Patent Publication Number: US-2010115799-A1

Title: Shoe Apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates generally to a shoe apparatus and, more particularly, to a shoe or aftermarket device for a shoe having sensors and audio or visual effects that are actuated when the sensors detect shoe movements indicative of steps, stomps, or dance moves. 
     Dancing is a physical activity that provides personal enjoyment and exercise to the person who is dancing. Moving the body in time with a rhythm is found in virtually all cultures and is perhaps an innate physical and emotional response in all people. Traditional exercise, on the other hand, is not usually undertaken with the same enthusiasm despite its importance to a person&#39;s general health and well-being. While organized exercise, such as team sports, may be engaged in with enhanced enthusiasm, many people do not participate in such exercise because they do not have sufficient opportunity or because they simply lack the motivation to engage in available opportunities. 
     Various devices have been proposed in the art for attempting to stimulate exercise by bringing sight and sound effects to footwear in an attempt to heighten enjoyment of moving one&#39;s feet. Although assembly effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices and proposals do not fully distinguish between heel or toe movements, cannot sense the strength of a movement, or do not provide variations of light and sound according to these sensations. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a shoe apparatus that would bring enhanced enjoyment, entertainment, and motivation to moving one&#39;s feet. Further, it would be desirable to have a shoe apparatus that would sense different types and strengths of foot movement and provide selective modes of audio and visual effects accordingly. In addition, it would be desirable to have a shoe apparatus that may be applied to and used with traditional shoes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A shoe apparatus according to the present invention includes a shoe sole and a shoe upper atop the shoe sole. The shoe apparatus includes at least one sensor for determining when at least a portion of the shoe sole is compressed and includes at least one speaker. A processor is in data communication with the at least one sensor and the at least one speaker, the processor having programming to actuate the at least one speaker to output sound when the at least one sensor detects the compression. The processor may also be in communication with at least one light, the processor having programming to actuate the light when the sensor detects that a wearer has taken a step. At least one battery is in electrical communication with the at least one speaker and the processor. 
     Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus that motivates a user to move his feet by providing audio and visual stimulus when compression or pressure is detected by sensors. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus, as aforesaid, having sensors situated in the sole of the apparatus for detecting when a wearer has taken a step. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus, as aforesaid, having a processor and audio/visual components that may be actuated when the sensors detect various movements of the shoe apparatus. 
     Yet another object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus, as aforesaid, that can motivate a wearer to move his feet by providing stimulating audio and visual effects as a result. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus, as aforesaid, that is cost effective and user-friendly to use. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus, as aforesaid, having a harness that may be attached to a shoe and which may house the processor, speaker, and lights. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1   a  is a top perspective view of a shoe apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1   b  is a bottom perspective view of the shoe apparatus as in  FIG. 1   a;    
         FIG. 2   a  is a top perspective view of a shoe apparatus as in  FIG. 1   a  according to another embodiment of the present invention with electronic components housed in a harness. 
         FIG. 2   b  is bottom perspective view of the shoe apparatus as in  FIG. 2   a;    
         FIG. 3   a  is an exploded view of the shoe apparatus as in  FIG. 1   a;    
         FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view of a remote unit according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4   a  is a side view of a sensor as in  FIG. 3   a;    
         FIG. 4   b  is a sectional view taken along line  4   b - 4   b  as in  FIG. 4   a;    
         FIG. 5  is another bottom perspective view as in  FIG. 1   b  with a portion of the sole removed; 
         FIG. 6   a  is a block diagram of the electronic components of the shoe apparatus according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6   b  is another block diagram of the electronic components according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A shoe apparatus will now be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 1   a  through  FIG. 6   b  of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a shoe apparatus  100  includes at least one sensor  130 , a processor  140 , and at least one speaker  142 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 1   a ,  1   b ,  3   a , and  5 , the shoe apparatus  100  includes a shoe sole  102  and a shoe upper  104  atop the shoe sole  102 . The sensor(s)  130  are housed in the shoe sole  102  for determining when a wearer has taken a step. More particularly, the sensor(s)  130  determine (directly or indirectly) when at least a portion of the shoe sole  102  is compressed, such as by detecting an influx of pressure on the sensor(s)  130 . Various sensors  130  may be used, including (but not limited to) switches  130   a  and piezoelectric transducers. A switch  130  may, for example, complete an electrical circuit upon a movable member being compressed. As shown in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , for example, compression causes wall  131  to interact with a battery  150  and complete a circuit. A piezoelectric transducer, on the other hand, emits a voltage when pressure is applied. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1   b , a plurality of sensors  130  may be included. The sensors  130  may be spread apart to determine when different regions of the shoe sole  102  are compressed. While two sensors  130  are shown in  FIG. 1   b , it should be understood that many sensors  130  may be included to survey additional regions of the shoe sole  102 . The sensor(s)  130  may also determine amounts of compression/pressure. For example, if switches  130   a  are used, an array of switches  130   a  that require different amounts of compression to force walls  131  to complete the circuits may be included. If piezoelectric transducers are used, the voltage emitted is generally proportional to the force applied, so the resulting voltages may indicate the amounts of compression/pressure. 
     The processor  140  is in data communication with the sensor(s)  130  and the speaker(s)  142 , as shown in  FIG. 6   a . The processor  140  may further be in data communication with at least one light (e.g., LED)  144  ( FIG. 6   a ), and means are included for powering the processor  140 , speaker(s)  142 , and light(s)  144 . The processor  140  has programming to actuate the speaker(s)  142  to output sound and/or to actuate the light(s)  144  when the sensor(s)  130  determine that the wearer has taken a step (i.e., when compression/pressure is detected by the sensor(s)  130 ). The processor  140  may also include programming to actuate the speaker(s)  142  and/or light(s)  144  to output sound based on determinations by the sensor(s)  130  regarding amounts of compression/pressure. In other words, the processor  140  may cause the speaker(s)  142  to output sound when a step is taken, and the sound that is output (e.g., volume, tone, sustain, etc.) may be affected based on the amount of compression/pressure determined by the sensor(s)  130 . The sound may be further based on the speed or rhythm of steps detected by the sensor(s)  130 , which sensor  130  detects compression/pressure, and other factors. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , the processor  140 , speaker(s)  142 , light(s)  144 , and powering device(s) (e.g., battery  150 ) are housed in the shoe sole  102  or the shoe upper  104 . In such arrangements, the processor  140 , speaker(s)  142 , light(s)  144 , and powering device(s) are in communication through wiring.  FIG. 6   a  shows one appropriate electrical arrangement for the embodiment set forth in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b.    
     In another embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , the processor  140 , speaker(s)  142 , light(s)  144 , and powering device(s) (e.g., battery  152 ) are housed in a remote unit  160  (i.e., a housing separate from the shoe sole  102  and the shoe upper  104 ). As shown in  FIG. 6   b , a transmitter  162  is in data communication with the sensor(s)  130  and a power source (e.g., battery  150 ), and a receiver  164  is in data communication with the processor  140 ; this provides data communication between the sensor(s)  130  and the processor  140 . 
     While the sensor(s)  130  are housed in the shoe sole  102  in the embodiments discussed above, other embodiments instead utilize a harness  170  but are otherwise generally similar.  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  show the harness  170 , which is configured for aftermarket attachment to the shoe sole  102  and the shoe upper  104 . The harness  170  has a sole portion  172  configured for placement lowerly adjacent the shoe sole  102  ( FIG. 2   b ), a forward strap  174  configured for attachment to the shoe upper  104  ( FIG. 2   a ), and a rear strap  176  configured for attachment to the shoe upper  104  ( FIG. 2   a ). The harness  170  may be resiliently elastic to attach to the shoe sole  102  and the shoe upper  104  without an adjustable fastening element (i.e., through stretching and contracting), or adjustable fastening elements (e.g., hook and loop fasteners, snaps, ties, etc.) may be included (e.g., in forward strap  174  and rear strap  176 ). 
     If the harness  170  is included, the sensor(s)  130  are housed in the harness  170  (i.e., in the harness sole portion  172 ), and the sensors  130  may be located at different regions of the harness sole portion  172  ( FIG. 2   b ) to detect compression/pressure in various regions of the sole portion  172  and the adjacent shoe sole  102 . While the harness  170  may house the processor  140 , speaker(s)  142 , and light(s)  144 , as shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  6   a , these elements may instead be housed in the remote unit  160  ( FIG. 3   b ), as shown in  FIG. 6   b . If the remote unit  160  is used ( FIG. 6   b ), the transmitter  162  is in data communication with the sensor(s)  130  and a power source (e.g., battery  150 ), and a receiver  164  is in data communication with the processor  140  to provide data communication between the sensor(s)  130  and the processor  140 , similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 3   a  discussed above. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 5 through 6   b , regardless of whether the harness  170  is included or the sensor(s) are in the shoe sole  102 , at least one power source is necessary. The battery  150  may be present in the shoe sole  102 , the shoe upper  104 , or the harness  170 , and the other battery  152  may be in the remote unit  160 . The batteries  150 ,  152  may be various power storage devices, and rechargeable batteries may be preferred. To have a rechargeable battery without a port for communicating with a charging source, the battery  150  in particular may be in selective electrical communication with a charging power source through inductive coupling. An element  158  for use in inductive coupling is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In use, the sensor(s)  130  detect a step (i.e., by detecting compression/pressure) and an amount of compression/pressure involved with the step, and the processor  140  actuates the speaker(s)  142  and the light(s)  144  in accordance with the timing of the step, amount of compression/pressure, location of compression/pressure, speed or rhythm of steps, and/or other factors. If the sensor(s)  130  are housed in the harness  170 , the harness  170  must be coupled to the shoe sole  102  and the shoe upper  104  (as set forth above and shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b ) before the sensor(s)  130  may detect the step. If the remote unit  160  is included, the transmitter  162  and the receiver  164  provide the communication between the sensor(s)  130  and the processor  140 , as shown in  FIG. 6   b.    
     It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.