Granted Patent B2

US 12,660,886 · App. 16/506,971 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Inventors: Kristopher C. Lovett (Denver, CO); Christopher H. Converse (Boulder, CO); Clark Morgan (Denver, CO); Michael J. Nickel (Golden, CO)

Assignee: BOA Technology, Inc.

A43C11/165A43B19/005A43C1/04A43C3/00A43C3/02A43C5/00A43C7/00A43C11/20A43C15/00A43C15/061Y10T24/3739Y10T29/49826

Abstract

Claims (30)

1 . A reel based closure device comprising:

a housing having an interior region and a housing channel that is defined or formed on a bottom surface of the housing;

a spool that is rotatably positioned within the interior region of the housing, the spool having a channel formed therein around which a tension member is wound; and

a tightening component rotatably coupled with the housing and operably coupled with the spool so that an operation of the tightening component causes the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing to wind the tension member around the channel of the spool;

wherein the housing channel includes a first opening positioned on a first side of the housing, a second opening positioned on a second side of the housing opposite the first side, and a main body that extends along the bottom surface of the housing directly below the interior region of the housing between the first opening and the second opening; and

wherein the housing channel is configured so that the tension member is routed from the housing and through the housing channel.

2 . The reel based closure device of claim 1 , wherein the housing channel is configured so that the tension member is routed under the housing.

3 . The reel based closure device of claim 1 , wherein opposing sides of the housing channel have an arcuate or curved shape.

4 . The reel based closure device of claim 1 , wherein the housing channel is cylindrically shaped.

5 . The reel based closure device of claim 1 , wherein the reel based closure device includes a radially extending flange positioned adjacent a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the radially extending flange extends at least partially around a perimeter of the housing.

6 . The reel based closure device of claim 1 , wherein the reel based device includes a plurality of guide members that are configured to guide the tension member about a path of an article, wherein the plurality of guide members are non-removably coupled with the tension member and wherein each guide member includes a channel through which the tension member is inserted.

7 . A reel based closure device for tightening an article, the reel based closure device comprising:

a housing having an interior region and a channel;

a spool that is rotatably positioned within the interior region of the housing;

a tension member that is coupled with the spool so that a first portion of the tension member is wound around a central portion of the spool; and

a tightening component operably coupled with the spool so that an operation of the tightening component causes the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing to wind the tension member around the central portion of the spool;

wherein the channel of the housing is arranged so that a second portion of the tension member is routed away from the housing to one or more guide members that are separate from the reel based closure device and routed therefrom through a first opening of the channel that is positioned on a first side of the housing, through a second opening of the channel that is positioned on a second side of the housing opposite the first side, and through a main body of the channel that extends along a bottom surface of the housing directly below the interior region of the housing between the first opening and the second opening; and

wherein the second portion of the tension member that is routed through the channel is not windable around the central portion of the spool.

8 . The reel based closure device of claim 7 , wherein the reel based closure device is configured so that the second portion of the tension member is routed under the housing when the reel based closure device is coupled with the article.

9 . The reel based closure device of claim 7 , wherein the channel is defined or formed on a bottom surface of the housing.

10 . The reel based closure device of claim 7 , wherein opposing sides of the channel have an arcuate or curved shape.

11 . The reel based closure device of claim 7 , wherein the channel is cylindrical shaped, and wherein the channel extends from a first side of the housing to a second side of the housing.

12 . The reel based closure device of claim 8 , wherein the reel based closure device includes a radially extending flange positioned adjacent a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the radially extending flange extends at least partially around a perimeter of the housing.

13 . The reel based closure device of claim 8 , wherein the reel based device includes a plurality of guide members that are configured to guide the tension member about a path of an article, wherein the plurality of guide members are non-removably coupled with the tension member.

14 . A method of coupling a reel based closure device with an article, the method comprising:

providing the reel based closure device of claim 7 ;

coupling the reel based closure device with the article; and

routing the portion of the tension member through the housing.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the reel based closure device includes a channel that is defined or formed on a bottom surface of the housing, and wherein routing the portion of the tension member through the housing comprises inserting the tension member through the channel.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the article is an article of footwear.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (400)