Apparatus and method for treating shoes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12070175-B2
Application number	US-202117356242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2021
Priority date	Jun 24, 2020
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

A shoe treating apparatus having a cabinet including at least one storage space, a rotatable duct part disposed in an upper portion of the storage space and configured to rotate toward the interior of the storage space, a treatment part configured to provide treatment on a shoe, and a processor configured to control an operation of the rotatable duct part and electrically connected to the treatment part is provided. The processor may, based on detecting a shoe in the storage space, rotate the rotatable duct part toward the interior of the detected shoe and may control treatment on the detected shoe through the rotatable duct part after the rotatable duct part is rotated toward the interior of the detected shoe. A method of operating a shoe treating apparatus is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe treating apparatus, comprising:
a cabinet including at least one storage space;
a rotatable duct part disposed in an upper portion of the storage space, the rotatable duct part being configured to rotate toward an interior of the storage space from the upper portion of the storage space;
a treatment part configured to provide treatment to a shoe located in the storage space; and
a processor configured to control an operation of the rotatable duct part and electrically connected to the treatment part, the processor being configured to:
detect the shoe in the storage space,
based on the detection of the shoe in the storage space, rotate the rotatable duct part toward an interior of the detected shoe from the upper portion of the storage space, and
control treatment of the detected shoe through the rotatable duct part after the rotatable duct part is rotated toward the interior of the detected shoe.

2. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to discharge at least part of air, steam, low-temperature hot air, or water repellent, which is generated in the treatment part, to the interior of the detected shoe through a duct in the rotatable duct part to treat the detected shoe.

3. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one light emitting element disposed on a lower portion of the rotatable duct part, the light emitting element including an ultraviolet C light emitting diode (UVC LED),
wherein the processor is further configured to treat the interior of the detected shoe by using the at least one light emitting element.

4. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
identify a type of the detected shoe in the storage space through the at least one sensor, and
determine whether to rotate the rotatable duct part based on the identified type of the detected shoe.

5. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to rotate the rotatable duct part based on the identified type of the detected shoe when a height of the detected shoe is less than or equal to a first predetermined height.

6. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising an expandable duct part located in the rotatable duct part,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
when the height of the detected shoe is less than or equal to a second predetermined height, rotate the rotatable duct part, and
expand the expandable duct part into the interior of detected shoe, and

wherein the first predetermined height is greater than the second predetermined height.

7. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the expandable duct part is connected to the rotatable duct part, and is extended downward from the rotatable duct part after the rotatable duct part is rotated toward the interior of the storage space.

8. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the expandable duct part comprises:
a first duct located in the rotatable duct part; and
a second duct connected to the first duct,
wherein the expandable duct part is configured to discharge at least part of air, steam, low-temperature hot air, or water repellent, which is introduced through the first duct, to the interior of the detected shoe.

9. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the expandable duct part comprises:
an upper duct part;
a variable duct part connected to a lower side of the upper duct part, the variable duct part having a shape being changeable by an external force;
a lower duct part connected to a lower side of the variable duct part; and
a roller disposed on a lower portion of the lower duct part.

10. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a motor in the rotatable duct part, the motor connecting the rotatable duct part and the expandable duct part,
wherein the processor is further configured to control the motor to cause the expandable duct part to move out of the rotatable duct part and move into the rotatable duct part based on the height of the detected shoe in the storage space.

11. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
an expandable duct part located in the rotatable duct part; and
a motor located in the rotatable duct part, the motor connecting the rotatable duct part and the expandable duct part,
wherein, when the identified type of the detected shoe is determined as having a height greater than a predetermined height, the processor is further configured to control the motor to repeatedly move the expandable duct part out of and into the rotatable duct part.

12. The shoe treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify whether the treatment on the detected shoe has ended, and, based on an end of the treatment on the detected shoe, control a motor located in the rotatable duct part to rotate the rotatable duct part toward the upper portion of the storage space.

13. A method of operating a shoe treating apparatus, the method comprising:
detecting whether a shoe is present in a storage space;
based on the detection of the shoe, rotating, by a processor, a rotatable duct part, which is disposed on an upper portion of the storage space, toward an interior of the detected shoe from the upper portion of the storage space; and
controlling, by the processor, treatment of the detected shoe through the rotatable duct part after the rotatable duct part is rotated toward the interior of the detected shoe.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising discharging at least part of air, steam, low-temperature hot air, or water repellent to the interior of the detected shoe through a duct in the rotatable duct part to treat the detected shoe.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising sanitizing the interior of the shoe using at least one light emitting element disposed on a lower portion of the rotatable duct part.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
identifying a type of the detected shoe in the storage space through at least one sensor, and
determining whether to rotate the rotatable duct part based on the identified type of the detected shoe.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining whether to rotate the rotatable duct part is based on whether a height of the identified type of the detected shoe is less than or equal to a first predetermined height.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining whether to rotate the rotatable duct part further comprising: when the height of the detected shoe is less than or equal to a second predetermined height, expanding an expandable duct part, which is formed in the rotatable duct part, to the interior of the detected shoe,
wherein the first predetermined height is greater than the second predetermined height.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein expanding the expandable duct part to the interior of the shoe comprises controlling a motor located in the rotatable duct part, which connects the rotatable duct part and the expandable duct part, to cause the expandable duct part to repeatedly move out of the rotatable duct part and move into the rotatable duct part based on the height of the detected shoe in the storage space.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein controlling the treatment of the detected shoe comprises:
identifying whether the treatment of the detected shoe has ended; and
based on an end of the treatment of the detected shoe, controlli

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yoo Hyunsun
• Choi Jeong Guen
• Oh Joohyeon
• Lim Jae Myung
• Han Byoungjoon
• Lee Sang Yoon
• Kim Hyunju
• Seong Jeaseok

Classifications

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• A47B61/04

  for shoes, hats, umbrellas, or the like {(shoe racks as an implement for the manufacture of shoes A43D117/00)} · CPC title

• A47L23/20

  Devices or implements for drying footwear, also with heating arrangements (cabinets for shoes A47B61/04) · CPC title

• A47L2601/04

  Steam · CPC title

• A47L2601/10

  Ultraviolet radiation · CPC title