Abstract:
A brush is mounted on the toe of an umpire&#39;s shoe and is used to clean dirt and debris from home plate. One form of the brush includes straps that encircle the shoe, while other forms of the brush include brushes that are movable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the general art of brushing and scrubbing, and to the particular field of brushing and scrubbing implements combined with other devices. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   One of the more common occurrences at a baseball game is that of the home plate umpire cleaning dirt off home plate. Umpires generally carry a brush and use that brush to clean off home plate. 
   In order to accomplish this task, umpires must bend over to reach the plate. Not only is this an etiquette problem, it may place stress on the umpire&#39;s back. In some cases, an umpire may forego cleaning home plate in order to avoid stressing his back. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over. 
   While the inventor is aware of brushes that can be mounted on a shoe, the inventor is not aware of any brush that can be used by an umpire to clean home plate. A brush mounted on an umpire&#39;s shoe must be out of the way and the brushes of which the inventor is aware can get in the way and inhibit movement. An umpire must be able to move quickly in order to stay out of the way of the game and thus the brushes which are known to the inventor have significant drawbacks. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over yet will remain out of the way when not in use. 
   Still further, any such device must be easy to use. Since the task is quite simple, any difficulty in using the device would make it unacceptable. 
   Therefore, there is a need for a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over yet will be easy to use and will remain out of the way when not in use. 
   PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over yet will remain out of the way when not in use. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for cleaning home plate which does not require the umpire to bend over yet will be easy to use and will remain out of the way when not in use. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   These, and other, objects are achieved by a brush that is mounted on the toe of a shoe, such as an umpire&#39;s shoe. The brush can be movable if desired and will be used to brush dirt and debris off of home plate. 
   Using the shoe-mounted brush embodying the present invention will permit an umpire to quickly and efficiently clean home plate without bending over. When not in use, the brush can be out of the way and yet will be easy to use when necessary. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one form of the shoe-mounted umpire&#39;s brush embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another form of the shoe-mounted umpire&#39;s brush embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of another form of the shoe-mounted umpire&#39;s brush embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another form of the shoe-mounted umpire&#39;s brush embodying the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
   Referring to the Figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a shoe-mounted umpire&#39;s brush unit  10  which achieves the above-stated objectives. 
   Brush unit  10  comprises a mounting strap unit  12  which encircles a shoe S when in use such as is shown in  FIG. 1 . Strap unit  12  includes a first strap  16 , which has a first end  18  and a second end  20 . A second strap  22  has a first end  24  and a second end  26 . A first portion  28  of hook-and-loop fastening material is located on second end  20  of first strap  16  and a second portion  30  of hook-and-loop fastening material is located on second end  26  of second strap  22 . 
   A brush-mounting element  40  is attached to the first ends  18 ,  24  of the straps  16 ,  22  of the mounting strap unit  12  and is adapted to fit over a toe section T of a shoe when in use. 
   A brush  50  is mounted on brush-mounting element  40  and is located to extend forward of the toe section of the shoe when in use. 
   One form of the brush unit  10  is shown in  FIG. 1  in which the brush-mounting element  40  is connected directly to the straps  16 ,  22 . Another form of the brush unit is shown in  FIG. 2  as unit  10   1 . Unit  10   1  includes a toe plate  60  which will cover the toe section of the shoe in the manner of a protective plate known in the art. Toe plate  60  can be steel, plastic or any other hard material. 
   Yet another form of the unit is shown in  FIG. 3  as unit  10   2 . Unit  10   2  has brush  50  movably mounted on brush-mounting element  40  to move toward and away from the shoe as indicated by double-headed arrow  62 . Unit  10   2  further includes a pivot connection  64  and a lever element  68  which has a first end  70  connected to the brush  50  and a second end  72  located outside of the toe plate  60 . The lever has a fulcrum  74  on the toe plate  60  and moves as indicated by double-headed arrow M to move the brush in directions  62 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , brush-mounting element  40  includes a base plate  75  having a U-shaped cutout  75 , defined therein. Base plate  75  includes a bight section  76  located adjacent to the toe section of shoe S and two legs  77   1  and  77   2  which extend from bight section  76  forward of the toe section. Brush  40  includes a body  78  which has a first end  78   1  which is a forward end when the brush  50  is in use, a second end  78   2  which is a rear end when the brush  50  is in use, a first side wall  79   1  a second side wall  79   2 , a slot  80   1  in the first side wall  79   1 , and a slot  80   2  in the second side wall  79   2 . The slots on the brush slidably accommodate the legs of the base plate  75  so the brush  50  can move in directions  62  under the influence of lever element  68 . 
   Yet another form of the unit is shown in  FIG. 4  as unit  10   4 . Unit  10   4  includes a movable connection movably connecting brush  40  to the brush-mounting element  40 . The movable connection is the same as shown in  FIG. 3  and discussed above, and thus will not be further discussed. A motor  81  is connected to the brush  50  to move the brush  50  when activated. In unit  10   4 , motor  81  simply replaces lever element  68  to move the brush  50  in directions  62 . Motor  81  includes a drive shaft and gears, such as worm gears or the like, or simple threaded connections between an externally threaded shaft and an internally threaded bore, or the like, to connect the drive shaft to a corresponding connection on the brush  50  so rotation of the drive shaft in one direction will move the brush  50  outwardly of the shoe and rotation of the drive shaft in the opposite direction will move the brush  50  toward the shoe. The connection between the motor and the brush  50  will not be discussed as those skilled in the art will be able to understand how to effect such connection based on the teaching of this disclosure. It is also noted that the particular forms of the motor and the connection between the motor and the brush  50  do not form a part of this invention. The motor is remotely controlled by a hand-held remote control  82 . Hand-held remote control  82  can also include a ball and strike counter mechanism as well as an out counter  86 . Brush movement is controlled using button  88  which can be in the form of a joystick to control inward and outward movement of the brush. 
   It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.