Patent Publication Number: US-6658765-B2

Title: Easy-to-wear footwear

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a footwear, more particularly to a footwear which is easy to wear and remove. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional footwear usually includes a footwear body with a top opening, and a footwear lace. The footwear body includes a vamp, a tongue, and a pair of eyelet tabs. The tongue has a front portion connected to the vamp, and a rear portion extending to the top opening. The tongue further has an opposite pair of lateral sides that extend from the vamp to the top opening. Each of the eyelet tabs is connected to the vamp, and is disposed adjacent to one of the lateral sides of the tongue. Each of the eyelet tabs is formed with a plurality of eyelets that are aligned with each other in a direction from the vamp to the top opening. The footwear lace has a front portion, and a rear portion. The front portion of the footwear lace is strung through the eyelets to form a criss-cross pattern on the eyelet tabs. The rear portion of the footwear lace can be tied together so as to tighten the footwear. However, it is time-wasting to tie and untie the footwear lace when wearing and removing the footwear. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,640 discloses a quick adjusting footwear lace system for adjusting footwear lace tension in a single movement. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the footwear lace system disclosed in this U.S. patent includes a cinch plate  3  having eyelets  301  which are spaced apart by about the same distance as eyelets  201  formed in the eyelet tabs of the footwear. The footwear lace  1  is strung through the eyelets  301  at the cinch plate  3  along with the eyelets  201  in the eyelet tabs of the footwear. A strap  4 , fixably attached at a lower end to the footwear body  2  and loopable at an upper end through a slot in the cinch plate  3 , is used to adjustably pull the cinch plate  3  and the footwear lace  1  looped through the eyelets  301  downwardly and thus increase the footwear lace tension so as to tighten the footwear. However, the footwear lace system disclosed in this U.S. patent is merely configured to adjust tension of the footwear lace, and does not facilitate wearing and removal of the footwear. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,761 discloses a footwear having an improved closure. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the closure of the footwear  6  disclosed in this U.S. patent includes a first elongate area  601  provided with a plurality of eyelets, a second non-apertured elongate area  602  provided with a male VELCRO™ fastener  702 , a footwear lace  5 , and a panel  7  provided with a plurality of eyelets corresponding to the eyelets of the first elongate area  601  and a female VELCRO™ fastener  701  on the inner surface of the panel  7 . The footwear lace  5  is strung through the eyelets of the first elongate area  601  and the eyelets of the panel  7  to form a criss-cross pattern. The panel  7  can releasably engage the second non-apertured elongate area  602  through the engagement between the male and female fasteners  702 ,  701 . 
     Although the footwear disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,761 facilitates wearing and removal of the footwear, the VELCRO™ fasteners are liable to loosen during use and easily accumulate dirt thereon. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a footwear which is easy to wear and remove and which does not employ VELCRO™ fasteners. 
     The footwear according to this invention includes a footwear body, a lace tightening assembly, and a footwear lace unit. 
     The footwear body has a top opening, and includes a vamp, and first and second eyelet tabs connected to the vamp. The first eyelet tab is formed with a plurality of eyelets. The second eyelet tab includes a front portion proximate to the vamp, a rear portion proximate to the top opening, and an intermediate eyelet-free portion between the front and rear portions of the second eyelet tab. Each of the front and rear portions of the second eyelet tab is provided with at least one eyelet. 
     The lace tightening assembly includes a base mounted to the second eyelet tab at the eyelet-free portion, a rotary member mounted rotatably on the base about a rotary axis, a rotary disc unit mounted co-rotatably on the rotary member, and a lace guiding unit mounted on the rotary disc unit and offset from the rotary axis. 
     The footwear lace unit has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the footwear lace unit is strung through the eyelets of the first eyelet tab and the eyelets of the second eyelet tab, and is drawn around the lace guiding unit to form a criss-cross pattern on the first and second eyelet tabs. The second portion of the footwear lace unit is disposed proximate to the top opening. 
     The rotary member is rotatable relative to the base in a footwear tightening direction, in which a part of the first portion of the footwear lace unit drawn around the lace guiding unit rotates with the rotary disc unit about the rotary axis to wind the first portion of the footwear lace unit on the rotary member to increase tension of the footwear lace unit, and a footwear loosening direction opposite to the footwear tightening direction, in which said part of the first portion of the footwear lace unit is unwound from the rotary member to slacken the footwear lace unit. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional footwear disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,640; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the footwear of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another conventional footwear disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,761 in an opened state; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the footwear of FIG. 3 in a closed state; 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of a footwear according to this invention in a tightened state; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a lace tightening assembly of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 5; 
     FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  illustrate the lace tightening assembly of FIG. 6 in a lace tightening state; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the lace tightening assembly of FIG. 6 at an instant in which a lever and a positioning seat of the lace tightening assembly are disengaged from each other; and 
     FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate the lace tightening assembly of FIG. 6 in a lace loosening state. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the preferred embodiment of the footwear according to this invention is shown to include a footwear body  200 , a lace tightening assembly  100 , and a footwear lace unit  300 . 
     The footwear body  200  has a top opening  210 , and includes a vamp  250 , and first and second eyelet tabs  230 ,  240  connected to the vamp  250 . The first eyelet tab  230  is formed with a plurality of eyelets  260 . The second eyelet tab  240  includes a front portion  241  proximate to the vamp  250 , a rear portion  242  proximate to the top opening  210 , and an intermediate eyelet-free portion  280  between the front and rear portions  241 ,  242  of the second eyelet tab  240 . The front portion  241  of the second eyelet tab  240  is provided with a plurality of eyelets  270 . The rear portion  242  of the second eyelet tab  240  is provided with an eyelet  270 . The intermediate eyelet-free portion  280  of the second eyelet tab  240  is formed with a blind hole  290  and a slot  290 ′. 
     The lace tightening assembly  100  can be mounted on the eyelet-free portion  280  of the second eyelet tab  240 , or embedded within the eyelet-free portion  280  of the second eyelet tab  240 , as shown in FIG.  5 . Referring to FIG. 6, the lace tightening assembly  100  includes: a base  11  mounted to the second eyelet tab  240  at the eyelet-free portion  280 ; a rotary member  21  mounted rotatably on the base  11  about a rotary axis; a rotary disc unit  20  mounted co-rotatably on the rotary member  21 ; and a lace guiding unit  24 ′ mounted on the rotary disc unit  20  and offset from the rotary axis. 
     Referring again to FIG. 5, the footwear lace unit  300  has a first portion  310  and a second portion  320 . The first portion  310  of the footwear lace unit  300  is strung through the eyelets  260  of the first eyelet tab  230  and the eyelets  270  of the second eyelet tab  240 , and is drawn around the lace guiding unit  24 ′ (as best shown in FIG. 8) to form a criss-cross pattern on the first and second eyelet tabs  230 ,  240 . The second portion  320  of the footwear lace unit  300  is disposed proximate to the top opening  210 . 
     The rotary member  21  is rotatable relative to the base  11  in a footwear tightening direction, as shown in FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 , in which a part of the first portion  310  of the footwear lace unit  300  drawn around the lace guiding unit  24 ′ rotates with the rotary disc unit  20  about the rotary axis to wind the first portion  310  of the footwear lace unit  300  on the rotary member  21  to increase tension of the footwear lace unit  300 , and a footwear loosening direction opposite to the footwear tightening direction, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in which said part of the first portion  310  of the footwear lace unit  300  is unwound from the rotary member  21  to slacken the footwear lace unit  300 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8, the rotary member  21  has a non-circular cross section, and the rotary disc unit  20  has a coupling hole  221  corresponding to the non-circular cross section of the rotary member  21  so as to couple the rotary disc unit  20  to the rotary member  21 . The base  11  is formed with an axle  118  projecting upwardly therefrom, and an annular recess  114  around the axle  118 . The annular recess  114  is defined by a ring  113  projecting upwardly from the base  11 . The rotary member  21  has a top part  212  coupled to the rotary disc unit  20 , and a bottom part  211  rotatably confined within the annular recess  114  of the base  11  and formed with an axle recess  213  for coupling rotatably with the axle  118  on the base  11 . Furthermore, the annular recess  114  of the base  11  is formed with a radial inward stop flange  115  that projects from the ring  113  toward the axle  118 . The bottom part  211  of the rotary member  21  has a radial outward stop block  214  that cooperates with the stop flange  115  so as to limit rotation of the rotary member  21  about the axle  118  in the footwear tightening and footwear loosening directions. 
     The rotary disc unit  20  includes a plurality of alternately disposed discs  22  and spacers  23 . Each of the discs  22  and the spacers  23  is formed with a coupling hole  221  for coupling co-rotatably with the rotary member  21 . The lace guiding unit  24 ′ includes a guide pin  24  extending through the discs  22  via holes  222  and offset from the rotary axis, and a plurality of bushings  25 , each of which is sleeved on the guide pin  24  and is disposed between an adjacent pair of the discs  22 . 
     The lace tightening assembly  100  further includes a cap  12  mounted on the base  11  to conceal the rotary member  21  and the rotary disc unit  20  between the cap  12  and the base  11 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 5,  6  and  8 , the lace tightening assembly  100  further includes a tubular guide  125  extending from the cap  12  toward the first eyelet tab  230  via the slot  290 ′. The tubular guide  125  has opposite open ends  126 ,  126 ′ that are respectively distal and proximate to the first eyelet tab  230  and that permit the first portion  310  of the footwear lace unit  300  to extend into the cap  12  for drawing around the lace guiding unit  24 ′. 
     The lace tightening assembly  100  further includes a retaining unit  40 ′ mounted on the rotary member  21  and the cap  12  for retaining releasably the rotary member  21  in a lace tightening position relative to the base  11 . The cap  12  is formed with a top opening  123  coaxial with the rotary member  21 . The retaining unit  40 ′ includes a rotary button  30 , a positioning seat  124 , and a lever  40 . The rotary button  30  has a bottom portion  32  received within the opening  123  in the cap  12  and coupled co-rotatably to the rotary member  21  via a screw  34 , and a top portion  31  opposite to the bottom portion  32  and disposed outwardly of the cap  12 . The positioning seat  124  is disposed adjacent to the top opening  123  in the cap  12  and is formed with an engaging groove  124 ′. The lever  40  has a pivot end  41  coupled pivotally to the button  30  and an engaging end  42  formed with a downwardly projecting flange  421  for engaging releasably the engaging groove  124 ′ in the positioning seat  124  when the rotary member  21  is disposed in the lace tightening position to arrest rotation of the rotary member  21  relative to the base  11 , as shown in FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 . The lever  40  is operable to facilitate rotation of the rotary member  21  relative to the base  11  when disengaged from the positioning seat  124 . As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the lever  40  may be used to rotate the rotary member  21  relative to the base  11  from the footwear loosening direction to the footwear tightening direction. 
     The top portion  31  of the rotary button  30  is formed with a slot  33  for receiving the lever  40  therein. The slot  33  has a pair of confronting slot walls  33 ′, each of which is formed with an engaging recess  332 . The lever  40  has opposite sides  43  formed respectively with an engaging bead  43 ′ to engage removably the engaging recess  332  in an adjacent one of the slot walls  33 ′ when the lever  40  is disposed to engage the positioning seat  124 . Moreover, the rotary button  30  is formed with an upright resilient rod  333  that extends toward the pivot end  41  of the lever  40 . The pivot end  41  is formed with a radial projection  411  that is movable past the resilient rod  333  when the lever  40  is pivoted relative to the rotary button  30  between an engaging position, as shown in FIG. 8, in which the lever  40  is disposed in the slot  33  in the top portion  31  of the rotary button  30  and engages the engaging groove  124 ′ in the positioning seat  124 , and a disengaging position, as shown in FIG. 11, in which the lever  40  is disengaged from the engaging groove  124 ′ in the positioning seat  124  and extends out of the slot  33  in the top portion  31  of the rotary button  30 . 
     Referring to FIG. 10, when the user intends to take off the footwear, the engaging end  42  of the lever  40  is disengaged from the positioning seat  124 . The radial projection  411  on the pivot end  41  of the lever  40  can be stopped by the resilient rod  333  on the rotary button  30  when the footwear lace unit  300  is loosened from the lace tightening position, thereby preventing injury to the user due to sudden rotation of the lever  40 . 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.