Abstract:
The present invention discloses a lace end assembly having a male end connector and a female end connector. The lace end assembly uses an integrated magnet in one connector that interacts with another magnet in the other connector to couple the connectors. The male end connector is adapted to retain a knotted end of a pair of laces, such as found in a wakeboard binding. The female end connector is mounted on the wakeboard binding. The male end connector includes a protrusion that houses a first magnet. The female end connector includes a body portion that houses a second magnet. The female end connector also includes a cavity. The cavity receives the male end connector to allow the magnet to align and link magnetically, thus securing the lace ends to the binding.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority from provisional patent application No. 60/693,793 filed on Jun. 27, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to lace ends. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lace end connection to secure the laces using magnets.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Laces are used in a variety of devices. Laces can provide light, low cost support for holding and securing items. Most notably, laces are tied together to keep shoes on one&#39;s feet. Users desire laces that are lightweight and sturdy.  
         [0004]     One drawback with laces is that they can become unraveled over time, use and exposure. Frayed laces make it very hard to secure the laces or to tie them together. Eventually, one has to buy new laces or somehow repair the old ones. Further, laces tend to get caught or untied during physical activities. Some current lace-end designs have a plastic clip that is clipped to the laces on a binding to prevent these shortcomings. The clip, however, tends to become unclipped during use, thereby causing problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Thus, a lace end connection is disclosed that is novel and unobvious over known lace end connections, and solves the problems and shortcoming discussed above. According to the disclosed embodiments, a lace end assembly for securing loose ends of a foot binding is disclosed. The lace end assembly includes a male end connector having means for retaining a knotted end of a pair of laces. The male end connector has a protrusion. The protrusion includes a first magnet. The lace end assembly includes a female end connector having a body portion having a second magnet therein. The body portion forms a second cavity. The second cavity is adapted to receive the protrusion of the male end connector for magnetic holding as a result of interaction between the first and second magnets. The female end is adapted to be mounted to the foot binding.  
         [0006]     The invention also entails a method of securing laces in a foot binding. The method includes passing a pair of laces through an opening in a male end connector of a lace end assembly. The method also includes knotting ends of the pair of laces. The male end connector has a cavity to retain the knot. The method also includes magnetically linking the male end connector to a female end connector mounted to a foot binding to retain the knotted lace end in place.  
         [0007]     With the male and female components, lace end connections will not become unclipped or separate during use. The male end connector includes a hole and a cavity to accept the laces. The male end connector also provides a space to hold the knot of the laces in the hole. The male end connector also includes a magnet that has been overmolded.  
         [0008]     The female end connector is stitched into an item to secure the lace end assembly to a product. The female end connector includes a magnet as well. The female end connector is configured to accept the male end connector. The magnets hold the connectors together to prevent the laces from coming loose during use or becoming frayed.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and further constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures listed below serve to explain and disclose the principles of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a male end connector of a lace end assembly according to the disclosed embodiments.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a bottom view of the male end connector of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a female end connector of a lace end assembly according to the disclosed embodiments.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the female end connector of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates a lace end assembly attached to a binding according to the disclosed embodiments. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention. Examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  depicts a male end connector  106  of a lace end assembly according to the disclosed embodiments. Male end connector  106  may be made of plastic or other materials that are lightweight and durable. Male end connector  106  is broken into several sections that allow connector  106  to be fitted with a female end connector of the lace end assembly, disclosed in greater detail below.  
         [0017]     Laces  102  and  104  have ends that are enclosed by male end connector  106 . Laces  102  and  104  may be comprised of known materials used for making laces, such as nylon, cotton, and the like. Laces  102  and  104  may extend away from male end connector to join together as one single item or stay separate. Laces  102  and  104  also may tie together. No matter the configuration or composition, laces  102  and  104  are used to tie something down, or hold something. Laces  102  and  104  also are used to tie shoes together.  
         [0018]     The present invention enables the ends of laces  102  and  104  to be secured. For example, laces  102  and  104  may be part of a wakeboard binding that acts as a boot for use on wakeboards. Loose lace end can be uncomfortable or pose as a safety threat to boarders by flying around or getting caught on equipment. An assembly to secure laces keeps the lace ends from becoming loose or breaking during use. The present invention, however, is not limited to wakeboard bindings, and is applicable to any use where lace ends need to be secured, such as shoes, snowboarding boots, combat boots, sneakers, athletic shoes and the like that employ laces. Thus, in the present invention, a binding refers to any article that uses laces, whereby the lace ends need to be secured.  
         [0019]     Male end connector  106  includes protrusion  107  and upper portion  110 . Protrusion  107  is located at the end of male end connector  106  opposite laces  102  and  104 . Protrusion  107  has a flat shape that is inserted into the appropriate section of female end connector, disclosed below. The height of protrusion  107  is smaller when compared to other sections of male end connector  106 . Protrusion  107  also encloses a magnet  108 .  
         [0020]     Protrusion  107  is connected to slope  116 , which leads into ridge portion  114 . Slope  116  and ridge portion  114  also help secure male end connector  106  into the female end connector. Upper portion  110  connects to ridge portion  114  via slope  112 . Upper portion  110  is the highest portion of male end connector  106 . Upper portion  110  preferably is large enough to house the ends of laces  102  and  104 . Upper portion  110  also may be the part of male end connector  106  that is not placed in contact with a female end portion, as disclosed below.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  depicts a bottom view of male end connector  106  of  FIG. 1  according to the disclosed embodiments. Male end connector  106  includes all the portions disclosed above as well as cavity  206 . Cavity  206  is sized to fit within upper portion  110  and to retain knotted end  202  of laces  102  and  104 . Cavity  206  also includes opening  204 . Opening  204  preferably is circular in shape, with a diameter large enough to fit the knotted end  202 . Opening  204  should be large enough to allow access to knotted end  202 . Opening  205  within male end connector  106  allow laces  102  and  104  to enter cavity  206 . Opening  205  should be large enough to accommodate knotted end  202 .  
         [0022]     Protrusion  107  includes magnet  108 , as disclosed above. Thus, male end connector  106  includes magnet  108  to facilitate a connection with a female end connector, and a cavity to enclose lace ends  202 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  depicts a female end connector  300  of a lace end assembly according to the disclosed embodiments. Female end connector  300  is the part of assembly  100  that is attached to the shoe, clothing or other article to which male end connector  106  is to be secured. Female end connector  300  may be attached to the binding, by any means known. For example, female end connector  300  may be attached to fabric using an adhesive, with the fabric then stitched to the binding.  
         [0024]     Female end connector  300  includes aperture  302  along one side. Preferably, aperture  302  is along the widest side of female end connector  300  to fit the wider end of male end connector  106  that is opposite protrusion  107 . Aperture  302  acts as a hole in the bottom of female end connector  300 . Aperture  302  and female end connector  300  are defined by base  304 , which surrounds the connector. Base  304  represents a border for female end connector  300  that is attached to the article.  
         [0025]     Slope  308  tapers up female end connector  300  from base  304  to upper portion  306 . Slope  308  may be a gradual slope to accept protrusion  107  and slope  116  of male end connector  106 , shown in  FIG. 1 . Upper portion  306  represents the top portion of female end connector  300 . Upper portion  306  also houses magnet  310 . Magnet  310  corresponds to magnet  108  within male end connector  106 . The polarity or configuration of magnet  310  is such that magnet  108  is attracted by the magnetic forces of magnet  130 .  
         [0026]     Once aligned, magnets  108  and  310  will couple together to secure male end connector  106  and female end connector  300 . Thus, magnet  310  should be located in upper portion  306  so that it is aligns with magnet  108  when protrusion  107  is within female end connector  300  for coupling male end connector  106  with female end connector  300 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  depicts a side view of female end connector  300  shown in  FIG. 3 . Base  304 , slope  308  and upper portion  306  are shown. Further, aperture  302  is shown as extending out from underneath upper portion  306  to provide a through hole in female end connector  300 . Magnet  310  also is shown in female end connector  300 .  
         [0028]     Female end connector  300  also includes a cavity  400  that is formed by slope  308  and upper portion  306 . Slope  308  extends around the narrower side of base  304  to upper portion  306  to form cavity  400 . Aperture  302  and cavity  400  join to provide an open area along the bottom of female end connector  300  that is surrounded by base  304 . Thus, protrusion  107 , slope  116  and ridge  114  fit inside cavity  400 . Male end connector  106  is secured within female end connector  300 . Moreover, cavity  400  is of a size to allow magnets  108  and  310  to be aligned with each other. Female end connector  300  is sized to surround the periphery of male end connector  106  so that portions of each connector are connectable.  
         [0029]     Besides the physical fit provided by connectors  106  and  300 , the present invention holds the connectors together magnetically as a result of the interaction between magnets  108  and  310 . The magnetic forces of the present invention prevents connectors  106  and  300  from being separated, but without the need of plastic connectors, hooks or any other device that may break, be worn down or broken off.  
         [0030]     Thus, when male end connector  106  is secured with female end connector  300 , laces, such as laces  102  and  104  shown in  FIG. 1 , may be held in place. Further, the ends of laces  102  and  104  may be prevented from fraying or unraveling. Laces  102  and  104  are not loose so as to get caught on anything or become untied during activities. For example, lace ends of laces for a binding are placed within the lace end assembly to secure the laces. The magnetic coupling provided by connectors  106  and  300  prevent the laces from coming loose.  
         [0031]      FIG. 5  depicts a lace end assembly  518  attached to a binding  500 . Binding  500  includes binding portion  502 , heel portion  506  and sole  504 . Portions  502  and  504  may be stitched together, along with sole  504 . Preferably, binding  500  is a binding made for sporting activities, particularly, wakeboard activities. Binding  500  may attach to a board or other equipment while the user is wearing binding  500 .  
         [0032]     Lace end assembly  518  secures loose ends of laces  102  and  104 . Laces  102  and  104 , as disclosed above, may tie together to keep binding  500  on the foot of a user. Lace end assembly  518  includes female end connector  300  and male end connector  106  that are coupled magnetically with each other. Magnets, like magnets  108  and  310  disclosed above, secure the connectors to each other. Base  304  extends from female end connector  300  to seat male end connector  106 . In other words, male end connector  106  sits within the area defined by base  304  and the cavity defined by female end connector  300 .  
         [0033]     Lace end assembly  518  is attached to binding portion  502  by fabric  520 . Fabric  520  may be stitched together with binding portion  502 . Base  304  is secured to fabric  520  to hold lace end assembly  518  in place.  
         [0034]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , female end connector  300  and male end connector  106  are separate and divided by line  532 . When uncoupled, male end connector  106  should not be in contact with binding  500 , and is unseated from base  304 . Male end connector  106  may be uncoupled from female end connector  300  by simply pressing male end connector  106  into the hole defined by base  304  on fabric  520 . Male end connector  106  then may be pulled out from female end connector  300  so that laces  102  and  104  disconnect from binding  500 .  
         [0035]     Laces  102  and  104  still have their ends enclosed by male end connector  106  through hole  205 . Male end connector  106  also includes a cavity to fit the ends of laces  102  and  104 . When a user wishes to remove male end assembly  106  from laces  102  and  104 , the knotted ends within male end connector  106  are untied so that each lace can be removed via hole  205 .  
         [0036]     In accordance with the above description, the present invention also provides for a method of securing laces in a binding, such as a wakeboard binding. The method can be used by a wearer of the binding that would like to keep the laces from coming loose. Referring to  FIGS. 1-5  above, the method includes passing a pair of laces, such as laces  102  and  104 , through opening  205  in male end connector  106  of lace end assembly  518 . The method also includes knotting ends of the pair of laces  102  and  104 , as shown by knotted end  202  above. Male end connector  106  includes cavity  206  to retain knotted end  202 . The method also includes magnetically linking male end connector  106  to female end connector  300  mounted on binding  500  to retain knotted end  202  in place.  
         [0037]     Although the shapes of male end connector  106  and female end connector  300 , as well as the overall shape of lace end assembly  518 , are as shown above, the embodiments of the present invention are not so limited. The male end connector and female end connector have complementary shapes that may take any form as long as the connectors can engage each other. Further, the cavities within the connectors may be of any shape or size, and are not limited to the cavities disclosed above. The alignment of the magnets also is not limited to being in the middle of the lace end assembly. The magnets may be located within the respective connectors so as the magnets can align with each other. In turn, the connectors and cavities may be any shape or size as long as the magnets are aligned with each other when the lace end assembly is connected.  
         [0038]     Moreover, the present invention may incorporate the magnets in the male end connector and the female end connector in any manner known to those skilled in the art.  FIGS. 1-5  disclose that the magnets are placed in the connectors by overmolding. The embodiments of the present invention are not so limited. The magnets can be made part of the connectors in any way. For example, an alternative may be gluing the magnets to the connectors. The present invention also is not limited to any specific configuration with regard to the type or shape of the magnets.  
         [0039]     While the lace ends are shown as being knotted in a cavity of the male connector for retaining purposes, the lace ends could be secured to the male connector in any known fashion, just as long as they are retained in the connector so that the lace ends can then be secured to the binding. For example, the male connector could have spring clip that would engage the ends of the laces and retain them to the male connector. As another example, the male connector could have a loop that the ends of the laces tie to for retention purposes.  
         [0040]     While one pair of connectors is shown, the binding could have two pairs of connectors, one on each side of the binding to accommodate two sets of lace pairs.  
         [0041]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of the subject matter disclosed above provided that they come within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.