Locking Boot Fastening Device and Method

Abstract

A locking system for boots, attaches laces to male and female portions of a quick connect connector, wraps it around the boots, and connects the portions together. A pull tab on one of the portions of the connector can allow the boots to be tightened by pulling in one direction and loosened by pulling in the other direction.

Description

BACKGROUND

Our previous U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/301,267, filed Jun. 7, 2021 describes using a quick connect device to secure laces of a shoe.

This device works well for shoes, however does not work as well for boots, that typically require longer laces.

SUMMARY

The inventors recognized a new way of tying boots using a tension device, formed using a quick connect connector. The system uses the quick connect connector to hold tension on the laces while wrapping the laces around the boot. Once so wrapped, the tightness can be adjusted by pulling a pull tab connection that is attached to the quick connect connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show aspects of the invention, and specifically:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the boot in the untied condition;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the boot with the laces tied and secured;

FIG. 3 shows another view of the laces tied and secured, but tightened relative to the position of the boot tying in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present application describes a system for securing footwear and laces and more specifically relates to securing laces on a boot. Embodiments can be used on a boot having eyelets for the laces, or eyelets with top hooks for the laces. The footwear according to the embodiments can use, and is intended to include, all kinds of items worn on users' feet, including skates and roller blades, sports shoes and other shoes and all other footwear.

In an embodiment, the system uses elastic style laces, although this system could operate alternately with conventional laces/paracord that do not stretch like the elastic laces.

In an embodiment, the locking mechanism uses a separate male and female quick release locking mechanism as shown with reference to the drawings.

The boot 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The boot has laces 105 passing through eyelets 110, 111 in the boot. The laces emerge at the top of the boot, with both sides 120, 121 of the laces emerging through eyelets 123, 124 respectively both on the same side of the boot.

The laces 120, 121 are connected through openings in a female part 130 of a quick connect connector. The first lace side 120 goes through a first opening 131 in the female part 130 of the quick connect connector, and the second lace side 121 goes through a second opening 132 in the female part the female part 130 of the quick connect connector.

In another embodiment, the laces emerge on opposite sides of the boot, as conventional.

The laces can also be held in hooks or pegs or D rings, rather than eyelets.

The quick connect connector also has a male part 150 shown in FIG. 1. The male part 150 attaches into and connects to the female part 130.

A holding ring 135 is connected to the connector female portion 130. This ring 135 can be a pole or split ring.

A cinching action is created when the laces are cinched between the male part 150 and female part 130 of the quick connect connector once connected together, as shown in FIG. 2. There is enough cinching action that the laces of the boot can be securely tightened and loosened, without disconnecting the male female portions of the locking mechanism from one another, as described herein.

In operation, the boot 100 is placed on the foot, in the condition shown in FIG. 1. There is some slack portion 199 in the laces between the eyelets 123, 124 and the female portion 130 of the quick connect connector. The laces further extend from the female portion 130 of the quick connect connector, in a lace area 149, terminating in the male portion 150 of the quick connect connector.

Once placed on the foot, the slack portions 199 of the laces are wound in the direction 198 from the direction of the eyelets from which they are emerging, toward the other eyelets on the opposite side of the boot, from left to right in the perspective of FIG. 1, around the top portion 101 of the boot. The laces may be wound around the top portion 101 of the boot, one time or multiple times.

After the laces are wound around the top portion of the boot and the slack in the laces is relaxed, the male portion 150 of the quick connect connector is connected to the female portion 130 of the quick connect connector.

FIG. 2 illustrates how the slack in the laces 120 is wound around the top portion 101 of the boot 101, until the male portion 150 of the quick connector can be attached to the female portion 130 of the quick connector. This has the effect of cinching the laces 120, 121 as they pass through and underneath the female portion 130 of the quick connect connector and thus holding the laces in place.

Once connected, the pole ring pulling part 135 can be used to tighten the tension on the laces, by pulling the quick connect connector: both male 150 and female 130 portions as attached together to one another, more tightly about the boot. FIG. 3 shows the quick connect connector assembly being moved from the position 250 in FIG. 2 to a tightened position 300 in FIG. 3. The pole ring 135 can also be pulled in the opposite direction, to loosen the tension.

That is, the tension around the top 101 of the boot can be tightened and loosened by moving the quick connect connector 130/150 to the left or right using the pole ring 135, overcoming the cinching force of the connector(s) against the laces.

Once tightened, ring 135 can be attached to the adjacent elastic laces for additional security and elimination of the ring flapping while walking/running.

It should also be noted that the current invention can also be used as a stand alone fastening device. The fastening device can be used as an additional fastener for securing footwear with hooks, pegs, eyelets/“D” rings or the like. The fastening device can be fitted with hooks or rings to reduce chafing on the laces. The decrease in chafing may also help to increase the overall tension.

The hooks or rings can be of different sizes depending on the number of hooks, pegs or eyelets/“D” ring being fastened.

The fastening device can also be guided through, under or at the back of the sole of a footwear in order to increase heel support (heel lock) of the footwear.

The fastening device can also be used to fasten multiple objects together or used as a tourniquet, belt etc.

The fastening device can be used as an additional fastener for securing the top hooks on a hiking boot/skate (while still having the regular laces on lower part of boot/skate) or to fasten multiple objects together etc.

The previous description of the disclosed exemplary embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these exemplary embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A footwear tying device, comprising: a set of laces, having first and second extending parts, and first and second ends;a connector, having a first portion and a second portion that attaches to and detaches from the first portion, the first portion having openings for receiving the extending parts of the laces to pass through the openings, and the second portion receiving the first and second ends of the laces,so the laces pass through the first portion and end in the second portion; a pull tab connection on the first portion;where the first and second extending ends are wrapped around a portion of the footwear, and where the first portion of the connector is attached to the second portion of the connector to cinch the laces and hold their position relative to the footwear, and to allow the laces to be tightened by pulling the pull tab connection in a first direction, and to be loosened by pulling the pull tab connection in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the footwear is a boot having a top portion, where the laces are wrapped around the top portion of the boot, and the laces are tightened relative to the boot by pulling the pull tab connection in the first direction and loosened by pulling the pull tab in the second direction.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the connector is a quick connect connector which clicks and locks into place to hold the first portion to the second portion, and which is released to remove the first portion from the second portion.

4. The device as in claim 1, wherein the quick connect connector has a female portion as the first portion with the laces passing though the holes in the female portion, and has a male portion as the second portion at the ends of the laces.

5. The device as in claim 1, wherein the pull tab connection is a split ring connection.

6. A method of securing footwear to a foot, comprising: extending laces outside of an item of footwear, and through a first part of a two part connectable and releaseable connector, and subsequent to passing through the first part of the connector to a second part of the connector,where the connector first part and second part can be connected to one another and quick released from the connection to one another;wrapping the laces around an outside of the footwear, and connecting the connector first part to the second part so that the laces as passing through the first part become cinched by the wrapping;moving the connector first part as connected to the second part in a first direction to tighten the laces around the outside of the footwear; andmoving the connector first part in a second direction opposite to the first direction, to loosen the laces around the outside of the connector footwear.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the connector first part includes a pull tab attached thereto for facilitating the movement in the first direction and the second direction.

8. The method as in claim 6, wherein the pull tab is a pole ring.

9. The method as in claim 6, where the connector is a quick connect connector that connects into place by snapping action, and releases from the connection to remove the first portion from the second portion.

10. The method as in claim 6, wherein the pull tab includes a pole ring that has parts for holding additional items.