Abstract:
Footwear is integrated with an electronic circuit responsive to a remote control signal to control one or more transducers providing tactile, audible, and/or mechanical outputs that tend to distract the wearer of the footwear or hinder walking and running ability, when activated. The footwear may include a receptacle for storing electrical and/or mechanical energy that is discharged to lock a mechanical disruptor in place or to distort the footwear sole when the transducer is activated. The footwear may include a transducer that vibrates when activated. The transducer may be located in the footwear, and/or in an adjacent article of clothing and held against the wearer&#39;s body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/239,227, filed Sep. 2, 2009, which application is specifically incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Inventions 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to footwear incorporating an electro-mechanical device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Young children often run out of sight of parents or other caretakers in inappropriate circumstances, causing anxiety on the part of the caretakers and exposing the runaway children to undesirable risks. It would be desirable to reduce these instances by providing caretakers with a device by which young children can be reminded to return to their caretakers or at least to run no farther. Remote control alerting devices are known, but these devices do not hinder mobility when activated. 
         [0006]    In other circumstances, prisoners are sometimes required to walk in relatively unsecured environments, for examples, in court houses or outdoor work crews, which create a risk of escape. Prisoners can be shackled to discourage escape attempts, but shackling has disadvantages and is frequently undesirable. It would be desirable to provide footwear capable of discouraging escape without hindering movement or requiring shackles when not activated. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present technology may satisfy these and other needs using footwear equipped with a circuit including wireless receiver, a power source, and a transducer. The transducer may comprise a vibrating device, for example, a micro vibration motor or a piezoelectric membrane, located in the inner sole of the footwear, or in an adjacent article of clothing. When the receiver receives a predetermined wireless signal, the circuit activates that transducer to cause a vibrating sensation at the foot or other body part. In addition, the circuit may emit an audible or visible warning signal, before or during activation of the vibrator. A transmitter operated by the caretaker provides the wireless signal that is received by the footwear to activate the transducer. The wireless transmitter may be configured as a handheld device, or set up as a stationary transmitter for perimeter control. 
         [0008]    In other embodiments, the footwear may be similarly configured with a circuit including a receiver, controller, power source, and transducer. In addition, the transducer is linked to a mechanical device that disrupts the outer sole of the footwear, making it difficult or impossible to walk or run when the transducer is activated. The mechanical device may comprise a spring-loaded pawl, pin, blade or roller bearing that pops out of the sole of the footwear and latches into place, making walking or running difficult. In the alternative, or in addition, the mechanical device may comprise a cable or spring that when released by the transducer, causes the inner and outer sole of the footwear to distort into a shape that makes walking or running difficult and perhaps painful. 
         [0009]    A more complete understanding of the remotely controlled footwear disruptor will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings, which will first be described briefly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a shoe equipped with a footwear disruptor being worn by a child, and being remotely controlled using a wireless controller. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a shoe having an installed disruptor. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a schematic plan view showing elements of a disruptor relative to a sole of a shoe. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vibrating disruptor installed in a sole of a shoe. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing an electrical circuit for a footwear disruptor. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a protrudable disruptor installed in a sole of a shoe. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sole-distorting disruptor installed in a sole of a shoe. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , at least one shoe  100  including a circuit  102 , enabling remote control of a transducer  104 , may be fitted on a person and controlled using a remote transmitter  106 . The circuit  102  and transducer  104  may be located in the sole  108  or base of the shoe  100  or other footwear. Optionally, one or more lights  110 , for example, L.E.D.&#39;s, may be mounted on an exterior of the shoe and controlled by circuit  102  in response to the remote transmitter  106 . The shoe  100  may also include one or more audible output transmitters controlled by circuit  102 , and/or the vibratory transducer  104  may be capable of generating both audible and tactile output. 
         [0018]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , a socket  112  may be provided on an exterior of the shoe for connecting to a transducer located in an adjacent article of clothing, for example, in an ankle band  114 . This permits the disruptor circuit  102  to be disabled simply by removing the transducer from the adjoining article and disconnecting from the shoe. Mounting the transducer outside the shoe may also protect the transducer from a harsher environment inside the shoe. By activating the remote control  106  after the wearer has moved too far away from the caretaker or “safe” area, the circuit alerts the wearer by providing an audible, visible, and or tactile signal vial the circuit and transducer. The intensity of the output may be increased if the wearer does not respond to the initial signal. While signals of a nature and intensity to be assuredly safe cannot absolutely prevent a wearer from running away, shoe  100  may be a helpful tool for reminding the wearer that safe limits have been exceeded. 
         [0019]      FIG. 5  shows additional details of a circuit  102  that may be provided in a shoe as described above. Circuit  102  may comprise a receiver  114  in communication with an antenna  116 . A controller, for example, a solid-state device including a microprocessor, is in communication with the receiver and may be configured to activate a transducer  104  and/or light  110  in response to the receiver  114  receiving a wireless control signal from a remote control device via the antenna  116 . Devices in the circuit  102  may be powered by a power supply  102 , using stored electrical energy, for example, as provided by a dry cell battery, for portability. 
         [0020]    Circuit  102  may be adapted for use with a mechanical shoe disruptor for an article of footwear  200 , as shown in  FIG. 6  in cross-section. In the footwear  200 , the wireless control circuit  204  activates transducers  202  in response to receiving a wireless signal, or in response to a failure to receive a wireless control signal, as in a perimeter control system. Transducers  202  release a spring (not shown) or other form of stored mechanical energy to cause mechanical disruptor elements  208  to protrude from the outer sole  206  of the shoe  200 . The disruptor elements may latch in place so that they cannot be retracted without removing the footwear and resetting a latching mechanism. Various mechanical devices may be used to form the disruptor mechanism, for example, spherical or cylindrical roller bearings, protruding pins, blades, or pawls. The disruptor elements should be positioned so that it is difficult or impossible to run or walk on a hard surface when the disruptor elements are protruding from the sole of the shoe  200 . 
         [0021]    For soft walking surfaces, protruding disruptor elements will be less effective because such elements may merely sink into the soft walking surface without much disruptive effect on walking or running by the wearer. For softer surfaces, an article of footwear  300 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , may be provided in which the control circuit  302  activates a transducer  304  to distort the sole  306 , as shown. For example, the transducer may release stored energy that tensions and retracts a cable  308  or pushes a rod, causing the sole  306  and the wearer&#39;s foot to curl into a concave downward shape and disabling normal walking on surfaces of all types. Thus, the shoe  300  may lower the risk of undesired excursions in a safe and humane manner. Other effective sole distortions may include twisting the sole, bending the sole concave upwards, in the direction opposite to that shown in  FIG. 7  using a push rod, or some combination of the foregoing. The footwear sole may be twisted along its longitudinal or transverse axis using a torsion device installed in the interior of the sole, such as a rotating rod or pawl. In any case, the disruption mechanism for the footwear  300  should be calibrated such that the amount of distortion is sufficient to significantly slow ambulatory motion, without causing permanent injury to the wearer&#39;s foot or an unnecessary level of pain. 
         [0022]    In general, footwear with a disrupting mechanism may be configured with an audible or visible alarm that signals just before the disruptor elements are activated, giving the wearer a chance to sit down or otherwise avoid tripping when the disruptors are activated. In some embodiments, the footwear may be made difficult to remove—for example, by using locking closures—to prevent escape via the simple expedient of doffing the shoe. 
         [0023]    The footwear with disrupting mechanism may be used in the performance of a method, essentially comprising activating a transducer installed in an article of footwear in response to receiving a wireless signal, thereby causing mechanical disruption of a portion of the footwear in response to movement of the transducer. Activation may be performed by transmitting the wireless signal to a receiver coupled to the transducer via a control circuit. In the alternative, or in addition, activation may be performed by moving the footwear beyond the range of a wireless beacon defining the perimeter of an area. 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, the mechanical disruption comprises vibrating an interior portion of the footwear so as to create a sensation perceptible through a wearer&#39;s foot, for example, using a piezo-electric membrane in the sole or upper to create an intense vibration against the wearer&#39;s foot. The frequency and amplitude of the vibration may be strong enough to create distraction or discomfort for most wearers. Optionally, the amplitude may be gradually increased until the wearer responds to the signal. An audible signal may also be generated. 
         [0025]    In other embodiments, causing the mechanical disruption comprises protruding a mechanical element from an outer sole of the footwear, so as to impair use of the footwear for walking or running. The mechanical element may be any suitable shape or configuration for disrupting ambulatory motion; for example, the element may comprise one or more spherical or cylindrical roller bearings, protruding pins, blades, or pawls that are driven by the transducer to protrude beyond the bottom surface of the footwear&#39;s outer sole. Energy for moving the protruding element may be provided by an energy storage device, such as a mechanical or gas spring. In the alternative, or in addition, the energy may be provided by an electrical battery, and converted to mechanical motion using a suitable motor. 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, causing the mechanical disruption comprises distorting the sole of the footwear so as to impair use of the footwear for walking or running. Numerous mechanisms may be suitable for distorting the sole under control of the electrical circuit, some examples of which are provided above in connection with  FIG. 7 . 
         [0027]    The foregoing embodiments merely exemplify various apparatus and systems for remotely controlled footwear disruption. The present technology is not limited by these examples.