EP1169930A1 - Shoe-lacing fastening provided with storage pocket for a lace holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

A lace device for tightening or closing an article such as a boot upper, garment, or backpack including a lace and at least two series of at least one guide for said lace, the sub-assembly constituted by the guides and the lace(s) defining a lacing zone, in the vicinity of which a blocking zone is located, in the area where the lace(s) extends from the lacing zone, the device further including a blocking element, a pocket adapted to receive the blocking element, the pocket being located in the blocking zone, and the pocket including passage(s) for the lace enabling the penetration of the lace between its exit from the lacing zone and its entry into the blocking element.

Description

The invention relates to a device for closing or lace or cord tightening. This kind of system is very used in the shoe and in particular in the shoe of sport where it is necessary to have a firm support of the foot. However, lace or cord tightening is used in many other areas and we can advantageously use the clamping device according to the invention in the manufacture of clothing, bags, travel bags or bags sports such as backpacks.

It is now known in footwear to associate with lace, a blocker or jammer which allows tightening and quick loosening, avoiding the knot. Some yaw blockers are particularly effective when the tension on the laces is significant at the end of the Tightening.

Generally closing or tightening devices lace include the following: at least two sets of passers-by in which each of the passers-by is connected to the minus one of the passers-by from another set of passers-by, the link between two passers-by being carried by a lace. All of the loops and the lace (s) are distributed over a surface dimensional.

In the particular case of the shoe, two series of passers-by are arranged on either side of an opening or of an area whose extent we want to reduce and they are crossed by a lace. Tension on both ends free from the lace brings the two sets of passers-by closer together the other, adjusting the shoe at the foot of the person.

When you use a yaw blocker, you pass it through each end of the lace and the tightening is carried out as follows: while maintaining the two free ends of the lace, we slide the blocker on them until the desired tightening is obtained.

One of the major problems generated by the use of blockers in lacing systems or devices cord closure resides in the fact that once tightened, the jammer naturally takes a position perpendicular to the two-dimensional surface according to which the tightening was made.

In the particular case of a shoe fitted with a tongue, the jammer is found, when the shoe is tight, protruding from the upper portion of the tongue. Yes the lacing in question is an external lacing, the prominence of the blocker, which is a technical and functional part, modifies the general design of the shoe, and does not integrate easily in the lines of the shoe. he is also necessary to store the strands of the lace coming out of the blocker.

In order to remedy this problem, it is known to provide a pocket into which the blocker is inserted after the Tightening. This solution requires an additional operation that the user often doesn't bother to do.

If the lacing in question is an internal lacing, i.e. that this is covered by the outer rod of the shoe, the problem posed by the prominence of the jammer is not aesthetic but functional. In effect, before you can close the outer rod, it's necessary to press the blocker against the tongue, otherwise the user will experience discomfort from penetration of the blocker into the tongue when the rod external presses on the blocker. On the other hand, the closure of the external rod cannot be optimal.

Such problems exist for ski boots cross country, downhill skiing or surfing.

The object of the invention is to remedy the drawbacks mentioned above, and in particular to provide a clamping device or lace closure using a blocker ensuring adequate placement without the user having to perform an operation other than tightening the device.

To this end, the invention relates to a clamping device or lace-up closure of a portion of shoe upper, garment or bag comprising at least two series of at least a passerby each and at least one lace. The subset consisting of passers-by and the lace (s) defines an area of lacing, near which, where the one or more laces out of the lacing area, there is an area of blocking. The device also includes a blocker, a pocket suitable for receiving the blocker and is characterized in that the pocket is located in the blocking area and in that the pocket includes means for passing the lace allowing the penetration of the lace between its exit from the lacing zone and its entry into the jammer.

The device is characterized in that passers-by are arranged on either side of the longitudinal opening of the upper of a shoe and the pocket is arranged on a tongue.

The pocket has an outer wall attached to the tongue.

The outer wall of the pocket includes a part lower in which the means of passage of the lace and an upper part intended to receive the blocker when the device is tight.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper part of the pocket is made of elastic material allowing on the one hand to be able to reach the pusher of blocker when it is inserted in the pocket and other part of being able to accommodate the free strands of the lace. So the loop formed by the free strands of the lace is completely safe from accidental snagging.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une chaussure utilisant un dispositif selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention montrant le serrage de la chaussure,
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de la chaussure décrite dans la figure 1 après serrage de celle-ci,
• la figure 3 montre une vue en perspective d'un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle montrant la zone de blocage selon un troisième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 5 est une vue partielle montrant la poche selon un quatrième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue partielle montrant le bloqueur selon un cinquième mode de réalisation de l'invention.

The present invention also relates to the characteristics which will emerge from the description which follows with reference to the appended drawing showing by way of nonlimiting example some embodiments of the invention and in which:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe using a device according to a first embodiment of the invention showing the tightening of the shoe,
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the boot described in FIG. 1 after tightening thereof,
• FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 4 is a partial view showing the blocking zone according to a third embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 5 is a partial view showing the bag according to a fourth embodiment of the invention,
• Figure 6 is a partial view showing the blocker according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a shoe 1 which consists of a sole 2 and a rod 3. An upper opening provided in the rod allows the introduction of the user's foot, this upper opening 13 is extended by an opening longitudinal 20 the purpose of one hand to facilitate the introduction of the user's foot and on the other hand allow precise adjustment of the interior volume of the shoe 1 at the volume of the user's foot.

The sides of the longitudinal opening 20 are materialized by the lateral flank 15 and the medial flank 14 of the rod. The rod 3 is also equipped with an internal tongue 4 fixed to the level of the base of the longitudinal opening 20, i.e. near the toe 21 of shoe 1. Two sets of five passers-by 6 are arranged on either side of the opening longitudinal respectively fixed on the edges of the sidewall lateral and medial flank.

In each series of passers-by, the four passers-by lower are hook-style loops while the overpass called the last pass 6 'is of the type eyelet. The lace 5 walks through all the passers-by of such way that all passers-by except one of a series of passers-by be connected via the lace to two passers-by from the other series. The set consisting of the passer-by and of the lace is called lacing area. Traction on the lace at getting out of this area allows you to move closer to each other two sets of passers-by reduce the interior volume of the shoe. The area which, for the lace, is directly at following the lacing area is called the blocking area.

In this last zone which is provided on the tongue internal there is a pocket 10. this pocket 10 is produced by stitching of an outer wall on the upper end of the internal tongue. The outer wall consists of a part lower 12 made of non-stretchable material and through which are provided with eyelets 22 and a portion upper 11 made of an extensible material.

After the lace goes through the pocket, it crosses blocker 9. Different types of blockers can be used, according to a preferred embodiment. Blocker 9 comprises a body 18, fitted with a stop 17. Inside the body is a moving roller whose movement is controlled outside by a pusher 16.

The operation of the device according to the invention will now be described.

In the initial state, the lateral and medial flanks are as far apart as possible and a large majority of the length of the lace is in the lacing area.

After putting his foot in the shoe, the user tightens by pulling the formed loop with one hand by the two strands of the lace and pushing the blocker towards the low. Gradually the eyelets 22 of the pocket will move to the last passers-by 6 'of each series of loops of the lacing area, which will have the effect of position the tongue both longitudinally and laterally. At the end of the tightening process, the blocker has reaches its lowest position, i.e. in the area of blocking and is in the pocket.

The final state is represented in figure 2. We will note also that at the end of tightening, the eyelets 22 of the pocket are are closer to the passers-by in the lacing area 7 until these overlap. We thus obtain a very precise positioning of the tongue, and in particular its centering.

To loosen their shoe, the user presses with a finger the pusher 16 which is on the blocker. This pusher then being in the pocket, it is necessary to lift the outside wall of the pocket to gain access. The pressure exerted by the finger on the pusher moves the roller and releases the lace allowing the blocker to slide the along the two strands of the lace. The user just has to pull on the tongue so as to separate the lateral flanks and each other to facilitate the extraction of the foot of the shoe.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in which the clamping device ensures the internal tightening of a slipper. This liner 30 will then be inserted in an external rod, which can be tightened by a lace or any other tightening device.

Similar to the previous embodiment, each flanks 31 of the liner's upper is equipped with a series of passers-by 32 through which a lace 33 passes. In the upper area of the tongue, at the level of the a pocket 34 is provided. This has at its base two eyelets 22 through which the two strands of the lace penetrate. The pocket 34 is intended to receive the blocker when the device is in a tight state. Figure 3 shows a slipper in this state, and we see that unlike the first embodiment in the closed position, the eyelets 22 are not exactly next to the last of the passers-by 6 'from each set of passers-by. Thus the user can during the closing of the boot choose the precise position he wishes give the tongue. If he wants to center it perfectly, it will apply to push and place the blocker in central position. If, on the other hand, he wishes to shift the tongue either on one side or the other, it just needs to push and place the blocker accordingly.

Figure 4 shows a partial view of a third mode of realization of the invention. The outside wall of the pocket 10 consists of only one piece sewn in the area of blocking. Eyelets 22 are placed on this outer wall 23 and a window 24 pierces this wall 23 so as to facilitate access to pusher 16 when the blocker is inserted in the pocket, and that the lace is tight. The outer wall of the pocket is a piece of fabric or flexible plastic in which the eyelets and the window are cut out then stitched.

In the embodiment of the invention including a view partial is shown in Figure 5, the outer wall of the pocket includes two separate parts. In the game lower 12 are formed the eyelets 22, while the part upper 11 consists of a strip intended to receive and hold the blocker 9 in place when the tightening is tight.

The embodiment of the invention described in Figure 6 is just a variation of the previous mode. The bottom part 12 of the outer wall of the pocket is in the form a ribbon folded in half and sewn at both ends at the level of the blocking zone and in the fold of which an eyelet 22 is spared. Through this single eyelet passes the two strands of the lace before entering the blocker.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the few embodiments described here by way of example not limiting, and we could consider equipping any device with tightening using a lace and a lace locker device according to the invention, for example for clamping a garment or bag, such as a backpack.

NOMENCLATURE

1-

shoe

2-

sole

3-

stem

4-

tongue

5-

lace

6

passing

6'

last of the passers-by

7-

lacing area

8-

blocking area

9-

blocker

10-

poached

11-

the top part

12-

lower part

13-

upper opening

14-

medial flank

15-

lateral flank

16-

tappet

17-

stop

18-

body

19-

friction roller

20-

longitudinal opening

21-

tip

22-

eyelet

23-

outer wall

24-

window

30-

slipper

31-

sides

32-

passing

33-

lace

Claims (8)

Device for tightening or closing a lace with an article such as a shoe upper (1), clothing or backpack comprising at least two series of at least one loop (6) each and at least one lace (5), the sub-assembly made up of the loops (6) and of the lace (s) (5) defining a lacing zone (7), near which, at the place where the lace (s) (5), leaves the zone of lacing (7), there is a blocking zone (8), device further comprising a blocker (9), a pocket (10) capable of receiving the blocker (9) and characterized in that the pocket (10) is located in the blocking zone (8) and in that the pocket (10) comprises lace passage means (5) allowing the penetration of the lace (5) between its exit from the lacing zone (7) and its entry into the blocker. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the loops (6) are arranged on either side of a longitudinal opening (20) of a rod (3) of a shoe (1) comprising a tongue (4 ) and that the pocket (10) is formed on said tongue (4). Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the pocket (10) comprises an outer wall (23) fixed on the tongue (4). Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the external wall (23) of the pocket (10) comprises a lower part (12) in which the passage means (22) of the lace (5) and an upper part ( 11) intended to receive the blocker (9) when the device is tightened. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper part (11) of the wall (23) comprises elastic means in order to increase the opening amplitude of the pocket (10). Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer wall (23) of the pocket (10) comprises a window (24). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it constitutes the internal tightening of a sports shoe. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the lower (12) and upper (11) part of the pocket (10) are separate.

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