ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 25 -- United States Patent no. 12,478,140, issued on Nov. 25, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Footwear having motorized adjustment system and elastic upper" was invented by Thomas J. Rushbrook (Portland, Ore.) and Tiffany A. Beers (Portland, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "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 str...