Foot covering for collecting debris
Disclosed are foot coverings 20 for collecting debris D from walking surfaces S. The foot coverings 20 include an upper portion 22 connected to a lower sole 24. The sole 24 includes a magnet 38 attached to an arch segment 30 of the sole 24. A magnet collection surface 40 is exposed to the debris D.
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a foot covering, such as a boot, shoe, sneaker, clog or sandal, and more specifically to a foot covering including a magnet for collecting ferrous debris from a walking surface.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In certain industrial environments, where machining, assembly or disassembly occur, the walking surfaces tend to accumulate foreign objects or debris. The debris is often made up of small fasteners such as nuts, bolts, screws, nails or machining shavings or chips. The debris is a safety hazard to workers, and is attributable to puncture, cut, slip and fall injuries.
Product quality is also be negatively impacted by foreign object damage, also known as (FOD). Foreign objects enter the product during assembly and can cause quality defects such as operational malfunction or complete product failure. The potential consequences of these quality defects may be loss of a customer, loss of a house by fire, or in the case of a carrier launched jet fighter, loss of the aircraft. As can be seen by the preceding examples, FOD presents a clear and present danger, and must be eliminated from industrial environments.
For various reasons, fasteners are typically made of ferrous alloys that include iron. Design constraints such as thread strength, corrosion resistance and cost, make ferrous fasteners ideal for many assembly applications. Because of their attraction to magnetic fields, the use of magnets can facilitate the collection of ferrous-material debris.
Magnetic sweeping devices, such as those disclosed in Conrad et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,957, Haase et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,310 and Ottens U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,024, require active interaction by a worker. A worker moves the sweeper device about a surface to collect ferrous debris as an additional activity during the workday. Because these sweeping devices require active interaction, an additional worker must hired or a skilled worker must be utilized to sweep the walking surface for ferrous debris.
Magnetic insole 24s, such as those disclosed in Humphreys U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,768, Qui, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,807 and Bove et al U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,491, are utilized for therapeutic purposes. The magnets are imbedded into a sole 24 or insole 24 of a shoe to ensure they are in close proximity to the foot. The associated magnetic fields dilate the blood vessels, providing increased blood circulation in the foot. Because of the close proximity to the foot and insulative properties of the sole 24s, the magnetic force does not extend to the walking surface.
What is presently needed is a magnetic device for passively collecting ferrous debris from a walking surface throughout the day. The elimination of debris from the walking surface will improve worker safety, enhance product quality and improve customer satisfaction.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the present invention, a foot covering for collecting ferrous debris from a surface is provided. A magnet is disposed in an arch portion of the sole 24, between the toe and heel portions. The magnet is at least partially exposed to the surface and is spaced from the surface. The space between the magnet and the surface allows ferrous debris to accumulate, without causing a safety hazard.
A primary advantage of the present invention is the ability to easily collect ferrous objects throughout the workday, without the need for a separate sweeping activity. When all workers in a facility wear the inventive foot covering, the walking surface is continuously swept of ferrous debris as the workers walk about.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description and accompanying figures of multiple embodiments, where corresponding identifiers represent like features between the various figures.
Referring first to
The sole 24 is divided into three lengthwise segments; a rearward heel 26; a forward toe 28; and a central arch 30 located between the heel 26 and toe 28. An arch ceiling 32 is a surface that is raised from a walking surface S, providing an arch void 34 therebetween. Each of the heel 26 and toe 28 segments has a contact surface 36 that meets the walking surface S. In some embodiments, the arch segment 30 also contains a contact surface 36. The contact surfaces 36 may be flat or they may contain any number of raised patterns to improve traction and comfort.
Further details of the sole 24 are illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Other alternatives, modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art having read the foregoing description. Parties interested in licensing the present invention for incorporation in a shoe covering, such as a work boot, may contact the assignee. Accordingly, the invention embraces those alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the broad scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A foot covering for collecting ferrous material from a surface comprising:
- a sole, said sole including heel and toe segments for contacting the surface and an arch segment disposed between said heel and toe segments;
- a magnet, said magnet disposed at said arch segment; and
- wherein said magnet is exposed to the surface and is spaced from the surface.
2. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein said magnet is permanently attached to said sole at said arch portion.
3. The foot covering of claim 2, wherein said arch portion further comprises a pocket, and said magnet resides in said pocket.
4. The foot covering of claim 3, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface is flush with said ceiling surface.
5. The foot covering of claim 3, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface is recessed from said ceiling surface.
6. The foot covering of claim 3, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface extends beyond said ceiling surface.
7. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein said arch portion comprises means for removing said magnet.
8. The foot covering of claim 7, wherein said arch portion further comprises a pocket, and said magnet resides in said pocket.
9. The foot covering of claim 8, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface is flush with said ceiling surface.
10. The foot covering of claim 8, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface is recessed from said ceiling surface.
11. The foot covering of claim 8, wherein said arch portion further comprises a ceiling surface, said magnet further comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface extends from said ceiling surface.
12. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein said magnet is cylindrical.
13. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein said magnet material is chosen from the group comprising Hard Ferrite, Flexible Ferrite, Samarium Cobalt, Neodymium Iron Boron and Alnico.
14. The foot covering of either of claim 5 or 10, wherein said arch segment is in contact with the walking surface.
15. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein said magnet comprises a collection surface, and said collection surface is spaced between 0.25 inches and 1.0 inches (0.635 cm and 2.54 cm) from the walking surface.
16. The foot covering of claim 1, wherein the sole is made from an insulating material.
17. A foot covering for collecting ferrous material comprising:
- a sole, wherein said sole includes a magnet; and
- wherein the magnet comprises a collection surface that is exposed to the ferrous material.
18. The foot covering of claim 17, wherein the sole comprises an arch segment and the magnet is disposed at the arch segment.
19. The foot covering of claim 18, wherein the magnet is at least partially recessed within the sole.
20. The foot covering of claim 18, wherein the magnet is fully recessed within the sole.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 24, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 24, 2008
Inventor: Anton Banks (Manchester, CT)
Application Number: 11/657,325
International Classification: A43B 23/24 (20060101); A43B 13/00 (20060101);