Patent Abstract:
A shoe shine device includes cylindrical housing sized to fit into a purse or briefcase. A sheet of pliable material suitable for shining shoes can be selectively withdrawn from the housing. After use, the sheet is automatically retracted into the housing.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     None  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0003]     This invention pertains to a shoe shining device, and more particularly to a device incorporating a shining cloth, the device being compact so that it can easily be stored and packed but readily deployable for use.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0005]     Clean and shiny shoes are the mark of a professional, well groomed person, and accordingly, various shoe shining kits are readily available. The kits include separate cans of shoe wax, a variety of brushes, and other similar tools. Some kits may also include sprays which disperse waxy substances. These kits are too bulky to be carried easily by travelers. This is particularly true for business travelers who often try to pack everything into carry-on luggage.  
         [0006]     Some hotels provide a small round sponge for shoe shining, but this sponge is too small and inadequate to produce properly shined shoes.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     A device for shining constructed in accordance with this invention includes an elongated housing with a longitudinal slot. A sheet made of a material suitable for shining shoes and having a generally rectangular shape has one edge secured to a mechanism inside the housing. The second end extends through the slot and can be used to pull the sheet out at least partially so that it can be used to clean shoes. A mechanism is provided inside the housing that locks the sheet while its outside, and then when activated, it automatically retracts the sheet into the housing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a side elevational view of a show shine device constructed in accordance with this invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of the device of  FIG. 1  with a portion of the housing remove to render its interior visible;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the device; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  shows an orthogonal view of an alternate embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     As shown in the Figures, a device  10  constructed in accordance with this invention includes a generally cylindrical housing  12  made of a metal, a plastic material, cardboard, etc. Typically the housing may be about 5-7 in. long and have a diameter in the range of ½ to 1 in. The housing is formed with a lateral wall  14  and end walls  16  and  18 . A longitudinal slot  20  is formed on the lateral wall  14 , extending substantially along the length of the housing  10 .  
         [0013]     Disposed in the housing is a shoe shining sheet  22  made of paper, a woven or non-woven fabric, or other materials. Preferably, the sheet  22  is soft and pliable so that it does not scuff the shoes during cleaning. Optionally, the sheet  22  may be impregnated at least on one side with an appropriate waxy substance. The sheet includes two lateral edges  24 ,  26  and two ends  28 ,  30 . End  28  is the free end that is preferably disposed outside the housing. To insure that the end  28  stays outside, the sheet may be provided with an outside stop  31  formed so that the thickness is effectively increased. The outside stop  31  may be made of fabric, cardboard or other material, or may be implemented by folding a portion of the sheet  22  over itself and securing the folded portion by sewing or gluing.  
         [0014]     As best seen in  FIG. 1 , the wall  14  and/or other portions of the housing could be used to provide advertising or other promotional material. Advertising material or other text and graphical images may also be provided on the sheet  22  itself.  
         [0015]     Inside the housing  12  there is provided a mechanism  32  for selectively rolling the sheet  12  up and to allow it to be played out and withdrawn from the housing. For example, the mechanism  32  may be implemented by a mandrel  34  housing a coil spring  36 , with a clutch  38  at one end. This type of device is well known, for example, in window shades.  
         [0016]     Normally, the sheet  22  is disposed within the housing  12  so that only its end  28  is showing in the slot  20 . Outside stop  31  insures that the sheet is not drawn inside the housing  12 . Within the housing  12  the sheet  22  is wound about the mandrel  34  with end  30  secured to the mandrel  34  and is biased in this position by spring  36 . To use the device, a person pulls out the sheet  22  from the housing  12 . While intermediate positions may be provided, it is preferable that the whole sheet be pulled out or extended as shown. The clutch  38  latches unto the mandrel  34  to insure that sheet stays in the extended position and can be used by a person to clean and shine his shoes. When he is done, the person releases the sheet  22  so that the sheet is automatically pulled back into the housing  12 . This may be accomplished in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the person pulls on the sheet  22  slightly and then releases it. This action causes the clutch  38  to disengage from the mandrel and allow the mandrel to rotate and pulls the sheet  22  in. In another embodiment, an external button (not shown) may be provided to disengage the mandrel and, under the action of the spring, cause the sheet  22  to be pulled back. An inside stop  40  is positioned near end  30 . As the sheet  22  is pulled out of the housing, the stop  40  comes into contact with the inner edges of the slot  20  and prevents the sheet to be inadvertently removed or pulled out of the housing  12 . The stop  40  may be made in the same way as the rib  32 .  
         [0017]     Advantageously the device  10  is small enough so that it can be stored easily in a purse, brief case, etc. However, once it is removed, its sheet can be deployed rapidly and easily to allow a person to use it. Moreover, once a person is finished, the sheet  22  is quickly and automatically drawn into the housing and stored there until the next use. The device can be made easily for a relatively small cost.  
         [0018]     In an alternative embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 4  spring  36  disposed in the mandrel is replaced by a planar coil spring  40  similar to the ones used in watches is disposed at one end of the mandrel to bias the same.  
         [0019]     Numerous modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0