Patent Application
20130117976
a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lacings for footwear and other articles and, more particularly, to an adjustable stop piece that is threaded onto a lacing to react against an eyelet or other opening to hold the lacing in position against passage therethrough.
b. Background Art
Since time immemorial lacings have commonly been secured by means of various knots, such as the typical knots and bows used to tie the ends of laces in shoes and other footwear.
Although functional, the traditional approach of tying/knotting laces is not without its disadvantages. For example, although a relatively minor task in itself, the need to repeatedly tie and untie shoelaces remains one of life's minor annoyances for many people, and can present a significant challenge for persons who are handicapped or greatly overweight. Furthermore, tying knots in laces requires a degree of dexterity that some individuals may lack and even the most practiced and nimble fingers may have difficulty undoing knots that have become especially tight. In addition, the abrasion resulting from the laces binding and rubbing against one another over and over, combined with the tension necessary to create satisfactory knots, leads to rapid wear and frequent breakage of the laces.
Moreover, even when properly knotted, conventionally tied laces are less than satisfactory from an aesthetic standpoint: Although tolerated due to long custom, conventionally tied shoelaces present an untidy appearance, with the visible knot, loose ends and so on.
The exposed knots and loose ends also present catch hazards combined with the potential for coming undone during use; exposed knots and loose lace ends on footwear cause many accidents and injuries each year from tripping, and from being caught on or in automobile control pedals, bicycle cranks and chains, elevator doors, escalators, and myriad other mechanisms and obstructions. These disadvantages are particularly pronounced in the case of walking, running and other athletic-type shoes, which conventionally employ thicker, bulkier and stronger laces than many dress shoes.
In response to one or more of the foregoing deficiencies, many footwear users have taken steps to hide the knots, to avoid having to tie/untie knots in lacings at all. For example, one approach has been to pre-tie the laces with a conventional knot while leaving some slack, and then step into the shoe with the knot under the foot or behind the tongue of the shoe so that the laces become tensioned while the knot remains hidden; although this creates a neat “knotless” appearance that is popular with many wearers of athletic-type shoes, this approach is clearly less than satisfactory from the standpoint of user comfort, since the knot presses against and digs into the surface of the foot. A variant has been to simply tie knots (e.g., an overhand knot) or something similar in each of the lace ends on the insides of the eyelets in order to prevent the laces from pulling out; although perhaps less uncomfortable than the approach of standing on the knot, the two knots nevertheless tend to press against the upper side of the foot and also tend to create bumps and other visible irregularities. Furthermore, the knots tend to be drawn into or even through the eyelets, and in any event it is generally difficult or at least highly inconvenient to attempt to adjust the laces once the knots have been tied.
Another, drawback to conventional shoe laces is that the tension generated at the knot is applied more-or-less uniformly along the full length of the lace, resulting in pressure all along the top of the foot. While this may be acceptable in most circumstances, it presents a significant problem in situations where one or more areas on the top of the foot are sensitive to pressure, due to a sore or inflammation, surgical incision or broken bone, for example. The simple expedient of loosening the lace does not generally provide a satisfactory solution in such situations, since the resulting overall loose fit tends to allow excessive movement/slippage of the foot within the shoe.
Over the years various attempts have also been made to secure laces by means of various accessory devices, either in conjunction with a knot or without the need for a conventional knot at all. As a group, however, these devices have remained visible in use and/or suffered from deficiencies in terms of bulkiness, unsightliness, difficulty of adjustment, inadequate durability, excessive cost and so on.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for securing laces, such as those of footwear, without the need to create a knot and without exposed bows and loose lace ends. Furthermore, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that allows the laces to be secured in a neat manner and without a discontinuity visible on the exterior of a shoe or other article of footwear when worn. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that allows the laces to be secured without causing discomfort to a wearer. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that permits adjustment of the laces in a convenient manner. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that allows footwear to be secured adequately for use but without necessarily applying pressure all along the top of the foot. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that is economical and that is durable in use.
The present invention addresses the problems and needs cited above and provides a stopper for securing an end of a lace in an article having at least one eyelet. Broadly, the stopper comprises: a body member; a series of through openings formed in the body member, the through openings being arranged generally in a row and comprising a first opening for passage of the lace therethrough from the eyelet and a second opening located a spaced distance from the first opening for passage of the lace therethrough from the first opening, and an edge on the body member located on a side of the second opening generally opposite the first opening for passage of the lace thereover from the second opening. The series of through openings may further comprise a third opening located a spaced distance from the first opening on a side opposite of the second opening for passage of the lace therethrough from the edge of the body member, the third opening being generally slot-shaped and extending substantially perpendicular to the row in which the openings are arranged. The body member may comprise a thin, generally flat body member, that may be formed of a substantially rigid material.
The body member may further comprise a first end located proximate the second through opening, and a second, opposite end located proximate the third through opening. The body member may comprise a flat, generally rectangular body member, the row along which the series of through openings is arranged being substantially aligned with a long axis of the rectangular body member.
The slot-shaped third opening may comprise a slot-shaped opening dimensioned to spread the lace into a flattened form therein, and may be a narrow, substantially rectangular through opening. The first and second through openings may each comprise a generally round opening. The second and third openings may be spaced outwardly from the first, middle opening by distances sufficient that at least portions of the second and third openings will be positioned beyond a predetermined perimeter of the eyelet when the middle opening is aligned coaxially therewith.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a stopper for securing an end of a lace in a shoe having at least one eyelet, the stopper comprising: a thin, flat body member having first and second edges and a longitudinal axis, a series of through openings formed in the body member, the series of through openings being arranged in a row substantially along the longitudinal axis of the rectangular body member and comprising (i) a first, generally round through opening, (ii) a second, generally round through opening located a spaced distance from the middle opening proximate the first end of the rectangular body member, and (iii) a rectangular slot-shaped through opening located a spaced distance from the first, middle opening proximate the second end of the body member and dimensioned to spread the lace into a flattened form therein; and a plurality of teeth formed on the first end edge of the body member for forming an engagement with material of the lace.
The invention further provides a method for securing an end of a lace in an article having at least one eyelet, the method comprising the steps of: providing a stopper comprising a body member having first and second ends and a series of through openings formed in the body member, the through openings being arranged generally in a row and comprising (i) a first opening, (ii) a second opening located a spaced distance from the first opening, and (iii) a third opening located a spaced distance from the first opening proximate the second end of the body member, the third opening being generally slot-shaped and extending substantially perpendicular to the row in which the openings are arranged; inserting an end of the lace through the eyelet so as to form a free end of the lace; routing the free end of the lace sequentially (i) from the eyelet through the first, middle opening of the body member from a first side to a second side thereof, (ii) from the middle opening across the second side of the body and through the second opening back to the first side of the body member, (iii) from the second opening across the first side of the body member and over the first end of the body member back to the second side of the body member, (iv) from the first end of the body member back across the second side of the body member and through the third opening back to the first side of the body member, and (v) from the third opening across the first side of the body member so that the free end of the lace extends from the second end thereof; and applying tension so as to react the first side of the body member of the stopper against the eyelet and thereby lock the end of the lace in engagement with the stopper.
The article having at least one eyelet may be an article of footwear and the step of inserting the end of the lace through the eyelet may comprise inserting the end of the lace through the eyelet towards an interior of the article of footwear. The step of providing the stopper may comprise providing a stopper having a body member sized to be hidden behind an upper of the article of footwear when installed at the eyelet. The method may further comprise the step of cutting the free end of the lace that protrudes from the second end of the body member so as to remove excess length of the lace from the interior of the article of footwear.
The invention further provides a lace assembly for an article having at least one eyelet, the lace assembly comprising in combination: a stopper comprising a body member having first and second ends, and a series of through openings formed in the body member, the through openings being arranged generally in a row and comprising: (i) a first opening, (ii) a second opening located a spaced distance from the first opening, and (iii) a third opening located a spaced distance from the first opening proximate the second end of the body member, the third opening being generally slot-shaped and extending substantially perpendicular to the row in which the openings are arranged; an end of the lace being inserted through the eyelet so as to form a free end of the lace; the free end of the lace being routed sequentially (i) from the eyelet through the first, middle opening of the body member from a first side to a second side thereof, (ii) from the middle opening across the second side of the body and through the second opening back to the first side of the body member, (iii) from the second opening across the first side of the body member and over the first end of the body member back to the second side of the body member, (iv) from the first end of the body member across the second side of the body member and through the third opening back to the first side of the body member, and (v) from the third opening across the first side of the body member so that the free end of the lace extends from the second end thereof; tension being applied to the lace so as to react the first side of the body member of the stopper against the eyelet and thereby lock the end of the lace in engagement with the stopper.
The article having at least one eyelet may be an article of footwear, and the end of the lace may be inserted through the eyelet towards an interior of the article of footwear. The body member of the stopper may comprise a body member sized to be hidden behind an upper of the shoe when the stopper is installed at the eyelet.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from a reading of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As can be seen in
As can be seen with further reference to
The body of the stopper member is formed of any material having sufficient rigidity, strength and durability with respect to the loads applied by the laces, with a thickness preferably less than about 0.10 inch. In the preferred embodiment that is illustrated, the body member is formed of injected molded fiber-filled nylon plastic, with a thickness of about 0.05 inch. Exemplary dimensions for the body and other features of the stopper in accordance with the preferred embodiment are illustrated in
As part of the present invention, it has been found that the sizes of openings and spacings set forth in Table A, and as shown in
In preparation for installation of the lace stoppers 10, one of which is placed on each lace end, the user threads the lace through the eyelets of the shoe in accordance with the desired style, but with the ends of the laces routed inwardly through the eyelets rather than outwardly so that the loose ends of the lace are disposed towards the interior of the shoe, as indicated at “A” in
To complete installation of each stopper, the user bends the lace back up over the first end 14 of the plate-like body so that the lace rides over and contacts teeth 28 as shown in
The slot-shaped configuration of the last opening 26, having edges that extend generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the plate member and therefore transverse to the direction of the lace as well, flattens the lace somewhat, which serves to both enhance user comfort and spread the lace over the row of teeth 28 so as to maximize engagement with the material of the lace, as well as spreading the upper run of the lace over the lower runs where the latter protrude from the openings in order to ensure frictional contact therewith. The slot-shaped configuration also facilitates ease of adjustment, enabling the user to simply push a little slack back up through opening 26 so that the lace runs more-or-less freely through the round openings 24, 22 then pulling the free end 40 back taut to lock the stopper unit in place. Still further, the slot-shaped configuration of opening 26 makes it far easier to thread the end of the lace therethrough after the latter has been cut (removing the aglet that is designed for use with circular openings), in the event that the end of the lace slips out during adjustment. In the preferred embodiment that is illustrated, the slot-shaped opening is generally rectangular in shape, with longitudinal edge walls, however, it will be understood that other forms of slot-shaped openings may be used in some embodiments, such as oval, round-ended or lens-shaped slots for example. Similarly, the round openings described above may be more-or-less completely circular as shown or may vary somewhat in shape, e.g., oval, polygonal, internally-toothed openings and so on may be used in some embodiments.
Although the third, slot-shaped opening provides the very significant advantages described above, it has been found that in some instances the stopper may be used to secure laces without necessarily employing the third opening. For example, in the case of some thin dress laces having a tight construction that does not readily flatten/spread, such as round waxed dress laces, the laces may be secured using only the first two openings: The lace end may be routed up through the first opening, back down through the second opening, up over the edge at the first end and over the top of the body, and then back down through the first opening again so that two legs of the lace are squeezed together through the latter. Hence, in some embodiments the body of the stopper may have only first and second through openings, rather than all three as described above.
With the lace thus threaded through the stopper unit as shown in
The user can make additional adjustments by trying the shoe on and then slipping the lace through one or both of the eyelets in the manner described above. After the desired comfort/fit has been achieved excess material can be cut off the free end 40 of the lace where this extends from the second end of the stopper, as indicated at “E” in
The foregoing procedure results in a compact, flat installation, as indicated at “F” in the enlarged inset of
As can be seen in
In addition, the underside of the upper run 56 of the lace, that is routed from the first end 14 of the stopper through the slot opening 26, presses against the underlying run 58 that is routed over the bridge portion 44 on the second side of the body, between openings 22 and 24. The frictional engagement that is thus formed in these contact areas operates in combination with the sharp bending of the material of the lace that occurs at the edges of openings 22, 24, 26 and the penetration by teeth 28 to firmly lock the lace in place so as to hold it against being drawn outwardly through the eyelet 34. As a result, the shoe can be placed on the wearer's foot and worn in the manner of a slip-on indefinitely, without attention from the wearer and without fear of the lace loosening. However, if desired, the lace is easily adjusted by the user in the manner described above.
In the preferred embodiment that is illustrated, the lace stoppers cooperate with the eyelets/uppers of the shoe but are separate pieces, which is generally advantageous for many or most applications. It will be understood, however, that in some embodiments the stoppers may be adhered, sewn or otherwise mounted to the shoe, e.g., using a “sticky back” adhesive layer on the stoppers, or may be loosely connected to the shoe, e.g., on a short tag of fabric or other material. Similarly, in some embodiments the stoppers may be incorporated into or made a part of the eyelets themselves.
Stopper units in accordance with the present invention can be employed with essentially any lacing pattern that utilizes the eyelets of a shoe or other article of footwear. For example,
A particular advantage of the lace stopper of the present invention is that the ends of laces can be started/stopped at any eyelet desired. For example, a user may create a lacing pattern by installing a stopper at one of the bottom eyelets and threading the lace through the other eyelets following the desired pattern, and then securing the opposite end of the lace with a second stopper at one of the upper eyelets; the user is not constrained to patterns that result in the lace ends being located in an adjoining pair of eyelets, as is the case when laces are tied in a conventional manner. As another example, a first lace may be installed in a first set of the eyelets at a relatively higher tension using a first pair of stoppers, and a second lace may be installed in a second set of the eyelets of the same shoe at a relatively lower tension using a second pair of stoppers, e.g., to relieve pressure on a wound or other sensitive area; alternatively, the laces may be left out in the sensitive area or areas, and the higher tension lace or laces installed in the other area or areas to hold the shoe snugly on the foot. Similarly, multiple laces having different colors may be installed between various eyelets using the stoppers in order to create a decorative appearance. Regardless of the pattern, the stopper units lie flat beneath the eyelet stays, creating a smooth and neat appearance as described above.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described herein in the context of shoes and other footwear. It will be understood, however, that lace stoppers in accordance with the invention may be utilized with other articles employing eyelets and laces, with the tension being applied to the laces when the articles are worn, by the loads that are carried therein, and so on.
It is to be recognized that various alterations, modifications, and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts described above without departing from the spirit or ambit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
