Attachment device for use with a lace-substitute hand-actuable

Abstract

An attachment device is described that is fittable on a variety of lace-closable shoes for use with a lace-substitute hand-actuable shoe-closure system. The device is used with conventional shoes that include dual flaps positioned on opposing sides of a tongue, with each flap having plural, spaced openings formed in it for receiving a shoe lace. The attachment device includes buckle-like structure or plates positionable adjacent at least one opening in each flap, and constructed for handling via gross-motor hand movement. Also included is peg-like structure such as a threaded bolt associated with each buckle plate, and having a preselected length which allows it to extend through at least the one opening in each such flap. Fastener structure such as a tee nut is usable with the bolt to effect releasable, hand-actuable attachment of the buckle plate to each flap. The tee nut and buckle plate are constructed to allow such attachment via gross-motor hand movement by the user, and to provide ultimately for attachment to such shoes with flaps having thicknesses that vary from shoe to shoe. The device may also include a lace-substitute hand-actuable shoe-closure system which includes a closure strap. In an alternate embodiment, the fastener structure and peg-like structure may be formed in a unitary construction, with the peg-like structure having a terminal region being constructed to extend through the shoe-flap opening, and with attachment being achievable by constructing the peg-like structure for manually bending into a hook-like shape after the terminal region is placed through the opening.