GB2509932A

GB2509932A - Boot Rack

Info

Publication number: GB2509932A
Application number: GB1300866.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joshua Lewis; Tim Woodward
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: TIM WOODWARD
Priority date: 2013-01-17
Filing date: 2013-01-17
Publication date: 2014-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2033-01-17
Also published as: GB201300866D0; GB2509932B

Abstract

A boot rack (1) comprises a backing plate (10) arranged for supporting the boot rack against a substantially vertical support surface and at least one boot support member (20). The boot support member (20) projects from the surface of the backing plate (10) and is provided with an upwardly extending member (23) spaced apart from the backing plate (10), such that a pocket (25) is definedthere between. The pocket (25) extends laterally across the boot rack and is arranged and dimensioned to receive and support the leg portion of a boot such that, in use the boot is supported in a substantially horizontal position.

Description

BOOT RACK

Field of the Invention

s The present invention relates to a boot rack and particularly, but not exclusively, to a boot rack for storing outdoor boots having an elongate boot leg such as wellington boots or the like.

Background of the Invention

Outdoor boots such as waterproof boots which are formed from rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (and are generally known, in the UK at least, as Wellington boots) are commonly arranged with an elongate leg portion which is arranged to extend to at least calf-height (i.e. below knee-height). Storage of such boots can be problematic since, when placed upright (i.e. sole down) on a is surface, the boots are relatively unstable and can be easily knocked over.

Further, wellington boots, or the like, are typically worn during wet and/or muddy conditions such that they are often wet and/or dirty when they require storing. As a result, storage racks for boots are available which generally comprise a plurality of upwardly projecting elongate members extending from a weighted base. Boots are stored on such devices by being placed inverted onto the members (which extend into the leg of the boot. Such racks help to alleviate the issue of the boots being easily knocked over and also provide the advantage of ensuring that rain will not enter the neck of the boot if stored outside. However, such arrangements are generally bulky and require a reasonably large footprint even when seeking to store only a small number of boots.

Accordingly, embodiments of the invention seek to provide a new boot rack arrangement which enables boots to be stored mare conveniently.

Summary of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a boot rack comprising; a backing plate arranged for supporting the boot rack against a substantially vertical support surface; at least one boot support member which projects from the surface of the backing plate and is provided with an upwardly extending member spaced apart from the backing plate, such that a pocket is defined therebetween; and wherein the pocket extends laterally across the boot rack and is arranged and dimensioned to receive and support the leg portion of a boot such that, in use the boot is supported in a substantially horizontal position.

It will be appreciated that the vertical support surface may typically be a wall or other household surface which the boot rack may be conveniently attached or propped against.

The boot rack of the invention differs from known arrangements in that the boot is supported in a substantially horizontal rather than vertical (i.e. upright or inverted) position and further in that the boat is supported by the leg portion. The applicants have found that this provides a storage approach which is both convenient, stable and space efficient. The pocket of the boot rack is sized and dimensioned so as to receive, support and retain the leg of the boot.

It will be appreciated that the leg is typically formed of resiliently deformable material (such as rubber or PVC) and can be easily deformed during placement of a boot into the rack such that it is securely held.

The foot portion of the boot may be positioned outside of the pocket (for example adjacent to an open end of the pocket). Accordingly, the width of the pocket is less than the total average height of the boots to be stored. For example, the width of the pocket is approximately equal to or less than the height of the leg portion of a boot to be supported. As such, in use, the foot portion of the boot may be positioned laterally outside of the pocket.

The backing plate of the boot rack may be arranged as both a support member and a protective cover for the vertical support surface. As such, at least the local width of the backing plate may be greater than the width of the pocket. At least the local width of the backing plate may be greater than the total height of the boot to be stored. In particular, the backing plate may be arranged to provide a protection plate which, in use, is disposed between the foot of a boot being stored and the support surface. It will be appreciated that this may be achieved by either selecting an appropriate overall width of the backing plate (i.e. which is greater than the total height of the intended boot to be stored) or by increasing the width of the backing plate adjacent to the pocket.

By way of example, the pocket defined by the boot support members may be between approximately 100 and 400mm in width. The pocket may, for example, have a height of between approximately 50 and 250mm. The depth of the pocket (defined by the spacing between the support member and the backing plate) may, for example be between 30 and 100mm. These dimensions have been found to be particularly suitable for holding a range of sizes of standard wellington type boots.

Typically, the boot rack may comprise a plurality of boot support members (for example, 2, 3 or 4). The plurality of boot support members may be provided at spaced apart locations on the boot rack, for example at vertically spaced apart locations along the height of the boot rack.

The, or each, pocket may be arranged and dimensioned to receive a pair of boots. For example, the pocket(s) may be arranged to receive a pair of boots placed in an arrangement such that the foot portion of each boot is located at an opposite side of the pocket. For example, the boots may be arranged with their leg portions side-by-side within the pocket. Alternatively (and particularly when clean boots are to be stored), it may be convenient to insert the boot leg of one boot inside of the other prior to insertion into the slot.

The lower portion of the backing plate may be provided with a drip deflector or gutter. The drip deflector or gutter generally projects outwardly form the backing plate. The drip deflector or gutter is, for example, positioned below the at least one boot support member, This is particularly advantageous since boots must often be often stored wet or dirty and a drip deflector or gutter will prevent drips from running from the boots along the backing plate and subsequently (for example) down a wall on to which the rack has been mounted.

The drip deflector or gutter may extend across the full width of the backing plate. The drip deflector or gutter may be provided at the lower edge of the backing plate.

A drip deflector may, for example comprise a simple planar section extending outwardly from the backing plate. A gutter may, for example, comprise a substantially U-shaped member arranged to catch drips or debris and retain them within the gutter.

It will be appreciated that the exact construction of the drip deflector or gutter will depend upon the material from which the boot rack is formed (for F 10 example they could be integrally formed in the case of moulded plastics).

However, in some embodiments the drip deflector or gutter comprises an outwardly folded section of the backing plate. The outwardly folded section may be arranged to project from the backing plate and forming an actuate angle to the support surface.

The boot rack may be formed from a sheet metal material. In such case a folded planar drip deflector or gutter may be particularly convenient. Further, where the boot rack is formed from sheet metal the boot support member(s) may conveniently be formed by a folded cut out from the backing plate.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of storing boots comprising: providing a boot rack (for example, a boot rack in accordance with an embodiment of the invention) having at least one substantially horizontally extending elongate boot support; inserting a boot into the boot support such that the leg of the boot is retained in the boot rack and wherein the foot of the boot is adjacent to an end of the support.

The step of inserting a boot rack comprises placing a pair of boots together s such that a foot of each boot is adjacent to the neck of the other boot and inserting the legs of the boots a single support. As such, one foot of each boot may be provided adjacent to an opposing end of the support.

Whilst the invention has been described above extends to any inventive combination of features set out above or in the following description or drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in as which: Figure 1 is a schematic three way projection of a boot rack in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic front view of an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a further alternative embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4 is a photograph showing a boot rack according to an embodiment of the invention supporting two pairs of boots.

Description of an Embodiment

A boot rack 1 is shown in figure 1 comprising a backing plate 10, two boot support members 20a and 2Db and a drip deflector 30. The boot rack is S formed from sheet metal (for example steel) which is cut and folded into the desired shape before being finished for example by painting. The backing plate 10 will typically be attached to the wall (or other vertical surface such as a door or piece of furniture) by any suitable attachment means (for example by use of screws). Alternatively, the boot rack may simply rest against a wall (and if so the lower surface of the backing plate may include a suitable foot feature for improved stability).

The boot support members 20a and 2Db are formed from an inverted U-shaped section cut out in the backing plate. The support member has a first outwardly extending section 22 which projects outwards from the surface of the backing plate 10. As best seen in the side profile, the outwardly extending section 22 may typically extend at an angle to the horizontal (although it could alternatively extend perpendicular to the backing plate). The support member subsequently continues into an upwardly extending portion 23 which extends upwardly in a direction which is parallel to the plane of the backing plate 10. Thus, an elongate, horizontally extending pocket 25 is defined between the support member 20 and the backing plate 10. The edges of the support member may be provided with a rubber or plastic edging strip to provide protection for the boots being stored.

It will be noted that since the support member is formed from an invented U-shaped cut out the support is effectively formed by two separate upright supporting members connected by a lateral upwardly extending portion 26.

This arrangement may be preferred for ease of manufacture and/or aesthetic reasons but is not essential. For example, the skilled person will appreciate that embodiments of the invention could be arranged such that the laterally extending pocket is formed by a single (continuous or uninterrupted) elongate support. Alternatively, a laterally extending pocket could be provided by a plurality of discrete support members which are spaced apart across the width of the boot rack so as to collectively define a laterally extending pocket for receiving a boot. In such an embodiment the laterally extending pocket may, therefore be discontinuous but the separate supports would cooperate in use to support a boot.

At the lower edge of the backing plate 10 a drip deflector 30 is provided.

is In the example of Figure 1, the drip deflector is provided by a folded planar section extending across the entire width of the backing plate 10. The drip deflector 30 is arranged to extend at an acute angle to the plane of the backing plate 10 so that any liquid running along the surface of the boot rack 10 or dripping from boots stored therein will be deflected away from the support surface rather than running down the surface (which may otherwise lead to unsightly run marks).

In use, a pair of boots are placed side-by-side (or one inside the other) so that their foot portion of each boot is adjacent to the neck of the other boots leg. The leg portions of the boots are then inserted into the elongate pocket 25 of one of the boot support members 20a or 20b. Typically, the boot legs will be somewhat compressed by the user as the pair of boots are placed into the pocket 25. This advantageously, means that the resilient nature of the boot (particularly, for example, rubber or PVC boots such as Wellington Boots) will act to grip the opposing sides of the pocket 25. As the width of the pocket 25 is sized to approximately match (or be slightly less than) the leg height of the boots to be stored, the foot sections of each boot will lie beyond the outer sides of the support member 20. Typically the foot sections of the boot will be positioned so that they extend downwardly from the end portions of the support to member 20. It may be noted that the sides of the backing plate 10 extend a substantial distance beyond the support member 20. The reason for this arrangement is to ensure that the backing platelo is disposed between the foot section of the boot being stored and the supporting surface. As such the width of the backing plate 10 is selected to be greater than the total height of the boots to be stored.

As shown in figure 2, the width of the backing plate 10 may vary along the height of the boot rack 1. Thus, the width of the backing plate may only be locally extended in portions 11 a and 11 b which are adjacent to the boot support members 20a and 20b. Thus the portions ha and hib provide protection for the underlying supporting wall from soiling from the boots local to the position of the boot foot portions. It may be noted that in this embodiment, the drip deflector 30 is provided on a full width portion of the backing plate 10 so as to ensure that drips from any part of the boots being stored are deflected.

Figure 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment in which the drip deflector has been replaced with a gutter 30'. The gutter 30' has both an outwardly projecting portion like the drip deflector 30 of the previous embodiment but further includes an additional upturned lip 32 such that a trough 31 is defined which can retain liquid and or debris from the boots. The shape of the gutter is a substantially straight sided U-shape for ease of manufacture when using sheet metal materials. However, other shapes may be provided and may depend upon the particular method of construction chosen.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in use in the photograph of 0 figure 4. The boot rack 1 has been securely attached to a wall 100 by suitable fixing means (for example a plurality of screw fittings). Two pairs of boots 50a and SOb have been inserted into the respective boot supports 20a and 20b.

Each pair of boots has been placed into the support such that the leg portion 54 of the boot is within the pocket 25 and the foot portion 52 extends beyond the side of the pocket. It may be noted that the foot portion 52 of the boot 50 generally extends down beyond the lower most extend to the boot support 20.

Advantageously, this helps to securely position the boot in place (for example by limiting lateral movement of the boot 50 within the pocket 25). It will further be noted that each pair of boots 50 are positioned end-to-end such that the foot portion 52 of one boot is adjacent to the neck portion of the leg 54 of the other of the pair of the boots. This both provides a convenient way of storing and retaining the boots (in which one foot portion 52 is disposed at each end of the pocket 25) to prevent lateral movement and enables the boots to be stored paired" for ease of use. In the illustrated embodiment the leg portions 52 of the boots 50 have been placed one inside the other but (as mentioned above) for wet or dirty boots they may alternatively simply be placed side by side within the pocket 25. It may be noted that the embodiment shown in the figure 4 is only an initial prototype which demonstrates the general principle of the invention but does not include all of the preferred features of the embodiments described above (for example the drip deflector or gutter).

While the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, while the example above in uses a support member having two distinct portions (22 and 23) which extends first in a generally outward direction and then in an upward direction the support member could be formed of a single section which extends at an angle upwardly and away from the backing plate 10 so as to be spaced apart from the backing plate and define a pocket therebetween.

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Claims

CLAIMS1. A boot rack comprising; a backing plate arranged for supporting the boot rack against a substantially vertical support surface; at least one boot support member which projects from the surface of the backing plate and is provided with an upwardly extending member spaced apart from the backing plate, such that a pocket is defined therebetween; and wherein the pocket extends laterally across the boot rack and is arranged and dimensioned to receive and support the leg portion of a boot such that, in use the boot is supported in a substantially horizontal position.
2. A boot rack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the width of the pocket is approximately equal to or less than the height of the leg portion of a boot to be supported, such that, in use, the foot of the boot may be positioned laterally outside of the pocket.
3. A boot rack as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the local width of the backing plate is greater than the width of the pocket.
4. A boot rack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the backing plate is arranged to provide a protection plate which, in use, is disposed between the foot of a boot being stored and the support surface.
5. A boot rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rack comprises a plurality of boot support members.
6. A boot rack as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of boot support members are provided at vertically spaced apart locations along the height of the boot rack.
7. A boot rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each pocket is arranged and dimensioned to receive a pair of boots placed in in an arrangement such that the foot portion of each boot is located at an opposite side of the pocket.
8. A boot rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a lower portion of the backing plate, positioned below the at least one boot support as member, is provided with an outwardly projecting drip deflector or gutter.
9. A boot rack as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outwardly projecting drip deflector or gutter extends across the full width of the backing plate.
1O.A boot rack as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the outwardly projecting drip deflector or gutter is provided at the lower edge of the backing plate.
11.A boot rack as claimed in claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the outwardly projecting drip deflector or gutter comprises an outwardly folded section of the backing plate. i3-
12.A boot rack as claimed in claim 12, wherein the outwardly folded section is arranged to project from the backing plate and forming an actuate angle to the support surface.
13.A boot rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rack is formed from a sheet metal material
14.A boot rack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one boot support member is formed by a folded cut out from the backing plate.
15.A method of storing boots comprising: providing a boot rack having at least one substantially horizontally extending elongate boot support; inserting a boot into the boot support such that the leg of the boot is retained in the boot rack and wherein the foot of the boot is adjacent to an end of the support.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of inserting a boot rack comprises placing a pair of boots together such that a foot of each boot is adjacent to the neck of the other boot and inserting the legs of the boots a single support such that a foot of each boot is adjacent to an opposing end of the support.
17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the boot rack comprises a boot rack as claimed in any of claims I to 14.