US3032794A - Shoe sole cleaner - Google Patents

Description

May 8, 1962 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 J. B. STEVENS SHOE SOLE CLEANER 5 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR James B. Szeuezzs ATTORNEYS May 8, 1962 Filed Aug 22. 1960 SHOE SOLE CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 8, 1962 J. B. STEVENS SHOE sous CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 3,032,794 SHOE SOLE CLEANER James B. Stevens, 444 Vine St., Modesto, Calif. Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 51,189 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-36) The present invention is directed to, and it is a major object to provide, a novel, electric motor driven, shoe sole cleaner; the device being adapted for use in lieu of the conventional door mat, and functions to rapidly and effectively remove dust, dirt, or other debris from the under side of shoes.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a shoe sole cleaner which includes a rotary brush having an upper portion exposed for engagement by the under side of a persons shoe; the brush being mounted for downward yielding movement or depression, from a normally raised position, when the wearer of the shoe steps on such brush, and the electric drive motor for the brush being automatically placed in operation by closing of a switch in response to such movement. Also, a manual switch is included so that the device-if desired-can be placed in continuous operation and without the necessity of depression of said rotary brush.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a shoe sole cleaner which includeswithin a housing-a novel mount for the rotary brush and the electric drive motor; the housing having a top opening through which the upper portion of the brush extends so as to be accessible at all times fOr engagement by the under side of a shoe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe sole cleaner which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a practical, reliable, and durable shoe sole cleaner, and one which will be exceedingly etfective for the purpose for which it designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device. FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof; the wiring for the electric motor being omitted.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation on line 33 of FIG. 2, but with the device in floor engaging, working position.

FIG. 4 is a similar view on line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation on line 5-5 of FIG. 4, but with the guard partly broken away; the view including the wiring for the electric motor.

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of a modification of the device.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the same; the wiring for the electric motor being omitted.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, and at present to FIGS. 1-5 inclusive, the novel, shoe sole cleaner comprises a relatively shallow box-like housing, indicated generally at 1, which housing includes a top 2, sides 3, a front 4, and a back 5.

At the bottom thereof the housing 1 includes-at the front and back, as well as the sidesout-turned supporting flanges 6 adapted to rest on the floor of a porch or the like; the flanges 6 at the side of the housing being provided with holes 7 whereby the device may be secured, by screws or bolts, to the floor.

The top 2 includes a forwardly and downwardly sloping front portion 8 having a transversely elongated rectangular opening 9 therein.

An elongated, cylindrical, transverse-axis, rotary brush 10 is disposed in the forward part of the housing 1 and in a position such that an upper portion of said brush 10 extends through and is exposed above the opening 9. The rotary brush 10 is supported, from within the housing 1, as follows:

A forwardly extending U-shaped swing frame, indi cated generally at 11, occupies a position in the housing 1 at a forward and upward incline; such swing frame 11 including a rear cross bar 12 and forwardly extending side arms, indicated at 13 and 14.

At the rear ends of the side arms 13 and 14 the swing frame 11 is pivotally mounted in connection with the sides 3 of the housing, as by alined, transverse pivot bolts 15, whereby said frame is swingable about such bolts as an axis.

The rotary brush 10 includes a shaft 16 which projects from the ends of said brush; the latter being disposed between the forward ends of the side arms 13 and 14, with the shaft 16 at its ends journaled on corresponding ones of said arms, as at 17.

A horizontal, transverse axis, electric motor 18 is disposed immediately ahead of the rear cross bar 12 and is secured to the latter by screws 19. With the motor so mounted its shaft 20 is parallel to the rotary brush shaft 16.

The rotary brush 10 is driven, from the electric motor 18, by a pulley 21 on shaft 20; a pulley 22 on shaft 16; and an endless belt 23 trained between such pulleys.

The swing frame 11, together with the rotary brush 10 as journaled thereon, is normally maintained in a raised position, but for downward yielding movement or depression, by means of a tension spring 24 connected between the side arm 14 and a point thereabove on the corresponding side 3 of housing 1.

Upon depression of the rotary brush 10 by a shoe placed by a wearer on the exposed portion of said brush, the frame 11 correspondingly swings down; the depression of the brush 1t) and the downward swinging of the frame 11 being, however, relatively slight.

Upon such depression of the rotary brush 10 and down- Ward swinging of the frame 11 the electric motor 18 is automatically energized-in the manner hereinafter de scribed-whereby the then rotated brush 10 positively and efiectively cleans the under side of the shoe bearing on such brush upon to and fro movement of said shoe.

The aforementioned automatic energization of the electric motor 18 is accomplished in the following manner:

An electric cord 25 extends through a grommet 26 in one side 3 of housing 1, and said cordat its outer end-is fitted with a conventional plug 27 adapted for engagement in an outlet socket. Within the housing 1 the cord is divided into separate wires 28 and 29 which lead into the electric motor 18, as at 30. (See FIG. 5.)

A micro-switch 31 is interposed in the wire 29 and such switch is mounted, within the housing, on the side wall 3 corresponding toand at a point above-the side arm 13. A switch control finger 32 extends lengthwise above the side arm 13; one end of said finger being securd to the switch 32, while the other and free end of said finger carries a roller 33 which rides the top of said side arm 13.

When the swing frame 11 is in its raised position the finger 32 holds the switch 31 open, but upon depression of the rotary brush 10, and resultant downward swinging of said frame 11, the finger 32 likewise lowers and the switch 31 opens; thus automatically energizing the electric motor 18.

In certain instances it may be desired that the electric motor 18 be placed in continuous operation, and without depression of the rotary brush 10. This is accomplished by means of a manual switch 34 mounted on the back Patented May 8, 1962- of housing 1, and which switch includes an exteriorly accessible switch lever 35. The manual switch 34 is connected in parallel to the switch 31 by branch wires 36 and 37.

In order to maintain the endless belt 23 under proper tension, belt tightener 38 is .adjustably mounted on the side arm 14 and rides in engagement with the upper run of saidbelt.

The housing 1 immediately to the rear of the rotary brush 1%) is fitted, on the inside, with a transversely ex tending, vertically arcuate guard 39 which extends from the top 2 to a point adjacent but short of the floor; such guard being cut away at the ends to clear the side arms 13 and 14, as well as the endless belt 23.

With the simple expedient of a wearer stepping on the rotary brush 1%, the device is automatically placed in operation and with rotation of such brush all dust, dirt, or other debris on the under side of the shoe is swept off, and without any effort on the part of the wearer other than movement of the shoe to and fro.

After the shoes of the wearer have been cleaned, and the rotary brush is relieved of the depression hereinbefore described, such brush-as well as the swing frame 11returns, under the influence of spring 24, to normal raised position, and at which time the side arm 14 abuts an adjustable stop screw 40. The switch 31 is then held open and motor 18 is idle.

A modification of the above described shoe sole cleaner is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7; the primary difference in the modification being that the rotary brush is direct driven from the electric motor.

More particularly, in the modification the housing 41 is transversely elongated, but reduced in dimension from front to rear, whereby the electric motor 42 can be disposed in end to end axial alinement with the rotary brush 43; such brushas beforehaving an upper portion which extends through and projects above an opening 44 in a forwardly and downwardly sloping front portion 45 of housing 41.

The electric motor 42 and the rotary brush 43 are supported, within housing 41, by a substantially U-shaped swing frame, indicated generally at 46, which is generally the same as in the previously described embodiment, and

likewise pivoted, as at 47, for downward swinging movement from a normally raised position and against th influence of a tension spring 48.

The frame 46 includes a rear cross bar 49 and forwardly extending side arms 50 and 51. Here, however, the forward portion of the side arm 50 is bent at a right angle to form a bracket 52 to which the electric motor 42 is secured by screws 53. The rotary brush 43 includes a shaft 54 whose outer end is journaled on the side arm 51, while at its inner end the shaft 54 is connected to the shaft 55 of electric motor 42 by a coupling 56.

In the modification of FIGS. 6 and 7 the energizing circuit for the electric motor is not shown, except for the exterior portion of the cord 57 with its plug 58, but

is the same as employed in the previously described em-- bodiment; such circuit, as before, having therein a micro switch 59 responsive to downward swinging movement of the side arm 51), and a manual switch 60.

The modification of the invention as in FIGS. 6 and- 7 functions in the same manner as in said previously described embodiment.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as will sub-- stantially fulfill the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to asdo not form a departure from the spirit of the invention,- as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

An electric motor driven device, for cleaning the under side of a shoe, comprising a housing including a top having an opening therein, a horizontal axis rotary brush in the housing, an upper portion of the brush extending through and being exposed above said top opening, a frame in the housing including side arms on and adjacent one end of which the brush is journaled, means pivotally mounting the frame in the housing adjacent the other end of the arms for downward yielding movement of the arms from a normally raised position, an electric motor mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the brush, a circuit for the motor, a switch interposed in the circuit and mounted in the housing above one side arm and including a vertically movable depending actuating element overlying and spaced from said arm, said element when in a raised position holding the switch open and when lowered allowing the switch to close, and a spring finger extending lengthwise of and over said side arm; said finger being fixed at one end separate from the arm and projecting thence away from the pivoted end of the frame and into contact with said arm, the finger tending to spring down and away from said element and being held by the arm against said element when said arm is in a raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 965,176 Geraldson July 26, 1910 1,277,834 Berdar Sept. 3, 1918 1,361,068 Karre Dec. 7, 1920 1,420,375 Gales June 20, 1922 1,567,693 Allen et al Dec. 29, 1925 2,427,768 Edington Sept. 23, 1947 2,826,772 Smith Mar. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 163,235 Switzerland Oct. 2, 1933 732,715 Great Britain June 29, 1955;.

a. oan...

Images