ELASTIC SHOE LACES WITH CONNECTOR AND ANCHOR PIECE

Abstract

Elastic shoelaces with a joining and anchoring piece (1), characterized in that the joining and anchoring piece (1) comprises two sections (2, 3) made of rigid material compatible with that of the elastic cord, the first section (2) having a cylindrical shape of approximately 8 mm in length with a pointed end (2a) intended to facilitate its insertion into the eyelet of the shoe, and an opposite end provided with an axial hole (2c) of between 6 and 7 mm in depth into which the end of the elastic cord (4) is inserted and fused, forming a resistant assembly by joint molding or other thermal process.

Description

ELASTIC SHOE LACES WITH CONNECTOR AND ANCHOR PIECE TECHNICAL SECTOR The present invention falls within the footwear and accessories sector, and more specifically within the field of laces made of elastic materials such as thermoplastic elastomers or silicones intended for sports, children's or everyday footwear. The object of the present invention consists of a device attached to the ends of said laces, which allows their insertion and secure retention in the eyelets of the footwear without the need for knots or additional external parts. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Currently, there are different varieties of elastic shoelaces on the market, the vast majority being made with low quality materials and whose anchoring to the shoe is usually part of the lace itself without changing material, making the fixation and resistance to the eyelet of the shoe poor and causing it to come loose and stop working sooner or later due to the lack of rigidity of the lace. On the other hand, some brands have developed advanced solutions that include pieces embedded in the cord, whereby the anchoring mechanism occurs within the cord itself. This presents a significant structural limitation: the cord or elastic band must completely surround the space between the two eyelets, establishing a connection between the two ends of the product. This significantly restricts the design and customization possibilities of the cord because it forces a predetermined configuration. Therefore, there is no known system in the state of the art that allows each end of the elastic cord to be anchored directly in the eyelet of the shoe, without needing to go around the intermediate space, and at the same time offering a stable, secure and aesthetically integrated fixation. The present invention is aimed at solving these deficiencies, providing an improved fixing terminal that allows the ends of an elastic cord to be directly anchored in the eyelets of the shoe while at the same time allowing its extraction in a controlled manner by the user through a simple movement and impossible naturally during use, increasing design freedom, user comfort and durability of the assembly. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION The inventor of this application has developed a system that solves the above problems by creating a piece, fixed at the ends of elastic shoelaces, that improves anchoring and eliminates the need for separate knots or closures. The terminal that is the subject of the invention has a configuration inspired by the operation of an auger, whose structure was used as the basis of the idea and modified until it met all the operating and production conditions. The piece is designed to be fused, inserted, or overmolded onto the end of the elastic cord during the assembly process, thanks to a hole where said end is inserted and fused. The main distinguishing feature of the invention lies in its external geometry, designed to be inserted into the eyelet of the shoe thanks to its cylindrical shape, and anchored in it due to a protrusion inspired by that of an aglet and modified with a certain angle of inclination that allows its fixation by controlled pressure, so that the cord remains anchored without accidental displacements or need for a knot. The part is made of a material compatible with that of the lace, so that both can be joined by co-molding or other techniques in which both materials must withstand high temperatures simultaneously, achieving a homogeneous and resistant fusion. Furthermore, the inventor of this application has ensured through a series of tests that the part is designed with a shape and dimensions that allow it to be inserted into virtually all shoe eyelets. In accordance with the foregoing, the present invention relates to a novel lace anchoring system that offers a functional and aesthetic solution, and which is fundamentally composed of a rigid piece and an elastic lace fused together in a robust manner. Each of the parts is defined in greater detail below: a) The piece consists of two main parts: First, a cylindrical section approximately 8 millimeters long, with a pointed end to facilitate insertion into the eyelet. The other end is completely flat, as this is where the hole for the lace end is located. This hole is between 6 and 7 millimeters deep and passes almost the entire length of the section. Extending from this side with the hole is a projection approximately 8 millimeters long, continuing the curved shape of the first section. This projection is open in the middle, resembling a conventional aglet, but instead of continuing straight, it changes direction at an angle of approximately 30º outwards. This allows it to anchor itself naturally in the shoe when inserted through the eyelet and to exert pressure when the foot is put in.Furthermore, this curvature, by going in the opposite direction to the pressure exerted, reinforces the structure, preventing it from breaking during use. Between the two sections (although in much of section 2) there is a "ridge" on the outside that is 7 millimeters long and 0.2 millimeters high, which helps to further reinforce the structure. b) The ends of the cord comprise a projection of approximately 15 millimeters that begins where the aesthetic design of the cord itself ends; in other words, the visible part of the cord when it is placed in the footwear. Of these 15 millimeters, the last 6 are of a smaller diameter to be perfectly fused into the hole of the piece, thus completing the system of the invention. c) The aesthetic designs of the cord, which comprise the visible part of the cords when they are attached to the footwear and have measurements adapted to different shoe sizes, thus allowing comfort and functionality regardless of the size the consumer needs due to these measurements and the flexibility of the material used. Everything will become clearer from the figures attached to this document. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented: Figures 1a, 1b and 1c show the different side views according to the present invention. Figures 2a and 2b show respectively a front view and a rear view of the device of the invention. Figure 3a shows a perspective view of the part to facilitate understanding of its different sections and proportions. Figure 3b shows the end of the cord, and Figure 3c shows the result of fusing both parts, thus completing the system of the present invention. Fig. 4 shows the top view of a complete cord, including the two ends fused to the anchor pieces, and offers a view of what one of the aesthetic designs of the cords would look like. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The two parts that make up the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying figures. Specifically, Figs. 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, and 3a show different views of the main device of the invention (1); Fig. 3b shows a representation of what would be one of the ends of the cord (4); and Fig. 3c shows the complete system of the present invention after the fusion of both parts. The main device of the invention (1) has two sections. The first section (2), approximately 8 millimeters long, consists of a cylindrical trunk portion with a diameter of 3.5 millimeters (2b), which extends from a pointed end (2a) to a straight face containing the hole where the parts constituting the present invention are joined (2c). The second section (3), also approximately 8 millimeters long, extends straight from the face containing the hole (2c) for 2 millimeters to a point where it changes direction (3b) outwards at an angle of approximately 30°. This entire second section (3) maintains a half-round shape (3c) to its end, thus allowing the elastic cord to be accommodated during the insertion of the present invention into the eyelet of the shoe.Starting from the last 2-3 millimeters of the first section (2), extending 4-5 millimeters beyond the second section (3), a ridge (3a) 0.2 millimeters high extends, whose function is to further reinforce the structure. As can be seen in Fig. 3a, the depth of the hole (2c) is represented by dashed lines to make its presence visible from the outside of the device, and the approximately 30° change in direction (3b) of the second section is represented by lines to show the curvature of the structure and the change in direction itself. It is important to understand that these lines do not actually exist on the device of the present invention. In Fig. 3b, an example of an elastic cord end can be seen in which the beginning of the aesthetic design of the cord (4c) is distinguished, from whose end the end as such begins (4b) with a diameter of 2-3 millimeters until the point where that diameter decreases to 1.5 millimeters to give way to the fused part (4a) with the main device of the present invention (1), this being possible because of the aforementioned hole (2c) present in said device (1). Figure 3c shows the assembly of the cord end (4) and the main device (1), once fused by joint molding or other permitted techniques, given that the materials of both are compatible. In this way, the complete system is formed according to the present invention, allowing it to function perfectly. Fig. 4 represents an example of a complete cord, showing its aesthetic design (4c), the visible part of the cord ends (4b), and the anchoring devices (1) fused to the cord.

Claims

1. Elastic shoelaces with a connecting and anchoring piece (1), characterized in that the connecting and anchoring piece (1) comprises two sections (2, 3) made of rigid material compatible with that of the elastic cord, the first section (2) having a cylindrical shape approximately 8 mm long with a pointed end (2a) intended to facilitate its insertion into the eyelet of the shoe, and an opposite end provided with an axial hole (2c) between 6 and 7 mm deep into which the end of the elastic cord (4) is inserted and fused, forming a resistant assembly by joint molding or another thermal process. 2.Elastic shoelaces with a connecting and anchoring piece (1) according to claim 1, wherein the second section (3) extends from the face provided with the hole (2c) a distance of approximately 8 mm, maintaining a half-round shape (3c) and exhibiting a change of direction (3b) of approximately 30° outwards with respect to the axis of the first section (2), forming a projection that allows anchoring by controlled pressure in the eyelet of the shoe.

3. Elastic shoelaces with a connecting and anchoring piece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein between the end of the first section (2) and the beginning of the second section (3) there is an external longitudinal ridge (3a) approximately 7 mm long and 0.2 mm high, intended to structurally reinforce the piece during use. 4.Elastic shoelaces with a connecting and anchoring piece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the material of the connecting and anchoring piece (1) is thermoplastic or elastomeric and compatible with that of the elastic lace (4), allowing them to fuse together to obtain a homogeneous and durable joint.

5. Elastic shoelaces with a connecting and anchoring piece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic lace (4) comprises ends having a reduced diameter portion (4a) inserted and fused into the hole (2c) of the connecting and anchoring piece (1), forming an assembly that allows the direct insertion of each end into the eyelet of the shoe without the need for knots or additional external elements. 6.Elastic cords with a connecting and anchoring piece (1) in which the assembly formed by the connecting and anchoring piece (1) and the elastic cord (4) is sized to fit shoe eyelets of different sizes, allowing manual insertion and controlled extraction by light pulling.