Automatic Shoe Cover Dispensing Device

Abstract

An improved covering apparatus for covering shoes, bare feet, or other appendages, wherein the device includes a pedal system that has a low positioned actuator pedal and a mechanism to release a shoe cover when the actuator is engaged by a user.

Description

FIELD[0001]This invention relates to the field of devices for the automatic placement of shoe covers on shoes.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY[0002]The outer surfaces of shoes collect many undesirable substances such as dirt and mud while worn by a person on any given day. Many industries such as construction, farming, and athletics involve work environments in which the collection of undesirable materials on shoes is particularly substantial. The collection of such substances on shoes and the subsequent transfer of such substances to the interior of homes, buildings, or other structures by foot traffic is undesirable and may raise concerns regarding the cleanliness of the interior of such structures. Shoes may be removed before entering a home, building, or other similar structure to avoid such problems. However, in environments where such a practice of removing shoes from feet before entering such structures is not common or otherwise practical, shoe coverings are used.[0003]Disposable shoe...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0003]Disposable shoe covers are commonly employed to avoid the need for persons to remove their shoes before entering homes, buildings, or other structures. However, placing shoe covers on shoes (particularly, unclean shoes) is inconvenient and may require a person to use hands to place a shoe cover over a shoe, thereby exposing the user's hands to the substances on the shoe. Therefore, hands-free automatic shoe cover devices have recently been developed to allow for a person to automatically place a shoe cover over a worn shoe without the need to manipulate the cover with a user's hands. However, many of these devices employ relatively complex and relatively large mechanisms to accomplish the covering of a shoe, such as the use of heat to shrink wrap shoe covers around a user's shoe. Still other automatic shoe cover devices offer less reliable performance when activated by a user. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanically reliable and simplified automatic shoe covering device that uses inexpensive shoe covers to automatically and consistently cover a user's shoe.

[0004]The apparatus described herein provides an improved device for automatically placing a shoe cover on the foot, shoe, or other appendage of a user when a user activates the device by, for example, stepping into an enclosure and onto an actuator pedal. The device typically contains a plurality of covers (typically shoe covers) within the device. Each shoe cover includes a covering material such as a plastic polymeric sheet with a continuous or partial expandable band lining near the perimeter edge of the shoe covering. Attachment members are attached to the band at points along the band. Each attachment member preferably has a lip with a tab extending from the lip. The actuator pedal in the enclosure of the device is in mechanical communication with four rotatable posts, each post being housed within a separate hollow shaft. One improvement of some of the embodiments described herein is that the upper surface of the actuator pedal is no greater than 4.5 centimeters above the upper surface of the base on which the actuator pedal is operating. Each post also includes an interactive first end protruding above each of the four shafts. Another improvement of many of the embodiments described herein is that each interactive first end is preferably integrated with each post, respectively, thereby eliminating misalignment between the posts and the interactive first ends.

Problems solved by technology

The outer surfaces of shoes collect many undesirable substances such as dirt and mud while worn by a person on any given day.

The collection of such substances on shoes and the subsequent transfer of such substances to the interior of homes, buildings, or other structures by foot traffic is undesirable and may raise concerns regarding the cleanliness of the interior of such structures.

However, in environments where such a practice of removing shoes from feet before entering such structures is not common or otherwise practical, shoe coverings are used.

However, placing shoe covers on shoes (particularly, unclean shoes) is inconvenient and may require a person to use hands to place a shoe cover over a shoe, thereby exposing the user's hands to the substances on the shoe.

However, many of these devices employ relatively complex and relatively large mechanisms to accomplish the covering of a shoe, such as the use of heat to shrink wrap shoe covers around a user's shoe.

Still other automatic shoe cover devices offer less reliable performance when activated by a user.

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