NL2018622B1

NL2018622B1 - A shoe handling and washing system.

Info

Publication number: NL2018622B1
Application number: NL2018622A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Hyacinthus Maria Van Remundt Nicolaas
Original assignee: Van Remundt Beheer B V
Priority date: 2017-03-31
Filing date: 2017-03-31
Publication date: 2018-10-10
Also published as: EP3599968B1; WO2018182412A1; EP3599968A1

Abstract

A shoe handling and washing system (1) comprises a plurality of shoe carrier elements (20), a conveyor (1 0) for moving the plurality of shoe carrier elements (20) along a track, at least one loading and/or unloading station arranged next to the track for loading and/or unloading shoes (22) to and/or from the shoe carrier elements (20), and a washing unit positioned next to the track, in which the washing unit comprises a bowl (30) that is tillable with a cleaning liquid. The track is an endless loop with vertical leg sections ( 14, 15) connected to each other by an upper and lower bend section (16, 17). The bowl (30) is positioned at the lower bend section (17) such that shoes (22) that are carried by the shoe carrier elements (20) get moved through the bowl (30) by movement of the shoe carrier elements (20) along the lower bend section (17).

Description

(21) Aanvraagnummer: 2018622 © Aanvraag ingediend: 31 maart 2017 (51) Int. CL:

A47L 23/02 (2018.01)

(4^ Aanvraag ingeschreven:	(73) Octrooihouder(s):
10 oktober 2018	Van Remundt Beheer B.V. te ZOETERWOUDE.
(43) Aanvraag gepubliceerd:
-	(72) Uitvinder(s):
	Nicolaas Hyacinthus Maria van Remundt
Octrooi verleend:	te ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN.
10 oktober 2018
(45) Octrooischrift uitgegeven:	(74) Gemachtigde:
27 december 2018	ir. H.V. Mertens c.s. te Rijswijk.

© A shoe handling and washing system (1) comprises a plurality of shoe carrier elements (20), a conveyor (10) for moving the plurality of shoe carrier elements (20) along a track, at least one loading and/or unloading station arranged next to the track for loading and/or unloading shoes (22) to and/or from the shoe carrier elements (20), and a washing unit positioned next to the track, in which the washing unit comprises a bowl (30) that is fillable with a cleaning liquid. The track is an endless loop with vertical leg sections (14, 15) connected to each other by an upper and lower bend section (16,17). The bowl (30) is positioned at the lower bend section (17) such that shoes (22) that are carried by the shoe carrier elements (20) get moved through the bowl (30) by movement of the shoe carrier elements (20) along the lower bend section (17).

NL Bl 2018622

Dit octrooi is verleend ongeacht het bijgevoegde resultaat van het onderzoek naar de stand van de techniek en schriftelijke opinie. Het octrooischrift komt overeen met de oorspronkelijk ingediende stukken.

P32719NL00/RR

Title: A shoe handling and washing system.

The invention relates to the field of shoe handling and washing systems, in particular for use at locations where a high level of hygiene or cleanliness is required, for example operating rooms of hospitals or clean rooms.

In hospitals it is common practice for nurses and doctors before entering an operating room to put on a clean pair of shoes, for example plastic clogs. In order to be able to fulfil high hygiene requirements in a hospital, it is necessary to have those shoes frequently washed and/or disinfected. At present it is common practice to have the shoes washed in big professional tumbler washing machines where uniforms, bedclothes, etc. are also washed in. With this the shoes for example are transported towards a professional laundry, or to an internal laundry department in the hospital. After having been washed in the tumbler washing machine, the shoes need to be dried in another machine, for example in a dryer, after which they are sealed by the pair and are transported back to the hospital. In the hospital the shoes are then transported to the work floor where they are manually placed and stored in shoe cabinets such that the personnel can take out their correct size at any desired moment.

A disadvantage here is that the entire process is laborious, time-consuming and costly. Not only the transportation requires a lot of time, also multiple manual manipulations of the shoes are necessary, including sorting them out by the pair and correct size, and placing them in the shoe cabinets. Furthermore it is not possible to perform a disinfection step in the tumbler washing machines.

Some hospitals even have an in-house bed washing street. There it sometimes occurs that a sort of bed frame is filled with the shoes and then have this frame run through the washing street. In the hospital the shoes are then transported to the work floor where they are manually placed and stored in shoe cabinets such that the personnel can take out their correct size at any desired moment.

Here the same disadvantages go as for the washing of the shoes with the tumbler washing machines, that is to say that the entire process is laborious, time-consuming and costly.

Specific plastic shoe washing machines are also available in the market. Those have a same size as common household washing machines.

-2A disadvantage here is that those washing machines only offer space for washing a truly limited number of for example five pairs of shoes at a time. Furthermore the entire handling and washing process still is laborious, time-consuming and costly.

Industrial shoe washers for larger amounts of shoes are also known. For example JP-H-11244218 shows a shoe washing apparatus which can wash large numbers of shoes continuously. The apparatus comprises a conveying track that extends substantially horizontally and along which shoe holding units can be transported. Next to the track a number of treatment units are provided. Successively a preliminary washing unit, a washing unit, a rinsing unit, a dehydration unit and a drying unit are provided. Thus the shoes can be thoroughly cleaned and dried afterwards.

A disadvantage with this known apparatus is that it requires a large floor space, making it unattractive to be used in for example a hospital. Furthermore it is disadvantageous that the apparatus is expensive to manufacture.

For example KR20030086121 shows an automatic shoe cleaning apparatus in which a lower horizontal band conveyor is provided that is placed in its entirety inside a big bathtub that is filled with washing liquid. Directly above the band conveyor a number of rotating brushes is provided. Shoes placed on top of the band conveyor can be transported from left to right through the bathtub while getting brushed clean. In order to prevent the shoes from floating upwards, an upper horizontal band conveyor is provided that has downwardly extending arms for keeping the shoes pushed downwards against the band conveyor surface during their movement along the brushes from left to right. For this the driving of the upper and lower band conveyors needs to be accurately tuned.

A disadvantage here is that the apparatus is difficult and expensive to manufacture. Furthermore shoes still need to be transported towards the apparatus, which together with the sorting of the shoes makes it laborious. It is difficult to load shoes between the arms and the lower band conveyor. During loading and unloading of the shoes, washing liquid is likely to escape from the bathtub.

The present invention aims to overcome those disadvantages at least partly or to provide a useful alternative solution. In particular it aims to provide a compact and economic shoe handling and washing system that can be easily placed at a work floor such that users themselves can place their pair of shoes directly into the system for getting washed.

This aim is achieved by a shoe handling and washing system according to claim 1.

The system comprises a plurality of shoe carrier elements, a conveyor for moving the plurality of shoe carrier elements along a track, at least one loading and/or unloading station arranged next to the track for loading shoes to and/or unloading shoes from the shoe carrier elements, and a washing unit positioned next to the track. The washing unit comprises a

-3bowl that is tillable with a cleaning liquid. According to the inventive thought the track is an endless loop with vertical leg sections connected to each other by an upper and lower bend section, wherein the bowl is positioned at the lower bend section such that shoes that are carried by the shoe carrier elements get moved through the bowl by movement of the shoe carrier elements along the lower bend section.

Advantageously the invention now makes it possible to build the system compact and economic. It even makes it possible for the shoes to get moved through the bowl with cleaning liquid multiple times during a washing cycle over and over again without having to be unloaded and loaded again. During each full turn of the shoe carrier elements along the track, the shoes, when arriving at the lower bend section, get moved into the cleaning liquid with which the bowl is filled, then get forcedly moved along the bend section through this cleaning liquid, and then get moved upwards out of the cleaning liquid again. The shoes then get moved upwards along one of the leg sections, along the upper bend section and downwards along the other leg section. During this movement all the cleaning liquid that then drips of the shoes advantageously falls downwards back into the bowl. Because of the upright orientation of the conveyor track, the system merely requires a limited amount of floor space and thus can easily be placed at or near a work floor itself where the shoes are actually used and put on and off by users. The invention thus makes it possible to get the shoes cleaned without having to transport them towards and back from an external or internal laundry or the like. It is even possible to keep the shoes stored inside the system according to the invention after they have been washed. Thus a user can directly place shoes into the system after he or she has worn them, and a user can directly take shoes out of the system again after a washing cycle has been performed when he or she needs a clean pair again.

In a preferred embodiment the washing unit comprises a fluid inlet for filling the bowl with a cleaning liquid like a washing, disinfection or rinsing liquid, and a fluid outlet for draining the bowl therefrom. The inlet for example can be connected via a controllable valve and/or pumping unit to one or more reservoirs that are filled with specific cleaning liquids or cleaning liquid concentrates. In the last case, the inlet can also be connected via a controllable valve and/or pumping unit to a water supply system. Thus the concentrate can be mixed inside the bowl with the cleaning liquid concentrate. The outlet for example can be connected via a controllable valve or pumping unit to a drain or sewer.

Inside the bowl a heating element can be provided for heating up the cleaning liquid filled therein. This may help to improve the washing result.

After sufficient shoe carrier elements have been loaded with shoes, the bowl can be filled with cleaning liquid. Subsequently the washing cycle can be performed during which the conveyor moves the shoes at for example a constant speed along the track during a

-4predetermined time period or for a predetermined number of full turns along the track. During a course of the washing cycle the bowl can be successively filled and emptied with for example a washing liquid, a disinfection liquid and/or a rinsing liquid. During such a change of cleaning liquid, the conveyor can be temporarily stopped if desired. After the washing cycle has ended, the bowl is drained empty via the outlet. Then the shoes can be given time to dry. If desired (hot) drying air can be fed into the system for this via suitable nozzles. During this drying the conveyor may or may not continue to move the shoe carrier elements along the track. After the shoes have sufficiently dried, the shoes can be unloaded from the shoe carrier elements.

The shoe carrier elements preferably are movable along the track such that when moved downwards along one of the leg sections, shoes that are loaded onto them are held with their soles down, in particular with their noses pointing slanting downwards, and such that when moved upwards along the other one of the leg sections, the shoes are held with their soles up, in particular with their noses pointing slanting upwards. This positioning helps in a thorough cleaning of the shoes. Along one of the vertical leg sections the shoes are automatically turned upside down. This helps the cleaning liquid to easily flow out of the insides of the shoes when coming out of the bowl.

In an advantageous embodiment a housing is provided which covers at least a front side of the system. Preferably the entire system gets covered by the housing for forming a protective cabinet around it. In the housing an inlet and/or outlet opening can be provided at the loading and/or unloading station, through which inlet and/or outlet opening a respective one of the shoe carrier elements is accessible for a user when the conveyor has stopped the shoe carrier elements from moving along the track. The housing helps to prevent users from getting injured during operation of the system, and also helps to keep the shoes that are stored therein clean after a washing cycle has been performed thereto.

In a further embodiment a door is provided in the housing at the inlet and/or outlet opening, which door is movable between an open and closed position. A control unit can then be provided for locking the door in its closed position during movements of the shoe carrier elements along the track. Such a control unit can also be used to have the conveyor halt a respective one of the shoe carrier elements in front of the inlet and/or outlet opening during a stop. The control unit then in particular can be designed to only allow the door to be unlocked during such a stop.

The control unit for example can be connected to a user interface for controlling a moving/stopping of the conveyor and locking/unlocking of the door in dependence of a user specific code, in particular such that the user specific code corresponds to or gets to correspond to a specific one of the shoe carrier elements getting halted by the conveyor in front of the inlet and/or outlet opening. Thus, during loading the system can get to learn

-5which shoe carrier element belongs to a certain user specific code, such that after a washing cycle has been performed, the same user can be given access to his or her own pair of shoes by having that shoe carrier element halting in front of the door when that user specific code is held in front of or entered into the user interface.

The control unit can also be designed to, for example if it detects that a certain percentage of shoe carrier elements has gotten loaded with shoes, automatically start a washing cycle. During this washing cycle, the control unit can first have the door locked, then have the bowl filled with cleaning liquid, and then have the conveyor move the loaded shoes at a constant speed along the track including through the cleaning liquid in the bowl. After the washing cycle has ended the control unit can then have the bowl emptied and after the shoes have been given enough time to dry, have the door freed for unlocking.

Each shoe carrier element may comprise a releasable shoe clamp for fixating a shoe loaded onto it. In the alternative or in addition thereto each shoe carrier element may comprise a nose supporting portion over which a nose of a shoe is positionable. Thus the shoes can be easily loaded and unloaded while preventing them to disengage of their carrier element during movement along the track and in particular through the cleaning liquid in the bowl.

The conveyor may comprise a drivable flexible pulling organ, in particular a chain, to which the shoe carrier elements are connected one behind the other at fixed intervals. The pulling organ can be run over guiding wheels, in particular toothed wheels, that are provided at the bend sections. A controllable drive unit can be provided for driving the pulling organ. Thus an economic and easy to drive and maintain conveyor is achieved.

Each shoe carrier element can be fixedly connected to this pulling organ. Preferably however each shoe carrier element gets hingedly connected to the pulling organ whereas a supporting arm that is also hingedly connected to the pulling organ is hingedly connected to each shoe carrier element. Thus a triangular support connection is provided that is well able to deal with all the forces during movement along the track while at the same time offering sufficient flexibility for the shoe carrier elements to be moved along the bend sections.

Further advantageous embodiments are stated in the dependent subclaims.

The invention also relates to a use of the shoe handling and washing system according to claim 12, as well as to a method for operating the shoe handling and washing system according to claims 13-14.

The invention shall be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1a and b show a closed and a cut-open perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention;

- Fig. 2 shows a side view of fig.1 b;

- Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of a bottom part of fig.1a;

- Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of a bottom part of fig.1b;

- Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of a top part of fig.1 b;

- Fig. 6a and b show views according to fig. 1a and b with a door opened;

- Fig. 7 shows various views of the shoe carrier element with and without a shoe loaded onto it;

- Fig. 8a and b shows perspective view of the front side wall of fig. 1 with the door in a closed resp. open position; and

- Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of a series of systems positioned next to each other.

In fig. 1 the shoe handling and storage system has been indicated with the reference numeral 1. The system 1 comprises an upright positioned housing 2 with a front wall 3. An inlet/outlet opening 4 is provided in the front wall 3. An operable door 6 is provided which can be moved between a closed position (fig. 1) and an open position (fig. 6). As can be seen in fig. 8 the door 6 here is formed by a flexible plate that is connected to a pistoncylinder organ 7 that is controllable by a control unit C (not shown) for having the door 6 moved along guides 8 between its closed position (fig. 8a) and its open position (fig. 8b).

The housing 1 encloses a space inside which two endless chain conveyors 10 are provided next to each other which each run over an upper toothed wheel 11 and a lower toothed wheel 12. The wheels are rotatable in bearings 11’, 12’ that are connected to side walls 13 of the housing 1. The upper wheels 11 together are drivable in rotation by means of a drive unit D (only shown in fig. 9), for example an electromotor, that is controllable by the control unit C. When driven by the drive unit D, the chain conveyors 10 run along their wheels 11,12 while following an endless loop-shaped track. This track defines a front vertical leg section 14 and a back vertical leg section 15 that are connected to each other by an upper bend section 16 and a lower bend section 17. Linear guides 18 are provided along the vertical leg sections 14, 15 which delimit the chain conveyors 10 sideways. See fig. 5. The upper and lower bend sections 16, 17 are defined by outer circumferences of the toothed wheels 11, 12.

Shoe carrier elements 20, here twenty-five in total, are connected one behind the other at fixed intervals to distinctive links of each of the chain conveyors 10 such that they are equally divided along the chain conveyor 10 and each project (radially) outwardly therefrom. See fig. 5. Each shoe carrier element 20 comprises a nose supporting portion 21 over which a nose of a shoe 22 can be placed. See also fig. 5 and 7. Each shoe carrier element 20 further comprises a releasable shoe clamp 23 that is designed to automatically grip behind a heel portion of a shoe 22 as soon as that shoe 22 is slid far enough over the

-7nose supporting portion 21. The nose supporting portion 21 is hingedly connected to the chain conveyor 10. The clamp 23 is hingedly connected to the nose supporting portion 21. A supporting arm 25 is provided that with one end is hingedly connected to the chain conveyor 10 and with another end to the nose supporting portion 21. A spacing of a few links of the chain conveyor 10 is left free between the hinge connections of the nose supporting portion 21 and the supporting arm 25 to the chain conveyor 10. Thus a triangular supporting construction is obtained which is well able to stably hold the shoe 22 at a (radial) distance from its chain conveyor 10.

The adjacent pairs of shoe carrier elements 20 have the pairs of shoes 22 move along with the chain conveyors 10 along the track such that when moved downwards along the back vertical leg section 15, the pairs of shoes 22 are held with their soles up while their noses point slanting downwards, and such that when moved upwards along the front vertical leg section 14, the pairs of shoes 22 are held with their soles down while their noses point slanting upwards.

When driven by the drive unit D, the chain conveyors 10 take along the plurality of shoe carrier elements 20 to move along the loop-shaped track. With this the pairs of shoe carrier elements 20 during their upwards travel along the front vertical leg section 14 also get moved along the inlet/outlet opening 4.

During a loading cycle, the chain conveyor 10 can each time be halted with a particular empty pair of the shoe carrier elements 20 in line with the inlet/outlet opening 4, by means of having the control unit C stop the drive unit D as soon as this aligned position is achieved. In the open position of the door 6, an operator or user then can manually place a pair of shoes 22 onto that particular pair of shoe carrier elements 20. During an unloading cycle, the chain conveyors 10 can each time be halted with a particular loaded pair of the shoe carrier elements 20 in front of the inlet/outlet opening 4, by means of having the control unit C stop the drive unit D as soon as this aligned position is reached. In an open position of the door 6, an operator or user then can manually pick a pair of shoes 22 from that particular pair of shoe carrier elements 20. Thus the inlet/outlet opening 4 forms a loading and unloading station that is arranged next to the track for loading shoes 22 to or unloading shoes 22 from the shoe carrier elements 20.

As can be seen in fig. 8, the door 6 in the open position comes to lie directly underneath the pair of shoe carrier elements 20 that is stopped in front of the inlet/outlet opening 4. This helps the operator or user to correctly load and unload the shoes 22 without running the risk of a shoe 22 falling down into the housing 1.

According to the inventive thought a bowl 30 is positioned straight underneath the lower bend section 17. The bowl 30 here is formed by an upwardly open funnel-shaped bottom part of the housing 1. In the alternative it is also possible to place a distinctive bowl

-8at the bottom of the housing 1. The bowl 30 has a width W that is at least larger than a width of a pair of shoes 22 held by the shoe carrier elements 20. The bowl 30 here substantially extends over the entire width of the housing 2. The bowl 30 has a length L that is at least larger than a span S of two opposing pairs of shoes 22 held by opposing shoe carrier elements 20 along the opposing vertical leg sections 14, 15. The bowl 30 here substantially extends over the entire length of the housing 2. The bowl 30 has a depth D that is at least larger than half the span S of two opposing pairs of shoes 22 held by opposing shoe carrier elements 20 along the opposing vertical leg sections 14, 15. Thus, shoes 22 that are carried by the shoe carrier elements 20 and that get moved by the chain conveyor 10 have enough space available to get moved through the bowl 30 when arriving at the lower bend section 17 without bumping against walls of the bowl 30.

The bowl 30 is provided with a fluid inlet 31 for filling the bowl 30 with a cleaning liquid. The fluid inlet 31 here comprises an sub-inlet 31a for feeding cleaning liquid components/concentrates into the bowl 30, and with a sub-inlet 31b for feeding water into the bowl 30. The bowl 30 furthermore is provided with a fluid outlet 32 for draining the cleaning liquid out of the bowl 30. Furthermore the bowl 30 is provided with an overflow 33 which defines a maximum upper level to which the bowl 30 can be filled. For this the overflow 33 here is positioned at a height level that lies just below the lower toothed wheels

12. Thus the chain conveyors 10 and lower toothed wheels 17 do not get immersed into the cleaning liquid when the bowl 30 gets filled therewith. Inside the bowl 30 an upper and lower liquid level sensor are provided that are connected to the control unit C in order to have it open or close the inlet 31 when during a washing cycle a certain minimum/maximum amount of cleaning liquid is desired inside the bowl 30.

At its lower side the bowl 30 comprises a heating section 36 with a heating element 38 positioned therein for heating the cleaning liquid whenever desired. Inside the bowl 30 a temperature sensor is provided that is connected to the control unit C in order to have it activate the heating element 38 or not.

The control unit C preferably is connected to a user interface that sends out a specific steering signal to the control unit in dependence of a user specific code that is entered. Thus individual users can load their shoes 22 into the system 1 and be controllably presented with their own shoes 22 when they want to unload them again from the system 1.

The system 1 can now be operated as follows:

When a user wants to load his shoes 22 into the system, he enters his personal code into the user interface, for example by holding a badge against a scanner thereof. The control unit C then has an empty pair of shoe carrier elements 20 stopped in front of the inlet/outlet opening 4, and then opens the door 6. The user then loads his pair of shoes 22

-9onto that pair of shoe carrier elements 20 and enters a ready command into the user interface. The control unit C then closes the door 6. This loading is repeated for other users wanting to load their shoes into the system 1. The loading cycle ends as soon as the system 1 is fully loaded with shoes 22.

The control unit C then starts a washing cycle in which it first has the bowl 30 filled with water and washing concentrate by opening the sub-inlets 31a, b until the desired filling height is detected by the level sensors. The washing liquid may get heated inside the bowl 30 by the heating element 38. As soon as the right temperature is detected by the heat sensor, the heating element 38 is switched off by the control unit C. The drive unit D then gets energized for having the chain conveyors 10 move the shoes 22 along the track including through the washing liquid in the bowl 30. Each time a new pair of shoes 22 enters the cleaning liquid it shall cause turbulences in the liquid which help to thoroughly clean the shoes 22. Each time the shoes 22 get moved out of the cleaning liquid, all the cleaning liquid that drips of the shoes 22 shall fall back into the bowl 30. After a certain programmed time period has passed, the outlet 32 is opened by the control unit C causing the bowl 30 to be drained empty. If desired the bowl 30 then can be filled again, for example with merely water as rinsing liquid or with a disinfection liquid. Again, After a certain programmed time period has passed, the outlet 32 is opened by the control unit C causing the bowl 30 to be drained empty. Then the shoes 22 get time to dry. During this drying the shoes 22 can be moved along the track in order to enhance the drying process.

The washing cycle then has ended and an unloading cycle may start. When a user wants to unload his shoes 22 from the system, he enters his personal code into the user interface. The control unit C then arranges to have that specific pair of shoe carrier elements 20 stopped in front of the inlet/outlet opening 4 that has gotten to correspond to this personal code. As soon as this is ready, the door 6 is opened and the user can take his shoes of the shoe carrier elements 20. He then enters a ready command into the user interface, after which the door 6 is closed again. This unloading is repeated for other users wanting to unload their shoes out of the system 1. The unloading cycle ends as soon as the system 1 is fully unloaded. Then a new loading cycle may start, etc.

In fig. 9 it is shown that an assembly of the systems 1 can be positioned next to each other. A common user interface and a common control unit C can then be provided. Workers arriving at the assembly may enter “unloading” into the interface together with a personal code. Subsequently a screen of the interface points at a certain one of the systems 1. At this system 1 a pair of shoe carrier elements 20 loaded with shoes 22 of a size that corresponds to the personal code is stopped at the opening 4 and the door 6 is opened. The worker there can take out the pair of shoes 22 of his own size. After having used the shoes 22, the

- 10worker comes back to the assembly, enters “loading” into the interface together with his personal code. Subsequently the screen points at a certain one of the systems 1. At this system 1 an empty pair of shoe carrier elements 20 is stopped at the opening 4 and the door 6 thereof is opened such that the worker can deliver his pair of shoes 22 there. The system remembers the size of shoes 22 loaded onto that particular pair of shoe carrier elements 20. As soon as it is detected that one of the systems 1 is fully loaded with used shoes 22, a washing cycle is started for that system 1. After the washing cycle has ended, the control unit C can have clean shoes 22 unloaded again therefrom. Owing to the fact that a plurality of systems 1 is provided next to each other, it is possible to have some of the systems 1 perform a loading cycle whereas other ones perform a washing or unloading cycle.

Besides the shown embodiment all kinds of variants are possible. For example it is also possible to provide a common conveyor organ for moving the pairs of shoe carrier elements along the track. Instead of a chain conveyor it is also possible to user other types of flexible pulling organs, like a rubber belt. It is even possible to have the upright positioned loop-shaped track formed by a loop-shaped guiding rail along which the shoe carrier elements are individually guided and moved forward by means of pushing against each other. Instead of one common loading/unloading station it is also possible to provide distinctive loading and unloading stations, for example on at a front side and one at a back side of the housing.

It is noted that the washing function of the system or an assembly of the systems can also advantageously be used without making use of the storage function and/or without users placing their shoes themselves into it in dependence of personal codes. The system or assembly of systems can also be specifically used for the washing of shoes in which the shoes are loaded and unloaded by a dedicated operator for example in a professional laundry. The user interface then can be omitted.

It is further noted that the storage function of the system or an assembly of the systems can also advantageously be used without washing cycles being performed thereon. Then the system or assembly of systems already offers compact and efficient shoe storage cabinets of which loading and unloading can automatically take place in dependence of personal codes. The bowl with its fluid inlets and outlets then can be omitted.

Thus the invention advantageously provides a multi-functional user-friendly shoe storage and washing system which only needs a limited amount of (floor) space and thus can be placed directly on a work floor in a hospital, laboratory or clean room, where it is desired for employees to change shoes.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

A shoe management and washing system (1), comprising:

a plurality of shoe support elements (20);

a conveyor (10) for moving the plurality of shoe support elements (20) along a path;

at least one loading and / or unloading station arranged adjacent to the track for loading shoes (22) onto and / or unloading shoes (22) from the shoe support elements (20); and a washing unit positioned adjacent to the web, wherein the washing unit comprises a tray (30) that can be filled with a cleaning fluid, characterized in that the web is an endless loop with vertical leg sections (14, 15) connected to each other by means of an upper and lower bend section (16, 17), the bin (30) being positioned at the lower bend section (17) such that shoes (22) carried by the shoe support elements (20) are carried by the bin (30) ) are moved by movement of the shoe support elements (20) along the lower bend section (17).

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the washing unit comprises a liquid inlet (31) for filling the bin (30) with a cleaning liquid, in particular a washing, disinfecting or rinsing liquid, and wherein the washing unit comprises a fluid outlet (32) for draining the cleaning fluid out of the bin (30).

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the shoe support elements (20) are movable along the track such that when they are moved downwards along one of the leg sections (14, 15), shoes (22) that are loaded thereon are held with their soles down, in particular with their noses pointing obliquely downwards, and such that when they are moved upwards along the other of the leg sections (14, 15), the shoes with their soles held upwards, in particular with their noses pointing obliquely upwards.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a housing (2) is provided which covers at least one front side of the system (1), in particular the entire system (1), for surrounding it forming a protective cupboard, in which housing (2) an inlet and / or outlet opening (4) is provided at the loading and / or unloading station, via which inlet and / or outlet opening one of the shoe support elements (20) accessible is for a user when the conveyor (10) has caused the shoe support elements (20) to stop moving further along the track.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 4, wherein a door (6) is provided in the housing (2) at the inlet and / or outlet opening (4), which door (6) is movable between an open and closed position.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 5, wherein a control unit is provided for closing the door (6) in its closed position during movements of the shoe support elements (20) along the track, and / or for the conveyor (10) causing a respective of the shoe-supporting elements (20) for the inlet and / or outlet opening (4) to stand still during a stop, the control unit being arranged in particular to have the door (6) unlocked only for movement to its open position during a stop.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is connected to a user interface for controlling movement / stopping of the conveyor (10) and locking / unlocking of the door (6) in dependence on a user -specific code, in particular such that the user-specific code corresponds to or will correspond to stopping a relevant of the shoe support elements (20) by the conveyor (10) for the inlet and / or outlet opening (4) .

A shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control unit is adapted to lock the door (6) during a washing cycle, to have the bin (30) filled with cleaning fluid and the conveyor (10) cause shoes loaded on the shoe support elements (20) to move along the web at a constant speed while being moved through the cleaning fluid.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each shoe support element (20) comprises a releasable shoe clip (23) for fixing a shoe (22) loaded thereon, and / or wherein each shoe support element (20) nose support part (21) comprises over which a nose of a shoe (22) can be positioned.

Shoe management and washing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveyor (10) comprises a drivable flexible tension member, in particular a chain, to which the shoe support elements (20) are connected one after the other at fixed intervals, the traction member runs over guide wheels, in particular toothed wheels (11, 12), which are provided at the bend section (16, 17), and in which an adjustable drive unit (D) is provided for driving the traction member.

The shoe management and washing system (1) according to claim 10, wherein each shoe support element (20) is pivotally connected to the pull member and wherein a support arm (25) that is also pivotally connected to the pull member is pivotally connected to each shoe support member (20).

Use of the shoe management and washing system (1) according to one of the preceding claims for washing, storing and / or distribution of shoes, in particular in a hospital, laboratory or clean room.

A method of operating the shoe management and washing system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:

performing a loading cycle during which shoes (22) are loaded on the shoe support elements (20);

performing a washing cycle during which the bin (30) is filled with a cleaning fluid, the shoes (22) are moved through the bin (30), and the bin (30) is emptied from the cleaning fluid;

performing a discharge cycle during which the shoes (22) are discharged from the shoe support elements (20).

A method according to claim 13, wherein during the washing cycle, the container (30) is successively filled with and emptied of a washing liquid, a disinfecting liquid and / or a rinsing liquid as cleaning liquid.

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