TONGUE FOR A SHOE, AND SHOE

Abstract

A tongue for a shoe is disclosed, especially a sports shoe, having at least one closure passage which is arranged on the outside of an upper region of the tongue when the shoe is in use, and a closure receiving pocket, which is arranged at the back of the closure passage towards a user. A shoe provided with such a tongue is also disclosed.

Description

The invention relates to a tongue for a shoe according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and to a shoe according to the preamble of patent claim 6.

A tongue is a generally known part of a shoe which closes the shoe at the front opposite a wearer's forefoot and instep. In some shoes, especially in sports shoes, the tongue additionally forms part of a closure system or lacing system, wherein a specific portion, usually a middle and/or upper portion, of the tongue is associated with a closure system or lacing system of the shoe. Such a lacing system, or tightening system, for a shoe is described, for example, in DE 601 06 816, wherein the tongue has in its upper region a pocket with openings, through which pocket the shoelaces extend and in which a shoelace-locking element can be accommodated. However, the system described in DE 601 06 816 has the disadvantage that the free end of the shoelace which is to be grasped by a user during tightening or closing of the shoe, or of the shoelace, and which is in the form of a loop is relatively long after locking of the shoelace in a closed position and is stored in the same pocket as the locking element for the shoelace, so that on the one hand the pocket must be made very large and on the other hand there is a risk of the locking element's coming undone again when the left-over shoelace is pushed into the pocket, so that the lacing of the shoe becomes loose. In addition, there is a further risk that, when the left-over shoelace is pulled out of the pocket intentionally or unintentionally, the locking element will likewise be pulled out and may unintentionally come undone.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a tongue for a shoe, and a shoe, which has an improved closure system and in addition ensures secure storage of a left-over closure means, such as, for example, a shoelace.

That object is achieved by a tongue for a shoe according to patent claim 1 and by a shoe equipped with such a tongue according to patent claim 6.

In particular, the object is achieved by a tongue for a shoe, especially a sports shoe, having at least one closure means passage which is arranged on the outside in an upper region of the tongue when the shoe is in use, and a pocket, especially a closure means receiving pocket, which is arranged at the back of the closure means passage towards a user.

An important aspect of the invention is that the tongue has at least one closure means passage which is arranged on the outside in an upper region of the tongue when the shoe is in use and through which closure means, such as, for example, shoelaces, can extend, while a closure means receiving pocket is arranged at the back of the closure means passage, that is to say towards a user, on the tongue or in the tongue, in which closure means receiving pocket excess closure means, such as, for example, one or more of the above-mentioned shoelaces, can be accommodated. In that manner it is possible according to the invention to accommodate a locking system which serves to fix a closure means, such as a shoelace, in the upper region of the tongue on or in the closure means passage, while left-over and/or excess closure means, such as above-mentioned shoelaces, can be accommodated separately therefrom in a pocket arranged between the closure means passage and the wearer of the shoe, so that there is no risk that the locking system and the closure means will affect one another, so that there is no longer a risk of the locking system's being unintentionally opened by excess closure means when the closure means is being stored in or taken out of the pocket.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the closure means passage is in the form of a loop through which at least one closure means, preferably at least one tape or at least one shoelace, is guided. That loop according to the invention can be in the form of either a loop of cord or a loop of tape, as required, but a pocket-like loop of large surface area which is attached, for example, flat to the front upper region of the tongue by preferably lateral attachment points or seams, riveting or adhesive bonding also falls within the scope of the invention.

The loop is further elastic according to the invention and is optionally configured to receive and/or hold a locking system, especially a clamping device for the closure means, it being possible for the locking system to be held and fixed in a loop in cord or tape form or to be accommodated completely in a pocket-like loop. It should be pointed out here that the locking system can either be configured as a fixed constituent of the pocket-like loop and fixedly integrated therein, or alternatively can be capable of being inserted into that pocket and removed therefrom.

It is further provided according to the invention that the loop can have a cut-out, especially a slot-like cut-out, which serves to receive, especially in a form-fitting manner, and hold the locking system. In that manner, the locking system can be accommodated securely on or in the loop, namely in the slot-like cut-out of the loop provided therefor, and on the other hand is easily and conveniently accessible for handling in order to tighten, or close, the shoe and release the closure means.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the closure means receiving pocket and/or the closure means passage is formed integrally with the tongue, so that both the closure means receiving pocket and/or the closure means passage are accommodated completely in the tongue and accordingly do not increase or increase only negligibly the thickness of the tongue. Alternatively, it can be provided that the closure means passage is situated in an upper region of the tongue and is stitched, adhesively bonded, riveted or welded thereto. In addition, the closure means receiving pocket can also be stitched or otherwise attached to an already existing, finished tongue or can be placed on a tongue during the production thereof and connected, especially stitched or adhesively bonded, riveted or welded, thereto.

The object of the invention is additionally achieved by a shoe which has a tongue according to the above-mentioned embodiments.

Further embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the subsidiary claims.

The invention will be described below on the basis of exemplary embodiments which are explained in greater detail on the basis of the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic representation of a first embodiment according to the invention of a closure means passage and of a closure means receiving pocket located at the back thereof;

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic representation of a further embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 to 7 show a shoe with a tongue according to the invention; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a detail view of the tongue according to the invention according to FIGS. 4 to 7.

In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for parts which are the same and which have the same function.

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic representation of a closure means passage 20 according to the invention, through which there extends a closure means 40 in the form of a shoelace 40 guided in a loop. The closure means passage 20 is in the form of a pocket-like loop, in which there is accommodated a locking system 50 through which the shoelaces 40 again extend. It is further apparent from FIG. 1 that there is arranged at the back of the closure means passage 20 a closure means receiving pocket 30 in which left-over, or excess, closure means 40 is accommodated. Again at the back of the closure means receiving pocket 30 there can be arranged a tongue, to which the device shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 can be stitched. Alternatively, it is also possible to integrate the device shown in FIG. 1 directly into a tongue 10 (not shown in FIG. 1).

FIGS. 2 and 3 each show a diagrammatic representation of a tongue according to the invention, wherein in the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 the closure means passage 20 is in each case in the form of a pocket-like loop, each of which has a cut-out 60 in which a locking system 50 can be fixed in a form-fitting manner when the closure means 40 is tightened and held by the locking system 50. It is further shown in FIG. 2 how the closure means 40 extends through the locking system 50 and through the closure means passage 20, from where it emerges from a “buttonhole” and is shown as a lace extending in a ring.

In FIG. 2, the cut-out 60 located in the closure means passage 20 is not yet occupied by the locking system 50, while in FIG. 3 the locking system 50 is held in a form-fitting manner in the cut-out 60 of the closure means passage 20. In addition, FIG. 3 shows how the closure means 40 is accommodated in a closure means receiving pocket 30 arranged at the back of the closure means passage 20. The free ends of the closure means 40 extend in FIGS. 2 and 3, as well as in FIG. 1, towards the lacing system of an associated shoe.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show how a tongue 10 according to the invention is arranged in a shoe according to the invention, and how the closure means 40 forms the lacing system of the shoe and extends through the closure means passage 20. The locking system 50, by means of which the closure means 40 can be fixed, is accommodated in the closure means passage 20, which according to FIGS. 4 to 7 is in the form of a pocket-like loop which in the present case does not have a cut-out 60, the locking system 50 being inserted into the pocket-like loop of the closure means passage from beneath, that is to say coming from the lacing system of the shoe, the closure means 40 extending out of the top of the elastic pocket-like loop. The elastic closure means passage 20 is arranged at the head of the tongue 10 and is in such a form that on the one hand the closure means 40 is guided in a simple manner, while the locking system 50, after tightening of the closure means 40, can be held in the cut-out 60, the cut-out 60 being of such a size, and especially sufficiently wide, that it is able to receive the locking system 50 but is not so wide that secure holding of the locking system 50 would not be possible.

The closure means receiving pocket 30 is in turn so configured that the closure means 40, which extends out of the locking system 50 towards the upper side of the tongue 10 through the above-mentioned “buttonhole” of the closure means passage 20, can be accommodated simply and securely, so that excess closure means, especially shoelace, does not hang untidily outside the shoe.

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged representation of an upper region of the tongue 10 of a shoe according to the invention with a closure means passage 20, which is in the form of a pocket and is configured to receive a locking system 50. The detail view in FIG. 8 shows a front view of a shoe, so that the closure means 40 extends backwards into the closure means receiving pocket 30 (not visible in FIG. 8). The closure means receiving pocket 30 is visible in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 showing how the closure means 40, which extends out of the “buttonhole”, can be accommodated.

Accordingly, the tongue according to the invention advantageously has a twin-pocket system which is provided on the one hand for fixing or locking a closure means, namely preferably a shoelace, which extends through a pocket-like loop and the excess of which can then be stored in a closure means receiving pocket, which is arranged, when the tongue is viewed from the front, behind the closure means passage 20.

It should be pointed out here that all the parts described above are claimed on their own and in any combination, especially the details shown in the drawings. Modifications thereof are familiar to the person skilled in the art.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

• 10 tongue
• 20 closure means passage
• 30 closure means receiving pocket
• 40 closure means
• 50 locking system
• 60 cut-out

Claims

1. A tongue for a shoe, comprising: at least one closure passage which is arranged on an outside of an upper region of the tongue when the shoe is in use, anda closure receiving pocket, which is arranged at a back of the closure passage towards a user.

2. A tongue according to claim 1, wherein: the closure passage is in the form of a loop, through which at least one closure, comprising at least one tape or at least one shoelace, is guided.

3. A tongue according to any claim 2, wherein: the loop is elastic and is configured for receiving and/or holding a locking system for the closure.

4. A tongue according to claim 3, wherein: the loop has a cut-out for receiving and holding the locking system.

5. A tongue according to claim 1, wherein: the closure receiving pocket and/or the closure passage is integral with the tongue (10).

6. A shoe having a tongue according to claim 1.

7. A tongue according to claim 3, wherein the locking system comprises a clamping device.

8. A tongue according to claim 4, wherein the cut-out comprises a slot-like cut-out.