Footwear

Abstract

The lacing system for footwear includes a sole structure, an upper attached to the sole structure and having a lateral side, a medial side, and a tongue, and a housing disposed on the tongue. An lateral side flap extends from the sole structure along an lateral side of the upper toward the tongue and has an upper end adjacent the tongue. An medial side flap extends from the sole structure along an lateral side of the upper toward the tongue and has an upper end adjacent the tongue. A plurality of lateral lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the lateral side flap, and a plurality of medial lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the medial side flap. Shoe laces extend from the housing, through the plurality of lateral and medial lace retainers, and crisscross across the tongue.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to footwear that includes an automatic lacing system for tightening and loosening shoe laces. [Background technology]

[0002] Many conventional shoes or footwear generally include an upper and a sole attached to the lower end of the upper. Conventional shoes further include an interior space, i.e., a void or cavity formed by the interior surfaces of the upper and the sole, that receives the user's foot before the shoe is secured to the foot. The sole is attached to the lower surface of the upper and is disposed between the upper and the ground. As a result, the sole typically provides stability and cushioning to the user when the shoe is being worn and / or used. In some examples, the sole may include multiple components, such as an outsole, a midsole, and an insole. The outsole may provide traction to the bottom surface of the sole, and the midsole may be attached to the inner surface of the outsole and provide cushioning and / or additional stability to the sole. For example, the sole may include certain foam materials that can increase stability at one or more desired locations along the sole, or foam materials that can reduce stress or impact energy to the foot and / or leg when the user is running, walking, or engaged in another activity.

[0003] The upper generally defines an interior cavity that extends upward from the sole and completely or partially encases the foot. In most cases, the upper extends across the instep and toe regions of the foot, as well as across the medial and lateral sides. Many footwear items may also include a tongue that extends across the instep region and bridges the gap between the medial and lateral edges of the upper, defining an opening into the cavity. The tongue may also be located below the lacing system and between the medial and lateral sides of the upper, the tongue being provided to allow adjustment of the tightness of the shoe. The tongue may further be operable by the user to allow entry and / or exit of the foot from the interior space or cavity. In addition, the lacing system may allow the user to adjust certain dimensions of the upper and / or sole, thereby allowing the upper to accommodate a wide variety of foot types having different sizes and shapes.

[0004] The upper may include a wide variety of materials that may be selected based on one or more intended uses of the shoe. The upper may also include portions that include various materials specific to certain areas of the upper. For example, additional stability may be desired at the front of the upper or next to the heel area to provide a higher degree of resistance or stiffness. In contrast, other portions of the shoe may include soft woven fabrics to provide areas that are stretch-resistant, flexible, breathable, or moisture-wicking.

[0005] Additionally, lacing systems associated with a typical shoe have historically included a single lace that is pulled through multiple eyelets in a crisscross or parallel fashion. Many shoes have historically included laces that extend from one side of the upper to the other, i.e., from the inside to the outside of the upper. The laces for each shoe are threaded through eyelets and the two ends of the lace extend out of the eyelets, allowing the user to grasp the ends and tie the shoe in whatever manner they see fit. Some shoes utilize ghillies rather than eyelets, with the ghillies located near the upper inner and outer tongues. The laces for each shoe are tied through multiple ghillies in a crisscross or parallel fashion. Some shoes do not require the user to tie the laces, but rather include stretchable laces that allow the laces to stretch when the user puts on the shoe and return to their original tightness when the user takes off the shoe.

[0006] Additionally, some shoes do not include laces, such as slip-on shoes, and some shoes include straps that can be adjusted to vary the tightness of the shoe. For shoes that include laces, it may be desirable to utilize a system that can automatically tie the laces, for example, if the user desires adjustability of the laces in different situations. It may also be desirable to have an automatic lacing system for users who have difficulty tying shoes, such as the elderly or infirm. It may also be desirable to include a lacing system in which the laces apply force along the top of the foot and along the medial and lateral sides of the foot. It may also be desirable to include a system that can automatically tie shoes via a graphical user interface displayed on a portable electronic device. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Therefore, it would be desirable to have footwear having an upper with an automatic lacing system.

[0008] The footwear described herein can have a variety of configurations. In some embodiments, the disclosure provides a lacing system for footwear including a sole structure, an upper attached to the sole structure and having a lateral side, a medial side, and a tongue, and a housing disposed on the tongue. An lateral side flap extends from the sole structure along an lateral side of the upper toward the tongue such that an upper end of the lateral side flap is adjacent to an lateral side of the tongue. An medial side flap extends from the sole structure along an lateral side of the upper toward the tongue such that an upper end of the medial side flap is adjacent to an medial side of the tongue. A plurality of lateral lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the lateral side flap, and a plurality of medial lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the medial side flap. Laces extend from the housing through the plurality of lateral lace retainers and the plurality of medial lace retainers across the tongue. A plurality of lace channels defined by the tongue are configured to receive portions of laces extending through the plurality of lateral and medial lace retainers.

[0009] In some embodiments, the housing may define an exterior opening and an interior opening, and the lace may extend through the exterior opening, the interior opening, and the plurality of exterior and interior race retainers. In some embodiments, the plurality of exterior race retainers includes first, second, and third exterior race retainers, and the plurality of interior race retainers includes first, second, and third interior race retainers. The laces may extend from the housing in a first direction through an outer opening of the housing, through the first outer lace retainer, across the tongue in a second direction opposite the first direction, through the second inner lace retainer, across the tongue in the first direction, through the third outer lace retainer, across the tongue in the second direction, through the third inner lace retainer, across the tongue in the first direction, through the second outer lace retainer, across the tongue in the second direction, through the first outer lace retainer, and across the tongue in the first direction through an inner opening of the housing. In some embodiments, the tongue can define a housing recess configured to receive the housing, and the multiple lace channels of the tongue can be configured to receive portions of the laces that extend through the outer and inner openings of the housing and the multiple outer and inner lace retainers.

[0010] In some embodiments, the housing is configured to retract the lace into the housing. As the lace is retracted into the housing, the outer side flap is pulled inward toward the outer side of the upper, the inner side flap is pulled inward toward the inner side of the upper, and the tongue is pulled downward toward the sole structure. In some embodiments, the plurality of outer and inner race retainers include elongated lace openings configured to hold portions of the lace extending through the outer and inner race retainers at an angle to portions of the lace extending from the outer and inner race retainers across the tongue. In some embodiments, the housing includes a motor and a gear train having a wheel gear disposed within the base of the housing and an upper extension of the wheel gear disposed on the base cover of the housing. The upper extension of the wheel gear can be configured to receive portions of the lace received through the outer and inner openings defined by the top cover of the housing, and the lace is retracted into the housing when the motor drives the gear train. In some embodiments, the lacing system may include a controller disposed within a sole structure of the footwear. The controller may include a battery, and the controller may be electrically connected to the housing and may power the motor. In some embodiments, the housing may include a swipe sensor disposed on a base cover of the housing and along a panel of a top cover of the housing. The swipe panel may be powered by the controller battery and operable to receive user input. In some embodiments, the controller is removable from the sole structure via an opening in the upper of the footwear.

[0011] In some embodiments, a lacing system for footwear includes a sole structure, an upper attached to the sole structure including a tongue, a housing disposed on the tongue and adjacent an instep region of the upper, a plurality of lateral lace retainers disposed on the upper adjacent an lateral side of the tongue, and a plurality of medial lace retainers disposed on the upper adjacent an lateral side of the tongue. A lace extends from the housing through the plurality of lateral lace retainers and the plurality of medial lace retainers to cross across the tongue. A plurality of lace channels are defined by the tongue and configured to receive portions of the lace extending through the plurality of lateral lace retainers and the plurality of medial lace retainers. The housing disposed on the tongue is configured to retract the lace into the housing. In some embodiments, the tongue is drawn downwardly toward the sole structure as the lace is retracted into the housing. In some embodiments, the lace channel is defined in the housing and configured to receive two or more portions of the lace extending through the plurality of lateral and medial lace retainers, and a housing recess is defined in the tongue configured to receive the housing. The plurality of lace channels in the tongue can be configured to receive portions of laces that extend through the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers and lace channels in the housing. In some embodiments, the laces are closed loop laces.

[0012] In some embodiments, a lacing system for footwear includes a sole structure having an insole, a midsole, and an outsole, an upper attached to the sole structure, a housing disposed over the tongue and adjacent an instep region of the upper, an outer side flap extending from the sole structure along an outer side of the upper and having an upper end adjacent an outer side of the instep region, and an inner side flap extending from the sole structure along an inner side of the upper toward the housing and having an upper end adjacent an outer side of the instep region. A plurality of outer lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the outer side flap, and a plurality of inner lace retainers are disposed along an upper end of the inner side flap. A lace extends from the housing through a plurality of outer and inner lace retainers. The outer and inner lace retainers include elongated lace openings configured to hold portions of lace extending through the outer and inner lace retainers at an angle relative to portions of lace extending from the outer and inner lace retainers. The plurality of lace channels are defined by a portion of the upper and are configured to receive portions of laces extending through the plurality of lateral and medial lace retainers. The housing includes a motor and a gear train having a wheel gear with an opening configured to receive a portion of the lace. The lace is drawn into the housing when the motor drives the gear train.

[0013] Other aspects of the footwear described herein, including its features and advantages, will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the drawings and detailed description herein, and all such aspects of the footwear are intended to be included in the detailed description and this summary. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic lacing footwear assembly according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pair of shoes of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of one of the shoes of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a right or lateral side view of the shoe of FIG. 3, with the lateral side flap shown in dashed lines. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a left or medial side view of the shoe of FIG. 3, with the medial side flap shown in dashed lines. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a top view of the shoe of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a top view of the footwear of FIG. 3 with the upper removed and the user's skeletal foot structure superimposed thereon. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the automatic shoe lacing system of FIG. 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a front view of one of the lace retainers of the shoe of FIG. 3. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a first or left side view of the race retainer of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a top view of the race retainer of FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shoe of FIG. 3 with the housing, lateral and medial side flaps, lateral and medial lace retainers, and laces removed, and with an alternative embodiment tongue attached. [Figure 13] 13 is a perspective view of the shoe of FIG. 3 having another embodiment of the tongue of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the automatic shoe lacing system of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 16 is a front view of the housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 16 is a first or right side view of the housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Figure 19] 4 is a detailed perspective phantom view of some of the internal components of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 3 with the top cover of the housing removed and the automatic lacing system shown in a relaxed configuration. [Figure 20] 4 is a detailed perspective phantom view of some of the internal components of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 3 with the top cover of the housing removed and the automatic lacing system shown in a fastened configuration. [Figure 21] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of various components disposed within a housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of some components disposed within the housing of FIG. 21. [Figure 23] 22 is an exploded bottom view of the housing base, housing base cover, housing upper cover, and power train of the housing of FIG. 21. FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is an exploded top view of the housing components of FIG. 23. [Diagram 25] FIG. 23 is an exploded side view of several components disposed within the housing of FIG. 22. [Figure 26] FIG. 3 is a side view of one of the shoes of FIG. 2 shown in a relaxed configuration. [Figure 27] FIG. 3 is a side view of one of the shoes of FIG. 2 shown in a fastened configuration. [Figure 28] FIG. 4 is a side view of a housing of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 3, in which a controller of the automatic lacing system is associated with the housing shown in dashed lines with the shoe of FIG. [Figure 29] 29 is a perspective view of the controller of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 28 shown separated from the sole structure of the shoe of FIG. 3, with the shoe upper removed. [Diagram 30] FIG. 29 is an isometric view of a controller for the automatic lacing system of FIG. [Diagram 31] FIG. 31 is an isometric view of the controller of FIG. 30 showing a charging coil in phantom lines positioned below the top surface of the controller. [Diagram 32] 29 is a side view of the housing and controller of FIG. 28 and one of the charging packs of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 1 in a wireless charging configuration on the controller, with the shoe of FIG. 3 shown in dashed lines. [Diagram 33]FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the charging pack of FIG. 32, showing the cable detached from the charging pack. [Diagram 34] FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the charging pack of FIG. 32 shown with a cable inserted into the charging pack. [Diagram 35] FIG. 34 is a front view of the charging pack of FIG. 33. [Diagram 36] FIG. 36 is a top view of the charging pack of FIG. 35. [Figure 37] FIG. 36 is a first or right side view of the charging pack of FIG. 35. [Figure 38] FIG. 2 is a side view of the charging pack of the automatic lacing system of FIG. 1 in a mated configuration; [Figure 39] 7 is a side view of another embodiment of the shoe insole of FIG. 6. FIG. [Diagram 40] FIG. 40 is a top view of the insole of FIG. 39. [Diagram 41] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of various electrical components of the automatic racing system of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The following discussion and accompanying drawings disclose various embodiments or configurations of shoes and automatic lacing systems for shoes. Although the embodiments are disclosed with respect to sports shoes, such as running shoes, tennis shoes, and basketball shoes, the concepts related to the shoe embodiments can be applied to a wide range of footwear and footwear styles, including basketball shoes, cross-training shoes, football shoes, golf shoes, hiking shoes, hiking boots, ski and snowboard boots, soccer shoes and cleats, walking shoes, and track cleats. The shoe or automatic lacing system concepts can also be applied to footwear that is considered to be non-athletic, including dress shoes, sandals, loafers, slippers, and heels. In addition to footwear, certain concepts described herein, such as the automatic lacing concepts, can also be applied to and incorporated into other types of articles, including apparel or other athletic equipment, such as helmets, pads or protective pads, shin guards, and gloves. Furthermore, certain concepts described herein can be incorporated into cushions, backpacks, suitcases, backpack straps, golf clubs, or other consumer or industrial products. Thus, the concepts described herein can be utilized in a variety of products.

[0016] The term "about," as used herein, refers to variations in numerical quantities that may occur through, for example, typical measuring and manufacturing procedures used for footwear or other products that may include embodiments of the disclosures herein, inadvertent errors in these procedures, differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of ingredients used to make a composition or mixture, and the like. Throughout this disclosure, the terms "about" and "approximately" refer to a range of values ​​of ±5% of the numerical value that the term precedes. As used herein, the term "swipe" or variations thereof refers to the act or instance of moving a finger across a panel or touchscreen to activate a function. "Swipe" includes touching a panel or touchscreen, moving a finger in a first direction along the panel or touchscreen, and then removing finger contact with the panel or touchscreen. As used herein, the term "tap" or variations thereof refers to the act or instance of pressing a finger on a panel or touchscreen to activate a function. "Tap" includes pressing a panel or touchscreen, holding a finger on the panel or touchscreen for a short period of time, and then removing finger contact with the panel or touchscreen.

[0017] The present disclosure relates to footwear and / or specific components of footwear, such as uppers and / or soles or sole structures, and automatic lacing systems. The uppers may include knitted components, woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, leather, mesh, suede, and / or combinations of one or more of the aforementioned materials. The knitted components may be made by knitting yarns, weaving yarns, and nonwoven fabrics by producing a single nonwoven web. Knitted fabrics include fabrics formed by warp knitting, weft knitting, flat knitting, circular knitting, or other suitable knitting operations. Knitted fabrics may have, for example, a plain knit construction, a mesh knit construction, and / or a rib knit construction. Woven fabrics include fabrics formed by any of a number of weaving configurations, such as, but not limited to, plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, dobbin weave, jacquard weave, double weave, and / or double cloth weave. Nonwoven fabrics include, for example, fabrics produced by airlaid and / or spunlaid processes. The upper may comprise different materials, such as first threads, second threads, and / or third threads, which may have different properties or different visual characteristics.

[0018] 1 shows a footwear assembly 50 including a pair of shoes 52, each of which includes an automatic lacing system 54, a pair of charging packs 56 including a first charging pack 60 and a second charging pack 62 for charging one or more batteries (not shown) disposed within each of the shoes 52, and an electronic device 64. The electronic device 64 may be a cell phone or tablet that may be used to transmit one or more signals to the automatic lacing system 54 based on one or more inputs from a user. The footwear assembly 50 may include additional components not specifically addressed herein.

[0019] As described in more detail below, footwear assembly 50 is intended to allow a user to tighten or loosen each shoe 52 by swiping, tapping, pressing, or applying pressure to a control panel or swipe panel 66 (see FIG. 2 ) of automatic lacing system 54. As non-limiting examples, a user may swipe downward along panel 66 of automatic lacing system 54 to close or tighten shoe 52, swipe upward to open or loosen shoe 52, tap the top of panel 66 to incrementally loosen shoe 52, or tap the bottom of panel 66 to incrementally tighten shoe 52. These and other features are described in more detail below.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, the shoe 52 is shown in more detail. The shoe 52 comprises a first or left shoe 70 and a second or right shoe 72. The left shoe 70 and the right shoe 72 may be similar in all material aspects, except that the left shoe 70 and the right shoe 72 are sized and shaped to receive the left and right feet of a user, respectively. For ease of disclosure, a single shoe or footwear 74 (see FIG. 3) is referenced to describe aspects of the present disclosure. In some figures, the footwear 74 is depicted as a right shoe, and in some figures, the footwear is depicted as a left shoe. The following disclosure regarding the footwear 74 is applicable to both the left shoe 70 and the right shoe 72. In some embodiments, there may be differences between the left shoe 70 and the right shoe 72 other than the left / right configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the left shoe 70 may include an automatic lacing system 54 and the right shoe 72 may not include an automatic lacing system 54, or vice versa. Additionally, in some embodiments, the left shoe 70 may include one or more additional elements that the right shoe 72 does not include, or vice versa. As described below, footwear 74 need not include an automatic lacing system 54, but rather may be manually laced in accordance with the lacing systems disclosed herein.

[0021] 3-7 show an exemplary embodiment of footwear 74 including an upper 80 and a sole structure 82. As discussed further herein, upper 80 is attached to sole structure 82, which together define an interior cavity 84 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) into which a user's foot may be inserted. For reference, footwear 74 defines a forefoot region 86, a midfoot region 88, and a heel region 90 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Forefoot region 86 generally corresponds to the portion of the article of footwear 74 that encases portions of the foot, including the toes, ball of the foot, and the joints that connect the metatarsals to the toes or phalanges. Midfoot region 88 is closely adjacent to forefoot region 86 and generally corresponds to the portion of footwear 74 that encases the arch of the foot, along with the bridge of the foot. Heel region 90 is closely adjacent to midfoot region 88 and generally corresponds to that portion of footwear 74 that wraps around the rear of the foot, including the heel or calcaneus, ankle, and / or Achilles tendon.

[0022] Many conventional footwear uppers are formed from multiple elements, such as textiles, polymer foams, polymer sheets, leather, and / or synthetic leather, which are joined together by seam bonding or stitching. In some embodiments, the upper 80 of the footwear 74 is formed from a knit construction or knitted components. In various embodiments, the knitted components can incorporate different types of yarns that can provide different properties to the upper. For example, one region of the upper 80 may be formed from a first type of yarn that imparts a first set of properties, and another region of the upper 80 may be formed from a second type of yarn that imparts a second set of properties. Using this configuration, the properties of the upper 80 can be varied throughout the upper 80 by selecting specific yarns for different regions of the upper 80.

[0023] With regard to the materials that make up the upper 80, the particular properties that a particular type of yarn imparts to an area of ​​the knitted component may depend, at least in part, on the materials that form the various filaments and fibers of the yarn. For example, cotton may provide a knitted material with a soft effect, biodegradability, or a natural aesthetic. Elastane and oriented polyester may each provide the knitted component with desired elasticity and recovery. Rayon may provide a high shine and moisture wicking material, wool may provide a material with increased moisture wicking, nylon may be a durable material that is abrasion resistant, and polyester may provide a hydrophobic and durable material.

[0024] Other aspects of the knitted component may also be altered to affect the properties of the knitted component and provide desired properties. For example, the yarns forming the knitted component may include monofilament or multifilament yarns, or the yarns may each include filaments formed from two or more different materials. In addition, the knitted component may be formed using a particular knitting process to impart regions of the knitted component with particular properties. Thus, both the materials forming the yarns and other aspects of the yarns may be selected to impart various properties to particular regions of the upper 80.

[0025] In some embodiments, the elasticity of the knit structure may be measured based on comparing the width or length of the knit structure in a first, unstretched state to the width or length of the knit structure in a second, stretched state after the knit structure has had a force applied to the knit structure on the outside. In further embodiments, the upper 80 may also include additional structural elements. For example, in some embodiments, a heel plate or cover (not shown) may be provided in the heel region 90 to provide additional support to the user's heel. In some examples, other elements, such as plastic materials, logos, trademarks, etc., may also be applied and secured to the exterior surface using adhesives or a thermoforming process. In some embodiments, properties associated with the upper 80, such as stitch types, thread types, or properties associated with different stitch types or thread types, such as elasticity, aesthetic appearance, thickness, breathability, or scuff resistance, may be varied.

[0026] 4 and 5, the footwear 74 also defines a lateral side 96 and a medial side 98, with the lateral side 96 shown in FIG. 4 and the medial side 98 shown in FIG. 5. The lateral side 96 corresponds to an outwardly facing portion of the footwear 74 and the medial side 98 corresponds to an inwardly facing portion of the footwear 74 when the shoe is worn by a user. Thus, the left shoe 70 and the right shoe 72 have opposing lateral sides 96 and medial sides 98, such that the medial sides 98 are closest to each other when the user is wearing the shoes 52, while the lateral sides 96 are defined as the sides furthest from each other while the shoes 52 are being worn. As will be explained in more detail below, the medial sides 98 and lateral sides 96 are adjacent to each other at opposite distal ends of the footwear 74.

[0027] 6 and 7 , the medial side 98 and the lateral side 96 are adjacent to one another along a longitudinal center plane or axis 100 of the footwear 74. As described further herein, the longitudinal center plane or axis 100 may define a central intermediate axis between the medial side 98 and the lateral side 96 of the footwear 74. In other words, the longitudinal plane or axis 100 may extend between a rear proximal end 102 of the footwear 74 and a front distal end 104 of the footwear 74, and may continuously define the center of the insole 106, the sole structure 82, and / or the upper 80 of the footwear 74, i.e., the longitudinal plane or axis 100 is a linear axis that extends through the rear proximal end 102 of the heel region 90 to the front distal end 104 of the forefoot region 86.

[0028] 6 and 7, unless otherwise noted, footwear 74 may be defined by a forefoot region 86, a midfoot region 88, and a heel region 90. The forefoot region 86 may generally correspond to a portion of the article of footwear 74 that encases a portion of the foot 110 including one or more of the toes or phalanges 112, the ball of the foot 114, and the joints 116 that connect the metatarsals 118 of the foot 110 to the toes or phalanges 112. The midfoot region 88 is proximate and adjacent to the forefoot region 86. The midfoot region 88 generally corresponds to a portion of the footwear 74 that encases the arch (not shown) of the foot 110 along with the bridge (not shown) of the foot 110. The heel region 90 is proximate and adjacent to the midfoot region 88. Heel region 90 generally corresponds to that portion of footwear 74 that wraps around the rear of foot 110, including the heel or calcaneus 120, the ankle (not shown), and / or the Achilles tendon (not shown).

[0029] 6 and 7, the forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and lateral side 96 are intended to define boundaries or regions of the footwear 74. To that end, the forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and lateral side 96 generally characterize sections of the footwear 74. Some embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to portions or elements coextensive with one or more of the forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and / or lateral side 96. Additionally, both the upper 80 and sole structure 82 may be characterized as having portions along the forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, and / or medial side 98 and / or lateral side 96. Thus, the upper 80 and sole structure 82, and / or individual portions of the upper 80 and sole structure 82, may include the forefoot region 86, the midfoot region 88, the heel region 90, and / or portions thereof located along the medial side 98 and / or lateral side 96.

[0030] 6 and 7, the forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and lateral side 96 are shown in detail. The forefoot region 86 extends from a toe end 122 to a widest portion 124 of the footwear 74. The widest portion 124 is defined or measured along a first line 126 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 100 that extends from a distal portion of the toe end 122 to a distal portion of the heel end 128 opposite the toe end 122. The midfoot region 88 extends from the widest portion 124 to a thinnest portion 130 of the footwear 74. The thinnest portion 130 of the footwear 74 is defined as the thinnest portion of the footwear 74 measured across a second line 132 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 100. Heel region 90 extends from the thinnest portion 130 of footwear 74 to heel end 128 .

[0031] In view of the foregoing description, it should be understood that numerous modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and that individual components thereof may be incorporated into numerous pieces of footwear. Accordingly, aspects of footwear 74 and its components may be described with reference to general areas or portions of footwear 74, with understanding of the boundaries of forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and / or lateral side 96, as described herein. However, aspects of footwear 74 and its individual components may also be described with reference to precise areas or portions of footwear 74, and the appended claims herein may incorporate limitations related to these boundaries of forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, heel region 90, medial side 98, and / or lateral side 96, as discussed herein.

[0032] 6 and 7 , the medial side 98 begins at the distal toe tip 122 and curves outward along the medial side of the footwear 74, along the forefoot region 86, and toward the midfoot region 88. The medial side 98 reaches a first line 126, at which point the medial side 98 curves inward toward the central longitudinal axis 100. The medial side 98 extends from the first line 126, i.e., widest portion 124, to a second line 132, i.e., thinnest portion 130, at which point the medial side 98 enters the midfoot region 88, i.e., crosses the first line 126. Upon reaching the second line 132, the medial side 98 curves outward away from the central longitudinal axis 100, at which point the medial side 98 extends into the heel region 90, i.e., crosses the second line 132. Medial side 98 then curves outwardly and then inwardly towards heel end 128 , terminating at the point where medial side 98 meets central longitudinal axis 100 .

[0033] 6 and 7, the lateral side 96 also begins at the distal toe tip 122 and curves outwardly along the lateral side of the footwear 74, along the forefoot region 86, and toward the midfoot region 88. The lateral side 96 reaches a first line 126, at which point the lateral side 96 curves inwardly toward the central longitudinal axis 100. The lateral side 96 extends from the first line 126, i.e., widest portion 124, toward a second line 132, i.e., thinnest portion 130, at which point the lateral side 96 enters the midfoot region 88, i.e., crosses the first line 126. Upon reaching the second line 132, the lateral side 96 curves outwardly away from the central longitudinal axis 100, at which point the lateral side 96 extends into the heel region 90, i.e., crosses the second line 132. The lateral side 96 then curves outwardly and then inwardly towards the heel end 128 , terminating at the point where the lateral side 96 meets the central longitudinal axis 100 .

[0034] 3-5, sole structure 82 is connected or secured to upper 80 and extends between the user's foot and the ground when footwear 74 is worn by a user. Sole structure 82 may also include one or more components, which may include an outsole, a midsole, a heel, a vamp, and / or an insole. For example, in some embodiments, the sole structure may include an outsole that provides structural integrity to the sole structure, an outsole that provides traction to the user, a midsole that provides a cushioning system, and an insole that supports the user's arch.

[0035] The sole structure 82 of the present embodiment can be characterized by an outsole region 134, a midsole region 136, and an insole region 138 (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The outsole region 134, the midsole region 136, and the insole region 138, and / or any components thereof, can include portions within the forefoot region 86, the midfoot region 88, and / or the heel region 90. Additionally, the outsole region 134, the midsole region 136, and the insole region 138, and / or any components thereof can include portions on the lateral side 96 and / or the medial side 98.

[0036] Outsole region 134, midsole region 136, and insole region 138 are not intended to define precise or exact regions of sole structure 82. Rather, outsole region 134, midsole region 136, and insole region 138 are generally defined herein to aid in describing sole structure 82 and its components. In other examples, outsole region 134 may be defined as the portion of sole structure 82 that at least partially contacts an exterior surface, such as the ground, when footwear 74 is worn. Insole region 138 may be defined as the portion of sole structure 82 that at least partially contacts a user's foot when footwear is worn. Finally, midsole region 136 may be defined as at least a portion of sole structure 82 that extends between and connects outsole region 134 and insole region 138.

[0037] Upper 80 extends upwardly from sole structure 82 and defines an interior cavity 84 that receives and secures a user's foot, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Upper 80 may be defined by a foot region 140 and an ankle region 142. Generally, foot region 140 extends upwardly from sole structure 82 through forefoot region 86, midfoot region 88, and heel region 90. Ankle region 142 is located primarily in heel region 90, although in some embodiments, ankle region 142 may extend partially into midfoot region 88.

[0038] 6 and 7, the upper 80 extends along a lateral side 96 and a medial side 98 across the forefoot region 86, the midfoot region 88, and the heel region 90 to receive and encase the user's foot. When fully assembled, the upper 80 also includes an inner surface 144 and an outer surface 146. The inner surface 144 faces medially and generally defines the interior cavity 84, and the outer surface 146 of the upper 80 faces outward and generally defines the periphery or boundary of the upper 80. The upper 80 also includes an opening 148 (see FIGS. 4-6), located at least partially in the heel region 90 of the footwear 74, that provides access to the interior cavity 84 through which the foot can be inserted and removed. In some embodiments, the upper 80 may also include an instep region 150 (see FIG. 6 ) that extends from the opening 148 in the heel region 90, across an area corresponding to the instep of the foot, to an area adjacent the forefoot region 86. The instep region 150 may include an area similar to the area in which the tongue 152 of this embodiment is located. In some embodiments, the upper 80 does not include the tongue 152, i.e., the upper 80 is tongueless.

[0039] 4 and 5, the sole structure 82 includes a lateral side wing or flap 154 ​​and a medial side wing or flap 156, each of which is shown in phantom or dashed lines. A lower end 158 of the lateral side flap 154 ​​extends from the lateral side 96 of the sole structure 82 adjacent to the exterior surface 146 of the upper 80. The lateral side flap 154 ​​extends along the lateral side 96 of the upper 80, with an apex or upper end 160 of the lateral side flap 154 ​​adjacent to the tongue 152. Similarly, a lower end 162 of the medial side flap 156 extends from the medial side 98 of the sole structure 82 adjacent to the exterior surface 146 of the upper 80. The medial flap 156 extends along the medial side 98 of the upper 80, with an apex or upper end 164 of the medial side flap 156 adjacent to the tongue 152. In some embodiments, the side flaps 154, 156 can be attached to the sole structure 82 and extend from the sole structure 82 adjacent the inner surface 144 (see FIG. 6 ) of the upper 80. In some embodiments, the side flaps 154, 156 can be attached to the sole structure 82 and extend from the sole structure 82 between the inner surface 144 and the outer surface 146 of the upper 80.

[0040] 4 and 5, the side flaps 154, 156 are disposed in both the heel region 90 and the midfoot region 88 of the sole structure 82. In some embodiments, the side flaps 154, 156 are disposed in the heel region 90, the midfoot region 88, and / or the forefoot region 86 of the sole structure 82. The side flaps 154, 156 include openings disposed on the body 166 of the lateral side flap 154 ​​and on the body 168 of the medial side flap 156 that can provide airflow through the side flaps 154, 156, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In some embodiments, the side flaps 154, 156 have a continuum 166, 168. The side flaps 154, 156 may be constructed of a material similar to the material that constitutes the upper 80, or a different material, such as plastic or rubber.

[0041] 4-6, the lacing portion of the automatic lacing system 54 is shown in greater detail. The automatic lacing system 54 includes a housing 170 that defines the panel 66, and laces 172. The automatic lacing system 54 also includes several electronic components disposed within the housing 170, as described below. The laces 172 are disposed on an inner surface 176 of the outer side flap 154 ​​(see FIG. 8) and extend through a plurality of outer ghillie or lace retainers 174 disposed along the top edge 160 of the outer side flap 154, and a plurality of inner ghillie or lace retainers 178 disposed on an inner surface 180 of the inner side flap 156 (see FIG. 8) and disposed along the top edge 164 of the inner side flap 156. The outer race retainer 174 includes a first outer race retainer 182 positioned closest to the opening 148 in the upper 80 of the footwear 74, a second outer race retainer 184 positioned adjacent to the first outer race retainer 182 of the footwear 74 and toward the toe tip 122, and a third outer race retainer 186 positioned adjacent to the second outer race retainer 184 of the footwear 74 and closest to the toe tip 122.

[0042] The medial lace retainers 178 include a first medial lace retainer 188 disposed proximate the opening 148 of the upper 80 of the footwear 74, a second medial lace retainer 190 disposed adjacent the first medial lace retainer 188 and toward the toe end 122 of the footwear 74, and a third medial lace retainer 192 disposed adjacent the second medial lace retainer 190 and proximate the toe end 122 of the footwear 74. In the illustrated embodiment, the lateral and medial lace retainers 174, 178 are disposed within the midfoot region 88 and heel region 90. In some embodiments, the lace retainers 174, 178 are disposed entirely within the midfoot region 88. In some embodiments, the lace retainers 174, 178 are disposed within the forefoot region 86, the midfoot region 88, and the heel region 90. In some embodiments, the plurality of outer race retainers 174 and inner race retainers 178 are disposed on outer surfaces 194, 196 (see FIG. 8 ) of the side flaps 154, 156, respectively. In some embodiments, the plurality of outer race retainers 174 and inner race retainers 178 are disposed on the outer surface 146 of the upper 80 adjacent the instep region 150.

[0043] 4-6, a portion of the lace 172 (see FIGS. 18 and 19) is disposed within the housing 170, which allows the automatic lacing system 54 to retract the lace 172 or to unretract the lace 172 in response to certain user input. In the illustrated embodiment, the lace 172 is a closed loop, with a portion of the lace 172 disposed within the housing 170 and a remaining portion of the lace 172 extending through lace retainers 174, 178. In some embodiments, a portion of the closed loop lace 172 is fixed within the housing 170, i.e., when the lace is fully unretracted, the same portion of the lace 172 is disposed within the housing. In some embodiments, the lace 172 may not include a closed loop, and instead may have ends that are fixedly attached to portions of the footwear 74. In some embodiments, the ends of the lace 172 are fixedly attached to one or more lace retainers 174, 178. In some embodiments, the ends of the laces 172 are fixedly attached to the side flaps 154, 156. In some embodiments, the ends of the laces 172 may not be fixedly attached to the footwear 74, and may instead have free ends that may be tied together by the user.

[0044] 8, the housing 170 is centrally disposed along the tongue 152 located within the instep region 150 of the upper 80, between the lateral side 96 and medial side 98 of the upper 80. The lateral race retainer 174 is disposed along the top edge 160 of the lateral side flap 154 ​​adjacent the tongue 152 and the lateral side 96 of the upper. The medial race retainer 178 is disposed along the top edge 164 of the medial side flap 156 adjacent the tongue 152 and the medial side 98 of the upper 80. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the lateral race retainers 174 and medial race retainers 178 are identical in construction (see FIGS. 9-11), with the lateral race retainer 174 being a mirror image of the medial race retainer 178, and vice versa.

[0045] 8 , the lace 172 extends from the outer opening 204 of the housing 170 toward a proximal opening 208 of the opening 210 of the first outer race retainer 182. Depending on the amount of lace 172 disposed within the housing 170, the lace 172 may bend or angle slightly as it extends from the housing 170 through the proximal opening 208 of the first outer race retainer 182. The lace 172 extends parallel to the top end 160 of the outer side flap 154, through the opening 210, and out a distal opening 212 of the opening 210 of the first outer race retainer 182. The laces 172 extend from a distal opening 212 in the first outer lace retainer 182 to a proximal opening 216 in the opening 218 in the second inner lace retainer 190, across the tongue 152 through a side opening 220 of a lace channel 222 in the housing 170 (see Figures 18 and 19), and exit the lace channel 222 through an inner opening 224 of the housing 170.

[0046] The lace 172 may curve or angle slightly as it extends across the tongue 152 and through a proximal opening 216 of the second inner lace retainer 190, depending on the amount of lace 172 disposed within the housing 170. The lace 172 extends parallel to the top end 164 of the inner side flap 156 through an opening 218 and extends through a distal opening 230 of the opening 218 of the second inner lace retainer 190. The lace 172 extends from the distal opening 230 of the second inner lace retainer 190, across the tongue 152 to a proximal opening 234 of an opening 236 of the third outer lace retainer 186. Depending on the amount of lace 172 disposed within the housing 170, the lace 172 may bend or angle slightly as it traverses the tongue 152 and extends through a proximal opening 234 of the third outer lace retainer 186. The lace 172 extends parallel to the top end 160 of the outer side flap 154, through the opening 236, and out a distal opening 238 of the opening 236 of the third outer lace retainer 186.

[0047] 8 , from the distal opening 238 of the third outer lace retainer 186, the lace 172 extends across the tongue 152 to a distal opening 242 of an opening 244 of the third inner lace retainer 192. The lace 172 may curve or angle slightly as it extends across the tongue 152 and through the distal opening 242 of the third inner lace retainer 192, depending on the amount of lace 172 disposed within the housing 170. The lace 172 extends parallel to the top end 164 of the inner side flap 156, through the opening 244, and from a proximal opening 246 of the opening 244 of the third inner lace retainer 192. The lace 172 extends from a proximal opening 246 in the third inner lace retainer 192 across the tongue 152 to a distal opening 250 in the opening 252 in the second outer lace retainer 184 , and then crosses itself along the tongue 152 .

[0048] The lace 172 may bend or tilt slightly as it extends across the tongue 152 and through a distal opening 250 of the second outer lace retainer 184, depending on the amount of lace 172 disposed within the housing 170. The lace 172 extends parallel to the top end 160 of the outer side flap 154, through the opening 252, and from a proximal opening 254 of the opening 252 of the second outer lace retainer 184. From the proximal opening 254 of the second outer lace retainer 184, the lace 172 extends across the tongue through the medial opening 224, extends from the outer opening 220 of the lace channel 222 of the housing 170, to a distal opening 258 of the opening 260 of the first inner lace retainer 188, and then crosses itself within the lace channel 222 of the housing 170.

[0049] The laces 172 may bend or tilt slightly as they extend through the lace channel 222 of the housing 170 and through the distal opening 258 of the first inner race retainer 188, depending on the amount of laces 172 disposed within the housing 170. The laces 172 extend parallel to the top end 164 of the inner side flap 156, through the opening 260, and out of the proximal opening 262 of the opening 260 of the first inner race retainer 188. From the proximal opening 262 of the inner race retainer 188, the laces 172 extend to an inner opening 266 of the housing 170.

[0050] Alternative configurations of the lacing structure as outlined above are contemplated, such as more or fewer lace retainers 174, 178 resulting in more or fewer crossings of the lace 172 across itself. For example, some embodiments may not include crossings of the lace 172 across itself. As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment, the lace 172 crosses itself twice. In some embodiments, the lace 172 may cross itself three, four, five, six, or seven times. In other embodiments, the lace 172 may extend from the housing 170 in series toward the distal end 104 of the footwear 74, across the tongue 152 in series through the inner lace retainer 178, rearward toward the housing 170, and through the outer lace retainer 174 such that the lace 172 does not cross itself. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the particular orientation of the housing 170, lace retainers 174, 178, and side flaps 154, 156 allows the footwear 74 to be properly and securely tightened around the user's foot, and the force applied by the lace 172 is spread over the user's foot in an efficient and retentive manner while the footwear 74 is being worn. In that sense, the preferred orientation of the lace 172 is to extend from the housing 170, through the lace retainers 174, 178, and across the tongue 152, as described above.

[0051] The lacing system 54 as described above may allow the user to modify the tightness along the lateral side 96 of the side flaps 154, 156 and the medial side 98 of the upper 80, for example, to tighten or loosen the side flaps 154, 156 extending along the upper 80 relative to the housing 170 via the laces 172 extending through lace retainers 174, 178 disposed on the side flaps 154, 156 around the foot as desired by the user. Also, as described in further detail herein, the lacing system 54 may allow the user to modify the tightness as desired by the user. With regard to the material comprising the laces 172, the material may be conventional cotton, polyester, or nylon having a circular cross section to prevent twisting and improve the operation of the automatic lacing system 54. In some embodiments, the laces 172 are cables having a diameter in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters. In some embodiments, the laces 172 include high modulus polyethylene fiber cables having increased strength and abrasion resistance compared to conventional laces.

[0052] 9-11, an embodiment of one of the race retainers 174, 178 is shown in more detail. As mentioned above, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, each of the outer race retainer 174 and inner race retainer 178 are identical. For ease of disclosure, a single race retainer 270 is referenced in FIGS. 9-11 to describe aspects of the race retainers 174, 178. In some embodiments, there may be differences between the outer race retainer 174 and the inner race retainer 178. For example, the outer race retainer 174 may have different features at a different location of the race retainer 270 than the inner race retainer 178, and vice versa. In some embodiments, there may be differences between the first, second, and third outer race retainers 182, 184, 186 and the first, second, and third inner race retainers 188, 190, 192. For example, the first outer race retainer 182 and the first inner race retainer 174 may have different features at different locations of the race retainer 270 than the second outer race retainer 184 and the second inner race retainer 190, and / or the third inner race retainer 186 and the third outer race retainer 192.

[0053] 9-11, the lace retainer 270 includes a base portion 272 and a body portion 274. The base portion 272 includes a first surface 276 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) that contacts the inner surface 176, 180 of the side flap 154, 156 (see FIG. 8) and a second surface 278 from which the body portion 274 extends. In the illustrated embodiment, the base portion 272 includes a plurality of fastener holes 280, each of which is configured to receive a fastener to fixedly attach the lace retainer 270 to the inner surface 176, 180 of the side flap 154, 156. The plurality of fastener holes 280 are aligned to resist forces, such as forces perpendicular or parallel to the base portion 272, imposed by the tightened lace 172 passing through and holding the lace retainer 270. In other embodiments, the race retainer 270 may be fixedly attached to the inner surfaces 176, 180 of the side flaps 154, 156 by any attachment means known in the art, such as adhesive or ultrasonic welding.

[0054] 10 and 11 , the body portion 274 of the lace retainer 270 includes a front surface 294, a top surface 296, a bottom surface 298, a first side 300, and a second side 302 that define a lace opening 304. The lace opening 304 extends through the first and second sides 300, 302. The first and second sides 300, 302 may include features other than those shown, such as beveled surfaces and rounded corners, that reduce friction against the lace 172 passing through the lace opening 304. Similarly, the front surface 294, top surface 296, and bottom surface 298 may include angled surfaces and / or rounded corners that reduce irritation to the user's foot when the lace 172 is tightened and the lace retainer 270 contacts the upper 80 of the footwear 74. The medial portion of the front surface 294 includes a rounded pad 292 configured to provide a smooth surface for the lace 172 to contact when the lace 172 is tightened. In some embodiments, the pad 292 includes a lace channel configured to receive the lace 172. In some embodiments, the pad 292 is constructed from a different material than the lace retainer 270. In the illustrated embodiment, the lace openings 304 extend parallel to the first surface 276 of the base portion 272. In some embodiments, the lace openings 304 extend at an angle relative to the first surface 276 of the base portion 272. In some embodiments, the lace openings 304 are configured to be cylindrically shaped openings having a diameter the same as or greater than the diameter of the lace 172.

[0055] The lace retainer 270 may be formed by additive manufacturing techniques, such as by one or more of the various 3D printing techniques described above. In some embodiments, the lace retainer 174, 178, or components thereof, may be 3D printed directly onto the side flaps 154, 156, or along another region of the upper 80, such as the midfoot region 88. In some embodiments, the lace retainer 174, 178, or components thereof, may be 3D printed and then separately secured to a portion of the article of footwear 74.

[0056] 12-14, an alternative embodiment of the tongue 152 of the footwear 74 is shown. With reference to FIG. 12, the footwear 74 is shown with the medial and lateral side flaps 154, 156 removed for clarity. The tongue 310 of the upper 80 is located in the same position and functions in the same manner as the tongue 152 of the footwear 74 embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-8, as described above. However, the tongue 310 in this embodiment includes a number of recesses 312 located along or within the upper surface 314 of the tongue 310 that extend from the upper surface 314 to the lower surface 316 of the tongue 310. The number of recesses 312 include a housing recess 318 and a number of lace channels 320. The housing recesses 318 are located toward a proximal end 322 of the tongue 310 adjacent the opening 148 of the footwear 74. The housing recess 318 is configured to receive the housing 170 (see FIGS. 15-18 ) such that the housing 170 is located partially below the upper surface 314 of the tongue 310. A plurality of lacing channels 320 are disposed along the lateral and medial sides 326, 328 of the tongue 310 adjacent and below the housing recess 318 toward a distal end 324. In some embodiments, the housing recess 318 extends below the lower surface 316. In some embodiments, the housing recess 318 extends through the tongue 310 such that the housing recess 318 defines a housing opening.

[0057] 12-14, the plurality of lace channels 320 are configured to receive and guide portions of the laces 172 extending through the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers 174, 178 in an intersecting manner as described above (as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14). The plurality of lace channels 320 include a first outer lace channel 330, a second outer lace channel 332, a third outer lace channel 334, a fourth outer lace channel 336, a first inner lace channel 338, a second inner lace channel 340, a third inner lace channel 342, and a fourth inner lace channel 344. The first outer race channel 330 extends from the outer side 326 of the tongue 310 a distance toward the housing recess 318 from the proximal end 322 of the tongue, which is aligned with the proximal opening 208 of the opening 210 of the first outer race retainer 182, and at an angle that aligns with the outer opening 204 of the housing 170 when the housing 170 is positioned within the housing recess 318 (see FIG. 14 ).

[0058] Similarly, the first inner lace channel 338 extends a distance from the inner side 328 of the tongue 310 from the proximal end 322 of the tongue, which is aligned with the proximal opening 262 of the opening 260 of the first inner race retainer 188, to the housing recess 318 at an angle that is aligned with the inner opening 266 of the housing 170 when the housing 170 is placed in the housing recess 318 (see FIG. 14). The first outer lace channel 330 and the first inner lace channel 338 each have a width that is the same as or greater than the diameter of the laces 172 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). In some embodiments, the first outer lace channel 330 and the first inner lace channel 338 extend along the tongue 310 toward the housing recess 318 at the same angle. In some embodiments, the first outer race channel 330 and the first inner race channel 338 do not extend toward the housing recess 318 in a straight line at an angle, but instead are shaped to distribute tension applied to the housing 170 when the laces 172 are tightened to the side walls of the channels 330, 338. For example, in some embodiments, the first outer race channel 330 and the first inner race channel 338 have an arc shape with a radius or are shaped along a line that resembles a sine wave.

[0059] 12-14, the second outer lace channel 332 is disposed along the tongue 310 below the first outer lace channel 330 relative to the proximal end 322 of the tongue 310 and extends from the outer side 326 of the tongue 310 to the housing recess 318. The second outer lace channel 332 is triangular or tapered such that the outer end of the second outer lace channel 332 extending from the outer side 326 of the tongue 310 is wider than the other outer end proximate the housing recess 318. The outer end of second outer race channel 332 has a width that aligns with both the distal opening 212 of opening 210 of first outer race retainer 182 proximal to the outer end of second outer race channel 332 and the proximal opening 254 of opening 252 of second outer race retainer 184 distal to the other of the outer end of second outer race channel 332 (see FIG. 14). The inner end of first outer race channel 330 has a width that is less than the width of the outer end and is aligned with the outer opening 220 of race channel 222 of housing 170 when housing 170 is disposed within housing recess 318 (see FIG. 14).

[0060] 12-14, a second inner lace channel 340 is disposed along the tongue 310 below the first inner lace channel 338 relative to the proximal end 322 of the tongue 310 and extends from the medial side 328 of the tongue 310 to the housing recess 318. The second inner lace channel 340 has a similar shape as the second outer lace channel 332, but is a mirror image, such that the medial end of the second inner lace channel 340 extending from the medial side 328 of the tongue 310 is wider than the other outer end proximate the housing recess 318. The inner end of the second inner race channel 340 has a width that aligns with both the distal opening 258 of the opening 260 of the first inner race retainer 188 proximal to the inner end of the second inner race channel 340 and the proximal opening 216 of the opening 218 of the second inner race retainer 190 distal to the inner end of the second inner race channel 340 (see FIG. 14).

[0061] The outer end of the second inner race channel 340 has a width less than the width of the inner end and is aligned with the opening 224 of the race channel 222 of the housing 170 when the housing 170 is placed in the housing recess 318 (see FIG. 14 ). In some embodiments, the second outer race channel 332 and the second inner race channel 340 each comprise two separate race channels. For example, in some embodiments, the second outer race channel 332 can comprise a first channel extending from a proximal side of the outer end of the second outer race channel 332 to a proximal side of the outer opening 220 of the race channel 222 of the housing 170, and a second channel, separate from the first channel, extending from a distal side of the outer end of the second outer race channel 332 to a distal side of the outer opening 220 of the race channel 222 of the housing 170.

[0062] 12-14, the third and fourth outer lace channels 334, 336 are disposed adjacent one end to the distal opening 250 of the opening 252 of the second outer lace retainer 184 and the proximal opening 234 of the opening 236 of the third outer lace retainer 186, respectively, and are disposed at the intersection where the lace 172 crosses under the housing 170 at the other end (see FIG. 14). Similarly, the third and fourth inner lace channels 342, 344 are disposed adjacent one end to the distal opening 230 of the opening 218 of the second inner lace retainer 190 and the proximal opening 246 of the opening 244 of the third inner lace retainer 192, respectively, and are disposed at the intersection 348 where the lace 172 crosses over itself along the tongue 310 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). In some embodiments, the tongue 310 further includes an additional lace channel disposed beneath the fourth outer lace channel 336 and the fourth inner lace channel 344 toward the distal end 324 of the tongue 310. For example, the additional lace channel may be disposed adjacent the distal opening 238 of the opening 236 of the third outer race retainer 186 on one end and adjacent the distal opening 242 of the opening 244 of the third inner race retainer 192 on the other end (see FIG. 14 ). In some embodiments, the multiple lace channels 320 extend into the tongue 310 such that the multiple lace channels 320 are covered by the top surface 314 of the tongue 310.

[0063] 12 , the tongue 310 or components thereof may be formed by additive manufacturing techniques, such as by one or more of the various 3D printing techniques described above. In some embodiments, the tongue 310 or components thereof may be 3D printed directly on the instep region 150 or along another region of the foot, such as the midfoot region 88. In some embodiments, the tongue 310 or components thereof may be 3D printed and separately coupled to a portion of the footwear 74.

[0064] The housing 170 and the components disposed therein will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 15-18. The housing 170 has a first or proximal side 350, a second or distal side 352, a third or outer side 354 (see Figures 15-17), a fourth or inner side 356 (see Figures 16-18), a fifth or upper side 358, and a sixth or lower side 360 ​​(see Figures 16 and 18). The swipe panel 66 is disposed below the upper surface 358. The outer opening 204 is disposed on the outer side 354 of the housing 170 toward the proximal side 350, and the inner opening 266 is disposed on the inner side 356 of the housing 170 toward the proximal side 350. The outer opening 204 and the inner opening 266 are configured to receive portions of a lace 172 within the housing 170 (see Figure 8). The lace channel 222 extends through the lateral and medial sides 354, 356 of the housing 170 and includes an lateral opening 220 and an medial opening 224 of the lace channel 222. The lace channel 222 is configured to receive portions of the lace 172 extending from the lateral and medial lace retainers 174, 178 when the housing 170 is positioned on the tongue 152 of the upper 80 of the footwear 74 (see FIG. 8 ).

[0065] 16, the underside 360 ​​of the housing 170 is concave between the lateral side 354 and the medial side 356. The concave shaped underside 360 ​​of the housing 170 provides a more ergonomic alignment with the top surface of the user's foot 110 when the housing 170 is placed on the tongue 152 of the upper 80 of the footwear 74. In other embodiments, the underside 360 ​​of the housing 170 may be convex or flat, for example, when the housing 170 is placed within the housing recess 318 of the tongue 310 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). Referring to FIG. 18, as described in more detail below, the housing includes a housing base 362, a housing base cover 364 (see FIGS. 19-25) attached to the top surface of the housing base 362, and a housing top cover 366 attached above the housing base cover 364 on the outer surface of the housing base 362. The housing 170 or components thereof may be formed by additive manufacturing techniques, such as one or more of the various 3D printing techniques described above. In some embodiments, the housing 170 or components thereof may be 3D printed directly onto the instep region 150 or along another region of the foot, such as the forefoot region 86, the midfoot region 88, or the heel region 90. In some embodiments, the housing 170 or components thereof may be 3D printed and then separately coupled to a portion of the footwear 74.

[0066] The automatic lacing system 54 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 19-25. With reference to Figures 19 and 20, a ghosted view of some of the internal components of the housing 170 of the automatic lacing system 54 shows an upper wheel gear assembly 370 disposed within an upper wheel gear recess 372 of the housing base cover 364. Portions of the housing 170, including the housing top cover 366 (see Figures 21-25), have been removed for clarity. The housing base cover 364 includes an outer race channel 374 and an inner race channel 376 having a first end configured to align with the outer and inner openings 204, 266, respectively, of the housing top cover 366 (see Figures 8 and 15-18), and a second end extending through the upper wheel gear recess 372. The outer and inner lace channels 374, 376 receive the outer and inner portions of a section of the lace 172 disposed within the housing 170 and guide the portions of the lace 172 to the upper wheel gear assembly 370 where the lace 172 is configured to be received within an opening 378 of the upper wheel gear assembly 370.

[0067] 19 and 20, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 includes an upper extension component 392 having a cylindrical body 394 (FIG. 19) having a lace opening 378 disposed therethrough and a flange 396 disposed on the top of the cylindrical body 394. In the illustrated embodiment, the lace 172 enters the housing 170 along the exterior and interior channels 374, 376 of the housing base cover 364 and is received through the lace opening 378 in the cylindrical body 394 of the upper extension component 392. This configuration allows the lace 172 to be drawn inwardly about the wheel gear axis 390 in the direction of arrows A or B (see FIG. 20), depending on whether the automatic lacing system 54 is being used to tighten or loosen the lace 172.

[0068] In the illustrated embodiment, from an initial or loose configuration (shown in FIG. 19 ), approximately 90 degrees of rotation of the upper wheel gear assembly 370 results in a first level of tightness, approximately 180 degrees of rotation of the upper wheel gear assembly 370 results in a second level of tightness, approximately 270 degrees of rotation of the upper wheel gear assembly 370 results in a third level of tightness, etc. In some embodiments, rotating the upper wheel gear assembly 370 in approximately 60 degree increments results in a first level of tightness, a second level of tightness, a third level of tightness, etc. In some embodiments, rotating the upper wheel gear assembly 370 in approximately 45 degree increments results in a first level of tightness, a second level of tightness, a third level of tightness, etc. In some embodiments, rotating the upper wheel gear assembly 370 in approximately 30 degree increments results in a first level of tightness, a second level of tightness, a third level of tightness, etc. In some embodiments, rotating the upper wheel gear assembly 370 in approximately 15 degree increments provides a first level of tightness, a second level of tightness, a third level of tightness, and so on.

[0069] 21-25, the elements of the automatic lacing system 54 are shown in an exploded configuration. With particular reference to FIGS. 21 and 22, a powertrain assembly 380 including a motor 382, ​​a wheel gear 384, and a gear train 388 is disposed within the housing base 362 and housing base cover 364. The wheel gear 384 of the powertrain assembly 380 is mechanically connected to an upper wheel gear assembly 370 disposed on the housing base cover 364 (see FIGS. 19-21). Although the specific gear configuration will be described below, the motor 382 is operable to rotate the upper wheel gear assembly 370 about a wheel gear axis 390 (via rotation of the wheel gear 384 via rotation of the gear train 388), which allows the lace 172 to rotate and spool about a cylindrical body 394 of the upper wheel gear assembly 370 (see FIG. 20). As the upper wheel gear assembly 370 rotates and pulls the laces 172 around the wheel gear axis 390, the laces 172 are tightened or loosened (and by extension, the wheel gear 384, gear train 388, and motor 382) depending on the direction of rotation of the upper wheel gear assembly 370 (see arrows A and B in FIG. 20).

[0070] 21, an exploded perspective view of some of the components disposed within the housing 170 of the automatic lacing system 54 is shown. The components include the housing base 362, a lower gasket 400 disposed within a lower gasket channel 402 of the housing base 362, a housing base cover 364, an upper gasket 404 disposed within an upper gasket channel 406 of the housing base cover 364, and a housing top cover 366. A power train assembly 380 is disposed within the housing base 362 and the housing base cover 364 and includes a motor 382, ​​a gear train 388, and a wheel gear 384. A worm gear 410 is disposed around a first shaft 412 and a first gear 414 is disposed at an end of the first shaft 412 (see FIG. 21). The worm gear 410, the first shaft 412, and the first gear 414 comprise a first gear assembly 416 of the gear train 388. The first gear assembly 416 has an axis of rotation 408 perpendicular to the wheel gear axis 390 (see FIG. 22). The second gear assembly 418 of the gear train 388 includes a second gear 420 and a third gear 422 disposed along a second shaft 424. The second gear 420 and the third gear 422 are fixedly coupled to one another such that as the second gear 420 rotates, the third gear 422 also rotates. A third gear assembly 426 of the gear train 388 is also provided and includes a fourth gear 428 and a fifth gear 430 (see FIG. 21). The fourth gear 428 and the fifth gear 430 are fixedly coupled to one another and disposed along a third shaft 432. A motor gear 434 of the gear train 388 is also shown extending from the motor 382, ​​the motor gear 434 being disposed along a motor shaft 436 (see FIG. 21).

[0071] The first gear 414, the second gear 420, the third gear 422, the fourth gear 428, and the fifth gear 430 may be spur gears or cylindrical gears. Spur gears or straight cut gears include a cylinder or disk with radially projecting teeth. The teeth are not straight, but the edge of each tooth is straight and aligned parallel to the axis of rotation. When two gears, for example the first gear 414 and the third gear 422, mesh, if one gear is larger than the other (the first gear 414 has a larger diameter than the third gear 422), a mechanical advantage occurs in that the rotational speed and torque of the two gears differ proportionally to their diameters. Because the larger gear rotates slower, its torque is proportionally greater, and in this example, the torque of the third gear 422 is proportionally greater than the torque of the first gear 414.

[0072] 21-25, the first gear assembly 416 includes a worm gear 410 in communication with the wheel gear 384. The worm gear is a type of helical gear, but its helix angle is usually rather large (close to 90 degrees) and its body is usually quite long in the axial direction. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the use of the worm gear 410 provides a simple and compact way to achieve a high torque, low speed gear ratio between the worm gear 410 and the wheel gear 384. In this embodiment, the worm gear 410 can always drive the wheel gear 384, but the reverse is not necessarily true. The combination of the worm gear 410 and the wheel gear 384 provides a self-locking system, with the advantage that the worm gear 410 can be easily used to hold its position when a certain tightening level is desired. The worm gear 410 can be either right-handed or left-handed. For purposes of this disclosure, as discussed above, the first gear assembly 416 includes the worm gear 410, the first shaft 412, and the first gear 414. The worm gear 410, the first shaft 412, and the first gear 414 may comprise a single material or may comprise different materials.

[0073] 21 and 22 in particular, the first gear assembly 416 communicates with a second gear assembly 418, which communicates with a third gear assembly 426, which communicates with a motor gear 434. As a result, when the motor shaft 436 is rotated by the motor 382, ​​the motor gear 434 rotates in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on whether the wheel gear 384 is intended to be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, i.e., whether the lace 172 is intended to be tightened or loosened. The motor gear 434 communicates with a fifth gear 430 (see FIG. 21), the rotation of which rotates a third shaft 432 (see FIG. 21) and a fourth gear 428 (see FIG. 21). The fourth gear 428 (see FIG. 21) communicates with a second gear 420 (see FIG. 21), which is fixedly coupled to the third gear 422 (see FIG. 21). As described above, the second gear 420, the third gear 422, and the second shaft 424 (see FIG. 21) form the second gear assembly 418.

[0074] 21 and 22, the second gear assembly 418 is rotated by the third gear assembly 426 when it is rotated by the motor gear 434. The third gear 422 of the second gear assembly 418 is in communication with the first gear 414, so that the rotation of the third gear 422 causes the rotation of the first gear 414. When the first gear 414 (see FIG. 21) is rotated by the second gear assembly 418, the first gear 414 rotates the first shaft 412 (see FIG. 21), which is fixedly coupled to the worm gear 410. Thus, the worm gear 410 rotates when the first gear 414 (see FIG. 21) is rotated. As shown in FIGS. 22-25, the wheel gear 384 is mechanically connected to the worm gear 410, and thus the wheel gear 384 is also rotated when the first gear assembly 416 is rotated.

[0075] As shown in FIGS. 22-25, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 is fixedly attached to the wheel gear 384, such that rotation of the wheel gear 384 causes the upper wheel gear assembly 370 to rotate and draw the lace 172 into the housing 170 about the wheel gear axis 390 (as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20). As described above, the first gear assembly 416 includes the first gear 414 (see FIG. 21), the first shaft 412 (see FIG. 21), and the worm gear 410. To that end, rotation of the motor gear 434 causes the third gear assembly 426 to rotate, which in turn causes the second gear assembly 418 to rotate, which in turn causes the first gear assembly 416 to rotate, which in turn causes the wheel gear 384 to rotate.

[0076] 21, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 includes an upper extension component 392 coupled to the wheel gear 384 via a fastener 442. As described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, the upper extension component 392 includes a cylindrical body 394 having a lace opening 378 and a flange 396 disposed therethrough. The fastener 442 is disposed through the cylindrical body 394 and a fastener hole 444 (see FIG. 22) of the upper extension component 392 within the cylindrical upper wheel gear recess 372 of the housing base cover 364. The fastener 442 is fixedly received in the center of the wheel gear 384 as shown in FIGS. 22-25. Thus, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 and the wheel gear 384 have the same axis of rotation 390 as shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 25.

[0077] As mentioned above, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 is coupled to the wheel gear 384, which in the illustrated embodiment holds the lace 172 in a tightened configuration (see FIG. 20). Thus, the connection between the upper wheel gear assembly 370 and the wheel gear 384 is subject to rotational friction when the lace 172 is tightened, and may also be subject to radial and axial loads from the tightened lace 172. As shown in FIG. 21, to support the radial and axial loads and reduce rotational friction, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 includes a ball bearing 446, a bearing retaining collar 448 configured to hold the ball bearing 446 in contact with the bottom of the upper extension component 392, and an outer retaining ring 450 configured to axially retain the bearing retaining collar 448 with the upper extension component 392. In some embodiments, other components or methods may be used to support radial and axial loads and reduce rotational friction imposed on the upper wheel gear assembly 370, which is coupled to the wheel gear 384 during operation.

[0078] 23-25, the housing base portion 362 is shown in greater detail. The housing base portion 362 includes a lower side 458, an upper side 460, a first or outer side 462, a second or inner side 464 (see FIGS. 23 and 24), a third or proximal side 466, and a fourth or distal side 468. When the housing 170 is assembled, the lower side 458 of the housing base portion 362 is the lower side 360 ​​of the housing 170, as shown in FIGS. 15-18. The power train 380 (including the motor 382, ​​gear train 388, and wheel gear 384) is disposed on the upper side 460 of the housing base portion 362 and within the lower gasket channel 402 (see FIGS. 24 and 25). Specifically, the motor 382 is housed within a motor chamber 472 (see FIGS. 24 and 25), the worm gear 410 is housed within a worm gear chamber 474 (see FIG. 24), and the wheel gear 384 is housed within a wheel gear chamber 476 (see FIGS. 22 and 24). The wheel gear chamber 476 (see FIG. 24) is configured to receive the wheel gear 384 such that the wheel gear 384 can freely rotate within the wheel gear chamber 476 when rotated via the gear train 388. The wheel gear 384 may be coupled to the housing base portion 362 via a protrusion or shaft (not shown) extending from the housing base portion 362. A motor wire 480 (partially shown in FIGS. 21-24) of the motor 382 extends from the end of the motor 382 opposite the motor gear 434 and out the underside 458 of the housing base portion 362 through a wire hole 482 (see FIGS. 23 and 24). 21, a flexible circuit 484 is disposed on the motor 382 and electrically connected to the motor wires 480. A lighting system 486 including a first lighting element or light emitting diode (LED) 488 and a second lighting element or LED 490 is also disposed on the flexible circuit 484.

[0079] 23-25, the housing base cover 364 is shown in more detail. The housing base cover 364 includes an upper side 492 (see FIG. 24), a first or lower side 494 (see FIG. 25), a second or outer side 496, a third or inner side 498 (see FIGS. 23 and 24), a fourth or proximal side 500, and a fifth or distal side 502. The housing base cover 364 is configured to seat on the housing base 362. The housing base cover 364 is secured to the housing base 362 via a number of protrusions 504 (see FIG. 25) included on the lower side 494 of the housing base cover 364 that are configured to mate with a number of recesses 512 included on the upper side 460 of the housing base 362. The housing base cover 364 can also be secured to the housing base 362 by other bonding methods. The sides 492, 496, 498, 500, 502 of the housing base cover 364 are formed to completely cover the power train assembly 380 of the automatic racing system 54, including the flexible circuit 484 disposed on the motor 382 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). A swipe sensor recess 520 (see FIG. 24) is disposed on the upper side 492 of the housing base cover 364 and configured to receive a swipe sensor 522 (see FIG. 21) in association with the flexible circuit 484. A lighting system cover hole 524 (see FIGS. 23 and 24) is included on the proximal side 500 of the housing base cover 364 and configured to receive a lighting system cover 526 (see FIG. 21) that surrounds the lighting system 486 disposed on the flexible circuit 484 (see FIGS. 21 and 22).

[0080] 23-25, the housing top cover 366 is shown in more detail. The housing top cover 366 includes a first or upper side 530, a second or lower side 532, a third or outer side 534, a fourth or inner side 536 (see FIGS. 23 and 24), a fifth or proximal side 538, and a sixth or distal side 540. The housing top cover 366 is formed to seat on the housing base 362 and the housing base cover 364, and is attached to the housing base 362 via a plurality of projections 542 (see FIG. 23) included in the lower side 532 of the housing top cover 366 and a plurality of recesses 554 (see FIGS. 24 and 25) included in the proximal, outer, and inner sides 462, 464, and 466 of the housing base 362. The housing top cover 366 may also be fixable to the housing base 362 or the housing base cover 364 by other joining methods. The upper side 530 of the housing top cover 366 defines the panel 66 of the automatic lacing system 54 that contacts the swipe sensor 522 disposed on the housing base cover 364 (see FIGS. 21 and 22) on the lower side 532 of the housing top cover 366. As mentioned above, the upper, outer, inner, proximal, and distal sides 530, 534, 536, 538, 540 of the housing top cover 366 are intended to completely cover the housing base 362 and the housing base cover 364, and include the swipe sensor 522 (see FIG. 21) disposed within the swipe sensor recess 520 of the housing base cover 364 and the illumination system cover 526 (see FIG. 21) disposed within the illumination system cover hole 524 of the housing base cover 364.

[0081] Thus, when housing 170 is assembled, upper, outer, inner, proximal, and distal sides 530, 534, 536, 538, 540 of housing top cover 366 are upper, outer, inner, proximal, and distal sides 358, 354, 356, 350, 352 of housing 170 (see FIGS. 15-18). Housing top cover 366 includes outer race channel cutouts 566 (see FIGS. 23 and 25) and inner race channel cutouts 568 (see FIG. 23) disposed on the outer and inner sides 534, 536 of top cover 366 and are configured to provide clearance for outer and inner openings 220, 224 of race channels 222 of housing base portion 362 when housing 170 is assembled. The top cover 366 may be any color, including black, however, when one or more light sources are activated within the housing 170, light is visible through the top cover 366.

[0082] As discussed above with reference to FIG. 21 , the flexible circuit 484 can be disposed between the housing base 362 and the housing base cover 364. The flexible circuit 484 includes a swipe sensor 522 disposed on the housing base cover 364, which in some embodiments can also flash or illuminate in response to a signal transmitted by one or more controllers described below. In some embodiments, additional LEDs can be provided along other portions of the housing 170. When the housing 170 of the automatic lacing system 54 is assembled, the swipe sensor 522 of the flexible circuit 484 is disposed under the panel 66 of the housing top cover 366 of the housing 170, and the first and second LEDs 488, 490 of the lighting system 486 are disposed under the proximal and upper sides 538, 530 of the top cover 366 through the lighting system cover 526 disposed within the lighting system cover hole 524 of the housing base cover 364. The top cover 366 may be any color, including black, however, when the lighting system 486 is activated within the housing 170, light is visible through the top cover 366. In some embodiments, the top cover 366 may have portions that are transparent or translucent to allow light emitted from the lighting system 486 to project light through the top cover 366. The lighting system 486 may provide light-based feedback to the user. In particular, the lighting system 486 provides visual cues indicating the tightness level of the laces 172 and / or the energy level of the battery (not shown) of the controller 570 (e.g., low power warning), as well as visual cues indicating when the battery is charging (see FIGS. 28-32).

[0083] Conventional footwear, including footwear with an automatic lacing system, is typically exposed to outdoor conditions such as dust and water when worn by a user. The presence of dust and / or water in the automatic lacing system can damage electronic and mechanical components typically utilized in conventional footwear with an automatic lacing system. Additionally, in conventional footwear with an automatic lacing system, the automatic lacing system may generate noise / sound during its operation. For example, whenever the automatic lacing system is activated, such as during tightening or loosening of shoelaces, components in the automatic lacing system may generate sounds that are undesirable from a user experience perspective.

[0084] Thus, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the housing 170 of the automatic lacing system 54 of the footwear 74 may include ingress protection means, i.e., resistance to water or dust entering the housing 170, and / or operating sound attenuation means. In the embodiment of the housing 170 shown in Figures 23-25, the powertrain assembly 380, the flexible circuit 484, and the lighting system 486 are housed within the housing base cover 364, as described above. Additionally, the swipe sensor 522 is disposed within the swipe sensor recess 520 disposed on the top surface 492 of the housing base cover 364, and the lighting system cover 526 is disposed within the lighting system cover hole 524 of the housing base cover 364. To provide ingress protection to the above-mentioned electronics and powertrain assembly 380 disposed within housing 170, and / or to reduce noise from outside housing 170 during operation of powertrain assembly 380, housing 170 is configured to provide one or more seals between housing base 362, housing base cover 364, and / or housing top cover 366.

[0085] For example, in the illustrated embodiment with reference to FIG. 21 , the housing base cover 364 is configured to provide an ingress protection and / or noise reducing seal with the housing base 362 via a lower gasket 400 disposed within a lower gasket channel 402 of the housing base 362 when the housing base cover 364 is attached to the housing base 362. Similarly, the housing top cover 366 is configured to provide an ingress protection and / or noise reducing seal with the housing base cover 364 over the swipe sensor 522 and the lighting system cover 526 via an upper gasket 404 disposed within an upper gasket channel 406 of the housing base cover 364 when the housing top cover 366 is attached to the housing base cover 364. In some embodiments, the housing 170 is configured to provide an ingress protection rating within the range of IP-31 to IP-68, under the codes established in the international standard IEC 60529 or the European standard EN 60529. In some embodiments, other operational sound attenuation means may be included, such as electronic-based sound attenuation.

[0086] 26 and 27, side views of footwear 74 are shown in a loosened and tightened configuration, respectively. With particular reference to FIG. 26, in the loosened configuration, laces 172 are not tensioned but are tied crosswise through lateral and medial lace retainers 174, 178, respectively (see FIG. 8). Thus, upper ends 160, 164 of lateral and medial side flaps 154, 156 are free to pivot about fixed lower ends 158, 162 of side flaps 154, 156, respectively, away from tongue 152 and upper 80, because laces 172 do not hold lateral and medial lace retainers 174, 178 pulled toward tongue 152 in the loosened configuration. In some embodiments, laces 172 have a slight amount of pre-tension to ensure a more comfortable instep when the shoe is in the loosened configuration. To that end, the footwear 74 shown in FIG. 26 achieves a more comfortable instep position that may be utilized by a user in the particular situation in which the footwear 74 is being worn. Referring again to FIG. 19, in the loosened configuration, the laces 172 may be positioned as shown in this detailed view, and the upper wheel gear assembly 370 is not rotated such that the laces 172 are tightened. Although the upper wheel gear assembly 370 may be positioned in alternative configurations in the loosened configuration, the upper wheel gear assembly 370 is preferably positioned in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 19 in the loosened configuration.

[0087] 27, the automatic lacing system 54 is commanded to tighten the laces 172, the tongue 152, such that the housing 170 is pulled downward in the direction of arrow C and the top ends 160, 164 of the side flaps 154, 156 are pulled inwardly towards the tongue 152 while the bodies 166, 168 of the side flaps 154, 156 are pulled inwardly around the upper 80 of the footwear 74, thereby achieving a first tightness configuration. There may be any number of tightness configurations based on the level of tightness that may be achieved based on user input or preset settings of the automatic lacing system 54. The first tightness configuration may have a first level of tightness and the second tightness configuration may have a second level of tightness that is higher than the first level of tightness. 20, a first level of tightening may be achieved when the wheel gear 384 (coupled to the upper wheel gear assembly 370) is rotated about 15 degrees, or about 30 degrees, or about 45 degrees, or about 60 degrees, or about 90 degrees. Each subsequent level of tightening may be achieved by rotating the wheel gear 384 another amount, which may be about 15 degrees, or about 30 degrees, or about 45 degrees, or about 60 degrees, or about 90 degrees.

[0088] Once the footwear 74 has achieved a first tightened configuration, it may be tightened by rotating the wheel gear 384 in the opposite direction, i.e., by rotating the wheel gear 384 in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 20), and then the wheel gear 384 may be loosened by rotating in the direction of arrow B, returning the footwear 74 to the loosened configuration. To that end, the footwear 74 shown in FIG. 26, shown in a loosened configuration, may be adjusted to a tightened configuration as shown in FIG. 27, and then returned to the original loosened configuration shown in FIG. 26. The laces 172 of the footwear 74 may be tightened or loosened any number of times and in any increments. Although a particular tightening / loosening sequence is described in this application, this disclosure is not intended to be limiting.

[0089] As previously mentioned, the automatic lacing system 54 may be operated by the user using two methods: (1) physical contact with the panel 66 of the housing 170, i.e., user interaction with the swipe sensor 522 disposed within the housing 170, and (2) using the electronic device 64 (shown in FIG. 1). The first method of operation, i.e., physical adjustment, will now be described. To that end, the automatic lacing system 54 may have predetermined levels of tightness, including a predetermined loose or open configuration of FIG. 26 in which the laces 172 are loosened to a predetermined tightness, and a predetermined tight or closed configuration of FIG. 27 in which the laces 172 are tightened to a predetermined tightness. In practice, the user may swipe or tap the distal end of the panel 66 downward to tighten the laces 172 to a predetermined tightness in the closed configuration, or may swipe or tap the proximal end of the panel 66 upward to loosen the laces 172 to a predetermined tightness in the open configuration. A second method of operation, i.e., wireless coordination, may involve the automatic lacing system 54 being controlled using an electronic device 64, which may be paired or connected to the lacing system 54 via Bluetooth® or another wireless signal, the details of which are described below with reference to FIG. 40.

[0090] 28-31, the controller 570 of the automatic lacing system 54 is shown in more detail. The controller 570 of the automatic lacing system 54 is shown in FIG. 28 and is disposed within the sole structure 82 of the footwear 74. Specifically, the controller 570 is disposed within the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82 within the interior cavity 84 of the footwear 74. The controller 570 is electrically connected to the motor 382 of the housing 170 via a motor wire 480 that extends from the controller 570 to the housing 170 within the upper 80 of the footwear 74. The motor wire 480 has a first end 572 associated with the motor 382 (see FIGS. 21-25) and a second end 574 having a controller connector 576. The controller 570 is configured to power and control the motor 382 of the automatic lacing system 54.

[0091] In some embodiments, the controller 570 is permanently installed within the sole structure 82 of the footwear 74. In some embodiments, the controller 570 is removable from the sole structure 82. For example, referring now to FIG. 29, the sole structure 82 of the footwear 74 is shown with the upper 80 removed for clarity. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 570 is disposed on the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82 and is removably received within a controller recess 578 disposed within the heel region 90 and midfoot region 88 of the footwear 74. In some embodiments, the controller recess 570 may be disposed entirely within the heel region 90 of the footwear 74. In some embodiments, the controller recess 570 may be disposed within the heel region 90, midfoot region 88, and / or forefoot region 86 of the footwear 74. The controller recess 578 is configured to receive the controller 570 and includes a controller connector recess 580 and a motor wire recess 582. The motor wire recess 582 is configured to receive the motor wire 480, and the controller connector recess 580 is configured to receive the controller connector 576 of the second end 574 of the motor wire 480 when the motor wire 480 is connected to the controller 570. A controller recess cover 584 (see FIG. 29) is configured to cover the controller recess 578 and provide a continuous surface of the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82, such that the insole 106 (see FIG. 6) may be disposed within the insole region 138 and on top of the recess cover 584. The controller 570 is removable from the controller recess 578 when the controller recess cover 584 is removed or opened, and the controller 570 is accessible to a user within the interior cavity 84 of the upper 80 of the footwear 74 through the opening 148 (see FIG. 28).

[0092] 30, the controller 570 has a first or top side 590 and a second or distal side 592. A controller connection port 594 is disposed within a port recess 596 disposed on the top side 590 and distal side 592 of the controller 570 and configured to receive a controller connector 576 at the second end 574 of the motor wire 480. With reference to FIG. 31, an induction coil 598 is disposed beneath the top side 590 of the controller 570 such that when the controller 570 is disposed within the controller recess 578 (as shown in FIG. 28), the charging coil 598 faces upward from the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82. The charging coil 598 is configured to provide wireless charging to a battery 600 (see FIG. 41) of the controller 570 via one of the dual charging packs 56 (shown in FIG. 1).

[0093] 32-38, the first charge pack 60 of the dual charge pack 56 (shown in FIG. 1) of the automatic lacing system 54 is shown in detail and in various configurations. For ease of disclosure, FIGS. 32-37 refer to the first charge pack 60 as being identical to the second charge pack 62 of the dual charge pack 56. With reference to FIG. 32, the first charge pack 60 is shown in a charging configuration and is disposed on the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82 on an upper side 590 (see FIGS. 30 and 31) of the controller 570 disposed within a controller recess 578. The first charge pack 60 is configured to wirelessly charge the battery 600 (see FIG. 41) of the controller 570 via an induction coil (not shown) disposed on an underside 602 (see FIGS. 33-37) of the first charge pack 60 in inductive communication with a charging coil 598 of the controller 570 when the first charge pack 60 is in the charging configuration shown in FIG. 32.

[0094] 33-37, the first charging pack 60 includes a first side or bottom side 602, a second side or top side 604, a third side or proximal side 606, and a fourth side or distal side 608 opposite the proximal side 606. An electrical connector port 610 is disposed on the proximal side 606 of the charging pack 60, the electrical connector port 610 being configured to receive an electrical connector 612 disposed on a first end 614 of a charging cable 616. A second end 618 of the charging cable 616 may include a USB connector or other type of electrical connector to provide an electrical connection to an external power source. The electrical connector port 610 of the charging pack 60 may be the same electrical connector type as the controller connection port 594 of the controller 570, such as a mini-USB or USB-C connector. Thus, as an alternative to the wireless charging configuration shown in FIG. 32 , the charging cable 616 may be utilized to directly charge the battery 600 of the controller 570 via the controller connection port 594 of the controller 570 when the controller 570 is removed from the controller recess 578 in the sole structure 82 of the footwear 74.

[0095] 38, as described above, the first charging pack 60 is identical to the second charging pack 62, and each of the dual charging packs 56 can wirelessly charge either the left shoe 70 or the right shoe 72. The charging packs 56 are configured to mate with each other in a mating configuration (as shown in FIG. 38) to facilitate storage and transportation when the charging packs 56 are not in use. Specifically, each of the upper sides 604 of the charging packs 56 is inclined downwardly from the proximal end 606 relative to the lower sides 602 (see FIG. 37). Thus, when the lower sides 602 of the charging packs 56 are mated, the upper sides 604 of the charging packs 56 are parallel to each other. Additionally, a first magnetic component (not shown) may be included within the lower sides 602 of the charging packs 56 configured to releasably hold the charging packs 56 in the mating configuration shown in FIG. 38. Similarly, a second magnetic component (not shown) may be included within the upper side 590 of the controller 570 configured to releasably hold one of the charging packs 60, 62 in a predetermined position over the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82 and over the induction coil 598 of the controller 570 in the wireless charging configuration shown in FIG.

[0096] 39 and 40, an alternative embodiment of the insole 106 of the footwear 74 is shown (see FIG. 6). The insole 630 is configured to be disposed in the same position and function similar to the insole 106 disposed in the insole region 138 of the footwear 74 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-7. However, the insole 630 in this illustrated embodiment is configured to align the underside 602 of the charging pack 56 with the induction coil 598 of the controller 570 disposed in the controller recess 578 of the sole structure 82 when one of the charging packs 56 is in the charging configuration shown in FIG. 32. For example, the insole 630 has a first surface or top surface 632, a second surface or bottom surface 634, and an outer profile 636 configured to contact an inner profile 638 (see FIG. 29) of the insole region 138 (see FIG. 29) of the sole structure 82 of the footwear 74. A charging pack recess 640 is disposed on the top surface 632 of the insole 630. The charging pack recess 640 is configured to align with the induction coil 598 of the controller 570 when the controller 570 is placed in the controller recess 578 of the sole structure 82 and the insole 630 is inserted into the insole region 138 of the sole structure 82. In some embodiments, the insole 630 may be a fully removable insert from the insole region 138. In some embodiments, a first portion of the insole 630 may be sewn or otherwise fixedly attached to the insole region 138 near the toe end 122 of the footwear 74, and a second portion of the insole 630 may be configured to be rotatable or otherwise movable within the insole region 138 for a user to access a controller recess cover 584 disposed on the insole region 138.

[0097] 41, a block diagram 650 is shown including the various electrical components in the automatic lacing system 54 as described above. The automatic lacing system 54 generally includes at least a control printed circuit board (PCB) 652, a charging PCB 654, a motor 382, ​​a flexible circuit 484, and a battery 600. In the illustrated embodiment, a lighting system 486, a microcontroller 656, and a Hall effect sensor 658 are provided along the flexible circuit 484. In the illustrated embodiment, the control PCB 652 includes a wireless communication module 660, a voltage regulator 662, a switching regulator 664, a motor driver 668, a gyroscope sensor 670, and an accelerometer sensor 672. The motor 382 is in electrical communication with the control PCB 652 of the controller 570 via motor wires 480 (see FIG. 28). The flexible circuit 484 is also in electrical communication with the control PCB 652 of the controller via motor wires 480 (see FIG. 28). The charging PCB 654 includes a charging module 674. The battery 600 is in electrical communication with all of the electrical components and is directly coupled to the control PCB 652 of the controller 570. In the embodiment of the controller 570 shown in FIGS. 28-32, the battery 600 is included within the controller 570. In some embodiments, the battery 600 may be separate from the controller 570 and may be removably connected to the controller 570 by electrical wires or other means. Additional electrical components not specifically addressed herein may also be included in the control PCB 652 or one of the flexible circuits 484.

[0098] 41, a number of resistors, capacitors, and other electrical components are also located along the control PCB 652, but are not specifically referenced herein. The wireless communication module 660 supports Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication. In one embodiment, the wireless communication module 660 includes an on-board crystal oscillator, a chip antenna, and passive components. Through its programmable architecture, the wireless communication module 660 may support several peripheral functions, such as ADC, timers, counters, PWM, and serial communication protocols, such as I2C, UART, SPI. The wireless communication module 660 may include a processor, a flash memory, a timer, and additional components not specifically shown herein.

[0099] 41, a motor driver 668 is also provided on the control PCB 652. The motor driver 668 may be a dual brushed DC motor driver that operates at 3V-5V logic levels, supports ultrasonic (up to 20kHz) pulse width modulation (PWM), and features current feedback, undervoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and overtemperature protection. The motor driver 668 can supply up to 3 amps of continuous current per channel to the motor 382 and supports ultrasonic (up to 20kHz) PWM of the motor output voltage, which helps reduce audible switching noise caused by PWM speed control.

[0100] 41, a voltage regulator 662 may also be provided. The voltage regulator 662 may comprise a fixed output voltage low dropout linear regulator. The voltage regulator 662 may include a built-in output current limit. A switching regulator 664 is also included on the control PCB 652. The switching regulator 664 may be a monolithic asynchronous switching regulator with an integrated 5A, 24V power switch. The switching regulator 664 may regulate the output voltage by current mode PWM control and may include an internal oscillator. The switching frequency of the PWM may be set by an external resistor or may be set synchronously to an external clock signal. The switching regulator 664 may include an internal 5-A, 24-V low-side MOSFET switch, a 2.9-V to 16-V input voltage range, a fixed frequency current mode PWM control, and / or a frequency hat adjustable from about 100 kHz to about 1.2 MHz.

[0101] With further reference to FIG. 41, the microcontroller 656 is shown disposed on the flexible circuit 484. The microcontroller 656 enables and controls a capacitive touch sensing user interface along the panel 66 of the housing 170. The microcontroller 656 can support multiple capacitive sensing inputs, allowing capacitive buttons, sliders, and / or proximity sensors to be electrically coupled thereto, some or all of which may be incorporated into the flexible circuit 484. The microcontroller 656 can include analog sensing channels, delivering a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of over 100:1 to ensure touch accuracy even in noisy environments. The microcontroller 656 can be programmed to dynamically monitor and maintain optimal sensor performance in all environmental conditions. Advanced features such as LED brightness control, proximity detection, and system diagnostics may be programmable. The microcontroller 656 may be operable to enable a liquid-resistant design by eliminating false touches due to mist, droplets, or water flow.

[0102] A Hall effect sensor 658 may be provided (shown disposed on the flexible circuit 484 in FIG. 41 ) which may be operable to detect a switch in a magnetic field adjacent to the motor 382, ​​from north to south or vice versa, and maintain the detection result at an output until the next switch. The output is pulled low in a south pole field and high in a north pole field. The Hall effect sensor 658 may be operable to provide feedback regarding the direction of the motor 382. Additional sensors may be provided, and various types of sensors may be provided on the flexible circuit 484 or on portions of the footwear 74. Thus, the Hall effect sensor 658 may be operable to detect rotation, position, open / closed configuration, current detection, and / or various other aspects of the motor 382. As described above, the Hall effect sensor 658 is electrically coupled to the microcontroller 656.

[0103] A gyroscope sensor 670 may be provided (shown disposed on the control PCB 652 in FIG. 41 ) which may be operable to detect X-axis, Y-axis, and / or Z-axis angular deviation relative to the position of the housing 170 and / or controller 570 of the automatic lacing system 54 of the footwear 74. Thus, the gyroscope sensor 670 may be operable to detect angular rotation of the shoe 52 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and / or Z-axis while a user is performing various activities, such as running. The gyroscope sensor 670 may alternatively be provided in the flexible circuit 484 or in a portion of the footwear 74.

[0104] An accelerometer sensor 672 may be provided (shown disposed on the control PCB 652 in FIG. 41 ) which may be operable to detect linear acceleration in the X-axis, Y-axis, and / or Z-axis of the housing 170 and / or controller 570 of the automatic lacing system 54 of the footwear 74. Thus, the accelerometer sensor 672 may be operable to detect the speed and acceleration of the shoe 52 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and / or Z-axis while a user is performing various activities, such as running. The accelerometer sensor 672 may alternatively be provided on the flexible circuit 484 or on a portion of the footwear 74.

[0105] 41 , a charging module 674 may be provided (shown disposed on the charging PCB 654 and may be housed within the controller 570). The charging module 674 may comprise various capacitors, diodes, and rectifiers and may have a number of alternative configurations. The charging module 674 is configured to allow charging of the battery 600 via the connection port 594 or the induction coil 598 of the controller 570.

[0106] Any of the embodiments described herein can be modified to include any of the structures or methods disclosed in connection with the different embodiments. Additionally, the disclosure is not limited to the types of footwear specifically shown. Additionally, the footwear aspects of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to work with any type of footwear, apparel, or other athletic equipment.

[0107] As mentioned above, although the present disclosure has been described above in connection with certain embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments are intended to be encompassed by the claims appended hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference herein as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein. Various features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0108] In view of the foregoing description, numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The exclusive rights to all modifications that come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved.

[0109] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS]

[0110] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 527,501, filed November 16, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Claims

1. Sole structure and an upper attached to the sole structure and including an exterior side, an interior side, and a tongue; a lacing system, The lacing system comprises: a housing disposed on the tongue; an outer side flap extending from the sole structure along the outer side of the upper toward the tongue so that an upper end thereof is adjacent to the outer side of the tongue and pivotably moves relative to the outer side of the upper; an inner side flap extending from the sole structure along the inner side of the upper toward the tongue such that an upper end thereof is adjacent to the inner side of the tongue and is pivotable relative to the inner side of the upper; a plurality of outer race retainers disposed along the upper edges of the outer side flaps; a plurality of inner race retainers disposed along the upper edges of the inner side flaps; a shoelace extending from the housing through the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers and crosswise across the tongue, the housing configured to retract the shoelace into the housing; a gear train including a motor and a wheel gear disposed within the base portion of the housing; an upper extension of the wheel gear disposed on the base cover of the housing and configured to receive portions of the shoelace received through an outer opening and an inner opening defined by the top cover of the housing; When the motor drives the gear train, the shoelace is retracted into the housing.

2. the housing defines an outer opening and an inner opening; 2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the lace extends through the outer opening, the inner opening, the plurality of outer lace retainers, and the plurality of inner lace retainers.

3. the plurality of outer race retainers include a first outer race retainer, a second outer race retainer, and a third outer race retainer; the plurality of inner race retainers includes a first inner race retainer, a second inner race retainer, and a third inner race retainer; 3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the lace extends from the housing, through the outer opening of the housing, through the first outer lace retainer, across the tongue, through the second inner lace retainer, across the tongue, through the third outer lace retainer, across the tongue, through the third inner lace retainer, across the tongue, across the second outer lace retainer, across the tongue, through the first inner lace retainer, through the inner opening of the housing, and back into the housing.

4. the tongue defining a plurality of lacing channels and a housing recess configured to receive the housing; 4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the plurality of lace channels of the tongue are configured to receive portions of the laces extending from the outer and inner openings of the housing and the plurality of outer lace retainers and the plurality of inner lace retainers.

5. 4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the plurality of outer lace retainers and the plurality of inner lace retainers include lace openings configured to hold the portion of the lace extending through the outer lace retainers and the inner lace retainers at an angle relative to the portion of the lace extending from the outer lace retainers and the inner lace retainers across the tongue.

6. 2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein, as the lace is retracted into the housing, upper ends of the outer side flaps are pulled inward toward the tongue by the plurality of outer lace retainers, upper ends of the inner side flaps are pulled inward toward the tongue by the plurality of inner lace retainers, and the tongue is pulled downward toward the sole structure.

7. The lacing system comprises: further comprising a controller disposed within the sole structure, the controller including a battery; The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the controller is electrically connected to the housing and provides power to the motor.

8. The lacing system comprises:

8. The article of footwear of claim 7, further comprising a swipe sensor disposed on the base cover of the housing along a panel of the top cover of the housing, the swipe sensor being powered by the battery of the controller and operable to receive user input.

9. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the controller is removable from the sole structure through an opening in the upper of the article of footwear.

10. Sole structure and an upper attached to the sole structure and including a tongue; a lacing system, The lacing system comprises: a housing disposed on the tongue and adjacent an instep region of the upper; a plurality of outer lace retainers disposed along an outer side of the tongue and on an upper side thereof; a plurality of inner lace retainers disposed along an upper side of the tongue; a lace extending from the housing through outer and inner openings of the housing, through the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers, and across the tongue, the housing configured to retract the lace into the housing; the tongue defines a housing recess configured to receive the housing and a plurality of tongue lace channels configured to receive portions of laces extending through the plurality of lateral and medial lace retainers; the housing recess and the plurality of tongue lace channels extend from an outer surface of the tongue to an intermediate surface of the tongue; the housing defines a housing lace channel configured to receive two or more portions of the lace extending between the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers; the lacing system further includes a controller disposed within the sole structure, the controller electrically connected to the housing; The lacing system comprises: a motor electrically connected to and powered by a battery of the controller; a gear train including a wheel gear, the wheel gear including an upper extension; the motor and the gear train are disposed within the base of the housing, and the upper extension of the wheel gear is disposed on a cover of the base of the housing; the upper extension of the wheel gear includes an opening configured to receive a portion of the shoelace received through an outer opening and an inner opening defined by a top cover of the housing; When the motor drives the gear train, the shoelace is retracted into the housing.

11. 11. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein as the lace is retracted into the housing, the tongue is pulled downwardly toward the sole structure.

12. Footwear as described in claim 10, wherein the plurality of tongue lace channels receive portions of the shoelaces extending from the plurality of outer and inner lace retainers and the housing lace channel.

13. 11. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the lace is a closed-loop lace.

14. a sole structure including an insole, a midsole, and an outsole; an upper attached to the sole structure; a lacing system, The lacing system comprises: a housing disposed on the upper and adjacent an instep region of the upper; an outer side flap extending from the sole structure along the outer side of the upper toward the housing so that an upper end thereof is adjacent to the outer side of the instep region of the upper; an inner side flap extending from the sole structure along the inner side of the upper toward the housing so that an upper end thereof is adjacent to the inner side of the instep region of the upper; a plurality of outer race retainers disposed along the upper edges of the outer side flaps; a plurality of inner race retainers disposed along the upper edges of the inner side flaps; laces extending from the housing through the plurality of lateral lace retainers and the plurality of medial lace retainers and crisscrossing across the instep region of the upper; a motor and gear train disposed within the base of the housing, the gear train including a wheel gear disposed on a base cover of the housing and having an upper extension configured to receive a portion of the shoelace received through a top cover of the housing; When the motor drives a gear train, the lace is retracted into the housing.

15. 15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein as the lace is retracted into the housing, an upper end of the lateral side flap is pulled inward toward the instep region of the upper by the plurality of lateral lace retainers, and an upper end of the medial side flap is pulled inward toward the instep region of the upper by the plurality of medial lace retainers.

16. the plurality of outer race retainers include a first outer race retainer, a second outer race retainer, and a third outer race retainer; the plurality of inner race retainers include a first inner race retainer, a second inner race retainer, and a third inner race retainer; 16. Footwear according to claim 15, wherein the lace extends from an exterior of the housing, through the first outer lace retainer, across the upper, through the second inner lace retainer, across the upper, through the third outer lace retainer, across the upper, through the third inner lace retainer, across the upper, across the second outer lace retainer, across the upper, through the first outer lace retainer, to the interior of the housing.

17. The lacing system comprises: a controller disposed within the sole structure and a heel region of the footwear, the controller being removably housed within a controller recess formed in an insole region of the sole structure and removable from the sole structure through an opening in the upper of the footwear; 15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the housing and controls the motor.

Images