The present invention relates to a hook for footwear.

More specifically, a hook for footwear according to the present invention is of the type in which a component is bound to a further component in a reversible way to allow to remove it easily and possibly replace it when desired or necessary, that is, for aesthetic reasons or in case of rupture.

CH 124995 discloses a hook for footwear comprising a removable right side and a fixed left side, i.e. a left side that can be fixed to the upper of a shoe. The fixed part has two teeth or lugs that, during assembly, are inserted and slide in two corresponding slots of the removable part without, however, determining the coupling of these parts that is instead due to the elasticity typical of the removable body. In fact, the latter is made by an accordion shaped lamina compressed between upper and lower wings of the fixed body. The movable part of the hook is inserted within the fixed that, for this purpose, has a lower wing and upper wing intended to hold from the inside the mobile expandable part inserted between the same wings. The coupling of the mobile part to the fixed one is determined by the expansion of the elastic movable part. Furthermore, since the moving part is internal to the fixed one, the replacement of the movable part with another of a different appearance does not change the appearance of the hook which is defined by the exterior characteristics of the fixed outer part. The main purpose of the present invention is to propose a hook for footwear of the type having a fixed part and a removable part that is compact and particularly simple to manufacture and use. This result has been achieved, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a hook for footwear having the features indicated in claim 1. Other features of the present invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hook for footwear reliable and safe in all conditions of use, the hook for footwear comprising a part which can be fixed to the upper of a shoe and another removable and replaceable part, which has all the advantages typical of this kind a hook for footwear but which simplifies the production phase since it can be applied using a standard rivet for its fixing on the upper of the shoe by making use of conventional tools or equipments, and this has a positive impact on production costs. The change in appearance of the hook can be obtained by simply replacing the movable upper part with another one having the same mechanical features but a different appearance.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention will be best understood by anyone skilled in the art thanks to the following description and to the attached drawings, given by way of example but not to be considered in a limiting sense, in which: Fig.1 is a top plan view of the base (B) of a hook for footwear according to the present invention; Fig.2 represents, in a top plan view, a step of the application of the removable upper part (S) of a hook for footwear according to the present invention on the base (B) of Fig.1; Fig.3 is a top plan view of the hook for footwear obtained by applying the removable upper part (S) on the base (B); Fig.4 shows the hook for footwear of Fig.3 seen from below; Fig.5 is a schematic perspective view of the removable upper part (S) ; Fig.6 is a plan view from below of the upper part (S);Fig.7 is a side view of the upper part (S).

Reduced to its essential structure and with reference to the attached drawings, a hook for footwear according to the present invention comprises a lower part or base (B), intended to be anchored to a preset point of the vamp of a shoe (not shown in the drawings), and an upper part or removable part (S) that is stably but removably connectable to the base (B). More particularly, the base (B) has a central part with a hole (1) to allow its anchorage to the upper of the shoe by means of a rivet (not shown in the drawings) or other fastening means having the same function. Furthermore, the base (B) has, on each of its lateral edges, two wings (2) the function of which is disclosed in the following. On the rear edge of the base (B) there is formed a flexible and elastic tab (3) which allows, as further described below, to connect stably and reversibly the removable upper part (S) to the fixed base (B). According to the example shown in the drawings, the tab (3) is in a central position on the rear edge of the base (B) and has its free end (30) oriented upwards so as to be normally facing the removable part (S) of the hook for footwear. The latter has two side edges (4) each of which is destined to slide longitudinally in a corresponding guide defined by the wings (2) of the corresponding side of the base (B). The removable part (S) of the hook has also a lower appendix (5) on its rear edge, the function of which is indicated in the following, and a cavity (6) on the lower side of its front edge (AS), in which the tab (3) of the base (B) is destined to be engaged. More precisely, by sliding the side edges (4) of the upper part (S) of the hook between the wings (2) of the fixed base (B) for a trait whose length is determined by the said appendix (5) abuting against the rear edge (PB) of the base (B), the tab (3) of the latter engages in said cavity (6), so that the upper part (S) of the hook for footwear is retained on the fixed base (B). In Fig.2 the sliding of the upper part (S) on the lower part (B) of the hook for footwear is represented by the arrow "F". The said upper part (S) has, in addition, a hole (7) in correspondence of its front side communicating with the aforementioned cavity (6). Therefore, wishing to release the upper part (S) from the lower part (B), it is sufficient to insert into the hole (7) a pin (not visible in the drawings) or other similar tool which, pushing on the tab (3), determines its lowering and disengagement from the cavity (6).

As shown in the attached drawings, and particularly in Figures 1 to 3, said wings (2) are suitably folded in such a way that the respective free ends are raised with respect to the surface of the base (B) where the hole (1) is formed, and are converging towards an ideal longitudinal vertical plane of symmetry of the same base (B), so that, during coupling with the upper part (S), the lateral edges (4) of the latter are engaged inferiorly and superiorly by the wings (2). In other words, the shape of said wings (2) is such to ensure both the longitudinal sliding (F) of the lateral edges (4) of the part (S), and their retention in the vertical direction. Therefore, once inserted the upper part (S) on the base (B), the upper part (S) is retained both by wings (2) and tab (3) of the base (B): the wings (2) prevent the detachment of the part (S) if this is subject to forces directed upwards; the tab (3) prevents the detachment of the part (S) if this is subject to a force having a direction opposite to that of arrow "F"; and the appendix (5) prevents further advancement of the part (S) on the base (B). The shape of the elements described above is such, however, to allow to remove the part (S) simply by acting on the tab (3) to disengage it from the cavity (6) and thus allow to remove the part (S) from the base (B) by sliding it in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow "F".

As shown in the attached drawings, the removable upper part (S) has, on its dorsal side (the side opposite to the ventral side AV in which the cavity 6 is formed), two coaxial eyelets (8) for the passage of a lace.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the steps of engagement and disengagement of the upper part (S) to the base (B) are particularly simple.

The base (B) can be realized, for example, using a notching machine fed with a metal strip of suitable thickness. The upper part (S) can be realized, for example, with a zinc alloy (commonly named "zama") by die-casting.

In the example described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the passage for the lace is defined by the eyelets (8) but it is understood that the portion of the upper part (S) of the hook where the lace passes can be shaped in a different way. In other words, the hook for footwear can also be of the so-called "open mouth" type, that instead of the eyelets (8), whose contour is closed, is provided with seats for guiding the passage of the lace having an open contour instead of a closed contour. From the above description and from the figures of the attached drawings, it is evident that the movable part (S) of this hook for footwear lies above the fixed part (B), i.e. the upper movable part covers the lower fixed part.

In practice the details of execution may vary in any equivalent way as for what concerns the shape, the size and arrangement of the individual elements described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the adopted solution and thus remaining within the limits of the protection granted by this patent.