Foot treatment device in particular for drying/sanitizing/hygenizing

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for the treatment of feet, in particular for drying and/or sanitizing and hygenizing the feet.

Drying your feet carefully is a step often neglected due to haste and lack of knowledge of the consequent risks which risks can consist of:

• contracting fungal or viral infections, respectively mycosis, candidiasis, athlete's foot and warts and others.

• risk of causing more or less serious traumas due to the danger of slipping in the rooms adjacent to the washing devices.

In addition to the drying of the feet, the aforementioned risks remain if the footwear worn even after the feet have dried are in turn wet.

For the above, therefore, making the drying of the foot and slippers quick and easy, as well as limiting these risks, also allows

• do not take damp and smelly slippers home;

• facilitate the cleaning of dressing rooms;

• reduce the humidity in the rooms and consequently decrease the proliferation of bacterial and fungal spores.

• help those with motorial deficits. The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for the treatment of the feet and, in particular, for the drying and/or sanitizing of the feet which allows to overcome the current drawbacks, making the drying of the feet and also possibly of the footwear as slippers, or the like, easy and comfortable, as well as pleasant, without the device having complex and unreliable constructions and avoiding high purchase costs and high installation costs.

According to a first aspect, the present invention achieves the aforementioned purposes with a device for treating the feet and in particular for drying and/or sanitizing the feet which device comprises a semi-dome-shaped box having an upper side, a rear side and two lateral side walls and having an open front side, said front side being positioned opposite the wall on the rear side, at least the upper side being associated with a dispenser of a drying air flow oriented with at least one component in the vertical direction or at least one component in the horizontal direction; the said device further comprising means for generating the said air flow which withdraw the air from the surrounding environment and feed it to the said dispenser in such a way as to generate a flow of drying air from top to bottom against the floor and/or a base plate for supporting the foot/feet.

Various specific and non-limiting embodiments are possible, for example in relation to the kind of materials used and/or of the aesthetic configuration and/or in relation to other characteristics.

According to an embodiment, the activation/deactivation of the device, or rather of the air flow generating means, can take place in different ways which can be provided alternatively or in combination with each other, such as for example, a manual switch or operated remotely by a remote control and/or one or more foot presence sensors inside the compartment delimited in the semidome. These sensors can consist in thermal sensors, proximity sensors, photocells and/or load cells or combinations of thereof. The sensors are connected to a control circuit and generate a signal of presence/absence of the feet in the treatment area and which signal is supplied to the control circuit. This control circuit being configured to activate/deactivate the air flow generators according to the signal supplied by one or more of said sensors.

As far as the load cells are concerned, these can be associated with a foot support platform which is placed as a base on which the semi-dome structure rests and/or which is arranged at a certain distance below the semi-dome structure.

According to an embodiment, the said platform provided with the load cells can also form a scale for measuring the weight of the subject using the treatment device. In this case, the aforesaid control circuit can comprise or be associated to a circuit for determining the weight of the subject on the basis of the signals coming from the load cell or cells associated with the platforms. In this case, on the surface of the upper wall of the semi-dome it is possible to provide a display for visualizing the weight determined by the platform and/or the load cells and/or by a weight determination unit.

According to an embodiment, the air flow generator, the control circuit and/or the sensors as well as the cables connecting them to the control circuit and also the weight determination unit and the connections to the display can be provided at the interior of the walls that delimit the semi-dome at the top, laterally and behind. The compartments which form the drying air flow channels may be provided inside the said walls said channels directing said air flow from the output of the air flow generator to the delivery outlets of the said flow inside the compartment delimited by the said semi-dome.

In one embodiment, at least some of said side, rear and/or upper walls are made with a predetermined thickness and form inside them housing compartments and or air flow distribution channels, being at least part of said hollow areas of the said walls intended for said channels and said hollow areas of said walls communicating with each other and or at least with the output of the generating means of said air flow. The width of the compartment delimited by the semi-dome is preferably such as to ensure that the subject can position himself with his two feet simultaneously inside the said drying compartment and in the flow of drying air.

In this case, the distance between the two side walls and/or the width of the cavity delimited by said semi-dome is greater than the overall distance between the external sides of the two feet in the normal upright posture of a user.

It is not necessary that the feet are completely housed inside the compartment of the semi-domed box. In one embodiment, the depth of said cavity, that is the distance between the front edge of the upper side and the connecting edge of the same to the rear side, is substantially corresponding to the average of the maximum length of the foot or from the instep to the ends of the toes.

A possible variant embodiment may provide that the front edge of the upper wall has recesses spaced apart in a measure corresponding to the position of the two legs of a user who places his feet inside the compartment delimited by the semi-domed case. In this way it is also possible to bring the lateral part of the foot corresponding to the heel and the ankle in a position flanked to the corresponding lateral wall of the semi-domed case and therefore also in correspondence with at least part or of some of the air flow delivery outlets.

The airflow generating means have an air intake mouth upstream of which it is possible to provide an air purification filter, such as a so-called HEPA filter.

The aforementioned HEPA filter is a known filter and is described, for example, at the page https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filtro_HEPA

As already highlighted above, the semi-dome-shaped body or box can be placed directly on the ground, or on a base platform which also extends outside the open side of said sem i-dome box and which forms a support base for the feet. This base can also act as a weighing plane as highlighted above. In this case it is a so-called floor version. One embodiment provides that at least the side walls of the case in the form of a semi-dome end and rest on a base side which constitutes a foot-rest platform, the said side walls optionally and/or optionally the said rear wall optionally extendable downwards.

Alternatively, it is possible to provide a configuration in which the assembly comprising the two side walls, the rear wall and the upper wall are provided with elements for attaching to the wall, the semidome shaped box being constituted by a body separated by an optional footrest platform and being the lower sides spaced from the floor and/or from the said platform, while optionally the said side walls and/or the said rear wall can be extended downwards.

According to an embodiment that, when compatible, can be provided in combination with one or more of the features provided for the previous embodiments, the said semi-dome shaped box can be mounted separately from a support base of at least one foot and at a predetermined distance from said base secured to a vertical support element, which has gripping terminals for the user.

In a further embodiment, the semi dome shaped box has a front wall with a front opening into which a duct for dispensing the drying flow leads and which opening and/or which duct are supported oriented and/or orientable, with a predetermined inclination downwards and/or upwards, with respect to the horizontal plane.

The height of the vertical structure can be any one and in a preferred embodiment said height is between 70 and 120 cm, preferably between 90 and 100 cm, in particular of the order of magnitude of about 90 to 95cm.

Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment, said dispensing mouth is provided at a height from said base of between 15 and 40 cm, preferably between 20 and 30 cm, especially of the order of about 25 or 26 cm.

When the box is inclined or when it can be inclined, said inclination can be set to such an extent that the corresponding inclination of the axis of said dispensing opening and or of the dispensing channel and/or of the drying air flow corresponds to an angular measure comprised between 0 and 60°, preferably between 20 and 40° and in particular it is about 30° downwards.

The embodiment that provides for the combination of the drying air dispensing device has a particular advantage in a configuration in which the user places only one foot on the base, while placing the other one raised from the ground in the delivery flow, being able to move it further, with respect to the spout and therefore with respect to the flow to optimize localized drying of all parts of the foot.

In this single-leg configuration, the two feet are subjected in succession between them to the drying treatment and to any further treatments and the user rests on the ground now with one after with the other of the two feet.

Furthermore, the provision, in combination, of the sanitizing means, in particular, in a configuration in which said means for dispensing the sanitizing substance are provided alongside the dispensing mouth and outside it, allows to perform a sanitization not only of the feet, but also of the footwear used by the user, which is an additional advantage in order to avoid foot infections.

In combination with a flow of drying air simply generated by means of fan means that take air from the external environment and convey it to one or more delivery outlets, possibly having subjected said air to filtration upstream of the suction and/or downstream of the output, it is possible to provide further units for treating said air flow and/or the feet.

As it will appear from the following description, these improvements confer synergistically improving advantages of the simple flow of air, increasing its advantages and effectiveness in overcoming the drawbacks described above.

According to an embodiment, in combination with said air flow generating means, heaters of said air flow are provided which can optionally also be activated and deactivated separately from said air flow generating means or together with them. Furthermore, optionally said heating means of said air flow are provided in combination with a control unit which allows both their activation and/or deactivation and a control of the generated heating power. Said heating means can be of the electric type, such as for example, in electric hair dryer or heaters and comprise at least one electrically conductive body which transforms part of the electric current into heat and which is brought into contact with the flow of air, upstream of the suction and/or downstream of the output of the generating means and/or in any one or more points of the path of the air flow towards the suction mouth(s) and/or directly upstream of the said suction mouth(s).

The control unit of said heater means can be a unit associated with the control circuit of the air generating means and/or it can be integrated in said control circuit, for example in the form of hardware and/or software.

In one embodiment, said control unit can be configured to regulate the heating power of the air flow by the heating means.

A variant embodiment can provide for this adjustment to take place manually by means of a control cursor which modifies a control signal supplied to said control unit. Another variant embodiment can provide that the regulation takes place automatically, since sensors of the temperature of the air flow are provided which supply a temperature measurement signal to said control unit, which is provided with an organ for setting a desired air temperature and a comparator of the desired temperature with the measured temperature, while the control unit controls a driver for supplying the heating means as a function of the output signal of said comparator means and therefore of the difference between the set temperature value and the measured value.

A heating action that has both a drying function, but also a wellness and/or therapeutic function can be performed by means of infrared lamps which are positioned inside the compartment delimited by the semi-domed case and which are oriented against the foot positioning area, and optionally against specific foot areas.

Obviously, said air flow heating means and said infrared lamps can be provided alternatively and/or in combination with each other. The infrared lamps are also provided in combination with a control unit which can be a dedicated control unit, i.e. separate from the other control units described above and/or from the control circuit of the generator means or alternatively which can be integrated in the hardware level and/or in the software in said control circuit or in the control unit of the air flow heaters.

According to yet another embodiment, alternatively or in combination with infrared lamps, it is possible to provide one or more light sources which generate beams of light radiation directed downwards the inside of said cavity so as to irradiate the feet when they are housed in the same one, said radiation being a light radiation in the visible frequency range for lighting purposes and/or in the ultraviolet frequency range for sanitizing purposes.

Similarly to what has been described above, each type of lamp can be associated with a control unit which can be a dedicated control unit, i.e. separate from the other control units described above and/or from the control circuit of the generator means or it can also be integrated at hardware and/or software level in said control circuit or in the control unit of the airflow heaters and/or of the infrared lamps.

The control unit/s of the said lamp/s is configured for switching on and/or switching off and/or for the variation of the emission intensity.

In one embodiment, the lamps comprise one or more light sources consisting of LEDs, the control units being configured to selectively activate, alternatively or in combination, LEDs of the radiation emitting type in a specific spectral range and/or to control the emission frequency range of one or more LEDs of the type suitable for emitting radiation at different frequencies.

The use, in particular, of UV light radiation, has a germicidal function and the said lamps can be used both to irradiate the feet and to irradiate the air flow in order to sterilize the air flow.

An embodiment that can be provided in combination with one or more of any of the previous embodiments and variants, provides for a nebulization unit of sanitizing and/or disinfection and/or sterilization and/or antifungal substances which nebulization unit communicates with the suction and/or with the output of the airflow generators and/or with one or more of the distribution ducts of said air flow.

This nebulization unit can be made in any known way. A particularly advantageous embodiment provides an ultrasonic nebulizer placed in a container for collecting a sterilizing/sanitizing/disinfecting/antifungal liquid, which container has an opening for the outflow of the nebulized fluid and whose open side is in contact and/or it is lapped by the flow of drying air which is charged with the nebulized fluid and carries it to the feet.

Alternatively, the nebulized fluid can be conveyed by means of separate ducts to the delivery outlets of the drying air streams which entrain said nebulized fluid from the said inlet towards the feet.

As for the previous embodiments and variants, the said nebulizer is controlled by a control unit which can be separated from the other controllers and from the control circuit of the flow generating means or which can be integrated, both at hardware and software level, in the control circuit or in one of the further control units described above.

Alternatively or in combination with one or more of the embodiments and/or variants described above, an emission unit of sanitizing and/or disinfecting and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal substances is provided, which unit includes one or more surfaces coated with a layer of a mixture of a photocatalyst and said sanitizing and/or disinfecting and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal substance and one or more UV lamps that emit said LIV radiation against said surfaces, said surfaces being arranged in the air flow so as to be lapped by it.

According to one embodiment, the sanitizing and/or disinfecting and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal liquid to be nebulized and/or one or more surfaces coated with a layer of a mixture of a photocatalyst and said sanitizing and/or disinfecting substance and/or sterilization and/or antifungal, are in the form of respectively refillable and/or replaceable units. Optionally, sensors for detecting the consumption condition of said substances being provided and optionally a control unit for regulating and/or activating/deactivating the nebulizer means and/or the UV lamps being also provided.

With reference to the control units provided for the various variants described above and to the control circuit, all these units and circuits can be constituted by a single processing unit comprising peripherals for implementing the functions provided for the said control units and/or for the control circuit of the generators and which executes a software in which the instructions are encoded to make these peripherals capable of performing the corresponding functions. This processing unit can comprise a control interface, such as a touch screen, buttons and/or a remote control unit either in the form of a remote control or in the form of a smartphone or similar devices, thanks to which the user can control the settings of the operating parameters described above and/or the activations of the various systems according to one or more of the previous embodiments and executive variants.

In one embodiment, the said processing unit may also provide a display interface and/or a broadcasting interface of notifications to the user for the indication of the operating settings and/or signaling of alarms or operational status.

This solution allows to provide a modular construction of the device as regards the provision of one or more of the different units according to one or more of the embodiments and variants described above.

According to a variant embodiment which can be provided in any combination or sub-combination with one or more of the previous embodiments and features and as will appear from the following detailed description, one or more control members for regulating and/or activating the various units and at least one displays showing indications of the settings and/or the functional status of the device are provided on a control panel which is mounted on the device case and/or on the vertical support structure.

From the above, the advantages of the present invention appear clearly, which integrate functions to the simple foot drying treatment that synergistically improve the beneficial effects of correct foot drying and give undoubted practical advantages, especially from the hygienic-sanitary point of view, both in terms of of private life and at the level of activities performed in spaces shared with other people.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The features of the invention described above and claimed are better highlighted in some exemplary embodiments described below with reference to the attached figures.

Figures 1 to 4 show different views of a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view on the front side of a second embodiment.

Figure 7 shows a rear side perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 6 which side is open.

Figure 8 is a side elevation view on the rear side of the embodiment according to Figures 6 and 7 in which said side is open.

Figure 9 shows an enlarged perspective view of the cavity bounded by the semi-dome-shaped case.

Figure 10 shows a high-level block diagram of a control circuit of the operating units of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 11 to 13 show a further variant embodiment.

Figure 14 shows a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the device according to Figure 5, in which the casing that includes the air flow generators and the delivery outlets is separated from the base 3 with the function of a platform, while a vertical column supporting the box to which the same is fixed at a certain distance from the base is provided, the said vertical element having the function of a grip to which the user can cling to remain balanced on one foot by lifting and moving the other foot in the flow of drying air delivered by the mouths of the box.

Figures 15 and 16 show a further embodiment variant in which the device has a vertical bridge structure with two vertical uprights and an upper crosspiece and a lower crosspiece and being the case of a supported drying air flow generation and delivery device preferably oscillating with respect to the vertical plane and for a certain angular amplitude relatively to said lateral uprights.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention, which shows a first variant in which the box 1 that delimits a compartment in the shape of a semidome 2 is intended to rest on a base which in turn rests on the floor. The base 3 is made in the form of a grid and therefore allows at least a part of an airflow that is delivered by nozzles or delivery outlets present inside said semi-domed compartment 2 can also infiltrate through the grid and distribute itself along the sole of the foot.

Said base can also possibly be made in the form of a hollow box, the upper wall of which is in the form of a grid.

In the illustrated embodiment, the box 1 has two side walls 11 , an upper wall 12 and a rear wall 13. The side walls extend beyond the open side of the internal compartment 2, delimiting a space in front of the said open side and the said compartment.

On the side facing the compartment 2, the upper wall 12 has a rounded surface 112 which connects a front surface 212 of said upper wall 12 with a horizontal surface 312 which delimits the compartment 2 at the top.

The conformation of the rounded surface 112 and of the front surfaces 212 and horizontal 312 is such as to substantially follow the front curve of the profile of the foot, or the so-called instep. As is evident from the cross section of Figure 3. The front surface 212 is made concave in order to allow the foot to be inserted as far as possible into the compartment 2 and between the two side walls 11.

The side walls 11 , the upper wall 12 and the rear wall 13 are made of a certain thickness and hollow, inside them the cavities form the housings for the means for generating the air flow, for the filters, for the control circuit, for the air flow distribution ducts, for any heating means and/or for the nebulization system of disinfectant and/or sanitizing and/or sterilization and/or antifungal or similar substances and/or for one or more lamps intended to emit electromagnetic radiation with different and pre-established frequencies such as visual light, ultraviolet and/or infrared, for any photocatalytic coating supports suitable for releasing disinfectant and/or sanitizing and/or sterilizing substances when affected by radiation of a pre-established frequency or antifungal or the like and also the corresponding control units as well as the said walls have on the internal surface that delimits the compartment 2 one or more dispensing openings and/or one or more nozzles oriented and/or associated with conveying surfaces oriented towards the compartment 2 and towards the feet housed therein.

A system that allows to release sterilizing and/or disinfectant and/or sanitizing and/or antifungal substances into the air by irradiation of photocatalytic substances is known in the state of the art, for example from document WO201 7178953A1. In this paper, it is taught how to combine nanosilic, WO3 and platinum based nanomaterials with LED illuminated surfaces. Said materials have a photocatalytic effect which allows the sanitizing and/or disinfecting and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal substance to be released from a coating consisting of said materials.

A system for the nebulization of fluids by means of ultrasounds for sanitizing purposes is known for example from document GE94A00044.

The variant embodiment of figure 5 differs from the previous one in that the box 1 is provided with means for securing it to a wall and can be suspended at a certain distance from the ground and/or from the platform 3. It is also possible to provide that in the variant of figure 5 the side walls and/or even the rear one can be extendable or extendable for a length equal to at least part of the distance of the platform 3 from the case 1 .

The embodiment of figures 6 to 9 has a different exterior shape. In this embodiment, the same reference numbers will be used for identical parts or parts having the same functions as those in the previous figures.

As it appears from the figures, the external shape differs in that the side walls 11 end substantially flush with the front surface 212 of the upper wall 12, this has a thickness greater than that of the side walls 11 and as it appears from the following figures and in particular from figures 7 and 8 in the thickness of the upper wall there is obtained the housing compartment of the flow generation fan indicated with 20, of the filter provided on the suction of said fan and indicated with 21 . The delivery of the fan 20 is connected to a heat exchanger 22 which is constituted by a series of Joule effect heat generators which are crossed by the flow of air and the outlet of said exchanger is connected to one or more ducts 25 which are connected to one or more emission nozzles 26 provided in correspondence of spouts of the rear wall and/or of the side walls.

As it appears evident, the nozzles 26 are of the type which forms an air blade being provided with a longitudinal slot opening which extends for a part of the longitudinal extension of the corresponding wall, in this case of the rear wall 13. and of the lateral ones 11 .

This configuration should not be considered limiting, but constitutes a particular example of implementation.

In particular, and without that this constitute a limitation, said laminar nozzles 26 are provided in correspondence with the connection area of the rear wall 13 and of the lateral ones 12 to the upper wall 11 and are inclined in such a way that the flow of outgoing air has a propagation axis inclined from top to bottom with an angle of about 45°.

According to a possible variant embodiment, said nozzles can be mounted on a support oscillating around at least one axis, for example an axis parallel to the extension of the outlet slot of the same. The oscillation can only constitute an adjustment of the inclination that is performed once or when needed.

According to a variant embodiment, said inclination can be varied continuously between two extreme orientations thanks, for example, by motorized means which cause said oscillation of said nozzles alternately forward and backward, i.e. upwards and downwards 26.

With reference to the additional figures, the casing 1 shows an intake window 30 coinciding with the suction of the fans for generating the air flow and through which the ambient air is sucked. In particular, in correspondence with said window it is possible to provide a sterilization and/or purification and/or sanitizing filter of the sucked air.

In this embodiment, therefore, the air is taken laterally, for example from the window 35, it is filtered through the Hepa filter and heated through the passage through the resistances to a temperature of 40°C. The air system comprises a fan, an electric cable for connection to an electric source, the said resistors.

The heated air is passed through an "X" fitting 27 and distributed in three points, above and laterally.

According to an embodiment, the case 1 can be associated with activation sensors which sense the presence of the foot and/or which are activated by touch or by mechanical pressure action by the foot. In figure 9 these activation and/or deactivation sensors are indicated with 31 .

Reference 32 indicates a control circuit which, even if not shown in detail, is obviously connected by means of suitable conductors to devices such as the generator 20, the exchanger 22, the activation sensors 31 and/or other activation and/or deactivation devices, control and/or setting devices not shown in detail and/or with the display 33.

According to yet another feature, at least in some points of the walls that delimit the compartment 2, one or more sources 34 of ultraviolet light can be provided which are oriented towards the feet and which have the effect of starting the process of eliminating the bacteria.

On the upper side there is a display 33 to display status and functionality indications to the user and/or measurement and setting data, such as the air temperature, and other operating conditions.

The structure can be completed with timers, thermostats, temperature adjustment instruments and a platform with drip tray.

In particular, according to one embodiment, the box 1 can support a nebulizer of a substance or a mixture of substances with a disinfectant and/or sanitizing and/or sterilizing and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal effect into a position, in particular downstream of the delivery of the air flow generators This nebulizer can be made according to one or more any of the embodiments known to the state of the art.

In a variant embodiment, the nebulizer consists of an ultrasound unit with which a liquid fluid comes into contact and which is nebulized by the action of the ultrasonic acoustic waves.

A container provided with an opening communicating with the air flow, or which is crossed by the said flow, has the ultrasonic nebulization unit in an area of the bottom, the liquid contained in the said container and the flow being conveyed above the surface of said fluid.

The container with the nebulizer is housed in the cavity of the upper wall and/or of the side walls, and the delivery duct for the fluid leaving the generating means of the same is connected to an inlet of the container and continues towards the nozzles starting from an outlet of the container, at least said outlet being provided above the upper level of the fluid contained in the container.

According to a still further feature, it is possible that in addition to the lamps which emit light in the ultraviolet range, lamps are provided which emit light in the visual and/or infrared range. These lamps may include sources specifically dedicated to the emission of radiation in a predetermined range of their own or they may be light sources that emit multi-frequency radiation.

According to a still further feature, in combination or alternatively to one or more of the variants described above, it is possible to provide a surface coated with a substance which, together with a photocatalyst, comprises substances with a disinfectant and or sanitizing and/or sterilizing and/or antifungal effect and which are released from the said coating as a result of the irradiation of the said photocatalytic coating with an electromagnetic radiation of a suitable frequency.

According to a variant, the said surface coated with the photocatalytic substance is positioned with respect to the airflow so as to be lapped by it and in such a way to ensure that the said air flow carries with it the active substances released from the said coating due to the photocatalytic effect.

According to another feature, it is possible to associate load cells or weight sensors with said platform 3 or said platform can be constituted by a scale so as to simultaneously measure the weight of the subject using the foot treatment device.

With reference to the above, each of the different elements can be provided with separate control members and a separate control circuit.

A preferred variant embodiment provides for a single control unit. One embodiment provides that said unit is in the form of a generic hardware comprising a processor and peripherals which executes a program which includes instructions for configuring said processor and said peripherals, making them capable of executing the command and control functions of one or more of the aforementioned operating elements or organs.

Figure 10 shows a block diagram of an executive example of a centralized command and control circuit which can be provided in an embodiment of the device according to the present invention. This circuit consists of generic hardware known in the state of the art. A central processing unit 50 manages communication interfaces with the user 51 for entering data and/or commands and 52 for displaying information relating to the operating status and/or operating settings of the system and/or of the various operating elements such as one or more of those described above.

The possible operating elements indicated with 53 and of which a non- exhaustive list is shown in Figure 10 are managed by the CPU 50 through corresponding drivers 59.

The CPU 50 executes one or more control programs which include the instructions that configure the CPU to provide the functions necessary to manage the various operating elements 53 and the relative drivers 59 as well as the communication interfaces of both the settable operating parameters of said operating elements and the communications from the operating bodies on the conditions or the operating status of the same ones. For this purpose the CPU 50 is connected and controls a memory 54 in which the settings of the operating parameters and an interface for generating information and presenting the operating status of the operating members indicated with 56 are stored.

According to yet another feature, 57 indicates a communication unit which allows to connect remote control units and/or command units and/or setting units that can be configured to perform alongside the processor 50 part of the functions by means of wireless and/or cable communication protocols. Such remote units can have different levels and operating capabilities and can be, for example, smartphones, PC computers, tablets, or similar portable or stable devices, possibly also remote server stations.

A timer 58 allows the CPU to apply the activation and/or shutdown timing of one or more of the operating members 53. Obviously, the embodiment of figure 10 is only a possible example and can be modified and implemented according to one or more of the possible executive variants known to the state of the art and from which the person skilled in the art can choose according to his knowledge and skills without carrying out inventive activities. With reference to figures 11 to 13, these show a third variant embodiment which provides a platform 3 integrated with the body 1 , a configuration of the cavity 2, or rather of the walls that delimit it, anatomically more adapted to the shape of the lateral silhouette of the foot and a configuration modified arrangement of the air flow generators 20 and heaters 22.

It is important to note that although no further features are shown, this embodiment can also be provided in any combination and sub-combination of the features with one or more embodiments and/or variants described above with reference to the other embodiments.

Furthermore, a particular construction of the platform is also shown, which platform is made in like a hollow tank with the surface grid that is fixed in a removable way, thanks to a forward and backward slide to the boundary walls of the said tank. The upper supporting wall of the foot, suitably grid-like, has two longitudinal lateral guides or ribs in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front side of the body 1 which are slidingly engaged in respective sliding grooves present on the internal face of the side walls of the platform 3 which form the side walls of the tub-like configuration.

Also in this case, the platform 3 can have scaling functions, for example it is possible to provide inside the guide grooves of the upper grid wall one or more load cells on which, in the inserted position of the upper grid wall, the respective guide ribs res, thus loading the user's weight from the said upper grid wall onto the load cells. The signal of these load cells can be processed to provide a measure of the user's weight, for example thanks to a control circuit of the type according to the example of Figure 10.

With reference to figure 14, the illustrated embodiment provides that the box with the generators of the drying air flow and/or with one or more of the further elements described above with reference to the previous figures and to the different variants and embodiments, is supported not on the wall and at a certain distance from the base 3, but on a vertical structure 40. This vertical structure can be made in any shape and in any material according to the needs of the case and the person skilled in the art can choose among the existing structures known and present in his basic technical background.

The configuration of the fastening means of the box 1 can also be different and can be made according to the different techniques and configurations known in the art to the skilled person on the basis of his basic technical knowledge.

Furthermore, the box 1 can be fixed at different heights to the vertical structure 40 which are defined by incremental steps, or said box can be fixed in any position along the vertical structure 40 being continuously movable along it and being lockable in a chosen position.

Still according to a further variant, the box 1 can be oriented relatively to the horizontal plane, in particular in such a way as to vary the inclination with respect to said plane upwards and/or downwards of the predominant direction of the flow of drying air flowing out from the dispensing spout(s).

The aforesaid features can all be included separately from each other and/or in any combination or sub-combination.

According to a still further feature, the base 3 can also be integral with and/or fixed or fixable to the vertical structure 40.

The height of the vertical structure 40 can be fixed or variable and can also extend to a level approximately corresponding to the height of an adult person in such a way as to allow different ways of grasping the same and/or also in such a way as to allow the combination of accessories to the same device for carrying out accessory functions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the height of the structure is between 70 and 120 cm, preferably between 90 and 100 cm, in particular of the order of magnitude of about 90 to 95cm.

In the illustrated embodiment, said vertical structure at its upper end has two opposing transverse gripping elements 31 and at the top a control panel which can have one or more command buttons for different operating functions such as switching on and off and/or the variation of the fan speed to vary the flow speed and/or the activation of further functions, such as the thermal conditioning of the delivered air both for heating and for cooling, the activation of possibly integrated sanitizing devices and/or, for example, as illustrated in a non-limiting way, the activation of the dispensing of a sanitizing fluid by a controllable dispenser 42 provided with at least one dispensing nozzle 43.

In the illustrated embodiment, two pushbuttons 44 and a display 45 are shown purely by way of example, for displaying, for example, the selected operating conditions, the duration and/or the various accessories present and which can be activated thanks to the control means.

When devices are provided that operate on the basis of charges of substances that are consumed, such as for example sanitizing fluids or the like, then the display can also indicate the filling status, i.e. the residual level of said fluids in the containers of the same ones, thanks to the combination with one or more sensors communicating with a control unit.

The base plate 3 can be made in the form of a grid element associated with a hollow element for the collection of the water that drains from the feet upon access to said base 3.

In one embodiment, the said base can also be made in two parts hinged to each other in such a way as to allow a reduction of the horizontal dimensions of the same, thanks to the upward oscillation of a part of the base along a transverse line, parallel to the front edge of the base itself.

In the embodiment of figure 14, a completely schematic view shows a controllable dispenser 42 of sanitizing substance which comprises a dispensing nozzle 43 and to which the level sensor of the fluid contained therein and the dispensing control actuators can be associated.

The embodiment of figures 15 and 16 presents a variant of the vertical structure 40 which is made of a bridge like or rectangular frame and which comprises two lateral uprights 46 which are connected to each other at their lower end by the base 3 and which are connected to each other to the their upper end by an upper crosspiece 47. This in turn forms the control panel which can have several buttons 44 and optionally a display 45.

In the embodiment of figures 15 and 16, the case of the drying air dispenser is not in the form of laminar nozzles as in the previous embodiments but consists of a front delivery mouth 60 which is formed by an opening in the front wall of the case. Said opening can be provided with lateral and/or upper and/or lower walls to give a lateral delimitation to the outgoing air flow. In the illustrated form, two fins 61 and 62, respectively upper and lower, delimit the flow horizontally. Said fins may be stationary or oscillating and may constitute the extension of a delivery channel, not shown, which extends from said mouth 60 into the case till the outlet side of a fan, also not shown.

The case 1 is fixed or adjustably secured to the two lateral uprights 46 in relation to its inclination with respect to the horizontal plane and towards the lateral sides or downwards.

Similarly to the embodiment of figure 14 and the previous figures, one or more additional operating units can be associated with the drying air flow dispenser for carrying out a further function respectively. The possible additional operating units are described with reference to the embodiment forms and variants of the preceding figures and can be provided in any combination or subcombination in the present embodiment.

The example of figures 15 and 16 shows a dispenser of a dispensing fluid, for example, of the type that can be controlled by means of an actuator that can be activated thanks to a special button 44 on the control panel which is similar, for example, to the one described with reference to figure 14 and being indicated by the same reference numbers.

As indicated in Figure 15, the axis of the dispensing opening is inclined downward by a certain extent which can be an angle between 0 and 60°, preferably between 20 and 40° and in particular it is about 30°. The height level of the vertical structure 40 are substantially similar to those indicated for Figure 14.

Also for the embodiment of figures 15 and 16, one or more of the variant embodiments described with reference to figure 14 and the previous figures can be provided when compatible in any combination and sub-combination.