Boots – shoes – and leggings – Uppers – Closure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-02
2003-11-04
Kavanaugh, Ted (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Uppers
Closure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640466
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a footwear, more particularly to a footwear w 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 has fasteners that can prevent undesired loosening.
The footwear according to this invention includes a footwear body, an anchoring assembly, and a footwear lace unit.
The footwear body has a top opening, and includes a vamp, a tongue, a first eyelet tab and a second eyelet tab. The tongue has a front portion connected to the vamp, and a rear portion extending in a longitudinal direction to the top opening. The tongue further has an opposite pair of lateral sides that are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and that extend from the vamp to the top opening. The first and second eyelet tabs are connected to the vamp and are respectively disposed adjacent to the lateral sides of the tongue. 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 anchoring assembly includes a stationary member, a pivotable member, a pivot unit and a releasable fastener unit. The stationary member is fixed on the eyelet-free portion of the second eyelet tab. The pivotable member is provided with a footwear lace stringing part that is formed with at least one eyelet. The pivot unit is provided on the stationary and pivotable members proximate to the tongue of the footwear body to permit pivoting movement of the pivotable member relative to the stationary member about a pivot axis that extends in the longitudinal direction between a footwear tightening position, in which the pivotable member is turned toward the stationary member so as to be superimposed on the stationary member, and a footwear loosening position, in which the pivotable member is turned away from the stationary member. The releasable fastener unit is provided on the stationary and pivotable members, and releasably retains the pivotable member at the footwear tightening position.
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, the eyelets of the second eyelet tab and at least one eyelet of the footwear lace stringing part of the pivotable member 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.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4414761 (1983-11-01), Mahood
patent: 5353483 (1994-10-01), Louviere
patent: 5469640 (1995-11-01), Nichols
patent: 5926976 (1999-07-01), Cretinon et al.
patent: 6347436 (2002-02-01), Barber et al.
patent: 6568104 (2003-05-01), Liu
patent: 674445 (1990-06-01), None
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/941,346 filed Aug. 28, 2001 ( Ref. not enclosed).
Kavanaugh Ted
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
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