Apparatus and method for lacing
AssigneeWow Company S.A.
InventorWilliam D. Curet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lacing apparatus is provided comprising a lace which maybe threaded through a plurality of apertures defined by at least two portions of an article; a connector for connecting the free ends of the lace to one another, so that when the free ends of the lace are connected to one another, the lace forms a continuous loop; and a mechanical locking device for receiving the lace and releasably locking at least two portions of the lace in proximity to one another when at least a portion of the lace has been threaded through the apertures and the free ends of the lace are connected to one another. Footwear incorporating features of this apparatus, as well as methods of releasably lacing together two or more objects, are also disclosed.
Claims12
Lacing apparatus which comprises:
- (a) a lace having dimensions sufficient to permit threading of the lace through a plurality of apertures whose position is defined by at least two portions of an article;
- (b) a clamp positioned on one side of the apertures, the clamp comprising two halves of a hollow, open-ended cylinder, each of the two halves being connectable to one another so that, when connected, the halves form a hollow cylinder, and wherein the clamp further comprises lace retention means for retaining at least a portion of each of the free end portions of the lace within the hollow cylinder, so that when the free ends of the lace are connected to one another, the lace forms a continuous loop;
- and
- (c) mechanical locking means positioned on an opposite side of the apertures from the connecting means for receiving the lace and releasably locking at least two portions of the lace in proximity to one another when at least a portion of the lace has been threaded through the apertures and the free ends of the lace are connected to one another.
Footwear which comprises:
- (a) a sole;
- (b) an upper footwear portion connected to the sole and defining at least two apertures;
- (c) a lace having dimensions sufficient to permit reading of the lace through the apertures;
- (d) a clamp positioned on one side of the apertures wherein the clamp is comprised of two halves of a hollow, open-ended cylinder, each of the two halves being connectable to one another so that, when connected, the halves form the hollow cylinder, and wherein the clamp further comprises lace retention for retaining at least a position of each of the free end portions of the lace within the hollow cylinder so that the lace forms a continuous loop;
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- (e) mechanical locking means positioned on an opposite side of the apertures from the connecting means for receiving the lace and releasably locking at least two portions of the lace in proximity to one another when at least a portion of the lace has been threaded through the apertures and the free ends of the lace are connected to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.