US3121899A

US3121899A - Shoe cleaning tool

Info

Publication number: US3121899A
Application number: US165629A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard C Lindmark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-01-11
Filing date: 1962-01-11
Publication date: 1964-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 1981-02-25

Description

Feb. 25, 1964 H. c. LINDMARK SHOE CLEANING TOOL Filed Jan. 11, 1962 l EPIC I IZL- United States Patent 3,121,899 SHGE (ILEANENG TQOL Howard C. Lindmark, 1206 Kishwaukee St., Rockford, Ill. Filed .l'an. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 165,629 2 Claims. Cl. 15237) This invention relates generally to tools for clecning shoe soles, and more particularly, to a tool for cleaning the sole of a bowling shoe. During usage, a bowling shoe picks up oil, wax, lint and other foreign material which causes the shoe to tend to stick on the approach of the bowling alley and interferes with the desired sliding action of the bowler during delivery of the bowling ball.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a shoe cleaning tool of simple and inexpensive construction adapted to clean the sole of a bowling shoe and then condition the cleaned sole to provide the desired sliding action during delivery of a bowling ball by the wearer of the shoe.

Another object is to provide a shoe cleaning tool having different edges for roughening the sole to clean foreign material from the sole and then smoothing the roughened sole for a proper sliding action.

A more detailed object is to form the two edges on a head which is constructed in a novel manner and connected to a handle so that the handle reinforces and is located positively with respect to the head.

The invention also resides in the novel construction of the handle to accommodate other accessories to be used by the bowler.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a shoe cleaning tool embodying the novel features of the invention;

PEG. 2 is a side elevational view of the tool shown in a position to smooth a roughened sole;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the tool positioned to roughen and clean the sole;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the tool;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the head;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of the handle partially broken away and shown in section; and

PEG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to FIG. 7 and showing a modified handle construction.

The present invention is especially suited for use by bowlers to condition their shoes to obtain a desired sliding action as the bowler completes his delivery of a bowling ball. It is common for foreign matter to accumulate on the soles of the bowlers shoes as the bowler walks around the approaches to the bowling alley and the surrounding fioor area, such foreign matter including oil, wax and lint. This material tends to cause the bowlers shoes to stick to the approach to the alley and thereby interfere with the bowlers desired sliding delivery.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel tool 10 which is of simple and inexpensive construction and which is especially adapted for cleaning the sole ll of a bowlers shoe and then conditioning the sole to insure a proper sliding action upon delivery of a bowling ball. To these ends, two

edges

12 and 13 are formed on the tool, one edge 12 being roughened or irregular so as to loosen foreign material and abrade the sole. The other edge 13 is a generally straight edge spaced from the first edge and adapted to engage the sole to smooth it after it has been roughened and cleaned.

"ice

The two edges are secured to a handle 14 which is grasped by the user and manipulated to position the individual edges selectively against the sole and draw the effective edge along the sole.

To simplify the construction and reduce the cost, the two

edges

12 and 13 are formed on a head 15 which is separate from but secured to the handle 14. The head is elongated and is of U-shaped cross section and the edges are the terminations of laterally spaced

parallel legs

16 and 17 of the head. These legs are connected by a fiat closed end portion 18 which is secured to One end portion 19 of the handle, the handle projecting away from the head at an angle in a direction opposite to the direction of projection of the legs from the closed end.

To position the handle positively with respect to the head and to reinforce the head, the end portion 19 of the head is flattened and extends through an aperture 20 in one leg 17 to lie against the inner side of the closed end 18 of the U to which it is secured rigidly, in this instance, by a rivet 21. The desired abrading action of the roughened edge is achieved herein by upsetting spaced portions 22 of the leg which terminates in this edge, the upset portions being straight and of arcuate cross section and extending inwardly from the edge in parallel relation and approximately halfway from the edge to the closed end of the U.

In one of its more detailed aspects, the invention contemplates a novel construction of the handle 14 to accommodate other accessories for the bowler. For this purpose, the other end portion of the handle remote from the flat end portion 19 preferably is made hollow and is closed by a removable cap 23. The handle thus constitutes a container which may be opened and closed selectively to receive accessories. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the handle may contain a tube 24 of powder 25 which may be applied to the sole 11 after the smoothing operation.

Another alternative is shown in FIG. 8. There, the diameter of the hollow end portion of the handle is made somewhat larger to receive a brush 26 which may be used with suitable cleaning materials to clean the finger holes of a bowling ball. While the cap 23 may take various forms, it is of inverted cup shape in this instance and telescopes over the outer side of the open end of the tube, its material preferably being resilient so as to grip the handle and remain in position thereon.

The novel tool 10 described above is especially suited for formation in stamping operations. After the head 15 and handle 14 are cut and stamped to their desired shapes from plate and tube stock, they are assembled by inserting the flat end portion 19 of the handle through the aperture 2t) and along the inner side of the closed end 18 of the head until the end of the flattened portion of the handle abuts the remote leg 16 of the head opposite the aperture. This brings into registry a hole 27 in the closed end of the head and another hole 28 in the flat end portion of the handle (FIG. 5), the two holes receiving the rivet 21 for securing the head and handle together. After the rivet is secured in place, a desired accessory 25 may be inserted in the handle which is then closed by fitting the cap 23 over the open end.

In using the improved tool It to clean a shoe sole 11, first the handle 14 is turned to bring only the roughened edge 12 into engagement with the shoe sole as shown in FIG. 3. The tool then is reciprocated as shown by the double arrow in that figure so that the edge roughens or abrades the shoe sole and removes the foreign matter which may be on the sole. The handle then is turned to raise the roughened edge out of contact with the sole and to move the strai ht edge 13 into engagement with the sole as shown in FIG. 2. This edge then is moved along the sole to smooth the roughened portions thereby conditioning the clean sole for sliding as the bowler delivers the ball. If desired, the tube 24 of powder 25 may be removed from the handle and the powder applied to the smooth sole to further enhance the sliding action.

It will be apparent that the novel cleaning tool not only is simple and inexpensive to construct, but also, is rugged and enables the shoe sole to be cleaned and then returned easily to a smooth finish suitable for sliding. Ruggedness is achieved by the flat end portion of the handle lying against, and thus reinforcing, the closed end of the U, by the abutment of that fiat end portion of the handle against one leg 16 and by the interfitting of the flat end portion with those parts of the other leg 17 defining the aperture 20. By making the handle hollow and closing it with the removable cap 23, this part of the tool may be used conveniently to carry other accessories such as the tube 24 of powder 25 and the hole-cleaning brush 26.

I claim:

1. A shoe cleaning tool having, in combination, an elongated handle having a short flat end portion and a longer generally straight portion disposed at an obtuse included angle with respect to the fiat end portion, a head member of U-shaped cross section secured to said flat end portion of said handle and having a flat closed end portion and two laterally spaced legs, one of said legs having an aperture extending along the junction between the leg and said closed end of the head and said flat end portion of said handle extending through said aperture and lying along and secured to the inner side of the closed end with said straight portion of the handle extending angularly away from the closed head end in a direction opposite to the direction of extension of the legs.

2. A shoe cleaning tool having, in combination, a head member of U-shaped cross section with a flat closed end portion and two laterally spaced legs, one of said legs having an elongated aperture extending along the junction between the leg and said closed end of the head, an elongated handle having a short fiat end portion extending through and fitting closely within said aperture and lying along the inner side of said closed end of said head with a straight end of the end portion abutting the other of said legs, and a connection rigidly securing said flat end portion of said handle against the inner side of said flat closed end portion of said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 7,489 Reed June 9, 1874 1,204,764 Helmich Nov. 14, 1916 2,219,436 Anderson Oct. 29, 1940 2,236,093 Friend Mar. 25, 1941 2,556,797 Carlson June 12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 826,644 France Jan. 8, 1938

Claims

1. A SHOE CLEANING TOOL HAVING, IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED HANDLE HAVING A SHORT FLAT END PORTION AND A LONGER GENERALLY STRAIGHT PORTION DISPOSED AT AN OBTUSE INCLUDED ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FLAT END PORTION, A HEAD MEMBER OF U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION SECURED TO SAID FLAT END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE AND HAVING A FLAT CLOSED END PORTION AND TWO LATERALLY SPACED LEGS, ONE OF SAID LEGS HAVING AN APERTURE EXTENDING ALONG THE JUNCTION BETWEEN THE LEG AND SAID CLOSED END OF THE HEAD AND SAID FLAT END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND LYING ALONG AND SECURED TO THE INNER SIDE OF THE CLOSED END WITH SAID STRAIGHT PORTION OF THE HANDLE EXTENDING ANGULARLY AWAY FROM THE CLOSED HEAD END IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF EXTENSION OF THE LEGS.