Patent Publication Number: US-2005115009-A1

Title: Sports shoe brush/scraper mount for attachment to the bumper of a cart

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is in the field of apparatuses designed or adapted for cleaning by scraping or wiping. Specifically, the present invention is a device having a working face especially adapted to act as a wiper/scrapper for cleaning the soles of sports shoes having cleats or spikes on them by the wearer manually drawing the sole of the shoe over the working face, and the device being removeably mountable on the bumper of a cart  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Various types of sports shoes are intended for wear and use on natural ground, turf and similar surfaces. Such sport shoes often have cleats, spikes or other features on the bottom surface of the soles to increase traction. These traction features can be subject to the accumulation of mud, soil, turf and the like in the course of being worn. Golfing shoes are an example of such sport shoes, and have cleats on the bottom sole which are subject to the buildup of dirt and other muck between the cleats. To remove such buildup, a golfer must carry a cleat cleaning device with them, such as a brush or a scrapper. Therefore, it is desirable in the field to have available an alternative a cleat cleaning device to spare the golfer from having to carry one around that is soiled from use. The field has been motivated to provide alternatives to having to personally carry a cleat cleaning tool.  
      An example of an alternative cleat cleaning tool is disclosed in Woodward, U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,567. Woodward discloses a vehicle mounted golf shoe brush that is extendable from and retractable under the rear bumper of a vehicle. The mount element of the Woodward device is relatively complex having multiple component parts, some of which are required to move in relationship to each other. Other examples of shoe cleaning brush devices attachable to a golf cart are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,032,316 and 5,437,075 to Peake. The Peake devices both include hinge mechanisms for changing the positioning of the brush elements of the device, and are made of multiple separate components. A further example is the golf shoe cleaning device of U.S. Pat. No. D318,826 to Parchment, which discloses a brush and hinge assembly allowing the brush feature to be enclosed in a housing when not in use. There are other types of golf shoe cleaning devices known in the literature. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,142,853 and D356,892 to Hensley and to Ricci, respectively. These devices are mountable to round stock such as may be found on a pole.  
      Although each of the above shoe cleaning devices mountable on a vehicle may be useful for their intended purposes, it is clear that the field finds useful such devices mountable on a vehicle such as a golf cart. Also, because these devices may be exposed to weather as well as the accumulation of soil and other debris or muck, any moving parts may become fouled and/or corroded. It would be beneficial in the field to have an alternative shoe cleaning device that is attachable to a golf cart, yet does not have moving parts that may be subject to binding up due to fouling or corrosion. In addition to simplicity, it would be beneficial to have such a shoe cleaning device providing for its easy mounting and removal from the vehicle, and for which the work face (brush, scraper or the like) could be separately and easily replaced.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a device useful for cleaning dirt and other debris from the bottom sole of a outdoor use sports shoe. Sport shoes for “outdoor use” often have cleats, spikes or other features on the bottom surface of the soles to increase traction. These traction features can be subject to the accumulation of mud, soil, turf and the like in the course of being worn. The present invention is useful for cleaning such material from the features on the bottom sole of such sport shoes. A specific example of such features and shoes are the cleats on the bottom sole of golf shoes. Examples of other types of such sport shoes include baseball spikes, football and soccer cleats.  
      In use, the present invention is mounted on the bumper of a vehicle such as a golf cart. The bottom sole of a golf shoe is cleaned by the wearer drawing the sole of the shoe to be cleaned across the work face of a brush or scraper mounted on the present device. The present shoe cleaning device mount can be practiced with a standard golf cart as are typically in the field.  
      The present shoe cleaning device mount comprises a single piece frame member having two major potions: a body portion; and an appendage portion. A cleaning unit is mounted to the body portion of the single piece (unitary) frame member. The body portion has a generally triangular cross-section with a first side of the triangle forming the back of the body portion, a second side of the triangle forming the bottom of the body portion and the third side forming the front of the body portion. Further, the front side of the body portion has mounting means for attaching a cleaning unit to the body portion of the frame. The appendage portion of the frame/mount is integral with the body portion, and extends from the top of the frame (where the back side and the front side of the body join), and is formed to receive the bumper between itself and the frame back.  
      It is intended that the present sports shoe brush/scraper mount be simply and easily attachable and removably to the bumper of a vehicle, such as a golf cart. That is, by hand or and without modification of the vehicle. A clamping fastener, such as a set screw, may be provided to pass through the appendage portion and/or the back side of the body portion to secure the frame member to the bumper to accomplish the intended ease of attachment and removability. Additionally, it is an intended option that the cleaning unit be replaced if desired.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the present shoe cleaning device including the unitary frame member with a brush-type cleaning unit mounted on it.  
       FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the present shoe cleaning device illustrating an exemplary configuration of the unitary frame member as may be practiced in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are top plan views of alternative single piece frame members of the present invention prior to being configured into a cleaning unit mount.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternative frame member configuration for receiving a brush/scrapper and for attaching to the bumper of a cart, such as a motorized golf cart.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to the drawings, the details of preferred embodiments of the present invention are graphically and schematically illustrated. Like elements in the drawings are represented by like numbers, and any similar elements are represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix.  
      As exemplified in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the present invention is a sports shoe cleaning device  10  for the removal of dirt and other debris or muck from the bottom sole of an outdoor use sports shoe. The present sports shoe cleaning device  10  comprises a unitary frame member  14  having a body portion  40  and an appendage portion  60 . A cleaning unit  20  is mounted to the body portion  40  of the frame member  14 . Typically, the present shoe cleaning device is removably mounted on the bumper of a vehicle like a golf cart. The device is useful for removing dirt and other buildup from the traction features (not shown) on the bottom sole of an outdoor use sports shoe. A example of such traction features are the cleats on the bottom sole of golf shoes.  
      As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the unitary frame member  14  is constructed as a single piece which integrally incorporates both the body portion  40  and the appendage portion  60  of the device  10 . The unitary frame member  14  can be constructed of any of a variety of materials selectable to one of ordinary skill in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the frame member  14  was constructed of a single piece of sheet metal. However, the ordinary skilled artisan knows of other materials suitable for practicing the frame member  14 , such as metal flat stock, plastic flat stock or a combination thereof. It is intended that the material utilized for the single integrated piece be bendable to form the body  40  and appendage  60  portions of the unitary frame member  14 .  
      The starting dimensions of the single piece frame member  14  are selectable by the ordinary skilled artisan. In a preferred embodiment the frame member  14  started as a single piece of aluminum sheet metal and had a length L, a width W and a thickness T of: 14 inches, 5 inches and {fraction (3/32)} inch, respectively. The side tabs  16  each had a width F of 1.5 inches and were split to a depth D of 4 inches leaving a center tab  18  which had a width f of 2 inches. As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the body  40  and appendage  60  portions of the present sports and outdoor shoe scraper device  10  are formed by appropriately bending the single piece frame member  14  into the proper configuration. In the embodiment shown, the body back  42  was about 3.5 inches, the body bottom  46  was about 4.5 inches. When the single piece frame member  14  starts as a piece of flat plastic, it can be advantageous to form a groove (not shown) in the plastic along the line of the intended bend to facilitate bending the plastic piece to the desired configuration. Also, if desirable, either the side tabs  16  or the center tab  18  may be further shortened as the ordinary skilled artisan finds appropriate in practicing the present invention. In the embodiment shown, the side tabs  16  were shortened by 2 inches relative to the center tab  18 .  
      The body portion  40  of the present outdoor/sport shoe cleaning device  10  has a substantially triangular cross-section with a first side of the triangle forming a back side  42  of the body portion  40 , a second side of the triangle forming a front side  44  of the body portion  40  and a third side of the triangle forming a bottom side  46  of the body portion  40 . Note the feature of the present invention wherein the front side  44  of the body portion  40  is discontinuous and comprises one or more front-upper tabs  44   a  and one or more front lower tabs  44   b.  The front-upper tabs  44   a  and front lower tabs  44   b  have mount means  50  disposed on them for mounting a cleaning unit  20  to the body portion  40  of the frame member  14 . In the embodiment illustrated, the mount means  50  were through holes for passing a a fastener  52 , and the cleaning unit  20  was mounted to the front side  44  of the body portion  40  of the frame member  14  using a threaded fastener  52 —a combination nut and screw assembly. However, other means are known to and practicable in the present invention by the ordinary skilled artisan, such as self-tapping fasteners, pop-rivets, clamping means, clip means and adhesive means. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A , the cleaning unit  20  of the sport shoe cleaning device  10  was a stiff bristled brush. Such brushes appropriate for practice in the present device  10  are known in the art and are commercially available. Alternatively, the cleaning unit  20  can be a scrapper unit such as a boot scrapper, or a combination brush/scrapper unit.  
      In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1A &amp; 1B  and  FIG. 3 , the body portion  40  had a substantially right-triangular cross-section with the height of the right triangle forming the body back  42 , the hypotenuse forming the body front  44  and the base of the triangle forming the body bottom  46  of the body portion of the frame member  14 . However, it is not a requirement of the present device  10  that the body portion  40  of the frame member  14  have a right triangular cross section. In fact, it is intended in the present invention that a frame member  14  made of a relatively bendable material, such as aluminum sheet metal or certain kinds plastic stock, will have some flexibility to allow ready adjustment to permit at least slightly different size cleaning units  20  to be mountable on the frame member  14 . It is the feature of front side  42  of the body portion being discontinuous and in two parts  42   a  &amp;  42   b  that enables this flexibility.  
      In the preferred embodiment exemplified in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , side tabs  16  were folded forward to form the front tabs  44   a  of the front side  44  of the body portion  40 , and the center tab  18  was used to form the appendage portion  60 . Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the center tab  18  can be folded forward to form the front tab  44   a  of the front side  44  of the body portion  40 , and the side tabs  16  are then used to form the appendage portion  60 .  
      The appendage portion  60  of sport shoe cleaning device  10  is used to attach or interface the device  10  the bumper  80  (see  FIG. 3 ) of a vehicle. In the preferred embodiments illustrated, the vehicle was a golf cart. In the embodiment exemplified in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the appendage portion  60  of the unitary frame member  14  extends away from the back side  42  of the body portion  40  proximate the front side  44  of the body portion  40 . In this embodiment, the appendage portion  60  was adapted to hold the bumper  80  against the back side  42  of the body portion  40 . This was accomplished by bending the center tab  18  of the frame member  14  to make a downward extending leg  62 . The downward extending leg  62  of the appendage portion  60  had a fastener aperture  64 . A threaded fastener (not shown) was threaded through the fastener aperture  64  and used as a set screw to secure the frame member  14  to the bumper. Alternatively, the fastener aperture  64  can be disposed in the back side  42  of the body portion  40  of the unitary frame  14  for receiving a set screw. Fastener apertures  64  can be disposed on both the downwardly extending leg  62  and the back side  42  of the body portion  40  for passing threaded fasteners secure the device  10  to a bumper.  
      Other attachment means to bumpers are known to and practicable by the ordinary skilled artisan in accomplishing the present shoe cleaner device  10 . For example, the unitary frame member of  FIG. 2A  is intended to be tied to a bumper  80  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . As exemplified in the figure, the sport shoe cleaning device  10  is attached to the bumper  80  utilizing attachment means comprising strap tie apertures  70  for passing strap ties  72  (partially shown) closely around both the frame member  14  and the bumper  80  together to attach the frame member  14  to the bumper  80 . Strap ties  72  useful for this purpose are known in the art and are commercially available. Alternatively, a tie means  72  can be disposed to pass from a tie aperture  70  on the appendage portion  60  (see  FIG. 3 ), around the bumper  80  and to a tie aperture  70  on the body portion  40  of the frame member  14  to removably attach the device  10  to the bumper  80 .  
      While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of one or another preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible, which would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, and not just by the embodiments.