Patent Publication Number: US-2021177098-A1

Title: Lace coupling for reel based closure device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/596,526 filed May 16, 2017, and titled “Failure Compensating Lace Tension Devices and Methods,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/487,024 filed Sep. 15, 2014, and titled “Failure Compensating Lace Tension Devices and Methods,” which claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/877,628 filed Sep. 13, 2013, and titled “Failure Compensating Lace Tension Devices and Methods,” and to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/937,372 filed Feb. 7, 2014, and titled “Failure Compensating Lace Tension Devices and Methods,” the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, for all purposes, as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments described herein are related to closure devices for various articles, such as braces, medical devices, shoes, clothing, apparel, and the like. Such articles typically include closure devices that allow the article to be placed and closed about a body part. The closure devices are typically used to maintain or secure the article to the body part. For example, shoes are typically placed over an individual&#39;s foot and lace is tensioned and tied to close the shoe about the foot and secure the shoe to the foot. Conventional closure devices have been modified in an effort to increase the fit and/or comfort of the article about the body part. For example, shoe lacing configurations and/or patterns have been modified in an attempt to increase the fit and/or comfort of wearing shoes. Conventional closure devices have also been modified in an effort to decrease the time in which an article may be closed and secured about the body part. These modifications have resulted in the use of various pull cords, straps, and tensioning devices that enable the article to be quickly closed and secured to the foot. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiments described herein provide closure systems and components therefor. According to one aspect, a reel for tightening an article includes a base member that is coupleable with the article and a housing positioned atop the base member and removeably coupleable therewith. The housing includes an interior region within which a spool is positioned. The spool is rotatable within the housing and includes a central post about which a tension member is wound. A knob member is coupled with the spool and configured to cause the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing in a first direction to wind the tension member about the spool&#39;s central post. The reel also includes a load holding mechanism that is coupled with the spool and the housing. The load holding mechanism includes a first friction element/component and a second friction element/component that are frictionally engageable to prevent rotation of the spool in a second direction opposite the first direction to prevent unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. Rotation of the knob member in the first direction reduces the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element to enable rotation of the spool in the first direction and tension in the tension member biases the spool toward rotation in the second direction which increases the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element. 
     In some embodiments, the knob member includes a tapered lumen through which the tension member is inserted to enable a knot to be tied in the tension member, or a coupling element to be coupled with the tension member. In such embodiments, the knot or coupling element engages with the tapered lumen as the tension member is retracted within the lumen to enable attachment of the tension member with the spool without disassembly of reel. In such embodiments, the housing may include a lumen through which the tension member is inserted. The lumen of the housing may align with the lumen of the knob member so that, upon alignment, the lumen of the housing directs the tension member through the lumen of the knob member. 
     In some embodiments, the base member includes a spring member that is positioned within an annular groove and that releasably engages with a bottom end of the housing to removably couple the housing with the article. In some embodiments, the reel includes a release mechanism that is rotatably coupled with the housing and attached to a distal end of the second friction element. The release mechanism is rotatable relative to the housing to enable the spool to be rotated in the second direction and thereby enable unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. In some embodiments, the release mechanism may be rotatable between a lock position and an unlock position, where in the lock position rotation of the spool in the second direction is prevented, and where in the unlock position rotation of the spool in the second direction is enabled. In other embodiments, continuous rotation of the release mechanism in the second direction causes a corresponding rotation of the spool in the second direction to unwind the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. 
     In some embodiments, the spool is not fully enclosed by a wall or walls of the housing so that the spool and/or a portion of the tension member wound about the spool&#39;s post is visible to a user. In such embodiments, the wall or walls of the housing may extend from a bottom portion of the base member or spool to a top portion of the spool and/or an under surface of the knob to reinforce the coupling of the spool and/or knob with the housing and/or base member. 
     In some embodiments, the first friction element is a hub that is coaxially aligned with and positioned within a lumen of the spool and the second friction element is a spring that is wound about the hub and configured to constrict about an outer surface of the hub to prevent rotation of the spool in the second direction. In other embodiments, the first friction element is a pair of hubs with a first one of said hubs fixedly coupled with the housing and a second one of said hubs fixedly coupled with the knob. In such embodiments, the second one of said hubs is configured to rotate relative to the first one of said hubs when frictional engagement of the spring and said pair of hubs is reduced. The second one of said hubs is rotatably locked to the first one of said hubs when frictional engagement of the spring and said pair of hubs is increased. 
     According to another aspect, a reel for tightening an article includes a housing having an interior region and a base that is attachable to the article and a spool positioned within the interior region of the housing and rotatable relative thereto. The spool includes a central post about which a tension member is wound. A knob member is coupled with the spool and configured to cause the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing in a first direction to wind the tension member about the spool&#39;s central post. A load holding mechanism is coupled with the spool and the housing. The load holding mechanism includes a first friction element and a second friction element that are frictionally engageable to prevent rotation of the spool in a second direction opposite the first direction to prevent unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. Rotation of the knob member in the first direction reduces the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element to enable rotation of the spool in the first direction and tension in the tension member biases the load holding mechanism toward rotation in the second direction which increases the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element. 
     In some embodiments, the reel includes a release mechanism that is rotatably coupled with the housing and attached to a distal end of the second friction element. The release mechanism is rotatable relative to the housing to enable the spool to be rotated in the second direction and thereby enable unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. In some embodiments, the release mechanism is rotatable between a lock position and an unlock position where, in the lock position, rotation of the spool in the second direction is prevented and where, in the unlock position, rotation of the spool in the second direction is enabled. In other embodiments, rotation of the release mechanism in the second direction causes a corresponding rotation of the spool in the second direction to unwind the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. 
     In some embodiments, the first friction element is a hub that is coaxially aligned with and positioned within a lumen of the spool and the second friction element is a spring that is wounds about the hub and configured to constrict about an outer surface of the hub to prevent rotation of the spool in the second direction. In other embodiments, the first friction element is a pair of hubs with a first one of said hubs fixedly coupled with the housing and a second one of said hubs fixedly coupled with the knob. In such embodiments, the second one of said hubs is configured to rotate relative to the first one of said hubs when frictional engagement of the spring and said pair of hubs is reduced and the second one of said hubs is rotatably locked to the first one of said hubs when frictional engagement of the spring and said pair of hubs is increased. 
     According to another aspect, a method for assembly a shoe with a reel based mechanism includes providing a reel that includes: a base member, a housing having an interior region, a spool positioned within the interior region of the housing and rotatable relative thereto, a knob member that is coupled with the spool, and a load holding mechanism that is coupled with the spool and the housing. The spool includes a central post about which a tension member is wound and the knob member is configured to cause the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing in a first direction to wind the tension member about the spool&#39;s central post. The load holding mechanism includes a first friction element and a second friction element that are frictionally engageable to prevent rotation of the spool in a second direction opposite the first direction to prevent unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. The load holding mechanism is configured so that rotation of the knob member in the first direction reduces the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element to enable rotation of the spool in the first direction and tension in the tension member biases the load holding mechanism toward rotation in the second direction which increases the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element. The method also includes coupling the base member with the article. 
     In some embodiments, the housing is integrally formed with the base member. In other embodiments, the housing is removably coupleable with the base member. In some embodiments, the base member includes a spring member that is positioned within an annular groove and that releasably engages with a bottom end of the housing to removably couple the housing with the article. 
     According to another aspect, a mechanism for releasably attaching a component to an article includes a base member that is attachable to an article. The base member includes: an inner cavity or aperture, a channel disposed within the inner cavity or aperture, and a spring component positioned within the channel. The spring component is configured to radially deflect about a bottom end of the component as the component is inserted within the inner cavity or aperture to lock the bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture of the base member and thereby releasably couple the component with the base member. 
     In some embodiments, the channel of the inner cavity or aperture is an annular channel and the spring component radially deflects within the annular channel as the bottom end of the component is inserted within the inner cavity or aperture. In such embodiments, the spring component may be a split ring having an inner diameter that widens upon radial deflection. In such embodiments, the widening of the inner diameter may be constrained by the annular channel and an outer diameter of the bottom end of the component may be greater than a widest inner diameter of the split ring allowed by the annular channel so that insertion of the bottom end of the component causes the base member or the bottom end of the component to flex to enable insertion of the bottom end of the component within the base member&#39;s inner cavity or aperture. 
     In some embodiments, the bottom end of the component includes an annular channel within which the spring component is positioned, or the bottom end of the component includes a plurality of lock tabs about which the spring component flexes, to lock the bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture. In some embodiments, the spring component is a split ring, a horseshoe spring, or a clover spring. In some embodiments, the base member further includes a flange that radially extends from all or a portion of an outer periphery of a bottom end of the base member. The flange may be coupleable with the article. 
     According to another aspect, a method for releasably attaching a component to an article includes providing a base member that includes: an inner cavity or aperture, a channel disposed within the inner cavity or aperture, and a spring component positioned within the channel. The method also includes attaching the base member with the article and inserting a bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture so that the spring component radially deflects about the component&#39;s bottom end and thereby locks the bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture of the base member. In some embodiments, attaching the base member with the article includes coupling a flange of the base member with the article. 
     According to another aspect, a lacing system for tightening an article includes a tension member and a plurality of guide members that are positioned about the article and operably coupled with the tension member to guide the tension member along a path about the article. The lacing system also includes a tightening mechanism that is operably coupled with the tension member and configured to tension the tension member to a first level of tension to effect tightening of the article. The lacing system further includes a stop member that is coupled with the tension member. The stop member is configured upon breakage of the tension member to engage with at least one of the plurality of guide members to maintain a second level of tension in the tension member and thereby maintain a tightness of the article. The second level of tension is less than the first level of tension and greater than a nominal level of tension. 
     In some embodiments, the stop component is configured to couple with the tension member subsequent to coupling of the tension member with the article. In some embodiments, the stop component includes a lumen through which a portion of the tension member is positioned and a channel around which the portion of the tension member is wound. The stop component is larger than an opening of the at least one of the plurality of guide members to prevent the stop component from being pulled through the at least one of the plurality of guide members. 
     According to another aspect, a method for maintaining tension in a tension member upon breakage of the tension member is provided. In the method, the tension member is used to tighten an article where the article includes: a tension member, a plurality of guide members positioned about the article and operably coupled with the tension member to guide the tension member along a path about the article, and a tightening mechanism that is operably coupled with the tension member and configured to tension the tension member to a first level of tension to effect tightening of the article. The method includes coupling a stop member with the tension member. The stop member is configured to engage with at least one of the plurality of guide members upon breakage of the tension member to maintain a second level of tension in the tension member and thereby maintain a tightness of the article. The second level of tension is less than the first level of tension and greater than a nominal level of tension. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described in conjunction with the appended figures: 
         FIGS. 1-4  illustrate a general closure or lacing system that may be used to tighten a shoe or other apparel or device about a foot or limb. 
         FIGS. 5A-7B  illustrate embodiments in which a lace of a lacing system may remain tensioned after failure or breakage of the lace. 
         FIGS. 8A-F  illustrate an embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 9A-L  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 9M-R  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 9S-U  illustrate alternative embodiments of a spring-hub mechanism. 
         FIGS. 10A-G  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 11A-E  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 12A-D  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 13A-F  illustrate another embodiment of a reel assembly that may be used to close and/or tighten an article. 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  illustrate a mechanism for releasably attaching a component to an article. 
     
    
    
     In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same numerical reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components and/or features. If only the first numerical reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components and/or features having the same first numerical reference label irrespective of the letter suffix. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing one or more exemplary embodiments. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
     Embodiments described herein provide various devices and methods that may be used to compensate for a failure in a component of a shoe. For example, the shoe&#39;s lace may break due to constant fatigue and/or exposure to severe conditions and/or lace stress. For example, in some activities, such as rock climbing, competitive sports, and the like, the shoe&#39;s lace may contact and rub against sharp and/or rough objects. The objects may cause the shoe&#39;s lace to slightly fray, crack, or otherwise break. Repeated exposure to such harsh conditions, and/or a sudden increase in the lace&#39;s tension due to sudden movement of the foot, may cause the lace to fail. Similarly, in military conditions, the shoes worn by soldiers may be subject to extreme and harsh conditions, which may greatly decrease the life of the lace and/or cause sudden failure of the lace. Similar harsh conditions may be subjected to shoes worn by police, firefighters, construction workers, other specialized workmen, and the like. 
     Failure of the lace may result in the shoe being too loose on the foot. Thus, the shoe may be incapable of providing a proper or desired support and/or protection. In extreme cases, the shoe may fall off the foot entirely or may be so loose that wearing the shoe is detrimental. For example, in rock climbing activities, failure of the shoe&#39;s lace may expose a user&#39;s foot to the harsh rock surfaces and/or may slip as the user attempts to climb a rock. This may result in damage and/or bleeding of the foot, or may render the climbing conditions dangerous. In sports situations, loss of the shoe may result in the participant being unable to finish or complete a play and/or may cause the participant to fall or stumble. In military applications, loss of the shoe, or loss of the shoe&#39;s tightness, may result in the soldier being unable to participate in a military operation or being unable to flee from a dangerous situation. In extreme cases, loss of the shoe may result in a death of an individual, such as when a soldier is unable to flee from a dangerous situation and is captured or hit by enemy fire as a result. 
     Other embodiments described herein provide shoe components that produce less audible noise during use of the component. For example, as described herein, some shoes are tensioned or tightened using a knob and reel assembly, which may be rotated to tighten and/or loosen a shoe&#39;s lace. Conventional reel assemblies often produce an audible noise as they are rotated by a user, such as a clicking sound from one or more internal components. In some situations it may be desirous to tension or tighten a shoe without producing such an audible noise. For example, a user may be in a public place and may not want to draw attention to him or herself as the shoe is being tightened. Similarly, hunters or outdoorsmen often want to remain as quiet as possible in order to avoid alerting game to their locations. In military situations, a soldier may not want to producing audible noise to avoid alerting enemies to their location and/or to enable the soldier to sneak up on an enemy without being detected. 
     These and other aspects of the embodiments will be realized with reference to the description of the several figures provided below. Before describing specific embodiments, however,  FIGS. 1-4  are provided as a general description of a closure or lacing system that may be used to tighten a shoe or other apparel or device about a foot or limb. It should also be realized that while the embodiments are directed mainly to shoes, the embodiments described herein may be applied to virtually any application in which an object needs to be tensioned. For example, the embodiments may be used in various medical applications, on braces, sports equipment, outdoor wear, backpacks, hats, and the like as desired. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , illustrated is a perspective view of an embodiment of lacing system  100  used for tightening a shoe  102 . The shoe can be any suitable footwear that can be tightened around a wearer&#39;s foot. The lacing system  100  can be used to close or tighten various other articles as described herein, such as, for example, a belt, a hat, a glove, snowboard bindings, a medical brace, or a bag. The lacing system can include a reel assembly  104 , a lace  106 , and one or more lace guides  108 . In the illustrated embodiment, the reel assembly  104  can be attached to the tongue  110  of the shoe. Various other configurations are also possible. For example, the reel assembly  104  can be attached to a side of the shoe  102 , which can be advantageous for shoes in which the shoe sides  112   a - b  are designed to be drawn closely together when tightened leaving only a small portion of the tongue  110  exposed. The reel assembly  104  can also be attached to the back of the shoe  102 , and a portion of the lace  106  can pass through the shoe  102 , sometimes using tubing for the lace to travel through, on either side of the wearer&#39;s ankle such that the lace  106  can be engaged with the reel assembly  104  when back-mounted. In some embodiments, the reel assembly  104  may also be attached to the lateral side at or near the top of the lacing throat. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of lacing system  200  that can be similar to the lacing system  100 , or any other lacing system described herein. The lacing system can include a reel assembly  204  which can be similar to the reel assembly  104 , or any other reel/knob assembly described herein.  FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the reel assembly  204 .  FIG. 4  is another exploded perspective view of the reel assembly  204 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the reel assembly  204  can include a base member  214 , a spool member  216 , and a knob member  218 . The base member can include a housing  220  and a mounting flange  222 . The spool housing  220  can include a plurality of ratchet teeth  224 , which can extend radially inwardly. The base member  214  can include lace holes (e.g.,  226   a ) that allow the lace  206  to enter the spool housing  220 . 
     The spool member  216  can be disposed within the spool housing  220  such that the spool member  216  is rotatable about an axis  228  with respect to the spool housing  220 . The lace  206  can be secured to the spool member  216  such that when the spool member  216  rotates in a tightening direction (shown by arrow A) the lace  206  is drawn into the spool housing  220  and is wound around the channel  230  formed in the spool member  216 , and when the spool member  216  rotates in a loosening direction (shown by arrow B) the lace  206  unwinds from the channel  230  of the spool member  216  and exits the spool housing  220  via the lace holes (e.g.,  226   a ). The spool member  216  can also include spool teeth  232  formed thereon. It will be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be modified such that rotation in the direction shown by arrow B will tighten the lacing. In this particular embodiment, the knob member  218  may be raised axially to disengage from spool  230  to allow the spool to freewheel in direction B in order to release the lace. In other embodiments, rotation of the knob member  218  in the direction shown by arrow A may loosen the lacing system. In a specific embodiment, the knob member  218  may be rotated be a specific amount (e.g., ¼ to ½ turn) in a loosening direction (e.g., as shown by arrow A) to loosen the lacing system. Other user interfaces are possible for tightening, releasing, or adjusting lace tension. 
     The knob member  218  can be attached to the spool housing  220  such that the knob member  218  can rotate about the axis  228  with respect to the spool housing  220 . The knob member  218  can include knob teeth  234  that can be configured to mate with the spool teeth  232  to couple the knob member  218  to the spool member  216  such that rotation of the knob member  218  in the tightening direction causes the spool member  216  to also rotate in the tightening direction. In some embodiments, the rotation of the knob member  218  in the loosening direction can also cause the spool member  216  to rotate in the loosening direction. The knob member  218  can also include one or more pawls  236  which can be biased radially outwardly so as to mate with the ratchet teeth  224 . The pawls  236  and ratchet teeth  224  can be configured so that the ratchet teeth  224  can displace the pawls  236  radially inwardly when the knob member  218  is rotated in the tightening direction, thereby allowing the knob member  218  to rotate in the tightening direction. In another embodiment, the pawls  236  and ratchet teeth  224  configuration may be reversed so that the pawls  236  bias inwardly. The pawls  236  and the ratchet teeth  224  can also be configured so that they engage one another when force is applied to twist the knob member  218  in the loosening direction, thereby preventing the knob member  218  from rotating in the loosening direction. In other arrangements, the ratchet teeth  224  may be oriented axially to engage knob pawl members (not shown) that are correspondingly arranged to mate axially. 
     Thus, a reel assembly such as reel assembly  204  can provide a one-way tightening system configured to allow the user to rotate the knob member  218  in the tightening direction, which causes the spool member  216  to rotate in the tightening direction, which in turn causes the lace  206  to be drawn into the spool housing  220  via the lace holes (e.g.,  226   a ). As the lace  206  is drawn into the spool housing  220  the lacing system  200  can tighten, causing the lace guide  208  to be drawn in the direction toward the reel assembly  204  (shown by arrow C in  FIG. 2 ). Although the lacing system  200  is shown with a single lace guide  208 , any other suitable number of lace guides can be used. Other features of the reel and lacing system are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0266384, filed Apr. 29, 2011, and Titled “Reel Based Lacing System”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5A-7C , illustrated are embodiments in which a lace of a closure or lacing system may remain tensioned after failure or breakage of the lace. The embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 5A-7C  illustrate a lacing system that includes a reel assembly and knob device as described above. It should be realized, however, that the embodiments are not limited to such lacing systems and that the embodiments may be used with virtually any conventional lacing system, such as standard shoelace or pull cord system. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrates a lacing system  500  that includes a lace  502  that is positioned around a plurality of guides  506  as described above. A stop member  504  is positioned at a distal end of the lace path between a pair of guides  506 . The stop member  504  is coupled with the lace  502  and essentially divides the lace  502  in half such that upon breakage or failure of the lace  502 , one half of the lace remains coupled with a guide and tensioned to prevent the shoe from becoming fully loose, and/or to allow the reel assembly of lacing system  500  to be subsequently operated to tension the lace  502 . For example, upon breakage or failure of the lace, as shown at position  508 , the stop member  504  remains coupled with lace  502  and is pulled toward guide  506  until the stop member  504  contacts or engages with guide  506 . Engagement of the stop member  504  and guide  506  prevents further slippage of the lace  502  so that half of the lacing system&#39;s lace  502  remains tensioned. 
     The tension may decrease to some degree as the stop member  504  moves from a roughly centered position between the opposing guides and into engagement with guide  506 , but the overall tension in the shoe is significantly greater than would otherwise be achieved with a total failure of the lace  502 . Further, the reel assembly of lacing system  500  may be operated to further tension the lace  502  with the stop member  504  engaged with guide  506 . Thus, even a slight decrease in the lace tension and tightness of the shoe may be remedied by using the lacing system&#39;s reel assembly to re-tension the lace  502 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , in some embodiments the stop member  504  may include a clamping component that may be positioned over the lace  502  and clamped about the lace. Such clamping components may be clamped with conventional lace or lacing systems to provide a failsafe mode. In other embodiments, stop member  504  may be a built in component or otherwise pre-fit with the lace  502 . In addition to a clamping component, the stop member  504  may be a lockable ferrule, threaded lace lock, and the like. 
       FIG. 5E  illustrates another embodiment of a lacing system  510  that includes a stop member that is able to maintain lace tension and tightness of a shoe upon failure of a lace. Specifically,  FIG. 5E  illustrates a pair of stop members,  513  and  515 , that are coupled with a first lace  512  and a second lace  514  respectively. As described previously, upon failure of the first lace  512 , such as at point  516 , the first stop member  513  will be pulled into engagement with a guide of the lacing system  510  to prevent further slippage of the first lace  512  and to maintain some tension or tightness in the shoe. Similarly, upon failure of the second lace  514 , such as at point  517 , the second stop member  515  will be pulled into engagement with a guide of the lacing system  510  to prevent further slippage of the second lace  514  and to maintain some tension or tightness in the shoe. The lacing system  510 &#39;s reel assembly may then be operated to further tension the first and/or second lace,  512  and  514 , respectively. 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 5E  provides redundancy in failure proofing the lacing system  510 . Stated differently, in order to achieve a total or catastrophic failure of the lacing system&#39;s lace, the lacing system&#39;s lace must fail approximately 4 times. For example, upon a failure of the first lace  512  (i.e., point  516 ), one half of the first lace  512  remains tensioned while the entire second lace  514  remains tensioned or vice versa. Similarly, upon a failure of the second lace  514  (i.e., point  517 ), one half of the first lace  512  remains tensioned and one half of the second lace  514  remains tensioned. Upon an additional failure of one of the laces (e.g., failure of the second lace  514  at point  518 ), one half of the lacing system&#39;s lace (e.g., lace  512  as illustrated) would remain tensioned until that lace also experienced failure or breakage. The redundancy of the lacing system  510  allows a shoe to be subjected to extreme and harsh conditions for an extended period of time before experiencing a total or catastrophic failure. 
       FIGS. 5C and 5D  illustrate a stop component  520  that may be coupled with the tension member or lace so that upon breakage of the tension member, the stop component engages with a guide member (e.g., guide  506  and the like) to maintain tension in the lace. As described herein, the lace tension may decrease slightly to a second level of tension that is less than an initial tension or first level of tension, however, the reduced tension or second tension level will be greater than a nominal level of tension, such as no lace tension. The reduced or second level of tension will be sufficient to ensure that an article maintains a sufficient level of tightness. For example, the tension will be sufficient to ensure that a shoe or footwear stays on the user&#39;s foot and the user is able to use the shoe or footwear. As described herein, the lace may be subsequently re-tensioned after breakage to increase the lace tension to near or greater than the first tension level. 
     The stop component  520  includes a main body  522  having a lumen  526  that extends through the main body. The lumen  526  enables the stop component  520  to couple with a lace after or subsequent to the lace being coupled with an article. For example, a shoe lace may be positioned about a shoe and then a portion of the shoe lace coupled with the stop component  520 . The lace may be coupled with the stop component by forming a loop in the lace and inserting the loop through the lumen  526  of the stop component  520 . The loop of lace may then be positioned within a channel  524  formed between and upper and lower portion of the stop component body  522 . The loop may be positioned one or more times within the channel  524  to couple the lace with the stop component  520 . As described herein, the stop component  520  is dimensioned larger than the openings of an adjacent guide to prevent the stop component  520  from being pulled through the guide. 
     According to one embodiment, a method for maintaining tension in a lace or tension member upon breakage of the lace includes coupling a stop member with the lace in an article that includes the lace, a plurality of guide members positioned about the article and operably coupled with the tension member to guide the tension member along a path about the article, and a tightening mechanism that is operably coupled with the tension member and configured to tension the tension member to a first level of tension to effect tightening of the article. The stop member is configured to engage with at least one of the plurality of guide members upon breakage of the tension member to maintain a second level of tension in the tension member and thereby maintain a tightness of the article. The second level of tension is less than the first level of tension and greater than a nominal level of tension. 
       FIG. 5G  illustrates another embodiment of a lacing system  520  that is capable of remaining tensioned upon failure or breakage of the lacing system&#39;s lace. Lacing system  520  includes a first lace  522  that is coupled with a reel assembly at a proximal end and that is terminated or fixedly coupled with a guide  526  at a distal end. Lacing system  520  also includes a second lace  523  that is coupled with the reel assembly at a proximal end and that is terminated or fixedly coupled with a guide  524  and a distal end. Upon failure of one of the laces, such as the breakage  528  of the first lace  522 , the other lace (e.g., lace  523 ) remains coupled with the reel assembly and fixedly coupled with the respective guide (e.g., guide  524 ). In this manner approximately ½ of the lacing system&#39;s lace remains tensioned about the shoe and tensionable via the reel assembly. The distal end of the first and/or second lace,  522  and  523 , may be terminated or fixedly coupled with the respective guides by using guides that are specifically designed to terminate or fixedly couple with lace. In other embodiments, a knot may be tied in the lace, or the system may employ barrel clasps, threading clasps, clamshell snap clasps, cam locks, screen locks, and/or any other mechanical or other fasteners known in the art. 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates another embodiment of a lacing system  600  in which failure proofing redundancy is built into the lacing system  600 . For example, lacing system  600  includes a first lace  602  and a second lace  604 , which both couple with a reel assembly and which wind around a plurality of lace guides along a lace path. A stop member  606  is coupled with both the first lace  602  and the second lace  604  at a distal end of the lace path and between two lace guides. The use of stop member  606  and two laces,  602  and  604 , allows the lacing system to withstand at least one lace failure, and commonly two lace failures, before the stop member  606  will be pulled into contact with one of the lace guides. 
     For example, if the first lace  602  experiences a first failure or breakage, the stop member  606  will remain in position relative to the shoe and the fit or tightness of the shoe will remain relatively unchanged due to the use of the second lace  604 , which is wound around the same lace path as the first lace  602 . One half of the first lace  602  will also remain under tension due to the use of stop member  606 . If the first lace  602  experiences a second failure or breakage in the portion of the first lace  602  that remains tensioned, the second lace  604  will again cause the stop member  606  to remain in position relative to the shoe and substantially maintain the fit or tightness of the shoe. In such a scenario, the stop member  606  will only be pulled into contact with a lace guide upon a failure of the second lace  604 . The portion of the second lace  604  that remains under tension could then be further tensioned via the reel assembly as desired. An additional failure of the second lace  604  would result in a total or catastrophic failure of the lacing system  600 &#39;s lace. 
     In another scenario, the first lace  602  and the second lace  604  may each fail at least one time before the stop member  606  is pulled into contact with the lace guide. For example, if the first lace  602  fails on a first side  603  of the stop member  606  and the second lace  604  fails on a second side  605  of the stop member  606  that is opposite the first side  603 , the stop member  606  will remain in position relative to the shoe and the fit or tightness of the shoe will remain substantially unaffected because the stop member  606  remains coupled with the second lace  604  on the first side  603  and with the first lace  602  on the second side  605 . An additional failure of either lace,  602  and  604 , would result in the stop member  606  being pulled into contact with the lace guide as described above. 
     In a scenario where the first lace  602  and the second lace  604  both fail on the same side of stop member  606  (e.g., side  603  or  605 ), the stop member  606  would be pulled into contact with lace guide. 
     Lacing system  600  may be preferred in some instances, such as when maintaining a fit or tightness of the shoe is critical upon a failure of the lace. Lacing system  600  may also be preferred because the lace path is preserved and may be used to tighten the shoe upon failure of one of the laces of lacing system  600 . Stated differently, in lacing system  600 , a failure of the lace does not result in only half of the lace being usable to tension or tighten a shoe. 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates a lacing system  610  that is similar to lacing system  600  in that lacing system  610  includes a first lace  612  and a second lace  614 . Lacing system  610  is slightly different in that a first stop member  618  is coupled with the first lace  612  and a second stop member  616  is coupled with the second lace  614 . Upon failure of either the first lace  612  or second lace  614 , the other lace maintains the fit or tightness of the shoe as described above. In a scenario where the first lace  612  and the second lace  614  both fail, the first stop guide  618  and second stop guide  616  will be pulled against one of the lace guides as shown. In instances where the first lace  612  and second lace  614  fail on opposite sides of the lace path, the first stop member  618  and second stop member  616  will be pulled into engagement with opposite lace guides such that the lace path of lacing system  610  remains relatively unchanged and the reel assembly may be used to tension the first and second lace,  612  and  614 , and tighten the shoe. Similar to some of the other embodiments described herein, lacing system  610  requires at least 4 lace failures before the lacing system  610  experiences a total or catastrophic failure. 
       FIG. 6C  illustrates an embodiment of a lacing system  620  that includes a first lace  622  and a second lace  624  that are coupled with a load balancing component  630 . As shown, the first lace  622  is wound around a first pulley  634  of component  630  while the second lace  624  is wound around a second pulley  632  of component  630 . A stop member,  635  and  633 , is coupled with the first lace  622  and second lace  624  respectively. Upon failure of one of the laces, the stop member pivots around the pulley and into engagement with a stop pin, which arrests or prevents further slippage of the lace. For example,  FIG. 6C  illustrates a failure of the second lace  624  and the second stop member  633  pulled into engagement with stop pin  637 . The stop member  633  is pulled into engagement with the stop pin  637  by positioning the lace between the pulley  632  and the stop pin  637 . The load-balancing component  630  is able to shift or move laterally between opposing lace guides in order to balance a tension in the first lace  622  and the second lace  624  and on opposing sides of the lace path. In some embodiments, component  630  may be slidably coupled with a stop  636  in order to allow the component  630  to balance the lace tension load. Upon a second failure of one of the laces, component  630  may be forced into engagement with the stop  636  and/or one of the lace guides to prevent further slippage of the remaining lace. As with some of the previous embodiments, lacing system  620  requires 4 lace failures before a total or catastrophic failure is experienced. 
       FIG. 6D  illustrates an embodiment of a lace tension balancing component  640 . The lace tension balancing component  640  includes a main body  642  having a first lower channel  644  within which a first lace  654  is positioned and a second upper channel  648  within which a second lace  652  is positioned. The first channel  644  includes a pair of lower lace ports  646  and the upper lace channel  648  similarly includes a pair of upper lace ports  650 . The lower and upper lace ports,  646  and  650 , are sized smaller than a stop component, such as stop component  520 , so that upon breakage of the lace, the stop component or lace engages with the upper and/or lower lace ports,  646  and  650 , and is not able to be pulled through the upper and/or lower lace ports,  646  and  650 . The lace tension balancing component  640  may shift about the article or shoe to balance the lace tension in the first and second laces  652  and  654 . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate embodiments in which an additional lace path may be created upon failure or breakage of the lace. For example,  FIG. 7A  illustrates a lacing system  700  that includes lace  702  and a stop member  706  as previously described. The lace  702  may be initially wound around a plurality of guides to create a first lace path  705   a . For example,  FIG. 7A  illustrates the lace  702  wrapped around six guides in the first lace path  705   a  configuration. At least some of the guides, and in some instances all of the guides, are preferably “open back” guides, or in other words, guides having an open channel within which the lace  702  may be positioned. The use of open back guides may be preferred because such guides allow the lace  702  to be easily removed or uncoupled from the guide since the guide does not include a rear wall that encloses the lace  702  within the guide. 
     Lacing system  700  also includes a coupling component  708  that is positioned adjacent the reel assembly. Upon breakage  704  of the lace  702 , the lace  702  may be rerouted and rewound around the lace guides and coupled with coupling component  708  to create a second lace path  705   b . The coupling component  708  may include a channel that is sized to allow the lace  702  to be inserted within the channel while preventing the stop member  706  from being pulled through the channel. 
     Although the second lace path  705   b  is smaller than the first lace path  705   a , the creation of the second lace path  705   b  may be preferred to the previous embodiments since the second lace path  705   b  crisscrosses and distribute a load relatively equally on opposite sides of the shoe&#39;s tongue. The previous embodiments in which only one half of the lace is used to tension the shoe may result in slightly uneven tensioning or loading of one side of the shoe. 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates another embodiment in which an alternate lace path may be created. The lacing system  710  of  FIG. 7B  includes a first lace  712  and a second lace  714  that have an initial or first lace path configuration  717   a . A first stop member  718  is coupled with the first lace  712  and a second stop member  716  is coupled with the second lace  714 . Lacing system  710  includes a first coupling component  713  that may be similar to the coupling component  708  of  FIG. 7A . Lacing system  710  also includes a second coupling component  715 , which may be a component or feature of one or more of the lacing guides. For example, the second coupling component  715  may be a protrusion or boss of a lace guide. 
     Upon failure or breakage of the first lace  712 , the first lace  712  may be positioned between the second coupling component  715  (e.g., a protrusion/boss of the lace guide) and a channel of the lace guide such that tensioning of the first lace  712  causes the first stop member  718  to engage with the second coupling component  715  and the lace guide and thereby prevent further movement or slippage of the first lace  712 . Similarly, upon breakage or failure of the second lace  714 , the second lace  714  may be rerouted or rewound around one or more lace guides and coupled with the first coupling component  713  to prevent further movement or slippage of the second lace  714 . In this manner, alternate lace paths  717   b  may be created upon failure or breakage of one of the laces. In some embodiments, either or both the first coupling component  713  or the second coupling component  715  may be positioned above the reel assembly, as in  FIG. 7A . 
     As described previously, in some instances it may be beneficial to provide a reel assembly that is relatively quiet in operation. Such reel assemblies may allow for the lacing system&#39;s lace to be tensioned without essentially producing audible noise that is detectable by a human, or while minimizing the amount of audible noise that is produced. The description of nondetectable/undetectable audible noise as used herein refers to any noise level below those outlined in MIL-STD-1474D, Req. 2, pgs. 20-32, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. This document provides design criteria standards issued by the U.S. Department of Defense. The embodiments described hereinbelow are devices that are capable of meeting and exceeding the noise level standards provided in the above incorporated document. 
     It may also be desirable for the reel assembly to be designed to have safeguards against opening. For example, the reel assembly may involve a relatively complex operation to be opened and/or involve the use of two hands. Such a design may prevent the reel assembly from opening on its own or by accident. For example, when a user is rock climbing and needs a shoe to remain tensioned about the foot, the safeguards described herein may prevent the reel assembly from opening upon brushing against or hitting a rock or other object. In another embodiment, the safeguards may prevent the reel assembly from opening as a soldier is fleeing a dangerous situation, which opening of the reel assembly and loosening of the footwear may otherwise jeopardize the soldier&#39;s life. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 8A-F , illustrated is an embodiment of a reel assembly  800  that is relatively quiet in operation and that provides safeguards against accidental opening. As shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , reel assembly  800  includes a lower knob  810  and an upper knob  802 . Upper knob  802  may be grasped by a user to tension lace (not shown) and thereby tighten a shoe. Reel assembly  800  includes a housing  840  that houses or contains the components of reel assembly  800 . Lower knob  810  is configured so that its outer surface is positioned over and around the outer surface of housing  840 . 
     Positioned within housing  840  is a spool  850  around which the lace is wound as the upper knob  802  is rotated by a user. Spool  850  includes a central boss  852  that is key or configured to be inserted within an aperture of boss  816  of upper knob  802 . The keyed boss  852  allows the spool  850  to rotate as the upper knob  802  is rotated by a user so as to wind the lace around the spool  850 . A friction component  830  is also positioned within housing  840 . Friction component  830  includes a plurality of cantilevered arms  832  that engage and interact with an inner surface  844  of rotation control component  846 . The cantilevered arms  832  slide along the inner surface  844  of the rotation control component  846  as the upper knob  802  is rotated in the tightening direction (e.g., clockwise). Friction component  830  includes a plurality of apertures  834  that couple with a plurality of pawls or pawl arms  820 . Specifically, axially downward extending protrusions or bosses  826  of the pawls  820  are inserted within the apertures  834  of friction component  830 . 
     The pawls  820  are positioned between the friction component  830  and a bottom surface of the lower knob  810 . Each pawl  820  includes a cantilevered arm having a plurality of pawl teeth  822  positioned at a distal end thereof. The pawl teeth  822  lockingly engage with a set of teeth  842  of the rotation control component  846  to prevent counter rotation of the spool  850  and thereby prevent loosening of the lacing system&#39;s lace. As shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , reel assembly  800  includes a plurality of separate and distinct pawls  820 , although in other embodiments each pawl  820  may be coupled at a proximal end with a central ring so that the pawls are all attached or coupled together. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8B , the bottom surface of the upper knob  802  includes a plurality of sweeper arms  814  that are used to disengage the pawl teeth  822  from the set of teeth  842  of rotation control component  846 . As described in more detail below, disengagement of the pawl teeth  822  from the set of teeth  842  allows the reel assembly  800  to be operated without producing an audible noise that is detectable by a human. As also shown in  FIG. 8B , the bottom surface of the lower knob  810  includes a plurality of ramped or cam surfaces  804  that interface with cantilevered arms  841  of the housing  840  to position the reel assembly in an “open” configuration, in which the lace may be easily and fully loosened. Rotation of the lower knob  810  in a loosening direction (e.g., counterclockwise) causes the cantilevered arms  841  of the housing to slide along the cam surfaces  804 , which pushes the cantilevered arms radially outward and out of engagement with circumferentially positioned stop components  845  of the rotation control component  846 . The cantilevered arms  841  of housing  840  and the stop components  845  of rotation control component  846  engage to hold or lock the reel assembly in position and prevent rotation of the spool  850  in the loosening direction. Disengagement of these components allows the rotation control component  846  and spool  850  to freely rotate within the housing  840  to unwind the lace from the spool. 
     The housing  840  is fixedly coupled with a base member  860  via engagement of spline teeth,  843  and  862 . Engagement of the spline teeth,  843  and  862 , prevent rotation of the housing  840  with respect to the base member  860 . Engagement of the spline teeth,  843  and  862 , further prevents rotation of the rotation control component  846  and spool  850  when the cantilevered arms  841  are engaged with the stop components  845 . A fastening component  866  is coupled with a central boss  864  to couple the reel assembly  800  together. 
       FIGS. 8C-F  illustrate an operation of reel assembly  800 . As shown in  FIG. 8C , in a locked configuration, the pawl teeth  822  are engaged and locked with the set of teeth  842  of rotation control component  846 . The engagement of the pawl teeth  822  with the set of teeth  842  prevents counter rotation of the spool  850  by preventing the upper knob  802  from being counter rotated. Counter rotation of the upper knob  802  is prevented by engagement of a distal end of the sweeper arms  814  and a proximal end of each pawl  822  as shown. As shown, the distal end of the sweeper arms  814  may correspond with the proximal end of the pawl  822  to facilitate engagement of the two components. The keyed configuration of the boss  852  and aperture of boss  816  prevent counter rotation of the spool  850 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 8C , the distal end or surface of the sweeper arms  814  may be angled so that as the sweeper arms  814  engages with the front surface of the pawl teeth  822  (e.g., via counter rotation of the upper knob  802  and/or lace tension), the pawl teeth  822  are forced into engagement with the set of teeth  842  of rotation control component  846 . At relatively high lace tension levels, counter rotation of the upper knob  802  may automatically occur as lace tension causes the spool  850  to counter rotate and a rotational force is transferred to the knob  810  via the keyed boss  852  and boss  816  aperture. At relatively low lace tension levels, counter rotation of the upper knob  802  may occur via the user. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8D , rotation of the upper knob  802  in a tightening direction (e.g., clockwise) causes the sweeper arms  814  to rotate relative to the pawl teeth  822 . At some point the sweeper arms  814  will engage with the pawl teeth  822  and pivot the pawl teeth  822  out of engagement with the set of teeth  842  of rotation control component  846 . Because the pawls  822  are separate components or pieces, as the pawl teeth  822  are pivoted out of engagement with the set of teeth  842  via the sweeper arms  814 , each pawl  820  may pivot slightly so that the proximal surface or end of the pawl teeth  822  pivots into contact with the distal end or surface of the sweeper arms  814 . Subsequent rotation in the opposite direction, via user interaction or lace tension, causes the distal end of the sweeper arms  814  to reengage the pawl teeth  822  with the teeth  842  of rotation control component  846 . Because the pawl teeth  822  are disengaged from the set of teeth  842  during rotation of the spool  850 , an audible clicking noise is not produced by the pawl teeth  822  skipping over or otherwise contacting the set of teeth  842 . 
       FIGS. 8E and 8F  illustrate the lower knob  810  being used to position the reel assembly in an open or unlocked configuration in which the spool  850  is able to rotate freely in the second or loosening direction and thereby loosen lace tension by unwinding the lace from about the spool  850 . Specifically,  FIG. 8E  illustrates the cantilevered arm of  841  of housing  840  engaged with the stop component  845  of rotation control component  846 . In this configuration, the spool  850  is locked relative to the housing  840  and base member  860  and prevented from rotating in the second direction.  FIG. 8F  illustrates the lower knob  810  being rotated in the second direction via grip members  805  to engage an axially upward extending member at a distal end of the cantilevered arms  841  with the cam surfaces  804  of lower knob  810 . As the cam surfaces  804  rotate relative to the housing  840 , the cantilevered arms  841  are pushed radially outward and disengaged from the stop component  845  of rotation control component  846 , which allows the rotation control component  846 , spool  850 , pawls  822 , friction component  830 , and upper knob  802  to freely rotate relative to housing  840  and base member  860 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9A-9L , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly  900  that is relatively quiet in operation and that provide safeguards against accidental opening.  FIGS. 9A-C  illustrate assembled configurations of reel assembly  900  while  FIGS. 9C and 9D  illustrate exploded views of the reel assembly  900 .  FIGS. 9F-L  illustrate various cross-section and detailed views of the reel assembly  900 . As shown in  FIGS. 9A-E , reel assembly  900  includes a knob  902  having a grip surface  904  that may be grasped and rotated by a user to tension and loosen lace (not shown). A loading holding mechanism  908  is positioned within and/or coaxially aligned with an aperture  905  of knob  902 . In the illustrated embodiment, the load holding mechanism  908  is a spline drive having a first friction element  907  including a first hub  907   a  and a second hub  907   b . The first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , each include spline teeth,  906   a  and  906   b , that engage with corresponding spline teeth of the knob (i.e., spline teeth  905 ) and a housing (i.e., spline teeth  932 ). Each hub,  907   a  and  907   b , includes a protrusion that extends axially from the respective spline teeth,  906   a  and  906   b . The central protrusion of each hub,  907   a  and  907   b , extends toward the center of the reel assembly  900  with the opposing ends of the hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , often contacting one another. 
     A spool component  910  is positioned axially below the knob  902  and coupled therewith via a clutch mechanism. In some embodiments the clutch mechanism may include axially oriented teeth  916  of the spool  910  that engage with corresponding axially oriented teeth  901  of knob  902 . Engagement of the axially oriented teeth,  916  and  901 , transfer torque or rotational forces from the knob  902  to the spool  910  to enable a user to rotate the knob  902  and thereby wind a lace (not shown) around an annular channel or central post  918  of the spool  910 . In some embodiments, the clutch mechanism between the knob  902  and spool  910  (e.g., teeth  916  and  901 ) may be disengaged to allow the spool  910  to freely rotate relative to the knob  902  and/or within the reel assembly&#39;s housing  950  and thereby unwind the lace from about the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel  918 . Disengagement of the clutch mechanism may be achieved by pulling axially upward on the knob  902 , by counter-rotating the knob  902  (i.e., rotating the knob in a loosening direction), or by operating or pressing a button component, lever mechanism, or other release mechanism. 
     Reel assembly  900  also includes a housing  950  that is positioned axially below the other components of the reel assembly  900 . Housing  950  includes a base member or flange  930  (hereinafter flange  930 ) that is positioned at a bottom end of the housing  950  and extends entirely around an outer periphery of the housing  950 , or around a portion thereof. The flange  930  allows the housing  950  to be coupled with an article, such as a shoe, via sewing, adhesive bonding, mechanical fastening, heat welding, RF or sonic welding, and the like. The housing  950  includes an interior region or portion within which the spool  910  and/or other components of the reel assembly  900  are positioned. The spool  910  is positioned within the housing&#39;s interior region so as to be able to rotate therein. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , in some embodiments the walls of the housing  950  do not fully enclose the spool  910  so that a portion of the spool  910  and/or a portion of the lace (not shown) that is wound about the spool is visible to a user. For example, the housing  950  may include a pair of walls that are positioned on opposing sides of the spool  910 . In such embodiments, the housing walls may extend from the flange  930  to adjacent a undersurface of the knob  902 . In this manner the housing walls  950  may interlock the housing  950  to the spool  910  and knob  902  and thereby support the spool  910  and knob  902  and prevent or limit accidental uncoupling or disassembly of the components due to side impact or other forces. For example, if the knob  902  and/or spool  910  is hit or contacted, the housing walls  950  reinforce the components and prevent uncoupling or breakage of the components. 
     The bottom surface of the housing  950  further include spline teeth  932  that engage with the spline teeth  906   b  of the second hub  907   b  as previously described. Engagement of the spline teeth  932  of housing  950  and the spline teeth  906   b  of the second hub  907   b  anchors the second hub  907   b  to the housing  950  and any article coupled therewith, and prevents rotation of the second hub  907   b  relative to the housing  950 . Because the second hub  907   b  is anchored to the housing  950  and any article coupled therewith, the second hub  907   b  functions as the load holding component of the load holding mechanism  908 . In other embodiments, such as the single hub design of  FIG. 9S  or the outer hub design of  FIGS. 9T and 9U , the load holding component could be something other than an inner hub, such as a tang of the spring component or an inner cylindrical wall. 
     The housing  950  further includes an axially extending inner wall  960  that functions to maintain a spring component  980  in place to allow release of the spring component  980  as described in greater detail below. The inner wall  960  includes a notch  914  within which an upper tang  981  of the spring component is positioned. The housing  950  additionally includes an annular ring  935  that extends axially upward from an upper surface of the flange  930 . The annular ring  935  is positioned within an annular channel  927  of a release mechanism  920  to prevent dust and other debris from accessing an inner portion of the reel assembly  900  and thereby degrading or fouling the inner components of the reel assembly. The annular ring  935  includes detent notches,  937  and  936 , that engage with a detent  926  of the release mechanism  920  to position the load holding mechanism in an engaged and disengaged state as described in greater detail below. 
     The release mechanism  920  is positioned axially above the housing  950  and coaxially aligned therewith. The release mechanism  920  is coupled with the housing by positioning the annular channel  927  over the annular ring  935  of the housing  950 . When the release mechanism  920  is coupled with the housing  950 , the inner wall  960  is positioned radially within a central aperture of the release mechanism  920 . The release mechanism  920  is coupled with the housing  950  so as to be rotatable between a first or engaged position and a second or disengaged position as described in greater detail below. A tang engagement feature  928 , such as a pair of radially extending protrusions, is positioned on an inner cylindrical wall of the release mechanism  920 . The tang engagement feature  928  is designed to engage a bottom tang  982  of the spring component  980  and to rotate the bottom tang  982  between the engaged and disengaged positions. 
     To enable rotation of the release component  920  between the engaged and disengaged positions, the release component  920  includes a pair of grip tabs  924  that may be gripped by a thumb and forefinger of the user to rotate the release mechanism  920  between the engaged and disengaged positions. The release mechanism  920  also includes a clutch mechanism  922  that interfaces with a clutch mechanism  912  of the spool  910 . As shown in  FIGS. 9D and 9E , in some embodiments the clutch mechanism includes axially oriented teeth  922  positioned on an upper surface of the release mechanism  920  that engage with corresponding axially oriented teeth  912  positioned on a bottom surface of the spool  910 . The clutch mechanism of the spool  910  and release mechanism  920  prevent “backwinding” of the lace, which is winding of the lace about the spool&#39;s annular channel or central post  918  in an opposite direction of that intended. To prevent backwinding, the clutch mechanisms of the spool  910  and release mechanism  920  may engage only when a tension in the lace decreases or falls below a predetermined or nomical level (e.g., zero lace tension). The spool&#39;s teeth  912  may be positioned axially above and disengaged from the release mechanism&#39;s teeth  922  when the lace tension is above the predetermined level (e.g., near zero lace tension) to allow the spool  910  to spin freely relative to the release mechanism  920 . When the lace tension falls or decreases below the predetermined lace tension, the spool  910  may move axially downward relative to the release mechanism  920  so that the spool&#39;s teeth  912  engage with the release mechanism&#39;s teeth  922  and thereby prevent rotation of the spool  910  relative to the release mechanism  920  and housing  950 . Axially movement of the spool  910  relative to the release mechanism  920  may be achieved via engagement of the spool&#39;s upper teeth  916  and the knob&#39;s teeth  901 . For example, low lace tension level may allow the spool&#39;s upper teeth  916  and the knob&#39;s teeth  901  to disengage, which allows the spool  910  to move axially downward to engage the clutch mechanism of the spool  910  and release mechanism  920 . Rotation of the knob  902  to tension the lace and/or a lace tension above the predetermined level may cause the spool  910  to move axially upward to disengage the clutch mechanism of the spool  910  and release mechanism  920 . Additional details of clutch mechanisms that may be used to prevent backwinding are provided in U.S. application Ser. No. 14/328,521, filed Jul. 10, 2014, and titled “Closure Devices Including Incremental Release Mechanisms and Methods Therefor”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     Reel assembly  900  additionally includes a second friction element or spring component  980  that is coaxially aligned with the housing  950 , release mechanism  920 , spool  910 , knob  902 , and load holding mechanism  908  (e.g., first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b ). The spring component  980  is positioned centrally within the reel assembly  900  and is around the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b . A lower tang  982  of the spring component  980  is positioned within the tang engagement feature  928  of release mechanism  920  while an upper tang  981  of the spring component  980  is positioned within the notch  914  of inner wall  960 . 
     As described in greater detail herein below, the spring component  980  is configured to constrict or open about the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , to allow the knob  902  and spool  910  to rotate in a first direction to wind the lace about the spool  910  and to prevent the spool  910  and/or knob  902  from rotating in a second direction that allows the lace to be unwound from the spool  910 . Specifically, when the knob  902  is rotated in the first or tightening direction (e.g., clockwise), the first hub  907   a  is rotated in a direction that causes a diameter of the spring component  980  to slightly expand, thereby reducing the frictional engagement of the spring component  980  with the first friction element (i.e., the first and/or second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b ). The reduced frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first hub  907   a  enables the knob  902 , first hub  907   a , and spool  910  to rotate in the first or tightening direction. Rotation of the spool  910  in the first or tightening direction causes the lace to wind around the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel  918 , which tensions the lace and tightens an article, such as a shoe about a user&#39;s foot. The reduced frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first hub  907   a  unlocks or rotationally decouples the first hub  907   a  from the second hub  907   b , which allows the first hub  907   a  to rotate relative to the second hub  907   b.    
     When the knob  902  is released, the tension in the lace biases the spool  902  toward rotation in the second or loosening direction (e.g., counterclockwise). Stated differently, because the lace is wound about the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel  918 , the lace tension induces a torque or moment the effects rotation of the spool  910  in the second or loosening direction. This torque or moment increases the frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first and/or second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , by causing the spring component  980  to constrict about the first and/or second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , which prevents rotation of the spool  910 , first hub  907   a , and/or knob  902  in the second or loosening direction. The increased frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first hub  907   a  also locks or rotationally couples the first hub  907   a  and the second hub  907   b , which prevents the first hub  907   a  from rotating relative to the second hub  907   b . In this manner, the engagement of the spring component  980  and first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , enables a one way rotation of the spool  910  that allows the lace to be tensioned and an article to be tightened. 
     Although  FIGS. 9A-E  illustrate the first hub  907   a  attached to the knob  902  via a spline drive, it should be realized that in other embodiments the first hub  907   a  may be directly attached to or coupled with the spool  910 . In such embodiments, the knob  902  may be rotated in the second or loosening direction without effecting rotation of the spool  910  in said direction. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9F , illustrates is a top view and cross section view of the assembled reel assembly. As shown, the spring component  980  is positioned or wraped around the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , and positioned centrally within the assembled reel assembly  900 . Frictional contact or engagement between the spring component  980  and the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , lock the hubs and reel assembly components in position. The release mechanism  920  is coupled with the housing  950  with the annular channel  927  positioned over the annular ring  935 . The annular channel  927  and annular ring  935  limit the dust or other debris that may access the interior region of the reel assembly  900 , which may degrade or foul the spring component  980 , first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , and/or other reel assembly components.  FIGS. 9H and 91  illustrate a detailed view of the load holding mechanism  908  with the spring component  980  wrapped around and engaged with the first hub  907   a  and second hub  907   b.    
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9G and 9L , illustrated is an operation of using the release mechanism  920  to position the reel assembly in a locked/engaged state wherein rotation of the spool  910  in the second or loosening direction is prevented as described above, or to position the reel assembly in an unlocked/disengaged state wherein rotation of the spool  910  in the second or loosening direction is enabled. Positioning of the reel assembly  900  in the unlocked/disengaged state allows the lace to be unwound from the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel to loosen the lace&#39;s tension and thereby loosen the article. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9G , rotation of the grip tabs  924  in the second direction (e.g., counterclockwise) relative to the housing  950  causes the diameter of the spring component  980  to increase from D to D+X, which reduces the frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , as described above. The diameter of the spring component  980  is increased as the lower spring tang  982  is rotated in the loosening direction via tang engagement feature  928  while the upper spring tang  981  is held or maintained in position via notch  914  of inner wall  960 . The reduced frictional engagement of these components allows the spool  910  to rotate in the second or loosening direction, which allows the lace to unwind from the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9L , rotation of the grip tab  924  and release mechanism  920  in the second direction causes the detent  926  to move out of engagement with one of the detent notches  937  to into engagement with the other detent notch  936 . Detent notch  937  holds or maintains the release mechanism  920  and spring component  980  in the locked/engaged state wherein the spring component  980  is constricted about the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , (i.e., spring component has a diameter D) and rotation of the spool  910  in the second or loosening direction is prevented. Detent notch  936  holds or maintains the release mechanism  920  and spring component  980  in the unlocked/disengaged state wherein frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , is reduced (i.e., spring component has a diameter D+X) and rotation of the spool  910  in the second or loosening direction is allowed. With the release mechanism  920  and spring component  980  in the unlocked/disengaged state, the spool  910  is able to freely rotate within the housing&#39;s interior region to unwind the lace from about the spool&#39;s central post or annular channel  918 . 
       FIGS. 9J and 9K  illustrate a lace or tension member being coupled with the reel assembly, and specifically, the reel assembly&#39;s knob  902  and spool  910 . As shown in the cross section view of  FIG. 9J , the knob&#39;s lumen  903  includes a first lumen  903   b  that extends axially upward and a second tapered lumen  903   a  that diagonally downward and through the knob  902 . As shown in  FIG. 9K , a lumen  952  of the housing may be aligned with the knob&#39;s lumen  903 , and specifically the first lumen  903   b . When aligned, the housing&#39;s lumen  952  directs the lace  990  upward and through the first lumen  903   b . The lumen may then be pulled axially upward and above a top surface of the knob  902  an inserted through the second tapered lumen  903   a . A knot  991  may then be tied onto an end of the lace  990  and the lace retracted through the second tapered lumen  903   a . Retraction of the lace  990  through the second tapered lumen  903   a  may cause the knot  991  to engage with the tapered portion of the second tapered lumen  903   a , thereby preventing full retraction of the lace  990  through the lumen  903   a . The engagement of the knot  991  and the second tapered lumen  903   a  results in coupling of the lace  990  and the knob  902  and spool  910 . As shown in  FIG. 9K , the above lace attachment process occurs without disassembly of the reel assembly&#39;s components. Rather, the only step that may be required other than insertion of the lace  990  and tying of the knot  991  is alignment of the housing&#39;s lumen  952  with the knob&#39;s lumen  903 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9M-R , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly mechanism  900   b . Reel assembly  900   b  is similar to the reel assembly  900  previously described except that reel assembly  900   b  allows for an incremental release or loosening or lace tension and except that the housing  950   a  fully or mostly encloses the spool  910  and/or other components. The incremental release or loosening of the lace tension is achieved via release mechanism  970 , which replaces the release mechanism  920  of the previous embodiment. As shown in  FIGS. 9M, 9N, and 9Q , the release mechanism  970  includes a cylindrical boss  974  that is positioned around the spring component  980  and first and second hub,  907   a  and  907   b , within the reel assembly. A bottom surface of the release mechanism  970  includes a tang aperture  976  within which the lower tang  982  of spring component  980  is positioned. Rotation of the knob  902  in the first or tightening direction reduces the frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and first hub  907   a  and/or second hub  907   b  as previously described to enable the spool  910  to rotate in the first direction and tension the lace. 
     The release mechanism  970  includes a rotatable surface or ring  972  that may be gripped by a user to rotate the release mechanism  970  in the second or loosening direction. Rotation of the release mechanism  970  in the second direction causes the lower portion of the spring component  980  to rotate in the second direction via engagement of the lower tang  982  and the tang aperture  976 , which reduces the frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and the second hub  907   b  and/or first hub  907   a  by increasing the diameter of the spring component  980  as previously described. The reduced frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and second hub  907   b  unlocks or rotationally decouples the first hub  907   a  from the second hub  907   b , which allows the first hub  907   a  and spool  910  to rotate, via lace tension, relative to the second hub  907   b . When rotation of the release mechanism  970  is ceased, frictional engagement of the spring component  980  and second hub  907   b  is immediately increased, which locks or rotationally couples the first hub  907   a  and the second hub  907   b  and prevents further rotation of the first hub  907   a  and spool  910  in the second or loosening direction. In this manner the tension of the lace may be incrementally loosened or released by infinitely small amounts. In some embodiments, the lace tension may be fully loosened or released by providing a full release mechanism that disengages the clutch mechanism between the spool  910  and knob  902 , between the spool  910  and housing  950 , or between other components of the reel assembly  900   b . Disengagement of the clutch mechanism may be achieved via axially upward movement of the knob  902 , rotation of the knob  902  in the second direction, operation of a button component or lever mechanism, radial movement of a release mechanism, and the like. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9S , illustrated is an embodiment of a spring component  980  frictionally engaged with a single hub  995 . The single hub configuration of  FIG. 9S  may be used in place of the first and second hubs,  907   a  and  907   b , described above. In such embodiments, the lower tang  982  would be fixedly coupled with the reel assembly, such as the flange  930  or housing  950 / 950   a . In such embodiments, the lower tang  982  would function as the primary load holding component of the spring-hub or load holding mechanism. Operation of the spring-hub mechanism would function in a manner similar to that described above.  FIGS. 9T and 9U  illustrate an embodiment in which the spring component  980  is positioned within an inner wall of a cylindrical outer hub  996 . The embodiment of  FIGS. 9T and 9U  may likewise be used to replace the first and second hub design described above. The spring component  980  flexes radially outward and into engagement with the inner cylindrical wall  996  to prevent rotation of an inner component  997  and an attached spool  997 . As shown in  FIG. 9U , rotation of the inner component  997  in the tightening direction causes the spring component  980  to constrict out of engagement with the inner cylindrical wall  996 , which enables rotation of the inner component  997  and an attached spool (not shown). Rotation of the inner component  997  in a second and opposite direction, or ceasing rotation of the inner component  997  in the first direction, causes the spring component  980  to frictionally reengage with the inner wall of the cylindrical hub  996 . 
     Although the reel assemblies,  900  and  900   b , of  FIGS. 9A-R  illustrate the housing  950 / 950   a  attached or integrated with the base member or flange  930 , it should be realized that in other embodiments the housing  950 / 950   a  may be removably coupled with a separate base member that includes the flange. For example, the base member or bayonet and release mechanism shown in  FIGS. 14A and 14B  can be used to removably couple the housing  950 / 950   a  with the flange  930 . 
     According to an embodiment, a method for assembly a shoe with a reel based mechanism includes providing a reel that includes: a base member, a housing having an interior region, a spool positioned within the interior region of the housing, a knob member, and a load holding mechanism. As described herein above, the spool includes a central post about which a tension member is wound, and the spool is rotatable relative to the housing and/or base member. The knob member is coupled with the spool and configured to cause the spool to rotate within the interior region of the housing in a first direction to wind the tension member about the spool&#39;s central post. The load holding mechanism is coupled with the spool and the housing and includes a first friction element and a second friction element that are frictionally engageable to prevent rotation of the spool in a second direction opposite the first direction to prevent unwinding of the tension member from the spool&#39;s central post. Rotation of the knob member in the first direction reduces the frictional engagement of the first friction element and the second friction element to enable rotation of the spool in the first direction and tension in the tension member or lace biases the load holding mechanism toward rotation in the second direction, which increases the frictional engagement of the first friction component and the second friction component. The method also includes coupling the base member with the article. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 10A-10G , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly  1000  that is relatively quiet in operation and that provide safeguards against accidental opening. To provide quiet operation of reel assembly  1000 , a plurality of lock components  1010  are positioned between a knob  1002  and upper housing  1030 . Each of the lock components  1010  includes a main body  1012  and a protrusion  1016  that is positioned within an aperture  1022  of a coupling component  1020 . The protrusions  1016  allow the lock components  1010  to pivot between cam walls  1024  of coupling component  1020 . The main body  1012  of each lock component  1010  includes a pair of cam surfaces  1013  and a pair of radius surfaces  1015  that are positioned on opposite sides of the main body  1012 . 
     Each of the lock components  1010  also includes a protrusion  1014  that extends axially upward from the main body  1012 . A spring component  1004  is positioned between the lock components  1010  and knob  1002 . The spring component  1004  includes a plurality of cantilevered arms that are each positioned over the protrusion  1014  of the lock components  1010  so that the protrusions  1014  are positioned between the cantilevered arms and a central ring portion of spring component  1004 . The cantilevered arms of spring component  1004  bias the lock components  1010  inward toward a locked position described hereinbelow. 
     The upper housing  1030  includes an inner surface  1033  and a plurality of inwardly extending walls  1036 . The coupling component  1020  is positioned within a central recess of upper housing  1030  so that each main body  1012  is positioned on roughly the same plane as the inwardly extending walls  1036 . A central boss  1042  of a base component  1040  extends axially upward through an aperture of upper housing  1030  and coupling component  1020  so that the central boss  1042  is centrally positioned between the plurality of lock components  1010 . Upper housing  1030  may also include a plurality of flanged members  1034  that extend axially outward from a body of upper housing  1030 . As shown in  FIG. 10B , knob  1002  includes a plurality of wedged or cam members  1008  that extend axially downward from a bottom surface of knob  1002 . As described in greater detail below, the wedge members  1008  contact the lock components  1010  to cause the lock components  1010  to pivot between a locked and unlocked position. Knob  1002  also includes a plurality of hanging bosses  1006  that extend axially downward from a bottom surface of knob  1002 . The hanging bosses  1006  are configured to be inserted through corresponding slots  1038  in upper housing  1030 . Positioned axially below the upper housing  1030  is the spool  1032  around which lace is wound by operation of reel assembly  1000 . 
       FIG. 10C  illustrates the components of reel assembly  1000  in an assembled configuration and with a top portion of the knob  1002  removed. As shown in  FIG. 10C , in the assembled configuration each main body  1012  is positioned on or adjacent roughly the same plane as the inwardly extending walls  1036  and central boss  1042  of base component  1040 . Each main body  1012  is positioned between a pair of cam walls  1024  and a wedge member  1008  is positioned adjacent each main body  1012 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 10D and 10E , in operation of reel assembly  1000  the lock components  1010 , and specifically each main body  1012 , pivot within the upper housing  1030  and between the cam wall  1024  to engage the inner surface  1033  or inwardly extending walls  1036  and thereby drive spool  1032  or lock the reel assembly  1000  to prevent backwinding of the spool  1032  and lace. As shown in  FIG. 10D , to drive the spool  1032  and tighten or tension the lace, the knob  1002  is rotated by a user in the tightening direction. Rotation of the knob  1002  in this direction causes the wedge members  1008  to contact the main body  1012 , which causes the radius surfaces  1015   a - b  to pivot within upper housing  1030  (e.g., clockwise) until an outer radius surface  1015   a  contacts inner housing  1033 . Contact between the outer radius surface  1015   a  and inner housing  1033  locks the upper housing  1030  with the knob  1002  and causes the upper housing  1030  to rotate with the knob  1002 , which in turn drives the spool  1032  and winds lace about the spool  1032 . As shown in  FIG. 10D , an inner radius surface  1015   b  does not contact central boss  1042  and thus, the upper housing  1030  and spool  1032  are able to rotate about central boss  1042  and base component  1040 . In another embodiment, the inner radius surface  1015   b  may contact central boss  1042 , but the radius of surface  1015   b  may allow the surface  1015   b  to slide along the surface of central boss  1042  without binding or locking the upper housing  1030  and spool  1032 . Although not shown, in many embodiments, the base component  1040  includes axially upward extending walls that function to house the spool  1032  and any lace wound thereon. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10E , as the knob  1002  is released or rotated in the loosening direction, the main body  1012  pivots in an opposite direction within the upper housing  1030  (e.g., counterclockwise) until the cam surfaces  1013   a - b  contact and are pinched between the inwardly extending walls  1036  and the central boss  1042  of base component  1040 . Specifically, outer cam surfaces  1013   a  contact the inwardly extending walls  1036  while inner cam surfaces  1013   b  contact the central boss  1042 . With the cam surfaces  1013   a - b  pinched between the inwardly extending walls  1036  and central boss  1042 , the reel assembly  1000  is locked about base component  1040 , which is fixedly coupled with the shoe or other apparel. As described briefly above, the spring component  1004  may be used to bias or pivot the main bodies  1012  toward the locked configuration shown in  FIG. 10E . Further, tension on the lace causes the spool  1032  to drive rotation of the upper housing  1030  in the loosening direction, which causes the cam surfaces  1013   a - b  to pinch between the inwardly extending walls  1036  and central boss  1042 . 
     To place the reel assembly  1000  in an open configuration, the upper housing  1030  may be rotated in the tightening direction (e.g., by gripping flanged members  1034 ), which causes the inwardly extending walls  1036  to rotate the main bodies  1012  into a disengaged position. For example, the inwardly extending walls  1036  may rotate the outer radius surfaces  1015   a  out of disengagement with the inner wall  1033  without rotating the inner cam surfaces  1013   b  into contact with the central boss  1042 . Simultaneously, the knob  1002  may be rotated in the loosening direction to cause the wedge members  1008  to contact an opposite side of the main bodies  1012  and thereby pinch or holding the main bodies  1012  between the inwardly extending walls  1036  and the wedge members  1008  in the fixed, disengaged position. The hanging bosses  1006  located on the outer circumferential edge of the knob  1002  may key into recesses  1037  in the upper housing  1030  by rotating the knob  1002  and upper housing  1030  in opposite directions, which may hold or maintain the main bodies in the disengaged position without additional user input. To reengage the main bodies  1012 , the knob  1002  and upper housing  1030  are rotated in the tightening and loosening direction, respectively, to disengage the hanging bosses  1006  from the recesses  1037 . Reel assembly  1000  provides a safeguard against accidental opening by requiring rotation of these two components (i.e., knob  1002  and upper housing  1030 ) in opposite directions to place the reel assembly  1000  in the open configuration. 
       FIGS. 10F and 10G  illustrates a slight variation of the assembly of the components of reel assembly  1000 . As shown in  FIG. 10F , in the drive or tensioning mode of operation, the inwardly extending walls  1036  contact the outer cam surfaces  1013   a  and cause the main bodies  1012 , and specifically the inner cam surfaces  1013   b , to pivot into engagement with the wedge members  1008 . This causes the main bodies  1012  to be pinched between the inwardly extending walls  1036  and wedge members  1008 , which locks the upper housing  1030  to the knob  1002  and permits rotation of the upper housing  1030  and spool  1032  via knob  1002 . When the knob  1002  is released or counter-rotated, the wedge member  1008  cause the main bodies  1012 , and specifically the outer radius surfaces  1015   a , to pivot into engagement with the inner surface  1033  of upper housing  1030  while the inner radius surfaces  1015   b  pivot into contact with the central boss  1042  of base component  1040 . This pinches the main bodies  1012  between the inner housing  1033  and central boss  1042  and locks or fixes the reel assembly components to base component  1040 , which is fixedly coupled to the shoe or apparel. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11A-E , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly  1100  that is relatively quiet in operation.  FIGS. 11A and 11B  illustrate exploded perspective views of reel assembly  1100 . The reel assembly  1100  includes a knob  1102  having a geometric aperture  1104  that is used to drive a drive component  1110 . Drive component  1110  includes a top member having a geometric shape that corresponds to the geometric aperture  1104  of knob  1102  such that rotation of the knob  1102  causes rotation of the drive component  1110 . Positioned axially below the drive component  1110  is an eccentrically positioned input shaft  1114 . Stated differently, the input shaft  1114  has an axis that is offset from an axis of drive component  1110  and knob  1102 . 
     Input shaft  1112  extends axially into an interior region of a lower knob  1120  and into engagement with an input aperture  1135  of a cyclodial gear or disc  1130 . The cycloidal disc or gear  1130  is positioned within the interior region of lower knob  1120  and within a rotation control component  1150 . The cycloidal gear  1130  is positioned within the rotation control component  1150  so that a pinion gear surface  1133  (hereinafter pinion gear  1133 ) is engaged with an annular gear  1152 . As shown in  FIG. 11C , rotation of the knob  1102  causes the input shaft  1114  to rotate the pinion gear  1133 , via input aperture  1135 , within the annular gear  1152  of rotation control component  1150 . 
     The cyclodial gear  1130  also includes a disc  1132  positioned axially below the pinion gear  1133 . The disc  1132  includes a plurality of apertures  1134  within which bosses  1142  of the spool  1140  are inserted. The bosses  1142  slide within the apertures  1134  of the disc  1132  as the pinion gear  1133  moves within the annular gear  1152  of rotation control component  1150 , which transfers a rotational force to spool  1140  and drives or causes rotation of spool  1140 . Spool  1140  includes a channel  1144  within which the lace is wound as the reel assembly  1100  is operated. To prevent counter-rotation of the spool  1140  (i.e., rotation in the loosening direction), the rotation control component  1150  is coupled with a housing  1160  as described above. Specifically, cantilevered arms  1162  of the housing  1160  are configured to contact and engage with stop components  1154  of the rotation control component  1150 . The housing  1160  is in turn fixedly coupled with a base member  1170 , such as by positioning axially extending legs  1164  of the housing  1160  within mounting aperture  1172  of the base member  1170 . The base member  1170  includes a flange  1174  that allows the base member to be coupled with an article or shoe. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11E , to loosen the lace, the lower knob  1120  is rotated in the second or loosening direction via grip members  1124 , which causes a cam surface  1122  of the lower knob  1120  to engage a distal end of the cantilevered arms  1162  and move the arms  1162  radially outward to disengage the arms  1162  and the stop components  1154  as shown. This allows the rotation control component  1150 , spool  1140 , cyclodial gear  1130 , and knob  1102  to rotate relative to the housing  1160  and base member  1170 , which unwinds lace from the channel  1144  of spool  1140 . The cycloidal gear  1130  configuration may provide approximately a 4:1 gear ratio, although other gear ratios may be achieved as desired. 
       FIG. 11C  illustrates one of the apertures  1134  of disc  1132  (i.e., the shaded aperture) driving one of the bosses  1142  (i.e., the shaded boss) of spool  1140  as the pinion gear  1133  rotates within the annular gear  1152 . The spool  1140  rotates in a direction opposite that of the pinion gear  1133 .  FIG. 11D  illustrates a cross section view of the assembled components of reel assembly  1100 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 12A-D , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly  1200  that is relatively quiet in operation and that provide safeguards against accidental opening.  FIGS. 12A and 12B  illustrate exploded perspective views of the components of reel assembly  1200 . Reel assembly  1200  includes an upper knob  1202  and a lower knob  1210  that may be rotated by a user to tension and/or loosen lace, and/or lock the reel assembly  1200  in an open configuration. Upper knob  1202  includes a plurality of shafts  1204  that are inserted within rectangular apertures  1216  of the lower knob  1210 . Lower knob  1210  includes a pair of cams  1212  that each have an aperture  1214  within which bosses  1252  of spool  1250  are inserted. 
     Reel assembly  1200  includes a brake shoe  1220  having a pair of circumferentially extending arms  1222  that are coupled together via spring members  1226 . The cams  1212  of the lower knob  1210  are positioned within an interior region of each circumferentially extending arm  1222 . The brake shoe  1220  is in turn inserted within a hub  1230  that is in turn positioned within housing  1240 . As shown in  FIG. 12C , as the lower knob  1210  is rotated in a tightening or tensioning direction, a loadbearing surface of the cams  1212  is positioned within a notch  1224  of the circumferentially extending arms  1222 . The profile of the cams  1212  matches the inner surface of the circumferentially extending arms  1222  such that rotation of the lower knob  1210  in the tensioning direction maintains the loadbearing surface of the cams  1212  within the notch  1224  of arms  1222 . The rotational force of the lower knob  1210  is transferred to the spool  1250  via contact between the bosses  1252  and aperture  1214 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12D , as the lower knob  1210  is released and/or rotated in the loosening direction, the loadbearing surface of the cams  1212  displaces from the notch  1224  of arms  1222  and presses against an inner surface of the arms  1222 . This causes the outer surface of the arms  1222  to frictionally engage with hub  1230 , which prevents or arrests rotational motion of the spool  1250  and other components of reel assembly  1200 . Continued rotation of the lower knob  1210  and/or spool  1250  in the loosening direction increases the frictional engagement of the outer surface of the arms  1222  with the hub  1230 . The spring members  1226  of brake shoe  1220  bias the arms  1222  axially inward such that subsequent rotation of the lower knob  1210  in the tightening or tensioning direction causes the loadbearing surface of cams  1212  to re-position within the notches  1224  and causes the arms  1222  to deflect axially inward and out of frictional engagement with hub  1230 . 
     To lock the reel assembly  1200  in the open configuration, the lower knob  1210  is rotated in the tightening direction while the upper knob  1202  is simultaneously rotated in the loosening direction (i.e. the opposite direction). This action causes the shafts  1204  of upper knob  1202  to slide up a ramp portion  1228  of the arms  1222 , which presses the arms  1222  radially inward and out of frictional engagement with hub  1230 . The shafts  1204  may be locked about the brake shoe  1220  to maintain the arms  1222  in a disengaged configuration from hub  1230  and thereby allow the lace tension to be fully released. Accordingly, reel assembly  1200  provides a safeguard against accidental opening by requiring rotation of the lower knob  1210  and upper knob  1202  in opposite directions to fully loosen the lace. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 13A-F , illustrated is another embodiment of a reel assembly  1300  that is relatively quiet in operation and that provide safeguards against accidental opening.  FIGS. 13A and 13B  illustrate an exploded perspective views of reel assembly  1300 . As shown, reel assembly  1300  includes an upper knob  1302  and a lower knob  1310 . Upper knob  1302  includes a pair of bosses  1304  that extend axially downward and that are used to drive or cause rotation of spool  1340 . Lower disc  1310  includes a geometric aperture having a cam or ramped surface  1312  and notch  1314  that functions to lock the reel assembly  1300  in open configuration to allow the lace to be fully loosened. 
     Reel assembly  1300  also includes a gear mechanism  1320  that is used to lock the reel assembly  1300  in position to prevent counter rotation of the spool  1340 , or stated differently, to prevent rotation of the spool  1340  in the loosening direction. The gear mechanism  1320  includes a pair of pivoting arms  1324  having an aperture at a proximal end that couples with a boss  1346  of spool  1340  and a pin at a distal end that is inserted within an aperture of one of the gears  1322  of gear mechanism  1320  (i.e., floating gear  1322   b ). The gears  1322  gear mechanism  1320  are positioned within a housing  1330  so as to contact teeth  1332  of housing  1330 . As described in more detail below, the gears  1322  of gear mechanism  1320  include a floating gear  1322   b  and a fixed gear  1322   a . Spool  1340  includes a central protrusion  1344  having a pair of arcuate surfaces about which the floating gears of gear mechanism  1320  rest as the reel assembly  1300  is being operated to tension or tighten lace. Spool  1340  also includes a body or channel  1342  within which or about which lace is wound during operation of reel assembly  1300 . 
       FIG. 13C  shows an assembly of the components of reel assembly  1300  as the reel assembly  1300  is being operated to tension or tighten lace. As illustrated, as the upper knob  1302  is rotated in a tightening direction, the pair of bosses  1304  contact and press against a rear surface of central protrusion  1344  to drive spool  1340 . As the bosses  1304  drive central protrusion  1344  and spool  1340 , a floating gear  1322   b  of gear mechanism  1320  rests against the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344 . Interaction between the teeth of floating gear  1322   b  and a fixed gear  1322   a  of gear mechanism  1320  causes the floating gear  1322   b  to pivot via arm  1324  into contact with the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344 . Rotation of the fixed gear  1322   a  is caused via an interaction between the teeth of fixed gear  1322   a  and the teeth  1332  of housing  1330 . In this configuration, the upper knob  1302  may be rotated as desired to tension the lace. 
       FIG. 13D  shows an assembly of the components of reel assembly  1300  after the upper knob  1302  is released, or as the upper knob  1302  is rotated in the loosening direction. As illustrated, rotating the upper knob  1302  in the loosening direction causes the floating gear  1322   b  to pivot out of engagement or contact with the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344  and into engagement with the teeth  1332  of housing  1330 . Rotation of the fixed gear  1322   a  in a direction opposite that of the tightening direction and an interaction between the teeth of floating gear  1322   b  and fixed gear  1322   a  causes the floating gear  1322   b  to pivot, via arm  1324 , out of contact with the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344  and into engagement with the teeth  1332  of housing  1330 . As described above, rotation of the fixed gear  1322   a  is caused via the interaction between the fixed gear  1322   a  and the teeth  1332  of housing  1330 . Since the fixed gear  1322   a  and the floating gear  1322   b  rotate in opposite directions, engagement of the fixed gear  1322   a  and the floating gear  1322   b  with the teeth  1332  of housing  1330  causes the gears,  1322   a  and  1322   b , to bind with the teeth  1332  of housing  1330  and thereby prevent further rotation of the upper knob  1302  and spool  1340 . The above described gear binding process also occurs as the upper knob  1302  is released and lace tension drives or causes rotation of the spool  1340  in the loosening direction. In this manner, the reel assembly  1300  is locked to prevent further loosening of the lace. 
     As briefly described above, the lower knob  1310  may be operated to lock and unlock the reel assembly  1300  from an open configuration in which the lace tension may be fully released.  FIG. 13E  illustrates the lower knob  1310  in an unlocked configuration in which the upper knob  1302  is rotatable to tension lace and in which the reel assembly  1300  is lockable by binding of the gear mechanism  1320 . As shown in  FIG. 13E , the lower knob  1310  is rotated so that an axially upward extending pin  1326  of arm  1324  is positioned away from a notch  1314  of the geometric aperture of lower knob  1310 . With the pin  1326  positioned away from notch  1314 , the floating gear  1322   b  is able to pivot into and out of engagement with the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344  as described above to allow tensioning and locking of the reel assembly  1300 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13F , the lower knob  1310  may be rotated relative to gear mechanism  1320  so that the pin  1326  of arm  1324  slides along the cam or ramped surface  1312  of the geometric aperture and into notch  1314 . With the pin  1326  positioned within the notch  1314 , the floating gear  1322   b  is prevented from pivoting out of engagement with the arcuate surface of central protrusion  1344  as the upper knob  1302  is released or rotated in the loosening direction. In this configuration, the floating gear  1322   b  is unable to engage with the teeth  1332  of housing  1330  and, therefore, the gear mechanism  1320  is unable to bind and lock the spool  1340  and reel assembly  1300  as described above. In this configuration, the lace tension may be fully released. The lower knob  1310  may be rotated in an opposite direction to slide the pin  1326  away from notch  1314  and thereby “unlock” the reel assembly  1300 . 
     To lock the reel assembly  1300  with lower knob  1310 , lower knob  1310  is typically rotated in a direction opposite that of upper knob  1302 . For example, upper knob  1302  is typically rotated in the tightening direction while lower knob  1310  is rotated in the loosening direction. Accordingly, reel assembly  1300  provides a safeguard against accidental opening by requiring rotation of the lower knob  1310  and upper knob  1302  in opposite directions to fully loosen the lace. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 14A and 14B , illustrated is a mechanism  1400  for releasably attaching a component to an article, such as a shoe. The mechanism  1400  includes a base member  1402  that is attachable to an article. The base member  1402  includes a flange  1404  that radially extends from a bottom end of the base member  1402  and around an entire outer periphery of the base member  1402 , or around a portion thereof. The base member  1402  also includes an inner cavity or aperture  1406  within which a bottom end of the component  1430  (e.g., a reel assembly housing) can be inserted. A channel  1408  is formed or disposed within the inner cavity or aperture  1406  of base member  1402  and a spring component  1410  is positioned within the channel  1408 . The spring component  1410  is configured to radially deflect about a bottom end of the component  1430  as the component is inserted within the inner cavity or aperture  1406 . Specifically, the spring component  1410  deflects radially outward as the bottom end of the component  1430  is inserted within the inner cavity or aperture  1406  and then the spring component  1410  springs or flexes back into position to lock the bottom end of the component  1430  within the inner cavity or aperture  1406  of the base member  1402  as shown in the cross section view of  FIG. 14B . The spring component  1410  allows the bottom end of the component  1430  to be removed from the inner cavity or aperture  1406  by radially flexing outward as the component  1430  is pulled axially upward. Accordingly, the spring component  1410  allows the component  1430  to be releasably coupled with the base member  1402 . 
     In some embodiments, the channel  1408  of the inner cavity or aperture  1406  is an annular channel within which the spring component  1410  radially deflects as the bottom end of the component  1430  is inserted within the inner cavity or aperture  1406 . In such embodiments, the spring component  1410  may be a split ring spring having an inner diameter that widens upon radial deflection. In some embodiments, the widening of the inner diameter of the split ring spring  1410  may be constrained by the annular channel  1408  of the inner cavity or aperture  1406 . In such embodiments, an outer diameter D of the bottom end of the component  1430  may be greater than a widest inner diameter W of the split ring spring  1410  allowed by the annular channel  1408 , which may cause the base member  1402  or the bottom end of the component  1430  to flex radially outward to enable insertion of the bottom end of the component  1430  within the base member&#39;s inner cavity or aperture  1406 . Specifically, an annular protrusion  1407  of the base member  1402  may elastically flex or deflect as the enlarged bottom end of the component  1430  is inserted within the base member&#39;s inner cavity or aperture  1406 . Because the base member  1402  (e.g., annular protrusion  1407 ) and/or the bottom end of the component  1430  flexes during insertion of the component  1430  within the inner cavity or aperture  1406 , the coupling of the two components is greatly enhanced and thereby requires a significantly greater force to uncouple said components. As such, the component  1430  may experience large forces from external objects without uncoupling from the base member  1402 . 
     In some embodiments, the bottom end of the component  1430  includes an annular channel  1432  within which the spring component  1410  is positioned. In other embodiments, the bottom end of the component  1430  includes a plurality of lock tabs or radially extending members about which the spring component  1410  flexes to lock the bottom end of the component  1430  within the inner cavity or aperture  1406 . In some embodiments, the spring component  1410  may be a horseshoe spring, a clover spring, a closed loop spring, and the like, rather than a split ring spring. 
     According to one embodiment, a method for releasably attaching a component to an article includes providing a base member that includes: an inner cavity or aperture, a channel disposed within the inner cavity or aperture, and a spring component positioned within the channel. The method also includes attaching the base member with the article and inserting a bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture so that the spring component radially deflects about the component&#39;s bottom end and thereby locks the bottom end of the component within the inner cavity or aperture of the base member. In some embodiments, attaching the base member with the article includes coupling a flange of the base member with the article. 
     Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elements have not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Accordingly, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. 
     Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included. 
     As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a process” includes a plurality of such processes and reference to “the device” includes reference to one or more devices and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. 
     Also, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and “includes” when used in this specification and in the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, or groups.