U.S. patent application number 10/376987 was filed with the patent office on 2003-09-25 for laced shoe.
This patent application is currently assigned to Goodwell International Ltd.. Invention is credited to Elkington, Mark, Kohler, Ralph.
Application Number | 20030177662 10/376987 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7713977 |
Filed Date | 2003-09-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030177662 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Elkington, Mark ; et
al. |
September 25, 2003 |
Laced shoe
Abstract
A laced shoe having a shoelace which is conducted along guide
elements disposed on opposing flaps of the shoe. The shoe includes
spacers, disposed between the flaps, to serve as limiting stops to
define the gap between the flaps. In this way, the tightness of the
lacing in various sections of the shoe can be individually limited.
The spacers may be tubes or helical springs threaded or clipped on
sections of the shoelace.
Inventors: |
Elkington, Mark; (Tuen Mun,
HK) ; Kohler, Ralph; (Oberperfuss, AT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SENNIGER POWERS LEAVITT AND ROEDEL
ONE METROPOLITAN SQUARE
16TH FLOOR
ST LOUIS
MO
63102
US
|
Assignee: |
Goodwell International Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
7713977 |
Appl. No.: |
10/376987 |
Filed: |
February 28, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/50.1 ;
36/50.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43C 1/00 20130101; A43C
7/00 20130101; A43C 11/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/50.1 ;
36/50.5 |
International
Class: |
A43C 011/00; A43B
005/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 1, 2002 |
DE |
102 08 853.5 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A laced shoe comprising: opposing flaps having guide elements
mounted thereon; a shoelace conducted along the guide elements; and
spacers disposed to define a gap between the flaps.
2. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the spacers comprise
sleeves supported on sections of the shoelace.
3. A laced shoe according to claim 2 wherein the sleeves surround
the sections of the shoelace.
4. A laced shoe according to claim 3 wherein the sleeves are
threaded on the shoelace.
5. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the spacers are
clipped on the shoelace.
6. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein each spacer comprises
a tubular body.
7. A laced shoe according to claim 6 wherein each spacer has a
notch extending longitudinally, and several notches extending
circumferentially.
8. A laced shoe according to claim 6 wherein each spacer comprises
two half-sleeves which are connected together by positively
locking.
9. A laced shoe according to claim 6 wherein each spacer includes
annular segments with circular segment-shaped openings.
10. A laced shoe according to one claim 1 wherein each spacer is a
helical spring.
11. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the shoelace has a
coating made of friction-reducing material.
12. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the spacers comprise
perforated disks adapted to be threaded on the shoelace, and
further comprising a fixing device for fixing the perforated disks
to prevent shifting along the shoelace.
13. A laced shoe according to claim 12 wherein the fixing device
comprises a toothed rod.
14. A laced shoe according to claim 12 wherein the fixing device
comprises a perforated rod having a plurality of holes arranged in
a row, and each perforated disk having a pin adapted to be inserted
into the holes.
15. A laced shoe according to claim 12 further comprising a tongue
and wherein the fixing device is formed integrally with the
tongue.
16. A laced shoe according to claim 1 further comprising at least
one insert nut adapted to be affixed to one of said flaps of the
shoe, and wherein the spacer comprises a threaded sleeve with
external threads adapted to be screwed into at least one insert
nut.
17. A laced shoe according to claim 16 wherein insert nuts are
provided on both sides of the threaded sleeve.
18. A laced shoe according to claim 17 wherein the threaded sleeve
has a section with left-hand threads and a section with right-hand
threads.
19. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the spacer comprises
telescoping parts adapted to be fixed in position relative to one
another by a fastener.
20. A laced shoe according to claim 1 wherein the spacer comprises
first and second hollow threaded rods, the first rod having an
outer thread and the second rod having an inner thread so that the
first rod can be screwed into the second rod.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of German Patent
Application No. 102 08 853.3 filed Mar. 1, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Laced shoes, in particular, laced boots, such as snowboard
boots, inline skate boots, hiking boots, mountain boots, etc., are
tied with a shoelace, which is threaded through several guide
elements, such as eyelets, on two opposing flaps of the boot,
wherein the ends of the shoelace are fixed, whether through a
lacing knot or a holding or clamping device, as can be deduced from
U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,999 or DE 298 14 659.2 U1.
[0003] An important advantage of laced shoes lies in the fact that
the pressure exerted by the shoe on the foot is distributed in a
relatively uniform manner, and the shoe can nevertheless be soft
and flexible.
[0004] However, for certain applications, this very uniform
pressure distribution is not desired, for example, in the case of
snowboard boots, where the application of a relatively strong
pressure on the shank and instep is desirable, in comparison with
the area of the toes, which should be laced more loosely, in order
to ensure the mobility of the toes and to avoid tying off of the
area of the front of the foot. For this purpose, DE 298 14 659.2 U1
has proposed separate shoelaces or shoe straps, which can be
manipulated and thus adjusted separately for different shoe areas.
This is, however, cumbersome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] An object of the invention is therefore to improve the laced
shoe of the initially mentioned type in such a way that when using
a single shoelace, the pressure distribution in different areas of
the shoe, particularly the area of the front of the foot and the
instep and shank areas, can be adjusted individually.
[0006] In one aspect of the invention, spacers are disposed between
the flaps of the shoe, the flaps being pulled toward one another by
the shoelace. The spacers serve as a limiting stop to define the
minimum gap between the flaps. In one embodiment, these spacers are
sleeves, which surround a section of the shoelace, in particular,
onto which shoelaces are threaded or clipped. If the shoelace is
tightened, then the opposing flaps are pulled toward one another,
until the sleeve acts as a stop for the flap. By adjusting the
length of these sleeves, the strength of the lacing is thus
adjustable.
[0007] The spacers are supported by the shoelace section and since
the shoe lace section is under tensile stress, the buckling
strength of the spacers is ensured so that the spacers are
resilient to pressure. Various spacer designs are possible, some of
which are explained in more detail in the following
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The invention is explained in more detail with the aid of
embodiment examples, in connection with the drawings.
[0009] FIG. 1 is an embodiment example of a laced shoe according to
the invention, in schematic representation;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a section of the laced shoe and the spacer
according to another embodiment example of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 according to still
another embodiment example of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 3;
[0013] FIG. 4 is another embodiment example similar to FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is another embodiment example of a section of the
laced shoe with a spacer in the form of a helical spring;
[0015] FIG. 6 is another embodiment example of a section of the
laced shoe including spacers in the form of perforated disks;
[0016] FIGS. 6A and 6B are enlarged detail views of FIG. 6, in
cross section;
[0017] FIG. 7, another embodiment example including a spacer in the
form of a threaded sleeve;
[0018] FIG. 8, another embodiment example of an adjustable spacer;
and
[0019] FIG. 9, yet another embodiment example of a spacer.
[0020] First, reference is made to FIG. 1. The shoe is designated
in its totality by reference symbol 1. It has a forefoot part 2, an
instep part 3, and a shank part 4, as well as a sole 5. In the part
which points toward the front, the body of the shoe forms two flaps
6 and 7, between which there is a tongue 8. The two flaps 6 and 7
are pulled toward one another by a shoelace 9, wherein the shoelace
is guided along guide elements 10 on the edges of the flaps 6 and 7
and deflected. Sections of the shoelace 9 span the gap between the
two flaps 6 and 7, wherein all known types of lacing are
conceivable and not only the lacing shown in FIG. 1 in which
sections of the shoelace are crossed. In the embodiment example
shown, the shoelace 9 is guided to the intersection points into
additional guide elements 11. These may be sleeves with transverse
holes through which the shoelace is threaded. In this connection,
reference is made to the fact that "shoelace" is understood to mean
any form of pulling element--that is, not only conventional textile
cord, plastic cord, but rather also wire cord, straps, etc.
[0021] For the fixing of the shoelace, a fixing device is provided
in the shank area 4 at the upper end of the tongue 8; the fixing
device 12 can be built in any known manner, for example, as in the
initially mentioned prior art.
[0022] In the lacing of conventional boots, in which the fixing is
arranged in the upper area of the shank, the tensile force
transferred to the shoelace goes from the shank end and is reduced
by friction in the guide elements 10 downwards, that is, in the
direction of the area of the toes 2. Thus, when the lacing is
pulled tight, the shank area 4 is normally laced more tightly than
the areas lying further "below." This is just what is desired with
snowboard boots. In subsequent use, when the rider bends forward,
the friction force in the guide elements 10 is overcome, however,
so that the shoe lace 9 slides through into the individual guide
elements 10 and thus the lacing in the upper area 3, 4 is looser
and is tighter in the lower area 2. The initially adjusted lacing
is thus no longer correct and the aforementioned state of the tight
lacing in the area of the toes 2 and the looser lacing in the
instep and shank areas 3, 4 appears. In order to avoid this, the
invention proposes to use spacers 13, which are located between the
opposing flaps 6 and 7 of the shoelace 9 and serve as a limiting
stop for the movement of the flaps 6 and 7 toward one another.
Depending on the type of lacing, that is, the guide element of the
shoelace 9, these spacers 13 move transverse to the shoe
longitudinal direction or even at a slant. In the embodiment
example of FIG. 1, a specific depiction of a spacer 13 comprising a
sleeve, which runs transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shoe,
is provided in the area of the toes 2. In the instep area 3, where
the two guide elements 11 are provided at the intersection sites,
four spacers 13 are used, which abut, on the one hand, the
respective flaps 6 and 7 and, on the other hand, the guide element
11. In the shank area 4, in turn, two spacers 13 are provided,
which lie between the respective flaps 6 and 7 and the fixing
device 12.
[0023] As soon as the individual gap between the flaps 6 and 7,
which is specified by the length of the spacers 13, is produced
when the shoelace 9 is pulled tight, the sleeves act as stops,
which prevent a further pulling together of the flaps. Since the
shoelace 9 is under tensile stress when tied, it simultaneously
forms a guide for the spacers 13 also, so that they, to a very
large extent, cannot bend or buckle, and are thus resilient to
pressure, even if they have only a relatively low characteristic
rigidity.
[0024] Another advantage of the spacers 13 is that the shoelace
does not rub against the area of the tongue 8, but rather slides in
the sleeve, which is produced from low-friction material, for
example, plastic. Also, on the intersection sites 11, the
corresponding sections of the shoelace do not rub against one
another nor on the tongue.
[0025] FIGS. 2 to 5 show different embodiment examples of the
spacers 13.
[0026] In FIG. 2, the spacer 13 comprises a one-piece, cylindrical
tube or tubular body, through which the shoelace 9 is conducted.
The spacer has a notch 16, running in the axis direction, and
several notches 16', running around the outer circumference,
wherein several segments 15 are formed. To adjust the length, the
user can remove several segments, in that he cuts open the spacer
13 on the corresponding notches, so that he can remove individual
segments 15.
[0027] In the embodiment example of FIG. 3, the spacer 13 comprises
a long, two-part body including two half-sleeves 17 and 18, which
are connected together by a snap 24, 25. The snap consists of, for
example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a swallowtail-shaped pin 26, and on
the other half-sleeve, a corresponding swallowtail-shaped recess
28, wherein a longitudinal slit 27 is affixed in the pin, which
permits an elastic deflection, so that the pin 26 can be introduced
into the recess 28 and there automatically locks. Thus, the user
can then clip the spacer on the shoelace 9 without having to take
out the entire shoelace and thread it in.
[0028] In the embodiment example of FIG. 4, the spacer 13, in turn,
comprises a one-piece tubular body 19. To adjust the length,
cylindrical elements 20, which have a circular segment-shaped
recess 21, are used, so that the elements 20 can be clipped on the
shoelace 9 or can be removed from it.
[0029] In the embodiment example of FIG. 5, the spacer 13 comprises
a helical spring 22. Its length can be adjusted by shortening--that
is, cutting off--the spring to the desired dimension.
[0030] In the embodiment example of FIG. 6, the spacers 13 comprise
perforated disks, which are threaded onto the shoelace 9 and lie
parallel to the shoelace 9. In the area in which the shoelace a is
in a straight line between the opposing flaps 6 and 7, a fixing
device 29 for the perforated disks is affixed on the tongue 8 or
integrated into the tongue 8. In the embodiment example of FIG. 6,
this fixing device 29 is a toothed rod, where the spacing between
the teeth corresponds to the width of the perforated disks (see
FIG. 6A). In this way, the user can position the perforated disks
very simply and quickly. By tightening the shoelace 9, the
perforated disks are then maintained and are used as stops for the
flaps 6 and 7. In the embodiment example of FIG. 6, the fixing
device 29 is shown as a continuous element that completely spans
the tongue 8 in the area between the two flaps 6 and 7. Of course,
it is also possible to place shorter sections of the fixing device
29 only in the area of the flaps 6 and 7.
[0031] Instead of a toothed rod, the fixing device 29 may comprise
a perforated rod in accordance with FIG. 6B, wherein, the
perforated disk also has a pin 30, which can be inserted into a
corresponding hole 31.
[0032] The fixing device 29, whether in the form of the toothed rod
or the perforated rod, can also be integrated into the tongue 8, in
that the surface of the tongue has a corresponding indentation or
perforations, which is possible without problems if the tongue 8 is
made of plastic or has a plastic coating which absorbs the
corresponding forces. The only important feature in this embodiment
example is that the perforated disk is fixed on the tongue 8 by
positively locking in the direction along the shoelace and serves
as a stop for the flaps 6 and 7 when the boot is laced up.
[0033] In the embodiment example of FIG. 7, the spacer 13 comprises
a threaded sleeve with external threads 13a and 13b, which are
shaped as a left-hand and a right-hand threads according to a
variant. The threaded sleeve is hollow on the inside so that the
shoelace 9 can pass through. The threaded sleeve can be screwed
into insert nuts 29, which are affixed, in turn, via sleeve
affixing elements 30 to the flaps (6 and 7) of the boot.
[0034] In the variant shown in FIG. 7, with right-hand and
left-hand threads 13a and 13b, the insert nuts 29 can be affixed to
the flaps of the boot so as not to turn and are designed, for
example, in one piece with the affixing elements 30. In other
words, the affixing elements 30 can also be omitted if their
function is taken over by the insert nuts 29. In this case, a
multiple-cornered flat area 31 is provided in the middle of the
threaded sleeve; on the flat area, the threaded sleeve can be
turned by hand or using a wrench. By turning the threaded sleeve,
it is screwed into or out of the insert nuts 29, where the distance
between the insert nuts 29 can be adjusted.
[0035] In another variant of this embodiment example, the insert
nuts 29 can be turned relative to the affixing elements 30, so that
by turning the insert nuts 29 with stationary threaded sleeves, the
aforementioned gap can also be adjusted. The insert nuts 29 can
then have a milled edge, so that they can be turned manually. In
this case, a support flap 32 can also be provided on the threaded
sleeve, which prevents turning of the threaded sleeve relative to
the boot.
[0036] In the embodiment example of FIG. 8, the spacer 13 comprises
two sleeves 13c and 13d which can be moved into one another in a
telescoping manner, which are hollow in the interior, and through
which the shoelace 9 runs. The sleeve 13c can be moved inside the
sleeve 13d. The relative position of the two sleeves 13c and 13d
can be fixed by a screw 33, which is screwed from the outside into
a threaded hole in the sleeve 13d, and firmly clamps the interior
sleeve 13c.
[0037] In this example, the outer sleeve 13d can simultaneously
form the affixing element 30, which is attached directly to the
corresponding flap of the boot.
[0038] In the embodiment example of FIG. 9, the spacer 13 comprises
two threaded sleeves 13e and 13f, which are also hollow inside so
that the shoelace 9 can move through them, and which can be screwed
into one another. The inner threaded sleeve 13e has an outer thread
and the outer sleeve 13f, an inner thread. Thus the length of the
spacer can be adjusted by the relative rotation of the two threaded
sleeves with respect to one another. Here too, the outer threaded
sleeve 13f can again simultaneously form the affixing element 30
with which the threaded sleeve can be attached to the flap of the
boot. In the embodiment example of FIG. 9, the two threaded
sleeves--similarly to FIG. 7--can have a polygonal flattening 31a
and 31b, where it can be gripped by a wrench. Instead of the
flattening, holes can also be provided into which one can insert a
screwdriver, a rod, or the like, in order to turn the two threaded
sleeves relative to one another.
[0039] In all embodiment examples, the shoelace 9 can also be
provided with a slidable coating 23, for example, sheathed with
plastic, so as to reduce the friction between the sleeve and the
shoelace 9.
[0040] Of course, spacers other than the ones described are also
conceivable. Thus, the spacer can also have a square cross section
or ribs running axially to improve the bending resistance. The
spacer material, in particular, may be of plastic or metal. In the
embodiment example of FIG. 5, the helical spring 22 can have a
sheathing, for example, in the form of known Bowden wires.
[0041] In view of the above, it will be seen that the several
objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous
results attained.
[0042] When introducing elements of the present invention or the
preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and
"said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the
elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and "having" are
intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional
elements other than the listed elements.
[0043] As various changes could be made in the above constructions
without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended
that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
* * * * *