US20080023506A1

US20080023506A1 - Footwear everting device

Info

Publication number: US20080023506A1
Application number: US11/495,258
Authority: US
Inventors: Troy DiNicola
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-07-31
Filing date: 2006-07-31
Publication date: 2008-01-31

Abstract

A footwear everting device consisting of a cylindrical tube being mounted on a wall bracket by way of a hook-shaped bracket. A length adjustable plunger is hooked over said hook-shaped bracket ready for use. An outside-in sock is stripped over the cylindrical tube with the toe end up. The plunger is used to push the sock through the tube to exit at the other end in outside-out condition.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most people in the world wear socks. Specifically, most athletes who play sports on all levels wear long athletics socks. This includes joggers and hikers in the woods. Typically, when the athlete, or any person for that matter, takes the sock off it is invariably turned inside out. There has been an age-old problem of turning the used dirty socks right side out because of the sweaty residue in the socks resulting in soiling the hands. When socks are washed the dirt is on the inside, whereby the socks are not washed properly, and most of the times the socks are still dirty. In the past, the team mom, house mom of the team towel boy had the dirty job of putting their hand into the dirty sock to turn them right side out. This process was long and time consuming and dirty and was a job nobody liked to do.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The sock everting device is an easy way to turn socks to the right side out. It will cut time in washing the socks and the socks will always be washed correctly. The sock everting device has many novel innovative parts in its design. The body of the main structure is a hollow cylindrical tube. The tube has an arm molded to the bottom of its structure. This tube and arm are one solid piece constructed of a lightweight plastic material. The basic device includes a plunger which is made of the same lightweight material and it is much thinner or more slender than the cylindrical tube to allow the plunger to easily slide through the opening of the tube. The plunger can be telescoped to different lengths which will be described below. Once the a sock is stripped over the cylindrical tube, the plunger is used to push the toe end of the sock through the tube to thereby evert it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of the device;

FIGS. 2-6 show a sequence of steps used in everting the foot wear;

FIG. 8 shows the plunger in two different lengths;

FIG. 9 illustrates an arresting device for arresting the plunger in an adjusted length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the overall device 1 in a perspective side view. The eversion tube is shown at 2 and has a squared-off bracket attached thereto as shown at 3. The bracket with a downwardly facing end is attached or passed into an upwardly facing receptacle 4. The bracket 3 and the receptacle 4 are preferably made of a square configuration to prevent a rotation between them when in use. It has a stabilizing effect. The receptacle has a horizontally extending extension which is received in an arm 6 which is mounted to a wall bracket 5. The arm 6 has a set screw 7 thereon to fasten the extension from the receptacle in a fixed position. Again, the extension from the bracket and the arm 6 are made of a square configuration. This way the tube 2 can be oriented in different convenient positions when working with device 1. A plunger 8 having an upper handle 9 can be hooked over the location where the bracket 3 is attached to the tube 2. This is a convenient way of storing the plunger when not in use.
FIGS. 2-6 show the sequence of steps to be taken when everting a sock. Like reference characters have been used as where described in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 a sock 5 is stripped over the tube 2 with its toe end up. FIG. 3 shows the step of FIG. 2 completed with the toe end resting on top of the tube 2. FIG. 4 shows the beginning of the step of everting the sock 5. The plunger 8 has been extended by an extension 10 to a longer length which is needed to completely push the sock through the tube. FIG. 5 illustrates the toe end of the sock 5 appearing at the bottom of the tube 2 in an everted condition. FIG. 6 shows the completed eversion of the sock 5 as it falls off from the bottom of the tube completely everted. In this FIG., it can also be seen why the plunger 8 should have an extendible length because the plunger had to traverse the full length of the tube 2 including the full length of the sock 5.
FIG. 8 shows the plunger in two different lengths. The U-shaped handle is shown at the top of the extension 10 which will telescope into the lower section 8 and will be held in an adjusted position by way of a spring clip 11.
FIG. 8 show the spring clip 11 in more detail. Both sections 8 and 10 have holes therein that will receive arresting balls 11 penetrating there through. The arresting balls are biased outwardly by a spring clip 12 which keeps the balls in an adjusted position. In case one wants the length of the plunger to change, one has to merely use the fingers to press the balls 11 inwardly whereby the telescoping sections of the plunger 8 are released and may be moved.
It should be pointed out that the inventive footwear everting device does not have to be used only for everting athletic socks but could also be used to evert any other known footwear such as dress socks and stockings.

Claims

1. A footwear everting device including a cylindrical tube, means for mounting said tube in a certain position, a plunger having adjustable lengths, whereby, when an outside-in sock is to be everted to an outside-out condition, the sock is stripped over said cylindrical tube with the toe end up, said plunger is pushed through said tube to exit said sock at its other end in an everted condition.

2. The device of claim 1 including a hook-like bracket attached to a bottom of said tube.

3. The device of claim 2 including a receptacle mounted on a wall bracket, whereby said hook-like bracket is received within said receptacle.

4. The device of claim 4, wherein said bracket and said receptacle are of a square configuration to induce a stabilizing factor.

5. The device of claim 3, including an extension on said receptacle, said extension is received in said wall bracket.

6. The device of claim 5 including means for fixing said extension on said receptacle in a fixed position.

7. The device of claim 1 including means for arresting said adjustable lengths of said plunger in a fixed position, said plunger further having a handle at one end thereof.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said extension, said receptacle, said cylindrical tube and said plunger are all made of a light weight material.