Anti-Slip Lace

Abstract

A lace with two permanently attached protuberances or ferrules to control the distance the lace may move through a shoe's lacing system. The protuberances keep the lace symmetrically positioned between the left and right sides of the shoe's lacing flaps. This keeps the loose ends of the lace, also known as tying ends, which extend beyond the top of the shoe's lacing system, equal in length. The lace may be used on any laceable item in addition to shoes.

1 . A lace for use on an item having lacing eyelets of a predetermined size, comprising,
 a. lace,   b. a pair of protuberances of a size larger than the opening of said eyelets, each protuberance permanently attached to said lace, each protuberance being disposed on one side of the midpoint of said lace so a first protuberance is a specific distance to the right of said midpoint and a second protuberance is disposed said specific distance to the left of said midpoint,   whereby said lace will be easier to lace symmetrically into said item and the tying ends of said lace will always be equal in length.   
     
     
         2 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said protuberances each comprise a rectangular cross-member. 
     
     
         3 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said protuberances each comprise a circular collar. 
     
     
         4 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said protuberances each comprise a rod-like cross-member. 
     
     
         5 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said protuberances each comprise a pair of flat, wing-like appendages. 
     
     
         6 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said protuberances are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, leather, wood, and textile material. 
     
     
         7 . The lace of  claim 1  wherein said item is a shoe and said lace is a shoelace. 
     
     
         8 . A lace which resists asymmetrical positioning, comprising,
 a. an elongated lace of a flexible material,   b. a pair of ferrules mounted symmetrically on said lace at equidistant locations from a midpoint of said lace, said ferrules each having a size greater than the cross-sectional size of said lace,   whereby said lace will be easier to lace into an item having eyelets of a size smaller than said ferrules and the ends of said lace will always be equal in length.   
     
     
         9 . The lace of  claim 8  wherein said ferrules each have a cross-member. 
     
     
         10 . The lace of  claim 8  wherein said ferrules each comprise a circular collar. 
     
     
         11 . The lace of  claim 8  wherein the said ferrules each comprise a rod-like cross-member. 
     
     
         12 . The lace of  claim 8  wherein said protuberances are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, leather, wood, and textile material. 
     
     
         13 . The lace of  claim 8  wherein said item is a shoe and said lace is a shoelace. 
     
     
         14 . A method of preventing a lace from being asymmetrically laced in an item having eyelets of a predetermined size, comprising,
 a. providing an item to be laced, said item comprising a series of lacing eyelets and a center pair of eyelets having a predetermined spacing,   b. providing a lace having a midpoint and a pair of protuberances or stops fixed to said lace at respective positions equidistant from said midpoint, and spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to said predetermined spacing so that when laced into said eyelets with said protuberances between said center pair of eyelets, said protuberances will substantially contact said respective eyelets,   c. lacing said lace through said eyelets so that protuberances will be between said center pair of eyelets and said lace will extend through at least several more of said eyelets and provide two free ends of equal length,   whereby said lace will stay anchored within said lacing system so that the ends of said lace will always be equal in length.   
     
     
         15 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said protuberances each comprise a cross-member. 
     
     
         16 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said protuberances each comprise a collar. 
     
     
         17 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said protuberances each comprise a rod-like cross-member. 
     
     
         18 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said protuberances each comprise a pair of flat, wing-like appendages. 
     
     
         19 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said protuberances are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, leather, wood, and textile material. 
     
     
         20 . The lace of  claim 14  wherein said item is a shoe and said lace is a shoelace.