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US 7,096,559 B2Granted
Automated tightening shoe and method
OwnerGregory G. Johnsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated tightening shoe where a tightening mechanism is actuated which operates in one direction to cause automatic tightening of the shoe about a wearer's foot and which releases to allow loosening of the shoe. Shoe laces are led to the interior of the tightening mechanism in the heel whereat the laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism. The tightening mechanism includes a rotatable central shaft which may have drums mounted thereto, a ratcheted coupling collar or ratcheted cam disk, a ratcheted actuator spool, a compression spring, a return spring, a ratchet wheel, and a release lever including a pawl and a cam actuator bar, all of which extend along the central shaft and operate to tighten as well as to allow loosening of the shoe laces.
Claims60
An automated tightening shoe comprising:
- a. a sole;
- b. an integral shoe upper connected to the sole, the integral upper including a toe, a heel, a tongue, a gap above the tongue, a junction of the tongue to the integral shoe upper near a lower end of the gap, and a reinforced lacing pad aligned about the edge of the gap and aligned generally to the tongue, the reinforced lacing pad having a number of pairs of lace eyelets provided around the periphery of the gap;
- c. a tightening mechanism in the heel;
- d. a pair of opposed guide means, each of the opposed guide means extending from adjacent the reinforced lacing pad to the tightening mechanism;
- e. lacing means for tightening the shoe at the gap, the lacing means extending through alternate lace eyelets in crisscross fashion over the tongue, and thence through the pair of opposed guide tubes to within the tightening mechanism in the heel whereat the shoe laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism.
2 more elements
An automated shoe lace tightening mechanism, comprising:
- a. a housing;
- b. a shaft rotatably carried within the housing;
- c. a ratcheted actuator spool slideably mounted upon the shaft, the ratcheted actuator spool including ratchet teeth;
- d. a ratcheted coupling collar, closely adjoining the ratcheted actuator spool with ratchet teeth upon the shaft, the coupling collar fixedly attached to the shaft;
- e. a ratchet wheel fixedly attached to the shaft;
- and,
- f. a pair of coiling means on the shaft for coiling laces so as to tighten a shoe.
4 more elements
An automated shoe lace tightening mechanism, comprising:
- a. an upper housing;
- b. a lower housing joined to the upper housing;
- c. a shaft rotatably carried within the upper and lower housings;
- d. a ratcheted actuator spool slideably mounted upon the shaft, the ratcheted actuator spool including ratchet teeth;
- e. a ratcheted cam disk, closely adjoining the ratcheted actuator spool with ratchet teeth upon the shaft, the ratcheted cam disk being rotationally fixed relative to the shaft but slidable upon the shaft;
- f. a ratchet wheel fixedly attached to the shaft;
- and,
- g. a pair of coiling means on the shaft for coiling laces so as to tighten a shoe.
5 more elements
An automated tightening shoe comprising:
- a. a sole and an integral body member or shoe upper constructed of any common sport or athletic shoe material or materials connected to the sole;
- b. the integral body member or shoe upper includes a toe, a heel, a tongue, a gap above the tongue;
- c. a reinforced lacing pad aligned about the edge of the gap and aligned generally to the tongue, the reinforced lacing pad having a number of pairs of lace eyelets provided around the periphery of the gap;
- d. the shoe includes a tightening mechanism in the heel with a pair of shoe laces, or alternatively a single length shoe lace, is provided for tightening the shoe at the gap, each shoe lace has one external end anchored preferably to the region of the shoe upper at or near the junction of the tongue and the lower part of the gap by an anchoring fixture which can be a loop or other suitable device;
- and,
- e. the shoe laces extend through alternate lace eyelets in crisscross fashion over the tongue, and then pass through guide tubes which extend from the tightening mechanism through the material at the side of the shoe upper to within the tightening mechanism in the heel whereby the shoe laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism.
3 more elements
A method for automating shoe lace tightening comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a shoe including:
- (1) a sole;
- (2) an integral shoe upper connected to the sole, the integral upper including a toe, a heel, a tongue, a gap above the tongue, a junction of the tongue to the integral shoe upper near a lower end of the gap, and a reinforced lacing pad aligned about the edge of the gap and aligned generally to the tongue, the reinforced lacing pad having a number of pairs of lace eyelets provided around the periphery of the gap;
- (3) a tightening mechanism in the heel, the tightening mechanism including an actuator cord, the actuator cord protruding through the heel of the shoe;
- (4) a pair of opposed guide tubes, each of the opposed guide tubes of the pair of opposed guide tubes extending from adjacent the reinforced lacing pad to the tightening mechanism;
- (5) lacing means for tightening the shoe at the gap, the lacing means extending through alternate lace eyelets in crisscross fashion over the tongue, and thence through the pair of opposed guide tubes to within the tightening mechanism in the heel whereat the shoe laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism;
- and,
- b. pulling the actuator cord to coil the laces within the tightening mechanism.
5 more elements
A method for tightening a shoe comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a shoe including:
- (1) a sole;
- (2) an integral shoe upper connected to the sole, the integral upper including a toe, a heel, a tongue, a gap above the tongue, a junction of the tongue to the integral shoe upper near a lower end of the gap, and a reinforced lacing pad aligned about the edge of the gap and aligned generally to the tongue, the reinforced lacing pad having a number of pairs of lace eyelets provided around the periphery of the gap;
- (3) a tightening mechanism in the heel, the tightening mechanism including an actuator cord, the actuator cord protruding through the heel of the shoe;
- (4) a pair of opposed guide tubes, each of the opposed guide tubes of the pair of opposed guide tubes extending from adjacent the reinforced lacing pad to the tightening mechanism;
- (5) lacing means for tightening the shoe at the gap, the lacing means extending through alternate lace eyelets in crisscross fashion over the tongue, and thence through the pair of opposed guide tubes to within the tightening mechanism in the heel whereat the shoe laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism;
- and,
- b. pulling the actuator cord to coil the laces within the tightening mechanism.
5 more elements
A method of loosening a shoe having an automated tightening mechanism, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a shoe including:
- (1) a sole;
- (2) an integral shoe upper connected to the sole, the integral upper including a toe, a heel, a tongue, a gap above the tongue, a junction of the tongue to the integral shoe upper near a lower end of the gap, and a reinforced lacing pad aligned about the edge of the gap and aligned generally to the tongue, the reinforced lacing pad having a number of pairs of lace eyelets provided around the periphery of the gap;
- (3) a tightening mechanism in the heel, the tightening mechanism including releasable coils of laces within the mechanism;
- (4) a pair of opposed guide tubes, each of the opposed guide tubes of the pair of opposed guide tubes extending from adjacent the reinforced lacing pad to the tightening mechanism;
- (5) lacing means for tightening the shoe at the gap, the lacing means extending through alternate lace eyelets in crisscross fashion over the tongue, and thence through the pair of opposed guide tubes to within the tightening mechanism in the heel whereat the shoe laces are operatively associated in a tightening or in a loosening direction with the tightening mechanism;
- and,
- b. releasing the coiled shoe laces within the tightening mechanism.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.