U.S. patent application number 14/274626 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-13 for dust suction apparatus for shoes.
This patent application is currently assigned to G.M CORP.. The applicant listed for this patent is G.M CORP.. Invention is credited to Joon-pyo Lee.
Application Number | 20140331442 14/274626 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49638608 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140331442 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Joon-pyo |
November 13, 2014 |
Dust Suction Apparatus for Shoes
Abstract
Disclosed is a dust suction apparatus includes: an upper plate
110 forming an upper part of a housing, which includes a plurality
of suction ports 111 formed therein at a predetermined interval,
and is connected with a vibration device 300 so as to be
horizontally vibrated; a lower plate 130 forming a lower part of
the housing and including a stepped portion formed on an inner side
wall along an upper edge portion thereof so as to have the upper
plate placed thereon, such that a storage space for storing the
dust which has fallen down through the suction ports 111 is defined
between the upper plate 110 the lower plate 130; and elastic
actuating members 120 disposed between the upper plate 110 and the
lower plate 130 to selectively open the suction ports 111 while
normally closing the suction ports by elastic force stored
therein.
Inventors: |
Lee; Joon-pyo; (Bucheon-si,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
G.M CORP. |
Siheung-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
G.M CORP.
Siheung-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
49638608 |
Appl. No.: |
14/274626 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/311 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 23/263 20130101;
A47L 23/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/311 |
International
Class: |
A47L 23/26 20060101
A47L023/26; A47L 23/02 20060101 A47L023/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 10, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0053055 |
Claims
1. A dust suction apparatus for shoes comprising: a suction unit
which includes a housing having a closed storage space formed
therein and suction ports of penetrated holes formed in an upper
surface thereof, and is configured to be opened the suction ports
by a suction force applied thereto at the time of receiving a load
of a visitor; a suction device which includes an outlet pipe
disposed in a side of the housing, and an inlet pipe communicated
with the outlet pipe to suck dust which has fallen in the storage
space of the housing through the suction ports by a motor operated
by power supplied thereto; and a vibration device which is
connected with at least one part of the suction unit so as to
horizontally vibrate the suction unit contacting a bottom of shoes
by a vibration motor operated by power supplied thereto.
2. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 1,
wherein the suction unit comprises: an upper plate which forms an
upper part of the housing and includes a plurality of suction ports
formed therein at a predetermined interval, wherein the upper plate
is connected with the vibration device so as to be horizontally
vibrated; a lower plate which forms a lower part of the housing and
includes a stepped portion which is formed on an inner side wall
along an upper edge portion thereof so as to have the upper plate
placed thereon, such that the storage space for storing the dust
which has fallen down through the suction ports is defined between
the upper plate the lower plate; and elastic actuating members
which are disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate to
selectively open the suction ports while normally closing the
suction ports by elastic force stored therein.
3. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 1,
wherein the suction unit comprises: an upper plate which forms an
upper part of the housing and includes a plurality of suction ports
formed therein at a predetermined interval; a lower plate which
forms a lower part of the housing and includes a stepped portion
which is formed on an inner side wall along an upper edge portion
thereof so as to have the upper plate placed thereon, such that the
storage space for storing the dust which has fallen down through
the suction ports is defined between the upper plate the lower
plate; and elastic actuating members which are disposed between the
upper plate and the lower plate to selectively open the suction
ports while normally closing the suction ports by elastic force
stored therein, wherein the elastic actuating members are connected
with the vibration device so as to be horizontally vibrated.
4. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 2,
wherein the lower plate includes an inclination portion which is
formed a bottom thereof and is inclined downwardly toward the side
of the hosing in which the outlet pipe is disposed so as to move
the dust toward the outlet pipe which is communicated with the
inlet pipe of the suction device.
5. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 2,
wherein the elastic actuating members comprise: an opening and
closing means which includes a plurality of heads having a
configuration corresponding to a side wall of the suction ports so
as to surface-contact therewith when the heads are exposed from a
flat surface of the upper plate, wherein two or more of the heads
are integrally formed in a unit; and elastic bodies which are
disposed between the opening and closing means and the lower plate
to elastically support the opening and closing means, so that the
heads surface-contact with the suction ports.
6. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 5,
wherein the elastic body is a cylindrical or coil spring.
7. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 5,
wherein the bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the
lower end of the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the
inclination portion, and the elastic bodies have a length
corresponding to a vertical length between the inclination portion
and the opening and closing means, so that the elastic bodies which
are arranged at different positions on the inclination portion in
the housing have an elastic force in proportion to the length
thereof to horizontally support the opening and closing means.
8. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 5,
wherein the bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the
lower end of the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the
inclination portion, and the elastic bodies have the same length,
so that the elastic bodies which are arranged at different
positions on the inclination portion in the housing have the same
elastic force to support the opening and closing means parallel to
the inclination portion of the lower plate.
9. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 3,
wherein the lower plate includes an inclination portion which is
formed a bottom thereof and is inclined downwardly toward the side
of the hosing in which the outlet pipe is disposed so as to move
the dust toward the outlet pipe which is communicated with the
inlet pipe of the suction device.
10. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 3,
wherein the elastic actuating members comprise: an opening and
closing means which includes a plurality of heads having a
configuration corresponding to a side wall of the suction ports so
as to surface-contact therewith when the heads are exposed from a
flat surface of the upper plate, wherein two or more of the heads
are integrally formed in a unit; and elastic bodies which are
disposed between the opening and closing means and the lower plate
to elastically support the opening and closing means, so that the
heads surface-contact with the suction ports.
11. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 10,
wherein the elastic body is a cylindrical or coil spring.
12. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 10,
wherein the bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the
lower end of the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the
inclination portion, and the elastic bodies have a length
corresponding to a vertical length between the inclination portion
and the opening and closing means, so that the elastic bodies which
are arranged at different positions on the inclination portion in
the housing have an elastic force in proportion to the length
thereof to horizontally support the opening and closing means.
13. The dust suction apparatus for shoes according to claim 10,
wherein the bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the
lower end of the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the
inclination portion, and the elastic bodies have the same length,
so that the elastic bodies which are arranged at different
positions on the inclination portion in the housing have the same
elastic force to support the opening and closing means parallel to
the inclination portion of the lower plate.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) the
benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0053055, filed on
May 10, 2013 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to a dust suction apparatus
for shoes, and more specifically, to a dust suction apparatus for
shoes which is installed on an entrance floor of a specific
facility to clean dust off shoes and remove dust by sucking up the
separated dust.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] Various apparatuses are installed at an entrance of
facilities such as factories, laboratories, and hospitals, which
should minimize contaminant sources, so as to remove foreign
matters such as dust from a body of people moving through the
entrance.
[0006] In particular, a dust suction apparatus for shoes, which is
one of such apparatuses, is used in the removal of foreign matters
such as dust attached to a bottom of shoes.
[0007] Conventional dust suction apparatuses for shoes are
disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos.
10-2009-0010029, 10-2011-0119441 and the like.
[0008] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the dust suction apparatus for
shoes disclosed in the Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
10-2009-0010029 includes: a housing 10 which has a plurality of
suction ports 53 formed in an upper portion 11 thereof at a
predetermined interval; an aspirator 20 which is installed so as to
apply a suction force into the housing 10 thorough a duct 30;
elastic actuating members 40 which are installed in the housing 10
to open and close the suction ports 53; and a flow passage
controller configured to selectively apply the suction force of the
aspirator 20 to the suction ports 53 opened by the elastic
actuating members 40.
[0009] Accordingly, if a person moving through the entrance
(hereinafter referred to as a "visitor") 80 steps on the upper
portion 11 of the housing 10 formed in a scaffold, the elastic
actuating members 40 located at a position where the feet of the
visitor steps are pushed downward to open the corresponding suction
ports 53 formed in the upper portion 11 of the housing 10. At the
same time, the suction force from the aspirator 20 is applied to
the suction ports 53 opened by the elastic actuating members 40 in
the housing 10, thereby facilitating the sucking of foreign matters
such as dust attached to the bottom of shoes.
[0010] In the above-described dust suction apparatus for shoes,
since only several elastic actuating members 40 pressed by shoes of
the visitor 80, among the plurality of the elastic actuating
members 40 which are installed in the upper portion 11 of the
housing 10 at a predetermined interval, are pushed downward to open
the corresponding suction ports 53, only foreign matters such as
dust attached to the bottom of shoes of the visitor 80 may be
removed.
[0011] That is, it is not possible to effectively remove the
foreign matters such as dust attached around the shoes of the
visitor.
[0012] In order to solve the above-described problem, the Korean
Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2011-0119441 discloses a dust
suction apparatus for shoes.
[0013] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a dust suction apparatus 100 for
shoes disclosed in the Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
10-2011-0119441 includes a housing 110; a plurality of elastic
actuating members 120 installed in the housing 110; and unit
binding means 130 configured to bind the adjacent elastic actuating
members 120 as one unit. In this dust suction apparatus for shoes,
when any one elastic actuating member 120 combined by the unit
binding means 130 among the plurality of the elastic actuating
members 120 is pressed, other elastic actuating members 120 around
thereof are also operated at the same time.
[0014] The above-described dust suction apparatus for shoes needs
as many elastic actuating members as the number of corresponding
suction ports, and additional binding means for binding the elastic
actuating members to be operated as one unit, thereby entailing
difficulties in production.
[0015] Further, in the dust suction apparatuses for shoes in the
related art, the dust or the like attached to the shoes may be
removed only by the suction force of the aspirator. Therefore, it
is difficult to remove the foreign matters strongly attached to the
shoe soles, and suck the dust into the suction port far away
therefrom, even if the dust separated from the shoes falls onto a
lower plate of the housing.
SUMMARY
[0016] In order to solve the above-described problems, it is an
object of the present invention to provide a dust suction apparatus
for shoes which operates integral unit type elastic actuating
members to open and close suction ports with a smaller number of
the elastic actuating members than the suction ports while without
a separate binding means.
[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dust
suction apparatus for shoes which includes a vibration motor for
vibrating an upper plate or an opening and closing means so as to
more easily clean foreign matters off shoes.
[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dust
suction apparatus for shoes which includes a lower plate inclined
downwardly toward a side of a housing in which an outlet pipe is
disposed so as to efficiently suck the dust separated from the
shoes.
[0019] In order to accomplish the foregoing objects, according to
an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dust
suction apparatus for shoes including: a suction unit which
includes a housing having a closed storage space formed therein and
suction ports of penetrated holes formed in an upper surface
thereof, and is configured to be opened the suction ports by a
suction force applied thereto at the time of receiving a load of a
visitor; a suction device which includes an outlet pipe disposed in
a side of the housing, and an inlet pipe communicated with the
outlet pipe to suck dust which has fallen in the storage space of
the housing through the suction ports by a motor operated by power
supplied thereto; and a vibration device which is connected with at
least one part of the suction unit so as to horizontally vibrate
the suction unit contacting a bottom of shoes by a vibration motor
operated by power supplied thereto.
[0020] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
suction unit includes: an upper plate which forms an upper part of
the housing and includes a plurality of suction ports formed
therein at a predetermined interval, wherein the upper plate is
connected with the vibration device so as to be horizontally
vibrated; a lower plate which forms a lower part of the housing and
includes a stepped portion which is formed on an inner side wall
along an upper edge portion thereof so as to have the upper plate
placed thereon, such that the storage space for storing the dust
which has fallen down through the suction ports is defined between
the upper plate the lower plate; and elastic actuating members
which are disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate to
selectively open the suction ports while normally closing the
suction ports by elastic force stored therein.
[0021] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
suction unit includes: an upper plate which forms an upper part of
the housing and includes a plurality of suction ports formed
therein at a predetermined interval; a lower plate which forms a
lower part of the housing and includes a stepped portion which is
formed on an inner side wall along an upper edge portion thereof so
as to have the upper plate placed thereon, such that the storage
space for storing the dust which has fallen down through the
suction ports is defined between the upper plate the lower plate;
and elastic actuating members which are disposed between the upper
plate and the lower plate to selectively open the suction ports
while normally closing the suction ports by elastic force stored
therein, wherein the elastic actuating members are connected with
the vibration device so as to be horizontally vibrated.
[0022] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
lower plate includes an inclination portion which is formed a
bottom thereof and is inclined downwardly toward the side of the
hosing in which the outlet pipe is disposed so as to move the dust
toward the outlet pipe which is communicated with the inlet pipe of
the suction device.
[0023] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
elastic actuating members include: an opening and closing means
which includes a plurality of heads having a configuration
corresponding to a side wall of the suction ports so as to
surface-contact therewith when the heads are exposed from a flat
surface of the upper plate, wherein two or more of the heads are
integrally formed in a unit; and elastic bodies which are disposed
between the opening and closing means and the lower plate to
elastically support the opening and closing means, so that the
heads surface-contact with the suction ports.
[0024] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
elastic body is a cylindrical or coil spring.
[0025] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the lower end of
the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the inclination
portion, and the elastic bodies have a length corresponding to a
vertical length between the inclination portion and the opening and
closing means, so that the elastic bodies which are arranged at
different positions on the inclination portion in the housing have
an elastic force in proportion to the length thereof to
horizontally support the opening and closing means.
[0026] In the dust suction apparatus of the present invention, the
bottom of the lower plate of the housing on which the lower end of
the elastic bodies are seated is formed with the inclination
portion, and the elastic bodies have the same length, so that the
elastic bodies which are arranged at different positions on the
inclination portion in the housing have the same elastic force to
support the opening and closing means parallel to the inclination
portion of the lower plate.
[0027] According to the dust suction apparatus for shoes of the
present invention, when the integral unit type elastic actuating
members are operated, the suction ports corresponding to the area
of the elastic actuating members are simultaneously opened, thus it
is possible to reduce the number of components by reducing the
number of elastic actuating members compared to the suction ports
without a separate binding means.
[0028] In addition, according to the dust suction apparatus for
shoes of the present invention, it is possible to more easily clean
the foreign matters off shoes by the upper plate which is
horizontally vibrating by the vibration motor, and remove and suck
the dust with a small suction force due to the lower plate inclined
downwardly toward the side of the hosing in which the outlet pipe
is disposed so as to move the dust toward the outlet pipe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The above and other objects, features and other advantages
of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dust suction apparatus for
shoes in the related art;
[0031] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another dust suction
apparatus for shoes in the related art;
[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an entire
configuration of a dust suction apparatus for shoes according to a
first embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating major
parts of the dust suction apparatus for shoes of FIG. 3;
[0034] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 in an assembled
state;
[0035] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view for describing an
operation state of the dust suction apparatus of FIG. 5; and
[0036] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating major parts of
a dust suction apparatus for shoes according to a second embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of a dust suction apparatus for
shoes according to the present invention will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0038] Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and
claims should not be construed as limited to a lexical meaning, and
should be understood as appropriate notions by the inventor based
on that he/she is able to define terms to describe his/her
invention in the best way to be seen by others.
[0039] Therefore, embodiments and drawings described herein are
simply exemplary and not exhaustive, and it will be understood that
various modifications and equivalents may be made to take the place
of the embodiments.
[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an entire
configuration of a dust suction apparatus for shoes according to a
first embodiment of the present invention
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the dust suction apparatus for
shoes according to the first embodiment of the present invention
generally includes: a suction unit 100 which is configured to suck
dust separated from shoes by a suction force applied thereto at the
time of receiving a load of a visitor; a suction device 200 which
is configured to suck the dust separated from the shoes by a motor
operated by power supplied thereto; and a vibration device 300
which is configured to horizontally vibrate the suction unit 100 by
a vibration motor operated by power supplied thereto.
[0042] The suction unit 100 includes an upper plate on which shoes
are placed and elastic actuating members which open suction ports
formed in the upper plate when the load of the visitor is applied
thereto. Therefore, dust which has fallen into a housing, in which
the suction unit 100 is installed, through the opened suction ports
is sucked to the suction device 200.
[0043] For this, the suction unit 100 has an outlet pipe formed in
aside of the housing as a cylindrical tube, and the suction device
200 has an inlet pipe which is communicated with the outlet pipe.
Thereby, a suction force of vacuum air from the suction device 200
is applied to the suction ports formed in the upper plate of the
airtightly sealed housing through the inlet and outlet pipes.
[0044] When the suction device 200 is operated, dust which has
fallen into the housing through the suction ports opened by the
elastic actuating members is sucked to suction device 200 through
the inlet and outlet pipes.
[0045] In addition, the upper plate of the suction unit 100 on
which shoes are placed is connected with the vibration device 300.
Therefore, when the vibration device 300 is operated, the upper
plate is horizontally vibrated to efficiently remove the dust from
the bottom of shoes.
[0046] For this, the vibration motor of the vibration device 300 is
connected to one end portion of the upper plate of the suction unit
100 so as to continuously vibrate the upper plate at all times or
intermittently vibrate the upper plate when the elastic actuating
members are pressed by the load of the visitor.
[0047] Herein, the operation of the vibration device 300 according
to the lowering and lifting of the elastic actuating members is
controlled by a control circuit (not illustrated) which is
electrically connected with the elastic actuating members.
[0048] It is preferable that a space of a predetermined distance is
formed between a peripheral portion of the upper plate and the side
wall of the lower plate so as to vibrate the upper plate on the
lower plate.
[0049] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating major
parts of the dust suction apparatus for shoes according to the
first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a
cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 in an assembled state.
[0050] As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the suction unit 100 of the
present invention includes the housing which includes an upper
plate 110 and a lower plate 130, and elastic actuating members 120
which are disposed between the upper plate 110 and the lower plate
130.
[0051] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the
housing has an inclination portion which is formed on a bottom of
the lower plate 130, and is inclined downwardly toward the side of
the housing in which an outlet pipe 101 is disposed.
[0052] The suction unit 100 includes the housing which has the
upper plate 110 in which a plurality of suction ports 111 are
formed in an upper surface thereof at a predetermined interval and
the lower plate 130 which forms a closed space with the upper plate
110 by the closing of the suction ports 111; and the elastic
actuating members 120 which are disposed between the upper plate
110 and the lower plate 130 and selectively open each of the
suction ports 111 formed in the upper plate 110 of the housing, so
as to apply the suction force of vacuum air from the suction device
200 to the suction ports 111.
[0053] The rectangular upper plate 110 is placed on the upper edge
of the rectangular lower plate 130 so as to define the storage
space in the housing for receiving and storing the dust separated
from the shoes.
[0054] The upper plate 110 is a plate member with the suction ports
111 formed therein, and has a shape corresponding to heads which
will be described below.
[0055] More specifically, each of the suction ports 111 has a side
wall corresponding to the semispherical shape of the head so as to
surface-contact therewith, and is formed in an appropriate
diameter, preferably smaller than the diameter of the head so as
not to penetrate the head above the upper plate 110 formed with the
suction ports 111.
[0056] The lower plate 130 has a stepped portion which is formed on
an inner side wall along an upper edge portion thereof in a size
corresponding to the edge of the upper plate 110 so as to have the
upper plate 110 placed thereon, so that the storage space for
storing the dust which has fallen down through the suction ports
111 is defined in the housing.
[0057] Herein, it is preferable that a gap spaced from the side
wall of the lower plate 130 is formed with the side wall of the
upper plate 110 so as to allow the upper plate 110 to be
horizontally vibrated therein.
[0058] Preferably, the lower plate 130 has a bottom forming an
inclination portion 131 which is downwardly inclined toward the
side of the hosing in which the outlet pipe 101 is disposed, so
that the separated dust is moved to the outlet pipe 101
communicated with the inlet pipe of the suction device 200.
[0059] More specifically, the lower plate 130 includes the
inclination portion 131 which is upwardly inclined from the side of
the housing in which the outlet pipe 101 is disposed to the side
opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction at a predetermined
angle.
[0060] The elastic actuating members 120 positioned between the
upper plate 110 and the lower plate 130 elastically support the
upper plate 110 against the lower plate 130 so as to maintain the
storage space therebetween at a predetermined height.
[0061] For this, the elastic actuating members 120 include: the
opening and closing means of a plurality of heads 121 which are
formed in a shape corresponding to a side wall of the suction ports
111 so as to surface-contact therewith when the heads 121 are
exposed from a flat surface of the upper plate 110 and have head
protrusions formed on the top thereof; and elastic bodies 125 for
elastically supporting the opening and closing means.
[0062] Herein, the elastic actuating members 120 of the opening and
closing means are integrally formed in a rectangular shape, rather
than each of the heads 121 being connected by a separate binding
means. That is, two or more of the heads 121 of the elastic
actuating members 120 are integrally formed in a unit.
[0063] The elastic actuating members 120, which are elastically
supported by the elastic bodies 125, include penetrated holes
formed between the heads 121.
[0064] The elastic bodies 125 may be a cylindrical or coil
spring.
[0065] One end of the elastic body 125 is connected to the head 121
of the elastic actuating member 120 and the other end thereof is
seated on the lower plate 130 of the housing.
[0066] Herein, since the bottom of the lower plate 130 of the
housing on which the lower end of the elastic bodies 125 are seated
is formed with the inclination portion 131, it is preferable that
the elastic bodies 125 have a length corresponding to a vertical
length between the inclination portion 313 and the opening and
closing means, so that the elastic bodies 125 which are arranged at
different positions on the inclination portion 131 have an elastic
force in proportion to the length thereof to horizontally support
the opening and closing means. Alternately, in order to apply a
uniform elastic force over the entire elastic actuating members 120
of the opening and closing means, the elastic bodies 125 may have
different coil pitch, thickness, or elastic modulus while having
the same length.
[0067] Accordingly, the elastic bodies 125 elastically support each
of the heads 121 against the lower plate 130 by the elastic force
stored therein during compression, so that the heads 121
surface-contact with the suction ports 111 to close the suction
ports 111. When the load of the visitor is applied to the upper
plate 110, the heads 121 are lowered against the elastic bodies 125
while the elastic force is stored therein.
[0068] That is, the heads 121 exposed from the upper plate 110 of
the housing are pressed by the visitor, and the heads 121 are
lowered against the elastic bodies 125 to be compressed while the
elastic force is stored over the entire vertical length thereof,
thereby opening the suction ports 111 so as to suck the dust.
[0069] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view for describing an
operation state of the dust suction apparatus of FIG. 5. As
illustrated in FIG. 6, when the visitor steps on the upper plate
110 of the dust suction apparatus for shoes installed at the
entrance for a short time, foreign matters such as dust attached to
the shoes may be sucked and removed by the vacuum suction air
applied through the suction ports 111 which are opened by the heads
121.
[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the heads 121 exposed from
the upper plate 110 of the housing are pressed by a portion of
shoes S of the visitor, the elastic actuating members 120 are
operated by each unit having a configuration in which several heads
are integrally connected with each other.
[0071] That is, even if a head is not directly pressed by the shoes
S, the head is operated together with the head which is directly
pressed by the shoes S of the visitor and forms the unit of the
elastic actuating members 120.
[0072] Then, the heads 121 pressed by the shoes S of the visitor
are lowered against the elastic bodies 125 to be vertically
compressed, thereby opening the suction ports 111.
[0073] At this time, the corresponding suction ports 111 are opened
by the operation of the elastic actuating members 120 which are
arranged in a large region relative to the bottom area of the shoes
S of the visitor.
[0074] In addition, since the upper plate 110 of the suction unit
100 is continuously vibrated by the vibration motor of the
vibration device 300, the dust may be easily separated from the
shoes S, and the dust sucked from the suction ports 111 may be
downwardly moved to the outlet pipe along the inclination portion
131 of the lower plate 130.
[0075] Next, the dust, which is separated from the shoes S of the
visitor and which has fallen on the lower plate 130 of the housing
through the suction ports 111, is sucked into the inlet pipe
communicated with the outlet pipe 101 by the suction device 200.
When the shoes S of the visitor step off the upper plate 110, the
elastic actuating members 120 return to an original position by the
elastic bodies 125, and the suction ports 111 formed in the upper
plate 110 are again closed by the heads 121 of the elastic
actuating members 120. Therefore, the closed space is formed in the
housing so as to wait for the next operation.
[0076] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating major parts of
a dust suction apparatus for shoes according to a second embodiment
of the present invention.
[0077] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the dust suction apparatus for
shoes according to the second embodiment of the present invention
generally includes: a suction unit 400 which is configured to suck
dust separated from shoes by a suction force applied thereto at the
time of receiving a load of a visitor; a suction device which is
configured to suck the dust separated from the shoes by a motor
operated by power supplied thereto; and a vibration device which is
configured to horizontally vibrate the suction unit 400 by a
vibration motor operated by power supplied thereto.
[0078] The suction unit 400 includes an upper plate on which the
shoes are placed and elastic actuating members which open suction
ports formed in the upper plate when the load of the visitor is
applied thereto. Therefore, dust which has fallen into a housing,
in which the suction unit 400 is installed, through the opened
suction ports is sucked to the suction device.
[0079] For this, the suction unit 400 has an outlet pipe 401 formed
in a side of the housing as a cylindrical tube, and the suction
device has an inlet pipe which is communicated with the outlet pipe
401. Thereby, a suction force of vacuum air from the suction device
is applied to the suction ports formed in the upper plate of the
airtightly sealed housing through the inlet and outlet pipes.
[0080] When the suction device is operated, dust which has fallen
into the housing through the suction ports opened by the elastic
actuating members is sucked to suction device through the inlet and
outlet pipes.
[0081] The suction unit 400 of the present invention includes the
housing which includes an upper plate 410 and a lower plate 430,
and elastic actuating members 420 which are disposed between the
upper plate 410 and the lower plate 430.
[0082] In the second embodiment of the present invention, the
housing has an inclination portion which is formed on a bottom of
the lower plate 430, and is inclined downwardly toward the side of
the housing in which the outlet pipe 401 is disposed.
[0083] The suction unit 400 includes the housing which has the
upper plate 410 in which a plurality of suction ports 411 are
formed in an upper surface thereof at a predetermined interval and
the lower plate 430 which forms a closed space with the upper plate
by the closing of the suction ports 411; and the elastic actuating
members 420 which are disposed between the upper plate 410 and the
lower plate 430 and selectively open each of the suction ports 411
formed in the upper plate 410 of the housing, so as to apply the
suction force of vacuum air from the suction device to the suction
ports 411.
[0084] The rectangular upper plate 410 is placed on the upper edge
of the rectangular lower plate 430 so as to define the storage
space in the housing for receiving and storing the dust separated
from the shoes.
[0085] The upper plate 410 is a plate member with the suction ports
411 formed therein, and has a shape corresponding to heads which
will be described below.
[0086] More specifically, each of the suction ports 411 has a side
wall corresponding to the semispherical shape of the head so as to
surface-contact therewith, and is formed in an appropriate
diameter, preferably smaller than the diameter of the head so as
not to penetrate the head above the upper plate 410 formed with the
suction ports 411.
[0087] The lower plate 430 has a stepped portion which is formed on
an inner side wall along the upper edge portion thereof in a size
corresponding to the edge of the upper plate 410 so as to have the
upper plate 410 placed thereon, so that the storage space for
storing the dust which has fallen down through the suction ports
411 is defined in the housing.
[0088] Preferably, the lower plate 430 has a bottom forming an
inclination portion 431 which is downwardly inclined toward the
side of the hosing in which the outlet pipe 401 is disposed, so
that the separated dust is moved to the outlet pipe 401
communicated with the inlet pipe of the suction device.
[0089] More specifically, the lower plate 430 includes the
inclination portion 431 which is upwardly inclined from the side of
the housing in which the outlet pipe 401 is disposed to the side
opposite thereto in a longitudinal direction at a predetermined
angle.
[0090] The elastic actuating members 420 positioned between the
upper plate 410 and the lower plate 430 elastically support the
upper plate 410 against the lower plate 430 so as to maintain the
storage space therebetween at a predetermined height.
[0091] For this, the elastic actuating members 420 include: the
opening and closing means of a plurality of heads 421 which are
formed in a shape corresponding to a side wall of the suction ports
411 so as to surface-contact therewith when the heads 421 are
exposed from a flat surface of the upper plate 410 and have head
protrusions formed on the top thereof; and elastic bodies 425 for
elastically supporting the opening and closing means.
[0092] Herein, the elastic actuating members 420 of the opening and
closing means are integrally formed in a rectangular shape, rather
than each of the heads 421 being connected by a separate binding
means. That is, two or more of the heads 421 of the elastic
actuating members 420 are integrally formed in a unit.
[0093] The opening and closing means is connected to the vibration
device, so that the opening and closing means is horizontally
vibrated when the vibration device is operated, and thereby
efficiently removing the dust from the bottom of the shoes.
[0094] For this, the vibration motor of the vibration device 300 is
connected to one end portion of the opening and closing means of
the suction unit 400, so as to continuously vibrate the opening and
closing means at all times or intermittently vibrate the opening
and closing means when the elastic actuating members are pressed by
the load of the visitor.
[0095] Preferably a brush 429 is fixed to the top of the head 421
of the opening and closing means, so that, when the shoes contact
with the brush 429 while vibrating the opening and closing means,
the dust is removed from the bottom of the shoes by the brush
429.
[0096] The elastic actuating members 420, which are elastically
supported by the elastic bodies 425, include penetrated holes
formed between the heads 421.
[0097] The elastic bodies 425 may be a cylindrical or coil
spring.
[0098] One end of the elastic body 425 is connected to the head 421
of the elastic actuating member 420 and the other end thereof is
seated on the lower plate 430 of the housing.
[0099] Herein, the bottom of the lower plate 430 of the housing on
which the lower end of the elastic bodies 425 are seated is formed
with the inclination portion 431, and the upper plate 410 and the
elastic actuating members 420 are disposed parallel to the
inclination portion 431 of the lower plate 430. In this case, it is
preferable that the elastic bodies 425 have the same length, so
that the elastic bodies 425 which are arranged at different
positions on the inclination portion 431 have the same elastic
force to support the opening and closing means parallel to the
inclination portion 431 of the lower plate 430.
[0100] Accordingly, the elastic bodies 425 elastically support each
of the heads 421 against the lower plate 430 by the elastic force
stored therein during compression, so that the heads 421
surface-contact with the suction ports 411 to close the suction
ports 411. When the load of the visitor is applied to the upper
plate 410, the heads 421 are lowered against the elastic bodies 425
while the elastic force is stored therein.
[0101] While the present invention has been described with
reference to the preferred embodiments, the present invention is
not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it will be
understood by those skilled in the related art that various
modifications and variations may be made therein without departing
from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended
claims.
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