US3793744A - Device for drying shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for directly drying the inside of shoes, such as bowling shoes or golf shoes, which consists of a drying box provided with an external heater, a serpentine air inlet pipe within the box connected to said heater and provided with a plurality of perforate nozzles on which said shoes may be hung.

Description

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,793,744 Salta Feb. 26, 1974 [54] DEVICE FOR DRYING SHOES 3,096,148 7/1963 Walker, Jr. 21/108 1,934,956 11/1933 Wait 21/55 X [76] Inventori S 1,488,433 3/1924 MacDonald 34/202 YOShIhaYa-CYP, 081a, Fukuoaka 1,413,862 4/1922 MacDonald 34/202 Prefecture, lizuka, Japan [22] Filed: June 12, 1972 Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Assistant Examiner-James C. Yeung [2] 1 Appl' 261996 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brisebois & Kruger [52] US. Cl 34/104, 34/202, 21/110 7 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. F26!) 25/00 [5 1 n I I [58] Field of Search 34/104, 202, 236, 80; 251/145, A devlce for directly drymg the 1ns1de of shoes, such 251 293 352; 21 0 110 121 55 5 as bowling shoes or golf shoes, which consists ofa dry- 12/1294 142 v 12 3 25 ing box provided with an external heater, a'serpentine air inlet pipe within the box connected to said heater 5 References Cited and provided with a plurality of perforate nozzles on UNITED STATES PATENTS which said shoes may be hung. 3,299,529 I /1967 Roberts et a1. 34/104 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures FATENTEDFEB26 19m SHEET 1 0F 2- 1 DEVICE FOR DRYING SHOES SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for drying shoes, such as bowling shoes or golf shoes, after they have been used for a time, and especially for drying the inside of the shoes directly.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a device for directly drying the inside of the bowling shoes or golf shoes which have been worn for some time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for drying shoes in which hot air never blows directly against the instep of sole of the shoes.

There are various known devices for drying bowling shoes or golf shoes but almost all of them are merely in the form of drying boxes in which the shoes to be dried are placed, or hung on some hanging means, and are dried by direct blowing of hot air. However, it is difficult to cause the hot air to completely dry the inside of the shoes and eliminate offensive smells, since it does not reach parts of the shoes. Furthermore, the hot air in such devices is more directly and strongly blown against the instep or sole of the shoes rather than the inside, which often results in cracking of the outer surface of the shoes and also makes the shoes slippery.

Other objects of the present invention will be better understood from the following description of several embodiments thereof, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the first embodiment of the present invention with a portion of one door broken away;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showing one of the nozzles of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along the line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing a pair of shoes and nozzles at the time of drying;

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken along the line VlII- -VIII of the FIG. 7.

The first embodiment of this invention (shown in FIGS. 1-3) will now be described. In'the first embodiment, a drying box 2 provided with front doors 1, through which shoes may be inserted and removed, comprises a serpentine inlet pipe 3, a suitable number of curved nozzles 4 mounted on each horizontal part of the inlet pipe, a plurality of apertures 5 in said nozzles for discharging hot air over the surface of the nozzles, and a blower 7 between the inlet pipe 3 and a heater 6 mounted outside the box and connected to the end of the inlet pipe. Reference numeral 8 indicates an ozone-generator and 9 a solid block of formalin, which are positioned in the lower part of the box. Reference numeral 10 schematically indicates a shoe hung on one of the nozzles.

According to the present invention, after shoes which i have been used for some time are hung on the individual nozzle as shown in FIG. 3, hot air generated by' operation of the heater passes through the inlet pipe and flows out of the nozzles into the shoes. Since the hot air discharged from the apertures of the nozzles strikes the inside of the shoes, the shoes can be perfectly dried and deodorized from the inside which is apt to become wet and unsanitary. Furthermore, in this invention, the exterior sole and the instep of the shoes are not dried directly by the incoming hot air, but are warmed by the remaining heat in the closed drying box, so the shoes treated in this device do not become slippery, and at the same time the present invention keeps the outer surface of the shoes from cracking.

The second embodiment of the present invention (shown in FIGS. 4-6), also comprises a'drying box 2 as shown in the first embodiment, which box is provided with shelves 11 on which shoes are placed. A hot air inlet pipe 3 winds along the shelves and a suitable number of forked nozzles 12 are connected to the horizontal parts of the inlet pipe. A heater 6 is connected to the outer end of the inlet pipe through a valve 13.

When the tips of the forked nozzles are inserted into the shoes on the shelf and the valve between the inlet pipe and the heater is opened, hot air generated in the heater is discharged into the shoes from the nozzles.

In the third embodiment of the present invention (shown in FIGS. 7-8), curved nozzles 14 are hinged to the horizontal parts of the inlet pipe in a drying box similar to the one shown in the second embodiment. Each curved nozzle has a plurality of apertures in its surface and valve members 15 are provided at the jointbetween the nozzle and the blast pipe. These valve members are freely opened and closed by an arm 16 near the inlet end of the nozzle. When the nozzle hangs free, it tends to hang at an angle, so that the valve is closed, but when a shoe is hung on the nozzle, it returns to a vertical position, in which said arm lifts the valve member. Hot air generated in the heater is discharged through the apertures into theshoesas in the first embodiment.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for drying shoes which comprises a drying box, an air inlet pipe within said box carrying a plurality of perforate nozzles adapted to be inserted into individual shoes, each nozzle being curved tojsupporta shoe and pivotally connected to said pipe, valve means at the connection of each nozzle to said pipe, each nozzle being provided with an arm for actuating the associated valve and mounted to swing to a valve opening position when a shoe is hung thereon, but swing to a valve closing position when said shoe is removed, a heater outside said box, and a blower connected to blow heated air from said heater into said inlet pipe.

2. A device claimed in claim 1 which is provided with a solid formalin in the lower part of said box.

3. A device claimed in claim 1 which is provided with an ozone-generator in the lower part of said box.

4. A device claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of shelves within said box for supporting said shoes, said inlet pipe being serpentine in configuration and winding along said shelves.

5. A device claimed in claim are forked.

4 in which said nozzles

Claims (5)

1. A device for drying shoes which comprises a drying box, an air inlet pipe within said box carrying a plurality of perforate nozzles adapted to be inserted into individual shoes, each nozzle being curved to support a shoe and pivotally connected to said pipe, valve means at the connection of each nozzle to said pipe, each nozzle being provided with an arm for actuating the associated valve and mounted to swing to a valve opening position when a shoe is hung thereon, but swing to a valve closing position when said shoe is removed, a heater outside said box, and a blower connected to blow heated air from said heater into said inlet pipe.

2. A device claimed in claim 1 which is provided with solid formalin in the lower part of said box.

3. A device claimed in claim 1 which is provided with an ozone-generator in the lower part of said box.

4. A device claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of shelves within said box for supporting said shoes, said inlet pipe being serpentine in configuration and winding along said shelves.

5. A device claimed in claim 4 in which said nozzles are forked.

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