Nike Patenting The Power Laces From Back To The Future II

We’ve had no shortage of cool kicks in the last year. Adidas has led the pack with Star Wars shoes, winged shoes, and even some awesome ZX Spectrum shoes. But Nike, looking to pretty much one-up everyone in the business, is attempting to patent an automatic lacing system. And yes, it is exactly like the Nike Air Mag in Back to the Future II.

Here’s the summary from Nike:

An article of footwear with an automatic lacing system is disclosed. The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper.

Could this possibly be even slightly for real? The description in the patent application really does describe what seems to be a working system. My guess is they’re doing something to coincide with the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Back to the Future trilogy, perhaps a giveaway of a few novelty pairs. But hey, why not get the patent and make a few more while they’re at, right?

[via Dime, Nice Kicks, and Metafilter]