Decorative eyelet cover for footwear, garments, and the like

Abstract

A snap-fit eyelet cover configured for insertion through an eyelet opening to decorate an eyelet on footwear, garments, and the like. The eyelet cover includes a neck formed of a material sufficiently resilient to fit through an eyelet opening and thereafter expand to bear against the eyelet and retain the eyelet cover in position. The eyelet cover further includes a crown extending radially outward from the neck, the crown having a top surface that may be decorated with any number of patterns, shapes, colors, or other decorative features as desired. A bore extends in an axial direction through the neck and the crown to provide an interior passage for threading a shoe lace or other material.

1 . A snap-fit eyelet cover for decorating an eyelet on footwear, garments, and the like, the eyelet cover comprising:
 a neck having an exterior surface extending radially outward from a throat region to an insertion region of the neck, wherein the throat region has a maximum outer diameter that is less than a maximum outer diameter of the insertion region, and wherein the neck is formed of a material sufficiently resilient to fit through an eyelet opening and to thereafter expand to bear against the eyelet and retain the eyelet cover in the eyelet;   a crown extending radially outward from the neck, the crown having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface; and   a bore extending in an axial direction through the neck and the crown, the bore defining an interior passage extending through the eyelet cover.   
     
     
         2 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the neck includes a pair of notches, each notch extending in the axial direction from a bottom surface of the neck and through the insertion region. 
     
     
         3 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the insertion region includes an annular ridge formed around at least a portion of the neck, the annular ridge having a maximum outer diameter larger than the throat region of the neck. 
     
     
         4 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 3 , wherein the insertion region further includes a chamfered edge defining a lead-in section, the lead-in section tapering inwardly from the annular ridge to a bottom surface of the neck. 
     
     
         5 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the top and bottom surfaces of the crown extend to an outer peripheral edge, the outer peripheral edge having a planar surface and the bottom surface having a curved surface extending from the outer peripheral edge to the neck. 
     
     
         6 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 5 , wherein the bottom surface links to the exterior surface of the neck and defines a continuous curve extending from the outer peripheral edge to the insertion region of the neck. 
     
     
         7 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the neck further includes an interior surface facing the bore, the interior surface linked to the top surface of the crown via a curved transition section to provide strain relief for a material inserted through the interior passage of the eyelet cover. 
     
     
         8 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 7 , where the interior surface of the neck is linked to a bottom surface of the neck via a second curved transition section to provide strain relief for a material inserted through the interior passage of the eyelet cover 
     
     
         9 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the neck and the crown are formed as a single, monolithic structure. 
     
     
         10 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 9 , wherein the eyelet cover is molded from a plastic material. 
     
     
         11 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the neck deforms inwardly toward the axial direction when the neck is inserted into the eyelet. 
     
     
         12 . The snap-fit eyelet cover of  claim 1 , wherein the top surface is rounded in the shape of a torroidal section.