Patent Publication Number: US-11659947-B2

Title: Shoe holder organizer

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/092,091 filed Oct. 15, 2020, the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to improvements in a holder for shoes. More particularly, the present shoe holder organizer creates a multi-functional holder for shoes that allow the shoes to be held on a vertical wall to increase the storage area where shoes can be stored to efficiently store shoes. 
     Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     Closets are used to store clothing items and often shoes are placed under the hanging clothing. Placing the shoes on the ground or in shoe boxes that makes them difficult to locate and when the volume of shoes increases there needs to be storage in additional areas. Open areas of the walls, side panels, door and other flat surface provide additional storage areas that can be easily used with the right fixture. The correct fixture should be easily adaptable to the different types of shoes, including high heel shoes and should be easily secured and removed from a wall or door. 
     A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,940 issued on Apr. 20, 1999, to John Gusdorf et al., and is titled Vertical Wall Rack and Variable Shoe Holder Arrangement. This patent discloses a storage system having a pair of parallel, spaced side runners and a plurality of interchangeable wire racks secured and suspended between the side runners. The runners are mounted directly to a wall or other flat surface. The runners are provided in interlocking sections and can be joined together to form a runner if desired. Each runner has a plurality of evenly spaced openings formed along the length of a center section. One embodiment of the rack has a plurality of upward angled loops for holding a shoe. While this patent allows for the storage of shoes it can&#39;t be adjusted to fit different sizes of shoes. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,335 issued on Aug. 29, 1978, to Robert C. Randolph and is titled Shoe Support Apparatus. This patent discloses a shoe support apparatus, particularly for supporting a shoe thereon during the performance of a shoe shining operation, is disclosed. A base panel is adapted to be secured to a vertical support surface, such as, for example, a wall or a door. A shoe support member is pivotably mounted adjacent the lower portion of the panel. The sections are connected by unique pivot joints formed of integral parts of said sections and are so arranged as to define an over-center type locking mechanism. In this manner, the apparatus can be collapsed for storage and quickly erected and locked for rigidly supporting the shoe during a shoe polishing operation. This patent is only designed to hold shoes while they are being shined, it is not doesn&#39;t have a flexible strap nor a locking adjustment to hole a shoe onto the strap. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,617 issued on Feb. 15, 1972, to Pedro R. Lopez and is titled Adjustable Shoeshine Mount. This patent discloses a mounting bracket, an arm mounted therein and transverse thereto, a vertical support pivotally mounted at the other end of the arm, and a shoe frame mounted at the bottom of the support comprising sections pivotally and slidably connected to each other for securing and stretching the shoe to be polished. This patent is for a racket to shine shoes it is not a storage mechanism for different sizes of shoes or high-heel shoes. 
     What is needed is a shoe holder that can be easily mounted onto a wall or other flat surface, can be folded onto the wall, and has multiple adjustments to hold different size shoes and high-heel shoes. The proposed shoe holder organizer provides a storage system that allows for shoes to be held in a variety of configurations to increase the storage space in a closet or any space with a flat surface. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the shoe holder organizer to have securing methods that allows the shoe holder to be mounted onto a vertical wall. The shoe holder can be mounted with threaded fasteners like screws or can be secured with an adhesive that can be installed and removed from the wall without leaving a residue on the wall. A pull tab on the adhesive backing leases the bond between the shoe holder and the wall or door. The shoe holder can hold a single shoe, and multiple shoe holders can be used to store as many shoes as possible or pairs of shoes that are desired. Storing the shoes on a wall, door or other flat surface makes all the shoes visible without needing to search through a pile of shoes that are set on the floor or in boxes that are bulky and take away closet space. 
     It is an object of the shoe holder organizer to be able to fold the shoe holder against a wall for storage or when not needed to hold shoes. The door of the hinge can be easily grasped to pull down the door and gravity holds the door open, and a securing tab holds the door in the closed position. The door is configured to extend into a shoe, so the toe of the shoe faces away from the wall or door where the shoe holder is mounted. The door has a width that allows the door to easily fit with most shoes. 
     It is another object of the shoe holder organizer to have a strap that extends from the back wall mount to the door. The strap is flexible to easily fold within the shoe holder. The strap provides a soft and flexible cushioned member that adds padding to the shoe holder, so damage is not caused to shoes that are stored on the shoe holder(s). The strap has some elastic properties that allows the strap to stretch and conform around the shape of a shoe. The strap is secured at a first end on the back member and at a second end on the door to allow the strap to fold in and out of the shoe holder as the door is opened and closed. 
     It is still another object of the shoe holder organizer to have a vertical adjustment member that alters a distance from a clamping surface to the strap. There are a number of finite stops to position and retain the vertical adjustment member onto the wall mount bracket. A user squeezes both sides of the vertical adjustment member to dis-engage the locking mechanism or fingers of the vertical adjustment mechanism to slide the vertical adjustment mechanism along the back member. The vertical member can slide onto the heel of a shoe to securely hold the shoe to prevent the shoe from accidentally being dislodged from the shoe holder. The shoe is stored with the heel facing up to prevent any dust or debris from entering the shoe. 
     Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of a shoe holder organizer. 
         FIG.  2    shows an exploded view of the shoe holder organizer. 
         FIG.  3    shows a plan view of the shoe holder organizer. 
         FIG.  4    shows a right-side sectional view taken along lines  4 - 4  from  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  5 A  shows a bottom sectional view taken along lines  5 A- 5 A from  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  5 B  shows a top sectional view taken along lines  5 B- 5 B from  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of the show holder organizer in the closed orientation. 
         FIG.  7    shows a perspective view of the show holder organizer in a partially closed orientation with a shoe. 
         FIG.  8    shows a perspective view of the show holder organizer in the open orientation with a shoe. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. 
     ITEM NUMBERS AND DESCRIPTION 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 17 heel 
                 18 shoe 
               
               
                   
                 19 shoe holder organizer 
                 20 flexible strap 
               
               
                   
                 21 first end 
                 22 second end 
               
               
                   
                 23 strap 
                 30 cushion 
               
               
                   
                 31 tab(s) 
                 32 flex arm(s) 
               
               
                   
                 33 hinge 
                 34 outer wall 
               
               
                   
                 35 upper wall 
                 39 cushion moved 
               
               
                   
                 50 wall mount bracket 
                 51 teeth 
               
               
                   
                 52 hinge rod 
                 53 stop 
               
               
                   
                 54 side wall 
                 55 inner wall 
               
               
                   
                 56 strap lock (bracket) 
                 57 upper wrap tab 
               
               
                   
                 58 lower wrap tab 
                 59 detent 
               
               
                   
                 60 close detent 
                 . 
               
               
                   
                 70 door 
                 71 hinge socket 
               
               
                   
                 72 stop tab 
                 73 travel arm 
               
               
                   
                 74 strap lock (door) 
                 75 opening 
               
               
                   
                 76 finger tab 
                 77 door wall. 
               
               
                   
                 90 adhesive backing 
                 91 pull strip 
               
               
                   
                 92 openings 
                 97 down 
               
               
                   
                 98 squeeze 
                 99 move 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     While this technology is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail several specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the technology and is not intended to limit the technology to the embodiments illustrated. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the technology. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. 
     It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components, referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings with like reference characters. 
       FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of a shoe holder organizer  19 . The shoe holder organizer  19  is shown with a wall mount bracket  50  or rear housing. The wall mount bracket  50  is the main housing for the shoe holder organizer  19 . Through an opening in the bottom of the wall mount bracket  50  a portion of an adhesive backing  90  can be seen. The adhesive backing  90  allows the shoe holder organizer  19  to mount onto a wall without using fasteners, such as screws or nails. While the preferred mounting of the shoe holder organizer  19  is with an adhesive pad because it leaves no hole in a wall, fasteners can be used. The adhesive backing has a release liner that is removed from the back of the shoe holder organizer  19  and the shoe holder organizer  19  can be “pressed” onto a wall, door, or other surface so the adhesive in the adhesive backing  90  will hold the shoe holder organizer  19  onto the surface. The adhesive backing  90  has a pull strip  91 , whereby a user can “pull” on the pull strip  91  to release the shoe holder organizer  19  from the surface without leaving a residue or adhesive on the surface. The adhesive backing  90  is preferably shaped to cover the entire back surface of the wall mount bracket  50  and has some cushion to contour to surface topography where the shoe holder  19  is adhered. 
     A door  70  hinges from the bottom of the wall mount bracket  50 . The door  70  is limited in rotation by a flexible strap  20 . The flexible strap  20  connects at a first end  21  to the movable end of the door  70  and at a second end  22  to the wall mount bracket  50 . The flexible strap  20  is preferably a woven material and provides a cushion to a stored shoe and can conform around a portion of a shoe held with the shoe holder organizer  19 . At the top of the wall mount bracket  50  is a vertical adjustable member  30 . The vertical adjustable member  30  has a plurality of tab(s)  31  that engage in teeth  51  in the wall mount bracket  50 . The combination of tab(s)  31  and teeth  51  allows the vertical adjustable member  30  to be positioned on the wall mount bracket  50  to adjust and secure a shoe therein. 
       FIG.  2    shows an exploded view of the shoe holder organizer  19 . Starting with the adhesive backing  90  that is bonded or otherwise secured to the back of the wall mount bracket  50 . The adhesive backing  90  has a plurality of holes  92  that are clearance for the back of the wall mount bracket  50 . At the bottom of the adhesive backing is a pull strip  91  that is pulled to release the adhesive bond between the wall mount bracket  50  and a wall. In this view, the wall mount bracket  50  shows the plurality of teeth  51  where the tab(s) of the cushion  30  engage. A user can “squeeze” the flex arms  32  of the cushion to bend the hinge  33  of the cushion  30  to dis-engage the tabs  31  and slide the cushion  30  on an inner wall  55  of the wall mount bracket  50 . The cushion  30  slides within the side walls  54  of the wall mount bracket  50 . 
     Below the teeth  51  of the wall mount bracket  50  are some strap lock  56  features where the second end  22  of the flexible strap  20  can wrap around to secure the strap  23  onto the wall mount bracket  50 . At the lower portion of the wall mount bracket  50  is a hinge rod  52  where the hinge socket  71  of the door  70  is retained. Also, in the lower portion of the wall mount bracket  50  there is a stop  53  there the stop tab  72  on the travel arm  73  this is shown and described in more detain in  FIG.  4   . At the opposing end of the door  70  the finger tab  76  is shown along with an opening  75  and a strap lock  74  where the first end  21  of the flexible strap  21  is retained. 
       FIG.  3    shows a plan view of the shoe holder organizer  19  this plan view provides a reference orientation for the sectional views shown in  FIGS.  4 ,  5 A and  5 B . In this figure, the wall mount bracket  50  is shown on the adhesive backing with the pull strap extending out the bottom of the wall mount bracket  50 . The door  70  is in an open orientation with rotation of the door  70  held in limited rotation with the flexible strap  20 . The first end  21  of the flexible strap  20  is shown secured to the end of the door  70 . The finger tab  76  is visible in this figure. A user can use the finger tab  76  to easily grasp the door  70  to open the door  70 . The wall mount bracket  50  has multiple teeth  51  for positioning and locking the cushion  30 . A second position of the cushion moved  39  is shown with the cushion  30  in broken line. 
       FIG.  4    shows a right-side sectional view taken along lines  4 - 4  from  FIG.  3   . Starting from the far-right side of this figure the pull strip  91  shown on the adhesive backing  90  on the wall mounting bracket. The cushion  30  is shown in an upper position and in a lower position as broken lines with the cushion moved  39 . The cushion  30  can be moved  99  and located in any fixed position on the teeth  51 . The cushion  30  tracks on the inner wall  55 . The flexible strap  20  is shown with the strap  23  extending between the first end  21  that is secured around the strap lock  74  through the opening  75 , to the second end  22  where the strap is wrapped around an upper wrap tab  57  and a lower wrap tab  58 . 
     The door shows the finger tab  76  and the wall  77  of the door. The hinge socket  71  of the door is secured onto the hinge rod  52 . The outermost travel of the door is stopped when the stop tab  72 , on the travel arm  73 , contacts the stop  53 . The rotation of the door is held closed by a close detent  60  and at a position between opened and closed by a middle detent  59  to temporally hold the door in fixed positions. 
       FIG.  5 A  shows a bottom sectional view taken along lines  5 A- 5 A from  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  5 B  shows a top sectional view taken along lines  5 B- 5 B from  FIG.  3   . The door  70  is shown secured by the flexible strap  20  at the first end  21 . These figures mostly show the operation and interaction of the cushion  30  in the shoe holder  19 . The cushion  30  has tab(s)  31  that engage into teeth  51  in the wall mount bracket to retain the cushion  30  in finite positions. A user squeezes  98  the sides of the cushion  30  to depress the flex arms  32  on the hinge  33  to disengage the tab(s)  31  from the teeth  51 . The cushion  30  is constrained within the side wall(s)  54  to slide within the wall mount brackets with the upper wall  35  and the outer wall  34  tracking on the inner wall  55  for the purpose of adjusting to the heel width and height. 
       FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of the shows the holder organizer  19  in the closed orientation with the door  70  secured within the wall mount bracket  50 . In this figure the heel  17  of a shoe  18  is supported on the cushion  30 .  FIG.  7    shows a perspective view of the shows the holder  19  in a partially closed orientation with a heel  17  a shoe  18  resting on the strap  23 . It should be noted the different position of the cushion  30 . In  FIG.  6    the cushion  30  is on first end  21  of the strap  23 . 
       FIG.  8    shows a perspective view of the shows the holder organizer  19  in the open orientation with the heel  17  of the shoe  18  resting on the stretched strap  23 . The cushion  30  can then be brought down  97  onto the heel  17  of the shoe  18  to essentially lock the heel  17  between the cushion  30  and the strap  23 . While these are two different orientations of securing a shoe  18  on the shoe holder organizer  19 , other orientations are contemplated. 
     Thus, specific embodiments of a shoe holder have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.