Adjustable bootjack with handle

Abstract

The disclosed bootjack apparatus relates to an apparatus to hold or retain at least part of a piece of footwear to facilitate the removal or application of boots or similar footwear from a user's foot. Various embodiments are described, each having a clamping mechanism to hold or retain the footwear and a stabilizing handle by which the user may steady themselves while removing or applying the footwear.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for retaining a piece of footwear, to assist with application or removal of the footwear from a foot, comprising:
 a generally planar foot support plate forming part of a base;   at least one stabilizing handle attached to said foot support plate and extending in an upward direction therefrom; and   a movable clamping mechanism, operable in response to an applied force, to clamp at least a portion of the footwear between a pair of opposed members, at least one of said members being movable, where the applied force is generated by a movable handle pivotally attached to the base and operatively attached to the movable clamping mechanism to translate movement of the handle to movement of the movable member.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the foot support plate is inclined such that the rear of the plate is lower than the front of the plate. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein a support bracket is attached to the foot support plate to form part of the base and to raise the front of the plate. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein a bottom portion of the stabilizing handle is attached to the base. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one stabilizing handle includes a lower portion and an upper portion, such that the at least one stabilizing handle includes at least two pieces that are collapsible. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said at least one stabilizing handle includes a pivot connection between the lower portion and the upper portion. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the lower portion of said at least one stabilizing handle is detachably connected to the base. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said clamping mechanism includes a footwear contacting component that operates in a plane generally parallel to the foot support plate. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said moveable clamping mechanism is selected from the group consisting of:
 i) a side clamp linkage mechanism, said side clamp linkage mechanism translating motion of the movable handle into a force applied on opposite sides of a heel of the footwear;   ii) a toe-to-heel clamping mechanism, said toe-to-heel clamping mechanism translating a pivoting movement of the movable handle into contact with a toe of the footwear to drive the footwear against an adjustable heel capture member; and   iii) a heel-to-toe clamping mechanism, said heel-to-toe clamping mechanism translating the pivoting movement of the movable handle into motion of a sliding heel capture member to drive the footwear against a toe contact member.   
     
     
         10 . An apparatus to retain footwear, to assist with the application or removal of footwear from a wearer's foot, said apparatus comprising:
 a generally rectangular foot support base upon which a worn piece of footwear is placed;   a heel engaging member adjacent one end of said foot support base;   a toe engaging member adjacent an opposite end of said foot support base;   at least one of said heel engaging member and said toe engaging member being movable relative to said foot support base and one another to clamp said footwear therebetween;   at least one stationary handle extending upward from said foot support base; and   a movable handle, also extending upward from the foot support base, said movable handle having a distal end pivotally connected to the support base, said distal end being operatively connected to at least one of said heel engaging member and said toe engaging member such that movement of an upper end of the handle causes movement of the distal end and results in displacement of at least one of said heel engaging member and said toe engaging member and thereby causing a change in a distance between said heel engaging and toe engaging members.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10  wherein said heel engaging member is adjustable between one of a plurality of fixed positions. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 10  wherein said toe engaging member is fixed. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said apparatus is usable with footwear selected from the group consisting of: cowboy boots, riding boots, motocross boots, turnout boots, work boots, hiking boots and ski boots. 
     
     
         14 . A ski boot retaining apparatus, comprising:
 a foot support plate, secured to a horizontal surface, said foot support plate having a top surface upon which a ski boot may be placed;   a sliding heel-receiving member adjacent a distal end of the foot support plate to secure a heel on the sole of the ski boot;   a toe engaging member adjacent a proximal end of the foot support plate to forcibly engage a toe portion of the ski boot and thereby clamp said ski boot between the heel capture member and the toe engaging member to retain the ski boot on the foot support plate;   a stationary handle attached to and extending upward from the foot support plate to stabilize a skier inserting or withdrawing their foot from the ski boot; and   a movable handle, operatively connected to and extending upward from the foot support plate, said movable handle having a distal end pivotally attached to the foot support plate and operatively connected to the heel capture member such that movement of a proximal end of the moveable handle results in displacement of the heel capture member.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein said heel capture member is operatively connected to the movable handle using a linkage. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said heel capture member is biased to an open position.