Abstract:
An aglet for facilitating the threading of a lace on footwear, the aglet having a curved, tapering shape connected to the lace, a neck, an apex, and differing inner and outer axes of curvature converging at the apex.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to the field of aglets or lace tips used with footwear. More specifically, the invention is directed to a design for an aglet which facilitates threading lace through the eyelets on footwear, while also providing additional benefits.  
         [0002]     There are many different types of foot wear whose particular use demands that their composition include a stiff material. Examples of such footwear include hockey skates, work boots, hiking boots, etc. Often, active footwear requires that the user lace up the shoe or boot with his or her foot already in the footwear. Due to the stiff or semi-stiff flanges of active footwear, for example, this may render the act of eyelet lacing while wearing the footwear difficult. In some cases, the top two or three sets of eyelets must be unlaced to allow entry or removal of the foot. In these cases, unlacing the top two or three sets of eyelets is necessary because the user may prefer shorter laces, often for safety concerns as longer laces may catch on objects or trip the user during use. The shorter laces are of sufficient length to allow conventional tying, but not so long that they allow for untied laces to remain threaded through all the eyelets when the user inserts or removes his or her foot from the footwear.  
         [0003]     Many types of non-athletic, high-top footwear also utilize eyelets in the form of hooks that can be easily threaded and unthreaded. These hooks, however, are not typically used for contact sports (and may be prohibited from use in such sports), due to the inherent hazards of the hooks catching on objects while playing the sport.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, the laces for many types of active footwear are repeatedly laced and unlaced through the upper sets of eyelets. Although simple, this task is fairly ungainly due to the awkward angle of threading the aglet through an eyelet located within the rigid flange of the shoe or boot, particularly when the user&#39;s foot is already within the shoe or boot which is being laced. This also makes it difficult to lace the active footwear tightly. To minimize the obtuseness of the eyelet angle for threading, the upper flange portion of the boot or shoe often must be pulled outward in order to allow lacing, which may result in loosening of the lower laces which have already been tightened.  
         [0005]     Presently, known aglets used for athletic footwear are straight, thin, plastic or metal (rarely) sheaths, which wrap cylindrically around approximately one inch or less of the lace tips. The wrapped ends of each lace are flat or blunt, leaving the cut portion of the lacing material exposed. The aglet material does not protrude beyond the lacing material. Other known aglet designs include collapsible and expandable aglets, in which the aglet can pass through the eyelets in the collapsed position and then expand into different shapes, such as figures, caricatures or logos. Still other known aglet designs include adjustable aglets which are movable along the shoelace when the lace is stretched to a taut position but immobilize when the shoelace is relaxed, using an aglet diameter greater than that of a taut shoelace but narrower than that of a shoelace not under tension.  
         [0006]     Known aglet designs fail to address the problems mentioned above, encountered particularly in the use of active footwear.  
         [0000]     Definition of Claim Terms  
         [0007]     The following terms are used in the claims of the patent as filed and are intended to have their broadest meaning consistent with the requirements of law. Where alternative meanings are possible, the broadest meaning is intended. All words used in the claims are intended to be used in the normal, customary usage of grammar and the English language.  
         [0008]     “Active footwear” means footwear designed to be worn during an athletic endeavor such as the playing of a sport, hiking, biking, etc.  
         [0009]     “Aglet” means stiffening material present at the end of a lace which facilitates threading of the lace through a shoe eyelet or over a shoe tab or spike.  
         [0010]     “Apex” means the narrowed portion of the aglet opposite the neck.  
         [0011]     “Inner axis of curvature” means the shortest continuous line of curvature running from the edge of the neck to the apex in a single plane.  
         [0012]     “Neck” means the portion of the aglet closest to its first contact with the lace.  
         [0013]     “Outer axis of curvature” means the longest continuous line of curvature running from the edge of the neck to the apex in a single plane.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior aglets and aglet designs, while providing new advantages not previously obtainable.  
         [0015]     The present invention provides aglet and aglet designs that facilitate the threading of lace material through eyelets or over tabs or spike located on active footwear. Preferably, the aglet of the present invention has a curved, tapering shape and includes an apex, a neck, and differing inner and outer axes of curvature which converge at the apex. In another embodiment the aglet has a continuously tapering shape. In one preferred embodiment, a tangent line to the outer axis of curvature changes from the neck to the apex through less than about 45 degrees and, most preferably, through about 30 degrees.  
         [0016]     It is also preferred that the inner and outer axes of curvature increase in curvature as the curve moves from neck to apex and, most preferably, describe a generally logarithmic arc from the neck to the apex, although they may also describe a substantially fixed arc having substantially the same radius from the neck to the apex.  
         [0017]     In various embodiments the apex may be pointed, rounded or novelty-shaped. The aglet cross-section is preferably circular, but may also be generally ovoid, generally polygonal in shape, or other shapes such as irregular, novelty shapes over certain lengths.  
         [0018]     The aglet is preferably made of a solid, non-brittle material, such as a polymeric and/or injection-molded plastic material. Alternatively, the aglet may be composed of a metallic material. The internal surface of the neck of the aglet may be fused to fibers of the lace. Adhesives such as epoxy resin or glue may be used to bond neck portions of the aglet to the lace.  
         [0019]     While various footwear may be used, it is believed that the invention is particularly advantageous for use with active footwear, such as ice hockey skates, high-top basketball shoes, hiking boots, etc. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     The novel features which are characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and attendant advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the aglet of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a side perspective view along reference line  2 / 2  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a top perspective view along reference line  3 / 3  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a preferred aglet according to the present invention during lacing through eyelets on a high-top basketball shoe;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged, perspective view of the portion circled in  FIG. 4 ; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a laced ice hockey skate using the aglets of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]     Set forth below is a description of what are believed to be the preferred embodiments and/or best examples of the invention claimed. Future and present alternatives and modifications to this preferred embodiment are contemplated. Any alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function, in purpose, in structure, or in result are intended to be covered by the claims of this patent.  
         [0028]     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, an aglet  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . Aglet  10  preferably consists of a solid shape with a tapering design. The fibers of lace  20  may be fused directly to the internal surface area of neck  15  using a common adhesive such as, for example, epoxy resin or glue.  
         [0029]     Preferably, aglet  10  includes inner and outer axes of curvature  11 ,  12 , respectively, which converge at apex  16 . A tangent line intersects a preferred outer axis of curvature at about 0° at the neck, and at about 30° at the apex, with the axis of curvature gradually increasing from neck to apex through that curvature; however, a greater degree of curvature, even to 90° or 180°, may be desired given the particular use. Preferably, the inner and outer axes of curvature form a logarithmic arc although, again, various other curvatures may be desired given the particular use. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the respective sides  14  of aglet  10  may taper with converging inverse logarithmic arcs that intersect to form apex  16  of aglet  10 .  
         [0030]     An increasing (from neck to apex) and, most preferred a logarithmic, arc is preferred because tests have shown that an aglet displaying a fixed radius outer axis of curvature is more likely to get caught in an eyelet during lacing or unlacing when the curvature is oriented opposite the direction of pull on the lace. Surprisingly, it was found that an aglet displaying a logarithmic arc is more likely to rotate into proper orientation because the increase in the curvature is gradual.  
         [0031]     Apex  16  is preferably pointed, as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , to facilitate threading through eyelets but may also be rounded or novelty-shaped, such as fang-shaped, caricature-shaped, etc. In one preferred embodiment, aglet  10  is approximately 2.75 centimeters in length “L” ( FIG. 1 ), and is composed of a solid, non-brittle material, preferably a polymeric material, which may be bonded to the lace material. Most preferably, aglet  10  is composed of an injection-molded polymer which adheres to the lace fiber ends. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the lace material may extend within the aglet over a preferred distance of about one-fourth of the aglet&#39;s length, or more, and also may be incorporated in the neck portion  15  of a molten aglet during the aglet manufacturing process.  
         [0032]     In a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional diameter of aglet  10  decreases from the neck to the apex, and is preferably at least one millimeter narrower than a lace eyelet at its widest point, again to facilitate threading through the eyelet. The cross-sectional shape of the aglet may be circular (e.g., a 0.45 cm diameter), as shown in  FIG. 3 , to facilitate rotation of the aglet to its proper orientation during lacing and unlacing. Using a preferred 0.45 cm diameter, the  FIG. 2  aglet has an overall width “W” of 0.9 cm in a preferred embodiment. The cross-sectional shape of the aglet may also be ovoid or polygonal, or even irregular at points along its length to accommodate novelty.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , neck portion  15  of aglet  10  may be textured or include flutes  17  so as to provide resistance for the aglet to be rolled between the fingers for proper orientation when threading the lace through the eyelets. As also shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , neck  15  may also be tapered or beveled slightly circumferentially to minimize snagging when the lace and aglet are pulled through an eyelet during unlacing. As an example, 0.05 cm radius corners  18  may be used.  
         [0034]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-6 , when used properly, the preferably narrow apex  16  and the curvature of the aglet may facilitate the introduction of the attached lace through eyelets  25  located within the typically rigid flanges  30  of athletic footwear  22 , requiring lacing at relatively awkward lace angles. The solid but flexible composition of aglets  10  may also resist deterioration after repeated lacing and unlacing.  
         [0035]     Other changes and modifications constituting insubstantial differences from the present invention, such as those expressed here or others left unexpressed but apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims.