US 2,010,063,778 · Filed 2009-06-12
Nike's Smart Shoe Patent: When Your Sneakers Started Collecting Data
Nike patented a shoe with built-in sensors that track how you move and perform during sports or exercise. The shoe sends that data to your phone or computer so you can see stats like how fast you ran, how high you jumped, or how your form looks. It's basically turning your shoe into a fitness tracker.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a shoe equipped with an integrated sensor system connected to a communication port that collects performance data during athletic activity. What's protected here is the combination of sensors embedded in the shoe, an electronic module that gathers and processes that sensor data, and the ability to transmit the collected information wirelessly to an external device like a smartphone or computer for analysis or further use.
Why it matters
This patent represents Nike's early investment in the sports-tech category—turning athletic footwear from passive equipment into active data-collection devices. By securing this patent, Nike protected its approach to embedding electronics in shoes and creating a direct pipeline of athlete performance data. This kind of technology became foundational to the connected sports ecosystem, where shoes, apps, and wearables work together to help athletes train smarter.
Real-world use
If you've worn a modern smart running shoe or used an app that tracks your foot strike and cadence during a workout, you're using technology built on concepts this patent locks down.
Original USPTO abstract
A shoe has a sensor system operably connected to a communication port. Performance data is collected by the system and can be transferred for further use via the communication port. The shoe may contain an electronic module configured to gather data from the sensors. The module may also transmit the data to an external device for further processing. Users can use the collected data for a variety of different uses or applications.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,010,063,778
- Filing date
- 2009-06-12
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Nike, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- SCHROCK ALLAN M., NURSE MATTHEW A., PISCIOTTA JEFFREY C., AMOS MICHAEL S., OWINGS ANDREW A., MESCHTER JAMES C.
- CPC class
- A43B3/00
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