CROSS-REFERENCES

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/692,476, filed June 29, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for securing shoe uppers onto a wearer’s foot. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to an improved shoelace.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methods relating to shoelaces and lacing systems for footwear.

In some embodiments, an article of footwear may include: an upper having a plurality of eyelets, each of the eyelets having an oblong aperture; a shoelace including an elastic lace portion having an inelastic tip fastened to each end, wherein each of the tips has an oblong cross section; wherein the shoelace passes through one or more of the eyelets.

In some embodiments, a shoelace system for an article of footwear may include: a flat elastic lace terminating at each end in a respective shoelace tip, wherein each of the shoelace tips has an oblong cross section; and one or more eyelets, each having an oblong aperture formed therethrough, such that the one or more eyelets are configured to receive the shoelace tips.

In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing shoelaces may include: providing a shoelace tip comprising a malleable material forming a hollow cylinder with an open end and a rounded closed end; inserting an end portion of an elastic shoelace into the open end of the shoelace tip; mechanically flattening the shoelace tip with the end portion of the elastic shoelace inside, such that the tip has an oblong cross section and the shoelace is fastened therein. Features, functions, and advantages may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a photograph of a shoe having an illustrative shoelace in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a photograph of two portions of an illustrative eyelet for use with shoelaces in accordance with the present teachings.

Fig. 3 is a schematic longitudinal cross sectional view of a shoelace and eyelet, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic lateral cross sectional view of the shoelace and eyelet of

Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 depicts a sectional plan view of the illustrative shoelace and tip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 depicts an end sectional view of the shoelace and tip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart depicting steps of an illustrative method for manufacturing shoelaces according to the present teachings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects and examples of a shoelace having improved functionality and appearance, as well as related methods, are described below and illustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwise specified, a shoelace in accordance with the present teachings, and/or its various components, may contain at least one of the structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein. Furthermore, unless specifically excluded, the process steps, structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein in connection with the present teachings may be included in other similar devices and methods, including being interchangeable between disclosed embodiments. The following description of various examples is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Additionally, the advantages provided by the examples and embodiments described below are illustrative in nature and not all examples and embodiments provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantages.

This Detailed Description includes the following sections, which follow immediately below: (1 ) Definitions; (2) Overview; (3) Examples, Components, and Alternatives; (4) Advantages, Features, and Benefits; and (5) Conclusion. The Examples, Components, and Alternatives section is further divided into subsections A and B, each of which is labeled accordingly.

Definitions

The following definitions apply herein, unless otherwise indicated.

“Substantially” means to be more-or-less conforming to the particular dimension, range, shape, concept, or other aspect modified by the term, such that a feature or component need not conform exactly. For example, a“substantially cylindrical” object means that the object resembles a cylinder, but may have one or more deviations from a true cylinder.

“Comprising,” “including,” and “having” (and conjugations thereof) are used interchangeably to mean including but not necessarily limited to, and are open-ended terms not intended to exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

Terms such as“first”, “second”, and“third” are used to distinguish or identify various members of a group, or the like, and are not intended to show serial or numerical limitation.

“AKA” means“also known as,” and may be used to indicate an alternative or corresponding term for a given element or elements.

“Coupled” means connected, either permanently or releasably, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components.

“Resilient” describes a material or structure configured to respond to normal operating loads (e.g., when compressed) by deforming elastically and returning to an original shape or position when unloaded.

“Rigid” describes a material or structure configured to be stiff, non-deformable, or substantially lacking in flexibility under normal operating conditions. “Elastic” describes a material or structure configured to spontaneously resume its former shape after being stretched or expanded.

“Providing,” in the context of a method, may include receiving, obtaining, purchasing, manufacturing, generating, processing, preprocessing, and/or the like, such that the object or material provided is in a state and configuration for following steps to be carried out.

Overview

In general, a shoelace and shoe as described herein may include an elastic lace coupled to an inelastic tip having an oval or rounded-rectangle cross section. The tip may be referred to interchangeably as an aglet. See Figs. 1 -6 for illustrative examples.

The tip is connected to the elastic lace and held in place by an adhesive or glue, as well as by compression of the tip around the lace. In an illustrative manufacturing process (see Fig. 7), a cylindrical (round) tip is first produced using any suitable method. The cylindrical tip has a hollow portion for insertion of the lace. The elastic shoelace is cut to an appropriate length, and its ends are inserted to the round tips. Ends of the shoelace may be pre-formed and/or wrapped with tape to facilitate insertion into the tips.

The tips (with laces inserted) are then placed in a mold or stamping press (or other suitable apparatus) and mechanically pressed to be formed into the final flattened, thinner, oblong (e.g., rounded-rectangular) shape. In some examples, the resulting tips may have a stadium-shaped cross section. (See Figs. 1 , 2, 4-6).

Any suitable malleable material may be used to construct the tips. In some examples, a zinc alloy is utilized, such as an alloy of 80% zinc (Zn) and 20% copper (Cu). In some examples, a rubberized coating may be added to the formed aglets, e.g., to add better grip and durability. This coating may be spray-applied. In some examples, the aglets may be anodized.

Examples, Components, and Alternatives

The following sections describe selected aspects of exemplary shoelaces, as well as related systems and/or methods. The examples in these sections are intended for illustration and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Each section may include one or more distinct embodiments or examples, and/or contextual or related information, function, and/or structure.

A. Illustrative Shoelace and Eyelet

As shown in Figs. 1-6, this section describes an illustrative shoelace assembly 10. Shoelace assembly 10 is an example of the shoelace and tip described in the Overview above. With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, shoelace assembly 10 includes an elastic or resilient lace 12 and a tip 14 coupled to each end of the lace. Eyelets 16, each of which may comprise two eyelet portions 18 and 20, are formed in an upper 22 of a shoe 24 or other article of footwear (e.g., by crimping or otherwise fastening the eyelet portions in an aperture of the upper).

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, tip 14 has an oblong shape substantially corresponding to the oblong opening of eyelet 16. Fig. 4 includes illustrative measurements, indicating that in at least some examples, tip 14 will only pass through eyelet 16 in one orientation. In other words, rotating the tip 90 degrees on its long axis results in an inability to pass the tip through the eyelet. Although illustrative dimensions are called out in Fig. 4, any suitable dimensions may be utilized to achieve the shape and functionality of the lace and eyelet described herein.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of tip 14, showing the end of lace 12 held therein. Tip 14 may have any suitable dimensions comporting with the functionality and appearance described herein, and therefore may be proportionally larger or smaller on any given dimension. Tip 14, for example, has a length L and a width W, with width W being substantially longer than an overall thickness T. Length L may be longer than width W and thickness T. In some examples, length L may be approximately 23 mm, width W may be approximately 5.5 mm, and thickness T may be approximately 3.5 mm. The tip also has a wall thickness, which may, for example, be 0.35 mm.

As shown in Fig. 6 and elsewhere, the cross-sectional shape of tip 14 is that of a rounded rectangle. Faces or sides of the tip may be substantially planar, with rounded or radiused corners. This may be achieved, for example, by way of the manufacturing method described below. In some examples, the cross-section is a stadium shape, with flat sides spanning the width and curved sides spanning the thickness. In some examples, the overall shape is an oval.

B. Illustrative Method

This section describes steps of an illustrative method 700 for manufacturing shoelaces in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; see Fig. 7. Aspects of the shoelace system described above may be utilized in the method steps described below. Where appropriate, reference may be made to components and systems that may be used in carrying out each step. These references are for illustration, and are not intended to limit the possible ways of carrying out any particular step of the method.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating steps performed in method 700, and may not recite the complete process or all steps of the method. Although various steps of method 700 are described below and depicted in Fig. 7, the steps need not necessarily all be performed, and in some cases may be performed simultaneously or in a different order than the order shown.

At step 702, a substantially cylindrical shoelace tip is provided, wherein the shoelace tip comprises a malleable material, e.g., a metal. In some examples, the shoelace tip may comprise a zinc alloy. The shoelace tip may comprise a hollow cylinder with an open end and a closed end. The closed end may be radiused or otherwise rounded.

At step 704, a shoelace (e.g., an elastic shoelace) is inserted into the shoelace tip. Step 704 may include wrapping an end of the shoelace in tape or another wrapping material and/or coating an end of the shoelace with an adhesive.

At step 706, a stamping tool or mechanical press is utilized to mechanically flatten the tip, such that the tip has a rounded-rectangle cross section, and the shoelace is captured therein.

Advantages Features and Benefits

The different embodiments and examples of the shoelaces described herein provide several advantages over known solutions. For example, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein utilize a more malleable material for the tip (e.g., zinc alloy), thereby preventing breakage and cracking with certain steel and aluminum materials.

Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein insert the lace prior to forming or molding the tip into its final shape. When tips are preformed or molded to their final shape before insertion of the lace, the lace may not fill up the tip fully. This can result in inadequate bonding and/or an unfinished appearance.

Additionally, and among other benefits, when the lace ends are inserted and pressed inside the mold or stamped by the stamping tool, the lace ends form along with the tips. This results in an improved look and bonding, as if a unibody construction.

Additionally, and among other benefits, the lace tips may be turned to a transverse (e.g., 90-degree) angle after passing through the eyelet, thereby“locking” the tip and preventing it from being withdrawn through the eyelet (i.e. , preventing inadvertent unlacing). The elasticity of the lace may further enhance this feature.

No known system or device can perform these functions. However, not all embodiments and examples described herein provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantage.

Conclusion

The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct examples with independent utility. Although each of these has been disclosed in its preferred form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. To the extent that section headings are used within this disclosure, such headings are for organizational purposes only. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.