Abstract:
The present invention discloses an apparatus for supporting footwear, which permits orderly disposition of the footwear and stores them in a space efficient manner. The boot rack disclosed herein, comprises two vertical supporting members, a horizontal limiting member, and multiple footwear sustaining members.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates an apparatus for supporting footwear, specifically it is related to a boot rack. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Current shoe racks do not provide support for a boot or rain boot to prevent possible tilting, bending or deformation. Some boots especially high women&#39;s winter boots can not be stored in an organized and space-efficient manner on shoe racks currently on the market. 
         [0003]    There is a need today to invent a new boot rack that would allow a pair of boots to be stored tidily together and save space. It is generally desired to place one boot upside down in a hanging slot such that the boot opening faces down and to place the other boot adjacent to the first boot by inserting the shaft of the second boot in a shaft limiting slot that is adjacent to the hanging slot for the first boot. 
         [0004]    CHENG in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/015, 118, disclosed a boot rack. Said boot rack provides two rows of closed loops, as hanging slots and shaft limiting slots respectively. The hanging slots are to hold the inserted boots in an inverted position, which does not provide support for the shafts of the boots in the upright direction. The bottom or lower level of the closed loops as shaft limiting slots, prevent the shafts of the bottom boots from tilting but still do not provide side support to the bottom boot along its upright position. 
         [0005]    The present invention discloses herein, turns the hanging slot and the shaft limiting slot underneath it into one integrated space, having a front entry for the boots. Additionally, the boot sustaining member in the present invention provides additional side support in the upright direction to both the inverted boot and bottom resting boot. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention discloses an apparatus for supporting footwear, which permits orderly disposition of the footwear and stores them in a space efficient manner. 
         [0007]    It is one object of the present invention to provide a shoe rack to support a pair of high boots preventing them from tilting and deformation. 
         [0008]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe rack to store footwear in a very space efficient manner during shipment or everyday storage. 
         [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to a provide a shoe rack which, at least partially, can be readily assembled for use and just as readily dismantled when no longer needed. 
         [0010]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a shoe rack can store footwear in more than one orientation. 
         [0011]    The boot rack disclosed herein, comprises two vertical supporting members, a horizontal limiting member, and multiple footwear sustaining members. The vertical supporting members are arranged crosswise to each other with a first distance, each vertical supporting member comprising an upper end and a seating end, a front side and a rear side. The horizontal limiting member, arranged crosswise between the two vertical supporting members, is connected to the rear sides of the vertical supporting members. The multiple footwear sustaining members each comprise an elongated footwear hanging element and an elongated footwear shaft supporting element, which are extended away from the horizontal limiting member, and a footwear side supporting element and a footwear shaft limiting element connected with the elongated hanging element and the elongated shaft supporting element respectively and providing support to the footwear in a upright direction. 
         [0012]    Further, one boot sustaining member is joint to a neighboring boot sustaining member to form a jointed boot sustaining member pair or jointed pair. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is exemplary boot; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the jointed boot sustaining member pair; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a detailed view of the jointed boot sustaining member pair after it is assembled; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of a stackable boot rack; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is illustrated that the upper end is smaller than the bottom seating end in a stackable boot rack. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. 
         [0022]    All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed. 
         [0023]    In the scope of the present invention, a sided U structure means U shaped structure lying on its side when the boot rack is placed on a floor. 
         [0024]    The apparatus for supporting boots, disclosed herein, comprises two vertical supporting members  10 , a pair of horizontal limiting members  20  and multiple boot sustaining members  40 . Further two neighboring boot sustaining members are joined by a clip  60 . Optionally, the apparatus for supporting boots further comprises a bottom seating shelf  50 . 
         [0025]    Two vertical supporting members  10 , arranged opposite to each other having a first distance between them, and each vertical supporting member includes a top end  17 , a bottom end  18 , a front side  15  and a rear side  16 . 
         [0026]    In one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical supporting member  10  comprises a pair of vertical supporting elements  11  arranged parallel and crosswise from each other at a second distance. Optionally, the vertical supporting member further comprises one or more lateral connecting elements  12 , connecting the two vertical supporting elements  11  within each vertical supporting member  10 . 
         [0027]    In another embodiment of the present invention, the vertical supporting members are vertical supporting frames, comprising a pair of vertical supporting elements and a pair of lateral connecting elements, connected with each other to form a rectangular shaped frame. 
         [0028]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the vertical supporting elements  11  can be of any shape and geometry at any dimension. In one example, the vertical supporting elements  11  are bars as shown in  FIG. 1 . In another example, the vertical supporting elements are tubes. In still another example, the cross section of the vertical supporting elements are square, triangle, rectangular or oval shaped. 
         [0029]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the lateral connecting member elements  12  can be of any shape and geometry at any dimension. Further, the lateral connecting member elements  12  can be either straight or curved. Additionally, vertical supporting member  10  can have any number of lateral connecting elements, for example one, two, three or four lateral connecting elements. Each is positioned having a third distance from each other. 
         [0030]    In one example of the present invention, the vertical supporting member  10  comprises two straight lateral connecting elements  12 , connecting the opposing vertical support bars together as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0031]    In another example, the lateral connecting element  12  is an arch shaped, integrally extended from the pair of vertical supporting elements  11 . 
         [0032]    A pair of vertical supporting elements, each comprising a bottom end  14  and a top end  13 . The vertical supporting member has a seating end  18 , which comprises the bottom ends  14  of the vertical supporting members. The vertical member has a top end  17 , which comprises the top ends  13  of the vertical supporting elements. In one example, when the vertical supporting elements are a pair of vertical bars, the top end has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bottom end of the supporting element. 
         [0033]    The apparatus for supporting boots disclosed herein, comprises a horizontal limiting member  20 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the horizontal limiting members  20  are upper and lower bars, placed on the back and connected to the rear ends of the vertical supporting member  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the two vertical supporting members  10  are arranged opposing to each other, each having a pair of vertical supporting bars. The pair of horizontal limiting bars is connected with the rear side  16  of the two vertical supporting bars  11 . Each of the horizontal limiting bars is placed parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction having a third distance. 
         [0034]    Optionally, a side connecting element  21  is placed between the front side of the vertical supporting member  15  and the pair of the horizontal limiting members  20 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , when the vertical supporting members are two pairs of vertical bars, and the pair of horizontal limiting member is two parallel horizontal bars, there is one side connecting element  21  for each horizontal limiting bar on both the two vertical supporting members positioned on the left and right. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the side connecting element  21  substantially resembles the shape of half of the boot sustaining member. In one example, when the boot sustaining member  40  is a wire loop like structure, the side connecting element  21  is half a loop. In another example, when the boot sustaining member  40  is a sided U as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 3-6 , then the side connecting element  21  is half of a sided U structure. 
         [0035]    The apparatus for supporting boots disclosed herein, further comprises multiple boot sustaining member  40 , disposed between the two horizontal limiting bars  20 . Each boot sustaining member  40  is spaced apart from a neighboring boot sustaining member at a fourth distance. 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-5 , the boot sustaining member  40  comprises a boot hanging element  41 , a boot side supporting element  42 , boot shaft limiting element  43  and a boot shaft supporting element  44 . Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , when the horizontal limiting member  20  comprises two horizontal bars, a top bar and a bottom bar, the boot hanging element  41  extends laterally and outward away from the top bar of horizontal limiting member  20 ; the boot side supporting element  42  extends downwardly from the boot hanging element  41 ; the boot shaft limiting element  43 , continuously extends downwardly until it connects with the boot shaft supporting element  44 ; the boot shaft supporting element  44  extends inwardly towards the bottom bar of the horizontal limiting member  20 . In one example, the boot hanging element  41 , boot side supporting element  42 , boot shaft limiting element  43 , and boot shaft supporting element  44  form a loop. In another example, the boot hanging element  41 , boot side supporting element  42 , boot shaft limiting element  43 , and boot shaft supporting element  44  are one integral piece as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  illustrates a boot as one example of footwear in the present invention. The boot  30  has a sole  33 , a lower portion of a shaft  32  and a top portion of the shaft  31 . 
         [0038]    In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the boot support apparatus disclosed herein, is capable of providing support to a pair of boots either hanging upside down or standing in a upright position, or both. The boot hanging element  41 , is capable of contacting a sole  33  of a first boot and suspending the first boot with a neighboring boot hanging element and bearing the weight of the suspended first boot. The boot side supporting element  42 , in contact with the lower shaft portion  32  of the first boot, provides side support to the first boot. In the mean time, the boot shaft limiting element  43 , in contact with a top portion  31  of a shaft of a second boot and confining the top portion of the shaft of the second boot in a upright position, prevents it from titling and deformation. The boot shaft supporting element in contact with the middle or top portion of the shaft of the second boot. The boot shaft limiting element  43  by connecting to the horizontal limiting member  20  and provide additional side support to the shaft of the second boot. 
         [0039]    In one example, the boot sustaining member  40  is U shaped as shown in  FIG. 5 . Preferably, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the boot sustaining member further comprises a connecting element joining two neighboring boot sustaining member together, to make the front entry for the boot more evident to the user. In other words, the interval tied up by the two neighboring boot sustaining members are not accessible by the boot. In one example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the boot sustaining member is a wired loop, and the connecting element is a clip positioned in the middle of the loop, between the boot side supporting element  42  and a boot shaft limiting element  43 . 
         [0040]    In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the boot supporting apparatus disclosed herein, optionally further comprises a seating shelf for the boots, oriented crosswise between the two vertical supporting members  10 . In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 5 , wherein the shelf comprises two bottom seating shelf supporting elements  51 , and a bottom seating shelf bridging element. In one example of the present invention, the bottom seating shelf bridging element is a flexible element. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , two bottom seating shelf supporting elements  51 , and the bottom seating shelf bridging element are one integral piece. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the two vertical supporting members  10  are spaced apart facing each other at a first distance; the two vertical supporting elements  11  within each vertical supporting member are spaced apart from each other at a second distance; the two horizontal bars (top and down) in the horizontal supporting member  20  are spaced apart at a third distance; each pair of the joint boot supporting member is located a fourth distance away from the next jointed boot supporting members. In another words, the intervals between the two neighboring jointed boot sustaining elements create a front entry for the boots, such front entry has a width and is referred as a fourth distance; and the boot supporting member with each pair of jointed boot supporting member is at a fifth distance away from the other boot supporting member in the same pair. 
         [0042]    In one example of the present invention, the fourth distance on one hand is wide enough to allow the shafts of two boots which are placed in opposite directions to easily enter or exit from the space between two jointed boot sustaining members. And on the other hand, the fourth distance is sufficiently narrow to hold a boot in a stable manner, while the shaft of the boot and its opening facing downward. Therefore, the fourth distance is about a width of a boot. The fourth distance will accommodate a wide range of boot sizes to make it of maximum utility 
         [0043]    In another example of the present invention, the fourth distance is the same as the fifth distance. In an alternate example of the present invention, the fourth distance is longer or greater than the fifth distance. 
         [0044]    In one example of the present invention, the boot sustaining member comprises a an elongated boot hanging element  41  and an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44 , a curved or bended boot shaft limiting element  43  and a curved or bent boot shaft supporting element  42 , wherein the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is less than the second distance but more than half of the second distance. In one instance, wherein the length of elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about 65%-70% of the second distance. In an alternative instance, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about 70%-75% of the second distance. In another alternative instance, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about 75%-80% of the second distance. In still another alternative instance, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about 80%-85% of the second distance. In still another alternative instance, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about 85%-90% of the second distance. 
         [0045]    In order to allow easy access to the opening slot between jointed boot sustaining members, in one preferred example of the present invention, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about the distance from a toe of a shoe to the front of a heel of the shoe. In an alternative preferred example of the present invention, the length of the elongated boot hanging element  41  and/or an elongated boot shaft supporting element  44  is about the distance from a toe of a shoe to the middle of a heel of the boot. 
         [0046]    In order to most efficiently to use space, the second distance is about 50% to 80% of a height of a boot. In one example, the second distance is about 50-60% of the height of the boot. In an alternative example, the second distance is about 60-70% of the height of the boot. In still an alternative example, the second distance is about 70-80% of the height of the boot. 
         [0047]    In order to allow more air circulation for the boot during storage, in some examples of the present invention, the boot hanging element  41  of the boot sustaining member  40  can be tilted upwardly, forming first angle between the lateral bars  12  or the ground floor. In one instance is the first angle is between 5-30 degrees. 
         [0048]    In order to allow more air circulation for the boot during storage, in some examples of the present invention, the boot hanging element  41  of the boot sustaining member  40  can be tilted upwardly, forming first angle between the lateral bars  12  or the ground floor. In one instance is the first angle is between 5-30 degrees, permit circulation of drying air currents through the lower portion of the boot, which is hang between the two boot hanging elements  41 . 
         [0049]    In order to reduce damage to the surface of a boot during long storage times, in particular example of the present invention, the boot hanging element  41  of the boot sustaining member  40  can be tilted downward, forming first angle between the lateral bars  12  and the ground floor. In one instance the first angle is between 5-30 degrees. 
         [0050]    The present invention, disclosed herein, is designed to make an apparatus for supporting boots very easy to assemble. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the boot sustaining member  40  can be secured to the horizontal limiting member  20  by a connecting element  62 . In one example, the horizontal limiting member  20  has through holes and the connecting element  62  is a screw. The joining element for two neighboring boot sustaining member  60  is simply a slide-on or push-on clip. 
         [0051]    In a further embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus for supporting boots is stackable, allowing one rack to be stacked on top of another ( FIG. 8 ). In one example, the top end of the supporting element  13  is smaller or narrower than the bottom end of the supporting element  14  ( FIG. 9 ), which allows a consumer who has two boot racks to insert the narrower top end of a base rack into the wider bottom end of the supporting element  14  of the top rack to provide a united stacked system. In one example, the top end supporting element  13  is a bar, the cross section the top end supporting bar having a diameter of 17 mm, and the bottom end supporting element  14  is also a bar, the cross section the bottom end supporting bar having a diameter of 19 mm, about 12% more than the diameter of the top end supporting bar to allow not only an easy insertion but also a tight connection between the two ends. 
         [0052]    In another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus for supporting boots is a boot rack, which allows two orientations for the boots. The horizontal limiting bars are arranged at an upper position and a lower position with an interval at a third distance, between the two vertical supporting elements (bars), the shaft of one boot with its opening facing upwards can be aligned and inserted into an interval space defined by two neighboring un jointed boot sustaining members  40 . Whereas the shaft of the other boot with its opening facing downward can be inserted into the same interval space, with its toe and sole of the other boot to be hang or supported, jointly, by the top horizontal limiting bar and two neighboring elongated boot hanging elements  41 . By doing so, the two boots can be placed in opposite directions in a tight and tidy manner to save storage space. 
       Material for the Rack 
       [0053]    Any material can be used to construct said boot rack disclosed in the present invention. The materials include, are not limited to, metal, wood, plastic, bamboo with cloth, and the like. In one example, the vertical supporting member  10  is made of a metal such as steel. In another example, the horizontal limiting member  20  is made of a metal such as steel. In another example, the boot sustaining element is a plastic-coated metal wire. In another example, the boot sustaining element is a resilient plastic rod material. 
         [0054]    Although the description often uses boots or boot racks as an examples, the invention and purpose of use should not be limited to boots only; the apparatus for supporting boots can be used to support any footwear in general. 
         [0055]    The references in the figures are the following:
   Vertical supporting member  10     Vertical supporting elements  11     First Lateral connecting element  12     Top end of the supporting element  13     Bottom end of the supporting element  14     Front side of the vertical supporting member  15     Rear side of the vertical supporting member  16     upper end of the supporting member  17     Seating end of the supporting member  18     Horizontal limiting member  20     Upper horizontal limiting element  23     Lower horizontal limiting element  24     Side connecting element  21     Holes on the horizontal supporting member  22     Boot  30     Boot top shaft portion  31     Boot lower shaft portion  32     Boot sole  33     Boot sustaining member  40     Boot hanging element  41     Boot side supporting element  42     Boot shaft limiting element  43     Boot shaft supporting element  44     Bottom seating shelf  50     Bottom seating shelf supporting element  51     Bottom seating shelf bridging element  52     Joining element for two neighboring boot sustaining member  60     Connect between the boot sustaining member and horizontal supporting member  62     
 
         [0084]    Although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference only to the exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other embodiments can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the claims set forth below. 
         [0085]    Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, certain method procedures may have been delineated as separate procedures; however, these separately delineated procedures should not be construed as necessarily order dependent in their performance. That is, some procedures may be able to be performed in an alternative ordering, simultaneously, etc. In addition, exemplary diagrams illustrate various methods in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Such exemplary method embodiments are described herein using and can be applied to corresponding apparatus embodiments, however, the method embodiments are not intended to be limited thereby. 
         [0086]    Although few embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting on the invention described herein. Scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. Terms in the claims should be given their broadest interpretation consistent with the general inventive concept as set forth in this description. As another example, “having” and “including”, derivatives thereof and similar transitional terms or phrases are used synonymously with “comprising” (i.e., all are considered “open ended” terms)—only the phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” should be considered as “close ended”.