Shoe lace holder

Abstract

A shoe lace holder to assist in the tying of shoe laces and to prevent shoe laces inadvertently coming undone during use is disclosed. The shoelace holder includes a unitary body having top and bottom surfaces defined by a front edge, a back edge and side edges. The body includes at least one first hole and at least one second hole, two slots, which extend in opposite directions relative to each other, and at least two further holes spaced apart from each other. The holes allow a shoe lace to pass through, and the slots are adapted to engage a portion of the shoe lace there in. When attached to a shoe a shoe's laces are interwoven through the respective holes and slots to prevent the lace inadvertently untying in use. A method of securing a shoe lace to the shoe lace holder is also disclosed.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . A shoe lace holder to assist in the tying of shoe laces and to prevent shoe laces inadvertently coming undone during use, the shoe lace holder includes a unitary body member having no moving parts and having a top surface and bottom surface defined by a front edge, back edge and side edges; the body member including:
 a) at least one first central hole adapted to accommodate and to allow a shoe lace to pass there through;   b) two slots, where each slot is axially aligned relative to another and each slot extends in the opposite direction relative to the other slot, each slot extends toward a side edge of the body member, each slot is configured and adapted to frictionally engage and hold a portion of the lace therein in so to prevent the shoe lace from inadvertently untying during use of the shoe by a user and an end of at least one of the slots opens into the first central hole, each slot is aligned with and each slot extends in a direction outwardly from the at least one first central hole;   c) at least one second central hole adapted to accommodate and to allow a shoe lace to pass there through; and   d) at least two further holes spaced apart from one another towards and adjacent a side edge of the body member, the two further holes adapted to accommodate and allow a shoe lace to pass there through, wherein when attached to a shoe, the shoe lace holder in combination with the respective holes and slots engaging with the lace interweaved therein prevents a shoe lace from inadvertently untying during use of the shoe by a user, wherein the shoe lace is secured to the shoe lace holder frictionally engaging the lace and holding within the slots to prevent the shoe lace from inadvertent untying.   
     
     
         2 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the slots are friction engaging slots such that a portion of the shoe lace is frictionally held within the slots when pulled there through toward the end of the slots distal from the first central opening. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein there are two first central holes situated spaced and adjacent one another, one of the slots extends outwardly from one first central hole toward one side edge of the body member and the other slot extends outwardly from the other first central hole toward the other side edge of the body member. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein there are two second central holes situated spaced apart and adjacent one another. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the two second central holes and the two further holes are aligned and one of the further holes is situated between one of the second central holes and one side edge and the other further hole is situated between the other of the second central holes and the other side edge. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each slot adjacent the side edge has an opening, wherein the each opening is adapted to allow a portion of the lace to pass from the above the top surface of the body member to underneath the bottom surface of the body member. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe lace holder as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the body member is arcuate in shape wherein the bottom surface is concave such that the camber of the body portion substantially matches the shape of the top part of a shoe and/or foot of a user.