A shoe comprises a sole having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a top member having an outer surface and an inner surface and mounted on the sole. The top member and sole to together define a space for receiving a foot, and the top member further comprises an opening. A fastener is provided in the top member and extends from the opening and continues over the top member such that a portion of the top member is movable between a first position in which the space is substantially closed and a second position in which a portion of the top member is folded back from the sole to provide access to the space.

An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer, the upper including one or more elastic portions and one or more substantially inelastic portions. The footwear may further include a plurality of lace receiving members fixedly attached to an outer surface of the upper on the inelastic portions of the upper. Also, the footwear may include a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper. In addition, the footwear may include a motorized tensioning system including a motorized tightening device and a tensile member extending through the plurality of lace receiving members, the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear by drawing two or more of the plurality of lace receiving members closer to one another.

A tension-retaining system for retaining tension in a tensioning cord of a wearable article may include a retainer including an anchor and a wedge. The anchor may define a notch, and the wedge may have a tensioning cord coupling feature. The wedge may have an engagement portion that fits within the notch with the engagement portion disposed further in the notch than the tensioning cord coupling feature.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining a throat configured to receive a foot. The article of footwear also includes a sole structure coupled to the upper. The article of footwear further includes a panel having a first side coupled to the upper for movement between an open position and a closed position. The panel exposes a portion of the throat in the open position and covers the portion of the throat in the closed position. The article of footwear also includes a strap having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end and the second end are disposed on a first side of the upper with a body portion of the strap disposed between the first end and the second end surrounding the upper.

An article of footwear with an automatic lacing system is disclosed. The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper.

Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In this example, the footwear assembly can include a footwear upper and a lace cable running through a plurality of lace guides. The plurality of lace guides can be distributed along the medial side and the lateral side, and each lace guide of the plurality of lace guides can be adapted to receive a length of the lace cable. The lace cable can extend through each of the plurality of lace guides to form a pattern along each of the medial side and lateral side of the footwear upper. The footwear assembly can also include a medial proximal lace guide routing the lace cable into a lacing engine disposed within a mid-sole portion. Finally, the footwear assembly includes a lateral proximal lace guide to route the lace cable out of the lacing engine.

A closure system for a shoe includes a single shoelace which can be secured and tightened through the use of one hand. The shoe includes a button around which the shoelace is wrapped to facilitate easy removal of the shoe. In one embodiment one end of the shoelace is secured under the upper of the shoe near the toe and a second end of the shoelace is secured in a slider that is slidably mounted on the rear of the shoe to provide micro-adjustments of the tightness of the shoe. Alternatively, the shoe includes a strip of piping around the rear of the shoe and a slider in which the second end of the shoelace is secured slides along the piping when the user wants to make micro-adjustments.

The invention relates to a method for fastening a shoe (1), having an upper part (2) and a sole (3) connected thereto, a rotary closure (4) for fastening the shoe (1) on the wearer's foot by means of at least one tensioning element (5), the rotary closure (4) having a rotatably arranged tensioning roller (6), and the tensioning roller (6) being driven by means of an electric motor (7), and a switching element (8), which is connected to control means (9), wherein the switching element (8) and the control means (9) can actuate the electric motor (7), wherein the operation of fastening the shoe (1) takes place by virtue of the person using the shoe (1) using a finger (15) to actuate the switching element (8). In order for it to be possible for the shoe to be fastened on the wearer's foot in a particularly straightforward and reproducible manner, the invention provides for the switching element (8) to have a number of touch-sensitive sensors (10) which are arranged one beside the other and form a surface (11) which is accessible to a user's finger (15), wherein the method comprises the following steps: The finger (15) is passed over the surface (11) of the touch-sensitive sensors (10) in a first direction (R1), the control means (9) detects the signal from the touch-sensitive sensors (10) and the control means (9) and the electric motor (7) cause the shoe to be fastened on the wearer's foot with a first level of fastening force. The invention also relates to a shoe.

A closure mechanism for an article of footwear comprising a tongue, adjustable lace, toggle, and a tether is provided. The adjustable lace operatively connects the lateral sidewall and the medial sidewall along a throat opening, the tongue extends between the lateral sidewall and the medial sidewall within the throat opening, the toggle is coupled to and movable along the adjustable lace and fixedly attached to the tongue, and the tether is operatively coupled to each of the tongue and the toggle. The closure mechanism provides ease of use with a single motion, one-handed, transition from an open position to a tightened position by exerting a traction force in a predetermined direction on the adjustable lace, and from a tightened position to an open position by exerting a traction force in the predetermined direction on the tether. This disclosure may be particularly beneficial to wearers having limited dexterity or mobility.

A fastening system for an article of footwear includes an upper having inner and outer layers with a fastening mechanism disposed along the inner layer and a plurality of apertures defined along the outer layer. The fastening mechanism includes a fastening member rotatable in first and second directions and a plurality of fastening elements spaced from the fastening member and corresponding with respective apertures. The fastening elements are connected to the fastening member by a connecting element such that, when the fastening member is rotated in the first direction, the fastening elements are simultaneously rotated from a first position toward a second position. The fastening system is moveable between a loosened configuration, in which the fastening elements are in the first position and aligned within respective apertures, and a tightened configuration, in which the fastening elements are in the second position and offset with respect to respective apertures.