US3064296A - Shoe and boot cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1962 o. F. LIDKE SHOE AND BOOT CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 26, 1960 L J Z,

INVENTOR.

0770 FT LIME Nov. 20, 1962 o. F. LIDKE SHOE AND BOOT CLEANER 2 Sheet's-Sh'eet 2 Filed July 26, 1960 INVENTOR. 077 F. 4 10kt United States Patent Uthce 3,064,295 Patented Nov. 20,1962

3,9643% SHOE AND BQQT CLEANER Otto F. Lidlre, 319 Wilson, Ypsilanti, Mich. Filed July 26, 196i), Ser. No. 45,353 2 Qlaims. (til. 15185) This invention relates to a shoe or boot cleaning device and more particularly to a shoe brush of the type which might be mounted upon a porch or entrance of a building.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a moisture proof housing having a hinged cover thereon which when open reveals a series of horizontal transverse brush elements for scraping the shoes or boots for removal of dirt.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a storage housing with an apertured bottom wall and with provision of means for supporting a plurality of transversely arranged bristle brushes in a horizontal plane together with an openable cover normally closing the complete assembly.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spring biased mounting for the cover which, when released automatically opens together with manually operable means mounted on the housing for effecting a closing of the cover after use.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the present shoe brush assembly.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, the base assembly generally indicated at 11 includes the bottom wall 12 having centrally disposed therethrough a rectangular aperture 13. The base includes the upright sidewalls 14, upright front wall 15 and the upright rear wall 16. Hingedly mounted upon the said base 11, as at 20 is the hoodlike cover generally indicated at 17 which includes a top plate 18 and downwardly and outwardly tapered front and rear flanges 24, 19. The cover also includes the outwardly and downwardly extending continuous side flanges 23 to thus provide, not only a cover for base 11, but a form of canopy which protectively extends thereover and is hingedly joined thereto by the hinge assembly 20, best illustrated in FIG. 2.

The hinge assembly also includes a pair of coiled springs 20' anchored at their one ends 21 so as to operatively engage a portion of the base 11, and at their other free ends as at 22, operatively engaging a portion of the cover 17 to normally bias the cover to the open position shown in FIG. 1.

The cover is accordingly normally latched closed. For this purpose there is provided a support 25 which extends forwardly of the base 11 and which has mounted thereon a conventional type of latch assembly 26, whose retaining element operatively and retainingly engages an apertured portion 27 of the cover 17 for normally maintaining the cover closed against the action of the coil springs 29' in a conventional manner.

A release arm 28 forms a part of the latch assembly and upon a slight pressure of the foot, for illustration, causes the latch assembly to disengage from the said cover under the action of the coil springs pivoting to the open position shown in FIG. 1.

A plurality of brush supporting frames 29 in the nature of hollow boxes are positioned transversely within the base 11 and include outwardly extending and laterally depending clip elements 30 which overlie corresponding edge portions of the said base for supporting the three brushes for illustration in spaced relation upon the upper margin of the base as best illustrated in FIG. 1.

Each of the containers 29 includes a bottom wall 31 normally spaced above the apertured bottom wall 12 of said base to define a chamber 16 within which dirt, or other material scraped off shoes or boots accumulate or collect. A brush assembly is mounted within each of the containers 29, including a conventional form of base 33 from which project a series of bristle tufts 34 in a conventional manner with the said bristle tufts positioned within the said base and projecting thereabove for free access to the user upon opening of the cover assembly 17 and in the manner best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3.

A pair of longitudinally spaced guide sleeves 35 are secured at 36 to one side wall of base 11 and there is longitudinally and adjustably positioned therethrough the cover closure arm 37 having a disc-like handle 38 at its forward end normally projected forwardly of the front Wall 15 of the said base.

The closure arm 37 has a stop sleeve 39 secured thereon which operatively engages the forward of the guides 35 when the cover is in the open position shown in FIG. 1. The closure arm 37 assumes the dotted line position in FIG. 1 when the cover has been closed as hereafter described and with the sleeve 39 assuming the dotted line position indicated.

For the purpose of closing the cover, the handle end 38 is projected inwardly by the foot or by the hand so that the inner end 40 of the said arm 37 operatively engages the depending actuator arm 41 secured at 42 to a rear portion of the cover 17. Accordingly with the cover in the open position shown in FIG. 1, an inward projection of the arm 37 against the actuator 41 causes the said cover to rotate about its hinge and against the action of the springs 20' to the closed position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 wherein the said cover is retained by the latch assembly 26, as above described.

To open the device for use all that is necessary is to apply the foot to the latch release arm 28 whence the cover will under the action of the springs 20 tilt upwardly to the open position shown in FIG. 1.

Accordingly, it is believe that there is provided a very simple shoe or boot brush assembly particularly adapted for entrances of buildings or homes such as front porches or vertibules, but which, of course, could have other uses within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

The elongated box assemblies 29 which hold the brushes 34 in view of the clips 30 are easily removable from the base, and their position may be changed from time to time as the bristles wear. For example, the first brush may wear first, and may be repositioned taking the place of the third brush, as shown in FIG. 2.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a shoe and boot cleaning device, a hollow elongated base including side, front and rear walls, a series of transversely arranged longitudinally spaced brush assemblies interchangeably mounted within said base, said brush assemblies including an elongated rectangular box, clips at the outer ends thereof turned downwardly and in supported engagement with the upper edges of the side walls of said base, and a brush mounted within each box including a base nested within said box and including a series of bristles projecting thereabove and above the top of said base, a hooded cover hingedly connected to said base at the rear thereof, spring means on said hinge connection interposed between said base and cover and normally biasing said cover to open position, a latch on the front Wall of said base normally retaining said cover in closed position including a manual release.

a 2. In a shoe and boot cleaning device, a hollow elongated base including side, front and rear walls, a hooded cover hingedly connected to said base at the rear thereof, spring means on said hinge connection interposed between saidbase and cover and normally biasing said cover to open position, a latch on the front wall of said base normally retaining said cover in closed position including a manual release, a pair of longitudinally spaced guides upon a side Wall of said base, a manually movable closure arm positioned within said guides having a handle at one end, an actuator arm depending from a rear portion of said cover, said closure arm at its other end operatively engageable with said actuator arm for pivoting said cover to closed position in registry with said latch, and stop means on said arm engageable with one of said guides for limiting opening movements of said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 685,765 Jacobs Nov. 5, 1901 747,031 Bartoszek Dec. 15, 1903 919,111 Zenke Apr. 20. 1909 1,244,683 Ambruster Oct. 30, 1917 1,277,834 Berdar Sept. 3, 1918 2,046,777 Geibel July 7, 1936 15 2,214,129 Fratis Sept. 10, 1940

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