Boots – shoes – and leggings – Uppers – Closure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-28
2003-05-27
Yu, Mickey (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Uppers
Closure
C024S712000, C024S712400, C024S713000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568104
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe which is easy to wear and remove.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional shoe usually includes a shoe body with a top opening, and a shoe lace. The shoe 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 shoe lace has a front portion, and a rear portion. The front portion of the shoe lace is strung through the eyelets to form a criss-cross pattern on the eyelet tabs. The rear portion of the shoe lace can be tied together so as to tighten the shoe. However, it is time-wasting to tie and untie the shoe lace when wearing and removing the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,640 discloses a quick adjusting shoe lace system for adjusting shoe lace tension in a single movement. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the shoe 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 shoe. The shoe lace
1
is strung through the eyelets
301
at the cinch plate
3
along with the eyelets
201
in the eyelet tabs of the shoe. A strap
4
, fixably attached at a lower end to the shoe 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 shoe lace
1
looped through the eyelets
301
downwardly and thus increase the shoe lace tension so as to tighten the shoe. However, the shoe lace system disclosed in this U.S. patent is merely configured to adjust tension of the shoe lace, and does not facilitate wearing and removal of the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,761 discloses a shoe having an improved closure. Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the closure of the shoe
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 shoe 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™ faster
701
on the inner surface of the panel
7
. The shoe 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 shoe disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,761 facilitates wearing and removal of the shoe, 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 shoe which is easy to wear and remove and which has fasteners that can minimize undesired loosening.
The shoe according to this invention includes a shoe body, a first fastener, a second fastener, and a shoe lace unit.
The shoe 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 to the top opening. The tongue further has an-opposite pair of lateral sides 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 first fastener has a mounting section mounted securely on the intermediate eyelet-free portion of the second eyelet tab, and a fastener engaging section provided on the mounting section.
The second fastener has a shoe lace stringing section formed with at least one eyelet, and a fastener engaging section extending from the shoe lace stringing section and capable of removable engagement with the fastener engaging section of the first fastener.
The shoe lace unit has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the shoe lace unit is strung through the eyelets of the first eyelet tab, the eyelets of the second eyelet tab and the eyelet of the shoe lace stringing section of the second fastener to form a criss-cross pattern on the first and second eyelet tabs. The second portion of the shoe lace unit is disposed proximate to the top opening.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2266083 (1941-12-01), Rzepa
patent: 3279015 (1966-10-01), Henning
patent: 4282657 (1981-08-01), Antonious
patent: 4414761 (1983-11-01), Mahood
patent: 4628622 (1986-12-01), McBarron
patent: 5353483 (1994-10-01), Louviere
patent: 5357691 (1994-10-01), Hyde et al.
patent: 5469640 (1995-11-01), Nichols
patent: 5907912 (1999-06-01), Alaimo
patent: 4024782 (1991-06-01), None
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Moh'andesi Jila M.
Yu Mickey
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