FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to lacing systems for sporting shoes, and in particular, to a system and associated method for a dial cover for a rotary closure lacing system.
BACKGROUND
Among athletic shoe lacing systems, especially rotary closures, many users report having trouble gripping and turning the dial of the rotary closure to tighten the lacing or unlock the tightened lacing. Previous examples have introduced grippable materials onto the surface of the dial; however, many users still find the small size of the dial and stickiness of permanent gripping structures to be cumbersome and difficult to keep clean. Further, some level of customizability and interchangeability is often demanded from users due to sports and other organizational affiliations.
It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing a dial cover coupled with a dial of a rotary closure;
FIG. 2 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing the dial and dial cover of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an illustration showing a cross-sectional side view showing the dial cover and dial taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing the dial cover of FIG. 1 without the dial;
FIG. 5 is an illustration showing a below perspective view showing the dial cover of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an illustration showing a top view showing the dial cover of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an illustration showing a cross-sectional side view showing the dial cover of FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7;
FIG. 8 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing the dial of FIG. 1 without the dial cover;
FIG. 9 is an illustration showing a top view showing the dial of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is an illustration showing a bottom perspective view of the dial cover of FIG. 3 engaged with a ridgeless dial;
FIG. 11 is an illustration showing a top perspective view of the ridgeless dial of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the dial cover with the dial of FIG. 7;
FIGS. 13A-13C are illustrations respectively showing a top view, cross-sectional side view and cross-sectional top views showing the dial cover of FIG. 12 coupled with the dial of FIGS. 8 and 9, where cross-sectional side view of FIG. 13B is taken along line 13B-13B of FIG. 13A;
FIGS. 14A-14C are illustrations respectively showing a top view, a side perspective view, and a cross-sectional top view showing alternative protrusion shapes of the dial of FIG. 12 coupled with the dial of FIGS. 8 and 9;
FIGS. 15A and 15B are illustrations showing top views of alternative protrusion shapes of the dial of FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is an illustration showing a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the dial cover engaged with the dial of FIG. 8 and including an additional token;
FIG. 17 is an illustration showing a top view showing the dial cover and token of FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is an illustration showing a cross-sectional side view showing the dial cover, token and dial taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 16;
FIG. 19A is an illustration showing a top view of an alternate embodiment of the token of FIG. 16 having circular engagement points;
FIG. 19B is an illustration showing a bottom view of an alternate embodiment of the dial cover configured for engagement with the token of FIG. 19A having circular engagement points;
FIG. 20A is an illustration showing a top view of an alternate embodiment of the token of FIG. 16 having slotted engagement points;
FIG. 20B is an illustration showing a bottom view of an alternate embodiment of the dial cover configured for engagement with the token of FIG. 20A having slotted engagement points
FIGS. 21A and 21B are respective illustrations showing a first and second engagement type of the dial cover and token of FIGS. 19A-20B;
FIG. 22 is an illustration showing a top perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the dial cover;
FIG. 23 is an illustration showing a bottom perspective view of the dial cover of FIG. 22; and
FIGS. 24A and 24B are illustrations showing a bottom perspective view and a cross-sectional top view of the dial cover of FIG. 22 coupled with the ridgeless dial of FIG. 11.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements among the view of the drawings. The headings used in the figures do not limit the scope of the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Various embodiments of a dial cover for improved gripping of a rotary closure during winding and release are included herein. In particular, the dial cover is configured to enable improved gripping of a dial of the rotary closure during operation. In some embodiments, the dial cover is configured to be stretched over or otherwise engaged with the dial to conform to a shape of the dial. In some embodiments, the dial cover defines an outer convex surface and an inner concave surface with an aperture defined through a center of the outer convex surface. In one aspect, the outer convex surface of the dial cover is configured for gripping by a hand of the user, and the inner concave surface is configured to capture an outer surface of the dial. In one embodiment, the dial cover includes one or more protrusions to further aid the user in gripping the rotary closure. In a further embodiment, the dial cover is configured to capture a token against a top surface of the dial, the token may include a logo or other personalized indicia visible through the aperture of the dial cover. Referring to the drawings, embodiments of a dial cover configured for engagement with the dial of a rotary closure are illustrated and generally indicated as 100, 200, 300 and 400 in FIGS. 1-24B.
FIGS. 1-9 illustrate a first embodiment of a dial cover 100 configured to encapsulate a dial 11 of a rotary closure 10 for improved gripping of the surface of the dial 11 during winding and release of the rotary closure 10. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the dial cover 100 is configured for removable engagement with the dial 11 and conforms to a shape of the dial 11, particularly a top surface 12 and a peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In one embodiment, the dial cover 100 is configured to encapsulate the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 such that a shape of the peripheral edge 13, including a plurality of gripping recesses 14 and gripping ridges 15 (FIGS. 8 and 9), is assumed by the dial cover 100. Referring to FIGS. 4-7, the dial cover 100 includes a body 101 that defines an outer convex surface 103 that provides a gripping surface to a user, and an inner concave surface 107 defined interior to the outer convex surface 103 that encapsulates the dial 11. In some embodiments, the body 101 further includes an aperture 104 defined through a center of the dial cover 100. In some embodiments, the inner concave surface 107 defines an inner lip 106 along a bottom of the sidewall portion 130 that extends inward towards a center of the dial cover 100 to secure the dial cover 100 underneath the peripheral edge 13 (FIG. 3) of the dial 11. The dial cover 100 defines a topside portion 120 and a sidewall portion 130, where the sidewall portion 130 is configured to conform to the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In a primary embodiment, the dial cover 100 can be made of a flexible material such as rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping. Engagement of the dial cover 100 with an alternative dial 21 is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIGS. 12-15B illustrate a second embodiment of the dial cover 200 that includes one or more protrusions 209 that provide a surface to aid the user in gripping and rotation of the dial 11 when the dial cover 200 is coupled with the dial 11, with sub-variations of protrusions 209 being respectively illustrated as 209A, 209B and 209C in FIGS. 13A-13C, 14A-14C and 15A and 15B. FIGS. 16-21B illustrate a third embodiment of the dial cover 300 that accommodates a token 318, where the token 318 can include a logo or other personalized indicia visible through an aperture 304 of the dial cover 300. FIGS. 22-24B illustrate a fourth embodiment of the dial cover 400 that is a rigid piece rather than a flexible material and configured for coupling with the alternate embodiment of the dial 21 (from FIG. 11) in a snap-fit engagement.
In one method of assembly of the dial cover 100 (or 200, 300 or 400), the dial cover 100 is stretched over or otherwise snapped onto the dial 11 (or 21) such that the inner concave surface 107 of the dial cover 100 encapsulates the peripheral edge 13 and at least part of the top surface 12 of the dial 11. In some embodiments, the inner lip 106 of the dial cover 100 couples underneath the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In another aspect, the sidewall portion 130 of the dial cover 100 engages the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 through friction. In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the dial cover 400 engages an underside of the ridgeless peripheral edge 23 of the dial 21 by a plurality of tangs 406 of the dial cover 400 that couple with the dial 21 in a snap-fit engagement.
Once assembled, the inner concave surface 107 of the dial cover 100 conforms to the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 and provides a gripping surface not only for the inner concave surface 107 of the dial cover 100 to grip the dial 11 for rotation, but to allow a user to better grip the outer convex surface 103 of the dial cover 100 and rotate the dial 11 in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotational direction. In the embodiments of the dial cover 100 (and 200 and 300) of FIGS. 2, 12 and 16, the dial cover 100 includes a flexible material and couples with the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 such that the dial cover 100 conforms to a plurality of recesses 14 and ridges 15 of the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In contrast, in the embodiment of the dial cover 100 with the dial 21 of FIGS. 10 and 11, the dial 21 features a ridgeless peripheral edge 24 that the dial cover 100 conforms to. An assembled view of a rotary closure 10 including the dial cover 100 engaged with the dial 11 is illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIGS. 5-7 illustrate the first embodiment of the dial cover 100 without the dial 11 (FIG. 8). As discussed, the first embodiment of the dial cover 100 includes the body 101 defining an outer convex surface 103 and an inner concave surface 107. The body 101 further defines the topside portion 120 and the sidewall portion 130 extending below the topside portion 120. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the sidewall portion 130 defines the inner lip 106 for engagement underneath the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 (FIG. 3). As further shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the dial cover 100 can engage the dial 11 or 21 such that the sidewall portion 130 conforms to the shape of the peripheral edge 13 or 23 of the dial 11 or 21. In the case of the dial 11 of FIG. 2, the sidewall portion 130 of the dial cover 100 conforms to the shapes of the recesses 14 and ridges 15 of the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 to form corresponding cover recesses 134 and cover ridges 135. In contrast, the dial 21 of FIGS. 10 and 11 includes a ridgeless peripheral edge 23; as a result the sidewall portion 130 remains ridgeless when coupled to the ridgeless peripheral edge 23.
In some embodiments, the body 101 of the dial cover 100 can be made of any suitable flexible material such as latex, nitrile, rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping that is able to be stretched over the dial 11 or 21 and assume a shape of its corresponding peripheral edge 13 or 23. In some embodiments, the dial cover 100 can be manufactured by thermoforming, injection molding, or another suitable method, depending on the selected material. In some embodiments, the dial cover 100 can be outfitted with raised designs or grooves along the outer convex surface 103 or inner concave surface 107 to improve gripping of the dial 11. In another embodiment, the dial cover 100 can include at least one of a variety of different colors of varying opacity, and in some embodiments can include decorative elements suspended within the material such as glitter. In some embodiments, the dial cover 100 is washable. As such, the dial cover 100 provides additional accessibility, customizability and interchangeability to the rotary closure 10.
Referring to FIGS. 12-15B, a second embodiment of a dial cover 200 includes a body 201 defining an outer convex surface 203 and an inner concave surface 207 (FIG. 13B) defined interior to the outer convex surface 203, and further including one or more protrusions 209 along the outer convex surface 203 that extend away from a center of the dial cover 200. The dial cover 200 is configured to encapsulate the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 (of FIG. 8) or the peripheral edge 23 of the dial 21 (of FIG. 1). The outer convex surface 203 provides a gripping surface to a user, and the inner concave surface 207 encapsulates the dial 11. In some embodiments, the dial cover 200 defines an aperture 204 through a center of the dial cover 200. In some embodiments the inner concave surface 207 defines an inner lip 206 that extends inward towards a center of the dial cover 200 to secure the dial cover 200 underneath the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. The outer convex surface 203 includes a topside portion 220 and a sidewall portion 230 that conforms to the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In the case of the dial 11, the sidewall portion 230 conforms to the shapes of the recesses 14 and ridges 15 (FIG. 8) of the peripheral edge 13 to form cover recesses 234 and cover ridges 235.
In some embodiments, the protrusions 209 can each include a solid core (denoted herein as 290A, 290B and 290C for respective embodiments of FIGS. 12-13C, 14A-14C, and 15A and 15B) that provides a solid structure for each protrusion 209. Each solid core forms the shape of each protrusion 209. In some embodiments, the solid core is formed from a hardened plastic or other suitable rigid material and coated with rubber or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping that forms the remainder of the dial cover 200. Each solid core can be formed by thermomolding, injection molding, additive manufacturing, reductive manufacturing or another method. Protrusions 209 of dial cover 200 enable improved control of rotation of the dial 11, which can be beneficial for children and people with mobility issues such as arthritis or other problems that might make it difficult to rotate the dial 11 to tighten or loosen lacing elements of the shoe. In another embodiment, protrusions 209 can be made entirely of the flexible material such as latex, nitrile, rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping through thermomolding, injection molding, or another suitable method.
Referring to FIGS. 13A-15B, the one or more protrusions 209 can embody multiple different shapes. For the example shown in FIGS. 12-13C, in some embodiments one or more protrusions 209A can have a “fin”-like shape including a concave edge 241 and an opposite convex edge 242. In some embodiments, the concave edge 241 and opposite convex edge 242 of each protrusion 209A can each include one or more raised grooves or ridges to further aid in gripping and rotating the dial 11 by the dial cover 200. FIG. 13C illustrates a cross-sectional top view showing solid cores 290A of the protrusions 209A of the embodiment of FIGS. 13A and 13B. In the embodiment of FIGS. 14A-14C, one or more protrusions 209B are embodied as a plurality of small ridges 243 circumferentially defined around the body 201 of the dial cover 200. FIG. 14C illustrates a cross-sectional top view showing solid cores 290B of the protrusions 209B of the embodiment of FIGS. 14A and 14B. In the embodiment of FIGS. 15A and 15B, the protrusions 209C are embodied as a plurality of knobs 244 circumferentially defined around the sidewall portion 230 of the dial cover 200. FIG. 15B illustrates a cross-sectional view showing solid cores 290C of the protrusions 209C of the embodiment of FIG. 15A.
Similar to that of dial cover 100 discussed above, body 201 of the dial cover 200 can be made of a flexible material that is able to be stretched across the dial 11 (or 21) and assume its shape such as latex, nitrile, rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping. In addition, the dial cover 200 can be manufactured by thermoforming, injection molding, or another suitable method, depending on the selected material. In some embodiments, the dial cover 200 can be outfitted with raised designs or grooves along the outer convex surface 203 or inner concave surface 207 of the body 201 to improve gripping of the dial 11. In another embodiment, the dial cover 200 can include at least one of a variety of different colors of varying opacity, and in some embodiments can include decorative elements suspended within the material such as glitter. In some embodiments, dial cover 200 is washable.
Referring to FIGS. 16-21B, a third embodiment of a dial cover 300 having the token 318 is illustrated. The dial cover 300 is configured to encapsulate the dial 11 (or 21) of the rotary closure 10 for improved gripping of the surface of the dial 11 during winding and release of the rotary closure 10. In particular, the dial cover 300 is configured for removable engagement with the dial 11 and conforms to a shape of the dial 11, particularly the top surface 12 and the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. The dial cover 300 is also configured to encapsulate the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11 such that the shapes of the plurality of gripping recesses 14 and gripping ridges 15 of the dial 11 are assumed by the dial cover 300 upon engagement with the dial 11. As shown, the dial cover 300 includes a body 301 that defines an outer convex surface 303 that provides a gripping surface to a user, and an inner concave surface 307 defined interior to the outer convex surface 303 that contacts and encapsulates the dial 11 and the token 318 with the additional function of securing the token 318 against the top surface 12 of the dial 11. The dial cover 300 further defines an aperture 304 through the center of the dial cover 300 that exposes the token 318. As shown in FIG. 18, the inner concave surface 307 of the dial cover 300 circumferentially defines an inner lip 306 along the bottom of the inner concave surface 307 that extends inward towards the center of the dial cover 300 to secure the dial cover 300 underneath the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. The inner concave surface 307 circumferentially defines a recessed portion 309 along the top of the inner concave surface 307 to accommodate the height of the token 318 and secure the token 318 against the dial 11. In some embodiments, the dial 11 can optionally include a recessed portion (not shown) to accommodate the token 318. Referring specifically to FIG. 18, the outer convex surface 303 includes a topside portion 320 and a sidewall portion 330. The sidewall portion 330 conforms to the peripheral edge 13 of the dial 11. In the case of the dial 11, the sidewall portion 330 assumes the shapes of the recesses 14 and ridges 15 (FIG. 8) of the peripheral edge 13 to form cover recesses 334 and cover ridges 335. In contrast, the dial 21 of FIG. 10 includes a ridgeless peripheral edge 23 and the sidewall portion 330 remains ridgeless when coupled to the ridgeless peripheral edge 23.
In some embodiments, the token 318 is visible through the aperture 304 of the dial cover 300 when the token 318 is positioned against the top surface 12 of the dial 11 and secured in place by the dial cover 300. In addition, in some embodiments the token 318 can be small and generally disc-shaped and can include an ornamental design or logo such as team or event logos, player numbers, and can in some embodiments include novelty, licensed logos or personalized names or phrases. In some embodiments, the token 318 can be manufactured from plastic or another suitable material and can include a variety of colors. The dial cover 300 can be made of any flexible material that is able to be stretched across the dial 11 and assume its shape such as latex, nitrile, rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping. In some embodiments, the dial cover 300 can be manufactured by thermoforming, injection molding, or another suitable method, depending on the selected material. In some embodiments, the dial cover 300 can be outfitted with raised designs or grooves defined along the outer convex surface 303 or inner concave surface 307 to improve grip. In another embodiment, the dial cover 300 can include at least one of a variety of different colors of varying opacity, and in some embodiments can include decorative elements suspended within the material such as glitter. In some embodiments, dial cover 300 is washable.
Referring to FIGS. 19A-21B, in some embodiments the dial cover 300 is configured to engage the token 318 in an interlocking arrangement. In particular, in one embodiment the token 318 can optionally include one or more cover engagement points 350 defined on a surface 319 of the token 318. To accommodate, the dial cover 300 can include one or more token engagement points 340 for respective engagement with the one or more cover engagement points 350 of the token 318. The cover engagement points 350 of the token 318 and the token engagement points 340 of the dial cover 300 can define various shapes for improved coupling between the token 318 and the dial cover 300. In the embodiment of FIGS. 19A and 19B, the cover engagement points 350 of the token 318 and the token engagement points 340 of the dial cover 300 are circular. Similarly, in the embodiment of FIGS. 20A and 20B, the cover engagement points 350 of the token 318 and the token engagement points 340 of the dial cover 300 can define a rail-and-slot shape as shown. In FIGS. 21A and 21B, two types of engagements are shown. In FIG. 21A the token engagement points 340 of the dial cover 300 are configured to receive a respective cover engagement point 350 of the token 318. Conversely, in FIG. 21B, the cover engagement points 350 of the token 318 are configured to receive a respective token engagement point 340 of the dial cover 300.
In some embodiments, the token 318 is integral to the dial cover 300 and can be chemically bonded to one another. In one method of manufacture, the token 318 is formed from a mold, and then the dial cover 300 is molded around the token 318. In one example, such a process is performed using injection molding.
Referring to FIGS. 22-24B, a fourth embodiment of a dial cover 400 is illustrated that is made of a rigid material and couples to the dial 21 (or 11) in a snap-fit engagement. The dial cover 400 encapsulates the dial 21 of the rotary closure 10 for improved grip of the surface of the dial 21 during winding and release of the rotary closure 10. In particular, the dial cover 400 is configured for removable engagement with the dial 21 and encapsulates the dial 21 when coupled, particularly the top surface 112 and the peripheral edge 23 of the dial 21. As shown, the dial cover 400 includes a body 401 defining an outer convex surface 403 that provides a gripping surface to a user, and an inner concave surface 407 defined interior to the outer convex surface 403 that encapsulates the dial 21. Referring specifically to FIG. 22, the outer convex surface 403 includes a topside portion 420 and a sidewall portion 430. The sidewall portion 430 is configured to encapsulate the peripheral edge 23 of the dial 21. As further shown in FIGS. 23 and 24A, the bottom of the inner concave surface 407 of the dial cover 400 circumferentially defines a plurality of tangs 406 that extend inward towards the center of the dial cover 400 to secure the dial cover 400 underneath a peripheral edge 23 of the dial 21 in a snap-fit engagement.
In some embodiments, the dial cover 400 can be manufactured from a rigid material such as plastic by thermoforming, injection molding, additive manufacturing, reductive manufacturing, or another suitable method, depending on the selected material. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid material can have a suitable friction coefficient for gripping, or can be coated with latex, nitrile, rubber, silicon, a thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE), a thermoplastic polyurethane material (TPU) or another suitable material with a suitable friction coefficient for gripping. In some embodiments, the dial cover 400 can be outfitted with raised designs or grooves defined along the outer convex surface 403 or inner concave surface 407 to improve gripping of the dial 21. For instance, as shown in the cross-sectional top view FIG. 24B, the inner concave surface 407 can include a plurality of friction-fit ribs 490 for a friction engagement with the dial 21. In some embodiments, the dial cover 400 is configured to provide a larger surface area than the dial 20. In another aspect, the dial cover 400 can include at least one of a variety of different colors of varying opacity, and in some embodiments can include decorative elements such as glitter.
It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particular embodiments have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teachings of this invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.
Patent Application
20220330660
