Abstract:
The present invention relates to a shoe and preferably according to the preferred embodiments to a self-closing mechanism within the shoe. The shoe optionally has an inbuilt mechanical fastening system which operates via insertion of the foot into the shoe which depresses an embedded releasing mechanism in the shoe which pulls closed the fastening-cords of the shoe top tightly around the wearer&#39;s foot. Subsequently a lever operated by the companion shoe situated on the back of the shoe body acts as a loosening mechanism enabling removal of the shoe from the wearer&#39;s foot.

Description:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a shoe and preferably according to the preferred embodiments to a self-closing mechanism within the shoe. The invention is chiefly designed for a self-closing shoe of the sport or athletic shoe variety, but the principles of the invention are applicable to shoes of many other types and styles. 
     Shoes that incorporate an automated fastening system are known in the prior art. However, none of the automated tightening systems heretofore devised have been entirely successful or satisfactory. Major shortcomings of the automated tightening systems of the prior art are their complexity, in that they involve numerous parts; the inclusion of expensive parts, such as small electric motors; the use of parts needing periodic replacement, e.g. a battery; and the presence of parts requiring frequent maintenance. These aspects, as well as others not specifically mentioned, indicate that considerable improvement is needed in order to attain an automated shoe that is completely successful and satisfactory. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,387 describes a shoe whereby energy for closing a shoe is procured by tapping a lever protruding from the heel and releasing the stored energy by tapping an additional lever on the back of the shoe. This shoe would inconveniently demand great agility in order to properly implement the closing and opening of the shoe, together with having to repeat the closing action with the heel numerous times in addition to the real risk of accidentally opening the shoe would make it really inappropriate to a significant proportion of people who would want to have an automated shoe for all of these reasons in addition to its having very many parts. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,068 describes a shoe with the same principal of the shoe described in this patent with stored energy while in the open state. However the shoe described involves many more parts including a rigorous casing and needs to be operated by hand. 
     There is therefore a need for a shoe with a simple mechanism for self-closing and release of the foot from a shoe. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention is to provide an automated shoe that is devoid of the various shortcomings and drawbacks characteristic of shoes of this sort, which exist, in the prior art. Accordingly, the primary preferred objective of the present invention is to produce an automated tightening shoe, especially a sport or athletic shoe, that automatically tightens comfortably and securely around the wearer&#39;s foot from both sides and that has a manual loosening capability. It is a further preferred objective of the present invention to attain the primary objective by providing an automated tightening system which requires no complex or expensive parts, and which includes no parts that need frequent maintenance or periodic replacement. Another preferred objective of the present invention is to provide an automated tightening shoe which is easy to operate and trouble-free in use. Tying shoes using conventional laces is tedious, and tied laces have a propensity to become untied. At best, this is a nuisance to many people. It can present a serious problem to handicapped people who either have difficulty bending over, or whose hands are partially disabled from arthritis or some other cause. People having these handicaps naturally tend toward loafer-type shoes that are pulled onto the feet, or into which the feet can be slipped into without using hands at all. Unfortunately, shoes of this type are never capable of providing the high-level foot support that a good athletic shoe can provide. There is a need, therefore, for a shoe that provides the complete support that a sophisticated athletic shoe, such as a cross-trainer, can provide, but at the same time is so simple to tighten and loosen that even handicapped persons can put their shoes on and take them off without difficulty. Advantages of this invention are that this mechanism enables all people, especially handicapped, obese, weakened, or low-functioning persons or those who have difficulty putting on and taking off laced shoes, to readily lace up and unlace more supportive shoes. A further preferred advantage of this invention is that it provides a shoe having an integral apparatus for automatically tightening the shoe around the foot of the wearer without requiring an expendable power source. 
     Another preferred advantage of this invention is that it provides a shoe with an integral apparatus, which can be easily actuated to loosen the shoe about the foot of the wearer The shoe is very conveniently fastened around the wearer&#39;s foot by simply stepping into the shoe. 
     According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided a shoe with a self-closing mechanism for receiving a foot of a user, the shoe including a main shoe portion configured for receiving the foot and a top portion associated with a main shoe portion and displaceable between an open position in which the foot may be inserted into and removed from the main shoe portion and a closed position in which a foot is retained within the shoe. A resilient element is associated with the top portion and biased so as to tend to displace the top portion to an open position. There is a closing mechanism including at least one fastening cord passing between the main shoe portion and the top portion and a tensioning element configured to apply tension to the at least one fastening-cord so as to bias the top portion to the closed position, the mechanism being configured to overcome biasing of the resilient element and a releasing mechanism associated with the closing mechanism and configured to assume an activated state in which the releasing mechanism at least partially releases the tension applied by the closing mechanism and a deactivated state in which the tension applied by the closing mechanism is unaffected. The releasing mechanism further includes an actuator configured for causing the releasing mechanism to switch from said activated state to the deactivated state, with the actuator being deployed within the main shoe portion and configured to be operated by insertion of the foot into the main shoe portion. 
     The releasing mechanism of the shoe further includes a cable connecting the tensioning element to a release lever. The main shoe portion further includes a release lever track associated with the main shoe portion with the release lever being engaged to move up and down on the release lever track wherein displacement of the lever from the upper to the lower position results in the loosening of the fastening cords. The release-lever protrudes sufficiently for a foot-operated downward movement effective to activate tension in the closing mechanism thereby releasing foot. The releasing mechanism further includes a catch associated with the connecting cable employed for selectively retaining the releasing mechanism in the activated state. The actuator in the activated state catches the catch on the connecting cable as the releasing lever is depressed to the lower position as a result of tensioning the tensioning unit. The tensioning element is embedded within the main portion of the shoe and according to one preferred model can be associated with the release lever track. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a lace-less shoe according to the present invention in the closed position with parts in section and portions cut away to reveal internal details; 
     FIG. 2 is a side-view of a lace-less shoe similar to FIG. 1 but in the open position; 
     FIG. 3 is a side-view of a lace-less shoe, the present invention in the open position with parts in section and portions cut away to reveal a variant implementation of the internal retracting element embedded into the upper portion of the shoe in a concave open position; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lace-less shoe similar to FIG. 3 but here illustrating the resilient effect of the top portion of the shoe. 
     FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a lace-less shoe revealing a variant implementation of the tensioning element this time attached to the release-lever track with the shoe being in the closed position; 
     FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but here the shoe is in the open position; 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is a shoe with a self-closing mechanism for receiving a foot of a user. 
     The principles and operation of the self-closing mechanism according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description. 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a lace-less shoe  10  in the closed condition. A sport or athletic shoe is shown here in the diagram only for simplicity&#39;s sake as this lace-less mechanism can be designed to fit many types of shoe. The preferred embodiments shown here are only examples of numerous positions associated with the shoe that the tensioning and closing mechanisms can be placed. This shoe preferably has a main shoe portion  19  which includes a sole  17 , an upper part  15 , the release lever track  14  and on this is the release lever itself  12 . The release lever  12  is attached to the connecting cord  16 , which runs through the release lever track  14  the continuation of which passes under the guiding rod  21  in the back of the heel section of the sole  13 . From here the connecting cord passes through the releasing mechanism  18  to join up with the serrated connecting cord  20 . This combination of connecting cord to a serrated connecting cord is only one example of numerous means of catching the connecting cord onto the actuator. The releasing mechanism in this variation of the preferred embodiments includes the serrated connecting cord  20 , the connecting cord  16 , the release lever track  14  and the release lever  12 . The serrated connecting line  20  is connected to the back end  25  of the tensioning element  22  which is also connected to the fastening-cords  26 . The front end  23  of the tensioning element  22  is anchored by an anchoring element  27  into the front part of the sole  17  and therefore is immovable. The fastening-cords, or any other similar performing material  26  run through the fastening-cord tracks  24  in the sole  17 , shown here as only one example of numerous possible locations, the bottom of which is embedded in the sole  17  and from which at least one fastening-cord track  24  run upwards through both sides of the shoe until the division between the main shoe  19  and the upper portion of the shoe  15 . The fastening-cords  26  complete a circuit through the upper portion  15  of the shoe. The upper portion of the shoe  15  opens either manually by the wearer or by a resilient element associated with the upper portion as shown in FIGS. 5 &amp; 6. 
     FIG. 2 is a side-view of the lace-less shoe  10  in the open condition. The connecting cord  16  is joined with the serrated connecting line  20 . The serrated connecting line  20  passes through the release mechanism  18  where it is held in place. The serrated connecting line  20  is connected to the back end  25  of the tensioning element  22  now in a stretched position, which is also connected to the fastening-cords  26 . The fastening-cords  26  run through the fastening-cord tracks  24  the bottom of which is embedded in the sole  17  and from which a number of individual fastening-cord tracks  24  run upwards through both sides of the shoe until the division between the main portion  19  of the shoe and the upper potion  15 . The fastening-cords  26  complete a circuit through the upper portion  15 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side-view of the lace-less shoe, the present invention in the open position with parts in section and portions cut away to reveal an optional the internal resilient element  29  embedded into the upper portion  15  of the shoe in the concave open position. The upper portion  15  of the shoe is configured to mate the main portion of the shoe and may be consistent in constitution or have parts of it cut away in a sandal like form. This is an example of many types of resilient elements. The release lever  12  is in the depressed position, which stretches the tensioning element. This releases the plurality of fastening-cords  26 , with an optional number of 3 fastening cords, shown here. The released slack is taken up by the upper portion  15  of the shoe as a result of the resilient element  29  returning to its biased concave position. 
     In operation, the shoe has reached the open position by the wearer preferably using his companion shoe to depress the release-lever  12 . This in turn pulls the connecting cord  16 , which pulls the serrated connecting cord  20  through the actuator  18  and becomes caught on a catch within the actuator  18 . This simultaneously stretches the tensioning element shown here in a preferred embodiment as a rubber strip  25 . Stretching the tensioning element  25  results in loosening of the fastening cords. The released slack is taken up by the upper portion  15  of the shoe as a result of the resilient element  29  returning to its biased concave position resulting in the opening of the shoe. The shoe described in the preferred embodiments is closed by the wearer placing a foot in the shoe and depressing the actuator, which releases the connecting cords  16  &amp;  20 . The rubber strip  25  retracts simultaneously pulling the connecting cords  16  &amp;  20  and the plurality of fastening cords  26  towards the front end of the shoe. This results in the closing of the upper part of the shoe  19  around the foot of the wearer. 
     FIG. 4 is an additional view illustrating the relationship between the fastening cords  26  and the upper portion of the shoe  15 . 
     FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a closed lace-less shoe revealing a variant implementation of the tensioning element. In this example the tensioning element  25  and the releasing mechanism  18  are associated with the release-lever track  14 . The connecting cord  16  is attached to the release lever  12  which is attached to the catch  28  which runs up and down on the release lever track  14 . The tensioning element, which is in this variation of the preferred embodiments, is illustrated as a helical tension spring  25  is shown in its biased form. 
     The mode of operation in this variation of the preferred embodiments illustrated here is similar to the mode of operation to the variant described in FIG. 3 with some of the exceptions being the tensioning element  25  being a helical tension spring and the actuator of the releasing mechanism  18  being embedded in the hind section of the shoe and not embedded in the sole. 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an open lace-less shoe illustrating the stretched tensioning element  25  held in position by the catch  28  held in position by the releasing mechanism  18 . The shoe is closed by the placing of foot inside the shoe which displaces the catch  28  from the releasing mechanism  18  resulting in the tensioning of the tensioning element  25  deployed around a shaft simultaneously serving as the release-lever track  14  which pulls the connecting cords  26  to result in closing the shoe over the wearer&#39;s foot. 
     The mode of operation in this variation of the preferred embodiments illustrated here is similar to the mode of operation to the variant described in FIG. 3 with some of the exceptions being the tensioning element  25  being a helical tension spring and the actuator of the releasing mechanism  18  being embedded in the hind section of the shoe and not embedded in the sole. 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an open lace-less shoe illustrating the stretched tensioning element  25  held in position by the catch  28  held in position by the releasing mechanism  18 . The shoe is closed by the placing of foot inside the shoe which displaces the catch  28  from the releasing mechanism  18  resulting in the tensioning of the tensioning element  25  deployed around a shaft simultaneously serving as the release-lever track  14  which pulls the connecting cords  26  to result in closing the shoe over the wearer&#39;s foot. 
     It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.