Foot washing apparatus

A device for washing a person's feet while the person is standing in an upright position includes a housing and brushes. The housing has a bottom wall first and second side walls and an open front end and rear end. The brushes include bottom brushes which are attached to the bottom wall, front side brushes which are attached to the side walls near the front end of the housing and rear side brushes which are attached to the side walls near the rear end of the housing. The device includes suction cups or the like for securing the housing to the floor of the shower or similar floor surface. The device is used by placing liquid soap or other cleaning agents into the housing while keeping both hands free to hold on to the shower walls, railing, or the like. A person using the device places their foot within the housing and moves it back and forth past the bottom brushes, front side brushes, and rear side brushes to clean the foot thoroughly. Through this method and device, the person's foot can be thoroughly cleansed without need for the person to use either arm or hand for the cleansing of their feet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of Invention 
This invention relates to devices of manufacture for washing a person's 
feet, and more particularly to devices which can be used to wash a 
person's feet while they are in an upright position in areas as showers, 
swimming pools, and wherever it would be desirable for a person to wash 
their feet while remaining in an upright position. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Many persons prefer washing in a shower rather than taking a bath. Since a 
person showers in an upright position, standing on both feet, to 
effectively wash their feet it is necessary to stand on one foot while 
lifting the other foot off the floor and washing it. 
However, standing upright on one foot to wash the other foot is known to 
have caused many injuries. Because the floor or surface which is stood 
upon is slippery, due to the presence of the water, footing is already 
difficult. Standing upright under a stream of water on one foot while 
holding the other foot with one or both hands is a balancing act many 
people are unable to maintain. 
The invention disclosed herein addresses these deficiencies in the prior 
art. The inventor of the disclosed invention is aware of no other 
invention having the particular form and attributes described and claimed 
herein. The inventive article of manufacture is preferably made of plastic 
so that it is durable in a wet environment. The use of the apparatus 
allows both hands to be free to grip stabilizing objects like the shower 
walls or handrails. By freeing both of the person's hands, the person has 
three points (two hands and one foot) with which to balance himself. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a new and improved article of 
manufacture is provided which is effective to overcome the above-described 
difficulties of the prior art. 
Particularly, in accordance with the invention, the inventive device 
includes a housing and bottom brushes. The housing has a bottom and first 
and second side wall. Each of the bottom and first and second side walls 
has an interior and exterior surface and also a front and a rear end. The 
bottom brushes are fixedly attached to the interior surface of the bottom 
wall so that a user's foot can be received into the housing and moved 
relative to the bottom brushes, thereby cleaning the foot while the user 
is in a standing position. 
According to a further aspect of the invention, the device also includes 
front side brushes which are fixedly attached beside walls near the front 
end of the side walls. The device also includes rear side brushes which 
are fixedly attached to the side walls near the rear end of the side 
walls. 
According to a still further aspect of the invention, the device includes 
securing means for securing the housing to floor surface. The securing 
means are affixed to an exterior surface of the bottom wall. In one 
preferred embodiment, the securing means comprises suction cups. 
One advantage of the present invention is the provision of a new foot 
washing device which can be used to wash the user's feet while the user 
remains in a standing or upright position. 
Another advantage of the invention is its low cost. Because it is made of 
plastic and is of relatively simple design, the device can be manufactured 
inexpensively and made available to a wide variety of consumers. 
Another advantage of the present invention is its attractive appearance. 
Due to its design as disclosed herein, as well as the material of which it 
is manufactured, the device can be made in variety of colors and patterns 
to coordinate the surroundings in which it would be used. 
Another advantage of the present invention is its effectiveness. Due to the 
design of the device and the brushes therein, the users foot can be 
cleansed more effectively than by devices of manufacture or washing 
methods. 
Another advantage of the present invention is the improved health to the 
user due to the thoroughness of the cleansing as described above. 
Another advantage of the present invention is the safe manner in which it 
can be used. Rather than requiring the user to use both hands to clean an 
up-raised foot, the user of the inventive device is able to keep one or 
both feet in a weight-bearing position while keeping both hands on a wall, 
railing, handle, or other weight-supporting and balance-providing device. 
Still other benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparent 
to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon a reading and 
understanding of the following detailed specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of 
illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for 
purposes of limiting the same, FIGS. 1-4 disclose the preferred embodiment 
of the inventive device 40. 
The primary elements of the device 40 are bottom brushes 1, rear side 
brushes 2, front side brushes 3, suction cups 4, and housing 5. With 
particular reference to FIG. 2, it can be seen that, in the preferred 
embodiment, the top surface 10 of the first and second side walls 12,14 is 
not of uniform height but instead has an inflection point 18 at which the 
top surface 10 of the first and second side walls 12,14 angles downwardly 
toward a front end 20 of the housing 5. As it is seen most clearly in FIG. 
2, the inflection point 18 and angled top surface 10 of the first and 
second side walls 14,16 roughly simulate the downward slope of the arch of 
a human foot. A rear end 24 of the housing 5 receives the user's foot 
which is swung forwardly toward the front 20 of the housing 5. 
With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the relative dimensions of the brushes 
1,2,3 are seen. In the preferred embodiment, the height of the bristles of 
the bottom brush 1 is equal to one inch. The rearmost portion 28 of the 
top surface 10 of the housing 5 is of uniform height. In the preferred 
embodiment, the rearmost portion 28 of the top surface 10 of the front end 
20 of the housing 5 is five inches in height with the overall length of 
the housing 5 being thirteen inches and the width of the housing 5 being 
five and one half inches. The height of the front end 20 of the housing 5 
is four inches. 
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the relative length of the bristles of the 
rear side brushes 2 and front side brushes 3 can be seen. The length of 
the front side brushes 3 is two and one fourth inches of length of the 
rear side brushes 2 is one and one fourth inches. The length differential 
between the side brushes 2,3 is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Also evident 
from those views is the height differential between the front side brushes 
3 and the rear side brushes 2. With reference to FIGS. 2-4, it can be seen 
that the front side brushes 3 are lower than the rear side brushes 2. In a 
preferred embodiment, the rear side brushes 2 are three and one fourth 
inches high while the front side brushes 3 are two and one fourth inches 
high. With reference to FIG. 2, the length of the front side brushes 3 is 
three and one half inches while the length of the rear side brushes 2 is 
six inches. 
In the preferred embodiment the housing 5 is made of plastic. Plastic was 
chosen because of its good performance in a wet environment, its low cost, 
and many attractive colors and features which can be molded into the 
housing through the use of plastic. In preferred material for brushes is 
nylon although any material chosen with good engineering judgement can be 
used. 
The housing 5 can be secured to the floor surface (not shown) through any 
securing means chosen with sound engineering judgment. Among these means 
could be hook and pile strips, such as those sold under the Registered 
Trademark VELCRO.RTM., suction cups, for a temporary connection or a more 
permanent attachment such as with screws. 
The operation of the inventive device 40 is as follows: 
The device 40 is mounted on floor for the securing means. In one common 
application the device 40 could be brought into the shower and attached to 
the floor of the shower stall. Preferably, a small amount of liquid soap 
is then placed within the housing 5. A person wishing to wash one of his 
feet would then stand, at least primarily, on one foot while placing the 
other foot within the device 40. The toes of the person's foot would enter 
the front end 20 of the housing 5, go past the rear side brushes 2, and 
continue thorough it until the toes are between the front side brushes 3. 
At this time, the person may choose to place both hands on the walls or a 
railing, thus providing himself three points of balance and steadying 
himself for the next step of the foot washing process. The person's foot 
is then moved back and forth between the front side brushes 3, rear side 
brushes 2, and bottom brushes 1. By doing so, the liquid soap is lathered 
in the brushes 1,2,3 and the device 40 effectively and thoroughly cleans 
the user's feet. 
When the user's foot is thusly cleaned, it can be withdrawn from the 
housing 5 and rinsed in the shower stream. The process is then repeated 
for the person's other foot. 
With reference to FIGS. 5-9, an alternate embodiment of the invention is 
shown. In this embodiment, the housing 5 is constructed with screws 6. The 
screws 6 are received into holes 7,8. In this embodiment, the bristles of 
the brushes 1,2,3 are molded into the respective side walls 12, 14 and 
bottom 32. In this embodiment, in addition to the screws 6, the elements 
of the device 40 are also held together with a plastic cement. The plastic 
cement is located at the interface of side walls 12,14 and bottom 32. 
The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. 
Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a 
reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include 
all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the 
scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.