Nike Inc. has secured a patent with the World Intellectual Property Organization for an “automatic lacing system” as part of a footwear design. Many stories circling around the Internet linked the product to the footwear worn by Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly in the 1989 film “Back to the Future II.”

In the patent filing, Nike describes the item as “a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper.” It also includes an “automatic ankle cinching system.”


The patent was originally filed on April 9, 2009 with the World Intellectual Property Organization. But news of the patent reached the Internet Wednesday at sites such as Dime.com, the basketball e-zine, and online sneaker magazine NiceKicks.com.

Tinker Hatfield, Nike's vice president of creative design, was among the inventors mentioned in the patent filing.

Speaking to the Portland Business Journal, Nike spokeswoman Erin Dobson confirmed that Nike filed the patent, but she also pointed out that the company has thousands of patents and relatively few reach development.