US 5,209,667 A · Teaching shoelace

Abstract

A shoelace is described for use by young children or the handicapped, which facilitates tying of a bow by providing a moderately stiff end portion; the stiff end portion can retain a loop shape when a pair of spaced locations on the stiff end portion are temporarily fastened together as by a pair of Velcro retainers. The shoelace is formed of a flexible shoelace core with first and second opposite end portions, and with the first end portion penetrated by a solidified, originally-liquid stiffening material. The shoelace can be made only long enough to leave ends for bow tying, when it projects directly between the uppermost eyelets of a shoe, to train a child rather than to also lace his shoes. The length is small enough that the distance (B) between the middle of the shoelace and the closest Velcro retainer (26) is less than the distance (C) between two Velcro retainers. A short tube (60) is provided through which the shoelace projects, with knots tied at opposite ends of the tube and with the tube lying under the uppermost eyelets of a shoe, to assure that opposite ends of the shoelace are of equal length. The two shoelace locations can be held together by a hook device (86, FIG. 9 ).

Claims3

Dependent claims

A combination of a shoe and shoelace for use by young children or the handicapped to help learn to tie a bow comprising:

a flexible porous shoelace core having first and second opposite end portions;
a solidified originally-liquid stiffening material penetrating and coating said first end portion and making said first end portion stiffer than said flexible shoelace core without said stiffening material, said first end portion being stiff enough to retain a loop shape when a pair of locations spaced a plurality of inches apart along said first end portion are held together to form a loop shape between them;
a shoe having two rows of eyelet devices, including an uppermost eyelet in each row that are spaced apart by no more than about two inches;
said shoelace has a middle portion lying between said end portions, said middle portion of said shoelace has a length no more than about three inches and extends directly between said uppermost eyelets, with said opposite and portions projecting from said uppermost eyelets;
a tube having opposite ends and lying between said uppermost eyelets, said middle portion of said shoelace projecting through said tube and said shoelace being tied in a knot between each end of said tube and a corresponding one of said uppermost eyelets.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Teaching shoelace

Life of this patent

Teaching shoelace

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims3