Standoff unit for a control device in an article of footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear or an article of apparel can include provisions for facilitating the installation of a control device. The control device can include a panel comprising a plurality of buttons that can provide manual control to a user. The control device can be installed in a compartment within the article after initial manufacture of the article of footwear. In some cases, the control device can include a raised standoff assembly that can be configured to decrease inadvertent pressure being applied to the buttons.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 an upper portion including a lace to adjust a fit of the upper portion against a foot, the lace adjustable between a first position and a second position based at least in part on manipulation of an effective length of the lace;   a lower portion including a mid-sole and an out-sole, the lower portion coupled to the upper portion at the mid-sole;   a power source, positioned in the lower portion;   a lacing engine, coupled to the power source, including:
 a lace spool to engage a loop of the lace to enable manipulation of the effective length of the lace through rotation of the lace spool; 
 a motor operatively coupled to the spool, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the spool; and 
   a user interface, positioned in the upper portion, configured to enable a user to touch the user interface to cause the motor to increase or decrease tension on the lace.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the lacing engine is configured to switch among a plurality of preset positions based on interaction with a user interface. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 2 , wherein the lacing engine is further configured to transition among a plurality of transitory states to incrementally increase or decrease the effective length of the lace. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 3 , wherein a decrease of the effective length of the lace corresponds to a tightening of the lace and an increase of the effective length of the lace corresponds to a loosening of the lace. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein a preset tightened state corresponds to a state including a shortest effective lace length and a preset loosened state corresponds to a state including a longest effective lace length. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5 , wherein the user interface is configured to increase the tension on the lace based on touching the user interface in a first location and decrease the tension on the lace based on touching the user interface in a second location. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 6 , wherein the user interface is positioned between a first layer of the upper and a second layer of the upper and a touch by the user is imparted to the user interface through the first layer. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , further comprising a wiring portion, wherein the wiring portion further operatively couples the user interface to the power source. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein the wiring portion extends through the upper portion and the lower portion. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein the user interface further comprises a circuit board operatively coupled to the wiring portion. 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 forming an upper portion including a lace to adjust a fit of the upper portion against a foot, the lace adjustable between a first position and a second position based at least in part on manipulation of an effective length of the lace;   coupling a lower portion including a mid-sole and an out-sole to the upper portion at the mid-sole;   positioning a power source in the lower portion;   coupling a lacing engine to the power source, the lacing engine including:
 a lace spool to engage a loop of the lace to enable manipulation of the effective length of the lace through rotation of the lace spool; 
 a motor operatively coupled to the spool, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the spool; and 
   positioning a user interface in the upper portion, the user interface configured to enable a user to touch the user interface to cause the motor to increase or decrease tension on the lace.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising configurating the lacing engine to switch among a plurality of preset positions based on interaction with a user interface. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising configurating the lacing engine to transition among a plurality of transitory states to incrementally increase or decrease the effective length of the lace. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein a decrease of the effective length of the lace corresponds to a tightening of the lace and an increase of the effective length of the lace corresponds to a loosening of the lace. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a preset tightened state corresponds to a state including a shortest effective lace length and a preset loosened state corresponds to a state including a longest effective lace length. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising configurating the user interface to increase the tension on the lace based on touching the user interface in a first location and decrease the tension on the lace based on touching the user interface in a second location. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein positioning the user interface comprises positioning the use interface between a first layer of the upper and a second layer of the upper and a touch by the user is imparted to the user interface through the first layer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising operatively coupling a wiring portion between the user interface to the power source. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the wiring portion extends through the upper portion and the lower portion. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the user interface further comprises a circuit board and wherein operatively coupling the wiring portion includes operatively coupling the wiring portion to the circuit board.