Apparatus and method for shortening laces while retaining the aglets thereon

Abstract

Apparatus and method for shortening a shoe/boot lace, while retaining the aglets in place, are disclosed. The principle of the disclosure involves cutting a portion from the central part of the lace between the aglets, tying a knot(s) into both cut ends and threading the part laces through apertures in a housing to create a continuous, but shorter, lace. The shoe/boot may now be re-laced with the housing located at a suitable point, usually midway between the first pair of eyelets. The principle of the invention may be used in a purely functional way and/or to produce artistic effects on the footwear.

1 . An apparatus for changing the length of a shoe/boot lace, while retaining the aglets in place, the changing of length being either shortening the lace by removing a portion of the lace from a suitable place between the aglets to create two part laces or effectively lengthening a lace by joining two separate part laces end to end, comprising:—
 i) either a full lace having had a portion between the aglets removed thus creating two part laces or two separate part laces from different laces, each part lace having an aglet thereon; and   ii) a housing having an aperture(s);   
     characterised in that a knot(s) is/are tied, or a restriction(s) is/are placed, adjacent to the cut ends of the two part laces and that the aglets on the part laces are threaded through the aperture(s) in the housing and the part laces drawn through until the knots/restrictions reach the aperture(s) and become fast at/adjacent to the aperture(s) so that the resulting lace is either shorter than before or is effectively longer than before, has an aglet at each end and the housing is located at an intermediate point and it may be used for lacing a shoe/boot and further where the two separate part laces may be of different colours. 
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the two part laces are from a single broken lace. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , the two cut ends of the part laces are tied together by a single knot. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the two cut ends of the part laces are secured together by a single restriction. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein any excess length of lace between the knot/restriction and cut end is removed. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the housing is essentially oval and cylindrical in shape with apertures at opposite ends through which the aglet and a normal diameter lace may pass but a knotted/restricted lace may not. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the housing has any appropriate shape with apertures at appropriate points through which the aglet and a normal diameter lace may pass but a knotted/restricted lace may not. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the housing has a continuous upper surface and a recess in the lower surface. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the recess in the housing communicates with the lace apertures in the ends of the housing and the recess is sized to accommodate the knot(s)/restriction(s) at the cut ends of the two part laces. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the recess in the housing is so shaped that the tension in the laces draws the knot(s)/restriction(s) into the recess and compresses the knot(s)/restriction(s) to reduce any tendency for them to come untied/unsecured.