une forme d'exécution d'une suspente entrant dans la constitution de cette installation,
• Figure 2 est une vue schématique en plan par dessus d'une installation comportant de telles suspentes, l'installation étant représentée garnie de chaussures pour certaines suspentes, et plus ou moins dégarnie pour certaines autres,
• Figure 3 est une vue schématique en plan par dessus d'une variante d'exécution de l'installation,
• Figures 4 et 5 sont, à plus grande échelle, des vues en coupe verticale, respectivement transversale et longitudinale, d'une suspente dans le cas d'une variante d'exécution.

The invention will be well understood, moreover, and its advantages, as well as other characteristics, will emerge clearly from the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing, representing, by way of nonlimiting example, two forms of execution of this installation:

• FIG. 1 is a front elevation view, illustrating an embodiment of a hanger forming part of this installation,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view from above of an installation comprising such hangers, the installation being shown furnished with shoes for certain hangers, and more or less bare for certain others,
• FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view from above of an alternative embodiment of the installation,
• Figures 4 and 5 are, on a larger scale, views in vertical section, respectively transverse and longitudinal, of a hanger in the case of an alternative embodiment.

The installation which is the subject of the invention comprises a plurality of hangers for hanging the shoes in the inverted position. One of these lines is shown in Figure 1. It consists of a vertical rod (1) which, at its upper end, is suspended by a carriage (2) in a horizontal slide (3), fixed under the face lower (4) of the installation; and by its lower end, the hanger (l) is placed inside a slide (5) fixed on the face lower (6) of the installation, below the upper slide (3). The lower end of the hanger can move freely in this lower slide (5).

Over most of its height, this hanger (1) has a plurality of holes (7) intended for fixing the members constituting the individual supports of the shoes. In the case shown in Figure 1, each of these members is constituted by a steel wire folded over on itself like a pin, to form two branches, respectively (8) and (9). Thanks to the elasticity obtained by folding the wire, the two branches (8) and (9) tend to approach one against the other, and thanks to their fixing on a support passing through one or the other of the orifices (7), the two branches (8) and (9) tend to be applied elastically against the hanger (1). While, however, the branch (8) is constantly in abutment against the hanger (I), the branch (9) can be moved away from it elastically to receive a shoe (10).

^: As shown in Figure 1, the support of each shoe occupies only a very small lateral location, when it is without shoes. On the other hand, when a shoe (10) has been put in place on the branch (9) of a support, this shoe and its support (9) project strongly laterally with respect to the rod (1) of the hanger.

It is therefore understandable that, if an installation comprises a plurality of upper slides (3), different spacings can be given to these slides, depending on the sizes of the shoes to be dried.

Thus, as shown in Figure 2, very different spacings were given from left to right to the slides (3) shown very schematically in this Figure 2 in which the slides located in the. left side are much closer than those located on the right side. Under these conditions, the slides located on the left receive lines intended for shoes whose sizes range, for example, from 24 to 37, while the lines in the middle part are intended for shoes whose sizes range from 38 to 43 , and that the lines located in the right part are intended for shoes of large sizes, for example, 44 to 48.

In all areas, the spacing of the slides (3) is such that when the lines are lined with shoes, there are practically no free spaces between the shoes worn by the sus slopes of a slide and the shoes worn by the lines of the neighboring slide.

It is therefore understandable that access to the shoes worn by lines would be difficult after the lines placed in front have been stripped. In other words, only the lines placed in front, that is to say the first line of each series of lines, would be easily accessible.

• - une première zone désignée de façon générale par (12) ; cette zone est celle destinée au stockage des chaussures,
• - et une deuxième zone désignée par (13) ; cette deuxième zone est destinée au rassemblement des suspentes lorsqu'elles ont été dégarnies de chaussures.

This is not really the case. As shown in fact in FIG. 1 which represents an embodiment of the installation, each slide (3) is extended forward so that the installation delimits two zones, namely:

• - a first zone generally designated by (12); this area is the area for storing shoes
• - and a second zone designated by (13); this second zone is intended for the collection of lines when they have been stripped of shoes.

The slides (3) extend over the entire depth of the two zones (12) and (13); but while they are mutually parallel in the zone (12), the slides (3) converge in groups towards one another in the zone (13). In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the number of groups is three. In the group on the left, there are four slides (3); in the middle group, end six slides (3); and in the right group, end three slides (3).

When the lines are lined with shoes, they are gathered one behind the other in the parallel portions of the slides (3), inside the storage and drying area (12).

When a pair of shoes of such or such size must be removed, the user accesses the hanger located in front, in the slide corresponding to the shoe size chosen; he takes the pair of shoes; and after this removal, it pulls the hanger forward until it reaches the end of the slide in the area (13) or until it comes to bear against another hanger already stripped of his shoes.

When a hanger is stripped of shoes, it is therefore stored in the zone (13), in one or other of the three groups mentioned above; and the empty lines as well stored occupy only a small lateral space since they are stripped of shoes and the supports (9) of the shoes are folded against the hangers themselves; and due to the converging direction of the slides (3) in the zone (13), the stripped lines of shoes can thus come closer to one another, ultimately giving rise to a very small lateral bulk. It is therefore possible to easily access the rear area (12) in which the shoes are stored.

To promote the drying of the shoes in the area (12), drying means are provided; and this is how a stream of advantageously ozonized hot air can be sent into the zone (12). To reduce losses of hot air to the outside, a louvered curtain (14) is advantageously provided between the zones (12) and (13) of the installation.

Other means can obviously be provided to accelerate the drying of the shoes and to minimize losses of hot air.

Thus in the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, each of the lines of the installation consists of a tube (15) to which are connected tubular end pieces (16) intended to serve each for supporting a shoe (17). A joint is provided between the tube (15) of the hanger and the tubular endpiece (16) in order to allow this endpiece to be folded against the hanger (15) when it is stripped of shoes.

At its upper part, the hanger tube (15) is mounted, as in the previous case, by means of a carriage, in an upper horizontal slide. At its lower part, the hanger tube (15) receives a shoe (18) which is articulated to it in (19). This shoe surrounds the tube (15) and is intended to rest freely, by a seal (20), on the upper face of a sheath (21) in which a stream of advantageously ozonated hot air circulates. In the upper face of this sheath, holes (22) are provided, the number of which is equal to that of the lines to be placed in the storage area (12). When the hanger (15) is in the use position, its lower end penetrates into the sheath (21), so that the interior of the shoe (17) is supplied with hot air; and in this position, the lower end of the hanger acts on a flap (23) placed inside the sheath (21).

This flap (23) is intended to automatically close, by means of a spring, the opening (22) when the hanger (15), after having been stripped of shoes, passes from the drying zone (12) to the storage zone empty (13).

It is therefore sufficient for the hanger (15) to be passed manually from the zone (12) to that (13) or vice-versa, for it to cease or for its air supply to be triggered by a channel (21).

Whatever the heating mode envisaged to accelerate the drying of the shoes, or even in the absence of heating, the installation may have a general shape other than that previously described with reference to FIG. 2.

• - une zone extérieure (25) qui est destinée au stockage et au séchage des chaussures et présente deux interruptions (26), entre lesquelles peut être aménagée une banque (29),
• - une zone intérieure (27) qui, en raison du rapprochement des glissières (3), n'est utilisable qu'au stockage des suspentes dégarnies de chaussures,
• - et une zone intermédiaire (28) à laquelle il est possible d'accéder par l'un ou l'autre des deux passages que constituent les deux interruptions de la zone extérieure (25) ; cette zone intermédiaire (28) joue le rôle de couloir de passage pour accéder aux suspentes et aux chaussures.

Thus, FIG. 3 represents an installation of generally cylindrical shape in which the slides (3) extend radially and are consequently more spaced apart in the outer zone than in the central zone. This cylindrical enclosure is divided into three zones:

• - an external zone (25) which is intended for the storage and drying of the shoes and has two interruptions (26), between which a bank (29) can be arranged,
• - an interior zone (27) which, due to the approximation of the slides (3), can only be used for the storage of stripped shoe hangers,
• - And an intermediate zone (28) to which it is possible to access by one or the other of the two passages which constitute the two interruptions of the external zone (25); this intermediate zone (28) acts as a passage corridor for accessing the hangers and the shoes.

Whatever its shape and the arrangement of its lines, an installation in accordance with the invention makes it possible, in all cases, to dry the shoes in the best conditions of efficiency, while allowing, on the one hand, storage shoes in a space of limited volume, and while allowing, on the other hand, easy access to shoes.

As it goes without saying, the invention is not limited to its only embodiments which have been indicated above by way of example, on the contrary, it embraces all of the variants thereof.

Claims (11)

1 - Installation for the storage and drying of shoes, characterized in that it is constituted by an enclosure under the upper face (4) of which are fixed a plurality of slides (3) which each serve for support and translation of a plurality of rods or lines (1, 15) supporting the shoes and have, from the rear face of the enclosure, a first zone (12) in which they are rectilinear and have a spacing allowing the storage of the shoes , then a second zone (13) in which they go in groups by converging towards each other. 2 - Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that a retractable separation is interposed between the first area (12) and the second area (13). 3 - Installation according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the retractable partition is constituted by a louvered curtain (14). 4 - Installation according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the enclosure has a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the first zone intended for the storage and drying of the shoes being that rear, and the second zone intended for the storage of the stripped lines of shoes being the one before. 5 - Installation according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the enclosure has a generally cylindrical shape with vertical axis, comprises slides (3) for lines in radial direction and delimits three concentric zones: the outer one (25) intended for storage and drying of the shoes, the intermediate one (28) intended for handling the shoes, and the interior one (27) intended for the storage of the hanging lines of shoes, at least one empty space (26) being provided in the external zone ( 25) to serve as an access corridor to the intermediate zone. 6 - Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that different spacings are given to the slides (3) which then each correspond to one or a few specific shoe sizes. 7 - Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each hanger consists of a rod or a tube (1) comprising, over its entire height, orifices (7) serving to the hanging, at adjustable height, of individual supports for shoes, constituted by a metal wire folded back in a pin, to form two branches (8, 9) one of which (8) is constantly in abutment against the hanger (1) and the other (9), tending to fold elastically against the first, receives the shoe (10) and keeps it pressed against the hanger. 8 - Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each hanger is constituted by a tube (15) to which is connected, by a joint, an oblique tube (16) receiving the shoe (17), and the hanger tube (15) is supplied with hot air by a sheath (21) which is located on the underside, or floor, of the installation, below the rectilinear zone of each slide (3), and is connected at the source of hot air. 9 - Installation according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 8, characterized in that means are provided to allow the hanger tube (15) to be in communication with the lower duct of hot air (21) that when the hanger (15) occupies a position of use to determine a drying position. 10 - Installation according to claim 7, characterized in that the hanger (15) is freely articulated around a transverse horizontal axis on a carriage supporting it, in one of the upper slides of the installation, and it brings to its lower end an articulated shoe (18) by which it freely rests on the lower hot air sheath (21) which has openings (22) with which the hanger tube communicates when it is brought into a position to determine the shoe drying. It - Installation according to claim 10, characterized in that each of the openings (22) is equipped with a valve (23) which closes automatically when, by displacement of the hanger, the communication between the hanger tube and the sheath ceases.

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