CLOSURE AND FASTENING SYSTEM FOR SHOES

Abstract

According to one aspect, a shoe closure system and method for fastening a shoe closure system are provided. An exemplary system may comprise a shoe including at least two holes. A shoe lace may be configured to be threaded through each hole, where a first two-sided fastener has a first side integrated into the shoe lace and further has a second side integrated into a first location on the shoe. In an exemplary method, a first two-sided fastener may be fastened to a first location on a shoe having at least two holes. A second two-sided fastener may be threaded through the at least two holes. The second two-sided fastener may be fastened by coupling the first and second sides of the second two-sided fastener at a second location.

Claims

1. A shoe closure system, comprising: a shoe including at least two holes; a shoe lace configured to be threaded through each hole; and a first two-sided fastener having a first side integrated into the shoe lace and a second side integrated into a first location on the shoe.

2. The shoe closure system of claim 1, further comprising a second two-sided fastener, the second two-sided fastener comprising: a first and second side each integrated into the shoe lace on an end opposite that of the first two-sided fastener, wherein the second two-sided fastener is configured to be threaded through each hole and fastened by coupling the first and second sides at a second location.

3. The shoe closure system of claim 2, wherein the first location is located near an opening of the shoe for receiving a foot, and the second location is located near a toe region of the shoe.

4. The shoe closure system of claim 1, further comprising a second two-sided fastener, the second two-sided fastener comprising: a first side integrated into the shoe lace on an end opposite that of the first two-sided fastener; and a second side integrated into a second location on the shoe.

5. The shoe closure system of claim 4, wherein the first location is located near an opening of the shoe for receiving a foot, and the second location is located near a toe region of the shoe.

6. The shoe closure system of claim 1, wherein the shoe lace further comprises an elastic material.

7. The shoe closure system of claim 1, wherein the second side of the first two-sided fastener includes a headed portion, and the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a connecting portion configured to secure to the headed portion.

8. The shoe closure system of claim 7, wherein the second side of the first two-sided fastener includes a first magnet portion and the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a second magnet portion, wherein the first magnet portion and the second magnet portion are configured to support securing of the connecting portion to the headed portion.

9. The shoe closure system of claim 1, wherein the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a sliding portion configured to adjust a tightness of the shoe lace.

10. The shoe closure system of claim 1, wherein the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a first magnet, and the second side of the first two-sided fastener includes a second magnet configured to secure to the first magnet.

11. The shoe closure system of claim 1, wherein the second side of the first two-sided fastener includes a hook portion, and the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a connecting portion configured to secure to the hook portion.

12. The shoe closure system of claim 11, wherein the second side of the first two-sided fastener includes a first magnet portion and the first side of the first two-sided fastener includes a second magnet portion, wherein the first magnet portion and the second magnet portion are configured to support securing of the connecting portion to the hook portion.

13. A shoe, comprising: a shoe body including an opening for receiving a foot, the opening having at least two holes; a shoe lace configured to be threaded through the at least two holes; and a two-sided fastener having a first side integrated into the shoe lace and a second side integrated into the shoe body.

14. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the second side of the two-sided fastener includes a headed portion, and the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a connecting portion configured to secure to the headed portion.

15. The shoe of claim 14, wherein the second side of the two-sided fastener includes a first magnet portion and the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a second magnet portion, wherein the first magnet portion and the second magnet portion are configured to support securing of the connecting portion to the headed portion.

16. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a sliding portion configured to adjust a tightness of the shoe lace.

17. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a first magnet, and the second side of the two-sided fastener includes a second magnet configured to secure to the first magnet.

18. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the second side of the two-sided fastener includes a hook portion, and the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a connecting portion configured to secure to the hook portion.

19. The shoe of claim 18, wherein the second side of the two-sided fastener includes a first magnet portion and the first side of the two-sided fastener includes a second magnet portion, wherein the first magnet portion and the second magnet portion are configured to support securing of the connecting portion to the hook portion.

20. A method of fastening a shoe closure system, the method comprising: fastening a first two-sided fastener to a first location on a shoe, the first two-sided fastener having a first side integrated into a shoe lace and a second side integrated into the shoe at the first location; threading a second two-sided fastener through at least two holes, the second two-sided fastener having a first and second side each integrated into the shoe lace on an end opposite that of the first two-sided fastener; and fastening the second two-sided fastener by coupling the first and second sides of the second two-sided fastener at a second location.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an exemplary shoe closure system according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of an exemplary shoe closure system with webbing partially peeled up and exposing hook and loop fasteners according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system with dual webbing attachment points and an alternate cross-lacing scheme according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of an exemplary shoe closure system with a larger area of the second side of the hook and loop fastener to allow greater tolerance for precision of fastening according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of an exemplary shoe closure system with an alternate system of headed fasteners according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system with hook and loop fasteners added to the front of the lacing zone according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system with a single set of hook and loop fasteners added to the front of the lacing zone according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system with hook and loop fasteners added to the front of the lacing zone in an alternate looping fashion according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of an exemplary shoe closure system with a single set of hook and loop fasteners added to the front of the lacing zone in an alternate looping fashion according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of an exemplary shoe closure system with a headed or hooked fastener according to various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In general, the invention provides for a novel shoe closure system. In one embodiment, the shoe closure system generally includes at least one lace, and a fastener that may allow for attachment of the at least one lace at variable lengths against the shoe. The at least one lace may be laced through a series of at least two accommodating holes per shoe side, generally in the front area of a shoe. Furthermore, the end of the webbing with the first side of the fastener may be secured against the shoe, where the shoe further incorporates the second side of the fastener at adjustable lengths. In some embodiments, the lace may be a flat webbing that allows for integration or application of one side of a fastener on the flat surface, and the fastener may be a hook and loop system, where the corresponding second side of the hook and loop may then attach to the shoe itself. In some embodiments, the lace may be a flat webbing that incorporates elastic fibers for elasticity. In some embodiments, the fastener may include a magnet, a snap or other type of headed fastener, or a headed fastener incorporating a magnet. In some embodiments, both ends of the webbing may terminate with first sides of the hook and loop fastener, and both sides may in turn secure onto the second sides attached to the shoe.

[0026] Exemplary systems described herein may allow for the adjustability of traditional shoe laces, because the webbing can be tightened or loosened through the network of holes, and then secured at a desired resulting length against the shoe. This feature results in greater adjustability and more areas of holding than traditional hook and loop strapped shoes, which typically only have one, two, or three straps that go across the shoe laterally. In some embodiments, there can be many more areas on top of the shoe that the webbing may cross over, resulting in a more even pressure across the shoe. Such features may also result in greater convenience of not having to secure every strap individually. These features may also be more convenient to use than traditional laces because there is no need for tying, since the end of the webbing is directly secured against the shoe for fastening. The invention may further allow for embodiments that have more functionality than traditional lacing systems, such as those having hook and loop fasteners at both the front and rear of the lacing zone. Placing these fasteners at such locations allow for much faster and more convenient adjustment of separate lacing regions without the added bulk of multiple traditional lace knots.

[0027] As used herein, the terminology is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only. Such terminology does not limit the scope of the invention in any way. For example, singular forms of a, an and the are intended to include plural forms unless indicated otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as comprises or comprising specify the presence of indicated features, components, steps, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, components, steps, etc. The description may also include the term in, which may include in and on unless clearly indicated otherwise. Furthermore, usage of the term or includes both conjunctive and disjunctive meanings, unless clearly indicated otherwise. That is, unless expressly stated otherwise, the term or may include and/or.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined.

[0029] New shoe closures and closure systems for securing shoes onto feet and adjusting the fit of said shoes are discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

[0030] In the following description of the disclosure and examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examples that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be practiced and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 1 depicts a top view of elements that may comprise a shoe closure system according to various embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the closure is configured with at least one lace that is comprised of a flat webbing 11. Flat webbing 11 may be configured to thread through a series of holes 12 in the shoe. Holes 12 may be in the form of eyelets, grommets, or similar holes in the shoe upper material. In some embodiments, there may be at least two holes per side of the shoe. In some embodiments, webbing 11 may be made from a flat material, such as a strip of woven textile, a strip of non-woven textile, or a flexible strip of polymer plastic. Webbing 11 may be secured at one end at the forward area 13 of the shoe, and may further be looped through the holes. The other end of webbing 14 may integrate the first side of the hook and loop fastener, and may further be secured against the shoe in area 15 where the second side of the fastener is integrated. In this configuration, the fastener may be engaged as appropriate for the level of tightness adjustment desired. As discussed further below, webbing 14 and area 15 are depicted at an alternate angle and thus may be viewed more clearly in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, by pulling the end of the lace webbing 14, the entire length of webbing 14 may tighten the shoe along the entire region 16.

[0032] Furthermore, webbing laces may be of different lengths, for example, small lengths, medium lengths, or large lengths, in order to accommodate different foot instep dimensions. In some embodiments, laces may be made to be trimmable to different lengths by a user. For example, a lace of longer length may be provided, where marker lines may guide a user to cutting a lace-end at pre-determined lengths if a shorter length is desired. In some embodiments, where hook and loop fasteners are bonded to the webbing, as opposed to being attached solely through sewing, the hook and loop fasteners may be trimmed using the marker lines and pre-determined lengths as described above.

[0033] Referring back to FIG. 2, one or more holes 17 may be affixed nearest to hook and loop fasteners in area 15. In some embodiments, one or more holes 17 may be attached to the shoe, rather than one or more holes in the shoe. For example, one or more holes 17 may include one or more loops or eyes. The one or more loops or eyes may be made of one or more materials, such as metal and/or plastic, for example. In some embodiments, one or more holes 17 may have a larger opening which accommodates an added thickness of the hook and loop fasteners to the webbing lace. For example, a larger hole opening may allow for the webbing lace to freely feed through the hole, such that maximal slack is created in the overall lacing system. Such slack may allow a user to easily be able to put on and take off the shoe. In some embodiments, all holes toward forward area 13 of the shoe, such as holes 12, can be of a size smaller than that of one or more holes 17 to allow for the webbing lace to freely move, but to prevent the webbing lace from twisting. In some embodiments, an end section of webbing at area 18 includes an element to prevent the lace from completely pulling through one or more holes 17, which in turn prevents the inconvenience of requiring a user to re-lace the webbing through one or more holes 17. Furthermore, in some embodiments, separating the hook and loop fasteners in area 15, as depicted in FIG. 3, may undo the entire closure in one convenient motion.

[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate embodiment where webbing lace includes first side of the hook and loop fasteners integrated into each end 19 and 20 of the webbing lace. In some embodiments, webbing lace may be arranged in a crossing pattern 21, where both ends 19 and 20 of the webbing lace can be secured against the shoe at areas 22 and 23. Areas 22 and 23 may be configured such that the second side of the fasteners may be integrated to the shoe. The lace configuration of FIG. 4 may allow for even finer adjustment of the overall shoe closure, and may also provide for a visual depiction substantially similar to that of traditional shoe laces. This similarity has multiple benefits. For example, when implemented with children's shoes, the lace configuration may provide the child with the impression of wearing an adult-like shoe, without the time and effort associated with tying traditional shoe laces.

[0035] Furthermore, in some embodiments, ends of the webbing lace may be tied together (e.g., in a single knot) at area 24, before the webbing ends 19 and 20 are fastened to the shoe at areas 22 and 23. The present invention provides a lacing system which makes incorporating a knot possible (and thus shortening a lace) in part because second side fasteners at areas 22 and 23 have an overall area that can accommodate different amounts of hook and loop fastening. This configuration could achieve an even greater visual similarity to traditional laces, achieve a more secure hold of the webbing, and help children practice at least one step of the traditional shoe lacing process.

[0036] FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration where a second side of the hook and loop fasteners integrated into the shoe may be of a larger area 25, instead of an area which is the same size as the first side fasteners on the lace. In some embodiments, such a configuration may allow for more tolerance of the placement, such that various placement of the webbing lace results in a more secure connection of the fasteners to the shoe.

[0037] FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration for an alternative fastening method. In some embodiments, webbing lace may have one or more openings 26, and the shoe may further incorporate a series of heads 27. In such embodiments, webbing lace may be attached to the shoe at differential lengths. Advantages of such a configuration may include using headed fasteners having increased fastener durability. Furthermore, other fastening technology which allows for attachment of adjustable length of webbing or straps may be employed, such as a series of headed fasteners corresponding to openings on the webbing similar to that employed in FIG. 6. Heads 27 may be made of plastic, metal, or other suitable material, and have various shapes for engagement with openings 26 of the webbing lace.

[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration for another alternate fastening method. In some embodiments, a lacing configuration may incorporate additional hook and loop fasteners 28 and 29 at the front of the lacing zone. As shown in FIG. 7, fastener 29 may be partially separated for point of illustration. In some embodiments, one side of a fastener may be incorporated into the webbing, where the other side of the fastener may be incorporated into the shoe upper material. As with conventional shoe laces, when a user greatly tightens the laces through the entire lacing zone, the user must perform a tedious process to loosen the laces. Specifically, when the user desires to loosen the laces, the user will typically need to propagate the lace slack from the rear knot zone towards the heel side of the shoe by pulling up on each exposed section of lace slack. This process is similar if the user desires an overall tighter lace fit. However, with the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, the user is able to detach forward fasteners 28 and 29 and thus directly loosen or tighten the front zone of the lacing area and shoe.

[0039] The lacing configuration depicted in FIG. 7 has many advantages. Specifically, increased speed and ease of both tightening and loosening the laces is realized, as the user does not need to pull up on each exposed lace loop until they reach the front zone. Furthermore, not only is direct access to the front lace zone easier, such access assists those with less dexterity and skill (e.g., children) with achieving a desired fit and feel of the shoe. In addition, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7 allows for much greater precision with overall lace tension adjustment. Specifically, the lacing configuration allows for direct access to the front lace zone, which is the region most buffered from fit adjustments started by the user at the rear knot zone of traditional laces. For example, in a typical scenario of loosening traditional laces, a user may pull out extra lace length at lace loops farthest to the rear of the shoe, estimating how much to pull out in order to achieve the desired amount of looseness at the front lace zone. Through experience, a user may realize to pull out proportionally more lace at the rear loop, since extra length will be utilized by every lace loop while the looseness is propagated towards the front. As the user progresses forward and pulls up on every exposed lace loop, he or she eventually arrives at the front of the lace zone and only then can the user feel if enough extra lace length was pulled out, from the very rear of the lace zone, at the beginning of the process.

[0040] In contrast to the shortcomings of traditional lacing configurations, the embodiment of FIG. 7 allows for the unfastening of fasteners 28 and 29, and direct adjustment of the front lace zone separate from the rear fasteners at areas 22 and 23. The alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 7 may be constructed from two separate webbing laces 30 and 31, as opposed to one continuous loop of webbing. Furthermore, webbing laces 30 and 31 may each be connected to hook and loop fasteners at both ends of the webbing.

[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates a configuration for another alternate fastening method. As depicted in FIG. 8, a single front fastener 32 is used in addition to a rear fastener at location 15. In FIG. 8, single front fastener 32 is depicted as partially peeled up and unfastened for point of illustration. The configuration of FIG. 8 may allow for a front lacing zone tension adjustment. As compared with the configuration of FIG. 1, the configuration of FIG. 8 includes a single webbing lace 33, which may include hook and loop fasteners at both ends of the webbing.

[0042] FIG. 9 illustrates hook and loop fasteners in a front lacing zone, which are configured such that the laces may loop through an opening 34 in the shoe, and further reattach at point 35. In some embodiments, the FIG. 9 configuration is achieved by attaching both mating sides of the fastener to the lace itself at different locations, as opposed to one fastener side being attached to the shoe itself. By detaching the fastener at area 35, and reattaching the fastener at different adjustment positions along the length of the fastener, the user may achieve tension adjustment of the lace at the front of the shoe. At area 36, the fastener is shown as being detached to reveal one side of the hook and loop fastener.

[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate embodiment of hook and look fastener in a front lacing zone. In some embodiments, as shown, a section of lace may pass through opening 36 on the shoe and reattach to itself at area 37. In some embodiments, tension adjustment at the front lace zone can be achieved by adjusting the fastener at area 37, independent of lace tension at rear location 15.

[0044] FIG. 11 illustrates an alternate embodiment where a two-sided fastener is utilized, such as a headed or hooked fastener 38. In some embodiments, fastener 38 may incorporate magnets to support fastening by assisting alignment of the fastener and aiding in closure of the fastener. In some embodiments, one side of the fastener is incorporated into the shoe upper portion, where the second side is incorporated onto the end of shoe lace 11 in such a manner that the second side may slide. For example, second side may slide on cords 39. In some embodiments, second side may be adjusted linearly so as to adjust the tightness of the lace.

[0045] It will be further understood that various modifications to the invention may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For example, numerous changes, substitutions, and variations with respect to the systems and methods as described may occur. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various alternative embodiments may be employed to practice the invention, and that any feature may be combined with any other feature, whether such features are preferred or not.