One-way clutching methods between a ligature and a frame and their applications-part II
This invention primarily discusses the recent improvements to U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944. The focus is on quick tightening/loosening of the lock that is formed between the ligature and the frame, managing the extra ligature length, decorating the system, improving performance and, extending the design to a wearable having structures similar to pants. In some applications a short ligature that passes underneath ligature loops and in others a donut-shaped object is used to solve tightening/loosening problems. Tucking the extra ligature length under an elastic strap or inside a slot formed within the frame manages the ligature. To enhance the performance of the system methods that reduce the friction between the ligature and the frame are discussed. Specifically, the use of back-to-back eyelet system, curved pathways between holes and, frictionless rollers are detailed. The invention discusses the used of a raised crisscross(s) as an additional method to enhance the performance.
The subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944 entitled “One-Way Clutching Methods Between A Ligature And A Frame And Their Applications” explains methods of forming a one-way locking system between a frame that bears a cluster(s) of 2 holes or 3 holes and a ligature. The invention also explores several applications of the methods. In particular, the cited invention explains the adaptation of the locking system to all wearable including shoes. The subject matter of this invention is a collection of major improvements to the cited invention. One of the shortcomings of either 2 holes or 3 holes methods when applied to a wearable is the lack of any practical ways to manage the extra ligature length that hangs from the wearable after the wearable is tightened. This invention outlines several methods for managing the extra ligature lengths. Other shortcomings include lack of a quick method for loosening or tightening the wearable. This invention outlines practical methods to resolve these issues. Additionally, this invention outlines methods for color coding and using a 3-holes or 2-holes system to decorate a wearable. Further, several new methods for reducing friction between the ligature and the wearable are discussed. In general, the friction between the ligature and the frame is the major factor that affects the performance of the system. Reducing or eliminating the friction enhances the performance of the system drastically.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention is a continuation of work on U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944 entitled “One-Way Clutching Methods Between A Ligature And A Frame And Their Applications”. This invention outlines several important improvements to the mentioned invention as follows:
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- a) Presents methods for quick tightening and loosening of a system that is comprised of a wearable that has one or more openings and a ligature for pulling the opposing sides of the openings close to each other. The wearable may have an integrated cluster(s) of 3-holes or 2-holes or an external body with integrated 3-hole or 2-hole clusters may be employed to interact with the wearable through the ligature. In either case, in a preferred practice, a short ligature is passed underneath the loops formed by the main ligature between mentioned holes. Pulling the short ligature pulls the loops and system unlocks. The use of the short ligature also enhances the system by introducing decorative dimensions to the system. Use of a colorful short ligature introduces highly useful color-coding that helps user identify where to pull to loosen/tighten. Additionally, colorful objects maybe added to the short ligature to enhance the ecstatic of the system.
- b) Since leaving the free length of the main ligature hanging loose maybe dangerous, this invention proposes securing ends of the ligature together by a knot or other means. To make sure that the main ligature remains attached to the wearable the invention proposes passing the mentioned knot under an elastic strap that is attached to the wearable. In some application one may employ a straight or curved slot instead of the elastic strap.
- c) To form an eyelet system that has smooth and curved contours on both top and bottom, this invention outlines methods for replacing each eyelet of a wearable with two back-to-back eyelets.
- d) To reduce the friction between the ligature and wearable, the invention proposes using low friction rollers wherever the ligature and the wearable interact.
- e) To eliminate the sharp cornering of the ligature between holes of a system that uses a cluster of 3-holes or 2-holes, the invention proposes use of smooth and curved pathways between holes.
- f) In applications where a ligature(s) forms crisscrosses within the body of a wearable, the invention proposes setting the top crisscross at a higher elevation. This allows users quick access to the crisscross. The easy access is crucial in quick tightening or loosening of the system.
- g) The invention outlines methods for quick adjustment of wearable opening(s) by incorporating sets of 3-holes cluster(s) along the opening of the wearable. In other application such as pants, the mentioned sets of cluster(s) cluster of holes may be positioned along the pant's waist. The same design extends itself as a replacement for elastic band(s) that some wearable use as a mean to keep the wearable tight.
In all applications either the cluster(s) of holes is directly an integrated part of the wearable or a separate structure that has an integrated cluster(s) of holes is employed to interact with the wearable through the ligature. Because of structural and/or functional differences between the two cases, this patent application treats the two cases as separate claims when applicable.
While most of the figures in this patent application show a specific wearable (i.e. a footwear), the designs are applicable to all kinds of wearable.
The subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944 entitled “One-Way Clutching Methods Between A Ligature And A Frame And Their Applications” explains how a ligature can lock itself, in one direction, onto a frame that has a cluster(s) of 2 holes or 3 holes. Applications of the methods when applied to a wearable shows how a ligature maybe used as means for pulling, in a lockable manner, opposing sides of the wearable opening(s) close to each other. While 2 holes or 3 holes cluster arrangements can be an integrated part of a wearable structure, in some applications it is more practical to employ an external structure with an integrated 2-holes or 3-holes cluster(s) instead of forming the cluster of 2-holes or 3-holes within the body of the wearable.
One shortcoming of either 2 holes or 3 holes methods is the lack of any practical ways to manage the extra ligature length that does hang from the wearable after the wearable is tightened. The other shortcoming is lack of any practical method to loosen the system quickly.
The cited method, in a preferred practice, employs a short colorful ligature that passes under either or both mentioned Zappy Loops. The ends of the short and the main ligature are then secured together by a knot or other means. The design is clear from
The free segments of both the main ligature and the short ligature that are hanging beyond the said knot 6 do not have any functional use, this segments are either cutout or, the segments may be used for decoration purposes. Decorative items may be added to the segments for this purpose.
The previous section explained applications where an external object (with a cluster(s) of holes) interacted with a wearable through a ligature. In this section applications where a cluster(s) of 3-holes (or 2-hole) are an integrated part of the wearable are discussed. A BiaBo wearable is a wearable where at least one cluster of 3-holes (or the 2-holes) is an integrated part of the wearable. The cluster of holes and a ligature looped properly through them create a system that can pull, in a lockable manner, the opposing sides of the wearable opening(s) close to each other. In a preferred practice, the mentioned 3-holes cluster forms a triangle. Pulling the ligature at a proper location ties or unties the wearable. A BiaBo wearable designed based on the mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944 have two major shortcomings. One is the lack of any practical method to manage the extra ligature length(s) and the other is the lack of any practical ways to loosen the system quickly. Both these shortcomings are addressed in this invention.
To provide an easy method for unlocking (loosening) the system, the new design calls for using, in a preferred practice, a donut-shaped object. The object, in a preferred practice, should be made from the same material as the ligature. To be functional BiaBo loop (see
One of the shortcomings of using the mentioned donut-shaped object is that if pulled excessively, the ligature may get pulled out from the holes and the system falls apart. To prevent this situation one may secure both ends of the main ligature together by a knot or other means. An added advantage is that pulling this knot will tighten and lock the system in place. The said knot prevents the system from falling apart no matter how much the donut-shaped object(s) are pulled. Now, the problem is how to manage the free hanging ligature length. In order to manage the extra ligature length one may use an elastic strap that is secured to the body of the wearable. The knot formed by the ligature ends then can be tucked under the elastic strap. In
The mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944 outlines a 3-holes and 2-holes methods for a one-way locking of a ligature to a frame. In some applications such as footwear (i.e. when the frame is a footwear), metal eyelets maybe used to form the cluster of 3 or the 2 holes. However, eyelets generally have smooth and curved surface on top and relatively rough and flat surface underneath. This is shown in
In some applications the ligature forms several crisscrosses along the opening of the wearable. The ability to tighten all crisscrosses at once by pulling the ends of the ligature is highly desirable. In footwear the foot of the user pushes the ligature (i.e. shoelace) against the shoe tongue and the shoe body making it hard to tighten crisscrosses simultaneously. Eliminating this problem is particularly important for BiaBo-type footwear where an integrated cluster of 3 or 2 holes arrangements provide an alternative method to customary tying/untying. As explained above, in BiaBo footwear the ligature ends are normally tied together and that makes it harder to tighten crisscrosses. Furthermore, solving this problem for BiaBo footwear eliminates the need for first tightening the crisscrosses before the final pull of the knot formed by the ligature ends to locks the system in place. The proposed solution is to replace eyelets of the wearable with upwardly projected low friction straight or curved bars. In this manner, the ligature remains on top of the wearable and pressure by user from inside does not affect the ligature. To reduce the friction even further, rollers may be used over the curved bars.
In order to further enhance the performance of BiaBo wearable it is highly desirable to reduce the friction between the ligature and the wearable in the area where the cluster(s) of 3 or 2 holes are positioned.
To further enhance the performance of a BiaBo wearable this invention proposes a method that allows a user to quickly tighten all crisscrosses. The method centers on setting the top 4 eyelets of the wearable at elevation above other eyelets of the wearable. The 4 top eyelets form the top crisscross. Pulling the top crisscross tightens all other crisscrosses throughout the wearable body. When the top crisscross is elevated, the user can hold it easier for pulling. To create an elevated eyelet, one may use several layers of the material underneath the eyelets to be elevated.
In some applications it might be more practical to employ several sets of 3-holes or 2-holes clusters to interact with the wearable. For example in footwear, integrating several 3-holes clusters along the length of the opening of the footwear allows users to use separate shoelaces for each segment of the footwear. This gives users the option of keeping different segments of the footwear at different tensions. Similarly in other wearable such as pants the use of several 3-holes or 2-holes arrangement along the waist of the pants allows users to have more control over loosening/tightening of their pant. This also eliminates the need for a using a belt. Obviously, either external structures bearing cluster of 3-holes (or 2 holes) are employed or the cluster of holes are made as an integrated part of the pants along the waist. The use of sets of 3-holes or 2-holes clusters, either integrated or as separate structures, also extends to all wearable where an elastic band(s) is used as means to keep the wearable tight and under tension.
Claims
1. (FIG. 2) A loosening and managing system for structures that interact with a wearable through a ligature; said wearable having one or more openings; said structure comprising of a cluster(s) of 3-holes or a 2-holes; said structure and said ligature being used to pull opposing sides of said openings toward each other in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; said ligature being named main ligature; said loosening system employs a short ligature; said short ligature passes underneath loop(s) formed by said main ligature between said 3-holes or 2-holes; pulling said short ligature unlocks the system; said short ligature's ends being secured to said main ligature's ends by a knot or other means; securing said short and said main ligatures together manages extra length of said main ligature by keeping said main ligature close to said wearable.
2. (FIG. 3) A decorative option for the system explained in claim 1; said decorative option comprises of adding decorative items to the free hanging ends of said short and said main ligatures.
3. (FIG. 4, 5A) A loosening and decorating system for a wearable that has an integrated cluster(s) of 3-holes or 2-holes within its structure; said wearable having one or more openings; said cluster of holes and a ligature being used to pull opposing sides of said openings toward each other in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; said loosening system employs a donut-shaped object; said donut-shaped object passing under a loop formed by said ligature between said holes; pulling said donut-shaped object loosens the system; said donut-shaped object having extensions; said decorating system comprising of adding decorative items to said extensions.
4. (FIG. 5) A quick loosing system similar to the system of claim 3 in which two connected donut-shaped objects are employed for the release of the lock between said ligature and said wearable at said opening sides simultaneously.
5. (FIG. 6) A tightening and managing system for a wearable that has an integrated cluster of 3-holes or 2-holes within its structure; said wearable having one or more openings; said cluster of holes and a ligature being used to pull opposing sides of said openings toward each other in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; said tightening system comprising of securing said ligature ends together by a permanent knot or other means; pulling said knot tightens and locks the system; said managing system comprising of an elastic strap secured to said wearable; passing said permanent knot underneath said elastic strap keeps said ligature secured to said wearable.
6. (FIG. 7) A tightening and managing system similar to claim 4 in which a straight or curved slot formed within said wearable body is used instead of said elastic strap.
7. A system for quick adjustments and decorations of a wearable that has waist (i.e. pants) or where elastic band(s) are used as means of keeping the wearable tight; when said wearable is a pant sets of integrated clusters of 3-holes or 2-holes along said pant's waist are employed; when said wearable comprises of elastic band(s) sets of integrated clusters of 3-holes or 2-holes-replace said elastic band(s); ligatures connecting holes of said sets in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; pulling said ligatures shorten distance between said holes to tighten said wearable; short ligature or other means passing underneath loops formed by said ligatures between said holes maybe used to loosen the system; said decorations is done be adding decorative items to said ligatures.
8. (FIG. 8A, 8B) A system for eliminating the rough and flat surface underneath eyelets used in a wearable; each eyelet of said system comprising of a set of two identical eyelets; each eyelet of said set of two eyelets being secured to a separate but identical layer of said wearable; said layers of said wearable being secured together such that backs of their respective eyelets touch to create a back-to-back eyelet system with curved and smooth surface both on top and bottom.
9. (FIG. 9) A system for reducing friction between a wearable and a ligature; said system comprising of rollers at locations where said ligature and said wearable interact; each of said rollers being secured to a bar; said bar being curved or straight; said rollers being able to rotate freely on its corresponding bar; said bar being secured to the wearable on one end.
10. (FIG. 10) A system similar to the system explained in claim 7 except for the said bars being secured at both ends between two layers of said wearable.
11. (FIG. 12) A system for eliminating sharp cornering and reducing friction between a ligature and a wearable; said wearable having an integrated 3-hole or 2-hole cluster; said wearable having one or more openings; said cluster of holes and said ligature being used to pull opposing sides of said openings toward each other in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; said system comprising of curved frictionless pathway(s) within the body of said wearable between 2 or more of said holes; said pathways creating a smooth curved path for said ligature reducing sharp cornering and friction between said ligature and said wearable.
12. (FIG. 13) A system for eliminating sharp cornering and reducing friction between a ligature and a structure; said structure having an integrated 3-hole or 2-hole cluster; said structure interacting with a wearable through said ligature; said wearable having one or more openings; said ligature being used to pull opposite sides of said wearable opening toward each other in a manner explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,944; said structure having curved frictionless pathway(s) between 2 or more of its holes; said structure connecting to said wearable in either removable or permanent manner; said structure having projections for securing said structure to said wearable in a removable manner; said wearable having receptor to receive said projections of said structure.
13. (FIG. 14) An enhanced wearable-ligature structure; said wearable having one or more openings; said wearable having eyelets along said openings; said ligature forming crisscrosses between said eyelets of said wearable openings; one or more of said crisscrosses being set at an elevation; said elevated crisscross being formed by setting eyelets that form said crisscross at higher elevation.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 26, 2007
Publication Date: May 28, 2009
Inventor: Hassan Vazin (Nashville, TN)
Application Number: 11/986,660
International Classification: A43C 1/04 (20060101);