GB2337686A

GB2337686A - Making shoe laces

Info

Publication number: GB2337686A
Application number: GB9811339A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph John Orsi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-05-28
Filing date: 1998-05-28
Publication date: 1999-12-01
Also published as: GB9811339D0

Abstract

Shoe laces are made by forming collets 13A at regular intervals along an elongate braid or like material which is then packaged on a reel 14. The collets (eg of acetate or crimped metal) may be marked centrally of their length and are cut to form individual laces at a point of sale. A set of packages includes laces of different colours and/or having collets spaced at different regular intervals.

Description

2337686 Manufacture of Shoe Laces and the Like This invention relates to

the manufacture of shoe laces and more generally to the manufacture of lengths of elongate flexible material such as cord. braid, ribbon, string, rope or any other kind of cordage.

Shoe laces are conventionally packaged and sold in pairs of a predetermined length. Such laces are manufactured on a machine which draws out a predetermined length of premanufactured cord or braid from a reel thereof, applies a tag or tip to the leading end, and applies a collet to the cord or braid a predetermined length behind the tip. The machine then cuts the collet at its midpoint, creating a tip or tag at the trailing end of a first length of cord or braid and a tip or tag at the leading end of the next predetermined length, which is then drawn out from the reel ready to be colleted, and so on. The laces thus produced are then packaged in pairs and distributed for sale to shoe manufacturers and to shops. The consequences of packaging and distribution of pairs of shoe laces in this way greatly increases their sale cost over their manufacturing cost.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of elongate flexible material according to which the elongate material is colleted at regular intervals along its length and packaged for later cutting of the collets to enable preselected lengths of said material to be produced.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided packaged elongate flexible material colleted at regular intervals along its length to enable predetermined lengths of said material to be drawn from the package and cut at the collets. The form in which the colleted material is packaged will generally be a reel.

Tle concept behind the invention is that a reel of colleted shoe (or other outer footwear) lace material should be distributed and sold, especially to shops, and individual shoe laces drawn out and cut from the reel, by cutting the collets, at the point of sale. In this way the cost of shoe laces to the final purchaser can be substantially reduced.

It is envisaged that shops will store the reels on pronged stands, with rows of shoe lace material, with collets spaced by differing lengths in different rows, and each row containing shoe lace material of various colours andlor types, e.g. braid, round cord, etc.

A customer can then request a pair of laces of given length and colour, which can be cut on site from the appropriate reel. 71e collets used on shoe lace material can readily be cut with a pair of scissors. A double or multiple length of the colleted material can be cut from the reel if a customer requires it for any special purpose. 'Me collets should not create a point of weakness in such a multiple length. Moreover, the collets can be formed with a line of weakness or be marked in order to make clear the procedure at the point of sale.

Tle invention is not limited to shoe (or other footwear) lace material. It can be applied to string or cord where predetermined lengths are required for a special packaging purpose, to ribbon, and even to rope. In the case of climbing rope, for example, a particular length can be cut off from a reel, according to a particular customer's requirements, using a pair of shears, e.g. a 10 metre, 20 metre or 30 metre length from a reel of rope having collets spaced 10 metres apart.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a braid shoe lace; Figure 2 shows an intermediate stage in production of a package of shoe lace material in accordance with the invention; and Figure 3 shows the finished package.

A shoe lace 10 as shown in Figure 1 is conventionally produced in the manner hitherto described. The lace 11 has tips 1 1A at both ends formed by cutting collets in half. 71e individual tipped shoe laces are produced sequentially on a colleting and cutting machine.

Figure 2 shows a length of shoe lace material 12 in course of production in accordance with the invention. In a colleting machine, a length of braid 13 is first drawn out, tipped at its leading end, and then progressively colleted, as indicated at 13A, at regular distances (shoe lace lengths) back from the tip.

In contrast to the conventional method of manufacture, the collets 13B are not successively cut for packaging of laces in pairs. Instead, the entire colleted length, eventually tipped at its trailing end, is wound on to a reel 14 to produce the product 15 shown in Figure 3.

At a point of sale of shoe laces, a length corresponding to the spacing between two collets is drawn from the reel, and the first collet behind the tip is cut at its centre to produce a single shoe lace. This step is repeated to produce a second shoe lace, to provide a pair of laces for sale to a customer. lle remainder of the lace material on the reel remains ready tipped at its front end.

lle collets can be applied to the shoe lace material in one of a number of conventional ways, e.g. acetate strip wrapped round and sealed with acetone, 4- crimping of metal strip, etc. All such collets can readily be cut, as by a pair of scissors, at the point of sale of the shoe laces.

As made clear hereinbefore, the invention is not restricted to production of shoe lace or other footware lace material. It can equally be applied to all other kinds of cordage, including rope.

Cl aii m s 1. A method of manufacture of elongate flexible material according to which the elongate material is colleted at regular intervals along its length and packaged for later cutting of the collets to enable preselected lengths of said material to be produced.

7 A method according to claim 1, wherein the collets are applied by wrapping with acetate strip and sealing with acetone.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the collets are formed of crimped metal strip.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the collets are cuttable by scissors.

5. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the collets are marked or scored centrally of their lengths to indicate a cutting point.

6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5, when completed at the point of sale by cutting collets.

7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the colleted material is packaged by winding on to a reel.

8. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, applied to flexible elongate shoe lace material.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the shoe lace material is of braid.

10. Packaged elongate flexible material colleted at regular intervals along its length to enable predetermined lengths of said material to be drawn from the package and cut at the collets.

Packaged material according to claim 10, when packaged on a reel.

12. Packaged material according to claim 10 or claim 11, comprising packaged shoe lace material.

13. Sets of packaged material according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein in different sets the material is colleted at differently sized regular intervals.

14. Sets of packaged material according to claim 13, wherein in different sets the material has different colours.

15. A display stand carrying sets of packaged material according to claims 13 and 14.

16. A shoe lace when produced by the method of any of claims 1 to 9.

17. A method of manufacture of shoe laces substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.