WO2009055855A1

WO2009055855A1 - Shoelace tensioning device

Info

Publication number: WO2009055855A1
Application number: PCT/AU2008/001606
Authority: WO
Inventors: Colin Topham
Original assignee: Colin Topham
Priority date: 2007-10-31
Filing date: 2008-10-31
Publication date: 2009-05-07

Abstract

In one arrangement there is provided a shoelace tensioning device (10). The shoelace tensioning device (10) comprises a base member (12) to be secured to the upper surface of a shoe (16) adjacent the laces (18). There is provided an arm member (14) pivotally attached to the base member (12). The arm member (14) has an aperture (24) in the form of a slot for holding of the laces (18) of the shoe (16). The arm member (14) is pivotable from a first condition to a second condition. In the second condition, the arm member (14) extends adjacent the upper surface of the shoe (16) away from the laces (18) such that tension is applied to the laces in the second condition.

Description

"SHOELACE TENSIONING DEVICE"

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for tensioning shoelaces.

Australian Provisional Application 2007905951 filed 31 October 2008 is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Background to the Invention

In spite of the development of various other types of shoe closure arrangements, such as straps with hook and loop fasteners, shoe laces still remain the most common form of shoe closure. However there are many disadvantages associated with shoe laces, not least of which is the need to tie them up again every time they come loose or when the shoes have been previously removed from the feet and are being put back on. This may prove to be a difficult operation, particularly for individuals who do not have the requisite dexterity due to immaturity, old age, or disease (e.g. arthritis). A further difficulty arises in connection with sports shoes, which typically have longer laces that must be tightly tensioned to provide full support for the wearer's feet when playing a sport. While playing sport the wearer's feet may swell, further increasing the tension on the shoe laces. Hence when the time for removal comes it can be extremely difficult to release the tension on the laces in order to remove the shoes from the feet.

The present invention was developed with a view to providing a shoelace tensioning device for tensioning in such a way that the shoe laces do not need to be loosened manually in order to release the tension, thereby making it easier to remove the shoe after use. However it will be understood that the device also has application to other types of shoe closure and is not limited in its application to a shoe closure with laces. References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a shoelace tensioning device comprising: a base member to be secured to the upper surface of a shoe adjacent the laces; and an arm member pivotally attached to the base member, the arm member having an aperture for holding the laces of the shoe; wherein the arm member is pivotable from a first condition to a second condition such that in the second condition, the arm member extends adjacent the upper surface of the shoe away from the laces such that tension is applied to the laces. In a preferred embodiment, the arm member is curved such that in the second condition, the arm member rests generally against the upper surface of the shoe. Preferably the aperture in the arm member extends along the length of the arm member from a first end adjacent the base member to a second opposite end of the arm member.

The term laces is to be given a broad interpretation so as to include laces having both ends fixed to the shoe. In one arrangement there is provided a shoe, two tensioning devices and two such laces. The arm member is preferably provided with a slot adjacent the first end wherein the upper end of the base member is received in the slot and a pivot pin extends across the slot and through a hole in the arm member to provide the pivotal movement of the arm member about the base member. Advantageously, the aperture in the arm member adjacent the base member is located in use below the pivot pin.

The base member is provided with a means for securing the base member to the upper surface of the shoe. The means for securing the base member may comprise a threaded fastener received in a threaded aperture in a lower surface of the base member. The lower surface of the base member may be provided with one or more protrusions to engage with the upper surface of the shoe to prevent movement, in use, of the base member relative to the shoe. Advantageously the shoelace tensioning device includes at least one element on the arm member adjacent the pivot adapted to push the laces away from below the pivot to ensure that the laces move are not caught in that position when moving the arm member from the second condition to the first condition. The at least one element may comprise two bevelled portions arranged to force the laces away from one another from a position below the pivot.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of several specific embodiments of the shoelace tensioning device, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1a is a top view of a shoelace tensioning device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1 b is a side view of the shoelace tensioning device of Figure 1a;

Figure 1c is an upper perspective view of the shoelace tensioning device of Figure 1a;

Figure 2a is a view of the shoelace tensioning device of Figure 1 in a first position; Figure 2b is a view of the shoelace tensioning device of Figure 1 in a second position in which tension is applied to the shoelaces;

Figure 3a is a view of a shoe, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3b is a view of a shoelace tension device suitable for use in the shoe shown in Figure 3b.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

A preferred embodiment of a shoelace tensioning device 10 in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in Figures 1a to 2b, comprises a base member 12 and an arm member 14. The base member 12 is arranged to be secured to the upper surface of a shoe 16 adjacent the laces 18, as shown in Figure 2.

The base member 12 is secured to the upper surface of the shoe 16 by any suitable means. The base member 12 may be secured to the upper surface of the shoe 16 by way of a threaded fastener, such as a bolt or screw (not shown), passed through a hole in the upper surface of the shoe 16 and received in a threaded opening in the lower surface 20 of the base member 12. The lower surface 20 of the base member 12 may also be provided with one or more protrusions 22 to engage with the upper surface of the shoe 16 to prevent movement of the base member 12 relative to the upper surface of the shoe 16.

The arm member 14 is pivotally secured to the base member 12. The pivotal arrangement is such that the arm member 14 can pivot between a position in which it is located above the laces of the shoe 16 and a position in which it is located above the upper surface of the shoe 16 extending away from the laces (as shown in Figure 2b).

The arm member 14 includes a slot 24 at a first end 28 thereof which receives the upper end of the base member 14. A pin 26 is provided in the base member 14 extending across the slot 24. The pin 26 is received in the first end 28 of the arm member 14 to provide the pivoting action of the arm member 14 about the base member 12.

The arm member 14 is curved such that the curve generally corresponds to the curve in the upper surface of the shoe 16. The arm member 12, when in the second position, therefore rests generally against the upper surface of the shoe 16 along the length of the arm member 14. The arm member 14 also includes an aperture 32 extending along the length of the arm member 14 from adjacent the base member 12 to adjacent the second end 30. The aperture 32 is provided for receiving a portion of the shoe's laces, as can be seen Figure 2. The aperture 32 is arranged such that when the arm member 14 is in the second position as shown in Figure 2b, the position of the aperture 32 adjacent the first end 28 of the arm member 14 is below the pivot pin 26.

In use, one or more of the shoelace tensioning devices 10 are provided on the upper surface of the shoe 16 adjacent the laces 18. In the example shown in Figure 2, two shoelace tensioning devices 10 are provided. Each of the tensioning devices 10 receives a portion of the lace 18 in the aperture 32. Figure 2a shows the arm members 14 in a first position in which the laces 18 are not under tension. The arm members 14 are then moved to the position shown in Figure 2b in which the arm members 14 rest generally against the upper surface of the shoe 16. This movement tensions the shoe laces 18. As the position of the laces 18 in the aperture 32 is lower than the pivot pin 26, the arm member 14 will remain in this state. Tension can be released from the laces 18 by the opposite movement of the arm member 14.

Referring now to Figure 3a there is shown a shoe 40 according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. The shoe 40 is similar to the shoe 16 in that there are provided two tensioning devices 42 and two laces

46. In the shoe 40, anchoring points 44 for securing the ends of the laces 46 are in relatively close proximity. When the tensioning devices 42 are moved from a closed to an open condition to release the laces 46, this causes laces 46 to wrap around the heads 48 of the tensioning devices 42 as shown in Figure 3. This means that the wearer must to jiggle the laces 46 to remove them from wrapping around the heads 48.

Referring to Figure 3b, there is shown a particularly advantageous shoe tensioning device 50 according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The tensioning device 50 includes two elements 52 on the head portion 48. The elements 52 advantageously operate to automatically force the laces 46 apart on moving the arm of the tensioning device 50 to the open condition. Consequently the wearer does not have to jiggle the laces 46 to remove them wrapping around the heads 48. In this particular arrangement the elements 52 comprise bevelled tabs. The bevelled tabs are shaped, in use, to push the laces 46 away from head 48 adjacent pivot point 54 to ensure that the laces 48 move from below the pivot point 54 to above the pivot point 54 when moving the arm member to place the tensioning device 50 in the open condition.

The action of pushing the laces 46 is achieved by the tabs 52 being shaped to cleave the laces 46 away from the head 48 of the tensioning device 50. In this manner the laces are not caught below the pivot point 54.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described.

Claims

1. A shoelace tensioning device comprising: a base member to be secured to the upper surface of a shoe adjacent the laces; and an arm member pivotally attached to the base member, the arm member having an aperture for holding the laces of the shoe; wherein the arm member is pivotable from a first condition to a second condition such that in the second condition, the arm member extends adjacent the upper surface of the shoe away from the laces such that tension is applied to the laces.

2. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein pivoting the arm member from the first condition to the second condition causes the aperture to pull the laces away from the shoe thereby applying tension to the laces in the second position.

3. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein in the second condition the aperture tensions the laces from a location below the location at which the arm member is pivotally attached to the shoe.

4. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein applying tension to the laces, when in the second condition, causes the arm member to be urged further away from the first condition.

5. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the arm member is curved such that in the second condition, the arm member follows the general contour of the upper surface of the shoe.

6. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the arm member rests generally against the upper surface of the shoe when in the second condition.

7. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the aperture in the arm member extends along the length of the arm member from a first end adjacent the base member to a second opposite end of the arm member.

8. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the arm member is provided with a slot adjacent the first end wherein the upper end of the base member is received in the slot and a pivot pin extends across the slot and through a hole in the arm member to provide the pivotal movement of the arm member about the base member.

9. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the aperture in the arm member adjacent the base member is located, in use, below the pivot pin.

10. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the base member is provided with a means for securing the base member to the upper surface of the shoe.

11. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means for securing the base member comprises a threaded fastener received in a threaded aperture in a lower surface of the base member.

12. A shoelace tensioning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 including at least one element on the arm member, adjacent the pivot, adapted to push the laces away from below the pivot to ensure that the laces are not caught in that position, when moving the arm member from the second condition to the first condition.

13. A shoelace tensioning device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.