Shoe polishing stand
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.
1. Field of the Invention
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.
2. Discussion
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's shoe, still attached to the polisher's foot, on the foot plate and bends forward to use the brush and buffing cloth. The polisher applies force, through the polisher's leg and foot, to maintain the shoe in position on the foot plate attached to the box.
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'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's shoe to a convenient working height while the customer applies force to keep the shoe firmly in position on the foot plate.
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 INVENTIONApplicant'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
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It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the storage compartment 170 of applicant'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
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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.
Claims
1. A shoe polishing stand for use by a shoe polisher, said shoe polishing stand comprising:
- a shoe holder; and
- elevating means for elevating the shoe holder to a suitable working height.
2. The shoe polishing stand of claim 1, wherein said shoe holder further comprises:
- support means for supporting the shoe; and
- clamp means for clamping the shoe in a fixed position during the polishing process.
3. The shoe polishing stand of claim 1, wherein said elevating means further comprises:
- two front legs;
- at least one rear leg; and
- a ridge member attached to said front legs and said rear leg;
- support attachment means for attaching said support means to said ridge member; and
- clamp attachment means for attaching said clamp means attached to said ridge member, so that the shoe is clamped in fixed position at a height suitable for polishing by a shoe polisher sitting in a chair or on a stool.
4. The shoe polishing stand of claim 2, wherein said support means for supporting the shoe further comprises:
- a shoe plate base attached to said ridge member;
- at least one foot plate support attached to said shoe plate base, said foot plate support extending upwardly and outwardly from said ridge member; and
- a foot plate attached to foot plate support, so that the shoe rests on said foot plate and is held in place by said clamp means.
5. The shoe polishing stand of claim 2, wherein said support means further comprises:
- a split foot plate having two portions, said portions cooperating to form a support for the shoe;
- a foot plate support for each portion of said foot plate, wherein each said foot plate support is attached to a common foot plate base member; and
- attachment means for attaching said foot plate base member to said ridge member.
6. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein said ridge member is characterized as having a front, a top, and a back, wherein said common foot plate base member is hingedly attached to a hinge member, and wherein said hinge member is attached to said back of said ridge member, so that said common foot plate base member moves on said hinge member between a use position and a storage position, wherein said common foot plate base member rests on said top of said ridge member and said split foot plate supports the shoe in said use position, and wherein said common foot plate moves across said hinge member attached to said back of said ridge member so that said split foot plate hangs generally downwardly from said back of said ridge member in said storage position.
7. The shoe polishing stand of claim 3, wherein said elevating means further comprises:
- two rear legs, each said rear leg being pivotally mounted on a pivot pin attached to said ridge member, so that said rear legs move between a use position wherein said rear legs are deployed back and away from said front legs and a storage position wherein said rear legs are folded against said front legs.
8. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein the shoe is characterized as having an inner heel portion and a toe portion, and wherein said clamp means for clamping the shoe in a fixed position further comprises:
- a clamp assembly base attached to said ridge member;
- a lower clamping member pivotally attached to said clamp assembly base;
- an extended clamping member attached to said lower clamping member; a shoe insert assembly attached to said extended clamping member for insertion into the shoe during the polishing process; and
- bias means for biasing said extended clamping member to exert a downward force against the inner heel portion of the shoe so the shoe remains in fixed position on said split foot plate.
9. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein said bias means further comprises a spring incorporated into said pivotal attachment of said lower clamping member to said clamp assembly base.
10. The shoe polishing stand of claim 8, wherein said shoe insert assembly further comprises:
- an L-shaped heel member having a short side and a long side, said long side having a threaded female end portion distal from said short side, said short side having an end distal from said long side, said long side having at least two spaced transverse bores in a mid-portion thereof;
- a toe member, said toe member having a front end and a back end;
- a toe connecting member attached on one end to said toe member and terminating at the opposite end in a threaded female connector; and
- a threaded rod connecting said threaded female end portion of said long side of said L-shaped heel member to said threaded female connector on said toe connecting member, so that said extended clamping member is positionable in one of said spaced transverse bores and rotation of said threaded rod in said threaded female end portion and said threaded female connecter on said toe connecting member adjusts the length of said shoe insert assembly in the shoe while said end on said L-shaped heel member is biased downwardly against the inner heel portion of the shoe.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 26, 2004
Publication Date: Oct 27, 2005
Inventor: Richard Neal (Oklahoma City, OK)
Application Number: 10/832,719