US3551933A - Automatic shoe shine machine - Google Patents

Abstract

AN AUTOMATIC SHOE SHINE MACHINE WHICH INCLUDES A SET OF BUFFING BRUSHES DRIVE BY A SEPARATE MOTOR, A PAIR OF INDIVIDUALLY DRIVEN POLISH APPLICATION BRUSHES, ONE FOR EACH OF TWO DIFFERENT COLORS OF POLISH, A SELECTION SWITCH FOR THE CUSTOMER TO SELECT THE DESIRED COLOR OF POLISH, A COIN MECHANISM FOR ACTIVATING THE MACHINE, AND A SEPARATE POLISH APPLICATOR ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THE POLISH APPLICATION BRUSHES, EACH OF THE POLISH APPLICATORS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED FEED TUBE, A CAKE OF WAX-TYPE POLISH DISPOSED WITHIN THE FEED TUBE, A PUSHER PLATE FOR PUSHING THE POLISH CAKE FORWARD ONTO THE ASSOCIATED POLISH BRUSH, A TELESCOPING LEAD SCREW ATTACHED TO THE PUSHER PLATE, AND A SMALL ELECTRIC MOTOR COUPLED TO THE REARWARD END OF THE

TELESCOPING LEAD SCREW, THE MACHINE FURTHER INCLUDING TIMING AND CONTROL CIRCUITRY RESPONSIVE TO THE COIN MECHANISM FOR ENERGIZING THE SELECTED POLISH APPLICATION BRUSH DURING THE ENTIRE OPERATING CYCLE, THE SELECTED POLISH APPLICATOR DURING ONLY AN INITIAL PORTION OF THE OPERATING CYCLE, AND BUFFING BRUSHES DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE OPERATING CYCLE.

Description

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Filed Aug. s. 1968 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 United States Patent C 3,551,933 AUTOMATIC SHOE SHINE MACHINE Wilbert I. Jaeger, Orange, Calif., assignor to Medevco, Los Alamitos, Calif., a corporation of `California Filed Aug. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 750,109 Int. Cl. A471 23/02 U.S. Cl. --31 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic shoe shine machine which includes a set of buffing brushes driven by a separate motor; a pair of individually driven polish application brushes, one for each of two different colors of polish; a selection switch for the customer to select the desired color of polish; a coin mechanism for activating the machine; and a separate polish applicator associated with each of the polish application brushes; each of the polish applicators including an elongated feed tube, a cake of wax-type polish disposed within the feed tube, a pusher plate for pushing the polish cake forward onto the associated polish brush, a telescoping lead screw attached to the pusher plate, and a small electric motor coupled to the rearward end of the telescoping lead screw; the machine further including timing and control circuitry responsive to the coin mechanism for energizing the selected polish application brush during the entire operating cycle, the selected polish ap plicator during only an initial portion of the operating cycle, and the bung brushes during the remainder of the operating cycle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various types of automatic shoe shine machines have heretofore been available. However, their operation has not been satisfactory. The primary diculty has been in the automatic dispensing of polishing material. A liquid type polish has lgenerally been used in these automatic machines, and the dispensing thereof has simply not resulted in a satisfactory polish job on the shoes of the customer.

One of the important features of the present invention is a novel type of dispenser-for wax-type polish, which permits the dispensing of a precisely metered quantity of polish in a carefully controlled manner.

Another significant feature of the invention is the provision of a polish applicator which incorporates a disposable feed tube as a container for the polishing material, thereby facilitating the `usage of disposable containers.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a timing and sequence control in the operation of the shoe shine machine, which minimizes the amount of polishing material that is used, obains the fullest possible usage from the polish material that is dispensed, makes the operation of the machine extremely easy for the customer to understand and therefore its usage extremely easy, and provides the customer with the maximum results for a rather short operating cycle of the machine. More specitically, in its preferred form the machine has two polish application brushes, one for black polish and one for brown polish; there are a separate set of rotating brushes used for bung the shoes after application of polish thereto; and a separate polish applicator is associated with each of the polish brushes. A selector switch is set by the customer to select either black or brown polish. Thereafter the customer deposits a coin in the coin slot, and the polish applicator and polish brush for the selected color are energized simultaneously. The polish brush runs for the full operating cycle of the machine, such as two and one-half minutes. The polish applicator is driven only during an initial portion of the operating cycle, such as lifty seconds, and during this time the customer may apply his shoe to the front of the polish brush while the applicator is applying polish to the rear of the brush. After the polish applicator stops advancing the customer may, if he wishes, continue to apply his shoe to the front of the polish brush, even though no additional polish material is being received by the brush. Until the polish applicator ceases to function there is only one brush rotating, and this is the polish brush for the particular color of polish which was selected, so the customer has no difficulty in understanding that he is to apply his shoe to the front of this particular brush. But when the end of that operation of the polish applicator is reached, such as after fifty seconds, the set of buing brushes then commence their rotation. The customer then readily `understands that it is now time for his shoes to be buifed.

DRAWINGS SUMMARY FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a presently preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view, partially cut away, of the machine of FIG. l

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 6 -6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. l0 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 1010 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 1l is a fragmentary cross-sectional plan View taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 12-12 of FIG. l1;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional vertical View similar to FIG. l2, showing a more advanced position of the polish applicator;

FIG. 14 is a detail cross-sectional view taken in the circle 14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. l5 is a detail cross-sectional view taken in the circle 15-15 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a perspective View of the polish applicator housing;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the telescoping lead screw used in the polish applicator;

FIG. 18 is a timing cycle diagram; and FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram of the machine.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 19.

As best seen in FIG. 1 the complete machine includes a lower base and an elevated rear base 11. Fixed tubular members 12 and 13 are provided on each side of the machine, each of these members extending forwardly from the top of the rear base 11 and being curved and then extending down and attaching to the upper front portion of the lower base 10. The members 12 and 13 provide convenient hand grips for the customer so that he can more conveniently manipulate his feet and shoes while he is using the shoe shine machine. Within the lower base 10 there is a black polish brush 80 which is partially exposed at the left side of the machine, and a brown polish brush 81 which is partially exposed at the right side. A selection switch 41 is mounted on the upper part of the rear base 11, and this selection switch is moved to its left-hand position if the customer desires black polish or to the right-hand position if he desires brown polish. In the central region of the machine, on top of the lower base 10, are a set of bufng brushes 60, which more specifically includes a rather large brush 61 mounted on the vertical base 11 and two smaller brushes 62 and 63 mounted on the upper surface of the lower base 10. As will be understood from FIG. 1 taken in conjunction with FIG. 3, the size and location of the bufng brushes is such that the customer may place his shoe within the opening provided at the center of these brushes, and may manipulate his foot in various directions so as to obtain a bufng action on the entire exterior surface of the shoe.

The black polish brush receives polish material on its rearward side from a polish applicator 100, which is not seen in FIG. 1 but which is illustrated in FIGS. 13, 16, and 17. In like manner the brown polish brush 81 receives brown polish material on its rearward side from an identically constructed polish applicator unit 101. As best seen in FIG. 16 the polish applicator includes a frame 105 having a forward end 106 and a rearward end 107. A short metallic feed tube section 110 is securely attached, as by welding, to the forward end 106 of frame 105. An L-shaped bracket is rigidly attached to the rearward end 107 of frame 105, and to this bracket 11S a small electric motor is rigidly secured. A reduction gear box 121 is affixed to motor 120, and from gear box 121 a shaft extending through an opening in the plate 115 drives a U-shaped coupler plate 122 which faces in a forward direction toward the feed tube section 110.

As best seen in FIG. 13 the polish applicator 100 is loaded by means of a disposable cardboard feed tube 130, which is placed on top of the frame 105 in alignment with the short metallic section 110. An arcuately shaped metallic member 111 is welded on the upper rearward extremity of tube section 110 to provide a rearwardly projecting circumferential flange; and when tube has been loaded into the applicator as shown in FIG. 13 the member 111 then acts as a xed alignment means for maintaining the forward end of tube 130 in a removable but precisely aligned relationship with the rearward end of the metallic tube section 110, thereby to insure the smooth forward movement of the polish cake in the manner that will be subsequently described. The feed tube 130 is originally filled with an elongated cake of wax-type polish (see FIG. 11). A cardboard cup 131 is then disposed within the rearward end of the feed tube 130. An essential part of the polish applicator 100 is a telescoping lead screw 140 (FIG. 17). A pusher plate 145 is rigidly secured, as by welding, to the forward end of lead screw 140, while an anchor plate 150 is likewise rigidly secured to its rearward end. In the assembled and operative relationship of the applicator, as shown in FIG. 13, the pusher plate 145 occupies the interior of cupy 131, and hence indirectly engages the rearward end of polish cake 135 in order to 4 propel the cake forwardly through the feed tube 130 and feed tube section 110. At the same time the U-shaped anchor plate 150 is removably coupled to the U-shaped drive member 122 associated with motor 120.

The operation of the polish applicator 100 is, in general as follows. Motor 120 is energized for a predetermined period of time, and the rotation of the motor causes the rotation of the coupling members 122 and 150, thus causing the length of telescoping lead screw to `become progressively extended. Pusher plate has sharp prongs 146, 147 on its forward surface which engage the inner bottom surface of the cardboard cup 131, and thereby prevent the rotation of pusher plate 145 relative to the polish cake 135. Thus the rotating drive of motor 120, imparted to member 122, does not serve to rotate the polish cake 135 within the interior of feed tube 130, but on the contrary simply pushes it forward by virtue of the progressive extension in the length of telescoping lead screw 140. Polish brush 80 rotates in a plane inclined from the horizontal, hence the forward end of polish cake 135 is cut at such an angle that the particles of polish move in a partly forward and partly downward direction as they are deposited on brush 80.

Means are provided for inserting and removing the telescoping lead screw 140, in connection with the insertion or replacement of the feed tube 130. Frame 105 includes a. major or forward part 1050 and a secondary or rearward part 105b (FIG. 16) which are joined together by means of a bolt and wing nut 108 (FIG. 13). When the polish cake 135 has been fully consumed the wing nut 108 is removed, detaching frame portion 105b and the motor 120, and making it possible to remove lead screw 140 from the interior of feed tube 130. The used feed tube 130 is thrown away. A new feed tube 130 is loaded onto the forward portion 105:2 of the applicator frame being retained by a clasp member 109. The lead screw 140' is then tumed by hand to its original telescoped position, and its associated pusher plate 145 is inserted into the cup 131 of the new feed tube. The frame portion 105b and motor 120 are then replaced in their operative position and secured by means of the wing nut 108i. The unit is then again ready to operate, with a fully loaded feed tube in place.

Reference is now made to FIG. 18 showing the operating cycle of the machine, and to FIG. 19 which is a schematic system diagram of the machine. Any suitable coin receiver and electrical circuitry can be used to operate the machine: for example, U.S. Pats. 3,396,418 to Kelly; 2,964,768 to Sirois; and 1,836,924 to Kenny et al. show well-known coin receiving and electrical systems. In the particular embodiment the coin mechanism 30 includes a coin slot 31, FIG. 1, into which a coin is dropped for initiating the operating cycle of the vmachine. The coin moves into an upper mechanism portion 32 of the coin mechanism 30 where the weight of the coin causes actuation of two switches (not shown) by moving the switches from their first to their second positions. This activates the following: the timing and control system 40, which may comprise a rotating cam (not shown) a motor M2 (reference number 70) to rotate the polish brush PB (reference number 80) (or motor 71) to to operate polish brush `81, depending upon the position of the switch 41), and a motor M1 (reference number 120) to operate the polish applicator PA (reference number 100) (or the motor to operate the polish applicator 101 depending upon the position of the switch 41). After a certain rotation of the cam, the coin is released and allowed to drop through the middle or chute portion 33 of the coin mechanism into the lower or coin box portion 34. At the same time one of the two switches is returned to its first position which turns oif motor M1 and thereby polish applicator 100 and turns on motor M3 (reference nurnber 50) which rotates the bufhng brushes BB (reference number 60). When the timing cam has made a complete revolution, the second of the two switches returns to its first position and motors M2 and M3 (70 and 50 respectively) are turned off.

The preferred operating cycle, as shown in FIG. 18, has a total time period of two and one-half minutes. At the inception of this cycle, when the coin is dropped in slot 31, the polish applicator PA (or 100) is actuated, and at the same time the polish brush PB (or 80) is also actuated. Of course it will be understood that, by virtue of the selection switch 41, a selection has been made by the customer prior to placing the coin in slot 31, hence only one of the polish brushes 80, 81 will be actuated. and only the associated one of the polish applicators 100, 101 will be actuated. The running time for the polish applicator is preferably fifty seconds, and during this time the polish cake 135 advances continuously, at a precisely controlled rate, onto the surface of the associated polish brush 80 or 81. When the application of polish material is completed, the timing and control circuit 40 is effective to stop the energization of the polish applicator rnotor 120, and at the same time is effective to energize the bufiing brush motor M3 (reference numeral 50). The bufiing brushes then run for the remainder of the operating cycle, or one minute, forty seconds.

One advantage of this method of machine operation is that the customer, simply by looking at the various brushes and seeing which one is rotating, automatically knows where to put his foot. During the first fifty seconds only the selected one of the polish brushes 80, 81 will be rotating. So there is only one place that he can place his foot and get any results from the machine, and this is the correct place. After the first fifty seconds the particular polish brush 80 or 81 continues to rotate, but at that time the full set of bufiing brushes 60 commences rotation. The customer then knows that his shoe can be buffed, if he will only place it in contact with the bufiing brushes. The polish applicating brush is still running, so he can still get some more polish material on his show if he wants it, but unbeknownst to him there is no new supply of polish material being transferred to the polish brush at this time. That is all to the good, however, because economy in the use of the polish material is achieved, and saturation of the polish brush with excessive and unneeded polish material is also avoided.

Reference is now made to the remaining figures of the drawings wherein various other details of construction of the shoe shine machine are illustrated.

In FIG. 2 it is seen that the complete coin mechanism 30 includes the coin slot 31 at the top of the machine, the upper mechanism portion 32, the chute portion 33, and the coin box portion34, all of which are conventional and form no part of the present invention, and therefore do not require any further detailed description.

Also seen in FIG. 2 is the motor 50 (M3) which drives the bufiing brushes 60. The drive system for the bufiing brushes is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Motor 50 has a drive shaft extending upward from it, on which there are two separate drive pulleys, the upper one being designated as 51b while the lower is designated as 51a. A belt 52 rides on the pulley 51b and also on a pulley 53 which is located on a shaft extending downwardly beneath the buffng brush 62. Another pulley 54 is driven by the same shaft aixed to the brush 62 carries a belt 5S, and the belt 55 carries the drive power to a pulley 56 that is carried on a downwardly extending shaft of the bufhng brush `63. Drive pulley 51a carries another and longer belt 57, which rides over 'a pair of idler pulleys 58a, 58b and thence up to a drive pulley 59 that is connected to the drive shaft for the bufiing brush 61.

Referring now to FIG-S. 2 and 3, it will be seen that each of the polish brushes 80, 81 has its own separate drive motor 70, 71. Thus as seen in FIG. 3 the brush 80 is supported above an inclined frame portion 16; the brush shaft extends through the frame portion 16 on its under side; and a drive motor 70 is attached to the shaft.

6 ALTERNATE FORMS In an alternate mode of construction the polish cake 135 may be provided with a square or rectangular crosssectional configuration, in which event the shape of the Ifeed tube and feed tube section 110 are modified accordingly.

In some applications a smaller and more compact machine is desired, and this can be easily accomplished by making several modifications in the illustrated form of our machine. One such modification is the use of a single bufiing brush which rotates on a vertical axis like the brushes 62 and `63, in lieu of the present set of three brushes. Another such modification is the use of a larger number of telescoping sections in the telescoping lead screw 140, so that the overall length of the polish applicator can be reduced, and the front-to back dimension of the machine can be reduced correspondingly. The timing and control circuit may also be simplified by running the buffer brush as well as the polish brush throughout the entire operating cycle of the machine.

The invention has been described in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent laws by providing a full public disclosure of at least one of its forms. However, such detailed description is not intended in any way to limit the broad features or principles of the invention, or the scope of patent monopoly to be granted.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic shoe shine machine comprising, in

combination:

a pair of rotatable polish application brushes, one for each of two different colors of polish, each of said polish application brushes having an indifvidual drive motor associated therewith;

a selection switch for selecting the desired one of said polish colors;

at least one buffing brush having drive means associated therewith;

pair of polish applicators, one associated with each of said polish application brushes, each of said polish applicators including an elongated feed tube, an elongated cake of ywax-type polish disposed within said feed tube, feeding means for advancing said polish cake Ithrough said feed tube at a continuous and constant rate against the associated polish application brush, and a small electric motor coupled to said feeding means for driving the same;

means for receiving a coin to activate the machine; and

means for timing and controlling the machine activated by said coin mechanism and responses to the position of said selection switch to selectively initiate the drive motor of one of said polish application brushes throughout the entire duration of a predetermined operating cycle, to initiate the drive motor of the polish applicator associated with the selected one of said polish application brushes during only an initial portion of said operating cycle, and to initiate the drive means of said bufiiing brush during the remaining portion of said operating cycle.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said feeding means includes a pusher plate adapted to be received within said feed tube, means for preventing rotation of said pusher plate relative to said feed tube, a telescoping lead screw having its forward end rigidly secured to said pusher plate, and an anchor plate coupling the rearward end of said lead screw to said small electric motor to be rotatably driven thereby.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a set of three bufiing brushes, and a common drive means for concurrently driving all of said buffing brushes in unison.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the period of said operating cycle is approximately two and onehalf minutes, said initial portion of said operating cycle is approximately fifty seconds, and said remaining portion of said operating cycle is approximately one minute, forty seconds.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said polish application brushes rotates in a plane which is inclined approximately twenty degrees from the hori zontal, the forward and downwardly disposed side of each brush being adapted for the application of polish t0 the shoe of a customer, and the rearward and upwardly disposed side of the brush being engaged by said polish cake of said polish applicator; said feed tube being horizontally disposed and having its forward end cut at an angle of approximately twenty degrees from the vertical whereby the rotating action of the polish application brush also cuts away the forward end of said polish cake at approximately the same angle.

6. In an automatic shoe shine machine, a polish applicator comprising, in combination:

an elongated feed tube being horizontally disposed;

an elongated cake of wax-type polish disposed within said feed tube;

a pusher plate disposed within said feed tube and engaging one end of said polish cake;

means preventing rotation of said pusher plate relative to said feed tube;

a telescoping lead screw having a first end rigidly secured to said pusher plate;

a small electric `motor for advancing said lead screw at a continuous and constant rate;

an anchor plate coupling a second end of said lead 8 screw to said small electric motor to be rotatably driven thereby;

a polish application brush rotatable in a plane which is inclined from the horizontal, the downwardly disposed portion of said brush being adapted for the application of polish to the shoe of a customer, and the upwardly disposed portion of said brush being engaged by the second end of said polish cake;

whereby as said polish cake advances, the rotating action of said brush cuts away particles of polish from the second end of said polish cake; and

the second end of said polish cake is cut at an angle inclined from the vertical such that the particles of polish move in a direction partly towards said brush and partly downward as they are deposited upon said brush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,448,342 3/1923 Harris 15-31 1,805,832 5/1931 McDowell et al 15-31 2,964,768 12/1960 Sirois 15-31 3,396,418 8/1968 Kelly 15-31 EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 15-34

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