US3309726A - Shoe shining machine - Google Patents

Description

March 21, 1967 J. H. MOORE ETAL SHOE SHINING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1965 INVENTORS JAMES H. MOORE DONALD W. GERSTEN LEONARD W. ARNDT BY 2 M A 0 NEYS March 21, 1967 J. H. MOORE ETAL 33mm SHOE SHINING MACHINE Filed Opt. 15, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS y? JAMES H. MOORE y DONALD w. GERSTEN LEONARD W0 ARNDT ATTORNEYS March 21, 1967 J. H. MOORE ETAL.

SHOE SHINING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed Oct. 15, 1965 INVENTORS TD 5 ESN Y RRR E OEA s N 0G R M 0 w T w T H D A DR SL EAN MNO AOE dDL United States Patent M 3,309,726 SHOE SHINING MACHINE James H. Moore, 15264 Rudiand, Roseville, Mich.

48066; Donald W. Gersten, 22670 Madison, St. Clair Shores, Mich. 48081; and Leonard W. Arndt, 42935 Utica Road, Warren, Mich. 48089 Filed Oct. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,552 1 Claim. (CI. 15-32) This invention relates to means for shining a shoe while it is on a users foot and more particularly to an automatic coin-operated shoe shining device.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of such means in a practical and efficient form which will subserve a present need and carry out a useful function so as to attract some part of the money which the public spends annually on coin-operated devices.

The foregoing object of the invention and its substantial advantages will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a device embodying the invention with its shell removed;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the structure of FIG. 1 from the direction indicated by the arrow therein shown and designated 2;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are side elevational views of the structure of FIG. 1 in different operative positions;

. FIG. 5 is a front end elevational View of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are different plan elevational views of part of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of certain details of the structure of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is an electrical block diagram of the control circuitry for the device.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, 12 indicates the stationary frame of the device which includes a pair of longitudinal rails 13 and above these a central longitudinal bar 14 on which is mounted a footrest 15 for supporting a users shoe and foot. Arranged to travel along rails 13 in the space between the rails 13 and the bar 14 are a pair of transverse rails 16 arranged for translational movement with respect to the footrest 15 and rollably mounted on the rails 13 by means of a carriage 17 to which they are afiixed. The carriage 17 has rollers 18 arranged in pairs on each of its opposite sides for rolling contact with the rails 13 and is reciprocated back and forth along the length of the device by an endless chain 19 mounted in the frame between and in the plane of the rails 13 and beneath the carriage 17. The endless chain 1d has its idler sprocket 20 rotatably mounted on a fixed plate 21 between the rails 13 at the front end of the device and its drive sprocket 22 similarly mounted on another plate 23 fixed to the frame nearest to but spaced from the rear end of the device. The endless chain 19 is driven by a motor 24 suspended from the plate 23 which has its shaft keyed to the shaft of the drive sprocket 22 and includes a link shown separately in FIG. 8 and indicated at 25 which has an upwardly rojecting lug 26 that operates in a transverse slot 27 in the platform 17 so as to reciprocate it together with the transverse rails 16.

Arranged for lateral movement with respect to the footrest 15 are a pair of platforms 30 each of which is rollably mounted on the traveling rails 16 by means of rollers 31 arranged in pairs on each of its opposite sides. Each platform 30 serves as a base to rotatably mount a side buffing cylindrical brush 32 so that its axis of rotation is perpendicular to the plane of the footrest 15. Each brush 32 is connected by a drive belt 33 as shown to its drive motor 34 which is mounted fast beneath the respective platform 30. One of the side brushes 32 is rotated clock- Patented Mar. 21, 1967 Wise and the other counterclockwise, and they are yieldably drawn toward each other, so that except when spread apart by an interposed shoe they rotate in mutual contact by a tension spring 35 which inter-connects the inner ends of the pair of platforms 3d and yieldably urges them to move toward each other on the rails 16.

It will be noted that spring 35 does not oppose movement of platforms 3%) in the same direction, so that, in effect, both side bufiing brushes can float as a unit laterally when their platforms 36 are spread apart farther than the width of the carriage 17. Except when the brushes are forced apart by a shoe being buffed, they are drawn inwardly toward one another until their platform 30 engage and are centered by the sides of carriage 17, and at such time they rotate in mutual contact and somewhat intermesh. The brushes are large enough so that at such time they meet at the center, in order to assure full bufling of the toe and heel of the shoe. The electric motors 34 are of substantial weight and each motor depends from its platform in a substantially centered position between the transverse rails 16, which are substantially spaced from one another. The weight of the motor 34 substantially aids in stabilizing the platform 30 so that it is not necessary to provide rails above as well as below the rollers 31.

Affixed to each platform 3i; close to its inner end and projecting rearwardly from its rear edge in a longitudinal direction is a receptacle 36 which is disposed parallel, as respects the longitudinal direction, to the footrest 15 and extends upwardly and inwardly in respect thereto for aiming at the shoe to be shined the spray from one of a pair of adjacent aerosol cans 37. A dispensing mechanism including a solenoid 38 is provided for each can which operates on its plunger and the correspondingly located solenoid pairs on opposite sides of the footrest are commonly energized by the control circuitry to be described so that each pair operates in unison a pair of cans consisting of one can on each side of the footrest. Each opposed pair carries shoe polish of a different color and, since the particular embodiment of the invention is constructed for operation with mens shoes, black and brown are the two colors intended to be used. The device can be modified, of course, to accommodate ladies shoes particularly by changing the sweep of the side butfing brushes in which case a greater selection of colors may be employed with the exception of white since the same brushes are used for all colors which places the limitation upon them of being dark. The choice of color is selected by the user in advance by actuation to the desired position of the polish selector switch which is indicated in the circuit diagram of FIGURE 10 but not otherwise shown in the drawings since it is entirely conventional and usually mounted on the shell (not shown) of the device.

Also arranged for translational movement with respect to the footrest 15 is a toe bufilng cylindrical brush 4t) driven through a belt drive 41 by its drive motor 52 trunnioned on a transverse horizontal axis between a pair of upright brackets 43 which are rigidly interconnected to form a separate carriage independently rollably mounted on the rails 13 by rollers 44. The toe brush is rotatably supported on a bracket 47 ri idly attached to the frame of motor 42 and forms a partly counterbalanced titltable assembly therewith, although the weight of the brush and associated parts sufficiently overbalances the motor so that the toe brush is urged downwardly by gravity with a desired force. The upright carriage for the toe bufiing mechanism is moved along rails 13 by the transverse carriage for the side buifing mechanism. A pull chain 50 connecting the two carriages pulls the toe polishing unit into operative position as the side polishing carriage moves to carry brushes 32 along the shoe from front to rear, as shown in FIGURE 4, while when the :3 side polishing carriage commences its return movement, the toe polishing carriage dwells in such operative position until it is pushed back away from the shoe by pusher members 52 attached to the rear traveling rail. By these means the side butting mechanism moves on the shoe separately from and in advance of the toe buffing stroke anism and carries the latter through its forward stroke over the length of the toe while it, itself, continues its traverse of the shoe from toe to heel and executes its directional reversal. During the reversal of the side bushing carriage and for a predetermined interval the toe butfing mechanism remains in a dwell position operating on the toe of the shoe. The side bufiing mechanism, after a predetermined travel distance in its reverse sweep of the sides of the shoe from heel to toe, pushes the toe butting mechanism oif the shoe and then continues to push it until the two carriages reach the fully withdrawn position of FIGURES 1 and 3. As such position is reached an abutment 46 on the bracket 47. strikes a fixed abutment 45 on the frame 12, tilting the rockable toe brush and motor assembly upwardly and holding the brush raised when in such fully withdrawn position. The toe brush is thus out of the range of the spray from the aerosol cans 37. Although the spray is initiated at the beginning of the travel of the side butting assembly, that is, at a position corresponding substantially to that shown in FIGURE 4, the independent initial travel of the side buffer carriage carries the spray cans away from the toe brush before the toe brush carriage moves. During the first forward movement of the toe brush carriage, the abutment 46 moves away from fixed abutment 45, permitting the rockable toe brush assembly to swing down to a position such its cylindrical lower edge occupies an aligned position with respect to the toe of the shoe. The lower cylindrical surface of the brush is at such time inclined upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the shoe to be butied, and the brush then moves horizontally into engagement with the toes in a position to be cammed and pushed upwardly about the rocking axis by the reactive force between the brush and the shoe. The lowered initial position of the brush is predetermined by an abutment 45A on the carriage 43 which. limits downward movement of the rocking toe brush assembly after it has moved away from fixed abutment 45.

The operation of the device is automatic and repetitive for each shoe and its cycling is controlled by the electrical means shown in FIGURE 10, the elements of which are shown in block diagram and include the pair of drive motors 34 for the side outfing mechanism, the drive motor 42 for the toe buffing mechanism, the chain drive motor 24, and the solenoids 38. The four motors mentioned are connected across the pair of power lines '60 and 62 in parallel with each other and is series with the deck 63 of a three deck stepping switch 66, the other two decks of which are indicated at 64 and 65 in FIGURE 10. The source, indicated at 61, for the pair of power lines may be the standard 110 v. 60 cycle AC. power supply. The common side of the motors opposite that connected to the power line 62 is connected by the line 67 to movable contact as shown for the deck 63. Of the ten stationary contacts for the deck 63 all but numbers 146, which are dead, are interconnected and joined to the power line 60. The movable contact for each deck of the stepping switch 66 is actuated by a direct for each deck of the stepping switch 66 is actuated by a direct current stepping coil 69 which has its own normally closed contact 68 which opens upon each energization of the coil to cut off the supply of current to it. The coil 69 is energized by direct current pulses to it from a rectifier 70 to which it is connected in series with its own contact 68 by the lines 71, 72 and 73 as shown. The alternating current side of the rectifier 70 in turn is intermittently supplied by the power lines through the deck 65 of the stepping switch by the line 74 which is connected to the movable contact for that deck as shown. The stationary contacts for the deck 65 include a contact which is connected to the power line 60 through a coin slot 75 by the line 77 and which is the home or No. 1 contact as respects the travel of the movable contact for this deck. The interconnected stationary contacts 2-5 inclusive and 7-10 inclusive for this deck are connected through a limit switch 76 to the power line 60 by the line 78. The normally open forced closed limit switch 76 is the cycle switch for the device which functions in each of its two cycles.

The cycle switch 76 is mounted as best shown in FIG- URE 7 contiguous to the endless chain 19, as on the plate 23, so as to be actuated thereby to close position once each half revolution of the chain around its sprockets. This is accomplished by the drive link 25, already mentioned, which has a lateral detent 80 for engaging the actuator of the cycle switch and by another link 81, shown in detail in FIGURE 9, which has a similar detent 82 for the same purpose. The two links 25 and 81 are spaced apart equidistantly along the chain length as can be seen in FIGURES 6 and 7. The cycle switch 76 is thus actuated to closed position intermittently at uniform intervals four times in the first cycle of the device to complete its operation on one shoe and the same number of times in the second cycle for the second shoe. The rectifier 70 is thereby energized and thus the stepping coil 69 is pulsed by the cycle switch 76 the same number of times in each cycle of the device as will appear more fully hereinafter. The deck 64 of the stepping switch has its interconnected stationary contacts 2 and 7 connected to the power line 60, the outer fixed contacts being dead, and its movable contact connected by the line 89 to the single pole of the double throw polish selector switch, previously referred to, and indicated at 91 in FIGURE 10. The throw contacts of the polish selector switch are connected by the lines 92 and 93, each of which is connected to one side of one pair of the parallel connected opposite pairs of solenoids 38, previously mentioned, the opposite sides of which are commonly connected to the power line 62. As previously explained for the polish selector switch and for the same reasons the second cycle switch of the device is not otherwise shown in the drawings but indicated in FIGURE 10 at 95. The push button second cycle switch is connected by the line 94 to the non-interconnected stationary contact No. 6 of the deck 65 of the stepping switch and energizes the rectifier 70 when its push button is depressed by the user of the device to start the second cycle provided the movable contact of the deck 65 has been stepped five times to each contact No. 6, five pulses to the stepping coil 69, the first of which is from the coin passing through the coin slot and the next four of which are from actuation of the cycle switch 66 in the first cycle of operation.

In operation of the device by a user desiring to shine his shoes the color of either black or brown shoe polish he wishes applied to his shoes in the course of the shine is selected by actuating the polish selector switch 91 to the position corresponding to the color chosen which connects the respective opposite solenoid pair to the movable contact of the band 64 of the stepping switch. A coin of requisite denomination is inserted in the coin slot 75 and one foot is placed on the footrest 15 so that the users shoe is firmly planted in its intended position thereon. Passage of the coin through the coin slot energizes the rectifier 76 which pulses the stepping coil 69 to step the movable contacts of all three bands of the stepping switch once so that the four motors are simultaneously energized together with the respective pair of solenoids 38 which operates upon the two aerosol cans 37 on opposite sides of the footrest 15 containing the preselected colored shoe polish. The chain drive motor 24 through the endless chain 19 begins the longitudinal movement of the transverse carriage for the side bufiing mechanism toward the rear from its rest position shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 forward of the toe of the shoe while the side buffing brushes 32 rotate as described through their drive motors 34 and the proper colored spray of shoe polish emanates from the aerosol cans 37 toward the shoe by action of the respective pair of solenoids 38. The toe butting brush 4%) is placed in rotation by its drive motor 42 prior to movement of the upright carriage for the toe buffing mechanism which is pulled by the transverse carriage through the pull chain connection 5%). The moving parts of the device travel from the position shown for them in FIGURE 3 to that shown in FIGURE 4 during which travel both sides of the shoe from toe to heel are buffed at the same time by the pair of brushes 32. The shoe parts the brushes 32 along its length against the urging of the tension spring 35 so that the bufimg of the sides of the shoe is positive and particularly so that the front and heel of the shoe where the sides meet are firmly buffed by the brushes 32 as best shown in FIGURE 5. The side bufiing means operates on the shoe in advance of the spray polishing means which aims the aerosol spray downwardly and inwardly from the cans 37 and ahead of them into the common tangent line of the brushes 32 immediately behind their area of contact so that it coats the shoe from toe to heel as it emerges from the brushes over the areas reached by the buffer means which includes substantially the entire shoe except for the upper part of the lace area. The spray polishing means operates in advance of the toe bufiing means and thereafter the toe of the shoe exerts a camming effect which lifts the brush 4% to cause it to ride up the toe of the shoe as shown in FIGURE 4 against the gravitational force tending to tilt the brush in the opposite angular direction. The toe bufi'ing mechanism operates on the shoe in a dwell position, as previously explained, while the side buffing mechanism reverses because of reversal of direction of the drive link on the endless chain and its action on the platform 17 through the dog 26 and slot 27. The link 81 in the meantime has traveled to the cycle switch 7 6 which is actuated by the chain for the first time to pulse the coil 69 so that the movable contact of each deck is stepped a second time. In this position of the movable contact for the deck 63 the motors remain energized while in the same position of the movable contact for the deck 64 the previously energized pair of solenoids are deenergized which cuts 0d the spraying of shoe polish the mechanism for which is never again rendered operative in the first cycle of operation of the device as can be seen from the absence of connections to the stationary contacts 36 of the deck 64. In the reverse movement of the side bufiing means its operation on the shoe that is now polish covered is repeated but in the opposite direction from heel to toe and similarly for the toe buffing means which repeats its action in the reverse direction from the lace area of the shoe to front of the toe area. After the buffer means move off the shoe entirely the moving parts of the device return to the position shown for them in FIGURE 3. In this position the drive link 25 through its detent 80 actuates the cycle switch 76 for the second time by the chain which pulses the coil 69 again which steps the movable contact of each deck a third time. As can be seen by the connections to the stationary contacts on the deck 63 this is again without effect on the motors which remain energized. The buffer means is again translated automatically by the endless chain 19 from its rearward extreme position shown in FIGURE 3 to its forward extreme position shown in FIGURE 4 and returned to more thoroughly buff the already polished and buffed shoe. In this second translation of the buffer means for another pass at the shoe in the first cycle of the device, the cycle switch 76 is actuated by the link 81 for the third time by the chain when the buffer means is in its forward extreme position for the second time. Actuation of the switch 76 energizes the rectifier 7% to pulse the coil 69 which steps the movable contact of each deck a fourth time. In this position of the movable contact of the deck 63 the motors remain energized and the buffer means again reverses to return to its rearward extreme position.

When the buffer means is thus returned the second time to its rearward extreme position the drive link 25 actuates the cycle switch a fourth time to energize the rectifier 70 which pulses the coil 69 a fifth time to step the movable contact of each deck of the switch 6a; to its fifth position in which it engages fixed contact No. 6. In this position of the movable contact of the deck 63 the motors are deenergized and the movable contact of the deck 65 sets up the device for actuation by the second cycle switch 93. The device is thus completely de-activated until the second cycle switch 95 is actuated by the user of the device who can then have his second shoe shined identically as the first was shined. In the second cycle the movable contact of each deck of the stepping switch 66 is stepped five times as in the first cycle to bring the movable contact of the deck 65 to its home position on fixed contact No. 1 in series with the coin slot and ready to receive another COlIl.

Although the casing (not shown) of the machine may have a relatively narrow opening tending to center the users foot on the footrest 15, the lateral fioatability of both side brushes 32 while they are spread apart by the shoe permits them to maintain good and uniform engagement with the shoe even if the users foot is laterally misaligned on the rest.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by the present invention a method and means for shining a shoe while it is on a users foot in which the advantages hereinabove set forth together with other practical advantages have been successfully achieved. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described it is to be understood that modifications, variations and changes may be resorted to without departing from the ambit of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a shoe shining machine, a support, a footrest on the support, a horizontal trackway on the support, a side bufier main carriage movable along the trackway, a pair of side buffing means carried by such carriage and movable thereby past the footrest to buff a shoe thereon, a toe bufier carriage movable along the same trackway, toe buffing means carried by the last mentioned carriage and comprising a butter and a driving motor therefor rockable as a unit about an axis transverse to the trackway, and means for sequentially moving the first and second mentioned carriages into juxtaposition with respect to said footrest and then sequentially moving the second mentioned and first mentioned carriages away from such juxtaposition, said means for moving the aforesaid carriages comprising means for driving the main carriage and lost motion connecting means for driving the toe buffer carriage from the main carriage, said trackway including a pair of substantially horizontal rails extending on opposite sides of and below said footrest, transverse tracks on said main carriage, each of said side buffing means including a carrier for one of said side buffers, said carriers being movable laterally on said transverse tracks toward and from one another, means yieldably urging sai-d carriers toward one another, an individual bufier journaled on top of each of said carriers, and a mot-or suspended beneath each of said carriers for driving such individual bufier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 460,335 9/1891 Gilman 15-32 1,063,416 6/1913 Cook 1532 1,088,563 2/1914 Grafton l532 1,091,657 3/1914 Heller 1531 1,138,868 5/1915 Heller 1532 1,493,162 5/1924 Ringstrom 15--32 1,623,218 4/1927 Thompson 1532 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,309,726 March 21, 1967 James H. Moore et a1 It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 13, for "platform" read platforms line 63, for "titltable" read tiltable column 3, line 5, for "on" read onto line 6, for "stroke read mechanis line 7, strike out "anism"; line 53, for "is" read 1n lines 64 and 65, strike out "for each deck of the stepping switch 66 is actuated by a direct"; column 5, line 29, for "force" read forces Signed and sealed this 7th day of November 1967.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer

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