Automated tightening shoe

A method of tightening and loosening a shoe around a foot of a wearer having first and second feet, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a shoe having a sole, an upper connected to the sole and having an opening for receipt of a person's foot, the front and rear of the sole and upper defining a toe and a heal, said sole defining the shoe's bottom, and said upper defining the shoe's top, the shoe further having at least one lace crisscrossing over the top of said upper having two lace ends, a tightening mechanism positioned within said sole or upper with said lace ends connected to said tightening mechanism such that said tightening mechanism pulls upon said lace ends to tighten said at least one lace across said shoe's top, a locking mechanism for locking said at least one lace in a tightened condition, and a release mechanism for unlocking said locking mechanism and releasing said at least one lace from being in a tightened condition, said release mechanism including a lever arm which projects rearwardly from the rear of said shoe, depression upon said lever arm causing the unlocking of said locking mechanism and the releasing of said at least one lace from being in a tightened condition;
• inserting a first foot of the wearer into the shoe;
• activating the tightening mechanism so as to tighten the shoe around the wearer's foot;
• and
• releasing the shoe by depressing the lever arm of the release mechanism.