QUICK RELEASE SHOE LACES

Abstract

Devices and method are disclosed for provision of a quick release lacing system for shoes. A lace is fitted with a releasable connector that can be activated manually or automatically to disconnect the laces, allowing the wearer to then pull the laces party or fully off the shoe in a single movement. Such tools are particularly useful for sporting and tactical shoes, wherein the wearer may have a need to quickly extract their foot from the shoe, such as in an emergency situation.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to providing a quick release system for shoe laces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known in the art are a variety of rapid lacing systems for shoes that allow a user to rapidly constrict a set of shoe laces by, for example, pulling on a single chord, thus tightening the shoe onto the user's foot in a single movement without having to tie the laces into a knot. There are also automated shoe lacing systems that allow a user to tighten his or her laces without directly touching them.

Fewer systems exist for rapid release of shoe laces. The need for a rapid shoe lace release mechanism is of particular concern with respect to shoes used for various sporting, outdoor, or combat applications wherein the user's shoe or boot may become dangerously trapped, and the user needs to quickly get his or her foot out of the shoe or boot to avoid injury. Many systems exists for quick release of an entire shoe or boot from a binding, but fewer systems exist for quick release of the laces.

There is a need in the art to devise a new and useful system for quick release of shoe and/or boot laces, which will advantageously allow the user to remove his or her foot from a shoe or boot with speed and ease.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some arrangements, a quick release shoe lace is provided with two loose ends joined by a releasable connector, wherein the user can manually manipulate the connector to release the two ends from each other.

In some arrangements, an electronic automated releasable connector, wherein the user can remotely activate the connector to release the two loose ends of the laces from each other.

In some arrangements, a lace handle is coupled with the laces such that the user can pull the handle to remove the laces once the releasable connector is activated.

Other aspects of this disclosure will appear from the following description and drawings.

It should be noted that as used herein, references to “shoe” encompass all types of footwear, including boots, snowshoes, flippers, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Accompanying this specification are a series of drawings showing operation of certain of the arrangements described herein.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a shoe having a lace enabled for quick release.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a shoe having a lace enabled for quick release, with a component removed, as discussed in the specification herein.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a shoe having a lace enabled for quick release, in a state ready for quick release.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a shoe with its laces removed.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a releasable connector, as discussed herein.

Before explaining the disclosed arrangement of the present disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangements shown in the drawings, since the disclosure is capable of other arrangements. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to FIG. 1, in one arrangement, a shoe (in this case a boot) 5 is provided with laces 13 that go through eyelets, sockets, or the like (referred to herein as “lace openings”—element 17) along the dorsal face of the shoe 5, and the laces 13 are capable of readily sliding through the lace openings 17. The laces 13 emerge from the lace openings 17 at the top of the shoe near the user's ankle and/or leg, and also near the front of the shoe at the user's toes. At one of these two ends of the shoe 5, the laces may be joined together for the purpose of tightening and/or otherwise securing the laces in the lace openings. This end may be referred to as the “secured end,” and need not be equipped with any quick release mechanism. At the secured end, the laces may have two loose ends that the user can tie together in a knot. Alternatively, the laces need not have two loose ends at the secured end, and rather may form one continuous lace, wherein the lace is run through a tightening mechanism of some kind that is capable of taking up slack in the laces to tighten them.

With reference specifically to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the secured end 7 is located near the top of the shoe 5. A handle or chord may be provided attached to the laces at the secured end so that the user may easily pull on the laces to cause them to slide through the lace openings and off the shoe. This handle or chord shall be referred to herein simply as a “handle,” though the concept includes chords, or any kind of attachment to the laces that the user can pull on. With reference specifically to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the handle 9 is permanently attached to the laces 13 at the secured end 7. A tightening clip 15 is provided that may be used to take up slack in the laces 13 and thereby tighten the shoe 5 onto the user's foot (not shown). Such tightening clips are known in the art of lace tightening, and may be of any form adequate to allow tightening and securing of the laces. For example, tightening clips of the kind depicted in FIG. 1 are often used on wakeboarding boots.

The opposing end from the secured end may be called the “releasable end.” The disclosed arrangements can operate with the secured end near the user's ankle and/or leg and the releasable end near the user's toes, or vice versa. With reference specifically to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the releasable end 11 is near the user's toes. At the releasable end 11, the laces 13 may be split into two loose ends 21, such that if the user were to pull on the laces 13 from the secured end 7, the laces 13 could be pulled entirely out of the lace openings 17, and entirely off the shoe 5 in one pulling motion.

The releasable end may be provided a releasable connector capable of releasably connecting the two loose ends of the laces. With reference specifically to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, when the user desires to wear the shoes 5 and have them secured to his or her feet, the user will ensure that the releasable connector 18 holds the two loose ends 21 together, and then will use the secured end 7 of the laces 13 to ensure that the laces 13 are tightened on the shoe 5.

When the user desires to quickly release his or her foot from the shoe, the user may activate the releasable connector to cause it to allow the two loose ends of the laces to separate from one another. Then, the user may pull on the handle to cause the laces to slide through the lace openings, and off the shoe. Alternatively, the user need only cause the laces to be removed and/or loosened from the shoe to the extent necessary to extricate his or her foot.

With reference specifically to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the arrangement is shown with the laces 13 tightened and the two loose ends 21 secured by releasable connector 18. FIG. 2 shows the releasable connector 18 being removed from the two loose ends 21 by a force F1. FIG. 3 then shows a force F2 being applied to the handle 9 to pull on the laces 13. For example, in FIG. 4 shows the resulting removal of the laces 13 from the shoe 5.

The force F2 should be able to accomplish removal of the laces by a human of at least the minimal amount of strength who is expected to use the shoes in question, bearing in mind that such person may be physically impaired when they need to remove the laces. Testing should be performed on any given arrangement of laces that ensures that, for a given combination of lace material, lace opening material, number of lace openings, and expected ambient environment (e.g., under water, in snow etc.), and expected range of body masses of the user, the force F2 does not need to be unduly large. For example, in recreational watersports applications, an adult size shoe might be expected to be used by a person of low fitness level, or who becomes impaired at the time they need to release their laces, and hence testing should be performed to ensure that the force F2 can be achieved by an adult human of impaired strength. To reduce the required force F2, any number of approaches may be employed, including, but not limited to, constructing the laces and lace opening from a lower friction material, changing the shape of the lace openings, reducing the number of lace openings that the laces are strung through, and changing the angle of the laces when they are strung through the openings. For example, the lace openings might be constructed as hooks rather than as closed eyelets, such that the laces tend to simply fall out of the hooks when they are loosened.

In one arrangement, the pulling force F2 is sufficient to remove the laces from the shoe entirely in a single continuous pulling motion, or at least loosen the laces sufficiently that the user can readily withdraw his or her foot from the shoe.

As is apparent, the material use for the laces and the lace openings should be of sufficient low friction to allow the user to slide the laces through the lace openings by pulling on the handle. Nylon or nylon equivalents would work well for the laces, with the lace openings lined with hard plastic or metal.

The mechanism of the releasable connector may take any form known in the art for releasably connecting two loose ends of lace, string, or rope to one another.

In one arrangement, the releasable connector may include a housing capable of admitting both loose ends of the laces. The housing may be equipped with spring-loaded inner walls that have a high friction surface, or small teeth, capable of gripping the loose ends of the laces (either at their ends or along the surface of the laces before the ends). A button may then be provided on the housing such that when the user presses the button, it causes the spring-loaded inner walls to pull away from the laces, and thus allows the laces to readily be pulled out of the housing. In another arrangement, one of the loose ends may be permanently fixed within the housing, and only the other loose end is releasable.

In another arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the releasable connector 18 may include a housing comprising a first housing wall 18a and a second housing wall 18b, and having two inner channel walls 37 for admitting the two loose ends 21 of the laces 13. The inner walls 37 may converge at one end of the housing such that the two loose ends 21 converge along the inner walls 37. A circular sprocket 31 or other high-friction element may then be added between the two housing walls 18a and 18b, as well as between the two inner channels 37 (this piece shall be referred to as the friction element). The friction element 31 may be spring loaded within the housing such that it is forced between the two loose ends 21 of the laces 13, and held in place against at the convergence zone of the channels 37. A knob or handle 35 may then be provided communicating from the outside of the connector housing wall 18b to the friction element 31, such that the user can press the friction element 31 against the spring force and release it from contact with the two loose ends 21 of the laces 13, thus allowing the two loose ends 21 of the laces 13 to be freely pulled out of the connector housing. In another arrangement, the friction element 31 need not be spring loaded, and instead, the knob 35 may be capable of locking into position by, for example, being pressed past a small lip in the channel opening 33 between the knob 35 and the friction element 31, whereby the knob 35 can be unlocked by applying sufficient force to press it past the lip again. The type of releasable connector shown in FIG. 5 (a double-walled housing containing a friction element that can be engaged or disengaged from the laces) may be referred to as a “double-walled” releasable connector.

A variety of variations of the friction element connector can be envisioned by those of ordinary skill wherein a knob or handle allows a user to depress the friction element to push or pull it away from gripping the laces, with or without employing spring loading of the friction element.

In another arrangement, the releasable connector might employ a clamping mechanism, such as those used on cloth waist belts wherein a metal buckle-lever with teeth is pressed down on the belt to hold it in place. In such an arrangement, the connector may include a buckle having a flat surface with an opening at one end. A lever with teeth may be hinged at the open end and allow admittance of the laces when the lever is raised, but then the user may press down on the lever to force the teeth to grab the laces against the opposing flat surface. The lever can be designed so as to tend to “lock” when pressed fully down against the laces and the opposing surface, but be capable of being lifted away from the laces upon a sufficiently strong pull from the user, such as in an emergency. Such toothed clamping mechanisms are known in the art of belt buckles and belt bindings generally, but it is believed have not heretofore been used for shoe laces, or for the methods as described herein.

In another arrangement, the releasable connector is equipped with an electronic trigger capable of being triggered remotely, such as by a remote, powered microprocessor with a mechanical or electrical switch that the user can locate on his or her body near their hands or arms, and whereby when the user triggers the switch, the microprocessor causes a transmitter to send an EM signal (e.g., radio) to the releasable connector, which has a corresponding receiver to receive the signal, and the receipt of the signal activates the releasable connector to cause the connector to release the loose ends of the laces. Where such equipment is used underwater, the electronic components should be contained in water-tight housings, to the extent necessary to ensure their proper operation. Alternatively, the microprocessor and transmitter might be located elsewhere than on the user, for example, on a nearby vessel, and capable of being triggered by someone on that vessel or other remote location.

In another arrangement, the releasable connector may be equipped with a mechanical or electronic water pressure sensor, such that the releasable connector is activated to release the two loose ends of the laces upon the sensor detecting water pressure above or below a certain pre-set threshold. Electronic water pressure sensors are generally known in the art, and could be hooked up to an electronic circuit with the releasable connector.

In the case of a mechanical pressure sensor, the release button of the releasable connector may be fitted with an attachment including a housing for a slidable piston, akin to a plunger on a syringe. A pre-set quantity or fluid (gas or liquid) may be provided in the housing's piston chamber. As the housing is subjected to external water pressure, the piston head will compress into the housing, compressing the air or liquid within it. The sensor housing may be mounted to the releasable connector's release button such that the button is at the opposite end of the piston chamber from the piston head, and when the pressure is great enough, the piston head will press down on the release button.

In another arrangement, the releasable connector's release button can be formed with a sealed pocket of air or compressible liquid under it such that as external water pressure increases on the button, it is depressed further and further, until it is depresses far enough that it trips the release mechanism of the releasable connector, whether that release mechanism is electronic or mechanical.

In another arrangement, any or all of the foregoing systems might be used simultaneously together for convenience or redundancy. For example, the releasable connector might be equipped with a manual release button that affords purely manual operation, while simultaneously being equipped with an electronic trigger than may be activated remotely.

When used underwater, it will be advantageous to construct the laces from a low-friction material such as nylon or nylon-equivalents so that it readily can slide through the lace openings. Likewise, the lace openings themselves should be lined with a material that will readily slide against the laces underwater, such as had plastic or Teflon. A Teflon-like coating on the laces (or other wax-like coating) will aid in reducing friction.

In a different arrangement, rather than having separate secured and releasable ends, these two ends may occupy the same end of the laces. For example, the laces may be continuous through the toe-end of the shoe as with any normal shoe laces. At the end of the laces near the user's leg and/or ankle, a first one of the loose ends of the laces may be permanently fixed to a releasable connector. (The term “permanently fixed” as used here refers to the fact that the first of the two loose ends will not be released when the releasable connector is activated, and is generally not expected to separate from the releasable connector during normal operation of the device.) The second of the loose ends of the laces may be free (this second loose end shall be called the “one loose end”), but capable of being releasably held inside the releasable connector when the user wants the shoe to be secured to his or her foot. For example, the releasable connector may have any of the systems already described above for securing laces, and employ those systems to allow the one loose end to be releasably secured within the connector. This arrangement will be referred to as the “one loose end arrangement.”

In the one loose end arrangement, for example, a manual connector may be provided with a spring-loaded friction element as previously described. The spring loaded friction element may be configured so that the user can press down on the knob to pull the one loose end through the connector to tighten the laces, and then the knob may be released to allow the spring-loaded friction element to clamp down on the one loose end of the laces. To release the one loose end, the user may again press down on the knob. A handle may be attached to the connector such that the user may pull the handle to cause the one loose end to be pulled free of the connector, and then out of all the lace openings (or at least sufficiently out of the lace openings to allow the user to remove his or her foot from the shoe). Recall that in this configuration, the first of the loose ends is permanently joined to the connector, such that pulling the connector pulls on the first of the loose ends, which pulls on the entirety of the laces. In the one loose end arrangement, it is advantageous if there are fewer lace openings so that less force needs to be applied to pull the laces out of the openings, since in this arrangement, the pulling force is only applied to one end of the laces rather than both.

The various systems referred to herein for causing the releasable connector to release its grip on the laces (e.g., remote-activate release system, pressure sensor release system, etc.) may be referred to generically as “release systems.”

Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.

Claims

1. A quick release shoe lace system comprising: (a) a shoe lace capable of being tightened on a shoe through two or more lace openings;(b) said shoe lace having a releasable end with two loose ends;(c) a releasable connector capable of holding together said two loose ends, and also capable of being manipulated to cause said two loose ends to separate from each other; and(d) wherein said shoe lace is capable of being removed from said shoe by a single continuous pulling motion when said releasable connector is not holding together said two loose ends.

2. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector comprises a housing with two opposing walls, and wherein said two loose ends of said laces can be placed between said two opposing walls, and further including a friction element capable of holding said two loose ends within said releasable connector, wherein said friction element can also be manipulated to release said two loose ends from said releasable connector.

3. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector comprises a double-walled releasable connector.

4. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector comprises a toothed clamping mechanism.

5. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector includes an electronic release system that can be activated by a remote signal.

6. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector includes an automatic electronic release system that can be activated by an automatic electronic pressure sensor.

7. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 1, wherein said releasable connector includes an automatic electronic release system that can be activated by an automatic mechanical pressure sensor.

8. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 7, wherein said automatic mechanical pressure sensor comprises a piston housing and sliding piston, and wherein said piston housing contains a predetermined amount of fluid, and wherein said piston is arranged such that it can slide and activate a release button when the ambient pressure reaches a certain predetermined threshold relative to the pressure of the fluid within the piston housing.

9. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 7, wherein said automatic mechanical pressure sensor comprises a release button containing a pocket of predetermined amount of fluid, and wherein the release button can move and active the release system when the ambient pressure reaches a certain predetermined threshold relative to the pressure of the fluid within the release button.

10. A quick release shoe lace system comprising: (a) a shoe lace capable of being tightened on a shoe through two or more lace openings;(b) said shoe lace having a releasable end with two loose ends;(c) a releasable connector capable of holding together said two loose ends;(d) a first of said two loose ends permanently fixed to said releasable connector;(e) one loose end capable of sliding through said releasable connector when said releasable connector is not holding said one loose end; and,(f) wherein said laces are capable of being removed from said shoe by a single continuous pulling motion when said releasable connector is not holding said one loose end.

11. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector comprises a housing with two opposing walls, and wherein said one loose ends can be placed between said two opposing walls, and further including a friction element capable of holding said one loose end within said releasable connector, wherein said friction element can also be manipulated to release said one loose end from said releasable connector.

12. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector comprises a double-walled releasable connector.

13. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector comprises a toothed clamping mechanism.

14. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector includes an electronic release system that can be activated by a remote signal.

15. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector includes an automatic electronic release system that can be activated by an automatic electronic pressure sensor.

16. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 10, wherein said releasable connector includes an automatic electronic release system that can be activated by an automatic mechanical pressure sensor.

17. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 16, wherein said automatic mechanical pressure sensor comprises a piston housing and sliding piston, and wherein said piston housing contains a predetermined amount of fluid, and wherein said piston is arranged such that it can slide and activate a release button when the ambient pressure reaches a certain predetermined threshold relative to the pressure of the fluid within the piston housing.

18. The quick release shoe lace system of claim 16, wherein said automatic mechanical pressure sensor comprises a release button containing a pocket of predetermined amount of fluid, and wherein the release button can move and active the release system when the ambient pressure reaches a certain predetermined threshold relative to the pressure of the fluid within the release button.