A rotary push-pull rope retractor includes a top cover, a follower, a seat, a control member and a base. The seat is fixedly installed on the base. An upper surface of the seat is provided with an elastic member and a pawl connected with the elastic member. The follower includes a ratchet and a rope bin. The pawl is located on one side of the ratchet and engaged with the ratchet. The control member is slidably arranged on the upper surface of the seat, and the control member can push the pawl to move away from the ratchet and compress the elastic member to separate the pawl from the ratchet, so as to switch the meshing mode or the free mode of the rotary push-pull rope retractor. The top cover is arranged above the seat, and the top cover and the follower are connected in linkage.

The present disclosure provides a device configured to be positioned within a prosthetic socket. The device includes a tether having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the tether is configured to be coupled to a prosthetic liner. The device also includes a spool fixed with respect to the prosthetic socket. The second end of the tether is coupled to the spool. The device also includes a motor and a battery configured to provide power to the motor. The device also includes a coupling mechanism configured to transition from a first position in which the spool is only able to rotate in a first direction to a second position in which the spool is able to rotate in the first direction and a second direction. The device also includes a release actuator positioned on an exterior of the prosthetic socket. Actuation of the release actuator causes the coupling mechanism to transition from the first position to the second position. The device also includes a tightening actuator positioned on the exterior of the prosthetic socket. Actuation of the tightening actuator causes the motor to rotate the spool in the first direction to wind the tether around the spool to thereby reduce a distance between the first end of the tether and the spool.

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.

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.

Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In this example, the lace guide is deformable to assist in facilitating automated lace tightening. The lace guide can include a middle section, a first extension and a second extension. In this example, the lace guide can be configured to define a first route for a lace cable, the first route including receiving the lace cable along the first incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along the first outgoing lace axis. In this example, the lace guide can also deflect, in response to tension on the lace cable, resulting in defining a second route for the lace cable, the second route including receiving the lace cable along a second incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along a second outgoing lace axis.

Systems and apparatus related to automated tightening of a footwear platform including a lacing engine drive apparatus are discussed. In an example, a drive apparatus to rotate a lace spool of a motorized lacing engine within a footwear platform can include a gear motor, a gear box, a worm drive, and a worm gear. The gear box can be mechanically coupled to the gear motor, and the gear box can include a drive shaft extending opposite the gear motor. The worm drive can be slidably keyed to the drive shaft to control rotation of the worm drive in response to gear motor activation. The worm gear can rotate the lace spool upon rotation of the worm drive to tighten or loosen a lace cable on the footwear platform.

Presented are intelligent electronic footwear and apparel with controller-automated features, methods for making/operating such footwear and apparel, and control systems for executing automated features of such footwear and apparel. A method for automating a collaborative operation between an intelligent electronic shoe (IES) and an intelligent transportation management (ITM) system includes receiving, via a detection tag attached to the IES shoe structure, a prompt signal from a transmitter-detector module communicatively connected to a traffic system controller of the ITM system. In reaction to the received prompt signal, the detection tag transmits a response signal to the transmitter-detector module. The traffic system controller uses the response signal to determine a location of the IES's user, and the current operating state of a traffic signal proximate the user's location. The traffic system controller transmits a command signal to the traffic signal to switch from the current operating state to a new operating state.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to adjustable closure devices. One embodiment has a strap, a connector attached to a strap end, a chafe mounted on the strap behind the connector, and a hinged handle on the chafe. The chafe has a two outer bars and a central bar, these bars defining strap through-paths. The strap end-region has path segments arranged, directionally from the strap's central region toward the strap end at the chafe, or, in embodiments that configure the strap as a pulley, at the connector. An adjustable length region of the strap spans between the chafe and the connector. An elevatable handle configuration allows a user to pull the chafe to which it is connected along the strap, away from connector. As the chafe moves along the strap, the strap can transition between a large circumference configuration and small circumference. Some embodiments have a strap friction-locking mechanism associated with the handle and the chafe.

The invention relates to a shoe (1), especially to a sports shoe, with a shoe upper (2) and a sole (3) connected with the shoe upper (2), wherein the shoe (1) comprises a central fastener (4) for lacing the shoe (1) at the foot of a wearer, wherein the central fastener (4) comprises at least one tensioning element (5) which is arranged on or in a region of the shoe upper (2) by which a lacing force can be exerted onto the region of the shoe upper (2) and at least one gear element (6) driven by an electric motor (7), wherein a section (8) of the tensioning element (5) can be pulled against a fixed location (9) of the shoe (1) by means of the gear element (6) to create a tensioning force for lacing the shoe (1) at the foot of the wearer. To provide a compact central closure system the invention proposes that the section (8) of the tensioning element (5) is a strap which comprises a gearing (10) or a profile, wherein the gear element (6) comprises a worm (11) which engages into the gearing (10) or profile to pull the strap (8) in a translational direction (T) at the rotation of the worm (11).