Article of footwear and a method of assembly of the article of footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear can include provisions for facilitating the installation of various components. During manufacture of the article of footwear, the upper and/or sole structure can include one or more specialized compartments designed to receive the components. The components can be installed in compartments after manufacture of the article of footwear. In some cases, the components can be used to perform different functions in a motorized tensioning system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 a sole structure, including a midsole, an outsole, and a sole plate, the midsole disposed between the outsole and the sole plate, the sole plate forming a compartment;   an upper, secured with respect to the sole structure, comprising an inner surface and forming an inner void configured to admit a foot of a wearer of the article of footwear, the compartment being accessible from the inner void;   at least one bootie configured to be removable from, and re-insertable within, the inner void after manufacture of the article of footwear, wherein a portion of the at least one bootie is fixedly attached to a portion of the upper and the bootie is configured to fully enclose the foot;   a motorized tensioning device removably seated in the compartment via the inner void, the motorized tensioning device comprising a motor and a power source operatively coupled to and configured to drive the motor, wherein a lace is operatively coupled to the motorized tensioning device, wherein operating the motorized tensioning device causes tension to be placed on or removed from the lace to decrease or increase a size of the inner void, respectively;   wherein the compartment is sized to fully contain the motorized tensioning device and the removal of the at least one removable element provides access to the compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the compartment is a first compartment disposed in the sole structure and further comprising a second compartment disposed in the upper and accessible from the inner void, wherein the removal of the at least one bootie provides access to the first and second compartments. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 2 , wherein the first compartment is configured to seat a first electronic component and the second compartment is configured to seat a second electronic component. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 3 , wherein the second electronic component is configured to be operatively coupled to the first electronic component when the second electronic component is seated in the second compartment and the first electronic component is seated in the first compartment. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein the second electronic component is a light emitting diode (LED) panel. 
     
     
         6 . The me article of footwear thud of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one bootie is a single bootie and wherein removal of the bootie provides access to the first and second compartments. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the bootie is arranged to be adjacent to a majority of the inner surface of the upper, and further comprising an insole positioned between the bootie and motorized tensioning device seated within the compartment. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , further comprising a collar lining. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein removal of the bootie provides access to the first compartment and removal of the collar lining provides access to the second compartment. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein the first compartment is configured to seat a first electronic component and the second compartment is configured to seat a second electronic component, and wherein the first electronic component is a motorized tensioning system and the second electronic component is a control panel configured to control operation of the motorized tensioning system. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the sole structure includes a heel region, wherein the heel region of the sole structure includes the compartment, and wherein the compartment comprises a recess configured to receive an electronic component. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein a tunnel configured to receive an electronic component is disposed between a portion of the first layer and a portion of the second layer. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 12 , wherein the upper includes a heel counter, wherein the tunnel is disposed adjacent to the heel counter, and wherein the heel counter comprises a light diffusive material. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper includes a first layer and a second layer, and wherein the lace is disposed, at least in part, between the first layer and the second layer. 
     
     
         15 . A method of making an article of footwear, comprising:
 obtaining a sole structure, including a midsole, an outsole, and a sole plate, the midsole disposed between the outsole and the sole plate, the sole plate forming a compartment;   securing an upper with respect to the sole structure, the upper comprising an inner surface and forming an inner void configured to admit a foot of a wearer of the article of footwear, the compartment being accessible from the inner void;   positioning at least one bootie configured to be removable from, and re-insertable within, the inner void after manufacture of the article of footwear, wherein a portion of the at least one bootie is fixedly attached to a portion of the upper and the bootie is configured to fully enclose the foot;   removably seating a motorized tensioning device in the compartment via the inner void, the motorized tensioning device comprising a motor and a power source operatively coupled to and configured to drive the motor, wherein a lace is operatively coupled to the motorized tensioning device, wherein operating the motorized tensioning device causes tension to be placed on or removed from the lace to decrease or increase a size of the inner void, respectively;   wherein the compartment is sized to fully contain the motorized tensioning device and the removal of the at least one removable element provides access to the compartment.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the compartment is a first compartment disposed in the sole structure and further comprising a second compartment disposed in the upper and accessible from the inner void, wherein the removal of the at least one bootie provides access to the first and second compartments. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising seating a first electronic component in the first compartment and seating a second electronic component in the second compartment. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising operatively coupling the second electronic component to the first electronic component when the second electronic component is seated in the second compartment and the first electronic component is seated in the first compartment. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second electronic component is a light emitting diode (LED) panel. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one bootie is a single bootie and wherein removal of the bootie provides access to the first and second compartments.