Shoe with shoe lace device that facilitates tightening and loosening of the shoe

Abstract

A shoe lace device includes a pair of shoe lace units, a male fastener and a female fastener. Each of the male and female fasteners has a lace engaging section for engaging a respective one of the shoe lace units, and a fastener engaging section that extends from the lace engaging section. The fastener engaging sections of the male and female fasteners are capable of engaging removably each other to tighten a shoe body when the fastener engaging sections engage each other, and to loosen the shoe body when the fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other. The male and female fasteners are disposed to abut against eyelet tabs of the shoe body to anchor front end portions of the shoe lace units on the eyelet tabs when the fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A shoe, comprising: 
 a shoe body having a top opening, said shoe body including a vamp, a tongue, and a pair of eyelet tabs, said tongue having a front portion connected to said vamp and a rear portion extending to said top opening, said tongue further having an opposite pair of lateral sides that extend from said vamp to said top opening, each of said eyelet tabs being connected to said vamp and being disposed adjacent to one of said lateral sides of said tongue, each of said eyelet tabs being formed with a plurality of eyelets that are aligned with each other in a direction from said front portion of said tongue to said top opening; and    a shoe lace device including 
 a pair of shoe lace units, each having a front end portion, a rear end portion, and an intermediate portion between said front and rear end portions, said intermediate portions of said shoe lace units being strung through said eyelets to form a criss-cross pattern on said eyelet tabs, said front end portions of said shoe lace units being disposed proximate to said vamp, said rear end portions of said shoe lace units being disposed proximate to said top opening,  
 a male fastener having a lace engaging section for engaging said front end portion of one of said shoe lace units, and a fastener engaging section that extends from said lace engaging section, and  
 a female fastener having a lace engaging section for engaging said front end portion of the other of said shoe lace units, and a fastener engaging section that extends from said lace engaging section of said female fastener,  
 said fastener engaging sections of said male and female fasteners being capable of engaging removably each other so as to enable said front end portions of said shoe lace units to pull said eyelet tabs toward each other for tightening said shoe body when said fastener engaging sections engage each other, and so as to inhibit said front end portions of said shoe lace units from pulling said eyelet tabs toward each other for loosening said shoe body when said fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other,  
 said male and female fasteners being disposed to abut against said eyelet tabs so as to anchor said front end portions of said shoe lace units on said eyelet tabs when said fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other.  
   
     
     
         2 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said rear end portions of said shoe lace units are connected to each other to form a loop.  
     
     
         3 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising a clamp member sleeved slidably on said rear end portions of said shoe lace units.  
     
     
         4 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said lace engaging section of each of said male and female fasteners is tubular in shape and is sleeved tightly on said front end portion of the respective one of said shoe lace units.  
     
     
         5 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said lace engaging section of each of said male and female fasteners is formed with an axially extending slit that permits extension of the respective one of said shoe lace units thereinto when the respective one of said shoe lace units is bent relative to said lace engaging section.  
     
     
         6 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein each of said male and female fasteners has a length and a largest cross-sectional area transverse to said length, said length being larger than a diameter of said eyelets, said largest cross-sectional area being smaller than a cross-sectional area of said eyelets.  
     
     
         7 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said fastener engaging section of said male fastener is formed as a hook, and said fastener engaging section of said female fastener is formed with a hole for engaging removably said hook.  
     
     
         8 . The shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a frontmost pair of said eyelets in said eyelet tabs form a first distance therebetween, each of said eyelet tabs being further formed with an auxiliary eyelet proximate to said front portion of said tongue, said auxiliary eyelets being disposed adjacent to said frontmost pair of said eyelets and forming a second distance therebetween, the second distance being larger than the first distance.  
     
     
         9 . A shoe lace device adapted for use with a shoe body having a top opening, the shoe body including a vamp, a tongue, and a pair of eyelet tabs, the tongue having a front portion connected to the vamp and a rear portion extending to the top opening, the tongue further having an opposite pair of lateral sides that extend from the vamp to the top opening, each of the eyelet tabs being connected to the vamp and being disposed adjacent to one of the lateral sides of the tongue, each of the eyelet tabs being formed with a plurality of eyelets that are aligned with each other in a direction from the front portion of the tongue to the top opening, said shoe lace device comprising: 
 a pair of shoe lace units, each having a front end portion, a rear end portion, and an intermediate portion between said front and rear end portions, said intermediate portions of said shoe lace units being adapted to be strung through the eyelets to form a criss-cross pattern on the eyelet tabs, said front end portions of said shoe lace units being adapted to be disposed proximate to the vamp, said rear end portions of said shoe lace units being adapted to be disposed proximate to the top opening;    a male fastener having a lace engaging section for engaging said front end portion of one of said shoe lace units, and a fastener engaging section that extends from said lace engaging section; and    a female fastener having a lace engaging section for engaging said front end portion of the other of said shoe lace units, and a fastener engaging section that extends from said lace engaging section of said female fastener;    said fastener engaging sections of said male and female fasteners being capable of engaging removably each other so as to enable said front end portions of said shoe lace units to pull the eyelet tabs toward each other for tightening the shoe body when said fastener engaging sections engage each other, and so as to inhibit said front end portions of said shoe lace units from pulling the eyelet tabs toward each other for loosening the shoe body when said fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other;    said male and female fasteners being adapted to abut against the eyelet tabs so as to anchor said front end portions of said shoe lace units on the eyelet tabs when said fastener engaging sections are disengaged from each other.    
     
     
         10 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said rear end portions of said shoe lace units are connected to each other to form a loop.  
     
     
         11 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising a clamp member sleeved slidably on said rear end portions of said shoe lace units.  
     
     
         12 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said lace engaging section of each of said male and female fasteners is tubular in shape and is sleeved tightly on said front end portion of the respective one of said shoe lace units.  
     
     
         13 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said lace engaging section of each of said male and female fasteners is formed with an axially extending slit that permits extension of the respective one of said shoe lace units thereinto when the respective one of said shoe lace units is bent relative to said lace engaging section.  
     
     
         14 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each of said male and female fasteners has a length and a largest cross-sectional area transverse to said length, said length being larger than a diameter of the eyelets, said largest cross-sectional area being smaller than a cross sectional area of the eyelets.  
     
     
         15 . The shoe lace device as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said fastener engaging section of said male fastener is formed as a hook, and said fastener engaging section of said female fastener is formed with a hole for engaging removably said hook.