Wire guide device for shoe

Abstract

Disclosed relates to a wire guide apparatus for shoes, and the wire guide apparatus includes a fixed unit having a lower surface facing an upper of a shoe, and fixed to the upper, and a guide unit that is mounted in the fixed unit to allow the upper and the user's foot to come into close contact with each other through the fixed unit, and switch and guide a direction of a wire tightening the shoe, and the wire guide apparatus causes uniform tension to the entire wire that functions as a shoelace to allow the entire shoe to be smoothly tightened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire guide apparatus for shoes and, more particularly, to a wire guide apparatus that causes uniform tension throughout a wire functioning as a shoelace, thereby allowing the entire shoe to be smoothly tightened.Background Art

[0002] Usually, shoes are designed to be tightened with shoelaces or a zipper to prevent them from becoming loose on the user's foot while worn.

[0003] Specifically, since shoelaces can be tightened or loosened to the desired level of tension, shoelaces are more frequently used than zippers in athletic shoes.

[0004] However, when a user exercises or walks continuously while wearing shoes with tightened shoelaces, the impact from the activity is transmitted to the knots of the shoelaces, so that the tightness of the shoelaces can loosen and come untied.

[0005] Generally, the shoelaces (or wires) are mostly tied by the user's hands.

[0006] Since tying shoelaces by hand can be inconvenient, numerous guide devices have recently been provided that redirect and guide shoelaces during the tying process.

[0007] However, these conventional guide devices only function to guide shoelaces in a circular path, resulting in the problem that friction causes the shoelaces not to be tightened smoothly during operation.

[0008] Specifically, these conventional guide devices do not transmit uniform tension throughout the entire shoelace, thereby causing a critical problem that some sections are loose while others are excessively tensioned and broken.

[0009] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2024-0082067Disclosure Technical Problem

[0010] Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a wire guide apparatus for shoes, which causes tension uniformly throughout a wire functioning as a shoelace, thereby allowing the entire shoe to be smoothly tightened.Technical Solution

[0011] In order to achieve the above objective, the present disclosure may provide a wire guide apparatus for shoes, the wire guide apparatus including: a fixed unit including a lower surface facing an upper of a shoe, and fixed to the upper; and a guide unit that is mounted in the fixed unit to allow the upper and the user's foot to come into close contact with each other through the fixed unit, and switch and guide a direction of a wire tightening the shoe.

[0012] At this point, the fixed unit may include a hollow main body including a lower surface facing the upper and being open at opposite surfaces through which the wire passes, a fixed tongue extending from an edge of the main body and fixed to the upper, wherein the guide unit may be mounted in the main body.

[0013] At this point, the main body may include a first piece including the lower surface that is in contact with the upper, a second piece formed by protruding from an edge of a first end of the first piece, a third piece formed by protruding from an edge of a second end of the first piece, and a fourth piece connecting an edge of an upper end of the second piece and an edge of an upper end of the third piece to each other, wherein an upper surface of the first piece may provide a bottom inner surface of the main body, and a lower surface of the fourth piece may provide a top inner surface of the main body, and a portion of the guide unit may be rotatably supported between the bottom inner surface of the main body and the top inner surface of the main body.

[0014] At this point, the fixed tongue may be fixed by being sewn on the upper, heat-sealed on the upper, or secured by a rivet passing through a riveting hole formed through the fixed tongue.

[0015] Furthermore, the guide unit may include an upper rotating block having a shape corresponding to a support groove formed in a circular block shape by being depressed from a top inner surface of a hollow main body in the fixed unit, the upper rotating block being rotatably supported by the support groove, a lower rotating block having a shape corresponding to a support hole formed in a circular block shape through a bottom inner surface of the hollow main body, the lower rotating block being rotatably supported by the support hole, a roller including an upper surface to which a lower surface of the upper rotating block is fixed, a lower surface to which an upper surface of the lower rotating block is fixed, and an outer circumferential surface facing an outside surface of the wire, the roller being rotatable in the fixed unit, and an anti-separation step formed by protruding from an outer circumferential surface of each of upper and lower ends of the roller and restricting the wire from being separated from the roller.Advantageous Effects

[0016] According to the present disclosure, which has the above configuration, the wire guide apparatus causes uniform tension throughout the wire functioning as a shoelace, so that the entire shoe can be smoothly tightened.Description of Drawings

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the entire exterior of a wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows the entire exterior and the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic plan views showing the entire exterior, and FIGS. 2c and 2d are schematic sectional views taken along line iic-iic of FIG. 2a and line iid-iid of FIG. 2b. FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 3a and 3b are schematic sectional views taken along line iiia-iiia FIG. 2a and line iiib-iiib of FIG. 2b, and FIGS. 3c and 3d are schematic sectional views taken along line iiic-iiic of FIG. 3a and line iiid-iiid of FIG. 3b. FIG. 4 is a rear view schematically showing the entire exterior of a wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 shows the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and is a schematic view enlarging part v of FIGS. 4a and 4b. [Description of Reference Numeral]

[0018] 100: fixed unit 101: lower surface 110: main body 1101: first piece 1102: second piece 1103: third piece 1104: fourth piece 111: assembling step 112: support hole 113: support groove 114: seating slot 120: fixed tongue 121: riveting hole 1211: through hole 1212: locking step 200: guide unit 210: upper rotating block 220: lower rotating block 230: roller 240: anti-separation step 250: receiving chamber 251: fixed sheet-protrusion piece 260: spring 300: wire Bes Mode

[0019] The above and other objects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure, and a method of achieving them will be more clearly understood with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0020] However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms different from each other.

[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure are presented to make complete disclosure of the present disclosure and help those who are ordinarily skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs understand the present disclosure.

[0022] The present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

[0023] Therefore, in some embodiments, well-known elements, operations, and techniques are not specifically described to avoid an ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.

[0024] Furthermore, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the description to refer to the same or like elements or parts, and the terminology used (or mentioned) in this specification is intended to describe an embodiment and is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0025] In the specification, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and it will be further understood that the terms "comprise", "include", "have", etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations of them but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which present disclosure belongs.

[0027] 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 herein.

[0028] Hereinbelow, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

[0029] First, FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the entire exterior of a wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Furthermore, FIG. 2 shows the entire exterior and the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Specifically, FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic plan views showing the entire exterior, and FIGS. 2c and 2d are schematic sectional views taken along line iic-iic of FIG. 2a and line iid-iid of FIG. 2b.

[0032] Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Specifically, FIGS. 3a and 3b are schematic sectional views taken along line iiia-iiia of FIG. 2a and line iiib-iiib of FIG. 2b, and FIGS. 3c and 3d are schematic sectional views taken along line iiic-iiic of FIG. 3a and line iiid-iiid of FIG. 3b.

[0034] Furthermore, FIG. 4 is a rear view schematically showing the entire exterior of a wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Moreover, FIG. 5 shows the internal structure of the wire guide apparatus for shoes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and is a schematic view enlarging part v of FIGS. 4a and 4b.

[0036] First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the wire guide apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a guide unit 200 mounted in a fixed unit 100, the fixed unit 100 including a lower surface 101 (hereinbelow, referring to FIG. 4) facing an upper (hereinbelow, now shown) of a shoe, and fixed to the upper.

[0037] At this point, the guide unit 200 is located through the fixed unit 100 to switch the direction of a wire 300 that tightens the shoe while allowing the upper and the user's foot (hereinbelow, not shown) to come into close contact with each other, and guides the wire 300.

[0038] At this point, the fixed unit 100 may include a plurality of fixed units 100 on opposite portions of a front portion of the upper.

[0039] The present disclosure may be embodied in the above-described embodiment, and be variously embodied as follows.

[0040] First, the fixed unit 100 may include a hollow main body 110 with a lower surface 101 facing the upper and open opposite surfaces through which the wire 300 passes, and a fixed tongue 120 extending from an edge of the main body 110 and fixed to the upper.

[0041] At this point, the guide unit 200, which will be described below, may be mounted in the main body 110.

[0042] At this point, the main body 110 may include, a first piece 1101 with a lower surface in contact with the upper, a second piece 1102 protruding from an edge of a first end portion of the first piece 1101, a third piece 1103 protruding from an edge of a second end portion of the first piece 1101, and a fourth piece 1104 connecting edges of upper end portions of the second piece 1102 and the third piece 1103 to each other.

[0043] An upper surface of the first piece 1101 provides a bottom inner surface of the main body 110, and the lower surface of the fourth piece 1104 provides a top inner surface of the main body 110, and a portion of the guide unit 200, which will be described below, may be rotatably supported between the bottom inner surface of the main body 110 and the top inner surface of the main body 110.

[0044] Meanwhile, the fixed unit 100 may include a riveting hole 121 that is formed through the fixed tongue 120 and through which a rivet is fixed to fix the fixed unit 100 to the upper.

[0045] The riveting hole 121 may include a through hole 1211 formed through from the upper surface of the fixed tongue 120 to the lower surface with a predetermined diameter, and a locking step 1212 formed by being depressed from the upper surface of the fixed tongue 120 to be stepped from an edge of the upper end of the through hole 1211, so that a head of the rivet (hereinbelow, not shown) is caught and held thereby.

[0046] The fixed tongue 120 described above may extend in a curved shape from the main body 110 to match the outer surface of the fixed upper.

[0047] In other words, the fixed tongue 120 may have forms such as FIGS. 1, 2, and 4a, and heat-sealed or sewn on the outer surface of the upper, and may be fixed to the upper by a rivet (hereinbelow, not shown) passing through the above-described riveting hole 121 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4b.

[0048] Meanwhile, the fixed unit 100 may include an assembling step 111 (hereinbelow, referring to FIGS. 1 and 3), which is cut to be stepped from an edge of the upper surface of the first piece 1101 and communicates with the support hole 112, so that a lower rotating block 220 is guided to be inserted into a support hole 112.

[0049] Herein, the fixed unit 100 may include a seating slot 114, which has a long hole shape cut from an edge of the support hole 112 with a width equal to the diameter of the support hole 112, so that the lower rotating block 220 is smoothly inserted from the assembling step 111 into the support hole 112.

[0050] At this point, the seating slot 114, which is shaped in a long hole, is provided for the assembly convenience of the main body 110 of the guide unit 200, which includes the lower rotating block 220. The seating slot 114 may be designed and provided to be replaced by the circular support hole 112 in actual production.

[0051] Meanwhile, the guide unit 200 may include an upper rotating block 210, which has a shape corresponding to a support groove 113 formed in a circular block by being depressed on the top inner surface of the hollow main body 110 of the fixed unit 100, and rotatably supported by the support groove 113.

[0052] Furthermore, the guide unit 200 may include the lower rotating block 220, which has a shape corresponding to the support hole 112 formed in a circular block through the bottom inner surface of the hollow main body 110, and rotatably supported by the support hole 112.

[0053] Furthermore, the guide unit 200 may include a roller 230, which has an upper surface fixed to the lower surface of the upper rotating block 210, a lower surface fixed to an upper surface of the lower rotating block 220, and an outer circumferential surface facing the outside surface of the wire 300, and rotatable in the fixed unit 100.

[0054] Furthermore, the guide unit 200 may include an anti-separation step 240 formed by protruding along an outer circumferential surface of each of upper and lower end portions of the roller 230 and restricting the wire 300 from being separated from the roller 230.

[0055] In other words, the upper rotating block 210 is rotatably supported by the support groove 113 formed by being depressed on the lower surface of the fourth piece 1104, and the lower rotating block 220 is rotatably supported by the support hole 112 formed through the upper surface of the first piece 1101.

[0056] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide unit 200 may include at least one receiving chamber 250 formed on the top inner surface of the main body 110 toward a central portion of the support groove 113, and communicating with the support groove 113.

[0057] Furthermore, the guide unit 200 may include a fixed sheet-protrusion piece 251 protruding from a rear end portion of the receiving chamber 250 with respect to a front end of the receiving chamber 250 communicating with the support groove 113.

[0058] Furthermore, the guide unit 200 may include a spring 260, which includes an inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the fixed sheet-protrusion piece 251 and received in the receiving chamber 250, opposite ends in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the upper rotating block 210 and the rear end of the receiving chamber 250, and generating an elastic force in a direction of pushing the upper rotating block 210.

[0059] Therefore, as the spring 260 generates an elastic force in the direction of pushing the upper rotating block 210, the tension of the wire 300 increases, thereby tightening the wire 300, which functions as a shoelace.

[0060] As described above, it can be seen that the present disclosure has the fundamental technical spirit to provide the wire guide apparatus for shoes, which can cause uniform tension throughout the wire functioning as a shoelace, thereby allowing the entire shoe to be smoothly tightened.

[0061] Furthermore, it should be understood that various modifications and applications of the present disclosure are possible to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wire guide apparatus for shoes, the wire guide apparatus <b>characterized in that it comprises: a fixed unit comprising a lower surface facing an upper of a shoe, and fixed to the upper; and a guide unit that is mounted in the fixed unit to allow the upper and the user's foot to come into close contact with each other through the fixed unit, and switch and guide a direction of a wire tightening the shoe.

2. The wire guide apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that the fixed unit comprises a hollow main body comprising a lower surface facing the upper and being open at opposite surfaces through which the wire passes, a fixed tongue extending from an edge of the main body and fixed to the upper, wherein the guide unit is mounted in the main body.

3. The wire guide apparatus of claim 2, characterized in that the main body comprises a first piece including the lower surface that is in contact with the upper, a second piece formed by protruding from an edge of a first end of the first piece, a third piece formed by protruding from an edge of a second end of the first piece, and a fourth piece connecting an edge of an upper end of the second piece and an edge of an upper end of the third piece to each other, wherein an upper surface of the first piece provides a bottom inner surface of the main body, and a lower surface of the fourth piece provides a top inner surface of the main body, and a portion of the guide unit is rotatably supported between the bottom inner surface of the main body and the top inner surface of the main body.

4. The wire guide apparatus of claim 2, characterized in that the fixed tongue is fixed by being sewn on the upper, heat-sealed on the upper, or secured by a rivet passing through a riveting hole formed through the fixed tongue.

5. The wire guide apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that the guide unit comprises an upper rotating block having a shape corresponding to a support groove formed in a circular block shape by being depressed from a top inner surface of a hollow main body in the fixed unit, the upper rotating block being rotatably supported by the support groove, a lower rotating block having a shape corresponding to a support hole formed in a circular block shape through a bottom inner surface of the hollow main body, the lower rotating block being rotatably supported by the support hole, a roller comprising an upper surface to which a lower surface of the upper rotating block is fixed, a lower surface to which an upper surface of the lower rotating block is fixed, and an outer circumferential surface facing an outside surface of the wire, the roller being rotatable in the fixed unit, and an anti-separation step formed by protruding from an outer circumferential surface of each of upper and lower ends of the roller and restricting the wire from being separated from the roller, wherein, the upper rotating block is rotatably supported by the support groove formed by being depressed from a lower surface of a fourth piece, and the lower rotating block is rotatably supported by the support hole formed through an upper surface of a first piece.

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