ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 19 -- United States Patent no. 12,250,996, issued on March 18, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Lacing apparatus for automated footwear platform" was invented by Summer L. Schneider (Portland, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Systems and apparatus related to automated tightening of a footwear platform including a footwear lacing apparatus are discussed. In an example, a footwear lacing apparatus can include a housing structure, a spool, and a drive mechanism. The housing structure can include a top section and a bottom section. The spool can include a superior surface, a lace spool under the superior surface and a spool shaft with a keyed connection pin....