Patent Application
20060042056
This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 20-2004-24312 filed Aug. 25, 2004.
The present invention relates to shoelace tightening device, and more particularly, to shoelace tightening device for making it easier for the wearer to rapidly tighten or loosen shoelaces of shoelace-type shoes, such as sports shoes, whenever putting on or taking off the shoes.
Generally, most widely used sports shoes are designed to enable the wearer to tighten his/her shoe to conform closely with the overall shape of the wearer's foot by using a shoelace, except for some shoes using velcro-fasteners.
Such shoelace-type shoes, however, have several drawbacks due to the fact that the wearer has to tie or untie the shoelace whenever putting on or taking off the shoe. That is, it is actually impossible to ensure that the shoelace are tightened with a constant tension, and the tying or untying action of the shoelace may be difficult for some wearers, and requires a relatively long time. Further, hanging ends of the shoelace, which remain after tying, may result in a low wearing comfort upon fluttering.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide shoelace tightening devices for making it easier for the wearer to rapidly tighten or loosen shoelaces of shoelace-type shoes, such as sports shoes, whenever putting on or taking off the shoes.
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a shoelace tightening device for tightening a shoelace tied through a plurality of loops arranged along an eyelet line defined at the top of a shoe to form crisscross patterns, comprising: a cover opened at a lower surface and opposite lateral surfaces thereof to have an inverted U-shaped cross section, and having a pair of pin-holes centrally perforated through plate shaped front and rear pieces thereof; a tightening unit rotatably inserted in the cover, the tightening unit including: an annular toothed portion formed at an outer circumference thereof with a plurality of teeth; a support portion integrally connected to a bottom position of the outer circumference of the annular toothed portion and perforated with a fixing hole; and a button portion integrally connected at a lower end thereof to a lateral center position of the outer circumference of the annular toothed portion and laterally perforated with a shoelace guiding hole for guiding the drawing of the shoelace; and a fixing pin for coupling the cover and the tightening unit to each other, a tip end of the fixing pin being fixed above the eyelet line.
The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Considering first a general shoelace tying manner, both ends of a shoelace alternately pass through a plurality of lace loops arranged along an eyelet line defined at the top of a shoe so as to crisscross each other. After being completely tied, both the ends of the shoelace are appropriately tightened so as not to be unintentionally untied from the shoe by making use of a pair of shoelace tightening devices according to the present invention. Hereinafter, since the pair of shoelace tightening devices are identical to each other, only one of the devices will be explained.
Now, the operation and effects of the shoelace tightening device according to the present invention configured as stated above will be explained.
Using the shoelace tightening device of the present invention, without tying both the ends of the shoelace to form a bow-shaped knot, the shoelace can be rapidly tighten or loosen whenever putting on or taking off the shoe by simply pulling both the ends of the shoelace positioned above the eyelet line.
Here, the tying of the shoelace through the plurality of loops on the eyelet line of the shoe is achieved to form crisscross patterns in the same manner as the above described general shoelace tying manner.
After completing the tying of the shoelace, as shown in
In order to fix the shoelace, which is appropriately pulled and tightened to conform closely with the overall shape of the wearer's foot, as shown in
On the contrary, when it is desired to take off the shoe or slightly loosen the shoelace, the button portion 40 of the tightening unit 20 is lowered as an upper surface thereof is pushed. As a result of pushing down the button portion 40, the tightening unit 20, mounted in the cover 10, is rotated in a clockwise direction about the fixing pin 50. Consequently, the shoelace, pressed and fixed between the toothed portion 30 of the tightening unit 20 and the inner top surface of the cover 10 can move freely.
As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a pair of shoelace tightening devices, fixed at opposite side positions above an eyelet line of a shoe, make it easier for the wearer to rapidly and simply tighten or loosen shoelaces of shoelace-type shoes, such as sports shoes, whenever putting on or taking off the shoes, resulting in an enhanced convenience in putting on or taking off the shoes.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-2004-24312 | Aug 2004 | KR | national |
