Coupling assembly between a footwear and a sport equipment comprising at least one housing on the footwear near the sole suitable for receiving a first metallic element, a binding, on the sport equipment, provided with a seat for the insertion of the footwear, the binding being equipped with at least a second metallic element positioned in the seat, the first or the second metal element being an electromagnet, which when activated is magnetically bound to the other element.

Footwear that includes correlated magnets of opposite polarity to releasably mate the pieces of footwear together.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a pedal for a bicycle that includes a body, a spindle rotatably secured to the body and for connection with the bicycle, a first magnetic platter non-rotatably secured within the body, and a second magnetic platter rotatably secured within the body and overlaying the first magnetic platter. The first and second magnetic platters each include two magnetic blocks that are separated and magnetically charged by a respective permanent magnet plate positioned therebetween. The second magnetic platter includes a keyed protrusion configured to be engaged by a ferrous metal cleat, which can rotate the second magnetic platter between a first position where the pedal is in a magnetically inactive state and a second position where the pedal is in a magnetically active state magnetically securing the cleat to the second magnetic platter.

A foot presence sensor system for an active article of footwear can include a sensor housing configured to be disposed at or in an insole of the article, and a controller circuit, disposed within the sensor housing, configured to trigger one or more automated functions of the footwear based on a foot presence indication. In an example, the sensor system includes a capacitive or magnetic sensor configured to sense changes in a body's proximity to the sensor in footwear. Characteristics of the sensed proximity can be used to update an automated footwear function, such as an automatic lacing function, or can be used to determine a step count, foot strike force, a rate of travel, or other information about a foot or about the footwear.

An article of footwear including an adaptive support system includes a plurality of support members. Each support member includes an outer chamber and an inner chamber, the inner chamber being filled with a magnetorheological fluid. An electromagnet is disposed adjacent to the inner chamber and can be used to vary the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid.

An article of footwear can include a ferromagnetic body disposed in the article, and a magnetometer to measure a strength or direction of a magnetic field that is influenced by a position of the ferromagnetic body. One of the ferromagnetic body and the magnetometer can be configured to move relative to the other one of the ferromagnetic body and the magnetometer, for example according to movement of a foot in the article. In an example, the ferromagnetic body is disposed in a compressible insole and the ferromagnetic body moves in response to compression or relaxation of the insole. The magnetometer can be disposed in a platform or sole portion of the article that is relatively stationary compared to the ferromagnetic body. Rate of change information about the magnetic field can be used to control article functions or to provide information about a foot strike or step rate.

An insert liner is provided and is configured to be removably received in an inner cavity of a shoe. The elastomeric liner includes: a longitudinal portion; opposing first and second lateral portions; and opposing front and rear portions, wherein the longitudinal, lateral, front, and rear portions define a cavity having an opening configured below the opposing front and rear portions and configured to receive a user's foot; and a fastener coupled to at least the front portion and the rear portion of the liner while being bond free relative to a toe portion of the shoe, the front portion is configured to releasably adhere to the tongue portion to maintain the opening below an upper edge of at least one of the heel portion and the opposing sidewall portions and to define the opening configured to receive the user's foot.

A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, wherein the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user. The one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors are configured for computer control. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, including one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes and sensors in the sole and/or in a removable insert; or on an insole; all being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized.

Articles of footwear and footwear systems include modules, e.g., for sensing physical and/or physiological characteristics associated with use of the footwear or for performing other functions. Such systems and methods may use physical or other interaction(s) between the module and the article of footwear for activating and/or deactivating the module and/or sensing devices included with the module, for confirming whether the module and footwear are authorized for use with one another, and/or for automatic data algorithm selection methods. Additionally, such systems and methods also may use the activation and/or authentication systems for the module for data input to the module. Some examples of such systems and methods may utilize magnets and magnetic sensing systems and/or light (or other radiation) sources and sensing systems for activation, authentication, data input, and/or algorithm selection.

Lace lock comprising a body with openings crossed by a lace (4) and with means for locking and unlocking the lace. Said body is constituted by a frame (1) on which two opposed levers (2d, 2s) are hinged, with a right lever (2d) and a left lever (2s), each of which can rotate on said frame (1) to assume a raised position (A) and respectively a lowered position (B), in which in the raised position (A) each lever (2d, 2s) leaves a corresponding space (3d, 3s), crossable by a lace (4), space that is closed when the levers (2d, 2s) are in lowered position, so that, when the levers (2d, 2s) are raised, the lace (4) is free to slide between each of the levers (2d, 2s) and the frame (1) and vice versa, when the levers (2d, 2s) are lowered, the lace (4) is locked.