Patent Application
20210235818
The present invention relates to a novel wax-based applicator to increase the stiction, the static friction that needs to be overcome to enable relative motion of stationary objects which are in contact with each other, and gription, the property of gripping and providing traction, of the surfaces onto which the wax-based applicator is applied. The present invention also provides a novel wax-based applicator to deter pets from chewing surfaces onto which the wax-based applicator is applied.
Shoelaces becoming untied is a problem everyone has encountered. The knots of the shoelaces may untie while walking or running for a variety of reasons such as forces being transmitted to the knots as the user's foot strikes the ground, the motion of user's leg, etc. These forces cause the knots in the laces to stretch and relax and ultimately untie.
To mitigate the problem of untying the knots of the shoelaces, the surfaces of the shoelaces need to be modified with increased friction. If the friction of the knot surfaces is higher than the aforementioned forces, the shoelaces will not stretch and relax and remain stationary at and around the knots despite the combined impact of these force and motion.
Also, pet owners often notice that the shoelaces or bootlaces are chewed by pets. Making the surfaces of the shoelaces or bootlaces bitter in taste may deter pets from chewing these surfaces.
Hence, there is a need to develop a compound which may increase the stiction and gription on the surfaces of the shoelaces and bootlaces as well as make the shoelaces and bootlaces bitter in taste.
The present invention relates to a novel wax-based coating compound which provides increased friction on the surfaces of the shoelaces and bootlaces and resolves the problem of premature untying of the knots of the shoelaces and bootlaces.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a handheld applicator for shoelaces comprises: a wax-based compound comprising beeswax, and coconut oil. In some embodiments, wax-based compound further comprises non-organic additives, for examples, carnauba wax and paraffin wax. The wax-based compound of the present invention increases friction on surfaces of the shoelaces.
According to some embodiments, the present invention uses a handheld applicator for shoelaces and bootlaces. The handheld applicator comprises a body comprising an inner chamber, a removable cap attached to a top portion of the body, and a swivel base attached to a bottom portion of the body. The inner chamber of the body further comprises a wax-based compound comprising, beeswax, vegetable oil and bitter apple extract. According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound further comprises cayenne pepper. The wax-based compound provides bitterness to the surfaces of the shoelaces to deter pets from chewing them.
In some embodiments, the present Application describes a method of application of a wax-based applicator on shoelaces to prevent shoelaces from becoming untied and to provide a bitter taste to said shoelaces. The method involves providing a wax-based substance in a hand-held applicator and rubbing said wax-based substance onto surfaces of said shoelaces to form a coating. Next said shoelaces are tied into a knot located at said surfaces, whereby said wax-based substance increases friction and gription of the surfaces of the knot and provides a bitter taste to the shoelaces.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments of the invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements. While different embodiments are described, features of each embodiment can be used interchangeably with other described embodiments. In other words, any of the features of each of the embodiments can be mixed and matched with each other, and embodiments should not necessarily be rigidly interpreted to only include the features shown or described.
Referring initially to
As can be seen in
The swivel base 130 positioned at the bottom of the cylindrical body 110 may be twisted with fingers in a clockwise fashion to protrude the wax-based stick 150 from the inner chamber 140 of the cylindrical body 110.
The wax-based stick 150 may be rubbed on the surface 160 of the shoe and boot laces, as shown in
As can be seen in
In some embodiments, the wax-based compound comprising the stick 150 increases the surface friction of the shoe and boot laces when the wax compound is rubbed on those surfaces. The increase in surface friction prevents the stretching and relaxing of the knots of the shoelaces and help the knots remain stationary in response to the combined impact of the force of the user's foot striking the ground and the motion of user's leg on the ground. The compound comprising the stick 150 increases the stiction of the surfaces in contact, which is defined as the static friction that needs to be overcome to enable relative motion of stationary objects which are in contact with each other. The compound comprising the stick 150 also increases the gription, the property of gripping and providing traction, of the surfaces in contact.
According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 assists to increase friction on the surfaces of footwear, garments, and sports equipment in addition to shoe and boot laces under all types of conditions and climates, for example, under rainy, snowy, and muddy conditions. In some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 may be used for winter apparel, water sports, mountain sports, hunting and fishing equipment. In some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 may be applied to zipper. According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound increases the friction on the surfaces of the zipper to keep it from opening under very cold temperature.
In some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 functions as a water and moisture repellant and provides water or moisture proofing surface of the garments by creating a coating of the wax on the surfaces of the garments.
In some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 provides a bitter taste and or odor to the shoelaces and bootlaces and deter pets from chewing the shoelaces and bootlaces.
According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 is formulated by using nontoxic, odorless, organic compounds comprising beeswax, and other natural ingredients, for example, natural oils such as coconut oil and vegetable oil. In some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 may also include tree rosin. According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound optionally comprises non-organic additives such as carnauba wax, and paraffin wax.
**According to some embodiments, the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 is formulated to prevent pets from chewing the shoelaces or bootlaces. In some embodiments, the anti-chewing formula comprises beeswax, vegetable oil, and bitter apple extract in a ratio of 3:1:1 by volume. According to some embodiments, the anti-chewing formula further comprises cayenne pepper. The composition of the wax-based compound is organic and fully environmentally safe to use and apply on different surfaces.
In some embodiments, the wax-based compound function as a moisture and water repellant. The wax-based compound of the applicator 100 does not need heating to function as a water or moisture repellant or increase the friction and gription of the surfaces onto which it is applied.
The wax-based compound of the applicator 100 may be applied directly to footwear, shoelaces, bootlaces, garments and both indoor and outdoor sports equipment, water sports and mountain sports equipment, athletics, hunting and farming equipment. Without limiting the use of the wax-based compound of the applicator 100 to the above equipment surfaces, it can be used for all possible indoor and outdoor surfaces to increase the friction and gription of the surfaces or make the surfaces water or moisture repellant.
Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/962,797 filed Jan. 17, 2020, entitled WAX APPLICATOR AND METHODS, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62962797 | Jan 2020 | US |
