EP3297512B1

EP3297512B1 - A tool for removing undesirable material from footwear

Info

Publication number: EP3297512B1
Application number: EP16716257.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Cary MARSH
Original assignee: Punchfront Innovations Ltd
Current assignee: Punchfront Innovations Ltd
Priority date: 2015-03-06
Filing date: 2016-03-04
Publication date: 2019-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-04
Also published as: GB2536216A; EP3297512A1; GB201503843D0; WO2016142663A1

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tool for removing undesirable material from footwear, and more particularly a hand held tool for removing mud or any other unwanted adhesions from footwear with studs, cleats, moulds or spikes.

BACKGROUND

Many large sportswear companies invest their time and money on researching and manufacturing the lightest possible footwear, as well as developing various different types of studs and cleats to optimise the wearer's performance on outdoor fields. With use outdoors, items of footwear with cleats or studs, such as football and rugby boots, inevitably get undesirable mud or grass stuck on them. This adds to the weight and decreases the effectiveness of the studs, as a result impacting the wearer's performance.
Options generally available for the wearers to attempt to overcome the above problem are boot mud scrapers that are fixed to the ground around outdoor fields or bashing their boots together. There are known cleat cleaning tools, but they are not widely commercialised, often due to their lack of effectiveness and/or cost, and hence are not readily available.
Any undesirable material on footwear such as mud becomes more compact and heavy as the user continues to wear the footwear. Therefore, either the cleat or stud cleaning devices need to be very effective, and be resistant to breaking easily even when dragged through such compacted mud.
USD281742 discloses a combined cleaner for spiked shoes and shoehorn, which shows a cleat cleaner with a plurality of protrusions.
US3111698 discloses another cleat cleaner also comprising a scraping edges.
US 20060101599 discloses an athletic shoe cleaning device with pairs of cleaning teeth.
The present invention, therefore, aims to provide a particularly effective hand held tool for removing mud and other undesirable material from studs or cleats of footwear at a minimum cost.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a tool for removing undesirable material from footwear comprising a head; a handle extending from a first end of the head, wherein an axis of the handle lies in a plane; and a plurality of claw elements protruding from the head arranged in rows, wherein the rows are spaced apart in a first direction from a second end to the first end of the head, wherein each claw element has a tip which is a portion of the claw element furthest away from the head; wherein the claw elements and the head are arranged such that perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements in a first row and the plane are longer than perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements in a second row and the plane, and the second row is closer to the handle than the first row in the first direction, whereby the head extends in the plane. The tips of the claw elements are arranged with respect of the handle such that when a user holds the tool up against the footwear in order to scrape any undesirable material such as mud off, the tips of the claw elements in a row further away from the handle are closer to the footwear, due to the longer perpendicular distances between the tips and the plane.
The different perpendicular distances between claw elements of different rows mean that the tips of the rows of claw elements are tiered, such that the rows of claw elements can be introduced into the mud sequentially.
The claw element that is furthest from the handle would have the longest perpendicular distance between its tip and the plane. Hence, this claw element pierces the mud, which may be thick and compact. It is effective to use the first claw, because it has the most leverage from the handle, that the biggest force can be transferred through the tip of the claw element furthest from the handle.
Once the tip of the first claw breaks up the mud, the other claw elements of other rows closer to the handle are introduced into the mud sequentially, according to the decreasing distances between the tips of the claw elements and the plane towards the handle from the second end of the head. This enables the mud to be broken up more gently and effectively, such that less effort is required from the user whilst ensuring the claw elements are less likely to break.
The handle enables the user to manoeuvre the tool easily by securing more visibility than if the user's hand was directly over the head of the tool, by removing the user's hand from the immediate area of the footwear that requires any removal. Furthermore, the handle provides leverage, and enables a bigger force to be applied more effectively, particularly when digging the claw elements in and dragging the tool along to remove any undesired material from the cleats or studs.
Preferably, the head is arranged to curve away from the plane.
The curving of the head is one way to introduce the difference in the perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements in a row and the plane and the perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements in another row which is closer to the handle. This means that the length of the claw element furthest away from the handle does not need to be any longer than the other claw elements to achieve the same effect in the perpendicular distances. Therefore, the claw elements, particularly the one furthest away from the handle, is less likely to break, as the claw elements may be kept as short as possible.
Preferably, the length of a claw element from its tip to the head is shorter the closer the claw element is to the handle in the first direction.
This is also a way of introducing the differences in the perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements and the plane. This may be used in addition to the curving of the head such that the differences in the perpendicular distances are introduced by a combination of the curving and the actual differences in the lengths of the claw elements. Using a combination of the two, a wanted claw element length, which may need to be varied depending on the size of the cleats or studs of the footwear, may be achieved more easily.
Alternatively, the claw elements may have equal lengths from each of their tips to the head, if the head is curved.
In the present invention, the head extends in the plane. In this case, it is necessary for the length of a claw element from its tip to the head to be shorter the closer the claw element is to the handle in the first direction in order to introduce the differences in the perpendicular distances between the tips of the claw elements and the plane.
Preferably, an angle between the longitudinal axis of the claw elements and the plane is between 40° and 140°.
These angles are particularly effective for digging into the mud and less likely for the claw elements to break when dragged through the mud.
Preferably, longitudinal axes of the claw elements and the plane are perpendicular.
As the tool is held up against the footwear to be cleaned such that the plane of the handle is parallel to the footwear, the longitudinal axis of the claw elements can dig into the mud perpendicularly when the longitudinal axis of the claw elements and the plane are perpendicular.
Preferably, the first row is furthest from the handle, and includes a single claw element. A single tip rather than a number of tips means that the pressure applied is focused on a single point rather than divided up into a number of tips. In addition, it is effective to use the first claw, because it has the most leverage from the handle, that the biggest force can be transferred through the tip of the first claw. Hence, the first piercing action into the mud to break the mud up for the following claws to be sequentially introduced into the mud can be achieved more effectively and effortlessly.
Preferably, each row extends perpendicular to the first direction and the rows are parallel to each other.
Preferably, each claw element is concave along its length and the claw elements are orientated such that the concave surface of each claw element faces towards the handle.
The concave surface may guide any mud along the claw element and helps the mud to be scraped off. Therefore, any mud is actually lifted off the plane of the head and removed, rather than simply being pushed away from its original position sideways in the same plane. Furthermore, the orientation of the concave surface is towards the handle, such that when the tool is used and dragged along the footwear towards the handle, the concave surface also helps to actually scoop the mud up.
Preferably, the claw element is tapered from its root to tip.
Preferably, the claw elements of the first row are offset from the claw elements of the second row in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, so that claw elements in adjacent rows do not line up.
The offsetting of the claw elements helps to prevent interference of mud, wherein the mud that is scraped off does not block the way of another claw element that is in a row behind.
Preferably, the ratio of a width of the head and a width of the handle is 1 to 3.
Preferably, the ratio of a width of the head and a width of the handle is 2.
This enables securing of the vision, as the head is not too wide to get in the sight of the area of the footwear to be cleaned.
Preferably, the handle comprises a stud key.
The users are able to use the stud keys to change the cleats or studs without the need to look for further tools. The stud keys may be varied depending on the size of the cleats of studs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevated perspective view of an embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 6 is a front view of the embodiment of the tool;
Fig. 7 is back view of the embodiment of the tool; and
Fig.8 illustrates examples of claw elements having different curvature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 1. The embodiment of the invention shown as tool 10 in Fig. 1 consists of a head 20 with five protruding claw elements 40 and a handle 30 extending in a plane 70 from a first end 21 of the head 20.
The handle 30 has an axis 50, which lies in the plane 70 at least partly. The axis 50 is the axis of the portion of the handle 30 joining the head 20, which is the portion of the handle 30 adjacent to the first end 21. This joining portion of the handle 30 is slightly flat and is where the axis 50 and the plane 70 lie, where the handle 30 curves away slightly towards the end furthest away from the head 20. The axes of the protruding claw elements 40 are generally perpendicular to the plane 70.
The claw elements 40 are arranged to be in rows 41, 42 and 43. The rows are spaced apart along the axis 50 of the handle 30. This axis 50 defines a first direction which is from a second end 22 of the head 20 to the first end 21 of the head 20. Each row of claw elements 40 extends generally perpendicular to the axis of the handle 30 and the rows are parallel to each other.
There is one claw element 411 in a first row 41, which is furthest away from the handle.
In this embodiment, the claw elements of each row have the same lengths. The two claw elements 421 and 422 of the second row 42 have the same lengths, and the two claw elements 431 and 432 of the third row 43 have the same lengths.
In contrast, the claw elements of different rows have different lengths. The claw element 411, which is the first claw, of the first row 41 is the longest. The claw elements of the second row 42 are slightly shorter in comparison to the first claw, and the claw elements of the third row 43 are the shortest in comparison to the claw elements of the second row 42 and the first row 41. However, due to the curvature of the handle 30, the claw elements 40 could be the same length.
Each claw element 40 has a tip 401, which is the portion of the claw element which is the furthest away from the head 20. A length of a claw element is considered the length from the tip of a claw element to a root of the claw element, which is the portion where the claw element meets the head 20.
In this embodiment, the head 20 has a first surface from which the claw elements 40 extend, and a second surface which can be considered the back surface of the head. Fig.6 shows the front view, which shows the first surface where the claw elements extend from. Fig.7 shows the back view, which shows the second surface of the handle 30.
In this embodiment, the back surface of the head 20 gradually curves away from the plane 70 in which the handle 30 extends from the head 20. This curving of the head 20 results in the rows of the claw elements 40 to be tiered when seen from the side view in Fig.3.
As mentioned previously, the plane 70 is illustrated as a line in Fig. 3, and in Fig.4. As can be seen, the plane 70 can also be considered as the plane 70 which would correspond to, or parallel to, a flat surface that the embodiment of the invention would lie on if it were to be placed on such a flat surface.
The embodiment has tiered rows of claw elements in relation to the plane 70, such that tips of the claw elements in each row have different perpendicular distances from the plane 70. In this embodiment, the tip of the first claw 411 is the furthest from the plane 70, wherein the equivalent distance for claw 421 which is in the second row is smaller. The perpendicular distance between the tip of the first claw 411 and the plane 70 is d1, the distance between the tip of a claw element of the second row 42 and the plane 70 is d2, and the distance between the tip of a claw element of the third row 43 is d3. As can be seen, d1 is the longest, then d2 and d3 is the shortest.
Therefore, the perpendicular distance between a tip 401 of the claw element and the plane 70 is smaller the closer the claw element 40 is to the handle 30. The claw elements 40 are arranged with respect of the handle 30 such that when a user holds the tool 10, the claw element 411 of the row furthest away from the handle 30 protrudes the most from the plane 70 that the handle 30 is in. Thus, when the user holds the tool 10 up against the footwear in order to scrape any undesirable material such as mud off, said claw element 411 is the first to reach the mud on the footwear. This first claw element 40 to reach the mud is also called the first claw 411.
The first claw 411 pierces the mud, which may be thick and compressed, as it would be the first to reach the muddy surface of the footwear due to the fact that it protrudes the most from the plane 70. This is the reason that at least a portion of axis of the handle is said to lie in the plane 70, as this would generally result in the tool 10 also being arranged next to the footwear such that the plane 70 is generally parallel to the surface of the footwear.
In this embodiment, the axes of the claw elements 40 are generally perpendicular to the plane 70.
It is effective to use the first claw 411 to pierce the mud and start to break it up first, because it is located furthest from the handle, such that it also has the most leverage from the handle. Therefore, the biggest force can be transferred through the tip of the first claw from force applied on the handle by the user.
Once the tip of the first claw 411 breaks into the mud, the claw elements 40 of the other rows closer to the handle 30 are introduced into the mud sequentially, according to the decreasing distances between the tips 401 of the claw elements 40 and the plane 70 towards the handle 30 from the second end of the head 22. This enables the mud to be broken up more gently and effectively, such that less effort is required from the user whilst ensuring the claw elements 40 are also less likely to break.
As mentioned previously, the number of claw elements 40 overall may vary, wherein it is preferred to have at least three claw elements 40. The number of claw elements 40 in each row may also vary, wherein it is preferred to have one claw element in the first row 41, which is furthest away from the handle 30. in this case, the first claw 411 is able to break the undesirable material such as mud and grass, and the other claw elements are able to help further break up the mud and scrape the mud off more effectively than if there is only one claw element 40.
The handle 30 enables the user to manoeuvre the tool 10 easily by securing better visibility than if the user's hand were to be directly over the head 20 of the tool 10, by removing the user's hand from the immediate area of the footwear that requires any removal. Furthermore, the handle 30 provides leverage, and enables a bigger force to be applied more effectively, particularly when digging the claw element furthest away from the handle in and dragging the tool 10 along to remove any undesired material from the cleats or studs.
When the user hold the tool 10 in their hand, the axis 50 of the handle 30 lies in the user's hand such when the tool 10 is moved up against the footwear to be cleaned, the plane 70 is arranged to be parallel to the footwear. This means that the axes of the claw elements 40 that are perpendicular to the plane 70 are also perpendicular to the footwear, and hence the tips 401 of the claw elements 40 are distanced from the footwear such that the tips 401 of the claw elements 40 furthest away from the handle 30 are placed closest to the footwear, and the rows of claw elements 40 sequentially come in contact with the footwear.
The arrangement of the claw elements 40 in the present embodiment can be seen clearly in Fig. 6. The claw elements are in a v-formation arrangement, wherein the claw elements 40 of each row are offset from the claw elements from another row. This also helps in the dynamics of the mud movement and prevents interference, wherein the mud that is scraped out does not block the way of another claw element 40 that is in a row behind.
Fig. 1 and Fig 6 together also clearly illustrate the shape of the claw elements 40. In this embodiment, the claw elements are shaped like longitudinally halved cones with rounded tips, wherein the halved surfaces 402 are concave along their lengths.
The slightly thin and rounded tip helps to slice into the mud, and the tapering shape gradually breaks the mud up as the claw element 40 penetrates through the mud. The concave surface 402 also helps to scoop off the mud.
In the embodiment, the concave surfaces 402 all face the same direction, more specifically towards the handle 30 and away from the second end 22 of the head 20.
As can be seen in Fig.7, the head 20 of the embodiment has a streamlined shape. A widest portion of the head has a width of w2, and the narrowest portion of the handle 30 has a width of w1. The ratio of w2 to w1 is around 2. This may vary from around 1 to 3. However, it is preferred for the ratio to be around 2, which enables the head 20 to be small enough to provide good visibility. Furthermore, the narrow style head 20 means that it is not necessary to pull a wide surface through the mud, which would mean high resistive force. This means that the requirement of large force is avoided, such that it is easier for the user to handle, as well as lowering the likelihood of the claw elements 40 breaking.
Although an example embodiment has been described above, various features may be modified. The following are a few examples of such possible modifications.
Any number of claw elements 40 other than five may also be used, where it would typically be between 2 to 30. It is, however, preferred to have at least three claw elements 40 overall.
The number of claw elements 40 in each row may also vary, wherein it is preferred to have one claw element 40 in the first row, which is furthest away from the handle 30. In this case, the claw element 40 of the first row furthest away from the handle 30 is able to break the undesirable material such as mud, and the other claw elements 40 are able to help further break up the mud and scrape it off more effectively. However, there may be more than one claw element 40 in the first row in other embodiments. Similarly, there may be more than two claw elements 40 in each row.
The claw element 40 arrangements may also vary. In the discussed embodiment, there is a single claw element 40 in the first row, and two claw elements 40 in the descending rows. The distances between the claw elements 40 in the descending rows may be closer or wider. The second row claw elements 40 do not necessarily need to be closer to each other than the claw elements 40 in the third row. In fact, the distance between the second row claw elements 40 may be wider than the distance between the third row claw elements 40. For example, in an embodiment where there are five claw elements 40, the tips of the claw elements 40 may be considered to be located at points of a pentagon when viewed from the front. It is noted that the distances and the arrangements may be changed by the actual location of the roots of the claw elements 40 on the head 20 and/or the angle of the claw elements 40 thereby just changing the arrangements of the tips of the claw elements 40.
The first row may include two claw elements 40, as mentioned earlier. Such embodiments with multiple claw elements 40 in the first row may be preferred for the footwear where the cleats are used, such that the claw elements 40 of the first row may dig into the mud around the cleat.
In other embodiments, the axis of the protruding claw elements 40 may be at an angle other than perpendicular relative to the plane that the axis of the handle 30 lies in.
In some embodiments, the rows may not be parallel to each other.
The orientation of each of the claw elements 40 on the head 20 may also be varied. In the discussed embodiment, the claw elements 40 are orientated such that the concave surface of each claw element faces towards the handle 30 and in the same direction. In other embodiments, the claw elements 40 may be orientated such that the concave surfaces do not necessarily face a single direction, but face slightly different directions by rotating the claw element about its axis. Such variation in the orientation of the claw elements 40 helps in preventing interference of mud, by directing the mud which has been scraped off in different directions. For example, the claw elements 40 of the second row 42 and the third row 43 may be rotated to face slightly away from the axis 50 of the handle 30.
The lengths of the claw elements 40 may also vary. The discussed embodiment has gradually decreasing claw element lengths the closer the claw element is to the handle 30.
It is possible to have an embodiment where the claw element lengths are all equal, or even where the first claw is, or claw elements 40 of the first row are, the shortest. In such an embodiment, the claw element lengths may increase the closer the claw element is to the handle 30. In these embodiments, however, it is essential that the tips of the claw elements 40 nevertheless have decreasing lengths to the plane 70 the closer the claw element is to the handle 30, for example by ensuring that curvature is introduced into the head.
The extent of the how concave the surface of the clawing element 40 can also be varied. The concave surfaces may be deeper or shallower. Different claw elements 40 may have different extent of how concave the surfaces of the claw elements are.
The width of the claw elements 40 may also be varied. A narrower claw element may require less force to pull the claw element through any mud. However, it would also need a few more strokes to scrape all the mud off if the claw elements 40 are too narrow. Similarly, if the width of the claw element is too wide, it requires a larger force to pull the claw element through the mud. However, it may require fewer strokes to remove all the mud. A preferred width of the claw elements 40 is around 2 mm to 12 mm.
The claw elements 40 of the discussed embodiment are straight. However, the claw elements 40 may be curved, for example as can be seen in Fig.8. Such curvature results in the tips of the claw elements 40 extending towards the handle 30 rather than simply perpendicular to the plane of the head 20 and the handle 30.
The actual length of the claw elements 40 may be varied depending on the footwear size, or the stud type of the footwear. Typically, the stud elements are around 5 mm to 25 mm long. In view of this, the claw elements 40 can be around 5 mm to 25 mm long.
The claw element furthest away from the handle 30 may be thicker than the other claw elements 40. This claw element 40 is generally the one which pierces through the material to be removed first before the other claw elements 40, and is the one most prone to breaking. Therefore, it is possible to ensure that this claw element 40 is the strongest by forming it to be thicker than the other claw elements 40.
The handle 30 may also be varied in shape and size. Preferably, a handle 30 is around 75 mm to 125 mm long.
For example, the handle 30 may further comprise a grip, or have a different shape including grooves in places for ergonomic purposes. Such grip helps to increase the user hold the tool 10 more tightly. The handle may comprise a recess in its body, so that the tool 10 may be hung up when not in use, or for key ring to be inserted through. The recess also helps to reduce the weight of the tool 10 and decrease the material costs.
The discussed embodiment has a stud key 60 at the bottom of the handle 30, as can be seen clearly in Fig. 5. It is a three toothed stud key, which allows the user to be able to change studs or cleats, or tighten them as necessary without needing to look for any further tools. The shape of the stud key 60 may be varied depending on the cleats or studs of the footwear, for example a hexagonal stud key. Alternatively, there may be embodiments without any stud key60 in the handle 30.
In the discussed embodiment, the axis of the stud key 60 is in parallel to the axis 50 of the handle 30. In other embodiments, the stud key 60 may be located in the handle such that the axis of the stud key 60 is perpendicular to the axis 50 of the handle 30. In this embodiment, the handle 30 can be used to provide leverage when using the stud key 60 as well as when using the tool 10 for scraping mud.
In another embodiment, the handle 30 may comprise more than one stud key 60, such that it is possible for different types of stud keys 60 to be present on a single tool 10.
Variations on the shape and size of the head 20 are possible. Typically, a head 20 is around 40 mm to 70 mm wide and 25 mm to 35 mm long. For example, the head 20 may be wider or narrower, depending on the number of the claw elements 40 to be located on the head. Similarly, the shape of the head 20 may be freely varied to be more round, more angular, or even to be cut out where no claw elements 40 is located on the head.
The tool 10 may be manufactured by single injection-mould, to keep the costs at minimum. Plastic therefore is a good material, wherein Nylon is particularly suitable being mouldable and strong, whilst not being brittle.
Therefore, a tool 10 which is effective yet may be cheaply manufactured is provided by the present invention.
The foregoing is illustrative of example embodiments and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

A tool (10) for removing undesirable material from footwear comprising:
a head (20);

a handle (30) extending from a first end (21) of the head (20), wherein an axis (50) of the handle (30) lies in a plane (70); and

a plurality of claw elements (40) protruding from the head (20) arranged in rows, wherein the rows are spaced apart in a first direction from a second end (22) to the first end (21) of the head (20), wherein each claw element (40) has a tip (401) which is a portion of the claw element (40) furthest away from the head (20);

wherein the claw elements (40) and the head (20) are arranged such that perpendicular distances between the tips (401) of the claw elements (40) in a first row (41) and the plane (70) are longer than perpendicular distances between the tips (401) of the claw elements (40) in a second row (42) and the plane (70), and the second row (42) is closer to the handle (30) than the first row (41) in the first direction,

characterised in that the head (20) extends in the plane (70).
The tool (10) of claim 1, wherein the head (20) is arranged to curve away from the plane (70).
The tool (10) of claim 1, wherein the claw elements (40) have equal lengths from each of their tips (401) to the head (20).
The tool of claim 1, wherein the length of a claw element (40) from its tip (401) to the head (20) is shorter the closer the claw element (40) is to the handle (30) in the first direction.
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein an angle between the longitudinal axis of the claw elements (40) and the plane (70) is between 40º and 140º.
The tool (10) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the longitudinal axes of the claw elements (40) and the plane (70) are perpendicular.
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the first row (41) is furthest from the handle (30), and includes a single claw element (40).
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein each row (41, 42, 43) extends perpendicular to the first direction and the rows (41, 42, 43) are parallel to each other.
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein each claw element (40) has a concave surface along its length and the claw elements (40) are orientated such that the concave surface of each claw element (40) faces towards the handle (30).
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the claw element (40) is tapered from its root to tip (401).
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the claw elements (40) of the first row (41) are offset from the claw elements (40) of the second row (42) in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of a width of the head (20) and a width of the handle (30) is 1 to 3.
The tool (10) of claim 12, wherein the ratio is 2.
The tool (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the handle (30) comprises a stud key (60).