LACE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001]This invention relates to a system for adjusting the tension on a lace, using a rotatable knob connected to a ratchet system on a reel to adjust the tightness. In particular, the invention relates to a system where the system can be released and attached again without the need to adjust the tightness set by the knob.

2. The Prior Art

[0002] Knob lacing systems are known, where the size of an opening is adjusted by laces connected to a reel with a rotatable knob. These systems require that the laces be released from the reel in order to enlarge the opening, and then require that the tightness be readjusted by rotating the knob once the opening is to be reduced again. These systems are commonly used for shoes, boots, backpacks and other soft goods. One example of this system is shown in US Patent No. 9,101,181 to Soderberg et al. Another device is disclosed in US Patent No. 11,963,585 to Chen, which discloses a base plate on which the reel is mounted so that the system can be used on shoes that are not originally equipped with the reel. Here, the reel is connected to the base plate in a non-removable manner. Therefore, the adjustment still needs to take place by loosening the lases from the reel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003]It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a lace adjustment system in which the reel can be easily removed from a base plate in order to release the laces, but the laces remain engaged in the reel, so that reattachment of the reel to the base plate leaves the laces in the original position and no readjustment of the lace tightness is needed.

[0004]This and other objects are accomplished by a lace adjustment system having a reel assembly releasably connected to a base plate. The base plate is secured to the item to be closed by the laces, and the laces are fed into the reel assembly. The reel assembly can be locked and unlocked from the base plate to allow release of the item secured by the laces without having to loosen the laces from the reel. This allows for easy removal and reuse without needing to reset the tension on the laces.

[0005]The reel assembly is formed from a housing in which a reel and a pawl are disposed. The housing has an interior wall and an open top, the interior wall having a plurality of teeth protruding inwardly therefrom. The reel is disposed in the housing so as to be rotatable within the housing. The reel has top and bottom plates, and a post between the plates configured for winding a lace. The pawl is operatively connected to the top of the reel, and a knob covers the open top of the housing and engages the pawl. The pawl has teeth that are engageable with the teeth on the housing to fix the reel in a selected position by turning the knob, in the manner of a ratchet system. This allows a lace that is wound around the reel to be set to a desired tightness by turning the knob.

[0006]The base plate is configured to be attached to an article, such as by sewing or gluing. The base plate can have an outer rim that is made of a soft, flexible material that is suitable for sewing. The system according to the invention is especially useful on shoes and luggage or backpacks, but can be used with any type of article that requires adjustment of laces or cords. The base plate has a locking element configured to releasably lock the reel assembly thereto. By use of the locking element, the reel assembly is engageable and disengageable from the base plate without releasing the pawl from the teeth on the housing, so that the laces wound around the reel remain in their set adjustment position.

[0007]To connect the knob to the pawl, the knob has a plurality of guide protrusions that extend into and engage a plurality of corresponding recesses in the pawl when the knob is placed over the housing. Rotating the knob pushes the protrusions against the edges of the recesses, and turns the pawl.

[0008]The pawl is formed by a central base with a plurality of flexible arms extending therefrom. In one embodiment, the base is triangular and has three arms extending from the points of the triangle outward and around in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Each arm has a free end with at least one tooth that is configured to engage the teeth on the housing. The arms are movable via a hinge that connects the arms to the base. The hinge is preferably integrally formed in one piece with the base. During turning of the knob in a first direction, the walls of the housing push the arms inward to allow the teeth on the arms to pass over the teeth on the housing until the turning is completed, at which point the teeth on the arms engage the teeth on the housing and lock the reel in a set position. Preferably, the recesses are located in the flexible arms, and are elongated. The pawl is configured such that turning the knob in a second direction causes the protrusions of the knob to slide to an end of the recesses and push the flexible arms inward to allow the arms to pass over the teeth of the housing until the turning in the second direction is completed, at which point the arms press outward and the teeth on the arms engage the teeth on the housing. This way, the lace that is wound around the reel can be tightened and loosened by turning the knob in the desired direction. In a preferred embodiment, the arms on the pawl extend in a counterclockwise direction looking downward at the reel. The first direction is the clockwise direction, which is generally for tightening the laces, and the second direction is the counterclockwise direction, for loosening the laces.

[0009]The teeth on the end of each arm of the pawl can comprise a single tooth, or one larger tooth facing an inside and one smaller tooth facing an outside. These teeth on the pawl mesh with the teeth on the housing, which are configured so as to have a short side and a long side, causing the teeth on the housing to point in the first direction. This allows the knob to turn easily in the first direction, with the teeth of the pawl sliding more easily along the longer, less steep sides of the teeth of the housing, and less easily in the second direction, which then requires the ^protrusions to pull the arms inward, to clear the steeper, shorter sides of the teeth in the counterclockwise direction.

[0010]In one embodiment, the recesses are closed apertures. Alternatively, the recesses have an open side so that the arms have a hook shape. The arms themselves can be made so as to flex themselves, and no hinge is needed. In either embodiment, the recesses are located on the arms at a location closer to the ends of the arms than to the connection point to the central base. This allows the protrusions to force the arms to bend inward during turning, as the arms are directed outward while the protrusions are static.

[0011]In one embodiment, the knob has a positioning rod extending from a center of the knob, and the pawl has a central recess through which the positioning rod passes. The pawl, as well as the top plate of the reel, have a central recess that is configured for receiving the positioning rod of the knob, so that the knob is operatively connected to the pawl and reel when the knob is snapped onto the housing. The shape of the central recesses of the pawl and reel match the shape of the positioning rod, so that the knob can only snapped on to the housing when the positioning rod is aligned with the central recesses. The positioning rod fits within the recesses of the pawl and reel such that the positioning rod cannot turn within the recesses. This way, turning the knob also turns the pawl and the reel. The positioning rod can be any desired shape. In one embodiment, the positioning rod is Y-shaped. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning rod is asymmetrical, for example Y-shaped with one leg of the Y being longer than the other two legs.

[0012]Preferably, the positioning rod has a depth that is greater than a depth of the protrusions on the knob, so that the knob is already properly positioned with the rod aligned with the central recesses before the guide protrusions enter the recesses on the arms. This prevents any damage to the arms by the protrusions being forced against the arms outside of the recesses.

[0013]In one embodiment, the top plate of the reel has indentations conforming to the shape of the pawl, such that the pawl can only be attached to the reel when the central recesses of the reel and pawl are properly aligned, and the indentations conform to the orientation of the pawl.

[0014]The flexible arms of the pawl can be manufactured to be quite thin, which adds to their flexibility and ease of turning the rod. However, this can increase the risk of damage to the arms if too much pressure is applied during turning of the knob. To prevent damage to the arms, the arms can each comprise an outwardly extending reinforcement rod. The reinforcement rod contacts the sidewall of the housing and prevents overbending of the flexible arms during rotation of the knob.

[0015]In order to further facilitate alignment of the pawl with the reel, the top plate of the reel has a plurality of guide elements disposed around a perimeter of the top plate. The guide elements interlock with portions of the pawl and guide the pawl to a position where the central recesses are aligned when the pawl is placed on the reel. In one embodiment, the guide elements are L-shaped with an interior elbow that receives a rectangular leg element of the pawl.

[0016]In the lace adjustment system according to the invention, a lace is connected to the reel by feeding it through an aperture in the housing and through an aperture in the reel, and back out an opposite aperture in the housing. A knot is tied on the end of the lace so as to be larger than the aperture and cannot be pulled back through the housing and the reel. The lace can easily be replaced by pulling the end with the knot out from the housing, cutting the knot, and then pulling the lace out of the reel in the opposite direction. The reel can have two separate apertures for receiving two laces, each lace being secured by a knot at the end of the aperture. The opposite side of the reel can have a single large opening for receiving the ends of both laces after they pass through the reel. This configuration allows a lace to be installed and removed from the reel assembly without having to disassemble the reel assembly. The reel and pawl remain inside of the housing closed by the knob, throughout the entire assembly and disassembly process.

[0017]The knob is configured to be snapped onto and off of the housing. It can be necessary to remove the knob in order to replace the lace, and/or to clean the assembly. In one embodiment, the knob has an undercut or several undercuts that snap around a flange in the housing to lock the knob to the housing. The knob has a free portion lacking the undercut so that the knob may be pushed off of the housing by upward pressure on the free portion until the undercut slides past the sidewall of the housing. The knob can have an indicator marking at the free portion, and the housing can have an area that allows easy finger access, so that positioning the indicator in the particular area of the housing allows the user to easily push the knob off of the housing.

[0018]The base plate can be connected to the reel assembly in a variety of different ways. The important factor in this case is that the reel assembly be able to be easily locked to and unlocked from the base plate without needing to adjust the lace or laces. In one embodiment, the base plate has a flexible locking pawl on a front side that is configured to engage a locking element in the form of a flange on the housing. The base plate also has a locking slot on a rear side, opposite the locking pawl, that is configured to engage an edge of an underside the housing to lock the reel assembly to the base plate. The reel assembly is unlockable from the base plate by sliding the reel assembly rearward until the locking pawl flexes enough to release the locking element.

[0019]To keep the base plate more firmly connected to the reel assembly, the base plate can have at least two additional side locking pawls, located on opposite sides of the base plate in between the front side and the rear side. These two additional locking pawls engage on opposite sides of the housing in the locked position. In order to lock the reel assembly to the base plate, the locking assembly is lowered onto the base plate until it contacts the locking pawls. Further downward pressure from the reel assembly causes the locking pawls to flex outward an allow the reel assembly to pass until the reel assembly is firmly seated in the base plate, at which point the locking pawls snap into the flanges and recesses of the reel assembly. During the locking process, the reel assembly is lowered onto the base plate slightly rearward of its final position, as the reel assembly must be then pushed forward in order for the underside of the housing to slide into the locking slot. At this point, the reel assembly is firmly secured, and can only be removed by sliding the reel assembly rearward until the flanges and elements on the reel assembly clear the locking pawls and locking slot on the base plate.

[0020]To further assist guiding the reel assembly onto the base plate, the base plate can also have two support walls, each support wall being located between the front locking pawl and one of the additional locking pawls. The support walls abut the housing when the reel assembly is connected to the base plate.

[0021]In an alternative embodiment, the base plate can have a front locking pawl and a rear locking slot as with the first embodiment, and have two support walls extending from the base plate on opposite sides of the base plate, between the locking pawl and the locking slot. In this embodiment, sides of the housing contain indentations that correspond to a shape of the support walls, so that the support walls guide the housing during connection of the housing to the base plate. The locking pawl is located on a front support wall of the base plate, and the housing contains an indentation corresponding to the shape of the front support wall as well. The front support wall has a semicircular shape, which helps to guide the reel assembly into the proper position, but other shapes could also be envisioned.

[0022]In another embodiment, the base plate has a locking button disposed on a flexible tongue formed by a cutout in the base plate, and a guide platform with an overhanging lip disposed adjacent the flexible tongue. The housing has a locking piece on a bottom thereof, such that the reel assembly is locked to the base plate by inserting the locking piece between the locking button and guide platform, under the overhanging lip and snapping it into place. The reel assembly can be unlocked from the base plate by pressing the reel assembly in the rearward direction, until the locking button on the flexible tongue is pressed downward due to this pressure, and the reel assembly can then travel rearward over the locking button.

[0023]In this embodiment, a guide wall extends around at least a front side of the base plate and abuts the reel assembly in a locked position. Preferably the guide wall extends around the front and sides of the base plate, leaving the rear open to allow for unlocking of the reel assembly.

[0024]To ensure proper positioning of the reel assembly on the base plate, the housing has a bottom surface with an indentation corresponding to a shape of the guide platform. The reel assembly is locked to the base plate by sliding the reel assembly forward along the base plate until the guide platform is disposed in the indentation and the locking piece is inserted and snapped between the locking button and the locking platform. The platform/indentation preferably has a rounded, semi-cylindrical shape, but other shapes could also be used.

[0025]In a further embodiment, the reel assembly has an arm rotatably connected at a first end to the housing and rotatably connected at a second end to a front end of the base plate. The reel assembly can be positioned in an unlocked state with the arm in an extended position between the base plate and the reel assembly, and is locked to the base plate by rotating the arm around and folding it into the base plate, so that the arm lies flat on top of the base plate, at which point the reel assembly is positioned on top of the arm.

[0026]In order to secure the reel assembly to the base plate, the base plate has a support wall with a latch located on a rear end of the base plate, opposite the connection to the arm. The latch is secured on the housing when the reel assembly is in a locked position with the arm folded underneath the housing. The reel assembly is releasable from the base plate by bending the support wall away from the reel assembly to release the latch, and rotating the arm away from the base plate.

[0027]In this embodiment, the base plate can have a slanted contact surface, and the housing can have an oppositely slanted bottom surface that contacts the slanted contact surface in a locked position of the reel assembly. Within this slanted contact surface is a slot to accommodate the folded arm when the reel assembly is locked to the base plate.

[0028]In another embodiment of the invention, the lace adjustment system can be used to create a simple and effective way to connect and disconnect electrical components from each other. In this embodiment, the reel is electrically conductive, and the housing has an electrically conductive component disposed on a bottom surface thereof, and which is electrically connected to the reel. The base plate has an electrically conductive component disposed on an upper surface thereof. The electrically conductive components are arranged such that when the reel assembly is locked to the base plate, the electrically conductive components contact each other and electricity is conducted from one component to the other. In this embodiment, the housing has a first opening for the wire entering the housing and a second opening for the wire exiting the housing.

[0029]A first electrically conductive wire is electrically connected to the reel, and a second electrically conductive wire is electrically connected to the electrically conductive component of the base plate. When the reel assembly is locked to the base plate, electrical current in the first wire is transferred through the reel and the two electrically conductive components to the second wire, or vice versa. This is particularly effective for use with connecting and disconnecting electrical components to power supplies. Instead of having to access the power supply, which might be located in an interior of the bag or other item, the user can simply connect the component to the reel assembly, and then use the reel assembly for quick connect/disconnect from the power supply.

[0030]In another embodiment, the base plate is not electrically conductive, and the reel assembly is used to adjust the length of

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031]Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

[0032]In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

[0033]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the assembled lace adjustment system according to the invention;

[0034]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the lace adjustment system;

[0035]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the base plate;

[0036]FIG. 4 is a rear view of the base plate;

[0037]FIG. 5 is a side perspective view along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;

[0038]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the knob;

[0039]FIG. 7 is a side view of the knob;

[0040]FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the knob along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

[0041]FIG. 9 is a top view of the pawl;

[0042]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reel;

[0043]FIG. 11 is a side view of the reel;

[0044]FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view of the reel, along lines 12-12 of FIG. 11;

[0045]FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the reel perpendicular to the view of FIG. 12, showing a lace threaded therethrough;

[0046]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the housing;

[0047]FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of the housing;

[0048]FIG. 16 is a rear view of the housing;

[0049]FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing, along lines 17-17 of FIG. 16;

[0050]FIG. 18 is a side view of the reel assembly;

[0051]FIG. 19A is a top cross-sectional view along lines 19ABC-19ABC of FIG. 18, during rotation in a clockwise direction;

[0052]FIG. 19B is a top cross-sectional view of the embodiment of 19A during rotation in a counterclockwise direction;

[0053]FIG. 19C is an alternative embodiment of the pawl in the same cross-sectional view point as FIG. 19A and 19B, along lines 19ABC-19ABC of FIG. 18;

[0054]FIG. 20 is a rear view of the reel assembly;

[0055]FIG. 21 is a side cross-sectional view along lines 20-20 of FIG. 19;

[0056]FIG. 22 is a side view of the lace adjustment system in an unlocked position;

[0057]FIG. 23 is a side view of the lace adjustment system during the locking process;

[0058]FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a base plate in a further embodiment of the invention;

[0059]FIG. 25 is a top view of the base plate of FIG. 24;

[0060]FIG. 26 is a rear view of the reel assembly of the further embodiment for use with the base plate of FIG. 24;

[0061]FIG. 27 is a side view of the reel assembly of FIG. 26;

[0062]FIG. 28 is a bottom view of the reel assembly of FIG. 26;

[0063]FIG. 29 is a view of the fully assembled lace adjustment system with the base plate of FIG. 24 and the reel assembly of FIG. 26;

[0064]FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 29 in a fully locked position;

[0065]FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 29 during locking and unlocking;

[0066]FIG. 32 is a front and side view of another embodiment of the lace adjustment system according to the invention in an unlocked state;

[0067]FIG. 33 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 32;

[0068]FIG. 34 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 32 in a locked position;

[0069]FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view along a vertical plane bisecting FIG. 34;

[0070]FIG. 36 is a view of a further embodiment of the invention in a fully locked position;

[0071]FIG. 37 is a top view of the base plate of the embodiment of FIG. 36;

[0072]FIG. 38 is a bottom perspective view of the knob of the embodiment of FIG. 36;

[0073]FIG. 39 is a further bottom view of the knob of FIG. 38;

[0074]FIG. 40 is an exploded view of the housing and reel of the embodiment of FIG. 36;

[0075]FIG. 41 is an exploded view of the pawl and housing with reel of FIG. 40;

[0076]FIG. 42 is an exploded view of the knob and housing with reel and pawl of FIG. 41;

[0077]FIG. 43 is a side view of the reel assembly of FIG. 42 fully assembled;

[0078]FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view along lines 44-44 of FIG. 43;

[0079]FIG. 45 is a perspective view of the reel assembly of FIG. 42, with the top of the knob removed for illustration and the positioning rod enlarged in circle 45A;

[0080]FIG. 46 is a side-cross-sectional view along a vertical plane through the center of the fully assembled lace adjustment system of FIG. 36;

[0081]FIG. 47 is a side view of a further embodiment of the invention during locking and unlocking;

[0082]FIG. 48 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 47 an unlocked position;

[0083]FIG. 49 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 48;

[0084]FIG. 50 is a side cross-sectional view along a vertical plane bisecting the center of the embodiment of FIG. 48;

[0085]FIG. 51 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of 50 in a fully locked position;

[0086]FIG. 52 is a top view of a base plate for use in a further embodiment of the invention;

[0087]FIG. 53 is a bottom view of a reel assembly for use in the base plate of FIG. 52; and

[0088]FIG. 54 is a side perspective view of the base plate of FIG. 52 with the reel assembly of FIG. 53 in use to electrically connect wires on the base plate and reel assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0089]Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the lace adjustment system 1 in assembled and exploded views, respectively. Lace adjustment system 1 comprises a base plate 10 releasably connected to a reel assembly 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the reel assembly consists of four elements: a housing 30, a reel 40, a pawl 50 and a knob 60. Reel 40 is rotatably disposed within housing 30 and pawl 50 is operatively connected to reel 40. Knob 60 is operatively connected to pawl 50 so that rotating knob 60 causes pawl 50 and reel 40 to rotate as well. The individual parts are described as follows in FIGS. 3-20.

[0090]FIGS. 3-5 show base plate 10. Base plate 10 consists of a base body 11, an outer rim 12 and a front locking pawl 13. Base plate 10 can be connected to an article, such as a shoe or backpack by any suitable method, such as sewing or gluing. In particular, outer rim12 can be made thin and flexible so as to be easily sewable to the article to attach base plate 10 to the article. In addition to front locking pawl 13, side locking pawls 14, 15 are disposed on either side of front locking pawl 13. Additional guide walls 16, 17 are positioned in between front locking pawl 13 and each of the side locking pawls 14, 15. A locking slot 18 is disposed at the rear of base plate 10.

[0091]Knob 60 is shown in FIGS. 6-8. Knob 60 has an outer sidewall 61 with a plurality of ridges 66 that enable fingers to more easily grip knob 60 during rotation. On an underside of knob 60 is a central protrusion 62 and a plurality of guide protrusions 63. An undercut 64 is formed around at least a portion of knob 60. An indicator arrow 68 (shown in FIG. 1) indicates an area of knob 60 that is lacking the undercut.

[0092]Pawl 50 is shown in FIG. 9, as well as in FIG. 2. Pawl 50 consists of a triangular base 51 with an indentation or recess 52 configured to receive central protrusion 62 of knob 60. Three arms 53 extend out from triangular base 51 via hinges 54. Hinges 54 allow arms 53 to flex under tension, particularly inwardly in the radial direction. Arms 53 are folded in a counterclockwise direction when looking downward on pawl 50. A small tooth 55 and a large tooth 56 are each disposed at the end of each arm 53, with small tooth 55 being arranged on the outer side. An opening 57 is disposed in each arm 53 and is configured to receive one of the guide protrusions 63 of knob 60 when knob 60 is placed on pawl 50.

[0093]Reel 40 is shown in FIGS. 10-13. Reel 40 consists of an upper plate 41, a lower plate 42 and a central post 43. Upper plate 41 has a grooved indentation 44 which is configured to receive a correspondingly shaped gripping element 59 on the bottom surface of pawl 50, (shown in FIG. 21). Post 43 has an opening 45 through the middle for receiving a centering post 34 of housing 30, and has further openings 46 that can each receive a lace 100 (shown in FIG. 13). Openings 46 are made large enough to receive a single lace 100, but are made small enough so that when the end of the lace is knotted as shown, the knot cannot pass through. Two separate laces 100 can be fed through, one in each of openings 46, so that the device can be used to secure two laces together. This keeps the lace 100 secured to reel 40. To change the lace 100, the user simply cuts or unties the knot, pulls the lace out, and feeds in a new lace, which is then knotted. Rotating reel 40 then winds the lace or laces around the reel. The rear of part of reel 40 can have larger openings or a single large opening 48 for feeding the lace or laces 100 through to openings 46.

[0094]As shown in FIGS. 14-17, housing 30 has an interior cavity with an inner sidewall 31 and a plurality of teeth 32 extending around the upper edge of sidewall 31. A centering post 34 extends upward from the center of the interior cavity and is configured for receiving the opening 45 of the reel 40, so that reel 40 rotates around centering post 34.

[0095]On the outer surface of housing 30 is an aperture 39 for receiving a lace 100 to be fed through reel 40, and another aperture 33 for allowing a lace fed through reel 40 to exit housing 30. As described above with respect to lace 100 shown in FIG. 13, the lace fed through aperture 39, through reel 40, and out through aperture 33 can be removed and installed by tying or cutting the knot at the end of the lace, eliminating any need for disassembling the reel assembly. A locking flange 38 is arranged on the front side of housing 30. A projecting rim 35 extends around the upper part of the outer surface of housing 30. Knob 60 can be snapped over rim 35 to secure knob 60 to housing 30, via undercut 64.

[0096]FIGS. 18-20 show the assembled reel assembly 20, in which reel 40 and pawl 50 are assembled inside housing 30, with cap 60 on top. As can be seen in the cross-sectional view 19A, pawl 50 is located in housing 30 and in a resting state, teeth 55, 56 rest in spaces between teeth 32 of housing 30, to keep pawl 50 in a locked position under tension from hinges 54. Guide protrusions 63 of knob 60 extend through openings 57 of pawl 50 to operatively connect pawl 50 to knob 60. Turning knob 60 in a clockwise direction allows teeth 55, 56 to slide along the longer sides of teeth 32 due to the pressure of protrusions 63 of knob 60 against the leading edges of openings 57. Arms 53 flex inward at hinges 54 under the tension of moving over teeth 32, and press teeth 55, 56 into the spaces between teeth 32 when knob 60 is stationary. During rotation in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 19B, protrusions 63 of knob 60 to slide to the opposite end of openings 57 than that shown in FIG. 19A. This movement and the pressure of protrusions 63 causes arms 53 to bend inward and allow pawl 50 to pass over the shorter sides of teeth 32 of housing 30, to allow reel 40 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. In a preferred arrangement, a lace wound around reel 40 would be tightened by rotating knob 60 the clockwise direction and loosened by rotating knob 60 in the counterclockwise direction. The rotation in the counterclockwise direction requires more motion and force, in order to overcome the steeper, shorter sides of teeth 32, so it requires more effort to loosen the lace than to tighten it.

[0097]An alternative embodiment of pawl 50 is shown in FIG. 19C and is shown as 50’. In this embodiment, arms 53’ are configured such that openings 57’ are not closed apertures but rather open on one side. This allows arms 53’ to be made thinner, so as to flex themselves, without requiring the need for a hinge such as hinge 54 in pawl 50. The end corners 55’ of arms 53’ act as teeth to engage teeth 32 of housing 30. Clockwise rotation of pawl 50’ operates the same way as with pawl 50, so that end corner 55’ slides along the long sides of teeth 32 to allow rotation of pawl 50’. In addition, similar to FIG. 19B, rotating knob 60 in a counterclockwise direction causes protrusions 63 of knob 60 to slide to the far end of openings 57’ in the direction of the small arrow. This movement and the pressure of protrusions 63 causes arms 53’ to bend inward and allow pawl 50’ to pass over the shorter sides of teeth 32 of housing 30, to allow reel 40 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. In a preferred arrangement, a lace wound around reel 40 would be tightened by rotating knob 60 in the clockwise direction and loosened by rotating knob 60 in the counterclockwise direction.

[0098]FIG. 20 is a rear view of the assembled reel assembly 20, and FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view along lines 21-21 of FIG. 20. Centering post 34 receives the central opening 45 of reel 40 to position reel 40 in housing 30. Pawl 50 has a gripping element 59 that grips the corresponding grooved indentation 44 of reel 40, to operatively connect pawl 50 to reel 40. Guide protrusions 63 of knob 60 extend through openings 57 of pawl 50 to operatively engage knob 60 with pawl 50. Cap 60 is snapped onto housing 30 by undercut 64 of cap 60 engaging around rim 35 of housing 30. As can be seen on the left side of FIG. 21, housing 30 does not have the rim in this area, and knob 60 does not have the undercut, so upward pressure by a user’s fingers in this area can cause knob 60 to slide off of housing 30 to all the user access to the interior of reel assembly 20 for cleaning, lace replacement and repair. Gripping ridges 66 can be located around the outside of knob 60 to enable rotation of knob 60 without slipping. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, knob 60 can have an indicator 68 that when aligned with indicator 399 on housing 30, allows the knob 60 to be removed by upward pressure on knob 60, as the overlapping indicated areas are without the undercut on the cap, and the width of the bottom of the rim on the housing is reduced (see the left side of FIG. 21).

[0099]The locking of reel assembly 20 to base plate 10 is shown in FIGS. 22-23. As can be seen in FIG. 22, reel assembly 20 can be lowered directly down onto base plate 10 for assembly. As reel assembly 20 approaches base plate 10, locking pawl 13 contacts the bottom of housing 30 and pushes reel assembly 20 slightly rearward, along the slope of locking pawl 13. Once housing 30 is resting on base plate 10, reel assembly 20 is then pushed in the direction of locking pawl 13, until locking pawl 13 snaps over locking flange 38 of housing 30. During sliding, side pawls 14, 15 also slide over the side walls of housing 30 to secure housing 30 on the sides, and the bottom edge 37 of housing 30 engages in locking slot 18. In order to remove reel assembly 20 from base plate 10, reel assembly 20 is pushed rearward, with sufficient force to release locking pawl 13 from locking flange 38. Locking pawl 13 is disposed on a flexible arm so as to allow some movement under force. Housing 30 then sides out rearward until reel assembly 20 is fully released from pawls 13, 14, 15, and locking slot 18. FIG. 22 also shows the arrangement of lace 100 during installation and removal, such that lace 100 can extend through housing 30 via apertures 39 and 33, with 40 inside as shown from FIG. 13, to allow for the creation of a knot to attach lace 100 to reel assembly 20 or to allow the knot to be cut off and for the lace to be removed.

[0100]An alternative embodiment of the reel assembly is shown in FIGS. 24-31. In this embodiment, base plate 110 is formed from a base body 111 with a flexible surrounding flange 112, which is configured for attachment to an article, typically by sewing or gluing. Base body 111 has a mounting platform 113, which has a rounded profile and extends upward from base body 111 and has an outwardly extending flange 117. A U-shaped cutout behind the mounting platform 113 forms a flexible locking flange 114. A locking button 115 is disposed at the end of locking flange 114. A retaining wall 116 extends around the front side of base body 111.

[0101]As shown in FIGS. 26-28, reel assembly 120 has a housing 130 to which a knob 160 is attached. A pawl 50 and reel 40 are disposed inside housing 130. Reel assembly 120 operates the same way as described with respect to FIGS. 1-23 and can be used with either pawl 50 or pawl 50’ or pawl 350 (described below). The only difference is the attachment of housing 130 to base plate 110. As can be seen in the bottom view of FIG. 28, housing 130 has an indentation 136 that is designed to conform to the shape of mounting platform 113 of base plate 110. A protruding lip 137 surrounds indentation 136. On the rear side, the bottom wall of housing 130 has a rear lip 135.

[0102]The assembly and disassembly of reel assembly 120 to base plate 110 is shown in FIGS. 29-31. Initially, reel assembly 120 is placed downward onto base plate 110, with mounting platform 113 guiding the placement of reel assembly 120 by aligning with indentation 136. As reel assembly 120 is being lowered into position, the protruding lip 137 of housing 130 prevents reel assembly from being directly mounted solely by vertical movement. As seen in FIG. 31, protruding lip 137 must clear mounting platform 113 in order for housing 130 to rest directly on base plate 110. Pressing reel assembly 120 downward against the spring force of locking flange 114, causes locking flange 114 to flex downward and allow protruding lip 137 to go below the level of mounting platform 113. However, once protruding lip 137 clears mounting platform 113, reel assembly 120 may be slid into the locked position, in this case by pressing reel assembly 120 rightward, until protruding lip 137 rests under the flange 117 of mounting platform 113, as shown in FIG. 30. At the same time, during this sliding movement, the rear lip 135 slides past locking button 115 until it rests on flexible flange 114, with locking button 115 pressing reel assembly 120 against retaining wall 116, keeping reel assembly 120 locked in place on base plate 110.

[0103]To unlock reel assembly 120 from base plate 110, the user must slide reel assembly 120 in the opposite direction, in this case, leftward, until the force of rear lip 135 causes flexible locking flange 114 to bend downward until the bottom 132 of housing 130 clears locking button 115, allowing reel assembly 120 to slide away from base plate 110.

[0104]A further variation of the connection between the reel assembly and the base plate is shown in FIGS. 32-35. Again, the internal reel mechanism is the same as shown with respect to FIGS. 1-31, with the only difference being the attachment of the reel assembly to the base plate. In this embodiment, base plate 210 is formed from a base body 211 and an attachment flange 212, which can be used to attach the device to another article, typically by sewing or gluing. Extending up from base body 211 are side retaining walls 215 and front retaining wall 216. A locking pawl 213 is disposed on the inside of front retaining wall 216, which is flexible enough to allow locking pawl 213 to engage or disengage under tension. At the rear of base plate 210 is a locking slot 218.

[0105]Reel assembly 220 is formed from a housing 230 connected to a knob 260. A pawl 50 and reel 40 are disposed inside housing 230 and operate in the same way as the embodiment of FIGS. 1-23. A locking button 238 is disposed on the front of housing 230, and a locking hook 237 is arranged at the rear of housing 230, extending below the bottom of housing 230.

[0106]To assemble reel assembly 220 to base plate 210, reel assembly 220 is lowered onto base plate 210, as shown in FIGS. 34 and 35. Initially, locking hook 237 and locking button 238 prevent reel assembly 220 from being fully seated on base plate 210, so it is pushed rearward until locking button 238 clears locking pawl 213 and locking hook 237 clears the edge of base body 211. At this point, reel assembly 220 can be pushed in a horizontal direction, in this case rightward, until locking hook 237 engages in locking slot 218, and locking button 238 snaps under locking pawl 213. To unlock reel assembly 220 from base plate 210, the user slides reel assembly 220 in the reverse direction, in this case leftward, until locking button 238 is released from locking pawl 213 and locking hook 237 clears locking slot 218.

[0107]In this embodiment as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, the side walls of housing 230 can be indented to conform to the shape of the side retaining walls 215 and front retaining wall 216, so that retaining walls 215, 216 serve to guide reel assembly 220 into the correct locking position. In this embodiment, front retaining wall 216 has a rounded profile, which allows for smooth placement of reel assembly 220 onto base plate 210, as the curved walls can guide reel assembly 220 into the correct alignment during locking.

[0108]FIGS. 36-46 show another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, base plate 310 is formed from a base body 311 with a flexible surrounding flange 312, which is configured for attachment to an article, typically by sewing or gluing. Base body 311 has a mounting platform 313, which has a rounded profile and extends upward from base body 311. A cutout behind the mounting platform 313 forms a flexible locking flange 314. A locking button 315 is disposes at the end of locking flange 314. A retaining wall 316 extends around the front side of base body 311.

[0109]Base plate 311 can be configured to receive a reel assembly 320 having a housing 330, which can be formed similar to housing 130 shown in FIGS. 26-28, and is locked and unlocked in a similar way to base plate 310.

[0110]The separate components of reel assembly 320 are shown in FIGS. 38-45. Knob 360, which is configured to be snapped onto housing 330 in the same manner as described above with the previous embodiments, has side walls 361 with ridges 362 extending partially around the perimeter to allow knob 360 to be snapped over a corresponding rim in housing 330. On the underside of knob 360 are guide protrusions 363, and a central positioning rod 364 extending from the center. Positioning rod 364 has a greater depth than guide protrusions 363.

[0111]FIG. 40 shows reel 340 and housing 330 in an exploded view. Reel 340 has a top plate 341 with indentations corresponding to a shape of pawl 350 (shown in FIG. 41), and a central recess 342 corresponding to the shape of positioning rod 364 of knob 360. Three L-shaped guide elements 345 are arranged around the perimeter of reel 340, and extend upward from top plate 341. Positioning knobs 348 are located in two areas next to central recess 342. The interior elements of reel 340 are identical to reel 40 of FIGS. 1-23, and a lace is attached in the same way, such as shown in FIG. 13.

[0112]Housing 330 is constructed similar to housing 30, and has a plurality of teeth 332 arranged around the inner perimeter. Teeth 332 have a long side and a short side, so as to create more resistance to rotation when ratchet elements are pressed against the short, i.e., steeper side. A central post 334 is located on the bottom surface and extends into a central recess of reel 340 to hold reel 340 in place in housing 330. Openings 337, 338 are located in housing 330 for receiving the laces to be wound around reel 340.

[0113]FIG. 41 shows an exploded view of pawl 350, with reel 340 inserted in housing 330. Pawl 350 has three flexible arms 353 that curve in the shape of a hook to enclose openings 357. A central aperture 359 is Y-shaped. Pawl 350 is radially symmetric in three positions, so that pawl 350 can be placed on reel 340 in three identical orientations. Each of arms 353 has a support rod 358 extending out from the proximal section of the arm 353. Support rods 358 act as a reinforcement against excessive tension on arms 353 that might damage the arms. Each arm 353 has a sharp tooth 354 formed by a corner of the hook-shaped arm.

[0114]Pawl 350 is arranged to be mounted to reel 340 by placing pawl 350 so that central aperture 359 aligns with central aperture 347 of reel 340, and positioning knobs 348 extend through the ends of central aperture 359. In the correct placement of pawl 350, the top of reel 340 is indented in the shape of pawl 350, so pawl 350 fits tightly into the top of reel 340 when installed, as shown in FIG. 42. Pawl 350 is also held in place by L-shaped guide elements 345, which abut the regions between arms 353.

[0115]The fully assembled reel assembly 320 is shown in FIGS. 43-45. FIGS. 44 and 45 show the reel assembly 320 with the top of knob 360 removed, so that the interior components can be seen. When knob 360 is attached to housing 330, guide protrusions 363 extend into openings 357 in pawl 350 to connect knob 360 to pawl 350. In addition, positioning rod 364 extends through central apertures 347 and 359 of reel 340 and pawl 350 respectively, connecting knob 360 also to reel 340. Positioning rod 364 fits between positioning knobs 348 of reel 340 to connect knob 360, pawl 350 and reel 340 in proper alignment. Because pawl 350 is radially symmetric, it can be placed on reel 340 in any of three directions. However, due to the asymmetric shape of positioning rod 364, and the location of positioning knobs 348, knob 360 can only be placed in a single orientation onto the assembly.

[0116]As can be seen in FIGS. 44 and 45, teeth 354 engage teeth 332 of housing 330, to allow pawl 350 to move in a ratcheting movement, as described previously with the earlier embodiments. Teeth 332 are designed to have a long side and a short side, so that turning the knob in the direction where the pawl teeth slide along the long side offers less resistance than in the opposite direction, where the pawl teeth must overcome the steeper, shorter side. Due to the force of the guide protrusions 363 on the edges of apertures 357 of pawl 350, the 360 can be turned in both directions, to tighten or loosen a lace or laces wound around the reel 340. As with the previous embodiments, turning the clockwise direction offers less resistance and is suggested as the tightening direction, while the higher-resistance counterclockwise direction is preferred for loosening the laces. Support rods 358 prevent over-bending of arms 353 during movement of the knob, even under high tension.

[0117]Even though the system is configured to allow for simple lace adjustment by the knob, the system is designed so that once the correct tightness of the laces is achieved, the reel assembly can be removed from the base plate to release the laces and can be re-installed to the base plate without having to readjust the lace tension. Further, the system is designed to allow the lace to be installed and removed without having to disassemble the reel assembly.

[0118]The fully assembled lace adjustment system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 46, in a side cross-section taken along a vertical plane across the center of the reel adjustment system. The attachment of reel assembly 320 to base plate 310 is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 24-31.

[0119] As with that embodiment, protruding lip 337 must clear mounting platform 313 in order for housing 330 to rest directly on base plate 310. Pressing reel assembly 320 downward against the spring force of locking flange 314 causes locking flange 314 to flex downward and allow protruding lip 337 to go below the level of mounting platform 313. Once protruding lip 337 clears mounting platform 313, reel assembly 320 may be slid into the locked position, in this case by pressing reel assembly 320 rightward, until protruding lip 337 rests under the flange 317 of mounting platform 313. At the same time, rear lip 335 slides past locking button 315 until it rests on flexible flange 314, with locking button 315 pressing reel assembly 320 against retaining wall 316, keeping reel assembly 320 locked in place on base plate 310.

[0120]To unlock reel assembly 320 from base plate 310, the user must slide reel assembly 320 in the opposite direction, in this case, leftward, until the force of rear lip 335 causes flexible locking flange 314 to bend downward until the bottom of housing 330 clears locking button 315, allowing reel assembly 320 to slide away from base plate 310.

[0121]Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 48-51. In this embodiment, reel assembly 420 is connected to base plate 410 by a rotatable arm 417, which is rotatably connected at both ends to base plate 410 by a hinge 416 and to housing 430 of reel assembly 420 by a hinge 426. The interior elements of reel assembly 420 can be the same as any of the previous embodiments, so the operation of the reel, pawl, housing 430 and knob 460 are not discussed here.

[0122]Base plate 410 has a locking pawl 413 mounted on a flexible wall 414 on the end opposite the hinge 416. In the unlocked position shown in FIG. 50, arm 417 is fully extended, with reel assembly 420 located apart from base plate 410, although still attached by arm 417. In this arrangement, laces that are attached to reel assembly 430 and to the article to which base plate 410 is attached can be loosened without needing to turn knob 460. To lock reel assembly 420 to base plate 410, reel assembly is moved so as to rotate arm 417 around its hinges 416, 426 until arm 417 lies flat against the base body 411 of base plate 410, as shown in FIG. 51. At this point, lip 423 of housing 430 pushes against locking pawl 413, causing flexible wall 414 to flex backward until lip 423 clears pawl 413, allowing pawl 413 to snap into place and lock reel assembly 420 to base plate 410.

[0123]As shown in FIG. 49, base plate 410 can have a slanted base body 411 with a slot 418 for receiving arm 417 in the locked position.

[0124]Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 52-54. In this embodiment, which can be used with any of the structures described above, base plate 510 has an electrical contact element 519 disposed on mounting platform 513. Reel assembly 520 has another electrical contact element 539 arranged on the bottom surface of the housing 530. Reel assembly 520 has a cap 560, and a reel and pawl arrangement as described in any of the previous embodiments. Electrical contact element 539 is in electrical contact with the reel arranged inside housing 530, which is also electrically conductive. As shown in FIG. 52, wires 570 can be connected to the reel, and wires 580 can be connected to the contact element 519 of base plate 510. The arrangement of wires 570 is the same as the arrangement of lace or laces 100 in the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the reel is also electrically conductive.

[0125]Placing reel assembly 520 on base plate 510 places electrical contact elements 539 and 519 into electrical contact, which allows electricity to be transmitted between wires 580 and wires 570. This is useful if, for example, a battery pack is connected to wires 580, which are disposed inside a backpack to which base plate 510 is permanently connected. A chargeable device, such as a mobile telephone, music player or other electronic device may be connected to the battery pack inside the backpack simply by snapping reel assembly 520 onto base plate 510. The mechanical connection of base plate 510 to reel assembly 520 is the same as described in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24-31.

[0126]In a separate embodiment, wire or wires 570 can be used with any of the previous embodiments, such as the embodiment of FIGS. 24-36, without any electrical contacts between the base plate and the reel assembly, and the reel assembly is used merely for adjusting the length of the wire, such as a wire connecting an electronic device to a power supply. With a single wire 570, the wire can be fed through a first aperture 39 in housing 30, through aperture 46 in reel 40, back through the other aperture 46, and back out through the other aperture 39 of the housing for adjustment of the wire, and turning the knob can adjust the length of the wire portions that extend outside of the reel.

[0127]Several embodiments of the connection between the reel assembly and base plate have been described, as well as several embodiments of the internal mechanism of the reel assembly. It should be noted that any of the internal reel assembly mechanisms may be paired with any of the connection systems between the base plate and reel assembly within the scope of the invention. In particular, any of the different pawl/reel combinations can be used with any of the base plate/reel assembly locking configurations, and any of them can be used in the electrical embodiment of FIGS. 52-54. In all of the embodiments, the reel assembly may be unlocked from the base plate without having to adjust the winding of the laces attached to the reel assembly. Further, in all of the embodiments, the lace or laces may be installed and removed without disassembling the reel assembly, simply by feeding the lace through the reel and housing and securing with a knot, and/or cutting the knot and pulling the lace out of the reel and housing. Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.