Modular rotating shoe rack

A shoe rack comprising shoe storage members rotatable about a shaft are separated from one another by one or more spacers. Each storage member comprises a hub and a plurality of arms with supports which store shoes in a substantially vertical position. The storage members and spacers may be removed at one end of the shaft.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates in general to shoe racks, and in particular 
to a rotatable shoe rack which may be easily adjusted to fit a range of 
applications. 
BACKGROUND 
There is a growing interest in efficient storage of wearing apparel and 
especially in efficient storage of shoes. A number of shoe racks of 
varying design have been developed with an objects directed toward 
improving the efficiency of shoe storage but each suffers from one or more 
limitations. Examples of such shoe racks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 
3,135,389, 3,254,354, 4,036,367, 4,915,238, 4,946,048, 5,033,626, 
5,050,746, 5,065,871 and 5,127,528, which disclosures are incorporated 
herein by reference in their entirety. 
Various shoe racks disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,135,389, 3,254,354, 
4,036,367 include a plurality of storage members which rotate about a 
shaft mounted on a base. The embodiments are portable and the rotatable 
storage members provide ready access to the shoes; however, the shoes are 
either stored in storage members which restrict air circulation, thereby 
promoting the growth of mildew and odor-causing bacteria, or the shoes are 
exposed to dust and dirt. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,367, a shoe rack is 
disclosed which has storage members storing shoes in a substantially 
horizontal position, allowing for reasonably good air circulation, and it 
provides dust covers to protect each tier of shoes. Unfortunately, the 
covers themselves accumulate dust, requiring attention to keep them clean. 
No provision is made to easily adjust the storage capacity of the 
disclosed shoe racks because storage members cannot be easily added or 
removed. Shoes of different sizes cannot be stored efficiently because no 
provision is made to adjust vertical spacing between storage members. 
Furthermore, convenience is impaired because no provision is made to 
adjust the height of the storage members above the floor. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,238 discloses a "Stackable Shoe Rack" which is 
portable, provides reasonable air circulation, minimizes exposure of the 
shoes to dust and dirt, and the rack itself accumulates very little dust. 
The storage capacity of the rack can be adjusted by installing additional 
storage members but the vertical spacing between members cannot be 
adjusted; therefore, shoes of different sizes cannot be efficiently stored 
and the height above the floor cannot be easily adjusted. Furthermore, 
access to some shoes can be difficult because the storage members do not 
rotate. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,048 discloses an "Adjustable Shoe Carousel" which 
rotates, allows adjustment of the height of the storage member above the 
floor, and allows for good air circulation; however, the shoes are exposed 
to dust and the storage capacity of the rack is very limited because only 
one storage member is disclosed. Because of the complexity of the 
structure, embodiments with additional members may be impractical. Even if 
the addition of members is practical, no provision is made for adjusting 
the vertical spacing between storage members. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,626 discloses a "Rotating Shoe Enclosure Rack" which is 
portable, allows tiers of storage members to be added and removed as 
desired, provides reasonable air circulation, and provides protection 
against dust; however, the top surface of the rack does require attention 
to keep it clean and each tier of storage members cannot be adjusted to 
accommodate shoes of different sizes. The largest shoe which can be stored 
in a tier is fixed at the time of manufacture. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,746 discloses a "Rotary Shoe Rack" of storage members 
which store shoes in a substantially horizontal position, thereby exposing 
the shoes to dust. The rack is not portable and storage members cannot be 
easily added or removed because the rack requires both a lower and an 
upper support. Although no details are disclosed, an embodiment is 
mentioned only briefly which allows for adjusting the vertical spacing 
between storage members. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,871 discloses a "Multi-deck Type of Rotary Shoe Rack" 
which has rotatable storage members and allows for reasonable air 
circulation. No provision is made for adjusting the vertical spacing 
between the storage members. Furthermore, shoes are not stored very 
securely because they dangle from rods protruding from sockets separated 
by sleeves. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,528 discloses an "Extendible Rotary Shoe Rack" which 
provides rotatable storage members which minimize shoe exposure to dust 
and dirt by storing the shoes in a substantially vertical position. 
Unfortunately, the rack is not portable because it requires both a lower 
and an upper support. Storage capacity may be adjusted by adding or 
removing hook-like members to a central column; however, the shoe rack is 
expensive to manufacture because its structure is fairly complex. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a shoe rack with 
rotatable storage members which can be easily added and removed to adjust 
the storage capacity. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a shoe rack in 
which spacing between storage members may be easily adjusted. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for a shoe 
rack having a rotatable storage member which allows for reasonable air 
circulation, minimizes shoe exposure to dust and dirt, and is reasonably 
free from dust accumulation. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a shoe 
storage rack with multiple tiers of rotatable storage members whose height 
above the floor may be easily adjusted. 
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide for a shoe 
rack which can be constructed inexpensively and can be easily assembled 
and disassembled. 
These objects and yet other objects set forth herein are achieved by the 
invention as claimed. 
According to the teachings of the present invention in one embodiment, a 
shoe rack comprises a shaft mounted on a lower support such as a base, a 
plurality of rotatable storage members rotatable about the shaft, each 
storage member comprising a hub and a plurality of arms attached to the 
hub each having one or more shoe supports, and one or more spacers around 
the shaft located between hubs of adjacent storage members. 
Many alternatives are possible. For example, an embodiment without a lower 
support is possible by suspending the shaft from an upper support. In a 
preferred embodiment, the shoe supports store shoes in a substantially 
vertical position, thereby reducing exposure to dust and dirt yet allowing 
reasonably good air circulation. 
The various features of the present invention and its preferred embodiments 
may be better understood by referring to the following discussion and the 
accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like 
elements in the several figures. The contents of the following discussion 
and the drawings are set forth as examples only and should not be 
understood to represent limitations upon the scope of the present 
invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a single-tier shoe rack 10 comprising 
a base 1 with a plurality of support legs 3a-3d to improve stability, 
shaft 4 around which spacers 5a -5e provide vertical spacing for a shoe 
storage member 9. Storage member 9 comprises hub 6 rotatable about shaft 4 
and arms 7a-7d connected to hub 6. Each arm includes shoe supports 8 for 
storing a shoe in a substantially vertical position. 
Many alternative embodiments are possible. Base 1 may be of any convenient 
shape, size and mass to provide support for the shoe rack. Support legs 
may not be needed if base 1 alone can provide sufficient stability. Base 1 
may also be anchored to the floor or other lower surface if portability is 
not required. 
FIG. 1 illustrates one storage member 9 comprising four arms 7a -7d, each 
having two shoe supports such as support 8. A storage member may comprise 
any convenient number of arms and each arm may comprise any convenient 
number of shoe supports. In one preferred embodiment, a storage member 
comprises five arms each having four shoe supports. 
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a shoe rack such as 
that illustrated in FIG. 1; however, no support legs are shown. In the 
embodiment shown, shaft 4 screws into base 1 but no particular structure 
of base and shaft is critical to the practice of the invention. 
Furthermore, shaft 4 is illustrated as a solid pole but it may be a hollow 
pipe or tubing. Spacers 5a -5e and hub 6 as shown are cylinders which may 
be slipped onto shaft 4 at one end opposite the end inserted into base 1. 
Arms 7a and 7c are constructed of heavy-gauge wire or rod bent into 
suitable shape, and the ends are inserted into holes formed in hub 6. 
Fasteners such as nuts, cotter pins or clips may be installed on the ends 
of the arms to prevent accidental removal from the holes in the hub, but 
such features are not critical to the practice of the present invention. 
The shape and construction of the arms are not critical. For example, an 
arm having substantially the same outline as that illustrated may be 
formed from a solid piece. Alternatively, an arm may consist of a 
horizontal beam with vertical rods for shoe supports. 
FIGS. 3a -3c illustrate three variations on the embodiments shown in FIGS. 
1 and 2. The single-tier shoe rack shown in FIG. 3a comprises one spacer 
5a and one storage member with hub 6 installed on a short shaft 4. The 
single-tier shoe rack shown in FIG. 3b comprises a plurality of spacers 5a 
-5d and one storage member with hub 6 installed on a long shaft 4. The 
double-tier shoe rack shown in FIG. 3c comprises spacers 5a -5c and two 
storage members with hubs 6 and 6' respectively installed on shaft 4. From 
these illustrations, it should be appreciated that a shoe rack may 
comprise any convenient number of storage members, and that the storage 
members may be separated by any convenient number of spacers. Furthermore, 
the height of each storage member above the floor may be established by 
using a desired number of spacers. 
Equal-size spacers are shown in each of the illustrations but the present 
invention is not so limited. Spacers of any convenient size may be used. 
The concepts of the present invention may also be applied to other 
embodiments. For example, a shoe rack incorporating various aspects of the 
present invention may comprise storage members substantially like the 
circular platters disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,036,367 and 5,050,746 
cited above.