Nike, Inc.

Brendan Donohoe

Brian L Kash

Keith A Folske

Kevin Steward

Summer L Schneider

Holli Pheil

Alice Fockele

Andrew Owenson

James Stevenson

Brian Aznoe

A system includes a wearable article and a housing assembly including a receptacle defining a chamber and having an access opening providing access to the chamber to removably receive an electronic module within the chamber. The housing assembly further includes an interface having first and second electrical contacts exposed to the chamber. First and second conductive leads are connected to the electrical contacts through the bottom side of the receptacle to place the leads in electronic communication with the contacts. The housing assembly is bonded between top and bottom layers of material forming a portion of the wearable article, such that the layers are bonded to the receptacle by a bonding material.

Wearable article with removable module

An article of footwear, method, and motorized lacing system includes a motor, including a motor shaft, a spool, coupled to the motor shaft, configured to spool and unspool the lace based on the turning of the motor shaft, a processor circuit, and a three-dimensional encoder. The three-dimensional encoder defines a major axis and has a surface having a tabs extending from a drum, an optical sensor, positioned within optical range of the cylindrical encoder, configured to output a signal to the processor circuit indicative of a detected one of the tabs, and a beam break, positioned between the three-dimensional encoder and the optical sensor, forming a pair of slits. The optical sensor is positioned to view the tabs through the pair of slits, wherein the processor circuit is configured to operate the motor based, at least in part, on the signal as received from the optical sensor.

Autolacing footwear motor having rotary drum encoder

An article of footwear, motorized lacing system, and method includes a motor, a transmission, operatively coupled to the motor, a power source, operatively coupled to the motor, a lace spool, operatively coupled to the motor via the transmission, configured to spool and unspool the lace based on operation of the motor, a printed circuit board, and a housing. The housing contains the motor, the transmission, the power source, the lace spool and the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board positioned between an interior surface of the housing and at least one of the power source and the motor, wherein the interior surface includes a post that extends through a hole formed in the printed circuit board. A flexing of the interior surface causes force on the housing to be at least partially imparted on the at least one of the power source, the transmission, and the motor.

Autolacing footwear motor having force-directing supports

An article of footwear, lacing engine, and method includes a motor, a transmission operatively coupled to the motor, and a lace spool. The lace spool is operatively coupled to the transmission and includes a top lace groove in a top surface of the lace spool and a circumferential channel, wherein the lace is configured to be inserted in the top lace groove and be taken up around the circumferential channel based on a turning of the lace spool from action by the motor and transmission. A fastener is configured to couple the lace spool to the transmission and is inserted into the lace spool via the top surface, the fastener having a head having a head width sufficient to partially cover the top lace groove, leaving a top gap having a gap width less than a thickness of the lace.

Autolacing footwear

An article of footwear and related method includes a midsole, an upper secured with respect to the midsole, and a lace extending across the upper, the lace having a securing member, a first segment of the lace having a first apparent length and a second segment of the lace, separated from the first segment by the securing member, having a second apparent length. A motorized lacing system is configured to engage with the lace to increase and decrease tension on the lace. The motorized lacing system includes a motor and a spool, coupled to the motor, configured to spool and unspool the lace, the spool having a plurality of notches, each of the plurality of notches configured to seat the securing member, wherein the first apparent length and the second apparent length is adjustable based on which of the plurality of notches the securing member is seated in.

Autolacing footwear having a notched spool

A system includes an electronic module containing an electronic component and a connector in communication with the electronic component, and a housing defining a chamber and having an opening providing access to the chamber to receive the electronic module. The housing has an interface for removable electronic connection to the connector of the module when the module is received in the chamber, and the housing further has a magnet connected to the housing. The module includes a sensor configured to sense the magnet when the module is received in the chamber, and the module is configured to deactivate the connector when the sensor does not sense the magnet and to activate the connector when the sensor does sense the magnet. The sensor may be a Hall effect sensor and/or the connector may be configured for connection to a USB port in various configurations.

A system includes a wearable article and a housing assembly including a receptacle defining a chamber and having an access opening providing access to the chamber to removably receive an electronic module within the chamber. The housing assembly further includes first and second contact members each having a contact pad positioned outside the chamber and an arm extending from the contact pad into the chamber to form electrical contacts of an interface exposed to the chamber. Conductive leads are connected to the contact pads to place the leads in electronic communication with the contacts, and bonding the housing assembly to a wearable article. The housing assembly is bonded between top and bottom layers of material forming a portion of the wearable article, such that the layers are bonded to the receptacle by a bonding material. The article has an electrically-powered component, and the leads are connected to the component.

A manufacturing method a housing assembly including a receptacle defining a chamber and having an access opening providing access to the chamber to removably receive an electronic module within the chamber. The housing assembly further includes first and second contact members each having a contact pad positioned outside the chamber and an arm extending from the contact pad into the chamber to form electrical contacts of an interface exposed to the chamber. The method includes connecting conductive leads to the contact pads to place the leads in electronic communication with the contacts, and bonding the housing assembly to a wearable article. The housing assembly is bonded between top and bottom layers of material forming a portion of the wearable article, such that the top and bottom layers are bonded to the receptacle by a bonding material. The article has an electrically-powered component, and the leads are connected to the component.

An assembly includes a housing having a receptacle defining a chamber and an opening on a top side of the receptacle providing access to the chamber, such that the receptacle receives an electronic module within the chamber. First and second contact members have first and second contact pads, respectively, positioned outside the chamber on an underside of the receptacle opposite the top side and first and second arms, respectively extending from the first and second contact pads through a wall of the receptacle to form first and second electrical contacts exposed within the chamber. The first and second contact pads each have widths that are enlarged relative to the first and second arms, respectively. The first electrical contact and the second electrical contact form an interface exposed within the chamber and configured for removable electronic connection to a connector of the module when the module is received in the chamber.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Brendan Donohoe