Patent Application
20070113388
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward a resilient securing system for shoes. In particular, the present invention provides a system to replace standard shoelaces, converting any lace-up style shoe to a slip-on style shoe. Furthermore, the present invention provides an attractive lacing system that holds firmly, yet self-adjusts without breaking under stress and shock.
2. Background Information
Since the invention of well-fitting, lace-up style footwear, people have laced their footwear with stiff, rigid laces. Of course, rigid laces give the advantage of a secure, tight fit when perfectly tied; however, the problems associated with rigid laces are well documented. First, although rigid laces may give a secure tight fit when first laced and tied, most users do not properly loosen and tighten laces all the way down the shoe each and every time they put on or take off their shoe. The result, as all have experienced, is a shoe that fits loose at the toes, strained across the instep, and choking at the ankle. Thus, a traditional, stiff shoelace fails to consistently provide uniform tension and support throughout the lacing system.
Additionally, traditional shoelaces increase the stress and strain on the feet associated with everyday use. For instance, when one is engaged in an activity, or even just walking, each step taken and each time one's foot hits the ground, it slams hard against the unyielding string. Over time the shock builds up resulting in tired, aching feet and loss of performance and enjoyment. Hence, the lack of resiliency associated with the traditional shoelace adds to the stresses of normal footwear use.
Another drawback of traditional laces, and one which all have experienced, is breakage, which always seems to occur at the most inconvenient moment. Through repeated tying and untying, shoelaces experience a tremendous amount of wear and tear. Most often, the wear goes completely unnoticed until a catastrophic failure occurs, that is, until the day one goes to put their shoe on and just when the lace is pulled tight, it breaks, leaving one in an undesirable predicament. Thus, traditional laces lack the strength and wear characteristics necessary for long term use.
Finally, traditional laces have additional drawbacks associated with the nature of tying the laces themselves. First, laces are difficult to tie for some, not the least of which are small children or those with arthritis. Having to tie shoes daily can range from excruciatingly painful to impossible for some. Along with this problem, many times, whether because one has difficulty tying one's shoes or whether one just ties their shoes hurriedly, loosely tied laces will become untied and as a result pose a trip hazard to the wearer. Thus, traditional laces not only fail to provide an option to those unable or unwilling to snugly tie their laces each time the shoe is put on, but they also increase the risk of injury when they unknowingly become untied during use.
More recently systems have developed in an effort to solve the aforementioned problems associated with traditional, stiff shoelaces. One such effort consists of a traditional shoelace, merely made out of a resilient material. These “elastic” shoelaces may be tied once, then put on and taken off several times before having to retie the shoes. However, the drawback of this type of system lies in having to be tied in the first place. First, in order to get the shoes into a situation in which they can be put on and taken off multiple times, the laces clearly cannot be drawn very tightly leaving one with poor foot support in a loosely fitting shoe. Secondly, this, in turn, leads to a situation in which a loosely tied shoe would be more likely to become untied and pose a trip hazard.
Another effort at solving the problems associated with the traditional lacing system involves a hook securing apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,732. This type of securing apparatus extends between any two opposing eyelets on a shoe to eliminate the need for tying the shoe. However, in order to provide tension throughout the lacing system, a separate securing system must be used for each pair of eyelets in the shoe. More importantly, although multiple systems could be used to achieve the goal of constant tension throughout the shoe, this type securing system fails to provide uniform tension throughout the system because each system must be adjusted separately; hence, the user is left with a complicated system that results in shoes that fit tight in some areas and loose in others.
Finally, systems have been developed such as the one in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,273 which combine elastic laces with decorative fastenings. This system provides a single lace throughout the shoe combined with a decorative fastener that eliminates the need for tying the shoe; however, the system still must be manually tied or knotted, which leads to difficulty in making any sort of adjustment later on.
In view of the limitations of products currently known in the art, a tremendous need exists for a resilient securing system for shoes that eliminates the need for (and drawbacks associated with) tying laces while applying uniform tension and support throughout the entire securing system. Applicant's invention, by its novel design provides such a solution in view of currently available devices.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that eliminates the need for tying laces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that eliminates the potential of tripping over untied laces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that controls shock, strain and fatigue by creating “shock absorber” effects at critical locations throughout the lacing system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that provides greater comfort by applying a uniform tension throughout the system to hold the shoe in place on one's foot.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that is extremely strong.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that significantly reduces the likelihood of lace breakage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for securing shoes that can be adjusted and finely tuned according to each respective user.
In satisfaction of these and other related objectives, the present invention provides a device for securing shoes, which not only permanently eliminates the need for tying laces, it also provides finely tuned, uniform tension throughout the system resulting in superior fit and comfort.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention incorporates an elastic shoelace threaded throughout a typical, lace-up style shoe in one of any variety of configurations. Once the shoe has been “laced” up, a tensioner piece is used in order to adjust and “lock” the tension in the lace. Finally, each end of the shoelace may be fitted with an optional end piece both to protect the end of the laces and to lend to a more attractive, finished look.
The aforementioned combination provides a lacing system which permanently eliminates the need for tying a shoe. The tensioner in conjunction with the elastic lace replaces the process of pulling tight and tying a shoelace. By eliminating the need for tying, the shoe is, in essence, converted from a lace-up and tie shoe to a slip-on shoe. This conversion further results in permanent elimination of the potential for injury from tripping over an untied shoelace. It also results in permanent elimination of breaking a shoelace when pulling it tight in preparation for tying. This conversion also results in a drastic reduction in the potential for shoelace breakage, since the shoelace itself is rarely, if ever, stretched to its full capacity. Thus, the present invention is a significant advancement over traditional shoelaces merely by eliminating the need for tying.
Additionally, the combination of the elastic shoelace and the tensioner actually reduce stress and strain to feet while wearing the system. When a step is taken, the stress imparted to the shoe from the impact with the ground is distributed throughout the elastomeric lacing system to help absorb and lessen shock to the foot. At each contact point with the footwear (and itself), the laces become small “shock absorbers” to ease and eliminate the shock of movement within the footwear. Thus, the present invention controls shock, strain and fatigue by the creation of shock absorber effects at critical locations throughout the lacing system.
Finally, the elastic shoelace and tensioner combination also provide the user with significantly greater fit and comfort than other systems. This combination provides increased fit and comfort by applying a uniform tension throughout the system to hold the shoe in place on the foot. Therefore, once the user properly adjusts the system to the desired tension, the tensioner keeps that tension constant throughout the system, and the system need not be adjusted again, although fine tune adjustment is still available with the tensioner.
Applicant's invention may be further understood from a description of the accompanying drawings, wherein unless otherwise specified, like referenced numerals are intended to depict like components in the various views.
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Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.
