Combined footwear and associated fastening accessory

• US 8,061,061 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rogue Rivas
• Original Assignee: Rogue Rivas
• Inventors: Rivas, Rogue
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US12/380,251
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 36/501, 36/505, 36/51, 36/54, 361/37, 24/68.SK
• US Class Current: 36/50.1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/002 Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/165 characterised by a spool, reel or pulley for winding up cables, laces or straps by rotation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/2183 Ski, boot, and shoe fasteners

Abstract

A combined footwear and associated fastening accessory for use therewith may include footwear with a tongue, a plurality of apertures, and a fastening accessory removably coupled to the footwear. The accessory may include a housing removably seated directly on the tongue. A plurality of deformably resilient elastic arms may be coupled to the housing and radially extended from the housing. The arms may include fasteners terminating at corresponding apertures and removably connected thereto, such that the housing may remain centrally aligned on the tongue and prohibited from becoming disengaged. Also, a mechanism may be included for selectively adjusting tension in each of the arms by rotating the housing along clockwise and counter-clockwise directions, while maintaining the fasteners directly connected to the apertures. Further, a mechanism for illuminating the housing when the top cap is in a raised position may be included and may illuminate the housing during walking conditions.

Claims

1. A combined footwear and associated fastening accessory for use therewith, said combined footwear and associated fastening accessory comprising:

a footwear having a tongue and a plurality of apertures formed adjacent to said tongue respectively; and

a fastening accessory removably coupled to said footwear, said fastening accessory comprising

a housing removably seated directly on said tongue while remaining intermediately spaced between said apertures,

a plurality of deformably resilient elastic arms coupled to said housing and radially extending away from a center of said housing,

a plurality of fasteners directly mated to distal ends of said arms respectively, and

means for selectively adjusting a tension in each of said arms by rotating said housing along clockwise and counter clockwise directions while maintaining said fasteners directly connected to said apertures.

2. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises:

an annular base member having a raised outer wall extending along an entire circumference of said base member, said base member further having a planar bottom surface recessed from a top edge of said outer wall and concentrically seated at a bottom edge of said outer wall such that a cavity is formed above said bottom surface and between said outer surface respectively;

a top cap dynamically situated within said cavity and centrally aligned above said bottom surface; and

a deformably resilient spring member having axially opposed top and bottom ends directly engaged to an underside of said top cap and said bottom surface of said base member respectively such that said spring member remains permanently intercalated between said top cap and said base member during tension adjusting procedures;

wherein said top end of said spring member is dynamically abutted against said top cap while said bottom end of said spring member is statically coupled to said bottom surface of said base member such that said top cap freely rotates along said top end of said spring member during said tension adjusting procedures;

wherein said base member remains statically situated on said tongue during said tension adjusting procedures.

3. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 2, wherein said tension adjusting means comprises:

a plurality of fingers statically and directly coupled to said top cap, said fingers radially protruding outwardly and away from an outermost perimeter of said top cap and terminating inwardly of said outer surface of said base member;

a plurality of notches formed in an inner wall of said outer surface and being configured in such a manner that said notches receive said fingers therein when said spring member and said top cap are at corresponding equilibrium and raised positions respectively;

wherein said fingers are disengaged from said notches when said top cap and said spring member are contemporaneously displaced downward along a linear travel path defined orthogonal to said bottom surface of said base member.

4. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 3, wherein each of said arms has a proximal end penetrated through said outer surface of said base member and directly anchored to said top cap, said proximal ends being downwardly displaced from a raised position when said fingers are downwardly displaced away from said notches such that said tension increases in said arms.

5. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 4, wherein said top cap is prohibited from rotating along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions when said top cap is situated at the raised position;

wherein said top cap is permitted to rotate along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions after said top cap is linearly displaced downwardly along the linear travel path such that said spring member becomes compressed to a tensioned position.

6. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 5, wherein said proximal ends of said arms are rotatably displaced along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions after said top cap is downwardly displaced and rotated along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions, said arms being maintained at rotatably displaced positions and thereby locked at a tensioned position when said top cap is released to the raised position and said fingers re-engage said notches respectively.

7. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 6, wherein said tension of said arms is increased when said proximal ends of said arms are shifted to the rotatably displaced positions and maintained within said housing respectively.

8. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 3, further comprising:

means for illuminating said housing when said top cap is disposed at said raised position such that said housing remains illuminated during walking conditions.

9. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 8, wherein said housing illuminating means comprises:

a power source seated within said housing;

a light-emitting member seated within said housing;

a first plurality of conductive contacts electrically coupled to said fingers and light-emitting member respectively; and

a second plurality of conductive contacts electrically coupled to said notches and said power source respectively, said second conductive contacts being aligned with corresponding ones of said first conductive contacts when said top cap is released to said raised position and said fingers are situated into said corresponding notches respectively;

wherein power is transmitted from said power source to said light-emitting member when said top cap is released to said raised position and said spring member is adapted to the equilibrium position.

10. A combined footwear and associated fastening accessory for use therewith, said combined footwear and associated fastening accessory comprising:

a footwear having a tongue and a plurality of apertures formed adjacent to said tongue respectively; and

a fastening accessory removably coupled to said footwear, said fastening accessory comprising

a housing removably seated directly on said tongue while remaining intermediately spaced between said apertures,

a plurality of deformably resilient elastic arms coupled to said housing and radially extending away from a center of said housing, said arms terminating at corresponding ones of said apertures respectively,

a plurality of fasteners directly mated to distal ends of said arms respectively, said fasteners being removably connected to said apertures such that said housing remains centrally aligned on said tongue and thereby prohibited from disengaging said tongue during walking conditions, and

means for selectively adjusting a tension in each of said arms by rotating said housing along clockwise and counter clockwise directions while maintaining said fasteners directly connected to said apertures.

11. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 10, wherein said housing comprises:

an annular base member having a raised outer wall extending along an entire circumference of said base member, said base member further having a planar bottom surface recessed from a top edge of said outer wall and concentrically seated at a bottom edge of said outer water such that a cavity is formed above said bottom surface and between said outer surface respectively;

a top cap dynamically situated within said cavity and centrally aligned above said bottom surface; and

a deformably resilient spring member having axially opposed top and bottom ends directly engaged to an underside of said top cap and said bottom surface of said base member respectively such that said spring member remains permanently intercalated between said top cap and said base member during tension adjusting procedures;

wherein said top end of said spring member is dynamically abutted against said top cap while said bottom end of said spring member is statically coupled to said bottom surface of said base member such that said top cap freely rotates along said top end of said spring member during said tension adjusting procedures;

wherein said base member remains statically situated on said tongue during said tension adjusting procedures.

12. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 11, wherein said tension adjusting means comprises:

a plurality of fingers statically and directly coupled to said top cap, said fingers radially protruding outwardly and away from an outermost perimeter of said top cap and terminating inwardly of said outer surface of said base member;

a plurality of notches formed in an inner wall of said outer surface and being configured in such a manner that said notches receive said fingers therein when said spring member and said top cap are at corresponding equilibrium and raised positions respectively;

wherein said fingers are disengaged from said notches when said top cap and said spring member are contemporaneously displaced downward along a linear travel path defined orthogonal to said bottom surface of said base member.

13. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 12, wherein each of said arms has a proximal end penetrated through said outer surface of said base member and directly anchored to said top cap, said proximal ends being downwardly displaced from a raised position when said fingers are downwardly displaced away from said notches such that said tension increases in said arms.

14. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 13, wherein said top cap is prohibited from rotating along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions when said top cap is situated at the raised position;

wherein said top cap is permitted to rotate along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions after said top cap is linearly displaced downwardly along the linear travel path such that said spring member becomes compressed to a tensioned position.

15. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 14, wherein said proximal ends of said arms are rotatably displaced along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions after said top cap is downwardly displaced and rotated along the clockwise and counter clockwise directions, said arms being maintained at rotatably displaced positions and thereby locked at a tensioned position when said top tap is released to the raised position and said fingers re-engage said notches respectively.

16. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 15, wherein said tension of said arms is increased when said proximal ends of said arms are shifted to the rotatably displaced positions and maintained within said housing respectively.

17. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 12, further comprising:

means for illuminating said housing when said top cap is disposed at said raised position such that said housing remains illuminated during walking conditions.

18. The combined footwear and associated fastening accessory of claim 17, wherein said housing illuminating means comprises:

a power source seated within said housing;

a light-emitting member seated within said housing;

a first plurality of conductive contacts electrically coupled to said fingers and said light emitting member respectively; and

a second plurality of conductive contacts electrically coupled to said notches and said power source respectively, said second conductive contacts being aligned with corresponding ones of said first conductive contacts when said top cap is released to said raised position and said fingers are situated into said corresponding notches respectively;

wherein power is transmitted from said power source to said light-emitting member when said top cap is released to said raised position and said spring member is adapted to the equilibrium position.

19. A method for employing a combined footwear and associated fastening accessory, said method comprising the chronological steps of:

a. providing a footwear having a tongue and a plurality of apertures formed adjacent to said tongue respectively; and

b. providing and removably coupling a fastening accessory to said footwear by performing the following steps

i. providing and removably seating a housing directly on said tongue by intermediately spacing said housing between said apertures,

ii. providing and coupling a plurality of deformably resilient elastic arms to said housing,

iii. terminating said arms at corresponding ones of said apertures by radially extending said arms away from a center of said housing,

iv. providing and mating a plurality of fasteners directly to distal ends of said arms respectively;

v. prohibiting said housing from disengaging said tongue during walking conditions by removably connecting said fasteners to said apertures and maintaining said housing centrally aligned on said tongue, and

vi. selectively adjusting a tension in each of said arms by rotating said housing along clockwise and counter clockwise directions while maintaining said fasteners directly connected to said apertures.