Shoe with lacing mechanism

Abstract

A shoe is disclosed that includes an upper having a closure mechanism that is arranged for lacing the shoe by at least one tensioning element, a rotatably arranged tensioning roller disposed within the closure mechanism, the tensioning roller being driven by an electric motor, and a closing button in communication with a control system for generating a closing signal that is configured to actuate the electric motor to lace the shoe. The closure mechanism is configured to tighten the shoe with a first level of lacing power when a first closing signal is generated and tighten the shoe with a second level of lacing power when a second closing signal is generated.

Claims

1. A shoe, comprising: an upper having a closure mechanism that is arranged for lacing the shoe by at least one tensioning element, a rotatably arranged tensioning roller disposed within the closure mechanism, wherein the tensioning roller is driven by an electric motor, and at least one button in communication with a control system for generating a closing signal, which is configured to actuate the electric motor to lace the shoe, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to: tighten the shoe with a first level of lacing power when a first closing signal is generated that results in a first tension of the at least one tensioning element, wherein the first closing signal is a single tap on the at least one button, which is followed by a first predetermined waiting time, after which the electric motor rotates the tensioning roller to achieve the first tension, and tighten the shoe with a second level of lacing power when a second closing signal is generated that results in a second tension of the at least one tensioning element that is different than the first tension, wherein the second closing signal is a double tap on the at least one button, wherein the double tap occurs within a predetermined following time, and is followed by a second predetermined waiting time, after which the electric motor rotates the tensioning roller to achieve the second tension, wherein the predetermined following time is less than the first predetermined waiting time and the second predetermined waiting time.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism is further configured to tighten the shoe with a third level of lacing power, resulting in a third tension of the at least one tensioning element, which is higher than the second tension, when a third closing signal is generated, which is different from the first and second closing signal.

3. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the third closing signal is a triple tap on the at least one button.

4. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the closure mechanism is further configured to increase the level of lacing power from the first level of lacing power to the second level of lacing power or from the second level of lacing power to the third level of lacing power when a further closing signal is generated by the at least one button.

5. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined waiting time or the second predetermined waiting time are at the most 1.0 second.

6. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the predetermined following time is between 0.05 seconds and 0.75 seconds.

7. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the at least one button includes a closing button and an opening button, and wherein the control system initiates tension relief of the at least one tensioning element when the opening button is actuated, which is different from the closing button.

8. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism is arranged on an instep of the shoe.

9. The shoe of claim 7, wherein the control system is coupled with a mobile phone via a wireless connection, and wherein the closing button and opening button are formed by the mobile phone.

10. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined waiting time and the second predetermined waiting time are the same.

11. A shoe, comprising: an upper; a closure mechanism that is arranged for lacing the shoe by at least one tensioning element, a rotatably arranged tensioning roller disposed within the closure mechanism, wherein the tensioning roller is driven by an electric motor, and at least one button that is in communication with a control system for generating a closing signal, which is configured to actuate the electric motor to lace the shoe, wherein the closure mechanism is configured to: tighten the shoe when a first closing signal is generated that results in a first tension of the at least one tensioning element, wherein the first closing signal is a single tap on the at least one button, which is followed by a first predetermined waiting time, after which the electric motor rotates the tensioning roller to achieve the first tension, and tighten the shoe when a second closing signal is generated that results in a second tension of the at least one tensioning element that is different than the first tension, wherein the second closing signal is a double tap on the at least one button, wherein the double tap occurs within a predetermined following time, and is followed by a second predetermined waiting time, after which the electric motor rotates the tensioning roller to achieve the second tension, wherein the predetermined following time is less than the first predetermined waiting time and the second predetermined waiting time.

12. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the closure mechanism is further configured to tighten the shoe when a third closing signal is generated that results in a third tension of the at least one tensioning element, the third tension being different than the second tension.

13. The shoe of claim 12, wherein the third closing signal is a triple tap on the at least one button.

14. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined waiting time or the second predetermined waiting time are at the most 1.0 second, and wherein the predetermined following time is between 0.05 seconds and 0.75 seconds.

15. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the at least one button includes a closing button and an opening button, and wherein the control system initiates tension relief of the at least one tensioning element when the opening button is actuated, which is different from the closing button.

16. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the control system is coupled with a mobile phone via a wireless connection, and wherein the closing button and opening button are formed by the mobile phone.

17. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the closing button and the opening button are disposed on a lateral side of the shoe and a medial side of the shoe, respectively.

18. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the at least one button is defined by a portion of the shoe that is configured to receive a physical tapping gesture.

19. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the closure mechanism is arranged on an instep of the shoe.

20. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the at least one button includes a closing switch.

21. The shoe of claim 20, wherein after receiving the second closing signal and waiting the second predetermined waiting time, the closing switch is configured to receive a third closing signal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawing an embodiment of the invention is shown.

(2) FIG. 1 shows schematically a side view of a sport shoe which can be laced with a rotating closure,

(3) FIG. 2 shows schematically in the view C according to FIG. 1 a part of the instep of the shoe on which a rotating closure is arranged which can be actuated by a closing button and an opening button,

(4) FIG. 3a shows a schematic depiction of a first closing signal for the rotating closure,

(5) FIG. 3b shows a schematic depiction of a second closing signal for the rotating closure and

(6) FIG. 3c shows a schematic depiction of a third closing signal for the rotating closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) In FIG. 1 a shoe 1 being a sports shoe can be seen which has an upper 2 and a sole 11. The lacing of the shoe 1 takes place by means of a rotating closure 3 (i.e. of a central fastener), wherein by rotating of a tensioning roller 5 at least one tensioning element 4 is winded on the tensioning roller 5 and thus the upper 2 is tensioned and laced respectively at the foot of the wearer of the shoe 1.

(8) The rotating closure 3 is arranged on the instep 10 of the shoe 1. The axis of rotation of the tensioning roller is thereby perpendicular to the region of the instep 10 of the shoe 1. Accordingly, a convenient access to the rotating closure 3 is ensured for the user of the shoe who must only actuate corresponding buttons, namely a closing button 7 and an opening button 9 (s. FIG. 2), for opening and closing of the rotating closure because the rotating closure 3 is electric motor operated. The electric motor 6 is indicated which is required for that; it can drive the tensioning roller 5 via a—not depicted—gear. In the embodiment the axis of rotation of the electric motor 6 is arranged horizontally and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the shoe.

(9) The actuation of the electric motor 6 for the opening and the closing of the rotating closure 3 is initiated by a control system 8 which is correspondingly also connected with the closing button 7 and the opening button 9.

(10) For closing of the shoe 1 the user proceeds as follows:

(11) When he wants to put on the shoe at his foot with a first (low) tensioning force level he taps once onto the closing button 7. This tap impulse is denoted in FIG. 3a with the arrow. The control system 8 registers the tap impulse and waits a waiting time tW to find out if further tap impulses follow by the user. If this is not the case the software which is stored in the control system 8 knows that the user wanted to give a first closing signal S1 which corresponds to said first tensioning force level.

(12) Accordingly the electric motor 6 is driven until a first predetermined maximum value for the motor current is given, for example 1.5 A.

(13) When the user wants to put on the shoe at his foot with a second (medium) tensioning force level he taps twice onto the closing button 7. This sequence of tap impulses is denoted in FIG. 3b with the arrows. The control system 8 registers again the tap impulses wherein intended double impulses—as shown in FIG. 3b—can be identified by the fact that they follow within a predetermined following time tF. Otherwise the control system waits again the waiting time tW after the last identified tap impulse to find out if still further tap impulses follow by the user. If this is not the case the software which is stored in the control system 8 knows that the user wanted to give said second closing signal S2 which corresponds to said second tensioning force level.

(14) Accordingly the electric motor 6 is driven now until a second predetermined maximum value for the motor current is given which is higher than the first value, for example 2.5 A.

(15) The analogue applies, when the user wants to put on the shoe at his foot with a third (high) tensioning force level. He taps in this case three times onto the closing button 7. This sequence of tap impulses is denoted in FIG. 3c with the arrows. The control system 8 registers again the tap impulses wherein intended multiple impulse—as shown in FIG. 3c—can be identified by the fact that the time distance between two tap impulses is within the predetermined following time tF. Otherwise the control system waits again the waiting time tW after the last identified tap impulse to find out if still further tap impulses follow by the user. If this is not the case the software which is stored in the control system 8 knows that the user wanted to give said third closing signal S3 which corresponds to said third tensioning force level.

(16) Accordingly the electric motor 6 is driven now until a third predetermined maximum value for the motor current is given which is higher than the second value, for example 3.5 A.

(17) Accordingly the possibility exists by the proposed proceedings to reach a selective tensioning force level by different closing signals S1, S2 and S3 respectively.

(18) The user needs not—as in the state of the art—actuate the closing button 7 for a longer time; rather it is sufficient that he gives the respective sequence of impulses. Furthermore, the user can thereby directly obtain a tensioning force level which fits to his desires without adjusting the same by a respective long pressing of the closing button.

(19) When the shoe fits at least with the first tensioning force level at the foot of the user and when the user presses once onto the closing button 7, when he thus gives a single tap impulse onto the button, the next tensioning force level can be automatically obtained according to a further embodiment, thus from the first into the second tensioning force level or from the second into the third tensioning force level. This is mentioned above when reciting the further closing signal which is applied in the given case by the user to the closing button.

(20) For opening of the shoe, i.e. for releasing of the tensioning element 4, the user presses once onto the opening button 9. The electric motor 6 drives then into the completely tensionless state which can detected by a respective rotation angle sensor at the tensioning roller 5.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(21) 1 Shoe 2 Upper 3 Rotating closure 4 Tensioning element 5 Tensioning roller 6 Electric motor 7 Closing button 8 Control system 9 Opening button 10 Instep 11 Sole S1 First closing signal S2 Second closing signal S3 Third closing signal S4 Further closing signal tW Waiting time tF Following time