US3228052A - Shoe sole cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

SHOE SOLE CLEANING MAGHINE Filed April 5, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 1,11- a 2'6 45/ I 72; :j; I l INVENTOR Sine/'0 KUZ 5 l 5 BY 9 i 5 9 47 W PATENT AGE N 7' Jan. 11, 1966 y s. KUZ 3,228,052

snow SOLE CLEANING mourns Filed April 5, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 R-4 (i F49 8 -48 f V J I L i K t i i a '45 INVENTOI? PATENT AGE/V7 Jan. 11, 1966 s. KUZ

SHOE sow CLEANING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 5, 1965 ,w VEN 70/? .Sl'nol'a KUZ PATENT AGENT Jan. 11, 1966 s. KUZ 3,228,052

SHOE sou: CLEANING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

72 74 7/ 60 7/ 6 7, 1 a 75 iiiisiiiiiiiki miiiii INVENTOI? Sinor'd K02 1 29. 14 QWW PA TENT AGENT United States Patent" 3,228,652 SHOE SOLE CLEANING MACHINE Sirloid Kuz, 2355 Wurtele St., Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 445,534 Claims. (CI. 36)

The present invention relates to a device for cleaning shoe soles, adapted to be installed at the entrance of private homes or public buildings, and has for its general object a power-operated machine which cleans the soles of a person standing or walking on the same in a fast and efiicient manner, by providing a plurality of brushes moving in contact with the soles.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a machine of the character described, provided with means to contrive the persons desiring to enter a home, or public buildings, to have both shoe soles come in contact with the machine before being allowed access to the building.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a machine of the character described, which, in accordance with a first embodiment, is specially designed for use in conjunction with the entrance of private home.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a second embodiment of the machine of the present invention, which is particularly designed for use in the entrances of public buildings,

The foregoing and other important objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the main elements of the machine in accordance with the first embodiment, for use in association with private houses;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section, taken along line 3-3 of FIGURES 2 and 4;

FIGURE 4 is a partial longitudinal section, taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a partial section taken along line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken along line 66 of FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a longitdinal section of the machine;

FIGURE 8 is a partial cross-section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a partial cross-section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 99 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the machine and of its drive and control box;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the machine of the invention as installed in the entrance of a public building;

FIGURE 12 is a schematic longitudinal view of the same;

FIGURE 13 is an elevation of part of the operating mechanism of the embodiment of FIGURES 11 and 12; and

FIGURE 14 is a partial view, taken along line 14-14 of FIGURE 13.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, the machine in accordance with the invention comprises a rectangular box 1, open at the top and preferably provided with a cover 2, hinged to the back of the box 1 and normally maintained in open position by means of brace arm 3.

A rod 4 extends longitudinally in the center plane of box 1 and over the same, being secured to said box by means of front and back brackets 5 and 6. Grating members 7 extend across the open top of the box on each side of dividing rod 4. Each grating member 7 consists of a plurality of spaced parallel longitudinally extending flat bars 8, laid on edge, rigidly secured at their ends to transverse flanged members 59 and 10, respectively, so as to form a rigid unit.

Each bar 8 has an enlarged front end portion 11, as shown in FIGURE 7, and the front angle members 9 and back angle member 10 form downward skirts, slidably fitting within upright transverse partitions 14 at the front and back of the box 1, secured to said box. Thus, each grating member 7 is movable up and down with respect to box 1, between a lower limit position in which the top flanges 9' and 10 of the members 9 and 10 abut against and rest on the top of the box 1, and an upper limit position.

The grating members '7 are resiliently urged into an elevated position each by means of four compression coil springs 17, each surrounding an upright push rod 18 supported by and slidable within a bracket 19 secured to the outside of upright plates 14 at the front and back of the box 1. Push rods 13 are secured to transverse members 9 and 10.

Each coil spring 17 rests at its lower end on the lower flange of bracket 19 and its upper end abuts a disc 12 secured to rod 18 under the top flange of bracket 1'9. The upper limit position of the grating members '7 is defined by the discs 12 abutting against the top flanges of brackets 19.

Each pair of bars 8 defines a longitudinal passage, in which is located an endless belt 21! carrying a plurality of brushes 21, which are normally disposed at right angles to and outwardly of the endless belt 20 and have a fan shape, so as to slidably contact the bars d.

Brushes 21 are secured to the endless belts 20 by means of coupling members 22 designed to permit limited pivotal movement of the brush towards the belt in one direction only. Each belt 20 is trained on pulleys 2.3 at the front and back of the box 1.

The pulleys 23 are preferably made of rubber with disc-shaped metal flanges 24, protruding from the pulley itself to confine the endless belt. Pulleys 23 have teeth 25 to frictionally engage the endless belt 20. The pulleys 23 for the several belts 26 are mounted on common transversely extending shafts 26 journalled in boxes 27 secured to the ends of longitudinally extending frame members 28, disposed on the outside of lonigtudinally extending partition members 15, as shown in FIGURE 3, said partitions 15 being secured to box 1 and to transverse partitions 14 and located adjacent the outermost bars 8 of the two grating sections 7.

Shafts 26 freely extend through vertical elongated slots 29 made in the lateral bars 8, and through vertical slots 29 made in the side plate 15. The front shaft 26 extends further through a front slot 30 made in the side wall of box 1.

The two shafts 26 are interconnected by, pulleys 31, on which are trained rubber belts 32 on both sides of the machine. The two shafts 26 are urged upwardly to abut the upper end of slots 29 by means of springs 33, shown in FIG. 3, hearing at one end under frame members 28, and at the other end against the lower flange of longitudinal partitions 15.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 10, the front shaft 26 protrudes laterally of box 1 and is connected to an intermediate shaft 34 by means of universal joint 35. Shaft 34 is in turn connected by universal joint 36 to a drive shaft 37 which enters a box 38 and is connected to the output of a speed-reducing unit, the input shaft of which is connected to an electric motor, not shown.

Box 1 is located on the outside of the exterior wall 39 of a house, with intermediate shaft 34 passing through said wall, and the power box 38 disposed inside the house.

In order to prevent cold air from entering the house through the hole through which intermediate shaft 34 extends, sealing discs 40 are slidable on intermediate shaft 34 and are urged against the two faces of the wall 39 by means of coil springs 41.

The electric motor for driving the brushes is controlled by two series-connected electric switches, not shown, actuated by the following means:

Referring to FIGURE 3, a rod 42 rigidly secured to each grating member 7 and depends downwardly therefrom at the front of box 1, is pivotally connected at its lower end to a bell crank lever 43, which is pivoted to box 1 and 44 and which has its lower end pivotally connected to a control rod 45.

Each bell crank lever 43 is urged by means of a tension spring 46, so as to pull the control rod 45 away from the control and power box 38. The two control rods 45, one for each grating member 7, extend through the wall 39 and enter the box 38, wherein each mechanically actuates an electric switch, the two switches being mounted in series and so that depression of both grating members 7 must be effected in order to start the electric motor driving the brushes 21.

Preferably, a third control rod 47 extends between boxes 1 and 38, is secured directly to box 1 inside the latter and is connected inside box 38 to an alarm-sounding mechanism which becomes operative upon pulling of rod 47. This constitutes a system to prevent robbers from removing box 1 which is normally located outside the house.

Each grating member 7 is provided at the outer corners thereof with a latching arm 48, freely pivoted at its upper end 49 to the outside bar 8 of the grating member 7, and an external reinforcing bar 50, secured to the outside bar 8 at both ends, said latching arm 48 having a stepped free end 51 adapted to engage the top and one side of shaft 26. The function of arms 48 will be described hereinafter.

The control rods 45 and 47 are preferably covered by casing 52 extending between box 1 and wall 39, to prevent tampering with said control rods.

A pan 53, shown in FIGURE 7, is disposed in the bottom of box 1 and is removable from one side thereof, said pan being adapted to collect sand, dirt, salt and the like, brushed olf from the shoe soles of the user. A removable receptacle 13 adapted to collect dirt is located inside the cover 2.

A transverse rod 54, as shown in FIGURE 7, extends in the path of the brushes 21 of the lower run of the endless belts 20 so as to clean said brushes. Another transverse rod 55 is provided with idle rollers to support the middle section of the upper runs of belts 20 to prevent sagging thereof. Transverse rods 54 and 55 are rigidly secured to the frame members 18 by brackets (not shown).

The machine in accordance with the first embodiment operates as follows:

In the inoperative position of the machine, the grating members 7 are in their elevated limit position under the action of coil springs 17 acting on push rods 18. The assembly of the endless belt 20, brushes 21 and their frame members 28, is maintained in an intermediate depressed position, due to the fact that the latching arms 48 carried by the grating members 7, are latched to the shafts 26, as shown in FIGURE 5. Thus, the bristles of the brushes 21 of the upper run are maintained slightly below the top edges of bars 8 of the grating members 7, because the brush assembly is lowered simultaneously with gratings 7 under the users weight. Thus, said bristles tips will not be caught between the bars 8 and the users shoe soles when the user steps on grating members 7 and depresses the same.

The user must position his feet on the two grating members 7 on each side of the dividing rod 4, to thereby actuate both control rods 47 by means of bell crank levers 43, to thereby close the two series-connected normally open switches controlling the electric motor driving the belts 20.

If only one grating member 7 is depressed by the weight of the user, the machine will not start its operation; this arrangement insures that both soles will be cleaned.

Upon starting of the motor, the grating members 7, together with the brush assembly being in its lowermost position, the shaft 26 starts to rotate in anticlockwise direction, as shown in FIGURE 5, thereby causing, by friction, release of the latching arms 48, whereby the assembly of brushes is allowed to raise under the action of their coil springs 33. Thus, the brushes 21 come in full contact with the sole to be cleaned. The sole is exposed to its maximum due to the bevelled top edge 8 of the bars 8, as shown in FIGURE 8.

The dirt and sand removed by the brushes is shaken out by transverse rod 54 and falls within pan 53. The brushes during contact with the shoe soles, are allowed to bend with respect to the belts 20, due to the type of brackets 22 being used to connect the brushes 21 to the belts 20.

The motor circuit includes a self-resetting time delay switch which automatically closes a warning circuit after a delay of, say, 10 seconds. The normal bell 56 of the house, which is shown in FIGURE 10 as being mounted on top of the control box 38, but which will normally be located anywhere in the house, and also a green light 57 located at the house entrance, are controlled by said electric warning circuit. Thus, only about ten seconds after starting of the machine will the bell start to ring for a limited time of, say, one second, inside the house to warn the occupants of the presence of a person wishing to enter. This contrives the person wishing to enter, to undergo the shoe sole cleaning operation.

Green light 57 will become illuminated upon ringing of the bell, thereby giving an indication to the user that his shoe soles are cleaned, whereby the user can now step off the machine. It also tells the user that the bell inside the house is already announcing the presence of a visitor. The machine will preferably carry the following instructions for use: place both feet on both grating members, then look for the green light located at entrance door. Upon short illumination of green light, step off the machine.

As previously indicated, the machine is provided with an alarm sounding device 58, which will become immediately operative if somebody attempts to remove the outside box 1. Device 58 is actuated upon pulling on rod 47.

When the user steps off the machine, the grating members 7 immediately move back to their original elevated limit position, thereby causing opening of the three twoseries connected switches through control rods 45 and causing resetting of the time delay switch. The brush assembly also raises to the upper limit position, which is such that the latching arms 48 can freely re-engage shafts 26.

Box 1 is preferably mounted in a hole made in the floor, so that the top of the machine is at the floor level. The cover 2 is used to protect the machine when the latter is completely outdoors.

The collected dust and dirt can be removed periodically by removing pan 53.

In actual practice, for a cleaning cycle of approximately 10 seconds, approximately 1920 brushes will come in contact with the shoe soles to clean the same, so that the machine is very efiicient.

The universal joints 35 and 36 allow for up-and-down movement of front shaft 26.

It will be noted that all the electric elements are located inside the house and that there are only mechanical connections between the machine proper and the motor unit, so that no electrical trouble may be experienced outside. All the elements of the machine in box 1 are preferably made of corrosion-proof material.

The electric elements in the motor box 38 are grounded to further completely eliminate possible electric shocks.

It will be noted that the grating members 7 are long enough for the users shoe soles to rest squarely on said grating members, and that the upper runs of the brushes carrying belts 20, are longer than the shoes so that the brushes engage simultaneously the entire length of the shoe soles. As the brushes are closed together and move relatively fast, the shoe soles are effectively cleaned in a very short time of, say, five to ten seconds.

FIGURES 11 to 14 show a second embodiment of the machine in accordance with the invention; more particularly, it is designed for use in the entrances of public buildings where people walk in without stopping.

For places where there is a substantially constant flow of people, the system will preferably operate continuously, in which the case the grating member is mounted substantially flush with the floor and wiil be lowered about one inch under the weight of a person, while the brush assemblies are mounted on shafts journalled in fixed bearings, so that the brushes will protrude from the grating member and will move transversely to the direction of the oncoming public. The grating member is long enough for the persons to be obliged to take at least two or three steps thereon.

Because the brushes are already moving while the persons take steps on grating member, it has been found that there is no danger of the brush bristles being caught up between the shoe soles and the grating member.

In public places where the traffic is less important, the machine is arranged to operate only when persons step on the grating member. Such an arrangement is shown in FIGURES 11 to 14, wherein a box 60, of elongated shape and open at the top, is disposed within a well made in floor 61, so as to be flush therewith.

A plurality of grating sections are mounted within box 60 with their bars 62 arranged transversely to the path of the oncoming public, shown by arrow 63. Brush carrying belts are mounted between bars 62 and the brushes 64 move in accordance with arrows 65.

The box 60 may be, for instance, wide x 70" long so that a person will have to take at least two steps on the bars 62. There are as many grating sections as desired, and each section is arranged for downward movement against the action of springs under the weight of the person walking on the same.

Each section has a dependent rod 66 secured thereto and pivotally connected at its lower end to a bell crank lever 67, which is pivoted at 68 to the box 60, or to a frame member rigid with said box.

The lower end 69 of each bell crank lever 67 is adapted to engage a laterally protruding stud 70, rigidly secured to a control rod 71 which is common to all the bell crank levers 67 and, consequently, to all of the several independently sprung grating members of the machine. Thus, upon depression of anyone of said grating members, the control rod 71 will be moved axially. Said control rod protrudes from the box 61 at one end and closes an electric switch 72, upon axial movement of control rod 71 under action of anyone of bell crank levers 67.

Switch 72 is connected in series with an electric motor 73 which drives a shaft 74 by a belt and pulley arrangement 75, and belt tensioning device 76. Shaft 74 drives the several brushes 64 of the machine. Thus, all the brushes start to move upon depression of any one of the grating members of the machine and, thus, the brushes will be operative as long as there is a person stepping on the grating members.

The grating members are mounted, together with the brush assemblies, in the same manner as in the first embodiment and are provided with latching arms corresponding to arms 48 of the first embodiment, t engage the shafts of the several belts carrying the brushes 64.

The machine is provided with a main switch 77 for opening the circuit when the machine is not in use.

To use the machine, men have just to walk along the path made by the surface of the machine and, similarly, ladies with low heels, while ladies with high heels should walk on the sole of the feet.

T increase the cleaning areas of the shoe sole, the vertical grid bars 62 are preferably tapering upwardly.

The grating members of the several embodiments are lowered about one inch under the weight of a person, but require a minimum of about 40 lbs. to be lowered and operate the machine. This prevents young children from operating the machine. The machine according to the first embodiment can take a maximum load of about 400 lbs. The distance between the bars 8 is about 1%" and the thickness of the upper edge 8 is about /8 While preferred embodiments in accordance with the invention have been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for cleaning shoe soles comprising at least two separate horizontally disposed grating members mounted for independent vertical displacement between upper and lower limit positions, said grating mem hers adapted to support a person, the shoe soles of which are to be cleaned, said grating members each consisting of a plurality of spaced parallel bars laid on edge with their top edge adapted to be in direct contact with shoe soles, spring means urging said grating members into their upper limit position, shafts extending across said bars, pulleys mounted on said shafts between said bars,

flexible endless belts trained on said pulleys and disposed between said bars, a plurality of outwardly directed brushes carried by said belts and having their free end portion adapted to extend above the top edges of said bars to come in cleaning contact with said shoe soles, means to drive said shafts, means controlling said driving means and responsive to downward displacement of both said grating members to start operation of said driving means and responsive t upward displacement of at least one of said grating members to stop operation of said driving means.

2. A machine for cleaning shoe soles comprising a horizontally disposed grating member, adapted to support a person, the shoe soles of which are to be cleaned, said grating member consisting of a plurality of spaced parallel bars laid on edge with their top edge adapted to be in direct contact with a shoe sole, shafts extending across said bars, pulleys mounted on said shafts between said bars, flexible endless belts trained on said pulleys and disposed between said bars, a plurality of outwardly directed brushes carried by said belts and having their free end portions adapted to extend above the top edges of said bars to come in cleaning contact with said shoe sole, means to drive said shafts, said grating member being mounted for vertical displacement between upper and lower limit positions, spring means urging said grating member into said upper limit position, means controlling said driving means and responsive to downward displacement of said grating member to start operation of said driving means and responsive to upward displacement of said grating member, to stop operation of said driving means, said shafts, pulleys, belts and brushes forming a brush subassembly mounted in said machine for vertical displacement between an upper and a lower limit positions, said brushes in the upper limit position of said grating member and of said brush sub-assembly terminating below the top edge of said bars, spring means urging said brush subassembly into its upper limit position, said brushes extending above the top of said bars in the lower limit position of said grating member.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein there are at least two separate grating members arranged for independent vertical displacement, said control means causing operation of said driving means only upon downward displacement of all of said grating members.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, further including latching arms pivotally connected to said grating members and freely depending therefrom and having a stepped lower free end, automatically engageable with said shafts in the upper limit position f said grating members and of said brush sub-assembly, whereby depression of said grating members causes simultaneous depression of said brush sub-assembly, and rotation of said shafts causes disengagement of said latching arms from said shafts to allow upward movement of said brush sub-assembly under the action of their spring means.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 2, further including latching arms pivotally connected to said grating member and freely depending therefrom and having a stepped lower free end, automatically engageable with said shafts i in the upper limit position of said grating member and of References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,273 3/1905 Sarchinger 15-203 1,567,832 12/1925 Broge 1536 FOREIGN PATENTS 893,182 4/ 1962 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

STUART E. BECK, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A MACHINE FOR CLEANING SHOE SOLES COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED GRATING MEMBERS MOUNTED FOR INDEPENDENT VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN UPPER AND LOWER LIMIT POSITIONS, SAID GRATING MEMBERS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A PERSON, THE SHOE SOLES OF WHICH ARE TO BE CLEANED, SAID GRATING MEMBERS EACH CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL BARS LAID ON EDGE WITH THEIR TOP EDGE ADAPTED TO BE DIRECT CONTACT WITH SHOE SOLES, SPRING MEANS URGING SAID GRATING MEMBERS INTO THEIR UPER LIMIT POSITION, SHAFTS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID BARS, PULLEYS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTS BETWEEN SAID BARS, FLEXIBLE ENDLESS BELTS TRAINED ON SAID PULLEYS AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID BARS, A PLURALITY OF OUTWARDLY DIRECTED BRUSHES CARRIED BY SAID BELTS AND HAVING THEIR FREE END PORTION ADAPTED TO EXTEND ABOVE THE TOP EDGES OF SAID BARS TO COME IN CLEANING CONTACT WITH SAID SHOE SOLES, MEANS TO DRIVE SAID SHAFTS, MEANS CONTROLLING SAID DRIVING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO DOWNWARD DISPLACEMENT OF BOTH SAID GRATING MEMBERS TO START OPERATION OF SAID DRIVING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO UPWARD DISPLACEMENT OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GRATING MEMBERS TO STOP OPERATION OF SAID DRIVING MEANS.

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