Patent Publication Number: US-2015077978-A1

Title: Shoe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe with a light-emitting unit. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Whether for decoration or safety reasons, a conventional shoe  1  (see  FIG. 1 ) with a sole  11  and an upper  12 , may come with a plurality of light-emitting members  13  embedded in the upper  12 . The light-emitting members  13  are actuated to emit light through movement or shaking of the conventional shoe  1  or through turning on of a switch. 
     However, when such embedded light-emitting design is to be used on different types of shoes, or when changing the position of the light-emitting members  13  is desired, a custom design process is required, which is rather inconvenient and costly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a shoe that can eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a shoe including a sole, and upper and a light-emitting unit. The upper includes a main body and an outer layer. The main body is connected to the sole and cooperates with the sole to define a foot-receiving space. The outer layer is mounted on the main body, cooperates with the main body to define an accommodating space having an opening, and has a light-transmissive portion. The light-emitting unit is accommodated in the accommodating space and is capable of emitting light to pass through the light-transmissive portion. The light-emitting unit is removable from the accommodating space through the opening. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the fol lowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional shoe with a plurality of embedded light-emitting members; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the first preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary sectional view of the second preferred embodiment; 
         Fig.7  is a perspective view of the third preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a fragmentary sectional view of the third preferred embodiment; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the fourth preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the first preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention includes a sole  2 , an upper  3  and a light-emitting unit  4 . 
     The upper  3  includes a main body  31  and an outer layer  32 . The main body  31  is connected to the sole  2  and cooperates with the sole  2  to define a foot-receiving space  5 . The outer layer  32  is mounted on the main body  31 , cooperates with the main body  31  to define an accommodating space  321  having an opening  6 , and has a light-transmissive portion  322 . The light-emitting unit  4  is accommodated in the accommodating space  321  and is capable of emitting light to pass through the light-transmissive portion  322 . The light-transmissive portion  322  has at least one through hole for passage of light emitted from the light-emitting unit  4  therethrough. The outer layer  32  may be made of leather, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyurethane (PU), woven cloth, etc., which may be a material different from or the same as that of the main body  31 . Although in this embodiment, the outer layer  32  is shown to be on a lateral side of the main body  31 , it should be noted herein that according to different design requirements, the outer layer  32  may be mounted on a different part of the main body  31 , or alternatively, there may be a plurality of outer layers  32  separately mounted on different parts of the main body  31  to define a plurality of accommodating spaces  321 . 
     In this embodiment, the opening  6  of the accommodating space  321  faces an upward direction and the light-transmissive portion  322  has a plurality of round through holes disposed in a matrix layout; these configurations are not limited to what is disclosed herein. 
     The light-emitting unit  4  is removable from the accommodating space  321  through the opening  6  by a user if desired, whereas the LED  42  is also removable from the light-emitting unit  4  (e.g. for modification purposes, etc.). In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit  4  includes a light-guiding strip  41 , an LED  42 , a power supply  43 , and a switch  44  electrically connecting the LED  42  and the power supply  43 . The switch  44  controls the LED  42  to emit light toward the light-guiding strip  41  which guides the light to pass through the light-transmissive portion  322  in one of an intermittent glowing manner or a continuous glowing manner. 
     Even though in this embodiment the light-emitting unit  4  incorporates the LED  42  and the light-guiding strip  41  for achieving a long service life, in practice, other light-emitting technologies such as fluorescence, a single-use light source, etc., may be used. 
     The advantages of the present invention are as follows:
         a) Since the outer layer  32  can be directly mounted to the outer surface of the main body  31 , application onto different types of shoes is easier thus reducing development time and manufacturing cost.   b) The light emitted by the light-emitting unit  4  is allowed to pass through the light-transmissive portion  322 , and uses may illuminate in two different modes (i.e., intermittent glowing and continuous glowing modes), not only achieving brilliant visual effect but also enhancing safety.   c) Due to the light-emitting unit  4  being removable from the accommodating space  321 , accessibility and modification of the same are facilitated.       

     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the second preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention is similar to the first preferred embodiment in structure and differs therefrom in that the upper  3  further includes a light-transmissive protective layer  323  sandwiched between said outer layer  32  and said light-emitting unit  4 , and a lift cap  324  for openably closing the opening  6  of the accommodating space  321 . The light-transmissive protective layer  323  is made of a waterproof material. Due to the position of the light-transmissive protective layer  323 , it can be used with light-transmissive portions  322  having different configurations and hole-shaped designs, preventing the entrance of foreign substances into the accommodating space  321 . 
     The incorporation of the light-transmissive protective layer  323  and the lift cap  324  blocks foreign substances from entering the accommodating space  321 , thereby reducing possible factors that may damage the light-emitting unit  4  and prolonging the service life of the light-emitting unit  4 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the third preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention is similar to the first preferred embodiment in structure and differs therefrom in that the upper  3  further includes a light-transmissive protective layer  323  sandwiched between the outer layer  32  and the light-emitting unit  4 . In this embodiment, the light-transmissive portion  322  has one rectangular-shaped through hole. The light-guiding strip  41  of the light-emitting unit  4  has a strip body  411  and a pattern unit  412  formed on the strip body  411 . The pattern unit  412  can be formed on the strip body  411  by injection molding, or can be laser engraved or directly printed thereon. The third preferred embodiment, in addition to achieving the same effects as the first preferred embodiment, can prevent foreign substances from entering the accommodating space  321  with the use of the light-transmissive protective layer  323 , and further improve the variety of the visual effect achieved by the light-emitting unit  4  through the design of the pattern unit  412 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the fourth preferred embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention is similar to the first preferred embodiment in structure and differs therefrom in that the accommodating space  321  has two opposite openings  6 , and the light-guiding strip  41  has a strip body  411  and a clip  413  connected to the strip body  411  for fastening the light-emitting unit  4  onto the outer layer  32 . 
     The fourth preferred embodiment serves the same purpose of the first preferred embodiment 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent arrangements.