Patent Application
20200000177
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for securing shoe uppers onto a wearer's foot. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to an improved shoelace.
The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methods relating to shoelaces and lacing systems for footwear.
In some embodiments, an article of footwear may include: an upper having a plurality of eyelets, each of the eyelets having an oblong aperture; a shoelace including an elastic lace portion having an inelastic tip fastened to each end, wherein each of the tips has an oblong cross section; wherein the shoelace passes through one or more of the eyelets.
In some embodiments, a shoelace system for an article of footwear may include: a flat elastic lace terminating at each end in a respective shoelace tip, wherein each of the shoelace tips has an oblong cross section; and one or more eyelets, each having an oblong aperture formed therethrough, such that the one or more eyelets are configured to receive the shoelace tips.
In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing shoelaces may include: providing a shoelace tip comprising a malleable material forming a hollow cylinder with an open end and a rounded closed end; inserting an end portion of an elastic shoelace into the open end of the shoelace tip; mechanically flattening the shoelace tip with the end portion of the elastic shoelace inside, such that the tip has an oblong cross section and the shoelace is fastened therein.
Features, functions, and advantages may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
Various aspects and examples of a shoelace having improved functionality and appearance, as well as related methods, are described below and illustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwise specified, a shoelace in accordance with the present teachings, and/or its various components, may contain at least one of the structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein. Furthermore, unless specifically excluded, the process steps, structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein in connection with the present teachings may be included in other similar devices and methods, including being interchangeable between disclosed embodiments. The following description of various examples is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Additionally, the advantages provided by the examples and embodiments described below are illustrative in nature and not all examples and embodiments provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantages.
This Detailed Description includes the following sections, which follow immediately below: (1) Definitions; (2) Overview; (3) Examples, Components, and Alternatives; (4) Advantages, Features, and Benefits; and (5) Conclusion. The Examples, Components, and Alternatives section is further divided into subsections A and B, each of which is labeled accordingly.
The following definitions apply herein, unless otherwise indicated.
“Substantially” means to be more-or-less conforming to the particular dimension, range, shape, concept, or other aspect modified by the term, such that a feature or component need not conform exactly. For example, a “substantially cylindrical” object means that the object resembles a cylinder, but may have one or more deviations from a true cylinder.
“Comprising,” “including,” and “having” (and conjugations thereof) are used interchangeably to mean including but not necessarily limited to, and are open-ended terms not intended to exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
Terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used to distinguish or identify various members of a group, or the like, and are not intended to show serial or numerical limitation.
“AKA” means “also known as,” and may be used to indicate an alternative or corresponding term for a given element or elements.
“Coupled” means connected, either permanently or releasably, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components.
“Resilient” describes a material or structure configured to respond to normal operating loads (e.g., when compressed) by deforming elastically and returning to an original shape or position when unloaded.
“Rigid” describes a material or structure configured to be stiff, non-deformable, or substantially lacking in flexibility under normal operating conditions.
“Elastic” describes a material or structure configured to spontaneously resume its former shape after being stretched or expanded.
“Providing,” in the context of a method, may include receiving, obtaining, purchasing, manufacturing, generating, processing, preprocessing, and/or the like, such that the object or material provided is in a state and configuration for following steps to be carried out.
In general, a shoelace and shoe as described herein may include an elastic lace coupled to an inelastic tip having an oval or rounded-rectangle cross section. The tip may be referred to interchangeably as an aglet. See
The tip is connected to the elastic lace and held in place by an adhesive or glue, as well as by compression of the tip around the lace. In an illustrative manufacturing process (see
The tips (with laces inserted) are then placed in a mold or stamping press (or other suitable apparatus) and mechanically pressed to be formed into the final flattened, thinner, oblong (e.g., rounded-rectangular) shape. In some examples, the resulting tips may have a stadium-shaped cross section. (See
Any suitable malleable material may be used to construct the tips. In some examples, a zinc alloy is utilized, such as an alloy of 80% zinc (Zn) and 20% copper (Cu). In some examples, a rubberized coating may be added to the formed aglets, e.g., to add better grip and durability. This coating may be spray-applied. In some examples, the aglets may be anodized.
The following sections describe selected aspects of exemplary shoelaces, as well as related systems and/or methods. The examples in these sections are intended for illustration and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Each section may include one or more distinct embodiments or examples, and/or contextual or related information, function, and/or structure.
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This section describes steps of an illustrative method 700 for manufacturing shoelaces in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; see
At step 702, a substantially cylindrical shoelace tip is provided, wherein the shoelace tip comprises a malleable material, e.g., a metal. In some examples, the shoelace tip may comprise a zinc alloy. The shoelace tip may comprise a hollow cylinder with an open end and a closed end. The closed end may be radiused or otherwise rounded.
At step 704, a shoelace (e.g., an elastic shoelace) is inserted into the shoelace tip. Step 704 may include wrapping an end of the shoelace in tape or another wrapping material and/or coating an end of the shoelace with an adhesive.
At step 706, a stamping tool or mechanical press is utilized to mechanically flatten the tip, such that the tip has a rounded-rectangle cross section, and the shoelace is captured therein.
The different embodiments and examples of the shoelaces described herein provide several advantages over known solutions. For example, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein utilize a more malleable material for the tip (e.g., zinc alloy), thereby preventing breakage and cracking with certain steel and aluminum materials.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein insert the lace prior to forming or molding the tip into its final shape. When tips are preformed or molded to their final shape before insertion of the lace, the lace may not fill up the tip fully. This can result in inadequate bonding and/or an unfinished appearance.
Additionally, and among other benefits, when the lace ends are inserted and pressed inside the mold or stamped by the stamping tool, the lace ends form along with the tips. This results in an improved look and bonding, as if a unibody construction.
Additionally, and among other benefits, the lace tips may be turned to a transverse (e.g., 90-degree) angle after passing through the eyelet, thereby “locking” the tip and preventing it from being withdrawn through the eyelet (i.e., preventing inadvertent unlacing). The elasticity of the lace may further enhance this feature.
No known system or device can perform these functions. However, not all embodiments and examples described herein provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantage.
The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct examples with independent utility. Although each of these has been disclosed in its preferred form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. To the extent that section headings are used within this disclosure, such headings are for organizational purposes only. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/692,476, filed Jun. 29, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62692476 | Jun 2018 | US |
