Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C11/00—Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C7/00—Holding-devices for laces
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43C—FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL
  • A43C7/00—Holding-devices for laces
  • A43C7/08—Clamps drawn tight by laces
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T24/00—Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
  • Y10T24/37—Drawstring, laced-fastener, or separate essential cooperating device therefor
  • Y10T24/3703—Includes separate device for holding drawn portion of lacing
  • Y10T24/3713—Includes separate device for holding drawn portion of lacing having relatively movable holding components or surfaces

Definitions

• the present invention relates to shoelace tying devices, and more particularly to a shoelace tying device which is coupled to a shoelace so as to firmly maintain a taut tied state of the shoelace.
• most widely used shoes are designed to enable a wearer to tighten the shoe to conform closely with the shape of the foot of the wearer by adjusting a tightening degree of a shoelace, which is threaded through eyelets punched through a shoe shell.
• the shoelace threaded through the eyelets is pulled tautly by the wearer so as to cause the shoe to tighten around the foot of the wearer, and then both free ends of the shoelace are tied into a bow-shaped knot.
• the shoelace-type shoe has several drawbacks in that it is troublesome in use since the wearer has to tie or untie the shoelace whenever putting on or taking off the shoes, and the shoelace will often become inadvertently loosened and untied when walking.
• Korean Patent Registration No. 171552 (March 15, 2000), Korean Patent Laid-OpenNo.2001-0008137 (February 2, 2001), etc. disclose shoelace tying devices.
• the disclosed conventional shoelace tying devices have several problems in that a shoelace cannot be easily threaded through the devices, and, even after being tightened, the tension in the shoelace is gradually released when walking which will cause the shoe to loosen on the foot of the wearer.
• the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoelace tying device which can be easily coupled to a shoelace, and enables the shoelace to be easily and rapidly tied and untied when putting on and taking off one's shoes.
• a shoelace tying device comprising: a housing; a pair of lace passages, into which both free ends of the shoelace are threaded to penetrate therethrough, respectively; a pair of shuttles, which are vertically reciprocatable so as to widen or narrow a width of the lace passages, respectively, when the shoelace, penetrating through the lace passages, is pulled to tighten a shoe, the shuttles being moved to widen the width of the lace passages, respectively, thereby securing free movement of the shoelace, whereas, when the shoelace is untied to loosen the shoe, the shuttles being moved to narrow the width of the lace passages, respectively, thereby restricting the movement of the shoelace; a pair of elastic members adapted to apply elasticity to the shuttles, respectively, for allowing the shuttles to move so as to narrow the width of the respective lace passages; and a release button adapted to cause the shuttles to move so
• a pair of inclined protrusions may be obliquely arranged adjacent to the shuttles inside a space defined between an upper wall and a lower wall of the housing, respectively, spaces defined between the upper and lower walls around the respective inclined protrusions may define the lace passages, respectively, and the inclined protrusions may be positioned so that they are upwardly close to or downwardly apart from a vertical movement path of the shuttles, thereby causing the lace passages to be narrowed or widen according to vertical movements of the shuttles.
• the shuttles may be toothed wheels, and may be reciprocatably fitted in shuttle slots formed at upper and lower sides of the housing.
• the elastic members may be torsion springs incorporated in the housing.
• the shoelace tying device may further comprise a shoelace holder incorporated in the housing, into which both hanging ends of the shoelace are fitted and tied.
• the shoelace holder may include a pair of connecting rods connected at their one-side ends to the housing, a holder body connected to the other ends of the connecting rods and having a plurality of holes for allowing the shoelace to be threaded therethrough into a bow-shaped knot, one surface of the holder body being opened to allow the shoelace to approach the holes, and a cap for covering the opened surface of the holder body.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view iUustratii g a shoelace tying device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 1, shown in a state wherein covers are omitted;
• FIG. 3 is an exemplary view iUustrating a state wherein the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 1 is mounted to a shoe;
• FIGs.4A to 4D are plan views illustrating sequential operating steps of the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 1 ;
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view iUustrating a shoelace tying device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 5, shown in a state wherein covers are omitted; ,
• FIG. 7 is an exemplary view illustrating a state wherein the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 5 is mounted to a shoe.
• FIGs. 8A to 8D are plan views illustrating sequential operating steps of the shoelace tying device shown in FIG. 5.
• the shoelace tying device which is designated as reference numeral 1
• the shoelace tying device is a device for tightly tying both ends of a shoelace 2 so as not to be inadvertently loosened and untied, and essentially comprises a pair of left and right lace passages . 20, a pair of left and right shuttles 30, a pair of left and right elastic members 40, and a release button 50. All these enumerated components are incorporated in a housing 10 of the shoelace tying device 1.
• the shoelace tying device 1 is designed to tie both the ends of the shoelace 2 in the same manner as each other.
• the shoelace tying device 1 is structured so that its left and right sides are symmetrical to each other.
• only one side of the symmetric structure will be explained as occasion demands.
• the housing 10 is a casing member for incorporating various components of the shoelace tying device 1 therein.
• the housing 10 has an approximately rectangular sectional shape in the embodiment shown in FIGs.1 to 4D, it should be noted that the shape of the housing 10 is not limited to any specific shape so long as it can incorporate other components of the device 1 to conform to their purposes.
• the housing 10 may be formed into an elliptical shape as shown in FIG. 5, and, furthermore, may be formed into other various characteristic shapes capable of attracting interest of children.
• the lace passages 20 are passages for allowing the shoelace 2 to penetrate therealong inside the housing 10.
• a pair of inclined protrusions 13 are symmetrically incorporated in a space defined between an upper wall 11 and a lower wall 12 of the housing 10 so that they are spaced apart from the upper and lower walls 11 and 12 by constant distances and are obliquely oriented relative to a vertical movement path of the respective shuttles 30.
• the lace passage 20 is divided into three passage sections 20A, 20B, and 20C.
• the shoelace 2 first enters the passage section 20A defined between the upper wall 11 and the inclined protrusion 13, then goes round the passage section 20B defined between the inclined protrusion 13 and the shuttle 30, and finally comes out of the passage section 20C defined between the inclined protrusion 13 and the lower wall 12. That is, the shoelace 2 is threaded in the housing 10 while moving one turn around the inclined protrusion 13.
• terms "the upper wall” and “the lower wall” of the housing 10 are classified simply in consideration of upper and lower positions of the drawings.
• the shuttles 30 are members for tightening the shoelace 2 so as not to be inadvertently loosened and untied, as well as for enabling the shoelace 2 to be simply and easily untied when taking off shoes.
• the shuttles 30 are moved by the movement of the shoelace 2 so as to widen a width of the passage sections 20B in a direction of the arrows shown in
• FIG. 4 A thereby being adapted not to restrict the movement of the shoelace 2. In this way, the shoelace 2 is maintained in a freely movable state.
• the shoelace 2 is freely movable in a direction of tightening the shoe 3, but is limited in its movement in a direction of loosening the shoelace 3.
• each of the inclined protrusions 13 is obliquely arranged so that it is upwardly close to or downwardly apart from the shuttle slots 14 and 71.
• the shuttle slots 14 are formed at a lower surface of the housing 10, and the other shuttle slots 71 are formed at ai inner cover 70, which will be explained hereinafter.
• the elastic members 40 are members for providing an elastic force required to move the shuttles 30 upwardly so as to narrow the lace passage sections 20B and thus restrict the shoelace 2. h other words, if no external force is applied thereto, the shuttles 30 are maintained in such an upwardly moved position by receiving the elastic force of the elastic members 40, respectively.
• each of the elastic members which is specifically designated as reference numeral 40A, takes the form of an elastic plate-shaped member integrally protruding from the housing 10 below an associated one of the shuttles 30.
• the elasticity of the elastic plate-shaped member 40A is the elasticity of a material of the housing 10 itself, and the housing 10, for example, is made of plastic synthetic resins.
• the release button 50 is a button for allowing the tightened shoelace 2 to be loosened.
• the release button which is specifically designated as reference numeral 50A, is fitted at the center thereof around one end of a partition 15.
• the partition 15 forms the center of a left and right symmetrical structure of the housing 10.
• the release button 50A has two operating portions 51 for pressing a pair of the left and right shuttles 30, respectively, and a button portion 52.
• the release button 50A which comes into contact at its operating portions 51 with both the shuttles 30, is moved upwardly, thereby causing the button portion 52 to protrude upwardly out of the housing 10.
• the operating portions 51 of the release button 50A act to correspondingly push the shuttles 30 downwardly and thus cause the lace passage sections 20B to widen, hi this way, the shoelace 2 is released from its restricted state, so as to be loosened if necessary.
• the shoelace 2 can be tightened so as not to be inadvertently loosened by being pulled by the wearer as desired. Furthermore, the shoelace 2 can be continuously maintained in the tightened state unless the wearer pushes the release button 50A.
• the shoelace tying device 1 of the present invention is preferably formed with a pair of left and right shoelace holders 60 for grasping both hanging ends of the shoelace 2.
• Each shoelace holder shown in FIGs.l to 4D which is specifically designated as reference numeral 60A, has a holder post 61 formed at either comer of a lower edge of the housing
• a narrow gap 62 for allowing the shoelace 2 to be fixedly fitted therein.
• the shoelace 2 is securely captured in the gap 62, so as to be smartly tied and fixed.
• the shoelace tying device 1 of the present invention comprises the inner cover 70, and an outer cover 80.
• the inner cover 70 is formed with a pair of the above described shuttle slots 71. Therefore, in a state wherein the housing 10 is covered with the inner cover 70, both the shuttles 30 are fitted in the shuttle slots 71 in a vertically movable manner, respectively.
• One end of the inner cover 70 is hingedly connected to one end of the housing 10, and the other end thereof is adapted to be elastically locked in a locking groove 16 formed at the other end of the housing 10 in its covered state.
• the outer cover 80 is formed with a pair of inclined protrusion slots 81 having a shape and size suitable for the fitting of the respective inclined protrusions 13.
• both free hanging ends of the shoelace 2 are fitted in the gaps 62 so as to be stably fixed by the shoelace holders 60 A, respectively.
• the release button 50 is pushed by the wearer as shown in FIG.4D, the shuttles 30 are moved downwardly by overcoming the elasticity of the elastic plate-shaped members 40A. As a result, the shoelace 2 is released from its restricted state to allow it to be loosened and untied if necessary.
• the shoelace tying device 1 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to tightly tie the shoelace 2 so that it is not inadvertently loosened by simply pulling the shoelace 2 as desired. Further, the shoelace 2 can be simply released from its taut tied state as the release button 50 is pushed by the wearer.
• the shoelace tying device 1 basically comprises a pair of the left and right lace passages 20, a pair of the left and right shuttles 30, a pair of the left and right elastic members 40, and the release button 50, and all these components are incorporated in the housing 10.
• the first and second embodiments are somewhat different in relation to the sectional shape of the housing 10, the kind of the elastic members 40, the shape of the release button 50, and the structure of the shoelace holder 60. Therefore, in the following description, some parts in this embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment and thus denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.
• the housing 10 which has an approximately elliptical sectional shape, also incorporate the inclined protrusions 13 therein so that the inclined protrusions 13 are spaced apart from the upper and lower walls 11 and 12 by constant distances and are obliquely oriented. Thereby, either space between the upper and lower walls 11 and 12 around the respective inclined protrusions 13 defines the respective lace passages 20.
• the shoelace 2 enters the passage sections 20A defined between the upper wall 11 and the inclined protrusions 13, then goes round the passage sections 20B between the inclined protrusions 13 and the shuttles 30, and finally comes out of the passage sections 20C between the inclined protrusions 13 and the lower wall 12.
• the elastic plate-shaped members 40A integrally formed with the housing 10, are used as the elastic members 40, but the present embodiment uses torsion springs 40B as the elastic members 40.
• the torsion springs 40B are installed between the respective shuttles 30 and the lower wall 12 of the housing 10, and adapted to push the shuttles 30 upwardly so as to narrow the lace passage sections 20B, respectively.
• the reference numeral 41 denotes posts, around which the torsion springs 40B are fitted, respectively.
• the release button which is specifically designated as reference numeral 50B in the second embodiment, is also fitted at the center thereof around one end of the partition 15 formed in the housing 10.
• the release button 50B of the second embodiment has the two operating portions 51 for pressing the two shuttles 30, the button portion 52, and elastic wings 53 formed at both sides of the button portion 52, respectively. With such a configuration, by virtue of the elasticity of the wings 53, the release button 50B can be smoothly returned to its original position at the same time as the removal of a pushing force exerted upon the release button 50B.
• the shoelace holders 60 is provided a single shoelace holder 60B.
• the shoelace holder 60B comprises a pair of connecting rods 63, a ring-shaped holder body 6 , and a cap 66.
• the connecting rods 63 are connected at their one-side ends to the housing 10.
• the ring-shaped holder body 64 is connected to the other ends of the connecting rods 63, and is formed with a plurality of holes 65 for allowing the shoelace 2 to be threaded therethrough into a bow-shaped knot.
• One surface of the holder body 64, more particularly, the upper surface thereof is opened for enabling the shoelace 2 to approach the holes 65.
• the cap 66 is used to cover the opened surface of the holder body 64.
• the connecting rods 63 may be configured to be fitted around any projections similar to the holder posts 61 of the first embodiment, and the connecting rods 63 and the holder body 64 may be formed into a single member or may be fomied into independent members configured to be assembled to each other.
• the holes 65 of the holder body 64 include an insertion hole 65 A, through which both free ends of the shoelace 2 are inserted together, four side holes 65B spaced apart from both sides of the insertion hole 65 A, in pairs, by approximately 90 degrees so as to allow both the ends of the shoelace 2 to be tied into a bow-shaped knot, and a drawing hole 65C fomied at an opposite position of the insertion hole 65 A, through wliich both free ends of the shoelace 2 are drawn together.
• both free ends of the shoelace 2, hanging from the device 1 can be smartly tied into a bow-shaped knot.
• a locker which is designated as reference numeral 72, is used to lock the inner cover 70 to the housing 10
• another locker which is designated as reference numeral 82, is used to lock the outer cover 80 to the housing 10.
• the shuttles 30 are moved downwardly, thereby allowing the shoelace 2 to be released from its restrained state. In this way, the shoelace 2 is maintained so as to be loosened if necessary.
• the present invention provides a shoelace tying device designed to enable a wearer to tighten the shoe to conform closely with the shape of the foot of the wearer, which can allow a shoelace to be easily and rapidly tied and untied when putting on and taking off the shoe. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to continuously maintain the shoelace in a taut tied state unless a release button is pushed, thereby being capable of preventing the shoelace from becoming inadvertently loosened and untied. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to smartly tie both hanging ends of the tiglitened shoelace into a bow-shaped knot.

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• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=34386584

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Citations (4)

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• 2003
  • 2003-03-20 KR KR20-2003-0008294U patent/KR200317479Y1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-09-26 JP JP2004569615A patent/JP2006527001A/ja active Pending
  • 2003-09-26 CN CNA03826174XA patent/CN1758862A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-09-26 WO PCT/KR2003/001961 patent/WO2004082417A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2003-09-26 AU AU2003266726A patent/AU2003266726A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-26 US US10/549,419 patent/US20060168784A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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