1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a shoe tie system and, more specifically, to a shoe tie system capable of securing a shoe to a user's foot.
2. Background of Invention
Shoes have been employed for centuries by individuals seeking to protect the soles of their feet from the ground. The first shoes are believed to be sandals, which were constructed from a variety of natural elements such as bark, leaves, and vines. As time passed, factors such as climate conditions and fashion trends resulted in the evolution of the sandal into more sophisticated types of footwear, including tennis shoes and high heels.
As shoes evolved, so did the ability to customize shoes for individual wearers. For example, shoes were made to custom fit the right and left feet of an individual. Further, shoes were modified to allow for different uses. High heels were created for elegant events and daily wear, while hiking boots provided traction footing for climbing over mountains and other physical impediments in nature.
Still further, shoes were manufactured such that they could be tightened to fit an individual's foot. Exemplary materials for tightening a shoe on an individual's foot included, but were not limited to materials such as velcro, buckles and hooks. However, by far, the most common material used to tighten a shoe on an individual's foot is the shoelace. Shoelaces are generally defined as thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent a shoe from inadvertently slipping off an individual's foot.
While shoelaces are commonly used to tighten a shoe on an individual's foot, it is an often time-consuming process to actually tighten a shoelace. Specifically, referring to
The present invention relates to a shoe tie system and, more specifically, to a shoe tie system capable of securing a shoe to a user's foot.
The invention is directed to a shoe tie system including a mounting plate disposed for connecting to a shoe. The mounting plate has a first end and a second end and a pin is pivotally connected to the second end of the mounting plate. The first end of the mounting plate has an upper and lower end, and a rotating apparatus revolvingly extending between the upper and lower end. A tie is disposed between the rotating apparatus and the mounting plate such that when the tie is pulled, the rotating apparatus revolves.
The shoe tie system may further include the rotatable apparatus attaching to the mounting plate such that a slot is formed between the mounting plate and the rotatable apparatus. A tie is disposed in the slot such that when the tie is pulled, the rotatable apparatus revolves.
The mounting plate of the shoe tie system may also include a base having a plurality of notches, as well as a rotatable apparatus having a top and a bottom, the bottom of the rotatable apparatus having a plurality of notches. Upon completion of pulling the tie, a notch of the rotatable apparatus will connect with a notch of the mounting plate, thereby preventing further revolution of the rotatable apparatus.
A method for manufacturing a shoe tie system is also disclosed, the method including the steps of forming a mounting plate for attaching to a shoe, the mounting plate having a first end and a second end. The first end and the second end of the mounting plate are attached to the shoe with first and second mounting pins, and a rotatable apparatus is positioned within the mounting plate such that a slot is formed between the rotatable apparatus and the mounting plate. A tie may be thread through the slot.
Also disclosed is a method for tying a shoe, the method including fastening a plurality of mounting plates to the shoe. A rotatable apparatus is disposed within each of the plurality of mounting plates such that a slot is created between each of the rotatable apparatus and each of the mounting plates. A tie is thread through the slot, and as the tie is pulled, the rotatable apparatus revolves.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention relates to a shoe tie system 100 and, more specifically, to a shoe tie system 100 capable of securing a shoe 10 to an individual's foot. As more specifically described below, and in accompanying
The mounting plate 30, as shown in
In some cases, the mounting plate 30 may have first and second ends, as shown in
In other cases, and as shown in
There are a number of different mechanisms by which the mounting plate 30 may be attached or incorporated as part of a shoe 10. For example, and as shown in
In another case, the mounting plate 30 may be manufactured to simply insert in the pre-formed eyelet 12 of a shoe 10 to improve the efficiency by which a user may attach the shoe tie system 100 to a shoe 10.
In other cases, the mounting plate 30 may be manufactured as a part of the shoe 10, which will allow an individual to purchase a shoe 10 with the shoe tie system 100 already implemented in the shoe 10. This removes any necessity by an individual to alter or modify the shoe 10 to incorporate the shoe tie system 100.
As used herein, the term “mounting pin” 40 is shown as a bolting mechanism that affixes the mounting plate 30 to the shoe 10. However, for purposes of the shoe tie system 100, the mounting pin 40 may be any mechanism that binds the mounting plate 30 to the shoe 10. Exemplary mounting pins 40 may include but are not limited to a snap connection mechanism, hook and loop mechanism, or a hook and wing mechanism.
Attached to the mounting plate 30 is a rotating apparatus 20. The purpose of the rotating apparatus 20 is to provide the mechanism by which a tie 70, which is further discussed in detail below, is transposed through the shoe tie system 100.
The rotating apparatus 20 may be connected to the mounting plate 30 in a variety of ways. In one case, as shown in
Formed between the mounting plate 30 and the rotating apparatus 20 is a slot 60. The purpose of the slot 60 is to provide a location wherein the tie 70 is positioned. Exemplary embodiments of the slot 60 are shown in
In optional cases, the shoe tie system 100 involves fabrication of the rotating apparatus 20 and the mounting plate 30 to form a click mechanism 50. The purpose of the click mechanism 50 is to prevent the rotating apparatus 20 from revolving after an individual has stopped pulling on the tie 70.
As shown in
Shoelaces 70 are commonly known in the industry, and for purposes of this detailed description, are referred to interchangeably with the term “tie” 70. Various types of ties 70 can be used in connection with the shoe tie system 100, and nothing set forth herein or in the drawings should limit the type of ties 70 to be used in connection with the shoe tie system 100, all of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Exemplary materials for ties 70 include leather, chord and elastic.
In use, at least one mounting plate 30 and at least one rotating apparatus 20 are affixed to the shoe 10 in any manner set forth in the detailed description and accompanying drawings. The shoe tie 70 is then disposed within the slot 60 between each of the plurality of rotating apparatuses 20 and mounting plates 30 in a figure eight configuration, as shown in
It should be understood that the present invention encompasses a shoe tie system 100 that can be adjusted for shoes 10 to fit on an individual's right or left foot. Moreover, while this detailed description is directed to and describes a shoe tie system 100 intended for large footwear items, such as construction boots, construction of similar shoe tie systems for smaller or larger footwear items would be practicable and nothing in this detailed description should limit the size of the shoe tie system 100 or use of the present invention with footwear items.
Other advantages and details about the shoe-tie system 100 of the present invention are detailed in
The terms and expressions that have been employed in the foregoing specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and are not intended to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions of them. The scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims that follow.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
746042 | De Loach | Dec 1903 | A |
1059838 | Collin | Apr 1913 | A |
1393188 | Whiteman | Oct 1921 | A |
1481903 | Hart | Jan 1924 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070022585 A1 | Feb 2007 | US |