Patent Abstract:
A shoe horn device has a series of telescoping sleeves which telescope within the handle for storage and extend out for use. A shoe horn shaped pivotable head attaches to an outer end of the innermost sleeve. The pivotable head pivots over, locks, and nests with the handle in a pocket storage configuration. The pivotable head pivots open for use as a long handled shoe horn. A variety of different pivotable heads may be attached as individual replacement heads.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to shoe horns and particularly to a shoe horn device having a handle grip with a long telescoping handle extension and a shoe horn head at an opposite end of the handle extension which folds over the handle in its retracted position for a more compact arrangement to fit into a pocket or purse of a user, wherein the shoe horn head is replaceable with other types of heads for use with the device. 
   2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
   A shoe horn is a great aide and often necessary to assist a user in inserting a foot into a shoe or slipping a shoe over a foot, especially for very tight-fitting shoes. A long handled shoe horn is a great convenience for putting on a shoe without bending over by simply holding the shoe horn against an inside back of a shoe from a standing position while slipping the foot into the shoe. For people who cannot bend over, such as people with leg injuries, or cannot easily bend over, such as elderly or other joint stiffened people, a long handled shoe horn is a necessity for putting on shoes without bending over. 
   With the current mobile lifestyle and various activities away from home requiring having to removes shoes and put them on again having a portable long handle shoe horn is a great convenience to some and necessity to others as indicated above. Some such situations include exercise classes or sports participation, such as swimming or bowling, medical visits, or just trying on clothing or shoes at a self-service shoe store. Prior art devices do not address this problem in an easy-to-use compact portable shoe horn which extends out to a useful length. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,182, issued Feb. 24, 2004 to Shrewsbury, depicts an extendable shoehorn device for permitting a user to put a shoe on a foot without having to bend over. The extendable shoehorn device includes a handle assembly having a pocket clip thereon. An offset shoehorn member is mounted to an end of the handle assembly for permitting a user to more easily put a shoe on their foot. 
   U.S. Pat. No. D302,490, issued Aug. 1, 1989 to Denney, provides the ornamental design for a shoe horn. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,745, issued Oct. 26, 1982 to Nelson, shows a specially constructed shoe horn for persons having limited body bending movements. The device has an elongated pivotable handle, which enables a person to put on footwear without substantial bending at the waist, hips or knees. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,823, issued Mar. 23, 1999 to Carroll, claims a collapsible shoe horn that includes a shoe horn tongue having a generally thin and smooth body portion for aiding the user in putting on a pair of shoes. The side edges of the shoe horn tongue are slightly curved upwardly in a concave manner so that the shoe horn tongue conforms to the shape of the heel of a human foot. A neck portion is integral with and extends from the bottom of the shoe horn tongue. The neck portion has a pair of opposing flanges, each flange having a dap opening formed within the interior side thereof for receiving opposing ends of a shoe horn handle. The dap openings have a smooth dimple-like dap surface extending from the outer exposed surface of each neck flange for protecting the shoe horn user from the sharp ends of the shoe horn handle. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,216, issued May 14, 2002 to Cubelli, describes a cane and grasping device provided with a shoehorn. An upper tubular member is telescoped within a lower sleeve or sheath having a cane foot at its lowermost end. The sleeve is adjustably set along the member to set the length of the cane by a detent assembly employing a pawl and aperture arrangement. An article grasping mechanism is located at the lower end of the upper tubular member and includes a pair of toothed jaws with meshing teeth. The jaws extend from the tubular member at one end, opposite a handle attached to the tubular member at the other end. A lever is attached at the handle end and is coupled to the jaws via cables and pulleys. The jaws are biased open and are closed by the cables as the handle is squeezed closed. The sleeve encloses the jaws in the closed state when not in use. When the sleeve is removed from juxtaposition over the jaws, the jaws are biased open by torsion springs. The handle and lever are then used to close the open jaws over an article to be grasped. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,531, issued Jan. 29, 1974 to Oldfield, claims a collapsible shoehorn with two shoehorn curved sections telescoping together for storage and telescoping out for usage. 
   U.S. Patent Application #20040255995, published Dec. 23, 2004 by Garrett, illustrates a walking stick having a shoehorn/gripper and magnet accessories. The walking stick or cane comprises a support having a foot at one end thereof and a handle at the other. A gripper device adjacent the foot includes a shoehorn assembly pivoted to the support for movement toward and away from the foot for grasping objects between the end of the foot and the shoehorn assembly. The gripper device is operated by a trigger mounted adjacent the handle and a rod generally parallel to the support. In one embodiment, the shoehorn assembly includes a shoehorn which acts to grasp an object. The walking stick may have an adjustable length, by providing telescoping sections. 
   What is needed is an easy-to-use compact portable shoe horn which fits into a pocket or purse of a user and opens easily and extends out into a shoe horn with a rigid elongated handle extension of a useful length. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use compact portable shoe horn with a handle grip having a long handle extension which telescopes closed and has a shoe horn head pivotally attached to on outer end of the handle extension which pivots and locks in place over the handle for a compact unit which fits into a pocket or purse of a user for storage and transportation and opens easily by snapping the shoe horn end open away from the handle extension in a locked open position with the handle extension telescoping out to form a shoe horn with a rigid elongated handle of a useful length. 
   A related object of the present invention is to provide a handle grip which fits comfortably in a hand of a user and has a handle extension in the form of a series of telescoping sleeves with a shoe horn shaped pivotable head on an outer end of an outer sleeve which pivots open for use while holding the handle and pivots closed nesting with the handle with the sleeves all telescoped together inside the handle. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide replaceable pivotable heads which may include a shoe horn, a back-scratcher, a pick-up magnet, a pick-up hand, or other types of heads requiring an extended length handle. 
   In brief, the handle grip has a handle extension formed by a number of increasingly smaller sleeves which telescope together to fit within the handle to provide a pocket size item with the handle extension telescoped down and a shoe horn head at an outer end of the sleeves pivoted over the handle and which sleeves telescope out to form the handle extension to make the handle a useful length and with the shoe horn head pivoted open to enable a person to use the shoe horn in a standing position. 
   The handle extension comprises of a series of tubular sleeves telescoping into each other which telescope down to fit within the handle grip. 
   The pivotable head is attached to an outer end of an innermost sleeve by a pivotable means of allowing the pivotable head to pivot open and lock in an extended work configuration and pivot closed and lock in a folded over storage configuration and a removable means of attaching the pivotable head to the innermost telescoping sleeve. 
   A folding shoe horn is one of a number of removable interchangeable pivotable heads attachable to the telescopic sleeve. Other tips would include magnetic pick-up, back scratch, golf putter, golf ball pick up, grasping device, etc. 
   With the telescoping rod collapsed and the shoe horn folded over it, it then becomes pocket size. Unfolded and extended, the shoe horn would be twenty-nine to thirty inches long. 
   An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a useful long handled shoe horn which enables use in a standing position and collapses down to fit in a pocket or purse. 
   Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a portable pocket tool with a collapsible and expansible handle having a variety of replaceable heads for different functions. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other details of my invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention, and in which drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the telescoping and folding long handled shoe horn device of the present invention in a fully expanded configuration with the handle grip portion seen at a left end and the pivotable head shoe horn seen at a right end pivoted open at an outer end of the extended telescoping sleeves; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the present invention of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the present invention of  FIG. 1  with all of the sleeves telescoped together in the handle and the pivotable head folded over and nesting with the handle grip so that the device is fully contracted for storage: 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the present invention of  FIG. 3  in the fully contracted configuration; 
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view in partial section of the shoe horn head base showing the pivot and locking connection between the pivotable head and a threaded outer end of the innermost telescoping sleeve and a mating threaded opening in the pivotable head base; 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view in partial section of the pivotable shoe horn shaped head showing the pivot and locking connection between the pivotable shoe horn head and head base; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the flanges of the head base which connects to the pivotable shoe horn head; 
       FIG. 8  is a partial perspective view showing the pivotable shoe horn head; 
       FIG. 9  is a side elevational view in partial section of the pivotable shoe horn head in open position showing an alternate mechanism which comprises the connection between the pivotable shoe horn head and innermost extensible sleeve; 
       FIG. 10  is a side elevational view in partial section of the pivotable shoe horn shaped head of  FIG. 9  in folded position; 
       FIG. 11  is a side elevational view in partial section of the pivotable shoe horn shaped head in a folded position showing an alternate mechanism which comprises the connection between the pivotable shoe horn head and head base; 
       FIG. 12  is a side elevational view in partial section of the alternate shoe horn head base of  FIG. 11  in open position; 
       FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of an alternate telescoping shoe horn device of the present invention in a fully expanded configuration with the shoe horn portion seen at a left end and the knob-like handle at a right end of the extended telescoping sleeves; 
       FIG. 14  is a top plan view of the present invention of  FIG. 13 ; 
       FIG. 15  is a side elevational view of the alternate telescoping shoe horn device of the present invention of  FIG. 13  with the sleeves housed within the outer shoe horn shaped largest sleeve so that the device is fully contracted for storage; 
       FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the present invention of  FIG. 14  in the fully contracted configuration; 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In  FIGS. 1-8 , a telescoping and pivoting shoe horn device  20  comprises a hand grip handle  24  at one end having a series of telescoping sleeves  23 A- 23 E which slide inside the handle with a pivotable head  21  in the shape of a shoe horn pivotally attached to a head base  30  attached to an outer end of the inner sleeve  23 A and the pivotable head pivots open with the sleeves fully extended into a handle extension for use as a shoe horn with an elongated handle, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and alternately, with the sleeves telescoped together within the handle, the pivotable head  21  pivots closed over the handle  24  nesting with the handle, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , for compact storage in a pocket or purse. 
   The collapsible and expansible handle comprises an outer gripping portion  24  and a series of increasingly smaller sleeves  23 E,  23 D,  23 C,  23 B, and  23 A which telescope together to fit within the outer gripping portion in a fully collapsed position, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , to fit within a pocket of a user. These sleeves  23 A- 23 E telescope out to a fully extended configuration to form a handle extension for use as an elongated handle, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , to enable a user holding a proximal end of the handle to contact a floor with a distal end of the handle from a standing position. The device can be held from the hand grip end to use as a long-handled shoe horn. 
   A pivotable head  21  and  30  attaches to an outer end of an innermost extensible telescoping sleeve  23 A by a means for pivoting the pivotable head from a first locked position pivoted over the handle  24  and the telescoping sleeves  23 A- 23 E in the fully collapsed position, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , to a second locked position pivoted away from the handle and the telescoping sleeves  23 A- 23 E in the fully extended position, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  5 . 
   In  FIGS. 5-8 , the means for attaching the pivotable head comprises a pivotable head base  30  comprising a first end  33  having a means for attaching the pivotable head base to the threaded outer end  32  of the innermost sleeve  23 A and a second end having flanges  28  with two opposing parallel flat sides having a base pivot pin hole  29  therethrough with a pivot pin  22  through the base pivot pin hole  29  and a perpendicular cylindrical opening  35  therethrough with a spring-loaded locking ball  36  and a communicating spring  26  positioned within the cylindrical opening with the ball  36  protruding from the head base perpendicular to the base pivot pin hole  29  and a pivotable head comprising a connective end  27  protruding orthogonally between the two parallel flanges  28  of the base  30 , each of the flanges having a center flange pivot hole  29  for receiving an end of the pivot pin  22  therein the connective end  27  of the pivotable head base comprising three grooves  31 A- 31 C so that when the pivotable head is pivoted open in the fully extended position the ball  36  engages a first groove  31 A to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position and when the pivotable head is pivoted into the second position the ball  36  engages the second groove  31 B to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position at an angle and when the pivotable head is pivoted closed in a closed position over the handle the ball  36  engages a third groove  31 C to lock the pivotable head in the pivoted closed position. When a user applies force to pivot the pivotable head  21 , the pivotable head pivots to release the ball unlocking the pivotable head. 
   In  FIGS. 5-7 , one means for attaching the pivotable head base  30  to the outer end of the innermost sleeve  23 A comprises a protruding threaded outer end  32  of the innermost sleeve  23 A and a mating threaded opening  34  in a connecting portion  33  of the pivotable head base  30  to receive the protruding threaded outer end  32  to lock the pivotable head base  30  to the outermost sleeve  23 A. 
   In  FIGS. 9-10 , an alternate means for attaching the shoe horn head  21 A to the innermost sleeve  23  A comprises a hollow cylindrical outer end of the innermost sleeve  23 A and head base  43  pivotally attached to a link  40  that is pivotally attached to the connective end  27 A of the shoe horn head  21 A. The head base  43  comprises a first cylindrical end  42  which is larger in diameter than the opening of the hollow cylindrical outer end of the innermost sleeve  23 A thereby having means for sliding inside the innermost sleeve  23 A without the possibility of sliding out of it and a second cylindrical end  41  having flanges having a base pivot pin hole  44  through which a pivot pin  39  connects the head base  43  to the link  40 . The link  40  has a second pivot pin hole  45  which connects to the shoe horn head base  27 A via pivot pin  38 . When the pivotable head  21 A pivots open and is in line with the link  40  and the shoe horn base  43  the connective end  27 A slides within the innermost sleeve  23 A, there is a spring clip  37  attached to the pivotable shoe horn head  21 A to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position through the hole in the wall of the innermost sleeve  23 A which aligns with the dent  46  in the connective end of the pivotable shoe horn head. When spring clip is disengaged from the dent  46 , the pivotable shoe horn head  21 A, link  40 , and the second end  41  of the shoe horn base  43  is pulled out of the innermost sleeve  23 A and pivoted closed into a closed position over the handle. 
   In  FIGS. 11-12 , an alternate pivotable head consists of a pivotable shoe horn head  21 B having a pivot pin hole  50  and a connective end  27 B having a pivot pin hole  50 A. A pivot pin  51  connects the shoe horn head  21 B to the connective end  27 B. The shoe horn head  21 B has a sleeve  47  having means for sliding toward the connective end  27 B when the pivotable shoe horn head  21 B is pivoted open. The connective end  27 B has thread  49  which engages a mating thread  52  inside of the sleeve  47  to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position. When the thread is disengaged the sleeve  47  slides toward the pivotable shoe horn head  21 B, which is in turn pivoted into the closed position. 
   In  FIGS. 13-16  a telescoping shoe horn device  20 C comprises a knoblike handle  24 C at one end and a series of telescoping sleeves  23 A- 23 E which are slidable inside the shoe horn shaped outer sleeve  21 C so that when sleeves  23 A- 23 E and shoe horn shaped sleeve  23 C are fully extended, they create a handle extension for use as a shoe horn with an elongated handle as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . Additionally, when sleeves  23 A- 23 E and shoe horn shaped sleeve  23 C are fully telescoped together and collapsed within the shoe horn shaped sleeve  21 C as shown in  FIGS. 15-16 , the shoe horn device  20 C becomes compact for storage in a pocket or purse. 
   The components are preferably fabricated of metal or sturdy plastic. 
   It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0