US20140215777A1

US20140215777A1 - Adjustable shoestring device

Info

Publication number: US20140215777A1
Application number: US13/787,812
Authority: US
Inventors: Cheng-Yung Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-02-04
Filing date: 2013-03-07
Publication date: 2014-08-07
Also published as: TWM457453U

Abstract

An adjustable shoestring includes an elastic shoestring body and a fastener coupled to the body. The body includes an elastic rope ribbon, a buckle hole, and engaging balls spaced equidistantly configured on the right side of the rope ribbon. The fastener includes a through hole allowing the right end of the body to be passed through, a buckle stub buckled with buckle hole and a slot engaged securely with the ball on the right of the ribbon; the through hole allows the balls on the ribbon to be passed through. Engaging balls may be configured on the left side of the rope ribbon optionally. The adjustable shoestring device can be properly adjusted depending on the size of a foot. The present invention has multiple safety designs, and the end portion of a longer shoestring may be cut off. The shoestring will not be treaded and a person wearing a shoe with the shoestring will not fall down.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe accessory, and more particularly to an adjustable shoestring device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The current top of shoe generally has a plurality of shoestring holes thereon allowing a shoestring to pass through them in an interlacing way. Tying tightly or loosing the shoestring is convenient for wearing or taking off shoes. However, such kind of conventional shoestring is tied up securely after a shoe is worn on a foot; if the shoestring is not tied up securely, it will loose. It a conventional shoestring is treaded, a person wearing the shoe falls down easily. In addition, to children, the current shoestring tying way is very tedious. Moreover, the length of a conventional shoestring cannot be adjusted depending on the size of a foot because it is fixed; to a person with shallow feet, a shoestring is still overlong even if it is tied up, and an exposed overlong surplus portion of the shoestring also causes it to be treaded easily and a person wearing the shoe therefore to fall down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To improve the deficits mentioned above and carry out the proper adjustment of a shoestring depending on the size of a foot, the present invention is proposed.
The present invention proposes an adjustable rubber shoestring device, which can be properly adjusted depending on the size of a foot, and has better adaptability, use convenience and multiple safety designs. In addition, the end portion of a longer shoestring may be cut off without destroying the whole shoestring structure and influencing use performance thereof, and therefore the shoestring will not be treaded and a person wearing a shoe with the shoestring therefore will not fall down.
An adjustable shoestring according to the present invention includes an elastic shoestring body and a fastener coupled cooperatively to the elastic shoestring body. The elastic shoestring body includes an elastic rope ribbon, a buckle hole configured on the left side of the elastic rope ribbon, and another plurality of engaging balls configured on the right side of the elastic rope ribbon. The fastener includes a through hole allowing the right side end portion of the elastic shoestring body to be passed through, a buckle stub adapted to buckle with buckle hole and a slot adapted to engage securely with the engaging ball on the right side of the elastic rope ribbon; the through hole of the fastener allows the engaging balls on the elastic rope ribbon to be passed through. In a preferred embodiment, at least two engaging balls are configured equidistantly on the right side of the elastic rope ribbon, and the distance between the through hole and slot is the same as the one between the two adjacent engaging balls; but, the distance between the adjacent two engaging balls is slightly larger or smaller than the one between the through hole and slot is still allowed because the elastic rope ribbon itself is resilient.
A further improvement of the above technology is that the buckle stub is a obtuse column.
Another further improvement of the above technology is that the elastic shoestring and fastener coupled thereto may be integrated upon manufacturing by means of injection molding.
In the present invention, the diameter of the engaging ball matches the width of the slot.
In the present invention, at least two engaging balls may be configured distantly on the left side of the elastic shoestring body.
In the present invention, the elastic shoestring body is made of rubber, and the fastener is made of hard plastics.
Comparing with the prior arts, the present invention has the following advantages:

- (1) the present invention utilizes a fastener to match with an elastic shoestring body, capable of carrying out the adjustment of shoe wearing tightness automatically depending on the size of a foot; the present invention has high practicability and wide use range.
- (2) upon the assembly of an adjustable shoestring device of the present invention, the end portion of the elastic rope ribbon is passed through corresponding shoestring holes, the right end portion of the elastic rope ribbon may be passed through a buckle hole on a fastener when at least two engaging balls are configured on the right end portion of the rope ribbon depending on practical wearing requirements. A user may choose one of the engaging balls on the right side end portion of the rope ribbon freely and engage it in the slot of the fastener depending on the actual size of their own foot, and the preceding engaging ball with a through hole on the fastener correspondingly, thus, ensuring that the shoestring has two-step safety designs: the first one is the engagement of the engaging ball with the through hole, and the second one is the matching engagement of the engaging with the slot, thereby allowing the shoestring to be tied up securely without loosing, and used safely and conveniently.
- (3) If the right side end portion of the elastic rope ribbon is longer, a user may cut off a slightly longer portion of the end portion depending on practical requirements, preventing the shoestring from being treaded, thereby to avoid the user falling down when the adjustable shoestring device of the present invention is in use. Comparing with the prior arts, the present invention is safer.
- (4) in a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shoestring device, engaging balls are configured on the left side end portion of the elastic rope ribbon, having a function of left and right side visual symmetry, thereby allowing the entirety thereof to be more eye-appealing. In addition, the engaging balls configured on the left side end portion of the rope ribbon prevent the rope ribbon from slipping on the shoestring hole after the engaging ball is passed through the shoestring hole, having a positioning effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable shoestring device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the structure of an elastic shoestring body of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the structure of a fastener of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an adjustable shoestring device of the present invention in use; and

FIG. 5 is another schematic view of an adjustable shoestring device of the present invention in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an adjustable shoestring device includes an elastic shoestring body 1 and a fastener 2 coupled cooperatively to the elastic shoestring body 1. The elastic shoestring body 1 includes an elastic rope ribbon 11, a buckle hole 12 and two engaging balls 13 spaced with a certain distance configured on the left side of the elastic rope ribbon 11, and seven engaging balls 13′, each adjacent two of which are spaced with the certain distance mentioned above, configured on the right side of the elastic rope ribbon 11. A through hole 21 allowing the right side end portion of the elastic shoestring body 1 to be passed through, a buckle stub 22 used for buckling with the buckle hole 12 and a slot 23 used for engaging with the engaging ball 13′ on the right side of the elastic rope ribbon 11 are configured on the fastener 2, where the distance between the through hole 21 and slot 23 of the fastener 2 is equal to the one between the two adjacent engaging balls 13 or 13′, and the diameter of the through hole 21 is larger than the one of the elastic rope ribbon 11. If the diameter of the through hole 21 is made equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the engaging ball 13, 13′, the engaging ball 13, 13′ is allowed to be passed through the through hole 21 by means of interference fit under the weak elastic action of plastics, and then secured to the through hole 21 tightly; all can achieve a drawing-in effect. In the present invention, the elastic shoestring body 1 is made of rubber and the fastener 2 hard plastics.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the buckle stub 22 is an obtuse column, and the buckle hole 12 may be coupled and fastened to the buckle stub 22, thereby combining them together. However, the elastic shoestring body 1 may be integrated with the fastener 2 upon manufacturing by means of injection molding, allowing the end of the fastener 2 where the obtuse column is positioned to be integrated with the soft elastic shoestring body 1; it also can bring an shoestring fastening effect identical to the embodiment mentioned above into full play.
The diameter of the engaging ball 13, 13′ matches the width of the slot 23, allowing the engaging ball 13, 13′ to be fastened tightly in the slot 23 after being engaged with the slot 23.
The following will describe the working principle of the adjustable shoestring device in detail. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a user may pass one end portion of the elastic rope ribbon 11 through corresponding shoestring holes 3 upon use.
Next, a user judges the size of the top of his own foot according to a practical shoe wearing requirement for the size of their own foot, passes the right end portion of the elastic rope ribbon 11 through the through hole 21 on the fastener 2, engages the engaging ball 13′ at a proper position on the right side end of the elastic rope ribbon 11 in the slot 23, and then engages the preceding engaging ball 13′ on the through hole 21 of the fastener 2, allowing the shoestring to have two safety designs; a first safety design is the engagement of the engaging ball 13′ with the through hole 23, and a second safety design is the matching engagement of the engaging ball 13′ with the slot 23, thereby ensuring that the shoestring is fastened securely without loosing, guaranteeing a normal use performance of an adjustable shoestring device of the present invention. In another preferred embodiment, only one single engaging ball 13′ is configured on the right side end portion; the engaging ball 13′ configured on the right side end portion of the rope ribbon is simply engaged in the slot 23 without loosing after it is passed through the through hole 21, and a usable shoestring is formed. In addition, the present invention is also convenient for a user to adjust a practical use length of the shoestring; the user may cut off an extended-out section of the surplus shoestring body when the right side portion of the elastic rope ribbon 11 is overlong, thereby preventing the shoe string from being treaded on to cause the user to fall down due to the overlong shoestring, and ensuring the user's safety.
The configuration number of the engaging balls 13 and the one of the engaging balls 13′ in the present embodiment respectively are two and seven. But, the present invention is not so limited; at least two engaging balls configured on the right side are enough.
Furthermore, the elastic shoestring body and fastener coupled thereto may be integrated together by means of injection molding during manufacturing; the buckle stub on the fastener and the buckle hole on the left side of the elastic rope ribbon can be omitted upen the one piece manufacturing.

Claims

I claim:

1. An adjustable shoestring device, comprising:

an elastic shoestring body, comprising an elastic rope ribbon, a buckle hole configured on a left side of said elastic rope ribbon, and a plurality of engaging balls configured on a right side of said elastic rope ribbon;

a fastener, coupled cooperatively to said elastic shoestring body, configured with a through hole for allowing a right side end of said elastic shoestring body to be passed through, a buckle stub adapted to buckle with said buckle hole, and a slot adapted to engage securely with said engaging ball on said right side of said elastic rope ribbon.

2. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein said buckle stub is an obtuse column.

3. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of said engaging ball matches with a width of said slot, allowing said engaging ball to be engaged with said slot securely.

4. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein at least two engaging balls spaced distantly are configured on a right side of said elastic shoestring body.

5. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein engaging balls are configured on a left side of said elastic shoestring body

6. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein said elastic shoestring body is made of rubber.

7. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein said fastener is made of hard plastics.

8. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein a distance between said through hole and said slot of said fastener is the same as a distance between said two adjacent engaging balls.

9. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 4, wherein said engaging balls configured on said right side of said elastic shoestring body are spaced equidistantly.

10. The adjustable shoestring device according to claim 1, wherein said elastic shoestring body is integrated with said fastener by means of injection molding during manufacturing, said buckle stub on said fastener and said buckle hole on said left side of said elastic rope ribbon are all omitted upen said one piece manufacturing.