1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a shoe tie system and, more specifically, to a shoe tie system capable of securing a shoe to a user's foot.
2. Background of Invention
Shoes have been employed for centuries by individuals seeking to protect the soles of their feet from the ground. The first shoes are believed to be sandals, which were constructed from a variety of natural elements such as bark, leaves, and vines. As time passed, factors such as climate conditions and fashion trends resulted in the evolution of the sandal into more sophisticated types of footwear, including tennis shoes and high heels.
As shoes evolved, so did the ability to customize shoes for individual wearers. For example, shoes were made to custom fit the right and left feet of an individual. Further, shoes were modified to allow for different uses. High heels were created for elegant events and daily wear, while hiking boots provided traction footing for climbing over mountains and other physical impediments in nature.
Still further, shoes were manufactured such that they could be tightened to fit an individual's foot. Exemplary materials for tightening a shoe on an individual's foot included, but were not limited to materials such as velcro, buckles and hooks. However, by far, the most common material used to tighten a shoe on an individual's foot is the shoelace. Shoelaces are generally defined as thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent a shoe from inadvertently slipping off an individual's foot.
While shoelaces are commonly used to tighten a shoe on an individual's foot, it is an often time-consuming process to actually tighten a shoelace. Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, a shoe is generally equipped with a plurality of eyelets running up the left and right side of the front of a shoe. The shoelace is positioned within the shoe in what is commonly referred to as a “figure eight” position, which provides for a vertical set of bands running across the front of the shoe between corresponding left and right eyelets. In order to tighten the shoe on a foot, an individual must first tighten the shoelace on the lowest band. The individual must then tighten the shoelace on the next highest band. The individual must continue this process throughout the entire vertical band to properly tighten the shoelace on the individual's foot so that the shoe is accordingly tightened.