Accessory for shoelaces

• US 20060248694A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henry L. Ashwood Jr
• Original Assignee: Henry L. Ashwood Jr
• Inventors: Ashwood, Henry L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 24/712.300
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 7/02 Flaps; Pockets
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 7/04 Hinged devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3703 Includes separate device for holding drawn portion of lacing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3708 and fully covers tie
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/3713 having relatively movable holding components or surfaces

Abstract

A device for securing shoelaces that includes a member for encapsulating free ends of a shoelace, the member has a pair of openings positioned within a rear wall of the member. Further, a reinforcement area is included along the rear wall of the member. A slit is extended along the length of the top part of the member. Lastly, a shoelace storage compartment formed within the member and receives the free ends of the shoe lace after one of each of the free ends has passed through at least one of the pair of openings.

Claims

1. An accessory for shoelaces that secures the free end of a shoelace comprising;

a member for encapsulating free ends of a shoelace, the member formed of a semi-rigid to rigid material, and when viewed in a cross section the member having a front wall and a rear wall, and a top part and a bottom part;

a pair of openings positioned within the rear wall of the member;

a slit extending a length of the top part of the member; and

a shoelace storage compartment between the front wall, rear wall, bottom part and top part of the member, for receiving the free ends of the shoe lace after one of each of the free ends has passed through the at least one of the pair of openings.

2. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, further including a reinforcement area along the rear wall centrally positioned between the pair of openings.

3. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the pair of openings have resilient flaps for clasping a portion of the shoelace as the free end of one of the shoelace free ends is positioned therethrough for entering into the shoelace storage compartment for tying and storage of the tied free ends.

4. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, wherein a wearable satellite tracking device is positioned within the wall of the member.

5. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material is a resilient thermoplastic elastomeric polymer.

6. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material is a synthetic rubber.

7. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 1, wherein, the slit has a first part formed to act as a flap that hangs over a second part of the slit, and the flap prevents the free end of the shoelace from exiting the shoelace storage compartment.

8. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 7, wherein the member is formed of a semi-rigid to rigid material.

9. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 8, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material is a synthetic rubber.

10. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 8, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material that has a Shore A hardness of from 30 to 95.

11. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 8, wherein semi-rid to rigid material is a resilient thermoplastic elastomeric polymer.

12. The accessory for shoelaces as set forth in claim 11, wherein the polymer has a Shore A hardness of from 25 to 98.

13. A device for securing shoelaces comprising;

a member for encapsulating free ends of a shoelace;

a pair of openings positioned within a rear wall of the member;

a reinforcement area along the rear wall centrally positioned between the pair of openings

a slit extending a length of a top part of the member; and

a shoelace storage compartment formed within the member for receiving the free ends of the shoe lace after one of each of the free ends has passed through at least one of the pair of openings.

14. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the member formed of a semi-rigid to rigid material, and when viewed in a cross section the member having a front wall and a rear wall, and a top part and a bottom part.

15. The device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material is a resilient thermoplastic elastomeric polymer.

16. The device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the semi-rigid to rigid material is a synthetic rubber.

17. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the device is generally crescent shaped.

18. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the device is generally rectangular in shape.

19. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the device has a half sphere shape.

20. A device for securing shoelaces comprising;

a member for encapsulating free ends of a shoelace once tied, the member having a front wall and a rear wall;

the rear wall is connected to the front wall along the greater portion of peripheral edge of the front wall, with a smaller portion of the peripheral edge of the front wall being a free edge;

the rear wall having a vertical length twice the vertical length of the front wall, with the free edge of the front wall having a length equal to the horizontal width of the rear wall, the rear wall having a flap foldable onto the front wall;

at lease two openings positioned within the rear wall of the member sized for receiving free ends of a shoelace;

a slit adjacent to and extending the length of the free edge of the front wall;

a shoelace storage compartment formed between the front wall and the rear wall and within the member for receiving the free ends of the shoelace after one of each of the free ends has passed through at least one of the two openings; and

wherein when the free ends of the shoelaces are tied after passing through the two openings and positioned within the shoelace storage compartment, the flap is folded to couple to the front wall to secure the tied shoelaces within the shoelace storage compartment.