초록 ▼

An automated tightening shoe with a single crisscrossed laces or closure panel and a tightening mechanism which operates in one direction to cause automatic tightening of the crisscrossed laces or closure panel to tighten the shoe about a wearer's foot, and which can be released easily so that the s

An automated tightening shoe with a single crisscrossed laces or closure panel and a tightening mechanism which operates in one direction to cause automatic tightening of the crisscrossed laces or closure panel to tighten the shoe about a wearer's foot, and which can be released easily so that the shoe can be removed from the wearer's foot. An actuating wheel partially projecting from the rear sole of the shoe provides a convenient and reliable actuating means for movement of the automated tightening mechanism in the tightening direction.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An automated tightening shoe, comprising: (a) a shoe having a sole and an upper connected to the sole, the upper including a toe, a heel, a medial side portion, and a lateral side portion;(b) a single shoe lace or cable connected to an exterior surface of the medial and lateral side portions of t

1. An automated tightening shoe, comprising: (a) a shoe having a sole and an upper connected to the sole, the upper including a toe, a heel, a medial side portion, and a lateral side portion;(b) a single shoe lace or cable connected to an exterior surface of the medial and lateral side portions of the upper for drawing the medial and lateral side portions around a foot placed inside the shoe;(c) a tightening mechanism contained inside a housing secured to the shoe, the tightening mechanism including: an axle with a cylindrical surface having two ends with a ratchet wheel having a plurality of teeth attached to at least one end of the axle in a fixed relationship, a continuous passageway through the axle with two exit apertures along the side surface, and an actuator wheel rigidly connected to the axle and extending outside the shoe;(d) the shoe lace or cable being passed through the continuous passageway and two exit apertures formed within the axle, through or along the medial and lateral side uppers with the free ends of the shoe lace or cable secured together and attached to the exterior point on the shoe, so that the shoe lace or cable forms a continuous loop;(e) a release lever pivotably mounted to the housing in operative engagement with a bias means, the release lever having a pawl formed on a position along the release lever inside the housing and an actuation end extending outside the housing and the shoe, the pawl engaging a tooth of the ratchet wheel;(f) whereby rotation of the actuator wheel extending outside the shoe against the ground or another hard surface causes rotation of the axle of the tightening mechanism to draw the shoe lace or cable around the axle in a tightening direction to draw the medial and lateral side upper portions around the foot, the ratchet wheel operatively connected to the axle being engaged by the pawl of the release lever to impede counter-rotation of the axle to prevent the shoe lace or cable from loosening;(g) whereby a user pushing down upon the actuation end of the release lever overcomes the counter force applied by the bias means to pivot the release lever to selectively disengage the pawl from the tooth of the ratchet wheel to enable counter-rotation of the axle to allow the medial and lateral uppers to loosen; and(h) whereby the user ceasing pushing down upon the actuation end of the release lever causes the bias means to exert its counterforce to restore the release lever substantially to its original position to reengage the pawl with a tooth of the ratchet wheel to prevent counter-rotation of the axle. 2. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of guide means spaced along and connected to the edge of the medial and lateral side uppers, whereinthe single shoe lace or cable extending through alternate ones of the guide means in a crisscross or zig-zag fashion for drawing the medial and lateral side uppers around a foot placed inside the shoe. 3. The automated tightening shoe of claim 2, wherein the guide means comprises at least one lace eyelet. 4. The automated tightening shoe of claim 2, wherein the guide means comprises at least one hook. 5. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising a closure panel overlaying the medial and lateral side uppers of the shoe wherein the single shoe lace or cable draws the closure panel around the medial and lateral side uppers to draw the medial and lateral side uppers around a foot placed inside the shoe. 6. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, further comprising a chamber in the sole for containing the tightening mechanism and its housing. 7. The automated tightening shoe of claim 6, wherein the chamber is located closely adjacent to the heel of the shoe. 8. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the tightening mechanism is attached to the exterior of the shoe. 9. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising at least one sealable hearing positioned along the axle for reducing passage of dirt or other foreign material into the tightening mechanism. 10. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising a concave-shaped profile along the actuator wheel surface that comes into contact with the ground or other hard surface for reducing passage of dirt or other foreign material into the tightening mechanism. 11. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising at least one tread formed within the exterior surface of the actuator wheel for providing added traction to the actuator wheel when it is rotated by the user against the ground or other hard surface. 12. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising a clip for attaching the shoe lace or cable at a point along its continuous loop to the exterior surface of the shoe. 13. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1 further comprising at least one guide tube located within the shoe upper for containing the shoe lace or cable. 14. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe comprises an athletic shoe. 15. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe comprises a hiking shoe. 16. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe comprises a boot. 17. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe comprises a recreational shoe. 18. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the bias means comprises a compression spring positioned between the release lever and a surface of the housing. 19. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the bias means comprises a leaf spring positioned within the housing to operatively engage the release lever. 20. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the bias means comprises a torsion spring. 21. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the bias means comprises a deflection member extending from the release lever, and: (a) whereby a user pushing down upon the actuation end of the release lever pivots the release lever to selectively disengage the pawl from the tooth of the ratchet wheel to enable counter-rotation of the axle to allow the medial and lateral uppers to loosen, while the deflection member of the release lever is deflected by an interior surface of the housing; and(b) whereby the user ceasing pushing down upon the actuation end of the release lever causes the deflection member to push off the interior surface of the housing to restore the release lever substantially to its original shape and position to reengage the pawl end with a tooth of the ratchet wheel to prevent counter-rotation of the axle without the assistance of a separate spring mechanism. 22. The automated tightening shoe of claim 21, wherein the release lever comprises: (a) at least one arm extending inside the housing with the pawl attached thereto; and(b) the deflection member attached to an end of the arm so that when the user pushes the release lever to move the arm and its pawl away from engagement with the ratchet teeth, the deflection member may be deflected by the interior surface of the housing away from the arm. 23. The automated tightening shoe of claim 22, wherein the deflection member extends laterally from the arm. 24. The automated tightening shoe of claim 23, wherein the vertical thickness of the deflection member across its length is between 1/64 inch to 9/64 inches. 25. The automated tightening shoe of claim 22, wherein the deflection member on the release lever extends apart from but in substantially parallel overlap with the arm with a gap formed in between the deflection member and the arm, so that the deflection member may be deflected by the interior surface of the housing away from the arm when the release lever is actuated by the user. 26. The automated tightening shoe of claim 25, wherein the deflection member covers about 60-80% of the length of the arm. 27. The automated tightening shoe of claim 25, wherein the vertical thickness of the deflection member across its length is between 0.030 inches to 0.090 inches. 28. The automated tightening shoe of claim 21, wherein the stress exerted across the deflection member by its deflection by the interior surface of the housing is less than 50% of the yield strength of the polymer resin material used to make the release lever. 29. The automated tightening shoe of claim 1, wherein the axle of the tightening mechanism comprises a unitary axle assembly comprising an actuator wheel having a circular frame with a first face and a second face opposite the first face, a first transverse axle connected to and extending laterally from the first face of the circular frame, a second transverse axle connected to and extending laterally from the second face, an end collar with a shaft and an integrally-formed ratchet wheel having a plurality of teeth attached to the shaft, the end collar being operatively attached in a fixed relationship to the first transverse axle, and a continuous passageway formed through the actuator wheel circular frame, first transverse axle, and second transverse axle with two exit apertures formed along the surfaces of the first transverse axle and second transverse axle, so that the shoe lace or cable can pass through the continuous passageway of the unitary axle assembly. 30. The automated tightening shoe of claim 29 further comprising a containment collar integrally formed around the shaft of the end collar disposed apart from the ratchet wheel to define an annular region between the containment collar and ratchet wheel for the shoe lace or cable being wound therein when the unitary axle assembly is rotated by rotation of the actuator wheel against the ground or other hard surface by the user. 31. The automated tightening shoe of claim 29 further comprising at least one key formed within a surface of the end collar and at least one matching keyway formed within a surface of the first transverse axle, wherein when the can collar is operatively attached to the first transverse axle, the key of the end collar engages the keyway of the first transverse axle to cause rotation of the first transverse axle caused by rotation of the actuator wheel to be transferred to the end collar. 32. The automated tightening shoe of claim 29 further comprising a second end collar operatively attached in a fixed relationship to the second transverse axle.