FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to shoelaces, and to devices for securing shoelaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Shoelaces are used to secure shoes to a wearer's feet. Shoelaces are laced about the shoe after the shoe is fitted to the foot, with the shoelaces pulled tight against the shoe and tied.
Shoelaces frequently become untied while the shoes are being worn. Shoes are exposed to rapid movement, with forces applied to the shoelaces. In some shoes and shoelaces, even when extra care is taken to tightly tie the shoelace, the shoelace will become untied. When shoelaces become untied, they are unsightly and may present a tripping hazard to the wearer. Further, shoelaces are subjected to accelerated wear when untied, and there is a risk of the shoe separating from the wearer's foot.
There is a need for a device that will assist in securing and keeping shoelaces tied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a pair of shoelace wings. The shoelace wings are united to each other form a keeper that covers most of the shoelace of a shoe, including the knot, thereby inhibiting the shoelace from becoming untied. The device has a right-side wing with a plurality of holes for receiving the shoelaces, and a left-side wing having a plurality of holes for receiving shoelaces. The wings are held in place against the shoe by the cross-lacing of the shoelace. The left wing and the right wing are folded relative to each other, and cover the knot and the shoelace, and held in position by such as by hook and loop strips. The separate pieces also provide an easy way of slipping one's feet into the shoe when compared to other devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top-plan view of a shoe with a pair of shoelace wings held in place by shoelaces, with the shoelace wings comprising a left shoelace wing and a right shoelace wing.
FIG. 2 shows the pair of shoelace wings of FIG. 1, with the left shoelace wing and the right shoelace wing shoelace wing joined together.
FIG. 3 shows the pair of shoelace wings of FIG. 1, with hook-and-loop material in the left shoelace wing.
FIG. 4 shows the pair of shoelace wings of FIG. 3, with the left shoelace wing and the right shoelace wing joined together over the knot and the shoelace within the shoelace wings.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pair of shoelace wings.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pair of shoelace wings of FIG. 5, with the hook-and-loop protective flap in the open position material on the left shoelace wing opened or separated.
FIG. 7 shows the reverse side of the pair of shoelace wings of FIG. 5, revealing the loop material.
FIG. 8 shows a top plan view of the shoelace wings with the hook and loop material protective flap in the closed position.
FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of the shoelace wings.
FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the shoelace wings of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to the drawing figures, FIG. 5 shows a pair of shoelace wings. As used herein, one of the wings will be designated as a right-side wing 2 and the other will be designated as a left-side wing 4. Whether the wing is a left-side wing or a right-side wing may depend upon the positioning on the shoe 6. At the same time, an additional pair of shoelace wings may be made that are a mirror image of the pair of shoelace wings shown in FIG. 5, with one pair of shoelace wings attached to, for example, a right shoe, and the mirror image attached to the left shoe of the wearer.
As shown in FIG. 5, the left-side wing has hook-and-loop material, which may be Velcro®, 8 attached to it. The terms “hook and loop material” and Velcro are used interchangeable herein. A strip of hook 10 material is positioned next to a strip of loop 12 material. The protective strip prevents the hook material from abrading, snagging or tearing the shoestring. The loop portion of the Velcro® may have fabric on the back that extends beyond the edges of the loop portion, and is placed under the rougher hook portion of the Velcro®, acting as a hinge. The section of hook-and-loop material is made so that hook material folds over the loop material when the flap is open. The wings are closed by connecting the left side wing and the right side wing to each other with the Velcro. The loop portion of the Velcro® on the protective flap will not attach to the Velcro® portion on the other wing. The section of hook-and-loop material is foldable, and is folded as shown in FIG. 5, to connect the hook-and-loop material. In one embodiment, the hook material 10 is sewn or otherwise fixed to the left-side wing, while the loop material 12 is attached by a piece of fabric that extends to, and is under, the hook portion of the Velcro® strip, so as to permit folding as shown in the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 6, the hook-and-loop material is separated, and the section of hook-and-loop material is folded flat against the left-side wing.
FIG. 7 shows the opposite or reverse side of the shoelace wings of FIG. 5. The opposite side of the shoelace wings has the section of loop material 14 thereon. As is demonstrated by FIG. 7 and by FIG. 8, the left-side wing is wider than the right-side wing so as to accommodate the foldable section of the hook-and-loop material 8. The wings may be the same size or vary in size. In a preferred embodiment for an adult shoe, the wings may have a length of 3 to 5 inches, with a width of 2-3 inches.
As demonstrated by the drawing figures, a corner 16 of each of the wings may be removed to accommodate, and not interfere with, the knot of the shoelace. As shown in the drawing figures, the corner is clipped to form an angle. Alternatively, an arcuate portion could be removed to accommodate the knot, which could form generally a U shaped void when the wings are side by side.
Also as shown in the drawing figures, a plurality of holes 18 is formed in the left-side wing, and a corresponding number of holes are formed in the right-side wing. In a preferred embodiment, at least three holes are formed in each of the wings. The holes are formed in the sides of the wings that are adjacent to the corresponding wing, and the holes are formed between a centerline of the wing and the inner edge of the wing for both the right-side wing and the left-side wing. In an embodiment for an adult shoe, the holes are spaced apart at ¾″ to 1¼″ intervals. The holes are sufficient size to receive a shoe string, and may range for an adult shoe from ⅛″ to ⅜′ diameter, with %″ diameter being a common diameter for an adult athletic shoe and shoe string.
Turning to FIG. 1, the shoelace 20 of the shoe is laced through the holes of the left-side wing and the holes of the right-side wing, with the inner edges of the right-side wing and the left-side wing adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. 1. The holes of the right-side wing and the left-side wing receive the aglet 22 of the shoelace and allow the shoelace to be pulled through the holes and through the eyelets of the shoe to connect the right-side wing and the left-side wing to the shoe. The holes in the left-side wing and the holes in the right-side wing are preferred to generally align with the eyelets of the shoe, but precise alignment is not usually necessary, particular if, as shown in the drawing figures, four or five holes are formed in the right-side wing and the left-side wing, since fewer than all of the holes may be used to accomplish both alignment and connection of the wings to the shoes.
As shown in FIG. 2, the knot 24 and the shoelace are positioned between the left-side wing and the right-side wing. The left-side wing and the right-side wing are then folded toward each other, with the hook material (FIG. 7) inserted between the hook-and-loop material (FIG. 6, FIG. 9), so that the right-side wing and the left-side wing are now connected to each other, with the knot and at least part of the laced portion of the shoelace positioned between and underneath the connected wings as shown in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, all, or substantially all, of the knot and the shoelace are covered by the connected shoelace wings.
The knot is now held in place, and is less likely to come untied. The knot is less subject to movement which would cause it to become untied, and is less subject to hooking or snagging on objects that could cause the knot to become untied. Further, if the knot were to become untied, due to, for example, not being properly tied when positioned, the shoelace wings will assist in holding the shoelaces in place, so that the shoelaces are not a tripping hazard, and are not subjected to becoming dirty from dragging along walkways, or subjected to wear from dragging along walkways. At least a portion of the shoelace that is laced between eyelets is also covered and protected.
The wings may be constructed of materials from which shoes are commonly constructed, including textile materials such as cloth, as well as leather or plastic. In a preferred embodiment, the wings are constructed of a water repelling material.
In a preferred embodiment, the left-side wing and the right-side wing are not directly connected to each other. By directly connected to each other, it is meant that the left-side wing and the right-side wing are not attached, except by the use of the hook-and-loop material when positioned as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. As shown in FIGS. 5-10, when the pair of wings is not connected to the shoe, and are not connected by hook-and-loop material, they are separate and distinct elements that are not attached to each other. The use of separate left side and right side wings means that the shoelace wings adjust to the width of the wearer's feet, and fit comfortably. The opposing sides of the shoe may be pushed apart for insertion of the foot, and then pulled together in a normal manner by the shoelaces as if the wings were not present, since the wings are not connected to each other at this stage, and do not interfere with the normal operation of the shoe.
In other embodiments, the connection is performed by snaps or hooks, which may be formed of plastic or metal, rather than using hook and loop material. The hook and loop material is replaced in these embodiments with hooks or snaps, or a combination of hooks and snaps.
Patent Application
20130255040
