US3659304A

US3659304A - Shoe cleaner and polisher

Info

Publication number: US3659304A
Application number: US63082A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd H Leonard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-08-12
Filing date: 1970-08-12
Publication date: 1972-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-02
Also published as: DE2109100A1

Abstract

A shoe cleaner and polisher comprising a pair of motor driven rotary brushes offset from each other and of such heights as to permit the placing of one''s shod shoe beneath one brush to brush and polish the top of the shoe and on the top of the other brush to permit cleaning of the bottoms and sides of the soles of the shoe, the brushes having a common power source and being drivingly connected for rotation in opposite directions.

Description

United States Patent Leonard 51 May 2, 1972 [54] SHOE CLEANER AND POLISHER [72] Inventor: Lloyd H. Leonard, 14877 Valley Vista Blvd, Sherman Oaks, Calif. 91403 [22] Filed: Aug. 12,1970

[21] App1.No.: 63,082

[52] U.S.CI. ..l5/36, 15/21 D.

51 Int.Cl. ..A47l23/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..15/4,21D,3(),31,32,34, 15/36, 97 A, 38, 77, 88, 56, 74, 75, 39, 70, 311

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,069,710 12/1962 Dremeletal. ..15/36 3,226,750 1/1966 Leonard ..15/36 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 14,268 8/1852 Great Britain 15/34 Primary Examiner-Edward L. Roberts AttorneyAl1an D. Mockabee [57] ABSTRACT A shoe cleaner and polisher comprising a pair of motor driven rotary brushes offset from each other and of such heights as to permit the placing of ones shod shoe beneath one brush to brush and polish the top of the shoe and on the top of the other brush to permit cleaning of the bottoms and sides of the soles of the shoe, the brushes having a common power source and being drivingly connected for rotation in opposite directions.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PRIOR ART My prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,750, granted Jan. 4, 1966 on Power Operated Golf Shoe Cleaner discloses a single brush power operated shoe cleaner.

The present invention as distinguished from those prior art devices identified above has as a primary object the provision of a shoe cleaner and polisher particularly adapted for cleated or spiked shoes, such as golf shoes, wherein one rotary brush is provided to polish the tops or uppers of the shoes and another rotary brush is provided for cleaning the soles around the spikes as well as the side edges of the soles and the lower side portions of the uppers.

Another object is to provide a pair of rotary brushes in a device of this type wherein one brush is on a powered shaft and the other on a driven shaft connected by suitable gearing to the powered shaft in such a way that the brushes will rotate in opposite directions so that when the shoe is placed beneath the polishing brush, or upon the cleaning brush, the rotary wiping movement of the brush in each instance is away from the user. Consequently, dust and dirt or mud and grass cuttings will not be directed toward but away from the user.

A further object is to provide a relatively simple compact arrangement of the brushes and other supporting and operating mechanism.

The above and other objects will more fully appear from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view.

The device has a horizontal U-shaped tubular frame 4 supported by suitable feet 6 A tubular cross member 8 extends across the open end of the U and is secured to frame 4 by straps 10 whichlie about the cross member 8 and whose ends extend into the tubular frame 4 and are anchored by bolts 12 extending through said tubular frame.

The frame 4 supports an upright bracket 14 having an opening 16 to receive the front support 18 of a motor 20. The motor has a rear support 22 suitably carried by a rear bracket plate 24 whose lower end is connected to the frame 4 by bolts 26. The upper end of the bracket plate 14 is connected by a bolt 28 to the underside of the top 30 of a housing, indicated generally at 32. The upper end of the bracket plate 24 is connected by a bolt 34 to the underside of the housing top 30.

The motor 20 has a shaft 36 extending therefrom to the right as viewed in FIG. 2, said shaft projecting through an opening 38 in the right wall 40 of housing 32. The opening 38 is considerably larger than shaft 36 to accommodate a hub 42 of a suitable rotary brush 44 which may be secured to the shaft in any suitable manner as by a bolt 46. The left or inner end of the hub 42 is provided with notches 48 and 50 which fit about lugs 52 and 54 extending radially from opposite sides of a nylon gear unit 56 mounted on and secured to the shaft 36 by a set screw 58 threaded through the lug 52 and the body of the gear 56.

The gear 56 meshes with a larger gear 60 on the right end of a countershaft 62 which lies within the housing and is supported by a bushing 64 in an opening 66 in the right bracket plate 14. The countershaft 62 is also supported by a bushing 68 mounted in an opening 70 in the left bracket plate 24. The countershaft 62 extends to the left exteriorly of the left wall 72 of the housing 32 and mounted thereon is a rotary brush 74 having a sleeve 76 and

flanges

78 and 80. The flange 80 is provided with a hub 86. A screw 88 threaded into the left end of the countershaft 62 retains the hub 86 and the remainder of the rotary brush 74 on the shaft 68 in conjunction with the pin 84.

Extending upwardly through the top 30 of the housing 32 is a tubular wand 90 which houses a push rod 92 normally urged upwardly by a spring 94 located between an anchoring cup 96 and a cap 98 on the upper end of the rod 92. Said push rod 92 is adapted to engage a switch button 100 which will energize the motor 20 as ong as the cap 98 is held down. This of course will rotate the motor shaft 36 and cause said shaft to rotate in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right of the drawing. This will similarly rotate the brush 44 which is spaced sufficiently above the ground or floor surface to permit .the shod foot of the user to be placed beneath the brush 44.

This is for the purpose of cleaning and polishing the upper portion of the shoe with a rotary wiping motion which is away from the user.

By reason of the gears 56 and 60, the countershaft 62 will be rotated clockwise or in a direction opposite to that of the motor shaft 36. The brush 74 on said countershaft will rotate therewith and it is located close to the ground or floor surface so that the shod foot of the user'can conveniently be placed on the upper part of that brush for the purpose of cleaning the shoe soles and around the spikes of golf shoes for example, and also the edges of the soles and lower portions of the sides of the shoe uppers. Again the wiping motion is away from the user so that he will not be splattered with dirt and debris being removed by the brush 74. It is preferred that a suitable receptacle, such as partially indicated at 102 in FIG. 1, can be used to catch dirt and grass cuttings removed from the bottoms of the shoes.

The brush 44 if desired may be in the form of a multilayered fabric buffer, while that of FIG. 2 preferably is formed of bristles, since the brush 74 is primarily designed for cleaning, and brush 44 for brushingor polishing.

It should of course be understood that various changes can be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without deparing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: I v

1. A shoe cleaner and polisher comprising a base, an electric motor and a pair of motor driven brush means, wherein the improvement comprises: said motor having a horizontal rotary shaft with one of said brush means on said shaft for rotation therewith, a countershaft supported by said base for rotation about a horizontal axis, the other of said brush means being on said countershaft, a drive connection from said motor shaft to said countershaft, said drive connection being arranged to drive said countershaft in a direction the reverse of that of said motor shaft, and said brushes being axially offset.

2. The structure in claim 1, and one of said brushes having its lower portion spaced sufficiently above the bottom of said base to permit the insertion of a persons shod foot beneath and in contact with the underside of the brush, and the other of said brushes having sufficient space above its upper portion to permit the placing of a persons shod foot thereon, the reverse direction of said shafts causing the brushes to wipe selectively against'the upper and under sides of shoes in the same rotational direction.

3. The structure in claim 1, and a housing enclosing said motor, said horizontal rotary motor shaft having a portion extending through one side of said housing, said brush on said shaft lying exteriorly of said housing, said countershaft having an end located in said housing and extending through an opposite side of the housing from said rotary motor shaft with its brush located exteriorly of said opposite side of said housing, the ends of said shafts in said housing overlapping, and said drive connection comprising a drive gear on said motor shaft and a meshed driven gear on said countershaft.

4. The structure in claim 3, and said gears producing a reversal of rotation of the countershaft from that of said motor shaft.

Claims

2. The structure in claim 1, and one of said brushes having its lower portion spaced sufficiently above the bottom of said base to permit the insertion of a person''s shod foot beneath and in contact with the underside of the brush, and the other of said brushes having sufficient space above its upper portion to permit the placing of a person''s shod foot thereon, the reverse direction of said shafts causing the brushes to wipe selectively against the upper and under sides of shoes in the same rotational direction.