US3330011A

US3330011A - Shoe strings

Info

Publication number: US3330011A
Application number: US489295A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Fred P Michael
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-09-22
Filing date: 1965-09-22
Publication date: 1967-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 1984-07-11

Description

ly 1967 F. P. MlCHAEL, JR 3,330,011

SHOE STRINGS Filed Sept. 22, 1965 United States Patent 3,330,011 SHOE STRINGS Fred P. Michael, Jr., 4634 Nor-hill, Houston, Tex. 77009 Filed Sept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,295 4 Claims. (Cl. 24143) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tip device for use on woven members to prevent fraying, tattering, or unthreading. The invention is particularly adaptable to shoe laces wherein the tip device is a heat shrinkable plastic sleeve, and the sleeve is heated by a flammable chemical for example. The heat causes the sleeve to become afiixed to the shoe lace in a fixed position thereon.

The present invention relates to improvements in shoe strings, and more particularly to a variable length shoe string including means for preventing fraying, tattering, and unraveling of the tips.

Shoe strings are sold in various lengths in many stores and repair shops to match the variable number of eyelets found in shoes. Mens shoes range from two eyelet dress shoes to high-top work and military boots having perhaps as many as twenty eyelets per side. Shoe strings are available for those needing the standard twenty-seven inch lace, while others must either buy from only a few repair stores, or perhaps specialty shops such as military posts or the like. In any event, it will be appreciated that it is often difiicult to fin-d and buy the replacement laces needed in an emergency when a non-standard length is worn.

The manner of lacing a string through the eyelets is a matter of taste which often results in variation in the optimum length needed for a particular pair of shoes, wherein the shortage of length is made up by tying a skimpy knot, or the excess in length is taken up by an oversized knot. In either situation, the need can also be recognized for different lengths of laces which can now only be found commercially in three inch increments. This is not adequate in some instances.

Emergency requirements in replacing broken laces for a person owning more than two pair of shoes is likely to entail the storage of a pair of laces for each pair of shoes, and hopefully extras at the ofiice, factory, or perhaps in the family car. The total number of extra laces can multiply, unless the owner is willing to run the risk of breakage and the resulting inconvenience. The present invention is adapted to obviate such requirements, and therefore has as one object the provision of a pair of shoe laces which can be tailored to individual requirements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe lace that can be cut to length without leaving an unraveled end sometimes found on cut woven members.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shoe string which can be stored in bulk in repair shops or the like -by providing a supply of the Woven member and a plurality of tips which can be located at will on the member.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shoe string of variable length wherein the length preferred by the user is adjusted on the string, a tip is applied to protect the end of the string, and the string is cut at the applied tip to define a shoe string of the desired length.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shoe string tip which can replace the lost or broken tip on conventional laces to increase the life of the laces.

One object of this invention is to make available a shoe lace of excess length having two slidable tips thereon which can be fixed to the lace by heating to define custommade laces.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent after a reading of the appended specification and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe lace of indefinite length having a fixed tip thereon and a slidable sleeve for defining the other tip, said sleeve being cut away to show construction of one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a member having tips at each end and a pair of slidable sleeves which can be used to define a pair of laces on the member.

Attention is first directed to FIG. 2 which illustrates an elongate member 10 of predetermined length which has a pair of fixed tips 12 firmly attached at the ends 10a. The tips 12 of the FIG. 2 embodiment are of conventional construction, such as plastic or the like, and they may be wrapped about the elongate member 10 in a conventional manner. The elongate member 10 is ordinarily woven or braded cotton or synthetic fibers, and it may be flat or round. The elongate member 10 is normally formed of materials which fray or tatter when the member 10 is cut, so that it will be appreciated that the tips 12 are applied to the member 10 to prevent unraveling. It is quite difficult to feed a lace through an eyelet when the end of the lace is frayed and flutfed to a size larger than the eyelet.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the elongate member is approximately twice the estimated length of two shoe laces, or preferably about six feet long. A length of about six feet is adequate to provide laces for a pair of shoes having up to eight or nine eyelets on each side of the shoe. Also, the length is more than sufiicient to permit the user to tie his laces in any manner requiring extra length.

A pair of slidable sleeves 22 are placed on the elongate member 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The slidable sleeves are movable in either direction as indicated by the arrows 24. If the user needs a pair of laces, each of which is a different length, he can first thread the member 10 through the eyelets of one shoe and obtain one desired length on the laced shoe with the remainder of the member 10 reserved for the other shoe of the pair. The present invention permits the user to cut the member 10 after sizing the member 10 to the first shoe, and the remaining portion of the member is sufficient for use on the other shoe. For a better understanding of the means provided herewith, attention is next directed to FIG. 1 which illustrates the elongate member 10 and the sleeve 22 in enlarged scale.

The sleeve 22 is assembled in the illustrated manner by slidably placing a heat shrinkable tubing 32 about the member 10. The tubing 32 is surrounded by a wrapping 34 of thin aluminum foil or some other material providing good heat transfer characteristics. The foil 34 provides a bonding surface for a chemical mixture adapted to heat the tubing 32 above a predetermined temperature to shrink the tubing 32. The chemical mixture 36 is shown in FIG. 1 as extending fully about the foil 34 and in intimate contact therewith so that ignition will transfer heat through the foil 34 and to the tubing 32. V

The material selected for the tubing 32 may be any of the commercially available heat shrinkable plastics. Such heat shrinkable plastics are generally formed by subject- I ing a base polymer such as polyolefin, polyvinychloride,

will no longer melt, but will exhibit perfect elasticity above their crystalline melting point. They can then be All of the above polymers when treated as described above and formed in the shape of a tube will shrink to about 50% of their original expanded diameter upon being reheated. The minimum temperatureat which the below listed polymers, after treatment as described above, will shrink is as follows:

Temperature (approx) C.

Polymer, (treated as described above):

Of course, the materials may be raised above the minimum temperature to expedite the shrinking process.

The preferred polymer is a treated polyolefin such as polyethylene. As will be implied by the above description of the tubing 32, the chemical 36 must elevate the temperature of the tubing 32 above 135 C. One mixture of chemicals found to be inflammable and capable of heating the tubing 32 above the required level without scorching is a mixture of conventional model airplane dope, potassium nitrate and powdered sulphur. Of course, the mixture may be varied. By way ofexample and not limitation, the sulphur may be replaced with or augmented by potassium chlorate, lead dioxide, sodium nitrate, potassium phosphate, ammonium nitrate and many others. The bonding material can be varied as will be recognized by those skilled in the art and is considered adequate if it maintains the combustible chemical in proximity of the foil 34, although it may itself be flammable.

The present invention is used in the following manner. The shoe lace shown in FIG. 2 is threaded through the eyelets of one of a pair of shoes and the knot is adjusted to suit the tastes of the user. One of the two slidable sleeves 22 shown in FIG. 2 is positioned as desired, relative to the knot, and an open flame is applied to the chemical 36 coated on the sleeve 22. The flame may be supplied by a pocket lighter or ordinary match, and it need only be applied sutficiently to ignite the combustible material 36. The material 36 burns and supplies adequate heat through the foil 34 to elevate the tubing 32 above the shrinking temperature. The tubing 32 shrinks, and firmly grips member 10. After the combustible material 36 is consumed and foil 34 cools, foil 34 is slipped olf the tubing 32 and disposed of. The foil is easily removed because the tubing 32 shrinks within it and provides clearance for removal. Of course, the foil may be made in the form of a wrap and will therefore include a seam which can easily be unw pp It will be noted at this juncture that the shoe lace in the first of the pair has been defined, but it remains connected to the member 10.

The next step involves the cutting of the lace placed in the first of the pair of shoes and the severingof the remainder of the member 10. The cut is best eflected at'the tubing 32 which is shrunk about the member and a smallportion of the tubing may even be cut therewith to define a neat, clean cut across the woven member and the new tip placed thereon. The remainder of the member 10 and the other sleeve 22 is thereby made available for use in the other shoe of the pair.

The other shoe is then laced in the same manner as described above and the remaining slidable sleeve 22 is positioned as desired and tubing 32 applied by ignition of the combustible material 36. A knife or other sharp implement is used to cut the member 10 and the excess is discarded. The foil is easily peeled from the tubing 32 and the tip may be trimmed with the knife if thought desirable.

The device of the present invention can be used in other ways. For instance, a cobbler may find it desirable to store the member '10 in bulk wound about a reel or other device. The needed length of member 10 can be threaded through the eyelets of the shoe, and a pair of slidable tips 22 taken from a storage receptacle and applied to the ends of the member 10. The two tips 22 are heated in the described manner to shrink the tips on the member. The

foil is then peeled from the tips 22 and the member 10 is then finished as a complete shoe lace. By the means described, the shoe repair shop can keep on hand cord in the stylish colors and needs only one supply of tips 22 to complete the shoe lace for all shoes. 7

Other variations of the present invention are within the scope of the appended claims, and the foregoing examples are given by way of example and not limitation.

What is claimed is: 1. A tip device for use on woven members to prevent fraying, tattering, or. unthreading, comprising:

a heat shrinkable plastic sleeve adapted to fit about a woven member adaptable for use as a shoe string; a heat conductive protective cover about said sleeve;

and a flammable chemical carried adjacent said protective member for heating said sleeve to at least a predetermined temperature. 2. The article of claim 1 wherein: the heat shrinkable plastic sleeve is formed of an electron beam radiated polyolefin. 3. A pair of shoe laces comprising: a flexible member of a determined length; a pair of fixed sleeves firmly gripping the ends of said member; V a pair of sleeves slidably positioned on said member intermediate to its ends, said sleeves being formed of an electron beam radiated polyolefin which is heat shrinkable; and, means for elevating the temperature of slidable sleeves so that they firmly grip the member for defining a pair of shoe laces of a predetermined length, said means including a combustible material encircling and in intimate proximity of said slidable sleeves. 4. A pair of shoe laces comprising: a flexible member of a determined length;

a pair of fixed sleeves firmly gripping the ends of said 7 2 member; a pair of sleeves slidably positioned on said member intermediate to its ends, said sleeves being formed of a heat shrinkable plastic material; and,

means for elevating the temperature of said slidable sleeves so that they firmly grip the member for defining a pair of shoe laces of a predetermined length, said means including a heat conductive member about each of said slidable sleeves and a combustible chemical thereon for heating said sleeves to a predetermined temperature.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Examiner.

Claims

1. A TIP DEVICE FOR USE ON WOVEN MEMBERS TO PREVENT FRAYING, TATTERING, OR UNTHREADING, COMPRISING: A HEAT SHRINKABLE PLASTIC SLEEVE ADAPTED TO FIT ABOUT A WOVEN MEMBER ADAPTABLE FOR USE AS A SHOE STRING; A HEAT CONDUCTIVE PROTECTIVE COVER ABOUT SAID SLEEVE; AND A FLAMMABLE CHEMICAL CARRIED ADJACENT SAID PROTECTIVE MEMBER FOR HEATING SAID SLEEVE TO AT LEAST A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE.