US3197097A - Collapsible lace hook - Google Patents

Description

y 7, 1965 J. P. CASNER ETAL. 3,197,097

COLLAPSIBLE LACE HOOK Filed Feb. 26. 1962 ll/AV ZlqMEs P. Lbs/v52 (lb/145s B. s's/sz/ INVENTORS.

BY Z m h1g4 United States Patent 3,197,097 CULLAPSELE LACE HOOK .lames P. Casner and James B. Pesiri, both of 325 W. Wells Sh, Pasadena, Calif. Filed Feb. 26, 1952, Ser. No. 175,525 1 Qlaim; ($5. 223-113) This invention relates to hooks adapted to tighten boot laces after the boot is donned. Usually preparatory to the act of pulling on the boots, the laces must be loosened; and these laces must be tightened to ensure a snug fit of the boot. Such snugness is especially important for such activities as roller or ice skating, military boots, skiing, etc. Furthermore, after the boots are donned, the laces may loosen; and it is difiicult for the fingers alone to tighten them. Hence the necessity of a hook for effectively pulling the lacing together.

Hooks of this character are quite large; it is difiicult to carry them about the person; and even if they were,

there would be a substantial hazard when a spill occurred.

Under such circumstances, if the skater or skier should vfall with great force, the long shanked hook would readily cause physical injury.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a serviceable lace hook that is safe to carry, and that is sufficiently small to accommodate in an ordinary coat or trousers pocket.

It is another object of this invention to provide a folding hook for this purpose that is simple to manufacture.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and 0 has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. For this purpose, there are shown a few forms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification, and which drawings, unless as otherwise indicated, are true scale. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view illustrating a lace hook incorporating the invention, as in use for skate shoes;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lace hook in its open operating position;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hook taken on line 33 of FIG. 2, but in folded position, phantom lines being used to indicate the steps for placing the hook in proper operating position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 3, phantom lines being used to indicate the extension of the hook with respect to the handle;

FIG. :5 is a sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 5-5 of FIG. 3, with the hook in position for use;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, of a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is an end view thereof.

In FIG. 1, a skate shoe 1 having laces 2 is engaged by hook 3 for tightening the laces. This hook in the extended position of FIG. 2, includes a handle 4; and at right angles thereto, a hook 5. The handle 4 may be made from such moldable material as plastic or metal; the hook 5 is made of appropriate metal.

The handle 4 is shaped properly to fit the hand. The hook 5 has a head 6 forming a T with the shank of the hook 5, this configuration of the head serving to key it against rotation so that the shank and hook will not turn as the hook is being placed under the lace. The head 6 is positioned in an L-shaped cavity formed of a longitudi- 3,197,697 Patented July 27, 1965 ice nally-extending portion 7 and a transverse portion 13. The end of the portion 7 remote from the transverse portion is closed, this closed end being near one end of the handle. One side of the handle has a slot 8 therein ex tending longitudinally from the juncture of the two portions or arms of the L-shaped cavity to the end of the handle remote from said one end. The bottom 7a of this slot lies on an imaginary line paralleling the longitudinal axis of symmetry of said first portion and extending between said axis and the side 7 of said first portion. The slot 8 permits the elongated hook member 5 to be pulled longitudinally through the slot and to be swung away from the handle to the operating position shown in FIG. 2. The width of this slot, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is insufficient to receive the head 6, but great enough to permit the section of said member between the head 6 and the hook 17 to move translationally and angularly therein.

In the folded position shown in full lines in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shank of the hook is received in the L-shaped cavity 7-13. The hook end of the hook 5 engages a wide recess 1% formed in the end of handle 4. This recess permits insertion of a finger tip behind the hook end for withdrawing hook 5 from handle 4. The hook 5 is releasably held in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 3 by two small projections 11 formed in the Walls of the slot 7, beyond which the head 6 of the hook 5 passes when the hook is pushed in from the phantom line position 5a (FIG. 3). The projections 11 are urged apart if sufficient force is exerted on the hook 5 inwardly of the slot 7, and snap into their normal position when the head 6 reaches the left hand end of the slot. The projections 11 are placed quite close to this end of the slot, to confine the head 6 quite closely to the position shown in FIG. 3.

When it is desired to extend the hook 5 to the phantom line position 5b of FIG. 3, the hook 5 is first pulled out wardly by urging the end of the hook by the finger to the position 5a. This position is limited by the shoulder 12 formed at the juncture of the longitudinal portion of the cavity 7 and the transverse portion 13. The head 6 may then be urged into the depending portion 13 of the L- shaped cavity, and the hook 5 moved angularly through slot 3 to the position 5b (FIG. 3). The end surface 14 of the slot 8 limits this angular movement. The hook 5 is now in position for use.

In the form shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a handle 15 is provided with a longitudinal slot 19 capable of accommodating the head 16 of the hook 17. The head 16 may slide in the slot 19 within the limits defined by the ends of this slot, the aperture 29 leading to the slot and accommodating the shank of hook 17. The projections 21 and 22 near the ends of the slot 19 serve to yieldingly maintain hook 17 in extended or retracted position.

The hook 17 may be extended to the position 17a of FIG. 6 by pulling on the exposed end of the hook, to pass the head 16 between projections 21.

The end of the hook 17 when retracted, may be received in a recess 23 formed in the end of the handle 13, for accommodating the finger to pull the hook 17 to its active position.

The inventors claim:

In a lace hook structure: a handle body having an internal cavity opening at the exterior surface of the body; a unitary lace hook member having a shank portion slidably fitting the handle body cavity and movable through said cavity opening; said lace hook member having a blunt hook end movable from a retracted position on the outside of said body adjacent the said exterior opening of said body to a projected position spaced substantially from said body; said body having means encompassing said shank portion in the body cavity when the hook end is in retracted position; said body having a configuration substantially conforming to and substantially fitting said hook end when said hook member is in retracted position; said body having opposed exterior wall means projecting from the body and extending on opposite sides of said hook end to shield the hook end when the lace hook member is in retracted position, said opposed Wall means also diverging along the blunt hook end and then extending rearwardly of said blunt hook end to define a finger space in which the blunt hook end is exposed for application of digital pressure to initiate the projection of said lace hook member; said lace hook member having at its other inner end a projection extending lateral- 13 of said shank portion; said cavity including an elongated recess of non-circular transverse cross-section receiving said laterally extending projection and confining said hook member against angular movement about the axis of its shank portion throughout the course of longitudinalmovement of said lace hook member; said recess having an end wall engaging said projection upon outward movement of said lace hook member for limiting the outward movement thereof; said handle body being made of resilient material capable of flexure; said handle body having a pair of integrally formed projections located at said elongated recess, each projection extend- 4 ing partially into the path of movement of said lateral projection intermediate the length of said path, said projections being spaced from each other and positioned releasably to latch the lace hook member respectively in retracted and projected positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 'THOMAS J. HICKEY, Examiner.

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