Cleaning shoe

Abstract

A cleaning shoe includes a foldable boot having a sole portion, a rear securing portion, and a front securing portion, an abrasive patch, and a cleaning solution packet. Fastening members connect to the rear and front securing portions. The sole portion has a waterproof layer positioned atop an absorbent layer, and a detergent pocket is situated therebetween. The foldable boot is constructed of a single flat sheet of material for manufacturability and is initially in an unfolded configuration. A wearer may position his foot atop the sole portion's waterproof layer, easily fold the rear and front securing portions in a predetermined manner, and quickly use the fastening members to secure the rear and front securing portions. The absorbent layer may absorb fluids from a floor surface. The abrasive patch may dislodge articles from a floor surface. The wearer may selectively cause the cleaning solution packet to exude a cleaning solution.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to a cleaning shoe. In particular, the present invention relates to a cleaning shoe that may be quickly and easily attached to a wearer's foot or shoe.

[0002] Scrubbing and cleaning floors is often a tiring task. Although a good hand-held mop may eliminate some of the drudgery, painful kneeling or bending is often required to clean tough spots. A product that eases the difficulties associated with floor cleaning would be useful and appreciated in both homes and commercial establishments. To eliminate the need to kneel or bend over, then, it would be desirable to operate floor-cleaning tools with the feet instead of the hands.

[0003] Various proposals for providing cleaning shoes (also referred to as foot mops, overshoe mops, and cleaning slippers) are found in the art. Such cleaning shoes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,644,813; 6,038,726; 6,047,434; 6,052,856; 6,122,793; 6,134,741; 6,145,156; and 6,430,771. While assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a cleaning shoe that is quickly and easily attachable to a wearer's foot or shoe, contains a cleaning agent, and may be easily manufactured.

[0004] If the cleaning shoe is difficult or time consuming to attach to a wearer's foot or shoe, the energy and time saved over using traditional (hand) cleaning methods is diminished, making the cleaning shoe much less beneficial to the wearer. Conversely, if the cleaning shoe contains a cleaning agent that may be dispersed when desired, the wearer does not have to locate, carry with his hands, and pour the cleaning agent. This provides the wearer with additional energy and time savings. Furthermore, if the cleaning shoe is easy and cost-effective to manufacture, it may reach consumers at a price that is well received while still being economically profitable for the manufacturer. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a cleaning shoe that is quickly and easily attachable to a wearer's foot or shoe, contains a cleaning agent, and may be easily manufactured.

[0005] A cleaning shoe according to the present invention includes a foldable boot, at least one abrasive patch, and a cleaning solution packet. The foldable boot has a sole portion, a rear securing portion, and a front securing portion. Fastening members are connected to both the rear and front securing portions for allowing the sole portion to be secured to a wearer's foot. The sole portion has a waterproof layer positioned atop an absorbent layer, and a detergent pocket is situated between the waterproof layer and the absorbent layer for nesting the cleaning solution packet. The foldable boot is preferably constructed of a single flat sheet of material which may be quickly and easily folded into proper shape around a wearer's foot or shoe. This single-sheet construction makes the foldable boot easy and inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.

[0006] In use, the foldable boot is initially in an unfolded configuration and placed with the absorbent layer downward. A wearer positions his foot or shoe atop the waterproof layer of the sole portion, folds the rear and front securing portions in a predetermined manner, and uses the fastening members to secure the rear and front securing portions. This secures the sole portion to the wearer's foot or shoe. The wearer may then walk with the cleaning shoe. The absorbent layer may be used to absorb fluids from a floor surface, and the at least one abrasive patch may be used to dislodge articles from a floor surface by scuffing. The wearer may selectively cause the cleaning solution packet to rupture and exude a cleaning solution contained therein for cleaning purposes.

[0007] Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe that is quickly and easily attachable to a wearer's foot or shoe.

[0008] Another object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that is absorbent.

[0009] Still another object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that keeps a wearer's foot or shoe dry.

[0010] Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that has abrasive areas for scrubbing.

[0011] A further object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that contains a cleaning agent.

[0012] A still further object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that may be easily manufactured.

[0013] An even further object of this invention is to provide a cleaning shoe, as aforesaid, that provides a large amount of cleaning surface area.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning shoe according to the present invention in a folded configuration;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cleaning shoe as in FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3a is a bottom view of the cleaning shoe as in FIG. 1 in an unfolded configuration and with fold lines shown in phantom lines;

[0018] FIG. 3b is a top view of the cleaning shoe as in FIG. 1 in an unfolded configuration and with a detergent pocket and fold lines shown in phantom lines;

[0019] FIG. 4a is a bottom view of the cleaning shoe as in FIG. 1 in an unfolded configuration, with a detergent pocket shown in phantom lines, and shown without fastening members; and

[0020] FIG. 4b is a sectional view of the cleaning shoe taken along line 4b-4b of FIG. 4a.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0021] A cleaning shoe according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4b of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a cleaning shoe 100 includes a foldable boot 110 having a sole portion 112, a rear securing portion 114, and a front securing portion 116 (FIG. 1), at least one abrasive patch 120 (FIG. 2), and a cleaning solution packet 142 (FIG. 4b).

[0022] The rear securing portion 114 has at least one ankle strap 115, and an ankle strap fastening member 130 is connected to the at least one ankle strap 115 for releasably securing the rear securing portion 114 to a wearer (FIGS. 3a and 3b). Preferably, the rear securing portion 114 has two ankle straps 115, and the ankle strap fastening member 130 includes a respective ankle strap fastening member 130 connected to each ankle strap 115 for releasably securing respective ends 115a, 115b of the two ankle straps 115 to one another. The ankle strap fastening member 130 is preferably a hook and loop fastening system (such as Velcro), though snaps, buttons, adhesive, a zipper, clasps, magnets, tying laces, or the like may be used.

[0023] The front securing portion 116 has at least one forward strap 117, and a forward strap fastening member 132 is connected to the at least one forward strap 117 for releasably securing the front securing portion 116 to a wearer (FIGS. 3a and 3b). Preferably, the front securing portion 116 has two forward lateral straps 117a and one forward center strap 117b. The two forward lateral straps 117a and the forward center strap 117b are specific types of the at least one forward strap 117. It is also preferred that the forward strap fastening member 132 includes a respective forward strap fastening member 132 connected to each forward lateral strap 117a and the forward center strap 117b for releasably securing the two forward lateral straps 117a and the forward center strap 117b to one another. The forward strap fastening member 132 is preferably a hook and loop fastening system (such as Velcro), though snaps, buttons, adhesive, a zipper, clasps, magnets, tying laces, or the like may be used.

[0024] The sole portion 112 has a waterproof layer 112a positioned atop an absorbent layer 112b (FIG. 4b). A detergent pocket 112c is situated between the waterproof layer 112a and the absorbent layer 112b (FIG. 4b). The cleaning solution packet 142 is nested in the detergent pocket 112c, and the cleaning solution packet 142 is breakaway upon application of an impact force thereto. In other words, when an impact force is applied upon the cleaning solution packet 142, the cleaning solution packet 142 ruptures and exudes a cleaning solution contained therein. By positioning the detergent pocket 112c adjacent a forward edge 112d of the sole portion 112 (FIG. 4a), the wearer is better able to selectively apply an impact force upon the cleaning solution packet 142. This keeps the cleaning solution packet 142 from rupturing unintentionally.

[0025] The sole portion 112 includes a pair of laterally opposed sole extender members 113 for increasing a surface area of the foldable boot sole portion 112 (FIGS. 1 through 4a). Each sole extender member 113 extends outwardly generally between the front securing portion 116 and the rear securing portion 114.

[0026] The foldable boot 110 is preferably constructed of a single flat sheet of material 110a which may be folded into proper shape around a wearer's foot or shoe (FIG. 4b). This construction makes the foldable boot 110 easy to manufacture and easy to use. It must be understood, however, that the single flat sheet of material 110a may be composed of multiple materials. For example, both the waterproof layer 112a and the absorbent layer 112b may be included in the single flat sheet of material 110a (FIG. 4b).

[0027] The at least one abrasive patch 120 preferably includes a plurality of abrasive patches for use in dislodging articles from a floor surface. At least one abrasive patch 122 is connected to the absorbent layer 112b of the sole portion 112 adjacent the sole portion forward edge 112d (FIG. 2). At least one abrasive patch 124 is connected to the absorbent layer 112b of the sole portion 112 adjacent a rear edge 112e of the sole portion 112 (FIG. 2). Further, at least one abrasive patch 126 is connected to the forward center strap 117b (FIG. 1). The abrasive patches 122, 124, 126 are specific types of the at least one abrasive patch 120, and each preferably includes a generally crescent-shaped configuration 120a. The generally crescent-shaped configuration 120a provides good scrubbing characteristics without requiring an excessive amount of abrasive material (FIG. 2). Various abrasive materials may be used, such as synthetic polymers and natural materials, though steel wool and knitted polyester are two preferred abrasive materials.

[0028] In use, the foldable boot 110 is initially in an unfolded configuration 102 (FIGS. 3a through 4a) and placed with the absorbent layer 112b downward (FIG. 3b). A wearer may position his foot or shoe atop the waterproof layer 112a of the sole portion 112 and then fold the foldable boot 110 along the fold lines 150 (FIGS. 3a and 3b). The fold lines 150 may be marked on the cleaning shoe 100, or the fold lines 150 may be imaginary. First, the two forward lateral straps 117a and the forward center strap 117b are folded upward and inward, and the forward strap fastening members 132 secure the two forward lateral straps 117a and the forward center strap 117b to one another. This effectively secures the front part of a wearer's foot to the sole portion 112. Next, the rear securing portion 114 is folded upward, and the two ankle straps 115 are folded inward around a wearer's leg. The ankle strap fastening members 130 secure the ends 115a, 115b of the two ankle straps 115 to one another, securing the rear part of a wearer's foot to the sole portion 112. At this point, the foldable boot 110 is in a folded configuration 104 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and the sole portion 112 is secured to a wearer's foot.

[0029] The wearer may then walk with the cleaning shoe 100. The absorbent layer 112b may be used to absorb fluids from a floor surface, and the abrasive patches 120 may be used to dislodge articles from a floor surface by scuffing. The sole extender members 113 provide additional surface area for cleaning. A user may selectively apply an impact force upon the cleaning solution packet 142. This impact force causes the cleaning solution packet 142 to rupture and exude a cleaning solution contained therein. This cleaning solution may then be used to clean a floor surface, and the absorbent layer 112b may be used to absorb the cleaning solution.

[0030] When the wearer is ready to remove the cleaning shoe 100 from his foot or shoe, he unfastens the fastening members 130 at the ends 115a, 115b of the two ankle straps 115. Next, he unfastens the fastening members 132 located on the two forward lateral straps 117a and the forward center strap 117b. This may be done quickly and easily. At this point, the cleaning shoe 100 is no longer secured to the wearer's foot or shoe, and the cleaning shoe 100 may be discarded, recycled, or washed, depending on the materials used. Notably, the waterproof layer 112a has kept the wearer's foot or shoe dry.

[0031] It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A cleaning shoe, comprising: a foldable boot having: a sole portion; a rear securing portion having at least one ankle strap; a front securing portion having at least one forward strap; an ankle strap fastening member connected to said at least one ankle strap for releasably securing said rear securing portion to a wearer; and a forward strap fastening member connected to said at least one forward strap for releasably securing said front securing portion to a wearer.

2. The cleaning shoe as in claim 1, wherein said sole portion has a waterproof layer positioned atop an absorbent layer.

3. The cleaning shoe as in claim 1, wherein: said rear securing portion has two ankle straps; and said ankle strap fastening member includes a respective ankle strap fastening member connected to each said ankle strap for releasably securing respective ends of said two ankle straps to one another.

4. The cleaning shoe as in claim 1, wherein: said front securing portion has two forward lateral straps and one forward center strap; and said forward strap fastening member includes a respective forward strap fastening member connected to each said forward lateral strap and said forward center strap for releasably securing said two forward lateral straps and said forward center strap to one another.

5. The cleaning shoe as in claim 4, further comprising at least one abrasive patch connected to said forward center strap for use in dislodging articles from a floor surface.

6. The cleaning shoe as in claim 2, further comprising at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent a forward edge of said sole portion.

7. The cleaning shoe as in claim 2, further comprising at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent a rear edge of said sole portion.

8. The cleaning shoe as in claim 1, wherein said foldable boot is constructed of a single flat sheet of material.

9. The cleaning shoe as in claim 2, further comprising a detergent pocket situated between said waterproof layer and said absorbent layer of said sole portion.

10. The cleaning shoe as in claim 9, further comprising a cleaning solution packet nested in said detergent pocket, said cleaning solution packet being breakaway upon application of an impact force thereto.

11. The cleaning shoe as in claim 9, wherein said detergent pocket is adjacent a forward edge of said sole portion.

12. A cleaning shoe, comprising: a foldable boot having: a sole portion; a rear securing portion having two ankle straps; a front securing portion having two forward lateral straps and one forward center strap; a respective ankle strap fastening member connected to each said ankle strap for releasably securing respective ends of said two ankle straps to one another; and a respective forward strap fastening member connected to each said forward lateral strap and said forward center strap for releasably securing said two forward lateral straps and said forward center strap to one another.

13. The cleaning shoe as in claim 12, wherein said sole portion has a waterproof layer positioned atop an absorbent layer.

14. The cleaning shoe as in claim 13, further comprising a detergent pocket situated between said waterproof layer and said absorbent layer of said sole portion.

15. The cleaning shoe as in claim 14, further comprising a cleaning solution packet nested in said detergent pocket, said cleaning solution packet being breakaway upon application of an impact force thereto.

16. The cleaning shoe as in claim 15, wherein said detergent pocket is adjacent a forward edge of said sole portion.

17. The cleaning shoe as in claim 16, further comprising: at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent said forward edge of said sole portion for use in dislodging articles from a floor surface; and at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent a rear edge of said sole portion for use in dislodging articles from a floor surface.

18. The cleaning shoe as in claim 17, further comprising at least one abrasive patch connected to said forward center strap for use in dislodging articles from a floor surface.

19. The cleaning shoe as in claim 18, wherein: said at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent said forward edge of said sole portion includes a generally crescent-shaped configuration; and said at least one abrasive patch connected to said absorbent layer of said sole portion adjacent said rear edge of said sole portion includes a generally crescent-shaped configuration.

20. The cleaning shoe as in claim 12, wherein said sole portion includes a pair of laterally opposed sole extender members, each sole extender member extending outwardly generally between said front securing portion and said rear securing portion for increasing a surface area of said sole portion.