Shoes equipped with laces

Abstract

The invention relates to a shoe equipped with a shoelace, which has two rows of lacing holes (4) on its flat upper (3) and a shoelace (1) threaded through the lacing holes (4), and an enclosing element (2, 9, 14), which is fastened on one of the lacing holes (4) of the upper (3) and is fixed against moving away from the lacing hole (4) and has a through hole (5) through which the shoelace (1) extends. There is a permanent, i.e. non-destructible, rigid connection between the enclosing element (2, 9, 14) and the longitudinal area of the shoelace (1) extending through the enclosing element.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application filed on February 18, 2020, with application number 2020800128511 and invention title "Shoe with Shoelaces". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to a shoe equipped with shoelaces. Background Technology

[0003] Typically, lace-up shoes have two rows of eyelets, or through-holes, in the flat, oval material portion of the upper that covers the instep. These rows are spaced apart and extend roughly parallel to the kammlinie line. The laces (cords or straps) pass through these eyelets, forming a zigzag pattern along which one eyelet from one row alternates with one eyelet from the other. One of the two free ends of the lace (usually) protrudes from the upper eyelet of the corresponding row. To tighten the shoe around the foot, the two ends of the laces are pulled, causing the two rows of eyelets to move relative to each other. To put on the shoe, the two ends of the taut laces are loosely (usually pressed against each other) to keep the laces taut. To remove the shoes, loosen the laces at the ends, thus reducing stress on the laces; the two rows of eyelets move away from each other, so that the ends of the laces are pulled into the next eyelet of the corresponding row.

[0004] For example, documents CH 264894A, DE 446586C, DE 1625874U, and US 3526977A each illustrate a shoelace with a terminal portion at the end, which has a significantly increased diameter relative to the shoelace and is typically shaped like a flat disc. The shoelace is intended to be inserted forward, with its thin end, into the bottommost hole of a row of holes, and then zigzag through the holes in both rows until the shoelace, with its terminal portion in the bottommost hole, rests against the flat material of the shoe from the inside. Pulling on the thin, free end of the shoelace tightens it. A retaining element fixed to the shoe (on which the free end portion of the shoelace can be clamped) maintains the stress on the shoelace. The purpose of this lacing is to allow a person with only one hand to easily tighten and secure the shoelace.

[0005] Documents US 797743A, US 756690A, and WO 2016020898A1 disclose a shoe in which one or two perforations are each enclosed by retaining elements in a flat upper. The retaining elements have components to which the end regions of the shoelaces passing through the enclosed perforations can be releasably secured. The retaining elements replace the usual knotting of the two ends of the shoelaces together.

[0006] In many lace-up shoes, especially those with very short rows of lace holes, the following problem arises: over time, the laces shift relative to the lace holes, causing one end of the lace to protrude too long from the upper lace hole while the second end becomes too short, making it impossible to tie the two ends into a neat knot.

[0007] To address this, for example, DE 202011003919U1 proposes a clamping element as a blocking component, which is clamped onto the section of the shoelace between the two lowest lacing holes in the two rows of eyelets. This clamping element has a cylindrical shape with a longitudinal slit and is tightly clamped onto the shoelace, thus preventing it from sliding on the shoelace. The blocking element is too bulky to slide through the lacing holes, thus ensuring that the entire shoelace is prevented from sliding further due to interference. A particularly disadvantageous aspect is the appearance of the blocking element; its appearance can seriously affect the elegant look of the shoe. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention is based on the design of a shoe having two rows of lacing eyelets and laces threaded through these eyelets, such that the laces are securely connected to the shoe upper at a location away from their two ends, preferably in the middle region of their longitudinal extension, thereby preventing displacement between the upper and the laces at the connection point during use of the laces (i.e., not only during wearing or not wearing the shoe, but also during unlacing and tightening the laces). Here, the means for connecting the laces to the upper can be precisely positioned on the shoe and can also be selectively implemented in a visually inconspicuous manner.

[0009] To achieve this purpose, the prior art features that the perforations in the shoe upper are enclosed by means of an element that is permanently fixed relative to the shoe upper, and the shoelaces extend through the perforations in the shoe upper and thus also through the enclosing element.

[0010] As a further development of the invention, it is proposed that a permanent (i.e., non-destructive, non-detachable) rigid connection be provided between the encapsulating element and the longitudinal region of the shoelace extending through the encapsulating element.

[0011] Specifically, the aforementioned rigid connection is designed to be at least strong enough that during the use of the shoe, the expected force at the connection point between the shoelaces and the encapsulating element does not cause displacement between the two components.

[0012] By attaching the encapsulating element to the lacing hole, the position of the encapsulating element relative to the shoe upper is defined very precisely, thereby enabling the encapsulating element to be designed as a visually consistent element with the shoe.

[0013] Typically and preferably, the encapsulating element is arranged at the bottom lacing hole of one of two rows of holes on the upper of the shoe, which, when the shoe is worn, extend along an ascending line, typically along the instep.

[0014] Typically and preferably, the permanent connection between the encapsulating element and the shoelace is located in the middle longitudinal region of the shoelace, typically at 48% to 52% of the total length of the shoelace, away from the end of the shoelace.

[0015] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the encapsulating element has three annular bodies that are sequentially and rigidly connected to each other along their axial direction. These annular bodies have different outer diameters, with the annular body having the smallest outer diameter located between the other two annular bodies having larger outer diameters. Thus, the dimensions of the encapsulating element can be easily determined such that the middle annular body passes through the lacing hole, and the diameters of the two outer annular bodies are larger than the diameter of the lacing hole in a loose upper, thereby securing the encapsulating element to the upper in two directions to prevent displacement of the plane of the flat upper.

[0016] In this sense, a toroidal body is a main body with a centrally located through-hole, the outer surface of which is largely surrounded. However, the outer perimeter of the toroidal body does not necessarily have to be circular. Nor does the outer surface surrounding the through-hole necessarily have to be closed itself.

[0017] In the simplest case, to connect the encapsulating element to the shoelaces, the outer surface of the shoelaces can be tightly enclosed by the encapsulating element, so that the shoelaces are under radially oriented pressure and the two parts are held together by strong friction alone. However, the connection can also be formed or reinforced by a tip or hook extending from the encapsulating element into the shoelaces, or by adhesive or welding.

[0018] The best form of connection between the shoelace and the encapsulating element is probably formed by implementing the encapsulating element as a plastic injection molded part, which is made by injection molding around the shoelace (for which the shoelace extends through the mold cavity of the plastic injection molding machine).

[0019] Ideally, the connection between the shoelaces and the lacing element is stronger than the connection between the lacing element and the shoe upper. This allows the shoelaces with the lacing element to be fitted onto the shoe by threading them through the lacing eyelet where the lacing element will be placed until the lacing element is against the eyelet. Then, a short, forceful pull is made on the shoelace to draw the lacing element into the eyelet and securely hold it there. To replace the shoelaces (along with the lacing element attached to them), a short, forceful pull is made in the opposite direction of insertion to remove the lacing element from its insertion point in the eyelet. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The invention is illustrated with the aid of two accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary shoe designed according to the invention is shown here, with a cross-sectional plane having a cross-sectional plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shoelaces.

[0022] Figure 2 The front view shows only one other exemplary encapsulation element that can be used according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view shows the equipment equipped with Figure 2 The relevant parts of the shoe encapsulation element.

[0024] Figure 4 A third exemplary encapsulation element that can be used according to the invention is shown separately in perspective view. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Figure 1 The shoelaces 1, encapsulating element 2, and upper 3 of the shoe designed according to the present invention are shown in the intended joined state.

[0026] The encapsulation element 2 is fixed to the lacing hole 4 in the upper 3, and the shoelace 1 extends through the through hole 5 in the encapsulation element 2.

[0027] In this example, the encapsulating element 2 (as described above) consists of three successive annular bodies that surround the "shared" through-hole 5. The middle annular body 6 of the encapsulating element 2 extends through the lacing hole 4. This middle annular body has a smaller diameter than the two annular bodies adjacent to its end (i.e., the outer annular body 7 against the outer side of the upper 3 and the inner annular body 8 against the inner side of the upper 3).

[0028] Ideally, the diameter of the outer ring 7 should be determined such that it can be pushed forward through the lacing hole 4 from the side opposite to the middle ring 6, taking full advantage of the elastic deformability of the outer ring itself and the existing sealing element of the upper 3 or, if necessary, the lacing hole 4, or it can be pulled through the lacing hole 4 by means of a shoelace fastened to the sealing element 2. As has been demonstrated by experiments with samples, a suitable size can be easily determined experimentally.

[0029] The diameter of the inner annular body 8 can also be larger than the diameter of the outer annular body 7, because the inner annular body does not need to move through the tether hole 4.

[0030] If the rigid connection between the shoelace 1 and the enclosing element 2 should be based solely on friction, then ideally the diameter of the through hole 5 of the enclosing element 2 should be just narrow enough that the shoelace 1 can be passed through exactly once, overcoming strong friction, without significant damage. The optimal dimensions associated with this can also be easily determined experimentally.

[0031] As mentioned above, instead of "forcefully" passing the shoelace 1 through the through hole 5, the connection between the shoelace 1 and the encapsulating element 2 is formed, for example, by forming the encapsulating element by injection molding the shoelace 1 with plastic, and thus connecting the encapsulating element to the shoelace 1 as it is formed.

[0032] For example, the through hole 5 can be made wider than the cross-sectional dimension shown relative to the slack of the shoelace 1, and the connection between the encapsulating element 2 and the shoelace 1 can be secured by means of adhesive or by means of welding or by means of a plug extending transversely to the direction of the through hole 5 or a small tip, hook or rib extending transversely to the direction of the through hole 5.

[0033] Figure 2 Encapsulation element 9 is shown, which is related to Figure 1 The difference of the encapsulating element is that the encapsulating element has a longitudinal slot 10 that opens toward the two end faces of the encapsulating element 9, and the annular bodies 6, 7, 8 are interrupted by the longitudinal slot to form annular rings that open, and thus the outer surface of the through hole 5 is also interrupted outward in the narrow peripheral area.

[0034] The advantage of the longitudinal slot 10 is that when the enclosing element 9 is not yet placed on the shoe upper, the enclosing element can be pushed radially onto the shoelace 1 to anchor it to the shoelace, and the enclosing element 9 can undergo elastic deformation in other areas, thereby making it easier to achieve the anchoring process at the lacing hole 4 in the shoe upper 3.

[0035] Figure 3 An example of a particularly advantageous structure of a shoe according to the invention is shown.

[0036] For example, in many types of shoes, especially leather shoes, the upper 3 consists of two layers: an inner layer 11 (which is usually fabric) and an outer layer 12 (which is in most cases leather or synthetic leather). In the lacing holes 4, only the longitudinal area of ​​the inner layer 11 is correspondingly enclosed by eyelets 13. (Of course, there are also leather shoes where the eyelets are visible on the surface of the outer layer.)

[0037] exist Figure 3 In the advantageous embodiment shown, the encasing element 9 is inserted from the inside of the upper 3 through the eyelet 13 on the lacing hole 4, and the encasing element is short enough that the outer ring 7 protrudes just over the eyelet 13, but does not extend from the outer layer 12. Thus, the encasing element 9 is extremely inconspicuous and can only be seen when viewed from a very short distance. Visibility can be further reduced if the color of the encasing element 9 is the same as or similar to the color of the outer layer 12 or the eyelets 13 (which are located on the lacing holes where the encasing element 9 is not located).

[0038] Figure 4 An encapsulating element 14 is shown, which can be fitted particularly well by being pushed into the lacing holes on the shoe upper. The encapsulating element 14 is composed of three annular bodies 15, 16, and 17, with the middle annular body 16 having the smallest diameter.

[0039] In the two annular bodies 16, 17 that must be pushed into the lacing hole for mounting the encapsulating element 14, the outer surface is interrupted by one or more longitudinal slots 18, whereby the remaining material of these annular bodies 16, 17 forms spring tongues that are well-suited to be pushed into the lacing hole and hooked to prevent being pulled out—even if the lacing hole is buttonholeed ( Figure 3 Encapsulation. The annular body 17, which is at the foremost position when pushed into the lacing hole, is inclined in a truncated cone shape according to the type of arrow tip, which further simplifies the pushing process.

[0040] The widest annular body 15 is completely seamless; this annular body also does not need to be inserted through the lacing hole.

[0041] The through-hole 19 extends through all the annular bodies 15, 16, and 17 of the sealing element 14. Preferably, when the shoelace is not compressed under pressure, the diameter of the through-hole 19 is smaller than the diameter of the shoelace as intended to pass through the through-hole. This not only ensures that the shoelace is adequately held in place on the sealing element 14 by friction alone, but also prevents deformation of the spring tongues formed by the annular bodies 16 and 17, which could cause these annular bodies to slip out of the lacing holes on the upper.

[0042] Of course, it is also possible to form a shoelace by injection molding by covering it with plastic. Figure 4The encapsulating element 14 is attached to the shoelaces.

[0043] In particular, the widest ring 15, which does not pass through the lacing eyelet, can also be used as a decorative or identifying element on the shoe. For this purpose, the enclosing element 14 is inserted into the lacing eyelet in the shoe upper with the arrow-shaped ring 17 pointing forward from the outside in. The widest ring 15 thus remains clearly visible in the field of vision on the outer surface of the shoe upper.

[0044] To indicate the width of the ring body 15, decorative or identifying elements (such as a company logo) are provided. Figure 4 The lateral protrusion 20 is shown as an example. By means of the structure of the protrusion 20, and also by means of embossing, different sizes of encapsulation elements can be represented, thereby making it very easy to distinguish and identify encapsulation elements of different sizes.

[0045] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the encapsulation element, the encapsulation element is equipped with an electronic identification circuit, such as an RFID chip. This identification circuit can be injection molded by overlaying the plastic material forming the main part of the encapsulation element, or the identification circuit can be bonded to a surface area of ​​the encapsulation element.

[0046] For example, this option could be considered for particularly high-quality safety shoes that are distributed to employees by the company and whose use should be monitored and / or mandated when staying in certain hazardous areas.

Claims

1. A shoe having two rows of lacing holes (4) and shoelaces (1) passing through the lacing holes (4) in its flat upper (3), and an enclosing element (9) secured in one of the lacing holes (4) of the upper (3) and fixed to prevent movement away from the lacing holes (4) and having a through hole (5) through which the shoelaces (1) extend. Its features are, There is a permanent, i.e., non-destructive, rigid connection between the encapsulating element (9) and the longitudinal region of the shoelace (1) extending through the encapsulating element, and The encapsulating element (9) has three annular bodies (6, 7, 8) that are rigidly connected to each other in their axial direction. The annular bodies have different outer diameters, with the annular body (6) having the smallest outer diameter located between the other two annular bodies (7, 8). The other two annular bodies have two larger outer diameters than the middle annular body (6). The encapsulating element (9) has a longitudinal slot (10) opening toward two end faces of the encapsulating element (9), the longitudinal slot extending in the radial direction from the outer surface of the annular bodies (6, 7, 8) to a central through hole (5) that passes through all the annular bodies (6, 7, 8).

2. The shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The other two annular bodies (7, 8) have different outer diameters, which are larger.

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