Abstract:
A shoe polishing stand provides a shoe holder mounted on a ridge member attached to front and rear legs. The shoe holder includes a clamp assembly biased by a spring to create a downward force and a shoe plate, both attached to the ridge member, so a shoe resting on the shoe plate is held in fixed position by the clamp assembly at a convenient height for polishing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to a shoe polishing stand and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a stand which holds a shoe to be shined by a person sitting in a chair or on a stool. The shoe polishing stand of the present invention includes a collapsible pouch for storing shoe polish, brushes, buffing cloths (sometimes also referred to herein as polishing cloths), and other shoe polishing supplies. For convenience only, reference will be made herein to shoe polishers as being of the male gender. It will be understood that the shoe polishing stand of the present invention is equally useful to anyone, whether male or female, wishing to shine shoes.  
         [0003]     2. Discussion  
         [0004]     Personal shoe polishing kits are known in the art. One type of personal shoe polishing kit resembles a shaving kit and merely provides a case for storing shoe polishing supplies. Another type of personal shoe polishing kit includes a box, usually of wood, for storing shoe polishing supplies and a foot plate attached to the box. To use the foot plate, the polisher must leave his shoe on his foot. After applying polish to the shoe, the polisher places the polisher&#39;s shoe, still attached to the polisher&#39;s foot, on the foot plate and bends forward to use the brush and buffing cloth. The polisher applies force, through the polisher&#39;s leg and foot, to maintain the shoe in position on the foot plate attached to the box.  
         [0005]     Commercial shoe shine stands utilize one or more foot plates attached to an elevated stand. A customer desiring a shoe shine climbs onto the elevated stand and places his shoe-clad feet on the foot plates. The customer applies force, through the customer&#39;s leg and foot, to maintain the shoe in position on the foot plate while the commercial shoe polisher applies shoe polish to the shoe and then utilizes a brush and/or buffing cloth to produce a shine. The commercial shoe polisher enjoys the convenience and leverage resulting from the elevation of the customer&#39;s shoe to a convenient working height while the customer applies force to keep the shoe firmly in position on the foot plate.  
         [0006]     Until now, the home shoe polisher was unable to obtain the benefits normally available only to a commercial shoe polisher using a commercial shoe shine stand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Applicant&#39;s invention provides a sturdy shoe polishing stand for cleaning and polishing shoes. A clamping assembly holds the shoe firmly in position on a foot plate at a convenient working height for the shoe polisher, and an attached collapsible pouch provides accessible storage for shoe polishing materials. The shoe polishing stand of the present invention folds for easy storage in a closet or under a bed.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view, in partial cross section, of a clamping assembly and a shoe plate assembly according to applicant&#39;s invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view, with clamping assembly removed, of the shoe plate assembly shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is another view of the shoe plate assembly of  FIG. 1 , in partial cross section, showing movement of the foot plate between a use position and a storage position.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is another view of the shoe polishing stand of  FIG. 1 , in partial cross section, showing folding of the shoe clamp for storage.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a rear view, with end portions of the ridge member cut away, showing, of the upper portion of the shoe polishing stand shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant&#39;s invention wherein the device shown in  FIG. 1  is supported by two front legs attached to a folding rear leg.  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a side view of the shoe polishing stand shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant&#39;s invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is still another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant&#39;s invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a front view of the shoe polishing stand shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is a rear view of the shoe polishing stand shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 12  is another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant&#39;s invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7 , applicant&#39;s shoe polishing stand includes a shoe plate assembly  52  attached to a folding stand  54  (see  FIGS. 6-7 ). The shoe polishing stand  50  is formed by a ridge member  56 , front legs  58 ,  60 , and a fold-out rear leg  62 . The rear leg  62  pivots on a pin  64  recessed within the ridge member  56  (see  FIGS. 6-7 ).  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the shoe holder  52  is attached to the ridge member  56 . The shoe holder  52  is formed by a shoe plate assembly  66  working in cooperation with a clamp assembly  68 . The shoe plate assembly  66  is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0022]     Still referring to  FIG. 1 , the clamp assembly  68  is shown in a use position wherein a force is exerted by the clamp assembly  68  along A to hold the shoe S against a split foot plate  70 . The split foot plate  70  is elevated above the ridge member  56  by support members  72  attached to a foot plate base member  74  (see  FIG. 2 ). The foot plate base member  74  has two rearwardly extending arms  76 ,  78  attached to hinge members  82 . The hinge members  82  are secured to the rear  84  of the ridge member  56  by fasteners  86 .  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the shoe plate assembly  66  is shown in a use position. The foot plate base member  74  rests against the top  88  of the ridge member  56 .  
         [0024]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the split foot plate  70 , the support members  72 , and the foot plate base member  74  (see  FIG. 3 ) move along B between a use position, as indicated in  FIG. 2 , and a storage position, as indicated by dotted lines in  FIG. 3  (see also  FIG. 4 ).  
         [0025]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  in conjunction with  FIGS. 4-7 , the clamp assembly  68  consists of a clamp assembly base  90 , a lower clamping member  92 , and an extended clamping member  94 . A spring  96  biases the lower clamping member  92  and the extended clamping member  94  to produce a force along A. The upper end  98  of the lower clamping member  92  terminates in a fork  100 . The fork  100  receives a mating portion  102  formed on the upper end  104  of the extended clamping member  94 . A shoulder  106  adjacent the fork  100  in the lower clamping member  92  prevents counterclockwise rotation of the extended clamping member  94  within the fork  100  of the lower clamping member  92  beyond the position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 .  
         [0026]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 5-7 , a shoe insert assembly  108  is pivotally attached to the extending clamping member  94 . The extending clamping member  94  terminates in an elongated fork  110 . The shoe insert assembly  108  is formed by an L-shaped heel member  112  having a short side  114  having an end  116  and a long side  118  having a mid-portion  120  and a threaded female end portion  121  distal from the short side  114 . The end  116  of the short side  114  of the L-shaped heel member  112  is pressed downwardly against the heel H of the shoe S along A by the force exerted on the extended clamping member  94  by the biasing spring  96 .  
         [0027]     Still referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 5-7 , wherein the clamping assembly  68  and the shoe insert assembly  108  are shown in the use position, a split toe member  122  is pivotally attached to a toe connecting member  124  having a front end  126  and a back end  128  (see  FIG. 4 ). The toe connecting member  124  is attached at the front end  126  to a pin  130  extending between the two sections of the split toe member  122 . The pin  130  also functions as a shaft on which the toe connecting member  124  pivots. The back end  128  of the toe connecting member  124  terminates in a threaded female connector  132 . A threaded rod  134  connects the threaded female connector  132  to the threaded female end portion  121  attached to the long side  118  of the L-shaped heel member  112 .  
         [0028]     Still referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 5-7 , a front transverse bore  136 , a middle transverse bore  138 , and a rear transverse bore  140  in the mid-portion  120  of the L-shaped heel member  112  permit selective attachment of the shoe insert assembly  108  to the elongated fork  110  of the extended clamping member  94  by a removable transverse pin  142 . The positioning of the transverse bore ( 136 , 138 , 140 ) to which the extended clamping member  94  is attached, together with adjustment of the threaded adjusting rod  134 , permits adjustment of the length of the shoe insert assembly  108  to conform to the size of the shoe S.  
         [0029]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-5 , a recess  150  receives the end  152  of the clamping assembly base member  90 . A plate  154  (see  FIG. 4 ) attached to the clamping assembly base member  90  has four bores  156  which receive clamping assembly base member attachment screws  158 . The clamping assembly base member attachment screws  158  mate with ridge member threaded bores  160  to secure the clamping assembly base member  90 , and hence the entire clamping assembly  68 , to the ridge member  56 .  
         [0030]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7 , in operation the shoe polisher moves the lower clamping member  92  and the extended clamping member  94  of the clamping assembly  68  slightly upwards against the biasing spring  96  to insert the shoe S on the split foot plate  70 . The polisher then inserts the shoe insert assembly  108  into the shoe S so the split toe member  122  extends toward the front of the shoe S and the end  116  of the L-shaped heel member  112  rests against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S If the overall length of the shoe insert assembly  108  is too long or too short, the shoe polisher can adjust the length of the shoe insert assembly by selectively positioning the extended clamping member  94  in one of the transverse bores  136 , 138 , 140  in the mid-portion  120  of the L-shaped heel member  112 . The polisher can adjust the length of the shoe insert assembly  108  more finely by moving the split toe member  122  in (i.e., to shorten the shoe insert assembly  108 ) or out (i.e., to lengthen the shoe insert assembly  108 ) on the threaded adjusting rod  134 . With the shoe S held firmly in place against the split foot plate  70 , the polisher can proceed to polish the shoe S in the same way a commercial shoe polisher shines shoes.  
         [0031]     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , and more particularly to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the split foot plate  70  is rotated backward along B until the foot split plate  70  is hanging along the rear  84  of the ridge member  56  of the shoe polishing stand  50  of the present invention. With the split foot plate  70  out of the way, the lower clamping member  92  and the extended clamping member  94  are spring biased by the spring  96  toward the front of the ridge member  56  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The L-shaped heel member  112  of the shoe insert assembly  108  rotates through the elongated fork  110  of the extending clamping member  94 , the split toe member  122  comes to rest against the extended clamping member  96 , and the lower clamping member  92  comes to rest against the top  88  of the ridge member  56 .  
         [0032]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4, 6 , and  10 - 13  a storage compartment  170  for storing shoe polishing equipment such as brushes B, shoe polish P, and buffing cloths (not shown) is attached to the ridge member  56 . The storage compartment  170  is in the shape of a collapsible pouch having a bottom  172  and ends  174  (see  FIG. 13 ). As shown more clearly in  FIGS. 10-13 , a dowel  176  inserted through a sleeve  178  secures one side of the storage compartment  170  to one side (preferably, the front) of the ridge member  56  (see  FIG. 12 ). A second dowel  180  inserted through a second sleeve  182  secures the other side of the storage compartment  170  to the other side (preferably, the back) of the ridge member  56  or, in the alternative, to folding rear legs  184  (see  FIG. 11 ). In the storage position, the ends  186  of the second dowel  180  are supported by notches  188  in the ridge member  56 . In the use position, the ends  186  of the second dowel  180  are supported by lower notches  190  in the folding rear legs  184 .  
         [0033]     It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the storage compartment  170  of applicant&#39;s shoe polishing stand  50  collapses for compact storage and opens for use by the shoe polisher. It will be further understood that the use of dowels for attachment to the ridge member  56  and rear legs  58 ,  62  (see  FIG. 6 ) or rear legs  84  (see  FIGS. 10-13 ) provides adaptability of the storage compartment  170  to a variety of configurations.  
         [0034]     Referring now to  FIGS. 8-11 , and to  FIG. 8  in particular, shown therein is another clamping assembly  200  for holding the shoe S against a foot plate  202 . A vertical member  204  has a base  206  which is received within a recess  208  in the ridge member  56  and an upper end portion  210 . A horizontal arm  212  has a transverse bore  214  on one end and a parallel threaded bore  216  on the other end. The transverse bore  214  receives the upper end portion  210  of the vertical member  204 . The horizontal arm  212  slides along C to achieve proper elevation with respect to the foot plate  202 . A thumb screw  218  locks the horizontal arm  212  in proper position on the vertical member  204 .  
         [0035]     Still referring to  FIG. 8 , a threaded member  220  having a thumb adjustment  222  at the top and a flexible wide foot  224  at the bottom extends through the threaded bore  216  in the horizontal arm  212 . The recess  208  is offset with respect to the alignment of the foot plate  202  so that the horizontal arm  212  is positioned on the vertical member  204  so the flexible wide foot  224  is pressed snugly against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S. Then, as the polisher tightens the thumb adjustment  222  attached to the threaded member  220 , the clamping assembly  200  is placed in a bind, thereby securing the shoe S against the foot plate  202 .  
         [0036]     Still referring to  FIGS. 8-11 , the foot plate  202  shown therein is a split foot plate similar to the split foot plate  70  shown in  FIGS. 1-7 . In  FIGS. 8-11 , however, the foot plate  202  is supported by supports  226 . Each support  226  terminates at its lower end in a base member  228  received by a recess  230  in the top  88  of the ridge member  56 .  
         [0037]     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , shown therein is another clamping assembly  250  according to the present invention. A C-shaped vertical member  252  is pivotally attached to a base member  254 . The other end of the C-shaped vertical member  252  is connected to a flexible wide foot  256  which rests against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S. A spring  258  biases the C-shaped vertical member  252  so the flexible wide foot  256  applies a force against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S along A.  
         [0038]     Referring again to  FIGS. 8-11 , the ridge member  56  shown therein is integrally attached to front legs  270 . In  FIGS. 8 and 11 , the rear legs  184  fold within the front legs  270 . Bracket assemblies  272  (one on each end) connect the front legs  270  to the rear legs  184 . Each bracket assembly  272  is formed from two pivotally attached members  274 . One end of each pivotally attached member  274  is connected to a common pivot pin  276 . The other ends of the pivotally attached members  274  are attached to the front legs  270  and the rear legs  184 , respectively, by additional pivot members  278 .  
         [0039]     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , two bracket assemblies  272  (one on each end) connect the front legs  270  to rear legs  280 . The rear legs  280  pivot on rear leg pivots  282  (only one shown) and the bracket collapses to permit the rear legs  280  to fold inside the front legs  270 .  
         [0040]     Referring now to  FIGS. 12 and 13 , another shoe polishing stand  300  according to applicant&#39;s invention includes a foot plate  302  attached to the ridge member  56 . The foot plate  302  includes a support  304  and a base member  306  received in a recess  308  in the ridge member  56 .  
         [0041]     The foregoing specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.