Patent ID: 6839944

Claim:
A shoelace fastener for a shoe, the shoe including a shoe body with a pair of eyelet tabs, and a shoelace stung on the eyelet tabs and having a pair of distal lace segments, said shoelace fastener comprising: a substantially rigid fastener body formed with a pair of lace exit holes that are spaced apart from each other in a first direction, a pair of lace entry holes that are disposed between said lace exit holes and that are spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and a pair of anchor portions, each of which is disposed between a respective adjacent pair of said lace entry and exit holes and extends in a second direction transverse to the first directions; and a flexible pull unit secured on said fastener body; whereby each of the distal lace segments is extendable through a respective one of said lace entry holes, over a respective one of said anchor portions, and into a respective one of said lace exit holes; whereby tension applied by the eyelet tabs upon the shoelace forces the distal lace segments against said fastener body for maintaining a tightened state of the shoe; and whereby a manual pulling force applied on said fastener body through said pull unit permits sliding movement of at least one of the distal lace segments for loosening the shoe accordingly; and whereby said fastener body has top and bottom sides, said lace entry and exit holes being formed through said top and bottom sides of said fastener body, said fastener body further having a mounting portion between said lace entry holes, said pull unit being secured to said top side of said fastener body at said mounting portion.