Abstract:
In general the invention is directed toward an apparatus for cleaning golf shoes which includes a sheet of material having a cleaning surface which can be attached to the floorboard of a golf cart such that the cleaning surface is exposed to the operator of the golf cart. The invention allows a golfer to clean their shoes during the normal course of the round without undue delay due to the convenient location of the device on the golf cart.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to golf equipment. More particularly, the present invention concerns the cleaning of the soles of golf shoes.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     One of the important purposes of golf shoes is to provide traction for the player, both to prevent slippage during the golf swing and to provide for safe navigation of the golf course. This purpose is accomplished by various spikes, lugs, cleats, etc., attached to the soles of typical golf shoes. During the course of a round of golf, debris, including mud, grass, and leaves, accumulates on the soles of the shoes reducing the effectiveness of these various traction providing devices. Thus, the soles of the shoes must be frequently cleaned to provide the appropriate traction for playing the game and walking the course.  
         [0003]     The frequent cleaning of golf shoes is accomplished through the use of brushes, tees, sticks or whatever is available to the player. Often stationary brushes are located around the golf course for the purpose of cleaning the soles of the golfer&#39;s shoes.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention generally comprises a sheet of material having a cleaning surface. The cleaning surface could, for example, comprise a plurality of projections The sheet of material may be configured to be removably attached to the floor board of a power golf cart. This cleaning surface, when attached to the cart, provides an efficient and effective means for cleaning the soles of golf shoes. Since the cleaning surface is attached to the cart rather than scattered around the course like stationary brushes, little delay in play occurs because the player does not have to go out of their way to use the shoe cleaning device.  
         [0005]     In one embodiment, the sheet of material is wrapped around the outside edge of the floorboard. An advantage of this embodiment is that the debris removed from the shoes can easily fall off of the edge of the floorboard as a result of normal jostling of the cart, preventing unsightly accumulation of debris on the device and ensuring continued effectiveness. The sheet of material may be attached to the floorboard by friction, a hook and loop fastener, a snap fastener, a threaded fastener, or by other mechanism well known in the art.  
         [0006]     A second embodiment of the invention has the first sheet of material with the cleaning surface attached to an underlying second sheet of material, where the underlying second sheet of material is configured to be removably attached to the floor board of a golf cart. The second sheet of material can be attached as described above. In this embodiment the second sheet of material may be advantageously made of a more durable constituent to improve the durability of the invention and the security of the attachment to the golf cart.  
         [0007]     The invention may also comprise a sheet of material having a cleaning surface, the second sheet of material described above, and a tapered border surrounding the at least a portion of the perimeter of the second sheet of material, where the tapered border provides an aesthetically pleasing transition from the shoe cleaning device to the floor board and improves the safety by minimizing any abrupt edges of the shoe cleaning device. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf cart with an embodiment of the invention attached.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a view of a third embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a view of a fourth embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf cart. It shows a golf cart  40  with a floorboard  10 , a dash  20 , and a seat  30 . The cleaning surface  50  of an embodiment of the invention is shown attached to the floorboard  40 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention. The invention is directed at an apparatus for cleaning golf shoes. This embodiment of the apparatus includes a sheet of material with a cleaning surface  50 , a second sheet of material  60 , a tapered border  70 , and an attachment mechanism  80 . The second sheet of material  60  has a U-shaped configuration. Its shape is configured so that it can be slid over the outside edge of the floorboard  10  of the golf cart  40  between the dash  20  and the seat  30 . The tapered border  70  extends around at least a portion of the periphery of the sheet of material  60  so that it extends onto the floorboard  10  of the golf cart  40 . In this embodiment the cleaning surface  50  is attached to the second sheet of material  60  with epoxy, glue, or a similar bonding material. The cleaning surface  50  is inset within the tapered border  70  so that the tapered border provides a protective and decorative covering for the second sheet of material  60 . The assembled device may be slid over the outside edge of the floorboard  10  of the golf cart  40  between the dash  20  and the seat  30 . It is then removably attached to the floorboard  10 .  
         [0015]     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  may also be narrower at one end than the other. This would allow for attachment to the floor board  10  of the golf cart  40  with the narrower end disposed more near dash  20  to minimize interference with the player&#39;s feet while riding in the golf cart. Alternatively, the embodiment could be of a constant width or any other size or shape.  
         [0016]     To use the invention, the person wanting to clean their shoe simply rubs the shoe across the cleaning surface  50  of the invention until the bottom of the shoe is clean. This can be done in the ordinary course of entering, exiting, or riding in the cart. This eliminates the delay inherent in using stationary brushes installed around the course or brushes located in other less convenient locations. Since the invention is removably attached to the cart, it may be easily removed for occasional cleaning or replacement. The invention can be attached anywhere on the floorboard  10  of the golf cart  40  so that it is easily accessible to the driver of the golf cart and any passenger. More than one unit of the invention may be attached to a single golf cart to provide ease of access and use.  
         [0017]     In one embodiment of the invention, the cleaning surface  50  is made of plastic and contains a plurality of bristles, each approximately ½″ long. The sheet of material from which the bristles extend is about ⅛″ thick. The cleaning surface  50  is inset within the tapered border  70  and fastened to the tapered border with epoxy. The tapered border  70  in this embodiment is made of formed rubber. The second sheet of material  60  in this embodiment is made of stainless steel and is glued to the tapered border with epoxy to provide a durable base for attachment to the floorboard  10 .  
         [0018]     Turning now to  FIG. 3 , another embodiment of the invention is represented. The cleaning surface  50 , tapered border  70  and the second sheet of material  90  each have holes  100  for accommodating threaded fasteners. In this embodiment the cleaning surface  50  is inset within the tapered border  70  and affixed to the second sheet of material  90  with epoxy or a similar adhesive. In some models of golf carts, the floorboard  10  may have a step plate attached to the indented area  110  shown. Golf carts manufactured by E-Z-GO® of Augusta, Ga., for example, have such a removable step plate attached to the floorboard  10  by threaded fasteners. In this embodiment, the invention is specially sized and shaped to replace the removable step plate originally provided with the golf cart and to be removably fastened in its place. This embodiment may be provided without the holes  100  and could also be removably fastened to the floorboard by any mechanism known in the art.  
         [0019]     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a single component embodiment designed to replace the step plate of the golf cart  40  is shown. This embodiment may be constructed of one component, for example injection molded plastic, instead of several pieces, and may then be attached to the floorboard  10  in place of the removable step plate by any mechanism as described above. This embodiment may have a tapered border  70 , and a cleaning surface  50  with holes  100  all formed from the same piece of material.  
         [0020]     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the device could be designed so that sheet of material itself provides the attachment mechanism  80 . A single component embodiment of this invention can be constructed from plastic using injection molding techniques, for example. A U-shaped cleaning surface formed of a single piece of material can be removably attached to the floorboard  10  of the golf cart  40 . This would be accomplished by constructing the invention from material which is elastic, such that the U-shaped embodiment can be opened to slide over the floorboard  10  but will return to its original shape with enough elastic tension to clamp firmly to the floorboard  10 . Some golf cart models have a strip of metal along the edge of the floorboard  10  to secure the flooring material, while others have exposed structural members or other irregularities on or around the floorboard  10 . Connection of the invention in this manner may be aided by projections on the invention which engage with suitable irregularities in the area of attachment. This attachment mechanism  80  may also include one or more projections or cavities on either the invention or the floorboard specially formed to improve the security of the attachment. Alternatively, the attachment mechanism  80  could be a hook and loop fastener, a snap fastener, a threaded fastener, or any fastening mechanism known in the art. This embodiment could include a tapered border  70  also formed of the same piece of material.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment, the cleaning surface  50  of the invention could simply be wrapped around or attached to the floor board  10  of the golf cart  40  directly using the above-mentioned attachment mechanisms or any well known in the art.  
         [0022]     While exemplary embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described, it should be understood that various changes, adaptations, and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.