Patent ID: 7676957

Claim:
An automated tightening shoe, comprising: (a) a shoe having a sole and an upper connected to the sole, the upper including a toe, a heel, a medial side portion, and a lateral side portion; (b) a closure means connected to the medial and lateral side portions of the upper for drawing them around a foot placed inside the shoe; (c) a tightening mechanism secured to the shoe sole, the tightening mechanism including an axle with an actuator wheel rigidly connected to the axle and extending beyond the shoe at its rear heel end; (d) at least one engagement cable connected at its one end to the closure means, and at its other end to the tightening mechanism; (e) whereby rotation of the actuator wheel extending beyond the shoe sole causes rotation of the axle of the tightening mechanism to draw the engagement cable in a tightening direction to draw the closure means and medial and lateral side upper portions around the foot, securement means operatively connected to the tightening mechanism acting to impede counter-rotation of the axle to prevent the engagement cable from loosening; and (f) release means operatively connected to the securement means for selective disengagement of the securement means to enable counter-rotation of the axle to allow the closure means to loosen.