Telescoping and folding shoe horn

Abstract

A shoe horn shaped handle has a series of telescoping sleeves which telescope within the handle for storage and extend out for use. A mating shoe horn shaped pivotable head attaches to an outer end of the outer most sleeve. The pivotable head pivots over, locks, and nests with the handle in a pocket storage configuration. The pivotable head pivots open for use as a long handled shoe horn. A variety of different pivotable heads may be attached as individual replacement heads.

1 . A telescoping and pivoting shoe horn device comprising: 
 a collapsible and expansible handle comprising an outer gripping portion and a series of increasingly smaller sleeves which sleeves telescope together to fit within the outer gripping portion in a fully collapsed position to fit within a pocket of a user and which sleeves telescope out to a fully extended position to form a handle extension for use as an elongated handle to enable a user holding a proximal end of the elongated handle to contact a floor with a distal end of the handle from a standing position;    a pivotable head attached to an outer end of an outermost telescoping sleeve by a means for pivoting the pivotable head between a first locked position with the pivotable head pivoted onto the handle when the telescoping sleeves are in the fully collapsed in a pocket storage configuration position and a second locked position with the pivotable head pivoted out straight extending from the outer end of the outermost sleeve with the telescoping sleeves in the fully extended position to form a long handled shoe horn of a useful length so that with the shoe horn head pivoted open to enable a user to use the shoe horn in a standing position, and means for locking the pivotable head in the first locked position and alternately means for snapping the shoe horn end open away from the handle extension in a locked open position with the handle extension telescoping out to lock the pivotable head in the second locked position to form a shoe horn with a rigid elongated handle of a useful length, the pivotable head having a shape conforming to the shape of the gripping portion of the handle so that the pivotable head pivots over, locks, and contacts and nests with the gripping portion of the handle when the sleeves are in the fully collapsed position with the pivotable head pivoted over the gripping portion to form a telescoping and pivoting shoe horn device;    wherein the gripping portion of the handle conforms to a palm of a hand of a user.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the pivotable head is removable from the outermost telescoping sleeve and replaceable thereon by any of a variety of pivotable heads.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 2  wherein the pivotable head is removable from the outermost telescoping sleeve and replaceable thereon by one of a variety of pivotable heads taken from the list of pivotable heads including a shoe horn, a back scratcher, a grasper for retrieving external items, and a magnetic head for retrieving external metal items.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head comprises a pivotable head base comprising a first end having a means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve and a second end having a base protrusion with two opposing parallel flat sides having a base pivot pin hole therethrough with a pivot pin through the base pivot pin hole and an adjacent cylindrical opening therethrough with a pair of spring-loaded locking balls positioned within the cylindrical opening with one of the balls protruding from each of two opposing parallel flat sides of the base protrusion adjacent to the base pivot pin hole and a pivotable head extension comprising a pair of spaced parallel flanges protruding orthogonally therefrom straddling the two opposing parallel flat sides of the base protrusion, each of the flanges having a center flange pivot hole for receiving an end of the pivot pin therein and a dent on each side of the flange pivot hole in alignment with the locking ball so that when the pivotable head is pivoted open in the fully extended position the balls engage a first pair of dents on one side of the pivot pin to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position and when the pivotable head is pivoted closed in a closed position over the handle the balls engage a second pair of dents on the other side of the pivot pin to lock the pivotable head in the pivoted closed position, wherein a user applies force to pivot the pivotable head, the pivotable head pivots to release the balls unlocking the pivotable head.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve comprises a hollow cylindrical open outer end of the outermost sleeve having a sleeve inner protrusion adjacent to the outer end; and a twist plug extending from the pivotable head base, the twist plug having a cylindrical body to fit within the cylindrical open outer end of the outermost sleeve and an insertion portion of a groove mating with the sleeve inner protrusion along the length of the plug in an outer surface of the plug extending from an outer end of the plug and a locking portion of the groove extending orthogonally from the insertion portion of the groove around a portion of the circumference of the tube, the locking portion of the groove communicating with the insertion portion of the groove so that the sleeve inner protrusion engages the insertion portion of the groove when the twist plug is inserted in the outer end of the outer sleeve and the sleeve inner protrusion further engages the locking portion of the groove when the twist plug is turned in the outermost sleeve to lock the pivotable head base to the outermost sleeve.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 4  wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve comprises a protruding threaded outer end of the outermost sleeve; and a mating threaded opening in the pivotable head base to receive the protruding threaded outer end to lock the pivotable head base to the outermost sleeve.  
   
   
       7 . A telescoping and pivoting shoe horn device comprising: 
 a collapsible and expansible handle comprising an outer gripping portion in the shape of a shoe horn and a series of increasingly smaller sleeves which sleeves telescope together to fit within the outer gripping portion in a fully collapsed position to fit within a pocket of a user and which sleeves telescope out to a fully extended position to form a handle extension for use as an elongated handle to enable a user holding a proximal end of the elongated handle to contact a floor with a distal end of the handle from a standing position;    a pivotable head attached to an outer end of an outermost telescoping sleeve by a means for pivoting the pivotable head between a first locked position with the pivotable head pivoted onto the handle when the telescoping sleeves are in the fully collapsed position and a second locked position with the pivotable head pivoted out straight extending from the outer end of the outermost sleeve with the telescoping sleeves in the fully extended position, the pivotable head having a shape conforming to the shoe horn shape of the gripping portion of the handle so that the pivotable head contacts and rests with the shoe horn shaped gripping portion of the handle when the sleeves are in the fully collapsed position with the pivotable head pivoted over the gripping portion;    wherein both the shoe horn shaped gripping portion of the handle and the pivotable head are each alternately usable as a shoe horn and a handle conforming to a palm of a hand of a user; and    wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head comprises a pivotable head base comprising a first end having a means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve and a second end having a base protrusion with two opposing parallel flat sides having a base pivot pin hole therethrough with a pivot pin through the base pivot pin hole and an adjacent cylindrical opening therethrough with a pair of spring-loaded locking balls positioned within the cylindrical opening with one of the balls protruding from each of two opposing parallel flat sides of the base protrusion adjacent to the base pivot pin hole and a pivotable head extension comprising a pair of spaced parallel flanges protruding orthogonally therefrom straddling the two opposing parallel flat sides of the base protrusion, each of the flanges having a center flange pivot hole for receiving an end of the pivot pin therein and a dent on each side of the flange pivot hole in alignment with the locking ball so that when the pivotable head is pivoted open in the fully extended position the balls engage a first pair of dents on one side of the pivot pin to lock the pivotable head in a pivoted open position and when the pivotable head is pivoted closed in a closed position over the handle the balls engage a second pair of dents on the other side of the pivot pin to lock the pivotable head in the pivoted closed position, wherein a user applies force to pivot the pivotable head, the pivotable head pivots to release the balls unlocking the pivotable head.    
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve comprises a hollow cylindrical open outer end of the outermost sleeve having a sleeve inner protrusion adjacent to the outer end; and a twist plug extending from the pivotable head base, the twist plug having a cylindrical body to fit within the cylindrical open outer end of the outermost sleeve and an insertion portion of a groove mating with the sleeve inner protrusion along the length of the plug in an outer surface of the plug extending from an outer end of the plug and a locking portion of the groove extending orthogonally from the insertion portion of the groove around a portion of the circumference of the tube, the locking portion of the groove communicating with the insertion portion of the groove so that the sleeve inner protrusion engages the insertion portion of the groove when the twist plug is inserted in the outer end of the outer sleeve and the sleeve inner protrusion further engages the locking portion of the groove when the twist plug is turned in the outermost sleeve to lock the pivotable head base to the outermost sleeve.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 7  wherein the means for attaching the pivotable head base to the outer end of the outermost sleeve comprises a protruding threaded outer end of the outermost sleeve; and a mating threaded opening in the pivotable head base to receive the protruding threaded outer end to lock the pivotable head base to the outermost sleeve.