Patent Description:
Articles of apparel can include lacing systems that provide and/or restrict access to an interior area of the article, enhance the performance of the article, and/or improve the comfort of a wearer. For instance, <CIT> describes a speed closure system for footwear. Continued improvements in lacing systems for articles of apparel are desirable.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of lacing systems and articles of apparel that include lacing systems, as well as methods of manufacturing and using such lacing systems. The claimed invention is defined by the claims.

In one embodiment according to the claimed invention, a lacing system for an article of apparel is provided. The lacing system includes a first continuous lace element having a first lace-receiving portion and a first lacing portion, a second continuous lace element having a second lace-receiving portion and a second lacing portion, a first carrier to which the first lace-receiving portion of the first lace element is fixedly attached, and a second carrier to which the second lace-receiving portion of the second lace element is fixedly attached. The second carrier is spaced apart from the first carrier by a lacing gap. The first lace-receiving portion forms a first plurality of loop apertures and the second lace-receiving portion forms a second plurality of loop apertures. The first lacing portion can engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures, and the second lacing portion can engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures.

The first and second plurality of loop apertures can form a plurality of pairs of loop apertures, such as at least two pairs of loop apertures or from two to ten pairs of loop apertures. The plurality of pairs of loop apertures can be symmetrically aligned along a length of the lacing system.

The first and second carriers can be formed from elongated strips of material that extend along first and second sides, respectively, of the lacing gap. In some embodiments, the first carrier and the second carrier can have a rectangular shape.

In some embodiments, the lace-receiving portions can be stitched to a respective carrier. Alternatively, or additionally, the lace-receiving portions can be adhesively bonded to a respective carrier.

The lacing systems can include an article of apparel, such as an article of footwear, and the first and second carriers can be secured to an external surface of the article of apparel. In some embodiments, the first carrier has a first top surface and a first bottom surface, and the first lace-receiving portion is secured to the first top surface (or, alternatively, the first bottom surface) of the first carrier, and the second carrier has a second top surface and a second bottom surface, and the second lace-receiving portion is secured to the second top surface (or, alternatively, the second bottom surface) of the second carrier. The first and second bottom surfaces can face the external surface of the article of apparel.

In some embodiments, the first lace-receiving portion can form a first plurality of lower loop apertures and the second lace-receiving portion can form a second plurality of lower loop apertures, with the first and second plurality of lower loop apertures being configured to engage with one or more strands that extend from a sole structure of the article of footwear.

In other embodiments, at least a portion of the first lace-receiving portion and at least a portion of the second lace-receiving portion is covered by an external portion of an upper of the article of footwear. The first lace-receiving portion can extend from a first start end of the first lace element to a first intermediate portion of the first lace element and the first lacing portion can extend from the first intermediate portion to a first terminal end of the first lace element, and the second lace-receiving portion can extend from a second start end of the second lace element to a second intermediate portion of the second lace element and the second lacing portion can extend from the second intermediate portion to a second terminal end of the second lace element.

There is further generally described herein an article of apparel which can include an opening in the article of apparel, a first continuous lace element having a first lace-receiving portion and a first lacing portion, the first lace-receiving portion being secured to a first side of the opening in the article of apparel, and a second continuous lace element having a second lace-receiving portion and a second lacing portion, the second lace-receiving portion being secured to a second side of the opening in the article of apparel. The first lace-receiving element can form a first plurality of loop apertures extending toward the second side, and the second lace-receiving portion can form a second plurality of loop apertures extending toward the first side. The first lacing portion can engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures, and the second lacing portion can engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures. The article of apparel can be an article of footwear and the opening can be an opening in an upper of the article of footwear.

In some embodiments of the above article of apparel, the first lace-receiving element and the second lace-receiving element are directly secured to an external surface of the article of apparel. Alternatively, the first lace-receiving element can be secured to a first carrier and the second lace-receiving element can be secured to a second carrier, and the first carrier and the second carrier can be secured to an external surface of the article of apparel.

The first and second plurality of loop apertures can form a plurality of pairs of loop apertures that extend along the first and second sides of the opening, such as a plurality of pairs of loop apertures that symmetrically aligned with from two to ten pairs.

The first carrier and second carrier can comprise elongated strips of material. The first carrier can a first top surface and a first bottom surface, and the first lace-receiving portion can be secured to the first top surface (or alternatively, the first bottom surface) of the first carrier. Similarly, the second carrier can have a second top surface and a second bottom surface, and the second lace-receiving portion can be secured to the second top surface (or alternatively, the second bottom surface) of the second carrier. The first and second bottom surfaces can face the external surface of the article of apparel.

There is further generally described herein a method of manufacturing an article of apparel. The method can include securing a first lace-receiving portion of a first lace element to a first side of an opening in the article of apparel, with the first lace-receiving element forming a first plurality of loop apertures, securing a second lace-receiving portion of a second lace element to a second side of the opening in the article of apparel, with the second lace-receiving portion forming a second plurality of loop apertures, engaging a first lacing portion of the first lace element with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures so that the first lacing portion extends laterally across the opening along at least a portion of a length of the opening, and engaging a second lacing portion of the second lace element with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures so that the second lacing portion extends laterally across the opening along at least a portion of the length of the opening. The article of apparel can be an article of footwear and the opening can be an opening in an upper of the article of footwear.

In some embodiments of the above method, the first lace-receiving element and the second lace-receiving element can be directly secured to an external surface of the article of apparel. Alternatively, the first lace-receiving element can be secured to a first carrier and the second lace-receiving element can be secured to a second carrier, and the first carrier and the second carrier can be secured to an external surface of the article of apparel.

The first and second plurality of loop apertures form a plurality of pairs of loop apertures that extend along the first and second sides of the opening, such as a plurality of pairs of loop apertures that are symmetrically aligned, and the number of the plurality of pairs of loop apertures ranges from <NUM> to <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first carrier and second carrier can comprise elongated strips of material. The first carrier can have a first top surface and a first bottom surface, and the first lace-receiving portion can be secured to the first top surface (or alternatively, the first bottom surface) of the first carrier, and the second carrier can have a second top surface and a second bottom surface, and the second lace-receiving portion can be secured to the second top surface (or alternatively, the second bottom surface) of the first carrier. The first and second bottom surfaces can face the external surface of the article of apparel.

In some embodiments, the first lace-receiving portion forms a first plurality of lower loop apertures and the second lace-receiving portion forms a second plurality of lower loop apertures, the first and second plurality of lower loop apertures are configured to engage with one or more strands that extend from a sole structure of the article of footwear. At least a portion of the first lace-receiving portion and at least a portion of the second lace-receiving portion can be covered by an external portion of an upper of the article of footwear.

The first lace-receiving portion can extend from a first start end of the first lace element to a first intermediate portion of the first lace element and the first lacing portion can extend from the first intermediate portion to a first terminal end of the first lace element, and the second lace-receiving portion can extend from a second start end of the second lace element to a second intermediate portion of the second lace element and the second lacing portion can extend from the second intermediate portion to a second terminal end of the second lace element.

In yet another embodiments according to the claimed invention, a method of forming a lacing system for attachment to an article of apparel is provided. The method can include securing a first lace-receiving portion of a first lace element to a first carrier, with the first lace-receiving element forming a first plurality of loop apertures, and securing a second lace-receiving portion of a second lace element to a second carrier, with the second lace-receiving portion forming a second plurality of loop apertures. The first lace element comprises a lacing portion that extends away from the first carrier to engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures such that the first lacing portion can extend laterally across a lacing gap between the first and second carrier, and the second lace element comprises a second lacing portion that extends away from the second carrier to engage with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures such that the second lacing portion can extend laterally across the lacing gap between the first and second carrier.

In some embodiments, the first and second plurality of loop apertures can form a plurality of pairs of loop apertures, such as from two to ten pairs of loop apertures. The plurality of pairs of loop apertures can be symmetrically aligned along a length of the lacing system.

The first carrier can be an elongated strip of material that extends along a first side of the lacing gap, and the second carrier can be an elongated strip of material that extends along a second side of the lacing gap. The first carrier and the second carrier can have a rectangular shape.

In some embodiments, the first lace-receiving portion can be stitched to the first carrier, and the second lace-receiving portion can be stitched to the second carrier. In other embodiments, the first lace-receiving portion can be alternatively, or additionally, adhesively bonded to the first carrier and the second lace-receiving portion can be alternatively, or additionally, adhesively bonded to the second carrier.

The systems and methods described herein, and individual components thereof, should not be construed as being limited to the particular uses or systems described herein in any way. Instead, this disclosure is directed toward all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and subcombinations with one another. For example, any features or aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be used in various combinations and subcombinations with one another, as will be recognized by an ordinarily skilled artisan in the relevant field(s) in view of the information disclosed herein. In addition, the disclosed systems, methods, and components thereof are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combinations thereof, nor do the disclosed things and methods require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.

As used in this application the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Additionally, the term "includes" means "comprises. " Further, the term "coupled" or "secured" encompasses mechanical and chemical couplings, as well as other practical ways of coupling or linking items together, and does not exclude the presence of intermediate elements between the coupled items unless otherwise indicated, such as by referring to elements, or surfaces thereof, being "directly" coupled or secured. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "and/or" means any one item or combination of items in the phrase.

As used herein, the term "exemplary" means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms "e.g.," and "for example," introduce a list of one or more non-limiting embodiments, examples, instances, and/or illustrations.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forth below. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed things and methods can be used in conjunction with other things and methods. Additionally, the description sometimes uses terms like "provide," "produce," "determine," and "select" to describe the disclosed methods. These terms are high-level descriptions of the actual operations that are performed. The actual operations that correspond to these terms will vary depending on the particular implementation and are readily discernible by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

As used herein, the directional terms (e.g., "upper" and "lower") generally correspond to the orientation of an article of footwear or sole assembly as it is configured to be worn by a wearer. For example, an "upwardly-facing surface" and/or an "upper surface" of a sole assembly refers to the surface oriented in the "superior" anatomical direction (i.e., toward the head of a wearer) when the article of footwear is being worn by the wearer. Similarly, the directional terms "downwardly" and/or "lower" refer to the anatomical direction "inferior" (i.e., toward the ground and away from the head of the wearer). "Front" means "anterior" (e.g., towards the toes), and "rear" means "posterior" (e.g., towards the heel). "Medial" means "toward the midline of the body," and "lateral" means "away from the midline of the body. " The term "lateral direction" or "transverse direction" refers to a side-to-side direction extending along a width of a component. In other words, the lateral direction may extend between a medial side and a lateral side of an article of footwear. The "interior" of an article of footwear such as a shoe refers to space that is occupied by a wearer's foot when the shoe is worn. The "inner side" or "inner surface" of a upper or other footwear element refers to the face of that element that is oriented toward the shoe's interior in a completed article of footwear. The "exterior," "outer side," or "outer surface" of an element refers to the face of that element that is oriented away from the shoe's interior in the completed article of footwear.

In some embodiments, an article of footwear with a lacing system is disclosed. An individual skilled in the relevant art will appreciate, therefore, that the concepts disclosed herein apply to a wide variety of footwear styles, in addition to the specific style discussed in the following material and depicted in the accompanying figures. In the current embodiments, the article of footwear is shown in the form of an athletic shoe, such as a running shoe. However, in other embodiments, the disclosed lacing system can be used with any other kind of footwear including, but not limited to, hiking boots, soccer shoes, football shoes, sneakers, running shoes, cross-training shoes, rugby shoes, baseball shoes as well as other kinds of shoes. The exemplary article of footwear is a low-top style. In other embodiments, the article of footwear may be a high-top or other style. Moreover, in some embodiments the lacing systems can be configured for use with various kinds of non-sports-related footwear, including, but not limited to, dress shoes, slippers, loafers as well as any other kinds of footwear.

Articles of footwear are a subset of articles of apparel and the exemplary lacing systems can be used with articles of apparel other than articles of footwear. For example, in some embodiments, the lacing systems and/or components disclosed herein can be used with any articles of apparel that require, or can benefit from, a closure mechanism to provide and/or restrict access to an interior of the article. For example, other kinds of articles of apparel to which the exemplary lacing systems can be used include clothing, such as pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, and other sportswear or clothing items. Such lacing systems can be used as an alternative to other conventional lacing systems or other closure systems, such as zippers, buckles, straps, hook and loop-type closures, etc..

As used herein, the term "lacing component," "lacing element," or "lace" refers to an elongated structure extending continuously between a first end and a second end, capable of routing through lace-receiving passages (e.g., loop apertures) as described herein, and capable of withstanding a tensile load and includes, but is not limited to, a cable, a strand, a wire, a cord, a thread, or a string, among others. As used herein, an "end" of a lace includes a terminal end of a lace and some portion of the lace at the terminal end, such as for applying a pulling force on the lace, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term "fixedly attached" refers to two components that are joined in a manner such that the two components may not be readily separated (for example, without damaging or destroying one or both of the components).

Although the figures may illustrate an article of footwear intended for use on only one foot (e.g., a right foot) of a wearer. One skilled in the art will recognize that a corresponding article of footwear for the other foot (e.g., a left foot) would be a mirror image of the right article of footwear.

Unless explained otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present disclosure, suitable methods and materials are described below. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Other features of the disclosure are apparent from the detailed description, claims, abstract, and drawings.

Various lacing systems and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed herein.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary lacing system <NUM> falling within the scope of the claimed invention for use with an article of apparel. The article of apparel can be any article of apparel that can utilize a closure system, including, for example, pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, footwear, and other sportswear or clothing items. The lacing systems provided herein can be used as an alternative to other conventional lacing systems or other closure systems, such as zippers, buckles, straps, hook and loop-type closures.

In certain embodiments, the article of apparel is an article of footwear and the lacing system <NUM> can be incorporated into an upper of the article of footwear to selectively change the size of an ankle opening and to permit the wearer to modify certain dimensions of the upper (e.g., girth) to allow a foot to be received and secured within the void.

The lacing system can comprise a first lace element <NUM> (also referred to herein as first tensile component <NUM>) and a second lace element <NUM> (also referred to herein as first tensile component <NUM>). Each lace element <NUM>, <NUM> can be formed from a continuous lacing element (e.g., a cord, strip, or other long, narrow piece of material). Examples of various materials that could be used include, but are not limited to, cotton, jute, hemp, natural leather, synthetic leather, textiles, polymer sheets or strips, as well as other types of natural or synthetic materials. In some cases, the material may be a woven or knitted textile material. In other cases, the material may be a plastic or polymer material. In one embodiment, lace elements <NUM>, <NUM> can be made of a generally inelastic material that resists stretching. In some cases, lace elements <NUM>, <NUM> can include elastic portions. Furthermore, lace elements <NUM>, <NUM> can comprise a single strand of material or multiple strands of material. Additionally, lace elements <NUM>, <NUM> may be coated with a material along their length, or a portion thereof, to increase friction in order to keep the lace fastened.

Each lace element <NUM>, <NUM> can have two ends. For example, as shown in <FIG>, first lace element <NUM> has a first start end <NUM> and a first terminal end <NUM>, and second lace element <NUM> has a second start end <NUM> and a second terminal end <NUM>. First and second terminal ends <NUM>, <NUM> can include an aglet. The aglet can be, for example, a small sheath of plastic, metal, or other materials that provide an improved gripping surface for the wearer.

First lace element <NUM> can have a first lace-receiving portion <NUM> and a first lacing portion <NUM>. Second lace element <NUM> can have a second lace-receiving portion <NUM> and a second lacing portion <NUM>. The lace-receiving portions transition to lacing portions at an intermediate portion of both the first and second lace elements as shown in <FIG>.

The first lace-receiving portion <NUM> is secured to a first carrier <NUM>, the second lace-receiving portion <NUM> is secured to a second carrier <NUM>. The first and second lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> are not attached to either of the first or second carrier <NUM>, <NUM>, so that the first and second lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> are each freely movable relative to the first and second carriers <NUM>, <NUM>.

As used herein, the term "carrier" refers to a supporting structure to which the lace-receiving portions can be secured, which can, in turn or concurrently, be secured to an article of apparel, such as an article of footwear or clothing. For example, first and second carriers <NUM>, <NUM> can be formed from a textile, a natural fabric, a synthetic fabric, a knit, a woven material, a nonwoven material, a mesh, a leather, a synthetic leather, a polymer, a rubber, and a foam, or any other suitable apparel material, as well as any combination of the same. The carrier can be flexible, rigid, or semi-rigid (i.e., a material that is stiff and solid, but not inflexible). In addition, the carriers can include one or more layers of material, either the same material or a different material, as well as one or more coatings or films applied to one or more surfaces of the carriers.

As shown in <FIG>, first lace-receiving portion <NUM> is secured to the first carrier <NUM> to provide a first plurality of loop apertures <NUM> and second lace-receiving portion <NUM> is secured to the second carrier <NUM> to provide a second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>. First and second carriers <NUM>, <NUM> are spaced apart to provide a lacing gap <NUM> therebetween, with the first carrier <NUM> on a first side <NUM> and the second carrier <NUM> on the second side <NUM>.

As used herein, the term "loop aperture" refers to any closed structure that forms an aperture (or lace-receiving passage) that can receive a lace associated with a lacing system, with the closed structure being formed, at least in part, by the lace-receiving portion of a lace element. In some embodiments, the aperture can be defined by a combination of a respective carrier and a portion of the lace-receiving element.

When formed with a flexible lace-receiving portion of the lace element, the shape of a "loop aperture" can change depending on an amount of tension applied to the loop aperture by a lace element. Alternatively, the lace-receiving portion of a lace element can be formed from a rigid material. For example, the lace-receiving portion can comprise a different material from a flexible lacing portion of the lace element, or a flexible material of the lace element can be coated and/or covered by a rigid material in the lace-receiving portion of the lace element. When formed from a rigid material, the shape of the loop aperture can be generally fixed and can be any desired shape (e.g., flat, curved, angled).

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, carriers <NUM>, <NUM> are elongated strips of material that extend along a length <NUM>. Length <NUM> can vary depending on the number of loop apertures desired on each side. Thus, for example, a shorter length may be suitable for a smaller number of aperture pairs (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>) while a longer length maybe desired for a larger number of aperture pairs (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>). In some embodiments, the number of pairs of lace apertures can be greater than <NUM>, such as from <NUM> to <NUM>, or from <NUM> to <NUM>, or from <NUM> to <NUM>.

The shape of carriers <NUM>, <NUM> can also vary. For example, although <FIG> illustrates a rectangular shape, any other shape that can receive the lace-receiving portions thereon, or at least a portion thereof, may be suitable for securing the lace-receiving portion.

As shown in <FIG>, the lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> can engage with the loop apertures <NUM>, <NUM> to establish the closure mechanism of the lacing system <NUM>. In particular, each of the lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> can extend back and forth (e.g., in the lateral direction) across the lacing gap <NUM> to engage with one or both of the first plurality of loop apertures <NUM> on the first side <NUM> and the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM> on the second side <NUM>.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the first lacing portion <NUM> extends in a lateral direction from a distal end of the first carrier <NUM> (i.e., front) to engage with one of the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, back in the lateral direction to engage with one of the first plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, and back again in the lateral direction with one of the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, and so on. Similarly, the second lacing portion <NUM> extends in a lateral direction from a distal end of the second carrier <NUM> (e.g., towards the front) to engage with one of the first plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, back in the lateral direction to engage with one of the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, and so on. After the first and second lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> engage with the last desired one of the respective first and second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, <NUM> on the first and second carriers <NUM>, <NUM> (e.g., towards the rear), the first and second terminal ends <NUM>, <NUM> can be manipulated to tie the remaining portions of the first and second lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> together in any desired conventional tying manner.

Lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> are secured to the respective carriers <NUM>, <NUM> by any suitable manner that results in the two components being fixedly attached. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> are secured to the carriers <NUM>, <NUM> by one or more stitches <NUM> that extend along the lengths <NUM> of the carriers <NUM>, <NUM>. In addition to, or alternatively, lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> can be secured to the carriers <NUM>, <NUM> by any other suitable manner, such as by permanent adhesives, rivets, staples, welding, or thermal bonding.

<FIG> illustrates first lace element <NUM> and first carrier <NUM> secured to an article of footwear <NUM> (shown without the second lace element <NUM> and second carrier <NUM> for convenience). <FIG> illustrates the lacing system <NUM> secured to the article of footwear <NUM>. Like the attachment of the lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM>, the lacing system can be fixedly attached to the article of footwear in any suitable manner including stitching, permanent adhesives, rivets, staples, welding, or thermal bonding.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the article of footwear <NUM> can comprise an upper <NUM> and a sole structure <NUM>. Generally, upper <NUM> may be any type of upper. In particular, upper <NUM> may have any design, shape, size, and/or color. For example, in embodiments where the article of footwear <NUM> is a basketball shoe, upper <NUM> could be a high-top upper that is shaped to provide high support on an ankle. In embodiments where article <NUM> is a running shoe, upper <NUM> could be a low-top upper as shown in <FIG>.

Upper <NUM> may include one or more material elements (for example, meshes, textiles, foam, leather, and synthetic leather), which may be joined to define an interior cavity configured to receive a foot of a wearer. The material elements may be selected and arranged to impart properties such as light weight, durability, air permeability, wear resistance, flexibility, and comfort. Upper <NUM> may define an opening <NUM> (i.e., an ankle opening) through which a foot of a wearer may be received into the interior cavity.

Lacing system <NUM> can allow the article of footwear <NUM> to move between an expanded, loose, unsecured, or open state, where the user's foot can be inserted or removed from the foot-receiving cavity of the article <NUM>, and a contracted, secured, closed, or tightened state, where the user's foot is secured within the foot-receiving cavity by the lacing system <NUM>. The lacing systems described herein can also be referred to as a tensioning system or fastening system as it is configured to tighten the upper around a foot received in the foot-receiving cavity.

In some embodiments, the article of footwear can include a tongue <NUM> disposed generally under and between the portions of the upper <NUM> including the lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the lacing system <NUM>, so that the lacing gap <NUM> extends generally over the tongue <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrates a symmetrical relationship between opposing loop apertures <NUM>, <NUM>. That is, for each of the first plurality of loop apertures <NUM>, there is an opposing, aligned, one of the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>. In other embodiments, however, opposing loop apertures need not be aligned in a symmetrical manner. Thus, for example, one or more of the first plurality of loop apertures <NUM> could be linearly offset from respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates another embodiment of the lacing system <NUM>. In this embodiment, the structure of the lacing system <NUM> is inverted so that the carriers <NUM>, <NUM> shown in <FIG> are flipped and shown with the lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> under their respective carrier <NUM>, <NUM>. For convenience, <FIG> uses the same numbering convention as <FIG>; however, it should be understood that the first side <NUM> and second side <NUM> are now reversed. Thus, for example, as shown in <FIG>, when attached to the article of footwear <NUM>, the first side <NUM> is on the medial side of the article, while the second side <NUM> is on the lateral side of the article. This is in contrast to the position of each side on the article of footwear <NUM> shown in <FIG>, where the first side <NUM> is on the lateral side of the article the second side <NUM> is on the medial side of the article. Of course, for articles of footwear that correspond to the other foot from that shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the position of the first and second sides <NUM>, <NUM> will also vary.

Thus, the embodiment of <FIG> varies from that of <FIG> in that the carriers <NUM>, <NUM> cover at least a portion of the respective lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM>, when the lacing system <NUM> is fixedly attached to the article of footwear <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate another embodiment of a lacing system <NUM> not falling within the scope of the claimed invention, in which lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> are not secured to a carrier, but are instead secured directly to an article of footwear <NUM>. For convenience, similar reference characters in <FIG> and <FIG> denote similar elements that were labeled in <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates a first lace element <NUM> secured to an article of footwear <NUM> (shown without a second lace element <NUM> for convenience). <FIG> illustrates the lacing system <NUM> secured to the article of footwear <NUM>. The article of footwear <NUM> comprise an upper <NUM> and a sole structure <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first lace-receiving portion <NUM> of the first lace element <NUM> can be secured directly to the upper <NUM>, and as shown in <FIG>, the second lace-receiving portion <NUM> of the second lace element <NUM> can be secured directly to the upper <NUM>.

As in the previous embodiments, a first plurality of loop apertures <NUM> and a second plurality of loop apertures <NUM> are formed by the first and second lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the first and second lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> can interact and engage with the loop apertures of the lacing system <NUM> to open the lacing system (e.g., by lowering tension in lacing portions) and close the lacing system (e.g., by increasing tension in the lacing portions), as described herein.

As discussed above, <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> fixedly attached to the upper, such as by one or more stitches <NUM> that extend along the length <NUM> of the lace-receiving portions across a portion of the upper <NUM>. In addition to, or alternatively, lace-receiving portions <NUM>, <NUM> can be secured to directly to the upper by other suitable manner, such as by permanent adhesives, rivets, staples, welding, or thermal bonding.

Functionally, lacing system <NUM> and <NUM> operate in the same general manner. By applying tension to the terminal ends <NUM>, <NUM> of the lace elements <NUM>, <NUM>, the lacing portions <NUM>, <NUM> engage with the loop apertures <NUM>, <NUM> and the lace gap <NUM> decreases causing the lacing system to move to a closed position.

<FIG> illustrates another embodiment falling within the scope of the claimed invention in which lace-receiving portion <NUM> of the lacing system <NUM> is configured to engage with additional structural components of the article of footwear <NUM>. In particular, the lace-receiving portion <NUM> is secured to a carrier <NUM>, which is in turn secured to the upper <NUM>. However, in addition to providing a first plurality of apertures <NUM>, the lace-receiving portion <NUM> includes engagement regions on a side of the carrier <NUM> that is opposite that of the loop apertures <NUM>.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the lace-receiving portion <NUM> can include one or more engagement regions that are configured to receive, and/or engage with, one or more strands that extend from a lower area of the article of footwear <NUM>. In <FIG>, the engagement regions comprise a plurality of lower loop apertures <NUM> that can engage with one or more strands <NUM> that alternately extend towards and away from the sole structure <NUM>.

During walking, running, or other activities, the movement of a foot within the article of footwear <NUM> can cause the upper <NUM> to stretch. Additionally, the tension applied by lacing system <NUM> can cause the upper <NUM> to stretch. The engagement of one or more stands <NUM> with the lower loop apertures <NUM> can help resist the stretching of the upper <NUM>. Although strands <NUM> may also stretch, strands <NUM> generally stretch to a lesser degree than the other material elements forming upper <NUM>. Each of strands <NUM> may be located, therefore, to form structural components in upper <NUM> that resist stretching in specific directions or reinforce locations where forces are concentrated. In some embodiments, a single strand <NUM> can extend and engage with the plurality of lower loop apertures. In other embodiments, a plurality of strands can be used, with each strand secured to the article of footwear in at least two locations. The strand(s) can be secured to the article of footwear <NUM> in any suitable location, such as at the junction of the upper <NUM> and sole structure <NUM>.

The embodiment shown in <FIG> illustrates a similar carrier to that shown and described above with respect to <FIG>; however, it should be understood that the engagement regions shown in <FIG> can be formed with any of the other lacing systems falling within the scope of the claimed invention.

<FIG> illustrates yet another embodiment of a lacing system <NUM> falling within the scope of the claimed invention applied to an article of footwear <NUM>. In <FIG>, at least a portion of the lacing system <NUM> (such as a portion of the lace-receiving portions and/or a respective carrier) is covered by an external surface of the upper <NUM> and/or a cover layer that extends over some or all of the upper <NUM>. In particular, the upper <NUM> and/or cover layer can have an aperture <NUM> through which the plurality of loop apertures <NUM> extend and are exposed for engagement with the lacing portions as described elsewhere herein.

As shown in <FIG>, the lacing system <NUM> is partially obscured by the covering portion of the upper <NUM>. However, it should be understood that any of the following lacing systems can be used as the lacing system <NUM>: a lacing system with a carrier (e.g., <FIG>) and a lacing system that has engagement regions for receiving and engaging with one or more strands (e.g., <FIG>).

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate only one of the lace elements of a lacing system for convenience. However, it should be understood that the second lace element can be a mirror image of the first lace element and the arrangement and interaction of the two lace elements can be the same as that in other embodiments falling within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claim 1:
A lacing system (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) for an article of apparel (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a first lace element (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) having an elongated structure that extends continuously between a first end (<NUM>) and a second end (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the first lace element (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) having a first lace-receiving portion (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a first lacing portion (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>);
a second lace element (<NUM>) having an elongated structure that extends continuously between a first end (<NUM>) and a second end (<NUM>), the second lace element (<NUM>) having a second lace-receiving portion (<NUM>) and a second lacing portion (<NUM>);
a first carrier (<NUM>, <NUM>) to which the first lace-receiving portion (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the first lace element (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is fixedly attached; and
a second carrier (<NUM>) to which the second lace-receiving portion (<NUM>) of the second lace element (<NUM>) is fixedly attached, the second carrier (<NUM>) being spaced apart from the first carrier (<NUM>, <NUM>) by a lacing gap (<NUM>);
wherein the first lace-receiving portion (<NUM>, <NUM>) forms a first plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), and the second lace-receiving portion (<NUM>) forms a second plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>), and
wherein the first lacing portion (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) engages with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>), and the second lacing portion (<NUM>) engages with respective ones of the first plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and respective ones of the second plurality of loop apertures (<NUM>).