Abstract:
A lacing system and unique eyelet construction adapted for use therein including an eyelet formed from wire or rod stock preferably of circular cross-section that is progressively formed into a generally U-shaped configuration having a semicircular central portion and a pair of legs terminating in flattened ears adapted for connection to a shoe flap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention pertains to lacing systems for shoes and boots especially high top athletic, work and hiking boots that are currently extremely popular. Such boots include a pair of flaps in which openings are formed longitudinally therealong such that when the flaps are positioned in opposition to each other and an elongated lacing member which is threaded across the opening therebetween and when tightened, the flaps will move closer together to assume the desired comfortable fit and tightness of the wearer. The lacing is then tied or otherwise fixed in position to maintain the desired snugness and support. Generally, the flap openings are fitted with eyelets or guides, e.g., metal or plastic grommets, to reduce the friction between the lacing and the flap openings and to prevent excessive wear to the flaps and/or lacings. Some current boot designs also utilize triangular or other open shaped clasps or hooks that are fixed to the upper surface of the flaps as by sewing and through which the lacing is passed in the normal crisscross fashion. 
     These aforementioned lacing systems display a number of shortcomings in that these lacing systems tend to produce fairly high frictional forces between the inner surfaces of the grommets or clasps and the lacing itself. Particularly in the case of irregularly shaped guides, these lacing systems force the lacing against the same surface area during the tightening action and thus tend to increase wear on the lacing especially if the contact surface is at all rough or has an irregularity such as a break or chip. Grommets and eyelets also restrict the diameter of the lacing available for use. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable if the forces between the guides and lacing could be of a shape that would permit the lacing to contact a greater portion of the guide itself and to form the eyelet of a shape that even further reduces the frictional contact between the lacing and the inner contact surface of the guide regardless of the guide&#39;s geometric configuration. 
     Another desirable feature would be to reduce or eliminate the sliding contact between the lacing and the upper flap surfaces thus contributing to a desirable feature of being able to tighten the lacing and thus the flaps by pulling directly upward without having to readjust the spacing and tension between oppositely positioned guides mounted on or otherwise attached to the flaps. 
     These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the provision of guides that include both a generally semicircular lacing contact surface area and which are additionally circular in cross-section. 
     Still further objects of the invention are accomplished by providing guides of overall U-shaped configuration having legs and a central lacing engagement surface of essentially semicircular configuration and wherein each such guide is oriented in a plane positioned normal to the flap to which the guide is connected such that the central surface projects into the flap spacing area thus minimizing and/or eliminating the contact between the lacing and the flaps. 
     Further objects of the invention are also accomplished by providing an improved lacing system for a shoe or boot having a tongue and a pair of closure flaps overlying said tongue wherein each of said flaps in turn having an inner edge wherein said inner edges are disposed in separated opposition to each other so as to define a variable width closure space, each of said flaps including a plurality of extended eyelets mounted in longitudinal separation thereon wherein said eyelets extend into said closure space, overlie said tongue and are positioned in lateral opposition to each other, each of said eyelets of an overall U-shaped configuration having a central semicircular portion defining a low friction inner surface lace engaging surface and a pair of leg portions each in turn terminating in a connector portion for connecting said eyelet to said flap, each of said eyelets formed from an integral length of wire or rod of circular cross-sectional configuration which is progressively bent and shaped to form the central and connector portions thereof, said system enabling a lacing having a longitudinal strand-like body and opposed ends to be crisscross threaded through said eyelets such that force applied to the lacing ends will enable the lacing body to smoothly engage the inner surface of said central portion and enable no snag tightening and loosening of said flaps. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a partial perspective view showing a boot flap portion utilizing several forms of prior art eyelet forms; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a section of a malleable metal rod or wire from which one form of the present guide is formed; 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are progressive top plan views showing the manner in which the wire or rod section shown in  FIG. 2  is manipulated as by a progressive die to form an interim guide shape; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are progressive front views showing the manner in which the interim guide shape shown in  FIG. 4  is further bent to form the final guide shape; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial perspective view on which one of the guides of the present invention is placed for attachment to a boot flap; 
         FIG. 8  is a partial perspective view showing one of the guides attached to a boot flap as by a rivet; 
         FIG. 9  is a partial top plan view of a boot having the guides of the present invention attached thereto in an open flap position; 
         FIG. 10  is a partial top plan view of the boot shown in  FIG. 9  in a closed or tightened position; and 
         FIG. 10A  is an enlarged sectional view of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to the drawings and in particular  FIG. 1 , a portion of a high top boot  10  is shown with three alternate conventional lacing options. The boot  10  has a pair of closure flaps  12  (only one of which is shown in  FIG. 1 ) that include opposed edges  14  which define a closure gap  16  (see  FIGS. 9 ,  10 ) therebetween. A tongue  18  is normally disposed in a position to underlay the gap  16 . The flaps include an upper surface  13  and a series of openings  20  that are formed longitudinally along each flap  12  and through which a lace  22  having an elongated strand-like body  24  and terminal ends  26  is threaded generally in crisscross fashion, that is, the lacing passes through an opening  20  of one flap  12 , across the tongue&#39;s upper surface, and then passed over a portion of the opposite flap  12  such as is well known and depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 1,548,407 issued Aug. 4, 1925. In some cases, the openings can take the form of fingers or hooks that attach to the flaps and through which the lacing is threaded such as the framework  11  shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,77 issued Jun. 9, 1998 to Leick. Other known opening variations are shown in  FIG. 1  and include an opening  20   a  reinforced with a circular grommet, an opening  20   b  in the form of an open nut to convey a rugged appearance and an opening  20   c  in the form of a triangular clasp. All these known openings for lacing receipt include one or more of the previously discussed drawbacks. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 2-6  of the drawings, one form of the eyelet generally referred to above as an opening is depicted that reduces and/or eliminates the above discussed prior art drawbacks. In  FIG. 2 , a length of preform  30  of solid circular wire or rod stock of a suitable malleable metal such as copper or brass is shown. The preform may be of any suitable length and thickness such as the eyelet formed therefrom that fits the boot to which the eyelet will be affixed as will hereinafter be shown. A preform length of 1.6 inches of 0.10-inch diameter copper wire has been found suitable for this purpose but other lengths may be utilized. 
     The preform  30  shown in  FIG. 2  that includes a central body  32  and terminal ends  34  is then progressively reshaped by suitable tooling to the preform stage shown in  FIG. 3  wherein the ends  34  have been flattened into a pair of roughly teardrop or oval shaped ears  35  which ears  35  are then pierced or punched to form holes  38  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The preform  30  is then progressively bent as shown in  FIG. 5  and then reshaped into a final form of the eyelet  40  of the present invention. Such eyelet  40  is thus of a generally U-shaped overall configuration with a central lace engaging portion  42  having an inner surface  44  which is essentially semicircular in configuration. In addition, the ears  35  are positioned in spaced generally parallel disposition to each other such that the ears  35  are suitable for positioning over a portion of the flaps  12  through which the series of conventional openings  20  have been provided. The hole  38  of each eyelet  40  is then aligned with one of the flap openings  20 , and a rivet  50  is positioned through the holes  38  and openings  20  and then the rivet  50  is expanded to position each of the eyelets  40  onto the flap  12  in the desired longitudinally-separated orientation thereon. The plane of the U-shaped body  32  of the eyelets  40  thus is positioned normal to, that is, in a plane 90 degrees to the general plane formed by the flaps, and the central lacing engaging central portion  42  of the eyelets extended beyond the flap edge  14  to which the eyelets are attached and thus over the gap  16 . This unique positioning of the eyelets  40  as well as their unique configuration not only reduces the friction between the lacing  22  and the eyelets  40  but also reduces and/or eliminates the friction between the upper flap surface  13  and the lacing  22  common with prior art systems. The present system also enables the lacing  22  to be continuously pulled upwardly to tighten the flaps  12  without pausing to loosen or reposition the lacing  22  between the flap openings  20  and thus contributes to a smooth trouble-free operation with a high quality feel absent in prior art systems. It should also be noted that the lacing  22  is free to move back and forth along the inner surface arc of the central lace-engaging surface (see  FIG. 10A ) as when the lacings are pulled upwardly but towards one side of the foot or the other. 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.