SHOE STORAGE CONTAINER

A shoe storage container apparatus for storing shoes between a furniture piece and a floor surface includes a housing comprising a base and a perimeter wall, in which the perimeter wall is coupled to and extends upwardly from the base. The perimeter wall bounds a compartment and includes a front wall, a rear wall, a first lateral wall, and a second lateral wall. An upper edge of the perimeter wall forms an opening to the compartment. A plurality of dividers is removably coupled to the housing and is selectively positioned to segment the compartment into a plurality of sub-compartments.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to shoe storage apparatus and more particularly pertains to a new shoe storage apparatus for storing shoes between a furniture piece and a floor surface.

The prior art discloses myriad shoe storage apparatuses, including apparatuses which store matching pairs of shoes in separate compartments. However, the prior art does not disclose a shoe storage apparatus with dividers that are selectively positionable in a housing to define sub-compartments of various sizes and in which the housing is sized to fit between a furniture piece and a floor surface.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing comprising a base and a perimeter wall, in which the perimeter wall is coupled to and extends upwardly from the base. The perimeter wall bounds a compartment and includes a front wall, a rear wall, a first lateral wall, and a second lateral wall. An upper edge of the perimeter wall forms an opening to the compartment. A plurality of dividers is removably coupled to the housing and is selectively positioned to segment the compartment into a plurality of sub-compartments.

Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a method of storing a plurality of matching pairs of shoes in a shoe storage container apparatus under a furniture piece. The method comprises positioning a plurality of dividers into a compartment of a housing of the shoe storage container apparatus to segment the compartment into a plurality of sub-compartments, wherein the compartment is positioned in the housing and has an opening to the compartment at a top of the housing. The matching pairs of shoes are positioned in selected corresponding sub-compartments of the plurality of sub-compartments, and the shoe storage container apparatus is moved along a floor surface and underneath the furniture piece.

When positioning the plurality of the dividers into the compartment, each divider may be placed to extend between an interior wall and one of the first and second lateral walls of the housing, the first and second lateral walls being positioned opposite each other across the compartment and the interior wall being positioned between the first and second lateral walls. Each divider may also be positioned into separate receivers of a plurality of receivers, wherein each of the interior wall and the first and second lateral walls has a plurality of receivers positioned thereon.

The method may also comprise attaching a lid to the top of the housing to cover the opening. The shoe storage container apparatus may have wheels so that the step of moving the shoe storage container apparatus comprises rolling the shoe storage container apparatus on the wheels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular toFIGS.1through8thereof, a new shoe storage apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral10will be described.

As best illustrated inFIGS.1through8, the shoe storage container apparatus10generally comprises a housing12comprises a base14, a perimeter wall16, and an interior wall18. The perimeter wall16is coupled to and extends upwardly from the base14. The perimeter wall16bounds a compartment20and includes a front wall24, a rear wall26, a first lateral wall28, and a second lateral wall30. An upper edge32of the perimeter wall16forms an opening34to the compartment20. The interior wall18is coupled to and extends between the front wall24and the rear wall26. The interior wall18is also centered between the first and second lateral walls28,30. The housing12has a height from the base14to a top36of the housing12such that the housing12is configured for positioning between a furniture piece38and a floor surface40. The height of the housing12is between 5.0 inches and 9.0 inches. The housing12also has a length from the front wall24to the rear wall26of between 35.0 inches and 45.0 inches and a width from the first lateral wall28to the second lateral wall30of between 20.0 inches and 26.0 inches. The furniture piece38may be, for example, a bed, but also may be a bench, couch, dresser, or the like.

A plurality of dividers42is removably coupled to the housing12and is selectively positioned to segment the compartment20into a plurality of sub-compartments22. Each divider42of the plurality of dividers42extends between the interior wall18and one of the first and second lateral walls28,30. A plurality of receivers44is coupled to the housing12. Each of the interior wall18and the first and second lateral walls28,30has some of the plurality of receivers44positioned thereon, and each receiver44releasably engages one of the plurality of dividers42.

Each receiver44in the first and second lateral walls28,30is positioned opposite one of the plurality of receivers44in the interior wall18. The receivers44on a corresponding one of the first lateral wall28, second lateral wall30, and interior wall18are evenly spaced from each other. A spacing between each pair of adjacent receivers44of the plurality of receivers44is between 3.0 inches and 5.0 inches. Each receiver44of the plurality of receivers44comprises a vertically orientated channel45which extends into the corresponding one of the first lateral wall28, the second lateral wall30, and the interior wall18.

A plurality of wheels46is coupled to the base14of the housing12. The housing12has a plurality of recesses48extending into the base14, and each wheel46of the plurality of wheels46is positioned at least partially in one of the recesses48. A lid50is removably coupled to the top36of the housing12to cover the opening34and has a snap-fit connection to the perimeter wall16. The lid50may also couple to the housing12via a latch, a friction fit, or the like. A handle52is mounted to an exterior surface54of the front wall24. A sleeve56for a label may also be provided and mounted to the housing12, the lid50, or the handle52. The housing12and the plurality of dividers42comprise a rigid material such that the housing12and each divider42do not deflect away from each other under a weight force exerted by shoes58placed in the housing12. Such a deflection, which is common in storage containers made of canvas or other flexible materials, can lead to shoes58slipping through gaps between sub-compartments22.

In use, matching pairs of shoes58may be positioned in selected corresponding sub-compartments22of the plurality of sub-compartments22. Then the lid50is coupled to the top36of the housing12, and the shoe storage container apparatus10is moved along the floor surface40and under the furniture piece38.