Foot brush

A foot brush for cleaning or scrubbing a user's feet has a body with a front portion and a rear portion. A soap locating region is disposed in the front portion, and at least one tuft of bristles is embedded within and projects from the front portion in the vicinity of the soap locating region. The tuft of bristles may partially surround the soap locating region in a substantially U-shaped formation. The soap locating region may be in the form of a cavity formed within the front portion which is adapted to receive and retain a bar of soap. A rear portion of the body is designed for anchoring by one of the user's feet while the other foot is scrubbed.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a foot brush. More specifically, this invention 
relates to a foot brush for cleaning and/or scrubbing a user's feet, and 
in particular for cleaning and/or scrubbing human feet. 
In this specification, the term "tuft of bristles" is understood to refer 
to or include both a single tuft of bristles or, more particularly, a 
plurality of tufts of bristles. 
BACKGROUND ART 
There are available several types of brushes which may be used for cleaning 
or scrubbing a user's feet. 
A first type of brush currently available is a soft-bristled, hand-held 
brush, which a user may utilize to clean or scrub his/her body as well as 
his/her feet. This type of brush is sold under the trade mark BODY BRUSH. 
However, a disadvantage associated with using this brush is that the user 
has to bend down, usually while balancing on one foot, to clean or scrub 
his/her feet. This may present difficulties to people who have trouble 
bending or balancing, and in particular to elderly or obese people. 
A second type of brush presently available which may be utilized for 
cleaning or scrubbing a user's feet is a brush which is releasably 
attachable to the floor of a shower or bath--by the use of suckers or 
other such means. The bristles of the brush protrude upwardly therefrom, 
and a user may therefore clean or scrub his/her feet by rubbing his/her 
feet over and along the bristles of the brush. One disadvantage associated 
with the use of this brush is that if the user wishes to soap either the 
brush or his/her feet, this involves bending down, usually while balancing 
on one foot. As for the BODY BRUSH brush described above, this may present 
difficulties to people who have trouble bending or balancing, and in 
particular to elderly or obese people. A further disadvantage associated 
with this second type of foot brush is that the releasable attachment 
means, such as suckers, may sometimes render the brush difficult to move 
or pull from the floor surface. The brush may not therefore be 
particularly movable or mobile, and this may present problems, especially 
for weak, frail or elderly people. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a foot brush for use in 
cleaning and/or scrubbing a user's feet. 
It is a further object of the present invention to address the foregoing 
problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. 
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example 
only. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a foot 
brush comprising: 
a) a body having a front portion and a rear portion, 
b) a soap locating region disposed upon or within the front portion, 
c) a tuft of bristles, embedded within and projecting from the front 
portion, in the vicinity of the soap locating region. 
Preferably, the tuft of bristles partially surrounds the soap locating 
region, and may be in a substantially U-shaped formation around the soap 
locating region. The open end of the U-shaped formation of the tuft of 
bristles preferably faces the rear portion of the body. 
Preferably, the foot brush has a cavity formed in the front portion of the 
body. The cavity is adapted to receive and retain a bar of soap. 
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided the 
combination of a foot brush, substantially as described above, and a bar 
of soap specifically shaped or of an appropriate dimension to fit within 
or upon the soap locating region. 
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a 
method of cleaning or scrubbing human feet, utilising the foot brush 
substantially as described above, comprising the steps of: 
a) placing a foot on the rear portion of the body of the foot brush to 
prevent or restrict the foot brush from moving, 
b) cleaning or scrubbing the other foot by rubbing it backwards and/or 
forwards over or through the tuft of bristles and/or the bar of soap of 
the foot brush. 
In one embodiment, the foot brush may comprise or consist of a body, the 
body having a front portion and a rear portion. There may also be a soap 
locating region disposed upon or within the front portion of the body, and 
a tuft of bristles, embedded within and projecting from the front portion, 
in the vicinity of the soap locating region. 
Any arrangement of the tuft of bristles on the front portion of the body 
and/or in the vicinity of the soap locating region may be utilized as 
required or as desired. 
In one embodiment, the tuft of bristles may partially surround the soap 
locating region, to therefore partially enclose a bar of soap to be placed 
within or on the soap locating region. In such an embodiment, the tuft of 
bristles may preferably be in a substantially U-shaped formation around or 
about the soap locating region. The open end of the U-shaped formation of 
bristles preferably faces the rear portion of the body to allow immediate 
or simultaneous access to the soap held in the soap locating region when a 
user of the foot brash passes his/her foot forwards and through the tuft 
of bristles. 
In another embodiment of the invention, the tuft of bristles may fully 
surround the soap locating region. An advantage associated with such an 
embodiment is that the soap is less likely to be dislodged when the foot 
brush is being used, given that the soap is completely enclosed within or 
surrounded by the tuft of bristles. 
The tuft of bristles may preferably be embedded within and project from the 
front portion of the body of the foot brush. Any angle of the bristles 
with respect to the front portion of the body, or the body itself, may be 
utilized. However, in a preferred embodiment, some or all of the tuft of 
bristles may be inclined or angled towards the rear portion of the body of 
the foot brush. In such an embodiment, the tips or ends of the tuft of 
bristles are therefore angled towards a user's foot as it is being pushed 
forward through the tuft of bristles. This has the effect of digging into 
and cleaning a user's feet more efficiently as compared to an embodiment 
which has the tuft of bristles projecting substantially vertically from 
the front portion of the body and/or angled away from the rear portion of 
the body of the brush. 
Any suitable bristles may be utilized as required or as desired or as 
dictated by the type of cleaning or scrubbing action required of the foot 
brush. Preferably the tuft of bristles may consist of crimped nylon 
bristles. 
The rear portion of the body may be of any suitable size, shape or 
configuration as required or as desired, or as dictated by the size or 
shape of a user's foot or feet. In a preferred embodiment, the rear 
portion of the body may comprise or consist of a substantially flat 
flange-type portion. 
The rear portion of the body may be adapted or designed to be engaged by 
one foot of a user of the foot brush, to thus retain the foot brush and/or 
to prevent the foot brush from moving while the user cleans or scrubs the 
other foot with the foot brush. The rear portion may be adequately engaged 
or retained simply by applying downward pressure to the rear portion, 
namely by standing and placing weight upon the rear portion with one foot. 
The rear portion may be provided with any suitable means for assisting the 
engagement of the rear portion by a user's foot. For example, the rear 
portion may be provided with indentations designed to substantially match 
the shape of a user's foot, and such indentations may also include areas 
for the toes of the user to locate and/or grip. The rear portion may also 
or alternatively be provided with a non-slip surface to aid the retention 
thereof by a user's foot. 
The rear portion of the body may be provided with means for allowing the 
foot brush to be hung from a wall. For example, the rear portion may be 
provided with an aperture. 
The front portion of the body may be of any suitable size, shape or 
configuration as required or as desired or as dictated by the size or 
shape by user's foot or feet. 
The front portion of the body may preferably be raised or elevated relative 
to the rear portion of the body. One advantage of such an embodiment is 
that the front portion, being raised relative to the rear portion, allows 
for the tuft of bristles and/or soap retained or disposed thereon to be 
readily accessed by a user's foot. For example, such an embodiment ensures 
that the foot placed upon the rear portion of the body does not interfere 
with the other foot as it is being cleaned or scrubbed by being passed 
backwards and/or forwards over or through the tuft of bristles and/or soap 
of the foot brush. 
The first and rear portions of the body of the foot brush may be releasably 
attachable to each other by any suitable releasable attachment means. 
In a preferred embodiment the first and rear portions of the body of the 
foot brush may be integrally formed. In such an embodiment, the first and 
rear portions may preferably be formed from injection moulding techniques, 
and may preferably be formed of polypropylene. However, any other suitable 
material(s) may be utilised as required or as desired. 
The soap locating region may take any shape or form, although it should be 
of a suitable form to be able to receive a bar of soap thereon or therein, 
and be able to sufficiently retain the bar of soap when a user of the foot 
brush is scrubbing his/her feet. 
In one embodiment, the soap locating region may be defined by the tuft of 
bristles embedded within and projecting from the front portion of the 
body. That is, the bar of soap may be retained within the soap locating 
region by the tuft of bristles partially surrounding or fully surrounding 
the region. In such an embodiment, it may be preferable to have the tuft 
of bristles fully surrounding the soap locating region, and therefore the 
bar of soap. 
In another embodiment, the soap locating region may be in the form of, a 
cavity formed within the front portion of the body, the cavity being 
adapted to receive a bar of soap. The bar of soap should preferably be of 
approximately the same size, configuration or dimensions as the cavity. 
Preferably, the bar of soap should be a substantially snug fit within the 
cavity. In such an embodiment the tuft of bristles partially or fully 
surrounding the cavity may further assist in retaining the bar of soap 
within the cavity. 
Preferably, the cavity may be integrally formed within the first portion. 
The soap locating region, being a cavity or otherwise, may preferably be 
provided with drainage holes to allow for water and/or soap to drain 
therefrom. This would help to prevent the bar of soap from becoming soggy 
or otherwise deteriorating which would occur if water were to be trapped 
within the soap locating region during times when the foot brush was not 
being used. 
There may also be provided additional means for assisting in the retention 
of the bar of soap within or upon the soap locating region. For example, a 
soft, small, and preferably flexible, plastic screw could be screwed 
through the underside of the front portion of the body of the foot brush 
and into the underside of the bar of soap. Such a screw would have to be a 
soft, flexible plastic screw so that it would not hurt a user's foot when 
the soap has worn down to a point where the screw will come into contact 
with a user's foot as it passes over the bar of soap. 
Preferably, the underside of the body of the foot brush may consist of or 
comprise a substantially flat surface. This is so that the foot brush will 
lie substantially flush or flat with a floor surface. 
The foot brush, substantially as described above, may be utilised in the 
following manner. A user of the foot brush may place a foot on the rear 
portion of the body of the foot brush to prevent the foot brush from 
moving. The user may then clean or scrub the other foot by rubbing it 
backwards and/or forwards over or through the tuft of bristles of the foot 
brush. Given that the bar of soap is located by or retained within the 
soap locating region, it may be appreciated that the foot brush is 
essentially a self-soaping foot brush. Hence, one advantage of the 
invention is that a user of the foot brush does not have to separately 
soap the brash or his/her feet. 
Once a foot has been sufficiently cleaned or scrubbed, the user of the foot 
brush may swap feet placing the freshly cleaned or scrubbed foot on the 
rear portion of the body of the foot brush, and the other foot is 
similarly cleaned or scrubbed by rubbing it backwards and/or forwards over 
or through the tuft of bristles of the foot brush. 
In another embodiment of the present invention, the foot brush may comprise 
or consist of a body, a soap locating region disposed upon or within the 
body, and a tuft of bristles embedded within and projecting from the body, 
in the vicinity of the soap locating region. This embodiment essentially 
comprises a self-soaping foot brush without a rear portion for preventing 
movement of the foot brush when it is being used. 
The bar of soap may preferably be in the form of a solid bar of soap, 
although it is to be appreciated that the term "bar of soap" as used in 
this specification is deemed to also include other forms of soap such as 
liquid soaps and the like. 
The bar of soap to be utilised with the foot brush may preferably be 
provided with anti-fungal products to prevent common foot diseases such as 
athlete's foot, and the like.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Having regard to the drawings, them is illustrated a foot brush generally 
indicated by arrow 1. The foot brush 1 comprises a body, generally 
indicated by arrow 2, the body having a front portion 3 and a rear portion 
4. 
The front portion 3 of the body 2 is provided with a soap locating region 
generally indicated by arrow 5, and there is also provided a tuft of 
bristles 6 embedded within and projecting from the front portion 3, in the 
vicinity of the soap locating region 5. 
The tuft of bristles 6 partially surrounds the soap locating region 5 in a 
substantially U-shaped formation. The open end of the U-shaped formation 
of the tuft of bristles 6 faces the rear portion 4 of the body 2. The 
mason for this configuration is that a user's foot, when being brushed 
forward, in the direction shown by arrow 7, will contact the bar of soap 9 
(see FIG. 3) at the same time as striking the front region 8 of the tuft 
of bristles 6. Hence, the user's foot will be soaped at the same time as 
it is being cleaned or scrubbed. 
The soap locating region 5 is in the form of a cavity 10 formed within the 
front portion 3 of the body 2, the cavity being adapted to receive and 
retain the bar of soap 9 therein. 
The front and rear portions 3,4 comprising the body 2 are integrally formed 
from polypropylene by injection moulding techniques. The cavity 10 is 
integrally formed within the front portion 3. 
The cavity 10 is provided with four drainage holes 11 to allow water to 
drain from the cavity 10. The reason for this is that the bar of soap 9 
may become soggy or may otherwise deteriorate if water is retained within 
the cavity 10 when the foot brush 1 is not being used. 
The rear portion 4 of the body 2 consists of a substantially thin and flat 
flange-type portion. The front portion 3 of the body 2 is elevated or 
raised relative to the rear portion 4. The main advantage for having the 
front portion 3 raised relative to the rear portion 4 is that the tuft of 
bristles 6 and/or the soap 9 of the foot brush 1 are more easily or 
readily accessed as compared to having the front portion 3 substantially 
flush with the rear portion 4. Furthermore, having the front portion 3 
raised relative to the rear portion 4 ensures that the foot placed upon 
the rear portion 4 to prevent movement of the foot brush will not get in 
the way of or otherwise hinder the other foot as it is being cleaned or 
scrubbed. 
The rear portion 4 is provided with an aperture 12 so that the foot brush 1 
may be hung from a wall. 
It may be seen from the drawings that the underside 13 of the body 2 of the 
foot brush 1 is substantially flat so that the foot brush 1 will lie flat 
on a floor surface. 
Having regard to FIG. 2, it may be seen that the front rows of bristles, 
generally indicated by arrow 14, are inclined towards the rear portion 4. 
An advantage of having the bristles 14 so inclined is that the ends or 
tips of the bristles, generally indicated by arrow 15, have a greater 
effectiveness in cleaning or scrubbing a user's feet than if they were 
disposed substantially vertically with respect to the body 2 of the foot 
brush 1. That is, the inclined tips or points 15 of the front bristles 14 
tend to dig into and more efficiently clean or scrub a user's foot than if 
they were substantially upright or inclined away from the rear portion. 
In another embodiment (not illustrated), the entire tuft of bristles 6 may 
be inclined in the same fashion as the front bristles 14 (as illustrated 
in FIG. 2). Such an embodiment would be equally, if not more, effective 
than the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. 
The tuft of bristles 6 consists of crimped nylon bristles. 
Having regard to FIG. 3, it may be seen that the bar of soap 9 is 
specifically shaped or is of an appropriate dimension to fit snugly within 
the cavity I 0 of the soap locating region 5. The bar of soap consists of 
a standard bar of bathroom soap, but is impregnated with anti-fungal 
products, to prevent or treat athlete's foot. 
In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the length 16 of the brush 1 
is 275 mm. The depth 17 of the cavity 10 is 5 mm. All other dimensions are 
to scale. 
The foot brush 1 may be utilized as follows. Firstly, a user of the foot 
brush 1 may place one foot on the rear portion 4 of the body 2 to firmly 
hold the foot brush 1 in place and to prevent it from moving. It is found 
that the weight of a person is sufficient to prevent the foot brush 1 from 
moving. The user of the foot brush 1 may then clean or scrub the other 
foot by rubbing it backwards and/or forwards over or through the tuft of 
bristles 6 and the soap 9 of the foot brush 1. 
After the foot has been adequately cleaned or scrubbed, the user may swap 
feet whereby the freshly cleaned or scrubbed foot is placed on the rear 
portion 4 of the body 2 to prevent movement of the foot brush 1 whilst the 
other foot is cleaned or scrubbed in the same fashion. 
One advantage of the present invention, over and above presently available 
brushes for cleaning the feet, is that the foot brush 1 is essentially a 
self-soaping foot brush and a user of the foot brush 1 does not have to 
separately soap his/her feet or a brush to be used for cleaning the feet. 
Another advantage of the present invention is that use of the foot brush 1 
does not require the use of any bending by a user of the foot brush 1. 
Moreover, we have found that having the tuft of bristles 6 inclined 
towards the rear portion 4 of the foot brush 1 results in the foot brush 1 
being much more effective in cleaning or scrubbing a user's feet as 
compared to a brush which has the bristles extending substantially 
vertically from the brush. Another advantage or feature of the present 
invention is the fact that the rear portion 4 of the foot brush 1 is 
specifically designed or adapted to be retained by one foot whilst the 
other foot is being cleaned or scrubbed. 
Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only 
and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made 
thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the 
appended claims.