FOOTWEAR DRYING APPARATUS

APPAREIL DE SECHAGE DE CHAUSSURES

English Abstract

A footwear drying apparatus comprises a top section, a drying section and a
base section. A
fan blows air from the top section to the drying section. A heater heats the
blown air. A
thermostat is mounted adjacent to the heater. Air inlets are formed in the top
section. An air
outlet is mounted within the base section. The drying section comprises a
removable drying
shelf and a mud collector. The base section comprises a mud screen and an air
filler mounted
to the air outlet. At the top of the apparatus is mounted a control console
having a timer, a fan
switch, a heater switch and a thermostat knob.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1.A footwear drying apparatus, comprising:
a housing having generally vertical front, rear and side walls,a top secti-
on with a generally horizontal top and a generally horizontal grille at
the bottom,a base section with a generally horizontal bottom and a gene-
rally horizontal partition at the top, and a drying section defined bet-
ween the generally vertical front,rear and side walls,the generally ho-
rizontal grille at the bottom of the top section, and the generally hori-
zontal partition at the top of the base section;
at least one fan mounted within the top section of the housing and designed
for blowing air to the drying section of the housing;
at least one heater mounted within the top section of the housing adjacent
to the at least one fan and designed for heating air which is sucked in-
to the housing and blown to the drying section of the housing by the at
least one fan;
at least one air inlet formed in the top section of the housing,so that air
can be sucked into the housing through the at least one air inlet by the
at least one fan and can be heated by the at least one heater;
a thermostat mounted within the top section of the housing adjacent to the
at least one heater and designed for maintaining the desired drying tem-
perature at a constant level;
a control console having a timer for controling the drying duration,at le-
ast one fan switch for turning the at least one fan on and off and for
selecting its speed, at least one heater switch for turning the at least
one heater on and off and for selecting its power,a thermostat knob for
setting the thermostat at the desired drying temperature, and a terminal
block for connecting a power cord to wiring of the apparatus;
at least one air outlet mounted within the base section of the housing, so
that air can be exhausted from the housing through the at least one air
outlet by the at least one fan;
at least one air filter mounted within the at least one air outlet, so that

to filter the exhausted air;
a door secured to the generally vertical front wall of the housing, so that
to provide access to the drying section of the housing;
at least one mud collector fixed at the bottom of the drying section of the
housing, so that to collect mud from unclean footwear;
at least one drying shelf fixed within the drying section of the housing
above the at least one mud collector,so that footwear can be placed on
the at least one drying shelf;
at least one holding device for holding high footwear made of soft material
upright and opened; and
a plurality of rings mounted at the bottom of the generally horizontal gri-
lle of the top section of the housing.
2.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the control console is moun-
ted at the top of the apparatus.
3.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one air filter is
mounted at the exit of the at least one air outlet.
4.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one air filter is
mounted at the entrance of the at least one air outlet.
5.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one mud collector
is removably mounted and can be taken out to be cleaned.
6.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one drying shelf
is removably mounted and can be taken out to be cleaned.
7.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein each of the at least one hol-
ding device for holding high footwear made of soft material upright and ope-
ned having a hook at its upper end for attaching to one of the plurality of
rings,a clip at its lower end for attaching to the footwear,a string for con-
necting the hook to the clip,and a device for regulating the length of the
string.
8.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein each of the at least one hol-
ding device for holding high footwear made of soft material upright and ope-
ned having a hook at its upper end for attaching to one of the plurality of
rings,a clip at its lower end for attaching to the footwear, and an elastic
string for connecting the hook to the clip.

9.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the apparatus further compri-
sing at least one mud screen fixed at the entrance of the at least one air
outlet, so that to prevent from mud entering into the at least one air outlet.
10.An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one mud screen
is removably mounted and can be taken out to be cleaned.
11.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the apparatus further compri-
sing a door switch designed for shutting off the apparatus when the door is
opened.
12.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1l,wherein the door switch is mounted
adjacent to the door.
13.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the apparatus further compri-
sing at least one bulb mounted within the drying section of the housing, so
that to light the drying section when the door is opened.
14.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the apparatus further compri-
sing at least one handle mounted outside of the housing, so that the apparatus
can be lifted and relocated.
15.An apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the apparatus further compri-
sing a plurality of leveling legs mounted at the generally horizontal bottom
of the base section of the housing for leveling the apparatus.

Description

CA 02270695 1999-OS-10
FOOTWEAR DRYING APPARATUS
The present invention relates to a footwear drying apparatus.
Various types of footwear drying apparatuses are known. They have the fol-
lowing inconveniences- either do not have a compact housing or footwear
must be cleaned from mud before their placing in the housing of an appa-
ratus.People get their footwear damp in rain, in snow and while playing
sports. Soldiers in the army have damp footwear almost every day. Usually
civilians. and soldiers need the same footwear dry as soon as possible.
Therefore it is desirable to have,a compact drying apparatus for unclean
footwear.
The present invention consists of a footwear drying apparatus,compri-
sing:
a housing having generally vertical front,rear and side walls,a top
section with a generally horizontal top and a generally horizontal gril-
le at the bottom,a base section with a generally horizontal bottom and a
generally horizontal partition at the top, and a drying section defined
between the generally vertical front, rear and side walls, the generally
horizontal grille at the bottom of the top section,and the generally ho-
rizontal partition at the top of the base section; at least one fan moun-
ted within the top section of the housing and designed for blowing air
to the drying section of the housing; at least one heater mounted within
the top section of the housing adjacent to the at least one fan and de-
signed for heating air which is sucked into the housing and blown to the
drying section of the housing by the at least one fan;at least one air
inlet formed in the top section of the housing, so that air can be sucked
into the housing through the at least one air inlet by the at least one
fan and can be heated by the at least one heater;a thermostat mounted
within the top section of the housing adjacent to the at least one hea-
ter and designed for maintaining the desired drying temperature at a
constant level;a control console having a timer for controling the drying
duration,at least one fan switch for turning the at least one fan on and
off and for selecting its speed, at least one heater switch for turning
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CA 02270695 1999-OS-10
the at least one heater on and off and for selecting its power,a thermos-
tat knob for setting the thermostat at the desired drying temperature, and
a terminal block for connecting a power cord to wiring of the apparatus; at
least one air outlet mounted within the base section of the housing, so
that air can be exhausted from the housing through the at least one air
outlet by the at least one fan; at least one air filter mounted within
the at least one air outlet, so that to filter the exhausted air;a door
secured to the generally vertical front wall of the housing,so that to
provide access to the drying section of the housing; at least one mud col-
lector fixed at the bottom of the drying section of the housing, so that
to collect mud from unclean footwear; at least one drying shelf fixed wit-
hin the drying section of the housing above the at least one mud collec-
tor,so that footwear can be placed on the at least one drying shelf; at
least one holding device for holding high footwear made of soft material
upright and opened;and a plurality of rings mounted at the bottom of the
generally horizontal grille of the top section of the housing. The cont-
rol console is mounted at the top of the apparatus.The at least one air
filter may be mounted at the exit of the at least one air outlet.The at
least one air filter may be mounted at the entrance of the at least one
air outlet.The at least one mud collector may be removably mounted and
can be taken out to be cleaned.The at least one drying shelf may be re-
movably mounted and can be taken out to be cleaned. Each of the at least
one holding device for holding high footwear made of soft material up-
right and opened may have a hook at its upper end for attaching to one
of the plurality of rings,a clip at its lower end for attaching to the
footwear,a string for connecting the hook to the clip,and a device for
regulating the length of the string.Each of the at least one holding de-
vice for holding high footwear made of soft material upright and opened
may have a hook at its upper end for attaching to one of the plurality
of rings,a clip at its lower end for attaching to the footwear,and an
elastic string for connecting the hook to the clip. At least one mud scre-
en is fixed at the entrance of the at least one air outlet,so that to
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CA 02270695 1999-OS-10
prevent from mud entering into the at least one-air outlet. The at least
one mud screen may be removably mounted and can be taken out to be clea-
ned.A door switch is mounted adjacent to the door.The door switch is de-
signed for shutting off the apparatus when the door is opened: At least
one bulb is mounted within the drying section of the housing,so that to
light the drying section when the door is opened.At least one handle is
mounted outside of the housing,so that the apparatus can be lifted and
relocated.A plurality of leveling legs are mounted at the generally ho-
rizontal bottom of the base section of the housing for leveling the ap-
paratus.
The invention, as exemplified by a preferred embodiment, is described
with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG.1 is a schematic view illustrating the use of the footwear drying
apparatus according to this invention;
FIG.2 is a rear view of the control console showing the terminal block
and the power cord of the apparatus according to this invention;
FIG.3 is a side view of the hook of the holding device for holding
high footwear made of soft material upright and opened;
FIG.4 is a side view of the clip of the holding device for holding
high footwear made of soft mater ial upright and opened; and
FIG S is an exploded view of the device for regulating the length of
the string of the holding device for holding high footwear made of soft
material upright and opened.
Referring to FIGS.1-5,a footwear drying apparatus 10 comprises a hou-
sing l2.The housing 12 has generally vertical front wall l4,rear wall 16
and side walls 18,a top section 20 with a generally horizontal top 22 and
a generally horizontal grille 24 at the bottom,a base section 26 with a
generally horizontal bottom 28 and a generally horizontal partition 30
at the top, and a drying section 32 defined between the generally verti-
cal front wall l4,rear wall 16 and side walls l8,the generally horizon-
tal grille 24 at the bottom of the top section 20 and the generally ho-
rizontal partition 30 at the top of the base section~26.A fan 34 is mou-
nted within the top section 20 of the housing l2.The fan 34 is designed
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CA 02270695 1999-OS-10
for blowing air to the drying section 32 of the housing 12.A heater 36 is
mounted within the top section 20 of the housing 12 adjacent to the fan
34.The heater 36 is designed for heating air which is sucked into the ho-
using 12 and blown to the drying section 32 of the housing 12 by the fan
34. Air inlets 38 are formed in the top section 20 of the housing l2,so
that air can be sucked into the housing 12 through the air inlets 38 by
the fan 34 and can be heated by the heater 36.A thermostat 40 is mounted
within the top section 20 of the housing 12 adjacent to the heater 36.The
thermostat 40 is designed for maintaining the desired drying temperature
at a constant level.A control console 42 is mounted at the top of the ap-
paratus lO.The control console 42 has a timer 44 for controling the drying
duration,a fan switch 46 for turning the fan 34 on and off and for selec-
ting its speed,a heater switch 48 for turning the heater 36 on and off and
for selecting its power,a thermostat knob 50 for setting the thermostat 40
at the desired drying temperature, and a terminal block 52 for connecting
a power cord 54 to wiring of the apparatus lO.An air outlet 56 is moun-
ted within the base section 26 of the housing l2,so that air can be ex-
hausted from the housing 12 through the air outlet 56 by the fan 34.An
air filter 58 is mounted at the exit of the air outlet 56,so that to fil-
ter the exhausted air.A mud screen 60 is fixed at the entrance of the air
outlet 56, so that to prevent from mud entering into the air outlet 56.A
mud collector 62 is removably mounted at the bottom of the drying secti-
on 32 of the housing l2,so that to collect mud from unclean footwear.A
drying shelf 64 is removably mounted within the drying section 32 of the
housing 12 above the mud collector 62, so that footwear 66 can be placed
on the drying shelf 64.The mud collector 62 and the drying shelf 64 are
removably mounted between ledges 68(only one is shown), and can be taken
out to be cleaned.A door 70 is secured to the generally vertical front
wall 14 of the housing l2,so that to provide access to the drying secti-
on 32 of the housing 12.A door switch 72 is mounted adjacent to the door
70.The door switch 72 is designed for shutting off the apparatus 10 when
the door 70 is opened.A bulb 74 is mounted within the drying section 32
of the housing l2,so that to light the drying section 32 when the door 70
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is opened.A pair of handles 76(only one is shown) are mounted outside of
the housing l2,so that the apparatus 10 can be lifted and relocated.A plu-
rality of leveling legs 78(only one is shown) are mounted at the genera-
lly horizontal bottom 28 of the base section 26 of the housing 12 for le-
veling the apparatus 10.A plurality of rings 80 are mounted at the bottom
of the generally horizontal grille 24 of the top section 20 of the hou-
sing l2.The apparatus 10 is equipped with holding devices 82(only one is
shown) for holding high footwear made of soft material upright and ope-
ned.Each holding device 82 has a hook 84 at its upper end for attaching
to one of the plurality of rings 80,a clip 86 at its lower end for atta-
ching to the footwear 66,a string 88 for connecting the hook 84 to the
clip 86 and a device 90 for regulating the length of the string 88.
Although only a single embodiment of the present invention has been desc-
ribed and illustrated, the present invention is not limited to the featu-
res of this embodiment.
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Representative Drawing