Closure

a technology of closures and velcro, which is applied in the field of closures, can solve the problems of easy wear and tear of closures, knots and bows are difficult to tie or untie, and closures made of cords (such as laces, strings or ropes) tend to come undone,

Inactive Publication Date: 2002-12-05
FREED ANNA B
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Closures made of VELCRO.TM. do not have a strong gripping capability and tend to further lose their gripping strength after repeated usage and laundering.
Closures made of cord (such as laces, string or rope) tend to come undone, wear out easily, and the knots and bows are difficult to tie or untie.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

first embodiment

[0075] Referring now to FIGS. 1A-5E, the tie or closure 100 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. Swivel tie closure 100 is comprised of three parts, a strap 110, a holder 130 and a retainer 170. Strap 110 has an end 116 that is attached (e.g., riveted, sewn, glued, hooked, snapped, etc.) to the item that is to be bound by the closure or to a lace that is to be attached to the bound item. A holder 130, having legs 134, engages with the strap 110 in one of two positions. A retainer 170 is attached at bore 172 to the other side of the item being bound. FIG. 1A shows the tie in the locked position.

[0076] If the user pulls the strap end 118 in the direction of arrow C, the tie will tighten by ratcheted increments. In this orientation, the tie is locked and cannot loosen. To unlock the tie 100, the user simply swivels the handle 132 of the holder 130 counter-clockwise, in the direction of arrow A, until it stops (approx. 1 / 4 turn). The user unlocks the tie in the conve...

second embodiment

[0085] the closure in the form of a slide tie 200, in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6A-10B. Slide tie 200 is analogous to the swivel tie, however the movement required to move the holder from the locked position to the unlocked position (and visa versa) is a sliding movement rather than a swiveling movement. Slide tie 200 is comprised of three pieces, strap 210, a holder 230, and a retainer 270. Strap 210 has an end 216 that is fixedly attached (e.g., riveted, sewn, glued, hooked, snapped, etc.) to the item being bound or attached to a lace or string attached to the bound item.

[0086] Holder 230, has sides 234, and engages with strap 210 in one of two positions. Retainer 270 is preferably fixedly attached (snapped, glued, hooked, sewn, riveted, etc.) at bore 272 to the other side of the item being bound. FIG. 6A shows the tie in the locked position. If the user pulls the strap end 218 in the direction of arrow C, the tie will tighten by ratcheted incre...

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PUM

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Abstract

A closure is made up of a strap (110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610) and a holder (130, 230, 330, 430, 530, 630) that engages with the strap while it tightens and loosens, and a retainer (170, 270, 370, 470, 570, 670), which retains the holder in one of the two positions relative to the strap. For items opening lengthwise (e.g., sneakers), the closure includes a lace (795). To unlock the closure, the user moves the holder to the unlocked position. To lock the closure, the user pulls the strap, which automatically moves the closure back to the locked position. The strap has two sets of teeth (112, 114, 212, 214, 312, 314, 412, 414, 512, 514, 612, 614). One set (112, 212, 312, 412, 512, 612), the switching teeth, automatically moves the holder from the unlocked position to the locked position.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The present invention relates to closures such as ties, fasteners, laces, straps, belts or ropes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a closure which can be used to tie items such as, footwear, garments, packages, cables, orthopedic devices, bandages, sports equipment, seat belts, luggage, plants, etc.[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art[0004] Current art closures commonly consist of ties made of plastic, VELCRO.TM., or cord. Closures made of VELCRO.TM. do not have a strong gripping capability and tend to further lose their gripping strength after repeated usage and laundering. Closures made of cord (such as laces, string or rope) tend to come undone, wear out easily, and the knots and bows are difficult to tie or untie. Current art plastic closures, (such as cable ties) don't have the extensive features and benefits of the present invention. The closures of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages of current a...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A43C11/08A43C11/14B65D63/10
CPCA43C11/08A43C11/146Y10T24/1412B65D63/1072B65D63/1063
Inventor FREED, ANNA B
Owner FREED ANNA B
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