The present invention relates to apparatus for drying footwear such as shoes and boots.

CN207928296U, KR101318056B1, KR20080110038A and US4200993A describe forced convection systems for dying clothing and footwear. Each comprises mean for forcing heated air over and around the clothing and/or footwear. The air handling mechanisms required by these designs cause them to be relatively large, noisy and obtrusive.

Apparatus for drying a shoe or boot, the apparatus comprising a frame supporting elongate projections for supporting shoes and/or boots, each projection arranged, when the apparatus is in use, to extend in an upward direction, oblique to the vertical; each projection adapted to allow an individual shoe or boot to be placed over the projection such that the proj ection extends into a toe region within the interior of the shoe or boot; the frame further supporting a convector assembly to heat air surrounding the apparatus, the convector assembly arranged, when the apparatus is in use, to lie underneath the one or more projections in order that air heated by the convector assembly passes over the exterior of the footwear items predominately by a process of natural convection; the frame, the elongate projections and the convector assembly are hollow to provide the apparatus with an internal cavity; and the apparatus comprises a heat source lying within the internal cavity to heat the convector assembly, and the projections in order to directly heat the interior of the shoe or boot.

The apparatus can be constructed in a manner similar to that of conventional domestic towel rails and radiators making its relatively small, quiet and unobtrusive compared with the prior art systems mentioned above, and being cheaper to manufacture through it comparatively simple form with no moving parts. The projections, heated by the heat source are adapted to lie within the items of footwear to dry the item from its inside whilst the convecting assembly, which may lie directly underneath the projection (and the footwear), dries the items of footwear from the outside.

The frame may comprise two hollow upright members and one or more hollow crosspieces that extend between the uprights. The projections may be supported on one of the cross-pieces, between the uprights.

The convector assembly may comprise hollow members that extends away from the frame on each side of the frame. The convector assembly may comprise one or more hollow heating elements, e.g. that extend between the hollow members of the convector assembly, that are spaced apart from one another to define one or more vents therebetween. The vent(s) act to facilitate the drawing of air up from under the convector assembly to be passed over the item(s) of footwear.

In one embodiment, the heat source comprises a heat transfer liquid, e.g. oil or an aqueous solution. The cavity, including the hollow projections and the convector assembly, may be filled with the heat transfer liquid that can circulate around the cavity to heat the projections and convector assembly. The heat source may include a resistive heating element to heat the heat transfer liquid. Where so, heat transfer around the cavity may occur through natural convection of the heat transfer liquid. Alternatively, the apparatus may be adapted to be fitted into a liquid circulation central heating system in order that heat transfer liquid can be pumped through the cavity by an external pump.

Use of a heat transfer liquid is preferred as it is a conventional technology allowing the apparatus to be manufactured cheaply and reliably. Further, it allows the apparatus to be opened, emptied and refilled if there is a fault. Nevertheless, the apparatus may alternatively comprise a ‘dry’ heat source, such as resistive heating element that extends through the cavity, including within the projections and convector assembly. The frame may comprise a first side, and a second side that face an opposite direction to the first side, and in which the projections and the convector assembly extend laterally away from the first side of the frame.

Where the assembly is mounted to a supporting structure, such as an upwardly extending face of a wall; the second side may face the wall. The apparatus may be mounted to the wall about the second side. The apparatus may comprise, on its second side, means, e.g. or more mounting projections or other features for mounting the frame to the wall.

The convector assembly may extend laterally away from a first side of the frame by a greater distance than the projections. In this way the convector assembly acts to provide a degree of protection to the projections from impacts, and equally protects users from impacting the projections.

Each elongate projection may have a fixed end connected to the frame, and a free end. Each elongate projection may be hooked shaped. Each elongate projection may comprise a connecting portion having a proximal end connected directly to the frame, and a distal end opposite the proximate end; the connecting portion may extend, e.g. curve, from its connection with the frame laterally away from a first side of the frame before extending back towards the first side to the distal end.

Each elongate projection may comprise a terminal portion extending from the distal end of the connecting portion; the terminal portion extending obliquely upwards and away from the first side of the frame to a free end. The terminal portion may be relatively short compared with the connecting portion.

Each projection may comprise a pair of relatively wide faces, and a pair of relatively narrow faces (compared with the wide faces) that are orthogonal to the wide faces. The narrow and wide faces may extend a majority, if not the entirety, of the length of the projection. When an item of footwear is mounted on a projection, the free end of the projection may pass through the opening or collar of the item of footwear and extend into the front region, e.g. toe region, of the interior of the footwear. The terminal portion favourably contacts against a first inside surface in the footwear in the front region to support the weight of the item of footwear. Separately, the connecting portion may contact a second inner surface of the footwear within the heel region of the footwear, the first and second inside surfaces facing opposing directions.

As such, the projection may extend within the interior of the item of footwear, between a heel region and a toe region of the item of footwear.

The profile of the projections is thought to have independent inventive merit and thus according to another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for drying a shoe or boot, the apparatus comprising a frame supporting elongate projections for supporting shoes and/or boots, each projection arranged, when the apparatus is in use, to extend in an upward direction, oblique to the vertical; each projection adapted to allow an individual shoe or boot to be placed over the proj ection such that the proj ection extends into a toe region within the interior of the shoe or boot; each elongate proj ection comprising: a connecting portion having a proximal end connected directly to the frame, and a distal end opposite the proximate end; the connecting portion extending from its connection with the frame laterally away from a first side of the frame before extending back towards the first side to the distal end; and a terminal portion extending from the distal end of the connecting portion; the terminal portion extending obliquely upwards and away from the first side of the frame; the frame and the elongate projections are hollow to provide the apparatus with an internal cavity; and the apparatus comprises a heat source lying within the internal cavity to heat the proj ections in order to directly heat the interior of the shoes or boots.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following Figures in which

Figure 1A is an isometric front left view of a footwear dryer; Figure IB is an isometric front right view of the footwear dryer;

Figure 2A is a left side view of the footwear dryer;

Figure 2B is a left side offset section view of the footwear dryer to show the internal cavity;

Figure 3 is a side view of a first variant footwear dryer supporting a relatively large shoe, the shoe being shown in cross section.

Figure 4 is a side view of the first variant footwear dryer supporting a relatively small shoe, the shoe being shown in a cross section;

Figure 5A is an isometric front left view of a second variant design of footwear dryer; and

Figure 5B is an isometric front right view of the second variant footwear dryer.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a footwear dryer 1 for drying shoes and boots such as, for example: trainers, walking boots, football boots, Wellington boots, ski-boots and snowboard boots.

The dryer 1 includes a frame 2. The frame includes uprights 2A 2B and upper and lower cross members 2C 2D. The frame 2 supports multiple, in this example four, elongate projections 3 to support four items of footwear, and a convector assembly 4.

The frame 2 has a front side F and a rear side R. The projections 3 and convector assembly 4 project forward of the front side F of the frame 2. Each projection 3 extends generally upwards and forwards, away from the frame 2, at an oblique angle. The rear side R of the frame 2 is provided with mounting projections 2E about which the dryer 1 is mounted to an upwardly extending face of a supporting wall, e g. through being supported onto corresponding mounting structures of the supporting wall.

The frame 2, projections 3 and the convector assembly 4 are all hollow. The interior voids within the projections 3 and the convector assembly 4 are in communication with the interior void within the frame 2. Together, these interlinked voids provide a closed cavity 5 (see Fig 2B) that, when the dryer 1 is in use, is filled with a heat transfer liquid, e.g. oil, or water with corrosion inhibitors.

An intracavity electrical resistive heating element (not shown) lies within upright 2B of the frame 2 to heat the heat transfer liquid. The projections 3 and convector assembly 4 are heated by natural convection of the heat transfer liquid around the closed cavity 5.

Each projection 3 is cantilevered to the frame 2, conjoined at one end to a front face 2DA of the lower cross member 2D, though it could be joined to different face of the cross member 2D. The projections 3 are spaced part along the lower cross member 2D by a distance sufficient to accommodate the size of footwear each projection 3 is expected to hold. A spacing greater or equal to 110mm is considered sufficient with a spacing of around 130mm thought to provide the best compromise between accommodating a wide range of shoes whilst keeping the dryer compact.

Each projection 3 has a generally ‘swan neck’ side profile. A lower, connecting, portion 3A of the projection 3, which connects directly to the frame 2, is curved so as to extend upwardly and away from the front of the frame 2 in a forward direction, initially more outwardly than upwardly becoming more upward than outward. The lower portion 3A of the projection 3 continues to extend beyond the vertical back towards the front side F of the frame 2 to meet an upper, terminal, portion 3B of the projection 3. The upper portion 3B is conjoined to the lower portion 3A at a point forward of the front side F of the frame 2, and extends upwards and away from the frame 2 at an oblique angle to a free end. The length of the upper portion 3B is significantly shorter than the lower portion 3 A.

The lower portion 3A initially extends forward laterally away from the front F of the frame 2 by a distance X before extending back towards the frame 2 to a spacing from the frame equalling Y, where it conjoins with the upper portion 3B. A preferred range for the difference between the values of X and Y (X-Y) is 25mm-40mm. A preferred value range for X is 70mm-90mm.

Each projection 3 has two relatively wide external faces 3C that extend the length of the projection 3 and which face forward and rearward respectively; and two relatively narrow external faces 3D that also extend the length of the projection 3 and that are orthogonal to the relatively wide faces 3C. In one example the width of the relatively wide faces 3C is around 40mm and the width of the narrow faces around 10mm; however, a width of the wide face 3C between 25mm and 50mm is thought suitable. Above 50mm, the projection 3 becomes too wide to be reliably passed fully into a wide range of shoes without snagging. A width of the relative narrow face 3D less or equal to 15mm is considered suitable though the narrower the better. The widths of the wider and narrower faces 3C 3D are typically substantially constant along the majority of the length of the projection 3.

With reference also to Figs 3 and 4, in use, the shoe, boot or other footwear item, hereinafter referred to as shoe S, is placed onto one of the projections 3 such that the projection 3 extends through the collar of shoe with the upper end 3B lying within a front, toe, region T within the inner cavity C of the shoe. The weight of the shoe 3 being supported predominately upon the upper portion 3B of the projection 3. The projection 3 is thus able to deliver heat directly into the inner cavity to more quickly dry the shoe.

The projection’s afore described shape has a number of benefits. The ‘swan profile’ provides support for the shoes about two separate contact regions, a first against an inner surface within the toe region T (e.g. toe cap and/or vamp) of the shoe S with one of the wider faces 3C, and separately a second contact region against a second surface of the inner sole, in a rear, heel region H of the shoe by the other, opposite facing wider face 3C Notably, the first and second contact regions of the shoe face towards one another. This allows for stable retainment of the shoe S on the projection 3.

Additionally, the ‘swan profile’ allows the projection 3 to support and provide these benefits for shoes and boots in a wide range of sizes.

The outwards and upward extending nature of the terminal upper portion 3B makes it easier to insert the shoe or boot over the projection 3 and means the shoe or boots sits more stably on the projection 3.

The convector assembly 4 is positioned immediately below the projections 3 and thus also below the items of footwear when supported on the projections 3. The convector assembly 4 comprises hollow lateral members 4A that extend forward of the front of the frame 2 and multiple hollow cross-pieces 4B, 4C between the lateral members 4A. A first of the cross pieces 4B lies forward of the projections 3, the other cross piece 4C lies directly underneath each projection 3.

The first cross piece 4B, by virtue of its forward position to the frame 2 relative to the projections 3, provides a degree of protection to the projections 3 from accidental impact.

The cross pieces 4B, 4C are spaced apart providing vents therebetween that allows air surrounding the dryer 1, which has been heated by the convector assembly 4 to be drawn upwards, through natural convection, and pass over the exterior of the footwear supported on the projections 3 to accelerate drying.

Note that the dryer 1 illustrated in Figs 3 and 4 varies in design to that of Figs 1 and 2, through the provision of two additional cross pieces 4D, 4E: and additional one in front of the projections and an additional one directly below the projections. Figure 5 illustrates a variant embodiment of dryer 10 in which the frame 12 supports an additional row of projections and an additional convector assembly to dry a greater number of items of footwear at any one time.

The frame 12 of the dryer 10 comprises, in addition to upper cross piece 12C, a first lower cross-piece 12D carrying a first row of projections 13, and a second lower crosspiece 12F carrying a second row of projections 23.

Additionally, the frame supports a first convector assembly 14 below the first row of projections 13 to dry footwear on the first row of projections 13, and a second convector assembly 24, below the second row of projections 23 and above the first row of projections, to dry footwear on the second row of projections 23.

As before, the frame 12, projections 13, 23 and convector assemblies 14, 24 are hollow and filled with a heat transfer liquid for heating the footwear.

In a variant to the above embodiments, one or more of the cross pieces 4B-4E may be replaced by other forms of heat exchange elements, e.g. fins or plates, connected to and/or between one or more remaining cross pieces 4B and/or lateral members 4A. The other forms of heat exchange element may or may not be hollow but are shaped and/or spaced to allow for air to rise through the convector assembly 4.

In a variant embodiment, the resistive heating element may be omitted, the cavity 5 open and frame 2 adapted to allow connection of the dryer into a liquid circulation central heating system in order to allow liquid to be pumped through the internal cavity.

In another variant, instead of a heat transfer liquid, the cavity may hold one or more electrical resistive heating elements that lie within the projections and convector assembly (and optionally also the frame) to heat the projections and convector assembly.