Closure system for braces, protective wear and similar articles
AssigneeBoa Technology Inc.
InventorsGary R. Hammerslag, James Capra
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A closure system for braces, protective wear and similar articles is disclosed. The closure system includes a plurality of opposing lace guide members and a tightening mechanism. The closure system further includes a lace extending through the guide members and coupled to the tightening mechanism. In some embodiments, a quick release apparatus is included to facilitate opening of the closure system. The tightening mechanism in some embodiments includes a control for winding the lace into a housing to place tension on the lace thereby tightening the closure system.
Claims43
A closure system used to close a brace article or a protective article having first and second opposing sides and configured to be worn on the body or limbs, comprising:
- a lace guide pair with first and second opposing guides;
- a lace extending between the opposed guides;
- a rotatable tightening mechanism configured to apply tension on the lace, thereby advancing the opposed guides towards each other;
- a retaining member having first and second ends, the first end configured for attachment to the first opposing guide and the second end configured for attachment to the article;
- and
- a quick release mechanism configured to permit the system to release the opposing sides from each other, wherein one or more of the opposing guides are slidingly attached to the article.
A closure system used to close a brace article or a protective article having first and second opposing sides and configured to be worn on the body or limbs, comprising:
- a lace guide pair with opposing guides;
- a lace extending between the opposed guides;
- a rotatable tightening mechanism configured to apply tension on the lace, thereby advancing the opposed guides towards each other to tighten the article;
- and
- a quick release mechanism configured to permit the system to release the opposing sides of the article from each other, wherein one or more of the opposing guides are slidingly attached to the article.
A method of closing a brace article or protective article including first and second opposing sides, a lace guide pair with opposing guides configured to be drawn toward each other, wherein one or more of the opposing guides are slidingly attached to the article;
- a lace extending between the opposed guides;
- a rotatable tightening mechanism configured to apply tension on the lace;
- a variable length retaining member having a rough adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the length of the variable length retaining member;
- and a quick release mechanism configured to permit the system to release the opposing sides of the article from each other, the method comprising the steps of:
- engaging the quick release mechanism to couple the variable length retaining member to one of the opposing lace guides;
- adjusting the rough adjustment mechanism to roughly tighten the article;
- and
- rotating the tightening mechanism such that tension is applied to the lace, thereby advancing the opposed guides towards each other to finely tighten the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.