Technical Field

This invention relates to a device for sanitising the soles of items of footwear.

The problem of keeping closed environments clean and protecting them from the introduction of dirt and bacterial agents from the outside is an immediate one for any home owner, but also arises in situations other than in the domestic environment. For reasons of decorum (workplaces, public offices, cultural and sporting venues), and for health and hygiene reasons (hospital environments, schools, retirements homes), in many closed places there is an urgent need to avoid to the maximum extent any possible any contamination from the outside environment.

Amongst the ways in which generic polluting sources can be conveyed from the outside to the inside of closed environments, one must definitely consider the possibility that the soles of items of footwear worn by people entering closed environments deposit part of what remains attached to them when people walk around in public.

Background Art

The prior art solutions for overcoming this problem are partial and unsatisfactory. The most well-known is traditional doormats, that is to say, the mats often found in front of entrances to all kinds of closed environments, on which people should vigorously wipe the soles of their shoes before going in. Even if they are used correctly, which is not often the case, these objects do not provide effective guarantees for various reasons. First, their structure allows only residues having predetermined dimensions to be eliminated from the soles, for example pebbles or lumps of mud. Moreover, the basic features of doormats deteriorate rapidly with the passage of time, since wear from wiping reduces their effectiveness in just a few months. Finally, they do not provide any health and hygiene guarantee and, at the most, can limit dirtying of the floor.

Alternatively, often for environments requiring special aseptic conditions, for example in protected zones or in operating theatres, plastic or fabric covers are used which completely cover footwear, without intending to carry out any cleaning action, even partial, their only purpose being to avoid the exposure of potentially toxic surfaces to the atmosphere in hygienically controlled environments.

Disclosure of the Invention

This invention therefore has for an aim to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages. This aim is achieved thanks to a device which applies a sanitising treatment to the soles of items of footwear.

The main advantage of this invention is basically the fact that it prevents dirt and bacterial agents from being conveyed from the outside to the inside of closed environments, resulting firstly in improved cleanliness and hygiene in private environments.

Moreover, the invention can easily be integrated in a building structure, therefore, it can be installed even in homes and buildings which are already in use.

In particular, for new homes the invention may be connected directly to the water and/or electricity mains.

Finally, its versatility allows it to be easily adapted, according to requirements, in terms of size, climatic conditions, for example for summer or winter, for cold, temperate or hot climates. Brief Description of the Drawings

Further advantages and features of the invention are more apparent in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred, non-limiting example embodiment of the invention, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective assembly view of the invention; - Figure 2 illustrates a first detail of the invention;

- Figure 3 illustrates a second detail of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention relates to a device for sanitising the soles of items of footwear. It comprises at least one cavity 7 for positioning at least one item of footwear, mechanical means 1 for cleaning the soles housed in the cavity 7, and means 2 for feeding at least one sanitising substance 3, said feed means being designed to convey the substance 3 from a tank 4 to the mechanical means 1, for combining the effectiveness of the two actions. The sanitising substance 3 used could be water, liquid spirit, a bactericidal spray, or other substances with equivalent use. As suggested, it would also be possible to use more than one of these in the same device 10. In that case, the device 10 would have to comprise a plurality of tanks 41, 42, 43, one for each sanitising substance 3.

The device 10 should also comprise means 5 for heating the sanitising substances 3 used, allowing them to be used at the desired temperature.

hi the example shown in the accompanying drawings, the mechanical means 1 for cleaning the soles comprise brushes 11 with bristles 12. Moreover, there are means 13 for moving the brushes 11, for increasing the effectiveness of the cleaning. The brushes 11 are distributed inside the cavity 7 in such a way as to allow the cleaning of the soles of shoes of various sizes, for example shoes worn by adults or shoes worn by children.

To adapt to the various conditions which may arise in different seasons throughout the year, the brushes 11 are equipped with means 14 for attachment to the device 10, allowing them to be detached from the device for easy maintenance and substitution. Indeed, going from summer to winter, it could be appropriate to substitute smaller brushes 11a with fewer bristles, suitable for smaller items of footwear, such as sandals, and for better weather, with larger brushes l ib that have more bristles, suitable for larger items of footwear, such as boots, and for bad weather.

The device 10 also comprises a container 6 for collecting waste produced by sole cleaning and connecting means 61 designed to convey the waste from the cavity 7 towards the container 6.

In order to prevent the items of footwear remain wet after the treatment, it is advisable that the device 10 comprises means 15 for drying soles.

In a preferred embodiment, shown schematically in the figures, the means 15 for drying comprise nozzles 15a, able to emit air jets.

Finally, the device 10 comprises a sliding wall 8, which could be formed by a shutter, a mat, or another object, which prevents use of the device 10 by unauthorised people and prevents it from being tampered with. For this purpose, the device 10 must also be equipped with a remote control 9, designed to move the sliding wall 8.

The invention described above may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Obviously, in practice modifications and/or improvements are possible which are covered by the following claims.