FR2690324A1 - Foldable shoe rack. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a shoe rack (1) intended to serve as a display unit in stores, and which comprises a central rod (2) terminated by a hanging hook (3), and two lateral eyelets (4, 5). on which the shoes are likely to be put on. According to the invention, the shoe holder comprises between the central rod (2) and at least one lateral eyelet (4, 5), a pivoting means (6, 7) making it possible to fold the shoe holder, so that the slipped shoes are noticeably face to face. The pivoting means consists for example in a fold line, integral with the corresponding lateral eyelet and the central rod, and which is parallel to the general direction A, A 'of the latter. More particularly, the shoe holder (1) also comprises, for each lateral eyelet (4a, 5a) which can be folded up relative to the central rod (2a), first means for blocking said eyelet in the unfolded position. Preferably, the shoe rack consists of a single piece of plastic material, in particular injected polypropylene. In this case, the pivoting means or means consist of a rectilinear zone of smaller thickness.

Description

REPLIABLE SHOE HOLDER

  The present invention relates to a shoe rack intended to serve as a display in the stores and which comprises a central rod terminated by a suspension hook and two lateral eyelets, located on either side of the central rod and on

  which shoes are likely to be put on.

  This type of shoe rack is known in particular in GB-A 2 103 081 The use of such a shoe rack has many advantages compared to storage in boxes or on shelves facing the customer D ' one hand the shoes are kept in pairs on the shoe rack and the other hand there is a real gain of

  place because of the vertical arrangement of the shoes.

  However, the use of such a shoe carrier causes constraints during the pairing and transport of said shoes Indeed, it is conceivable that it is necessary to thread the shoes of the same pair on the door - shoes, before positioning the shoe rack and garnished on the display In practice this operation must be performed when placing shoes on the

display.

  However, for questions of handling costs, it would be preferable that this operation intervenes during the making of the shoes and their pairing Indeed in this case, it would be sufficient, when setting the shelf, to grab the hanging hook and to hang the shoe rack, previously lined on the display However the realization of this operation at the stage of the production of shoes has drawbacks Indeed, it requires to change the conditions of packaging and transport of paired shoes In particular, in the case of shoes such as slippers or mules, they are generally positioned against each other so as to occupy a minimum of space during transport In the case of a pairing using the above-mentioned shoe rack, it is there would necessarily be a loss of space due to the presence of the suspension hook protruding above shoes and secondly the shoes will be t

  necessarily placed flat next to each other.

  The aim sought by the applicant is to propose a shoe rack of the aforementioned type which overcomes the disadvantages

recorded.

  This object is perfectly achieved by the shoe rack of the invention. It is a shoe rack, which comprises, in a manner known from GB-A-2,103,081, a central rod terminated by a suspension hook. and two lateral eyelets located on either side of the central rod, and on which

  the shoes are likely to be strung.

  Characteristically, according to the invention, the shoe-carrier comprises, between the central rod and at least one lateral eyelet, a pivoting means making it possible to fold the shoe-holder so that the shoes that have been slipped on are

substantially face to face.

  Thus, thanks to the foldable shoe rack, the current positioning techniques during manufacture and

  pairing, for transport, can be kept.

  According to one embodiment, the shoe rack has only one pivoting means which is able to pivot the corresponding lateral eyelet relative to the

  central stem, with an angle of between 120 and 180.

  According to a second embodiment, the shoe rack comprises two pivoting means, between the central rod and each of the two lateral eyelets, said means being able to pivot one towards the other of the two eyelets

  side of an angle between 60 and 900.

  The pivoting means, in one as in the other embodiment, consists for example in a fold line, integral with the corresponding lateral eyelet and the central rod and which is parallel to the general direction of the latter Thus when folding the shoe rack so that the shoes are threaded substantially face to face, the rod

  central is well wedged along them.

  Preferably, whatever the embodiment, the shoe rack of the invention further comprises, for each lateral eyelet can be folded relative to the central rod, first locking means of said eyelet in the unfolded position. More particularly, the first blocking means consist at least of a first piece having a notch and a second piece of which a part, called socket has a thickness equal to the width of the notch In this case, the first piece is integral only, either of the lateral eyelet or of the central stem, according to whether the second piece is ID integral with the central rod or the lateral eyelet only, so that the socket portion of the second piece is interlocked in the notch of the first piece when the eyelet is in the unfolded position The fit of the first and second pieces when nested must be sufficiently precise, to allow the locking of the second piece in the notch of the first piece, so that the lateral eyelet which is in the unfolded position, can not be folded inadvertently. Advantageously, the central rod comprises, under the suspension hook, a pivoting means for folding the suspension hook towards the opposite end of the central rod. With this particular arrangement, it is also possible to fold the suspension hook in such a way that optimize space saving during pairing and positioning

shoes face to face.

  Preferably, the shoe rack has second

  means for locking the suspension hook in the unfolded position.

  More particularly, the second blocking means consist of at least a third piece and a fourth piece having the same characteristics respectively as the first and second pieces constituting the first blocking means, and able to fit into one another. other when the

  shoe rack hook is in unfolded position.

  Preferably the shoe rack consists of a one-piece plastic part including injected polypropylene; in this case the folding line consists of a zone

  rectilinear of smaller thickness.

  With regard to the shoe carrier secured to the shoe upper connected by a flexible connection, preferably comprises a piece which is central and which has an opening for

the passage of the flexible connection.

  Advantageously, the central rod shoe holder and said piece, a means of ensuring the pivoting of said piece by

center of an angle of about 900.

The invention will be better understood at

  description that will be made of two modes

  Foldable shoe rack, illustrated by the following: FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the invention, comprising, between the pivoting pivotable to the rod, the reading of the embodiment of an accompanying drawing in Figure 2 is a side view of the shoe rack of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top view of the shoe rack of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a rear view of a second rack of Figure 1; FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the shoe rack of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the shoe rack of FIG. 4 at the outlet of the manufacturing mold, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the suspension hook of the shoe rack of FIG. 4, equipped with locking means of said

hook in unfolded position.

  The shoe rack 1 comprises, in known manner, a central rod 2 whose upper end is terminated by a hook 3 of suspension and two lateral eyelets 4, 5, which are

  branches in the form of loops, connected to the central rod 2.

  When setting up the shoe rack on the display, the two shoes of the same pair are strung on the two eyelets 4, 5, each eyelet penetrating into the front part of the shoe, and the shoe rack is suspended by the hook 3 to

the display pin.

  Typically, according to the invention, the shoe holder 1 comprises at least one pivoting means, which is located between the central rod and at least one eyelet 4, 5 and which allows to fold the shoe holder on which have been strung shoes, so that once folded the two shoes are found substantially face to face. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, there are two pivoting means 6, 7 located symmetrically with respect to

  the longitudinal axis A, A 'of the central rod 2.

  According to the preferred embodiment of the shoe rack, it is obtained by injection into a mold of thermoplastic material, in this case polypropylene, and the pivoting means 6, 7 consist of rectilinear areas of smaller thickness, These are the well-known properties of certain thermoplastic materials, including polypropylene, according to which said material, which is normally rigid, has an

  some flexibility below a certain thickness.

  In the abovementioned example of polypropylene, the thickness e in the zone of the fold lines 6, 7 was of the order of 0.2 mm. It is of course necessary to use a material which not only has this flexibility but also not be brittle

  after a number of bends.

  As shown in FIG. 3 by means of the arrows F and G, each lateral eyelet, respectively 4 and 5, has the possibility of pivoting around the corresponding fold line, respectively 6 and 7, in the direction of the arrow respectively F and G This pivoting is, in the illustrated example, an angle that is at least 600 and at most 90 This maximum amplitude of pivoting, between 120 and 1800, ensures, when the door -shoes is folded, a positioning of the two shoes that is substantially facing

  face to face, the shoes being applied against each other.

  Of course in the case where the shoe rack has only one pivoting means, it is understood that the amplitude thereof must be of the order of twice the unit amplitude of the previous example, to know between 120 and 180 Thus with a single means of pivoting, we can get the same

  positioning the two shoes against each other.

  Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the central rod 2 comprises in its upper part, under the suspension hook 3, a pivoting means 8 which is able to fold the suspension hook 3 towards the opposite end of said central rod, as shown in Figure 2 by the arrow H With this particular position, the shoe holder no longer exceeds the space occupied by the shoes themselves, which optimally reduces the space occupied by the set consisting of the shoe rack and the two shoes of the same pair during its transport from the place of

  manufacture to the place of distribution.

  As it concerns a one-piece shoe-holder obtained by injection of a thermoplastic material of the polypropylene type, the pivoting means 8 is also made in the form of a zone of lesser thickness situated transversely in the rod 2

with respect to the axis A, A '.

  The rigidity of the shoe rack 1, at the central rod 2, is obtained by a reinforcement 9, the central rod 2 having at this reinforcement 9 and in cross section the shape of a T The upper part of the rod , comprising the suspension hook 3 and the fold line 8 does not comprise a reinforcement 9, as is clearly apparent on the

figure 2.

  Towards its lower end, opposite the suspension hook 3, the central rod 2 is equipped with a part 10 pierced with a hole 11. This part 10 is only useful in the case where the two shoes of the same pair are connected by a flexible connection which may be in the form of a thin wire rope or a polyamide thread for example The piece 10 in question allows to secure the shoe holder 1 to the assembly constituted by the two shoes of the same pair connected by the flexible connection For this during the pairing, we pass the

  flexible connection through the hole 11.

  In the example illustrated in the accompanying drawing, as shown in Figure 2, the passage hole is a hole whose periphery is closed In this case it is necessary to pass the flexible connection through said hole 11 before this The link is fixed permanently to the two shoes Of course other embodiments may be envisaged in which the hole 11 would be provided with a notch and the piece 10 would be equipped with stop means so that it would be possible to introduce the flexible connection already attached to the shoes in the hole 11 by the notch, while this connection, once introduced into the hole 11, would be prevented

  to leave it thanks to the means of arrest.

  In the aforementioned example, as shown in FIG. 3, the two lateral eyelets 4, 5 fold towards each other in the direction of the arrows F and G, and at the same time towards the part, which is a plate, mounted in the extension of the reinforcement 9,

along the axis A, A '.

  In this case, when the shoe rack is folded, the piece 10 is trapped between the two shoes folded down

one against the other-

  According to another embodiment, in which the pivoting direction of the lateral eyelets 4, 5 would be reversed, that is to say in the direction of the dotted arrows F 'and G', in this case it is the reinforcement 9 which would be trapped between the two shoes folded against each other In order to avoid possible deterioration of the part 10 during transport, it would then be preferable that the shoe rack 1 is provided with a complementary pivoting means located between the central rod and the part 10 and allowing the pivoting thereof at an angle of the order of 900 Thus it would again be possible to obtain a minimum of space is occupied for each pair

  of shoes, mounted on his shoe rack.

  FIG. 4 shows a shoe rack 1a, which is an improvement of the shoe rack 1 of FIG. 1. For the sake of simplification, the elements of the shoe rack 1a which are referenced 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, Ga, 7a, 8a, 9a and 1a have the same characteristics, previously described, of the elements of the shoe rack 1 which are respectively referenced 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

  The shoe rack is different from the shoe rack 1 in that it comprises, typically, for each lateral eyelet 4 a, 5 a, first locking means of

  the eyelet in the unfolded position, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

  For the lateral eyelet 5 a, these first locking means are

  constituted by a first 12 and second 15 pieces.

  The first piece 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped which is integral exclusively with the central rod 2a, and whose face 13 adjoins the fold line 7a In this face 13, hereinafter referred to as the socket face, is made, perpendicular to the plane of the central rod 2a, a rectilinear cut 14, of width 1, the first piece 12 thus having the shape of a U. The second piece 15 is a plate which has the shape of a parallelogram (Figure 6), which is secured, by one of its edges of greater length, exclusively to the lateral eyelet Sa, and whose edge adjoins the fold line 7a, so that a portion 16 of the second piece 15 is not located vertically to the lateral eyelet 5a but protrudes from said eyelet This projecting portion 16 will be called

  in the continuation of this text part of socket.

  The first 12 and second 15 parts are positioned vis-à-vis one another so that the lateral eyelet Sa is in the unfolded position (Figure 5), the socket portion 16 of the second piece The thickness of the second piece 15, and hence of the socket portion 16, is chosen to be equal to or slightly smaller than the width 1 of the notch 14. In this way, the friction force existing between the socket portion 16 and the inside of the notch 14 opposes the withdrawal of the socket portion The lateral eyelet 5a is thus locked in the unfolded position Its release is obtained by exerting, on the lateral eyelet 5a, a sufficient pressure to compensate the friction force existing between the notch 14 and the part

socket 16.

  The first locking means of the lateral eyelet 4 has in unfolded position consist of a first 18 and second 19 pieces, which are respectively identical to the first 12 and second 15 parts constituting the first locking means of the lateral eyelet 5 The folding lines 6a and 7a are symmetrical to each other with respect to the axis (B, B ') of the shoe holder. The parts 18 and 19 are preferably also symmetrical. relative to this axis,

  respectively pieces 12 and 15.

  In the case of a shoe rack made by injecting a thermoplastic material into a manufacturing mold, FIG. 6 shows the profile seen from below of the shoe rack when it leaves the mold. the shoe-holder is not molded flat, but that the lateral eyelets 4a and 5a each make an angle C with the central rod 2a This angular offset which exists for example between the lateral eyelet 5a and the central rod 2a, makes it possible to simply produce the first 12 and second 15 pieces, by placing during molding a tapered blade vertically of the fold line 7a is thus carried out in a single operation the socket face 13 of the first piece 12, the rectilinear edge 17 of the socket portion 16 which is intended to penetrate into

  the notch 14 of the first piece 12, and the fold line 7 a.

  The skilled person may, without departing from the scope of the invention, adapt the shape and dimensions of the first 12 and second 15 pieces, and the profile of the notch 14 of the first piece 12 It should be noted also that the first 12 and second 15 pieces do not necessarily adjoin the fold line 7 It is also possible to reverse the position of the

  first and second pieces with respect to the fold line 7 a.

  The first blocking means may be constituted by

  several sets of first and second pieces.

  The folding line 8 has, intended to allow the folding of the hook 3 has, is not located, unlike the fold line 8 of the shoeshoes 1, on the same side of the shoe rack as the fold lines Sa and 7 a When the lateral eyelets 4a and 5a are in the folded position, that is to say in a position such that the piece I Qa is trapped between said eyelets, it is then possible to fold the hook 3a against the rod 2 a without being impeded by the lateral eyelets 4 a and 5 a. With reference to FIG. 4, the length L of the suspension hook 3 a is equal to the distance separating the upper end of the reinforcement 9 a and the fold line 8 has the reinforcement 9 has served as a means of locking the hook 3 has suspension when it is in the folded position against the

central stem 2 a.

  In an alternative embodiment of the suspension hook 3a, the boot carrier advantageously comprises second hook locking means 3a in the unfolded position, as shown in FIG. 7. These second locking means consist of a third 20 and fourth 21 pieces are in every way similar to the first blocking means of a

  lateral eyelet in unfolded position.

  The invention is not limited to the two embodiments of a shoe rack which have been described by way of non-limiting examples. In particular, even if it is a particularly inexpensive embodiment, the shoe carrier of the invention can be made by other means than thermoplastic injection, using other types of means of

  pivoting, such as for example hinges.

he

Claims (11)

  1 Shoe rack (1) comprising a central rod (2) terminated by a suspension hook (3) and two lateral eyelets (4, 5), located on either side of the central rod (2), and on which the shoes are likely to be threaded, characterized in that it comprises, between the central rod (2) and at least one lateral eyelet (4,5), a pivoting means (6,7) for folding the shoe rack so that the slipped shoes are substantially face to face. 2 Shoe carrier (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises a single pivoting means which is adapted to ensure the pivoting of the corresponding lateral eyelet, by   relative to the central rod, an angle between 120 and 1800.   3 Shoe rack according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises two pivoting means (6,7) between the central rod (2) and each of the two lateral eyelets (4,5), said means being able to ensure the pivoting towards one another of the two lateral eyelets by an angle between 60 and 9 00.   4 Shoe rack according to one of claims 1 to 3   characterized in that the pivoting means consists of a fold line, integral with the corresponding lateral eyelet and the central rod and which is parallel to the general direction (A, A ') of the latter.   Shoe rack according to one of claims 1 to 5   4 characterized in that it further comprises, for each lateral eyelet (4 a, 5 a) being foldable relative to the central rod (2 a), first locking means of said eyelet in unfolded position.   6 Shoe rack according to claim 5 characterized in that the first blocking means consist at least of a first piece (12) having a notch (14) and a second piece (15) of which a portion (16) called socket has a thickness equal to or slightly less than the width 1 of the notch (14), the first piece (12) being integral exclusively, either of the lateral eyelet (5 a) or of the central rod (2 a) according to that the second piece (15) is integral exclusively with the central rod (2 a) or the lateral eyelet (5 a), so that the socket portion (16) of the second piece (15) is interlocked in the notch (14) of the first piece (12), when the lateral eyelet (5 a) is in unfolded position.   7 Shoe rack according to claim 1 characterized in that the central rod (2) comprises, under the suspension hook (3), a pivoting means (8) for folding the suspension hook (3) towards the end opposite of the stem central (2).   8 Shoe rack according to claim 7 characterized in that it further comprises second hook locking means   (3 a) suspension in unfolded position.   9 Shoe rack according to claim 8 characterized in that the second locking means consist of at least a third piece (20) having a notch, and a fourth piece (21), a socket portion has a thickness substantially equal to the width of the notch of the third piece (20), the third piece (20) being integral exclusively with either the central rod (2 a) or the hook (3 a) of suspension, depending on whether the fourth piece (21) is integral exclusively with the hook (3 a) of suspension or the central rod (2 a), so that the socket portion of the fourth piece (21) is fitted into the notch of the third piece (20) when the hook (3 a) of suspension is in unfolded position.   Shoe rack according to claim 1 characterized in that, for shoes connected by a flexible connection, it comprises a fastening piece which is secured to the central rod and which has an opening for the passage of the flexible connection.   11 Shoe rack according to claim 10 characterized in that it comprises, between the central rod and the securing piece, a pivoting means adapted to ensure the pivoting of said piece relative to the central rod of a angle of about 90.   12 Shoe carrier according to one of claims 1 to 11   characterized in that it consists of a one-piece piece of plastic material in particular injected polypropylene and in that the pivoting means or means consist in a zone   rectilinear of smaller thickness.