Automated tightening and loosening shoe
OwnerGregory G. Johnsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automated tightening and loosening shoe with rigid, semi-rigid or flexible polymer bands functioning as laces, and a tightening mechanism which operates in one direction to cause automatic tightening of the rigid, semi-rigid or flexible polymer bands to tighten the automated tightening and loosening shoe about a wearer's foot, and which operates in a reverse or loosening direction to cause automatic loosening of the rigid, semi-rigid or flexible polymer bands so that the automated tightening and loosing shoe can be removed from the wearer's foot.
Claims25
An automated tightening and loosening shoe comprising:
- a. a shoe with a sole, a heel, a toe an upper connected to the sole and having, a lacing pad and a tongue fixed thereto;
- b. a plurality of polymer bands, each having inherent spring memory, crossing said tongue and connected to said lacing pad;
- and,
- c. a tightening mechanism located at said heel, said tightening mechanism including a cable which is connected to said plurality of polymer bands and which is advanceable in a tightening direction toward said heel, and said tightening mechanism also including means for advancing said cable in said tightening direction to thereby tighten said plurality of polymer bands about said tongue and thus tighten said shoe.
An automated tightening and loosening shoe comprising:
- a. a shoe with a sole, a heel, a toe an upper connected to the sole and having, a lacing pad and a tongue fixed thereto;
- b. a chamber formed in said sole;
- c. a plurality of slots formed in the material of said shoe on each side of said tongue, each of said slots extending through said lacing pad and opening into said chamber in said sole;
- d. a plurality of polymer bands, each having inherent spring memory, crossing said tongue, each of said polymer bands including:
- (1) ends connected to said lacing pad on opposite sides of said tongue;
- (2) a midportion located in said chamber in said sole;
- and,
- (3) portions between each said ends and said midportion residing in respective said slots on each side of said tongue;
- e. separate springs connected between said midportions of adjacent polymer bands;
- and,
- f. a tightening mechanism located at said heel, said tightening mechanism including a cable connected to the midportion of the polymer band nearest said heel, said cable being advanceable in a tightening direction toward said heel, and said tightening mechanism further including means for advancing said cable in said tightening direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.