Abstract:
A training shoe is disclosed. The shoe, preferably a soft shoe such as a slipper is designed to emit audio and/or physical stimuli which assists the user in learning dance or other steps. The shoe comprises electromechanical members which are responsive to electrical output signals to control movement to guide a user to perform the appropriate dance steps. In preferred embodiments, the shoe also comprises a loudspeaker through which music is played. In alternate embodiments, the electromechanical members are responsive to audio stimuli such as the music from the loudspeaker on the shoe or from other musical sources.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional No. 60/113,393 filed Dec. 23, 1998 and Provisional No. 60/108,305 filed Nov. 13, 1998. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to footwear which can be used to train a user to dance. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Dancing is a fun, social and healthy pastime desired to be enjoyed by many Americans. However, what stops many people from dancing is the difficulty of learning how to dance. Although there have been countless books and videotapes on dancing, most of these tools are not effective because the user is forever staring at a book or a screen trying to imitate movements shown. Many of theses products, in particular, audio tape and compact discs, are put together with the anticipation that they will be listened to in the course of the person practicing their dancing. Even video tapes are produced with the understanding that the tapes will be used during practice. However, all the user sees is the resulting dance and not the steps used to create the dance. Thus, the user hopelessly imitates the look of the dance rather than the dance itself. Furthermore, in trying to watch a tape, the user loses the feel of dancing to the music and rather vainly tries to memorize steps. Therefore, the best result of this training is that the user somehow manages to learn a few steps which are used ad nauseam on the dance floor. For young children, this process is particularly difficult as a child&#39;s attention span is short and paying attention to a video tape while trying to master new dance steps is difficult at best. As a result there are countless dancing schools for both adults and children. Teachers are very good about showing a student how to place his feet. However, many families cannot afford the time and money associated with such lessons. Furthermore, unless the lessons are the very expensive individualized lessons, a student is forced to learn at the pace of the class and thus may not be able to fully master steps. 
     Thus, there is a need for a system which can be used at an individual&#39;s own learning pace. There is also a need for a system which functions respond to the music from the loudspeaker on the shoe or from other musical sources. It is also desirable that the system train the user to dance by training the users brain feet and ears to coordinate and move to the music. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to remedy the deficiencies of the prior art heretofore discussed. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a system for training a user to dance. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a system which can be used at an individual user&#39;s pace. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a system which trains a user to dance to music from an outside source. 
     A training shoe is disclosed. The shoe, preferably a soft shoe such as a slipper is designed to emit audio and/or physical stimuli which assists the user in learning dance or other steps. The shoe comprises electromechanical members which are responsive to electrical output signals to control movement to guide a user to perform the appropriate dance steps. In preferred embodiments, the shoe also comprises a loudspeaker through which music is played. In alternate embodiments, the electromechanical members are responsive to audio stimuli such as the music from the loudspeaker on the shoe or from other musical sources. 
     More particularly, in accordance with the present invention the inventive item of footwear comprises a footwear base. The footwear base comprises a heel and sole portion. An upper is secured to said footwear base. The upper and the footwear base together form a shoe body configured and dimensioned to be worn on the foot of a person. An electromechanical member is mechanically attached to the shoe body. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, an electronic control circuit having at least one electrical output terminal is provided. The electrical output terminal provides its own electrical output signal and the electromechanical member is responsive to the electrical output signal. The result is a mechanical movement adapted to be felt by the person wearing the inventive item of footwear. The inventive system can further comprise an information storage device coupled to the electronic control circuit. The information storage device is coupled to the electronic control circuit and sends a block of information to the electronic control circuit. The block of information is transformed into the electrical output signal output by the electrical output and coupled to the electromechanical member to create the mechanical movement which is adapted to be felt by the person wearing the item of footwear. In alternate embodiments, the shoe is responsive to other shoes so that the beats are synchronized. 
     The system of the present invention is believed to be particularly advantageous, in so far as it provides for a very direct coupling of information to that part of the body which must be used to dance. More particularly, in accordance with the invention, the foot which is doing the dancing is stimulated directly. Such stimulation may be to one foot or to both feet. The slippers are synchronized to each other by infrared or other means. This is mentally a much easier process to implement for the user. In particular, the user is used to receiving tactile information and synchronizing movements to the song. For example, during walking, tactile information is coupled to the heel and toe and this is fed back to the brain along well-established paths to cause the user to synchronize his movements to the terrain, thus enabling him to easily and quickly execute highly refined movements and walk over sometimes irregular and difficult terrain. In other words, the body is practiced, evolved and developed to receive tactile information from the foot to control foot movement. This natural ability of body and the brain is taken advantage of in accordance with the invention by providing tactile stimulation with dance movement information directly to the foot which a body can most easily assimilate. The result is improved training. At the same time, the activity is also very easy for the body, making the training enjoyable. Thus, even children, perhaps with minimal interest in learning to dance, will be attracted to practice more. 
     The above action of the system of the present invention is enhanced by the playing of music in the slipper synchronous with the beat. This makes the activity very enjoyable because children love to listen to music. 
     In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, infrared sensors may be included with a quality stereo-ability system to produce the information and transmit the same to infrared receivers on the slippers. Such beat information may be contained on dedicated tracks synchronized to the music information on special-purpose compact discs. The system may be implemented most easily on a computer because of the multitasking capability of the computer. In accordance with yet a further refinement of this embodiment of the invention, the system may include logic circuitry for developing the information from any compact disc or other source of music. 
     Still yet another advantage of the inventive system is that the same may be used to implement physical therapy or other training regimens. Children are particularly difficult to engage in such activities even in the face of what could be very substantial handicaps that could follow them for the rest of their lives. The result is that trainers and rehabilitation professionals must go to great efforts to be certain that that the child will follow the prescribed regimen. Because, in accordance with present invention, the regimen is presented in an attractive and fun fashion to the child, compliance becomes much easier and more effective. Indeed, it would be expected, if the regimen were tied to music in which the child was interested, a compliance and exercising far above compliance would be the result. 
     The shoe may also be used for other non-dance training purposes. For example, the shoe may be programmed to teach fencing steps or soccer dribbling. In such as a case sensors for sensing a soccer ball would also be useful. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a slipper incorporating a toe thumping rhythm simulator and music source in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the slipper of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top of view of the inventive slipper illustrating a nonskid sole surface; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the slipper of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a rear view of the slipper of FIG. 1, partially in cross section, showing the composition of the side walls of the slipper; 
     FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the composition of the sole of the slipper illustrated in FIG.  1  and the position of the various electromechanical, electrical and electronic components; 
     FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the electronic system used in the slipper of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the control circuit in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a front view of a transducer for providing a thump to the toe of a user; and 
     FIG. 10 is a side view of the transducer illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view along lines  11 — 11  of FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In accordance with the present invention, a dancing slipper  10 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, is provided. Slipper  10  comprises a pair of sidewalls  12  and  14 , which are each formed by respective outer plush material panels  16  and  18 , and respective inner flannel panels  20  and  22 , as illustrated most clearly in FIG.  2 . As is apparent from the illustration of slipper  10  in FIG. 2, the outer plush material panels  16  and  18  are sewn to the inner flannel panels along seams  24  and  26 . Inner flannel panels  20  and  22  are joined at a seam  28 . 
     Referring to FIG. 5, a synthetic fiberfill material  29  is positioned in a cushion like structure defined between outer plush material panel  16  and inner flannel panel  20 . In FIG. 5, a portion of slipper  10  is shown in cross-section, cut along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  1 . Likewise, such fiber-fill material is positioned in the cushion-like structure defined between outer plush material panel  18  and inner flannel panel  22 . The result is to provide soft and comfortable sidewalls for slipper  10 , while at the same time providing for enough compressibility to allow the slipper  10  to fit properly on feet having a wide range of foot sizes. Fiberfill material  29  is very compressible, while at the same time being stiff enough to provide the desired form. In principle, polyurethane foam may be substituted for such fiberfill material, although the compressible and light characteristics off modern synthetic fiberfill materials is preferred. Materials typically have fibers with a thickness in the range of 0.0005-0.002 cm, preferably 0.001 cm, although, of course, a wide range of such fiberous materials will work, and the same may be selected for their being comfortable and structurally acceptable. 
     While a wide range of materials may be used, typically, the material of which panels  16  and  18  are made is a synthetic plush material having a knitted backing and a dense plush facing made of fibers having a length on the order of 0.3 cm. It may also be desirable that this material have a limited amount of stretch. Alternatively, this plush material may be any of the types typically used in plush toy stuffed animals. 
     Likewise, the material of which inner flannel panels is made can vary widely, being comprised of cotton flannel, synthetic flannel material, synthetic corduroy, cotton corduroy, velveteen, or a knitted backing material with a flannel-like facing. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, such a knitted material having a thickness of 0.1 cm is employed. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the construction of inventive slipper  10  may be further understood. In particular, the structural portion of the structure of slipper  10  is completed by a sole  30 . Sole  30  comprises a fabric backing  32  with non-skid rubber gripping members  34  adhered to fabric backing  32 . 
     A pair of pockets  33 , as illustrated in FIG. 4, are accessible through a closeable opening  35 . Opening  35  may be closed by flexible fabric hook and loop closures, such as those marketed under the trademark Velcro. Alternatively, a zipper or a number of buttons may be used to perform the same function. Pockets  33  are used to house a battery to power the system, as is detailed more fully below. 
     As is illustrated most clearly in FIG. 6, the bottom of slipper  10  comprises, in addition to sole  30 , a number of other layers. These layers include a rubber inner sole  36 , which is made of the relatively firm rubber, which bends substantially without resistance during walking, while, at the same time being soft enough to be compressed under the pressure of, for example, the foot of a child during normal walking. Inner sole  36 , in accordance with the preferred embodiment, has a thickness of approximately 0.25 cm. 
     The next layer in the bottom of the shoe is a foam sole  38 . Foam sole  38  is made of a very light, very compressible foam material which is soft enough to be compressed to about 20 percent of its original thickness by the weight of a small child. It has a thickness of about 8 cm, and may be made of polyurethane or any suitable material. Finally, positioned over foam sole  38  is a liner  40 , which is made of the same material as inner flannel panels  20  and  22 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the backing member  32  of sole  30  is glued to rubber inner sole  36 . Rubber inner sole  36  is, in turn, glued to foam sole  38 . The overall integrity of the bottom of slipper  10  is maintained by sewing liner  40  to backing member  32 , inner sole  36  and foam sole  38 . Sewing is performed around the periphery of the members, all of which share a substantially oval configuration as illustrated, with respect to sole  30 , in FIG.  3 . 
     In order to make the inventive slipper more appealing to those with a playful nature, the front of slipper  10  is decorated with a sculptural form  42 . In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, sculptural form  42  is in the head of an animal having a snout  44 , a lower jaw  46 , eyes  48  and ears  50 . Sculptural form  42  is sewn to the top of the front of slipper  10  along seams  52  and  54 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, slipper  10  is provided with music playing and rhythm beating features. The same are powered by a pair of battery packs  56  housed in pockets  33 , as illustrated in FIG.  4 . Battery packs  56  house batteries, not illustrated in the drawing. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, music and rhythm information are provided by a silicon chip  58  on a circuit board  60  which also hosts electronic circuitry supporting chip  58 . 
     Chip  58  drives an amplifier which in turn drives a loudspeaker  62 . Music from the loudspeaker  62  penetrates and exits the plush fabric of which form  42  is made. Rhythm information is sent to a thumper  64  which couples a mechanical beat to a foot  66  of a user as will become apparent from the description which follows below. 
     The output of music to loudspeaker  62  and thumper  64  is triggered by an electrical trigger switch to  68 . Switch  68  is located in the nose  72  of the animal head decorating the front of the shoe. As is illustrated in FIG. 7, the entire system may be turned on and off by a simple on/off switch  70 . Electrical connections between these parts are illustrated in FIG.  7 . 
     As illustrated in FIG. 7, battery  56  supplies power to the system. Power is turned on and off by switch  70 , which, in the “on” position, couples power to circuit board  60 . When trigger  68  is actuated, for example by the tweaking or pinching of nose  72 , chip  58  on board  60  outputs music to amplifier  74  which, in turn, drives loudspeaker  62 . Alternatively, a switch  72   a  may be located adjacent the toe portion of slipper  10  and the music will be triggered by the wearer putting on the slipper, or be continued when the wearer walks in slipper  10 . 
     The music can be of any type or duration. For example, the music can be an excerpt from a commercial recording including vocal and instrumental elements. In such a case, the chip would have to be selected to have a substantial capacity in random access memory. However, power consumption could be reduced by storing only a limited number of sounds and playing them back in a desired sequence and at speeds corresponding to the notes of the music which is desired to be played. Respecting duration, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that music will be played for a limited period of time, for example a time period on the order of ten seconds. 
     Also, as can be understood from FIG. 8, stored in RAM on chip  58  is a rhythm pattern that comprises a series of beats, whose timing pattern is keyed to the music stored in RAM, much in the same way that the elements in a dance step correlate to music in the same genre as the dance step. 
     More particularly, RAM contains musical information to be played through loudspeaker  62  and a series of beats, timed to follow the music and sent to thumper  64 . While the mechanical beats output by thumper  64  may be a simple series of uniformly spaced beats, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the sequence may be irregular for a period of time then repeated and/or varied. The effect may then be to follow a known or new percussive beat, such as a paradiddle, five beat roll, or the like. 
     The mechanical beat output by thumper  64  is provided by an electromagnetic transducer housed in a plastic box  76 . Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, transducer  78 , generally comprises a magnetic core  80 , around which copper wire  82 , contained between spool ends  84 , has been wound. The result is to form an electromagnet comprised of core  80  and wire  82 . Wire  82  forms a winding  83 . The ends of the copper wire  82  are driven with an electrical signal output by microprocessor chip  58 . In accordance with the preferred embodiment, this signal may be amplified by a switching transistor. 
     The electromagnet is supported between the base  85  of support member  86  and the tops  88  of the arms of support member  86 . Reference is made to FIG. 11 which is a cross sectional view along lines  11 — 11  of FIG. 10. A substantial gap  87  is defined by the tops  88  of support member  86 . The purpose of this gap is to interrupt what would otherwise be a path for flux to circulate through the side portions  90  of support member  86 , and thus to concentrate the flux in paths which include electromagnetic member  92 . 
     Magnetic flux created by the electromagnet is coupled through portion  94  of support member  86 , and then through spring member  96  and electromagnetic member  92 . When an electrical pulse is applied to copper wire  82  of the electromagnet, electromagnetic member  92  is attracted toward core  80 . However, the size of the electrical pulse provided by chip  58  is scaled to result in attraction of electromagnetic member  92 , but not so great as to result in contact between electromagnetic member  92  and core  80 . 
     Additional mass is provided by bob member  98  which is secured to electromagnetic member  92 . This results in a stronger thump being coupled to the foot of the user. 
     In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, this thump is coupled to the toes of the user, which are most sensitive to such movement. Likewise, loudspeaker  62  is oriented upwardly to provide a maximum of acoustic energy in the direction of the user. Because of the rhythm of the thumping and the music are correlated to each other, and the thumping is on the foot, the result is to induce and train dancing by a child or other person using the inventive slipper  10 . 
     The inventive slipper is particularly effective inasmuch as it concentrates a mechanical beat signal on the foot of a user, while providing a musical stimulus to the ears of the user. This combination is most natural as is illustrated, for example, by the familiar substantially involuntary toe tapping which occurs when people hear music. In accordance with the preferred invention, music which has a high beat content is particularly preferred. 
     In accordance with the present invention, it is contemplated that the slippers or other footwear of multiple users may be made responsive to each other. Such responsiveness may be provided by linking slippers using infrared transmitters and receivers on the slippers. Such responsiveness may take the form of the slipper music and thumper beats synchronized to each other, or other temporal relationship between the beat and the music. 
     Moreover, if desired, the random access memory contained in chip  58  may be used to contain other information input into the ram in the same way as music or beat information in a conventional fashion which is not a part of the present invention. Such information may include, for example, information which would cause the animal head of sculptural form  42  to nod up and down with the music or, do something completely different like light up eyes  48  in synchronism with the beat and/or the music. 
     In accordance with the present invention, it is also contemplated that the musical output can be replaced by a giggling sound or the sound that a child might give out if tickled. Such sounds may be timed to the beat of the thumper in such a way that giggling may be likely triggered in children wearing the slippers. 
     It is also contemplated that the system of the present invention can be implemented in a shoe, sneaker, dancing shoe or other similar environment or item. In the case of a sneaker, the beat in the sneaker can be timed to correspond to a desired pattern of a physical activity, in much the same way that an audio cue is given to a number of rowers in a boat or the cheer of the crowd urging a charging quarterback with a repetitive “go, go, go”. Likewise, the music can be replaced with different content, such as a cheer or a training input, such as “right, breathe in, left, breathe out”. Such stimuli may be produced by one or both the shoes of an individual. In similar fashion, the audio component may be dispensed with, and the beat on the foot of the user made the only stimulus output by the sneaker. 
     In the case of an athletic sneaker, it is contemplated that the beat applied by the sneaker may optionally be controlled by a source external to the shoe. Such input may be a remote control from a coach, trainer or other person. Alternatively, the beat in the shoe or shoes of a user may be made responsive to the beat of a designated lead user in a group of users. 
     In principle, a fixed designated user can be replaced by a dynamic shifting user, selected by the shoes of all users as a result of communication of, for example, running characteristics of the various users, through the use of motion sensors and infrared links between the shoes. The microprocessors may be made responsive to increasing speed of one runner to increase the beat frequency sent to the other runners, or it could be responsive to faltering in the motion of one of a group of runners to slow down the group, to allow all to finish the course. Such information may also be downloaded to a computer, to allow the formation of more evenly matched groups or to achieve other characteristics in a group. 
     While some illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described above, it is, of course, understood that various modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is limited and defined only by the appended claims.