Patent Application
20100122441
This invention relates to apparatuses attached to stringed items or items that use strings or cords for functional or decorative purposes, for example, clothing such as sweatpants, shorts, hoods, jackets or non-clothing items such as backpacks, luggage, tote bags, laundry bags or other apparatuses that have exposed strings or cords. The string covering prevents the string from being lost or receded into the garment or carrying item while simultaneously displaying a logo, emblem or desired design.
Drawstrings and cords are used extensively on various items such as, for example, articles of clothing, sporting goods, back packs and other apparatuses that have strings or cords for functional, fashion, or decorative purposes. For example, hoods on jackets, sweatshirts and other garments commonly are provided with drawstrings or cords, allowing the hood to be cinched around the face or neck of the wearer. Clothing such as sweat pants, regular pants, shorts, swim trunks and the like commonly use drawstrings incorporated into a garment's waist band, allowing the garment to be drawn around a wearer's waist. On luggage, backpacks and other gear, drawstrings and cords are used to fasten pockets and other openings.
With continued use, drawstrings and cords tend to shift so that one or both ends of the string will retract into a garment or carrying item, thus being unavailable for the user to implement when needed. Often users will try to tie a knot in the string to prevent string loss, but such knots can be small and do not prevent the string from receding into a garment or carrying item. Also, knotted strings or strings by themselves do not provide adequate surface area to display decorative team logos or company emblems on the string or cord.
To overcome the difficulties associated with drawstrings receding into a clothing garment or retracting into a piece of luggage, backpack, or sportspack, prior art devices such as cord locks or lace locks have been devised. Masuda et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,514) discloses a cord stopper with multiple rigid plastic interlocking parts including an insert member 12 and cylindrical housing 10. The device further comprises rigid coil springs 26 and 42, circular head 24, circular bottom lid 14, circular platform 30, all which add to the complexity of the device. In order to secure a string or cord within this device, the user must firmly squeeze and hold the cord stopper, and thread the string through, release the grip, which binds the cord thereto. While this device is able to fasten to the string, the strong springs and hard plastic can sometimes work to clinch down and damage a soft drawstring or cord. Since the cord stopper and similar devices are spring loaded, the devices work only until the string softens or hardens through multiple use, or until the spring falls out. If they come off the string, most designs fall apart because the string lets go, or one of the pieces comes off, rendering the device unusable. Moreover, the multiple parts needed to construct this device add to the manufacturing cost and manufacturing time. Lastly, the small cylindrical surface area of the cord stopper does not allow a user or maker of the device to adequately display a team or company logo or emblem on one flat surface.
Several devices have been patented which aim to secure the laces for athletic shoes. Funk (U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,308 B2) discloses a lace securing and adjusting device including a body 12 and apertures 14 and 14′ that are positioned laterally on opposite sides of a center aperture 16. Hicks et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,028) discloses a shoe lace clip 30 with holes 40 and 42 to pass both shoelaces through and slots 50 and 52 that extend into the middle of the clip which are used to increase the holding pressure on the lace ends 16 and 18. While these devices are designed to thread both laces through the middle and end apertures and slots in elaborate patterns which enable the user to secure the devices in place so as to prevent the shoelaces from being undone, the surface area taken up by the multiple apertures, slots and the laces that cover the front of the apparatuses do not allow a maker of the device or user to adequately display a wide variety and sizes of team logos or company emblem as are known in the marketplace.
What is needed in the art is a string covering apparatus of simple design comprising relatively few parts that can be attached to a string or cord to prevent the string from getting lost, while also providing space to identify the source or labeling to the user or the owner of the apparatus.
The present invention therefore provides a string covering apparatus for preventing loss of a string on a clothing, non-clothing, or carrying item wherein the apparatus provides ample space for the displaying of a full range of team logos, company names, emblems and the like. The apparatus may be constructed in a variety of sizes and materials which can comprise a perimeter, front and back surfaces, a central body region, and outer aperture regions on opposite sides of the central body region. The aperture regions are positioned to pass a string or cord along the back surface of the central body region, leaving the front surface comprising the central body region unobstructed by the string or cord, allowing full display of a design feature area on the central body region. The perimeter may take on various shapes such as an oval, circle, irregular shaped curved pattern, or in the shape of a team mascot, company logo, or other custom design. The string covering apparatus is preferably made of a thermoplastic such as PVC or ABS, but may be made of comparable materials, or other flexible plastics. Since the string or cord is passed along the back central body region of the string covering apparatus, the design leaves the front central body region unobstructed, for the adequate display of a large array of team logos or company emblems to be formed thereon. Features which may make up the logos or emblems may be permanently decorated with molded features, may be printed or stamped, or may be adhered to with stickers or others temporary measures which allow a user to use the string covering apparatus to represent many different teams, and to re-use the apparatus, thus making the apparatus more versatile.
The invention allows users to further personalize and customize their sweatshirts, athletic wear, athletic bags and accessories, and allows companies to promote and market a particular logo, and helps prevent string loss, which is a frustrating and time consuming problem when dealing with stringed clothing.
Reference will now be made to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention while referring to the figures.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings and to
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In the preferred embodiment, circular apertures within the aperture regions 120, 130 preferably have a diameter of 0.10 inches to 0.20 inches, but may be made smaller or larger depending on the size of the string or application. Apertures within the aperture regions 120, 130 may also be made of different geometric shapes such as oval, triangular, square, or other polygon or geometric shape, depending on the desired design. Because the aperture regions 120, 130 are made of the same thermoplastic or other flexible material, the aperture regions 120, 130 can conform to different size strings or cords. In additional embodiments, the shaft of the aperture regions 120, 130 may be formed with grooves, ridges, or rough edges to increase the resistance to a string or cord passing through, to more firmly hold the string covering apparatus in place. Alternatively, as shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the material for the team logo or company emblem features in the design feature area 230 is the same flexible thermoplastic as the material of the string covering apparatus 100. To make molded features as describe above, the thermoplastic material is mixed into different colors and the desired shape for the features are cut into inserts placed in the bottom of the molds. Colored portions of the features are molded right into the part and thus will not fade. The aperture regions 120, 130 are also cut into the mold so that the entire part comes out complete. The string covering apparatus 100 and design features may be made in a variety of different colors and shapes, depending on the desired logo, emblem, mascot, or message desired to be displayed.
Alternatively, the design feature area 230 may be made flat without raised design features wherein a team logo or company emblem or the like may be, for example, printed or stamped, for example onto the front surface 115 of the central body region I 10 of the string covering apparatus 100. Also, the string covering apparatus 100 may be adapted for temporary use with the use of custom-made or off-the-shelf stickers that can allow a user or producer to vary the designs displayed, thus enhancing the versatility of the string covering apparatus 100.
The string covering apparatus 100 is not limited to the shapes shown in the drawing figures. The perimeter 105 of the string covering apparatus 100 may be of irregular shape as shown in
In use, a string or cord is threaded through one of the aperture regions 120 or 130 at the front surface 115 of the string covering apparatus 100. The string or cord is then passed along the back surface 210 of the central body region 110, and then back through the second aperture region 130 or 120. Thus, the front surface 115 of central body region 110 including the design feature area 230 of the string covering apparatus 100 remains completely visible and unobstructed by the string or cord, and the design features remain on constant display. As described previously, the sharp edges 320 at the interface between the aperture regions 120, 130 and the back surface 210 allow the string covering apparatus 100 to remain firmly in place.
Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
