Hook Elastic Shoelaces

Abstract

A system for securing a shoe on the foot of a wearer, the shoe having an upper part with a pair of opposed edges with eyelets which are drawn together in securing the shoe on the foot, the system comprising; an elastic shoelace (10) having a pair of ends, each end having an elongated, covering of material with one end having a hook (11) and the other end having an eye (12) whereby the hook and eye system adapted to allow shoelace ends to fasten. The present invention will eliminate dangling shoelace ends that otherwise create a safety issue for the wearer and will result in an aesthetically pleasing product.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 998,358, filed Oct. 11, 2007 by the present inventor.FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]Not applicableSEQUENCE LISTING[0003]Not applicableBACKGROUND[0004]1. Field of Invention[0005]This invention generally relates to methods and mechanisms for securing a shoe having laces on the foot of its wearer. More particularly, this invention relates to elastic shoelaces and mechanisms for facilitating their use and closure.[0006]2. Prior Art[0007]Shoelaces have been in widespread use for hundreds of years. The conventional shoelace is a smooth linear member made of cloth, leather, plastic, or elastic. The shoe lace is wound through a series of holes arranged in the upper portion of the shoe as to straddle the opening in the shoe through which the wearer's foot is inserted into or retracted from the shoe. To use the shoelace, the foot is first inserted into the shoe. Te...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a system for securing a shoe on a wearer's foot. The system includes an elastic shoelace with hook and eye ends that fasten the shoe to the foot, avoiding dangling shoelace ends. This system solves the safety and aesthetics issues associated with dangling ends. The elastic shoelace has a covering of material on each end, with the hook end having a hook and the eye end having an eye. The hook and eye system allows for secure fastening without the need for additional materials or tools. The shoe securing system is easy to use and provides a comfortable fit."

Problems solved by technology

These include: (1) the need to tie the ends of the shoelace together, with these ties often loosening during the wearing of the shoe, (2) the need to have a mechanism to hold the laces tightly together, with these mechanisms often loosening the laces during the wearing of the shoe, (3) the inability to configure the shoe upper to the foot so as to obtain a suitable snug fit, (4) the inability to provide a streamlined aesthetic lacing system, and (5) difficulties in feeding the shoelace ends through the evermore complex, shoelace eyelet geometries being introduced to improve the fit of the shoe.

Another significant disadvantage of conventional or improved shoe lace systems are the tendency for the ends of the shoelaces to dangle thereby creating a safety issue for the wearer.

Although these patents disclose a wide variety of fasteners, none of these address all of the disadvantages listed above.

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