Patent Application
20130276334
This invention relates to articles of footwear, and, more particularly, to a shoe having one or more maze units each comprising a base mounted to the upper of the shoe, a transparent cover secured about the periphery of the base defining a hollow enclosure and an array of partitions located within the enclosure forming channels along which one or more objects are movable.
For a number of years, articles of footwear and various items of clothing have been sold with decorative arrays of light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and/or a loudspeaker capable of producing a sound. This has been particularly popular in children's shoes where the LEDs are arranged to complement other design elements of the shoe such as cartoon characters and the like.
In a typical design of a children's shoe of the type noted above, a module is placed in a cavity usually formed in the heel area of the shoe. The module contains a battery and typically an integrated circuit which is connected by wires to LEDs positioned along the outsole or upper of the shoe. The integrated circuit may also be capable of generating a signal which operates a loudspeaker, typically mounted in the upper or tongue of the shoe in the general area of the LEDs. Systems of this type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,525,487; 6,286,975; 6,012,822; 5,969,479; 5,894,201; 5,812,063 and others.
In addition to the use of LEDs and loudspeakers, efforts have been made to provide children's shoes that are more interesting and interactive for the wearer of the shoe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,917 discloses a system in which sensors mounted to the outsole or upper of the shoe may be actuated to control the movement of a toy vehicle via RF signals transmitted from the shoe to a receiver in the vehicle. The shoe taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,254,910 includes switches which are connected to an integrated circuit coupled to LEDs and/or a loudspeaker located on the upper or outsole of the shoe. In response to the application of a magnetic field from a permanent magnet located externally of the shoe, one or more of the switches are actuated, which, in turn, enables the integrated circuit to activate the LEDs or loudspeaker. U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,929 discloses a system wherein an RF transmitter housed in a band worn on the wrist of a child may be activated to send a signal to an RF receiver in the child's shoe. In response to receipt of the RF signal, an electrical circuit activates LEDs and/or loudspeakers in the shoe.
This invention is directed to an article of footwear having one or more maze units each comprising a base mounted to the upper of the footwear, a transparent cover secured about the periphery of the base defining a hollow enclosure and an array of partitions located within the enclosure forming channels along which one or more objects are movable.
In the presently preferred embodiment, each maze unit comprises a base and an array of partitions extending outwardly from the base in such a way as to form one or more channels. The base and partitions are preferably formed in a one-piece construction, such as by injection molding or other suitable process. A transparent cover, preferably formed of plastic, overlies the base and partitions forming a hollow enclosure. One or more objects, such as balls, are located in the enclosure and movable along the channels. The maze units may be mounted at essentially any location on the upper of the shoe, e.g. toe area, heel, sides, tongue etc., such as by gluing or stitching the base onto the upper.
Each maze unit may include one or more switches coupled to a module preferably located in the heel of the shoe. One or more integrated circuits or other controllers are coupled to the switch(es) and to LEDs and/or a loudspeaker arranged on the upper or outsole. In response to contact of a switch by one of the balls moving within the maze unit, the controller(s) is operative to cause the LEDs to illuminate and/or the loudspeaker to sound.
The shoe of this invention provides entertainment and an interactive challenge for a child. He or she may manipulate the foot while wearing the shoe in order to direct the ball(s) along the maze, or the child may remove the shoe and manipulate it by hand, all by tilting the shoe in a toe-to-heel direction, a side-to-side direction or combinations thereof. In either case, if the child can maneuver the ball(s) into contact with one of the switches in a maze unit, he or she is rewarded by illumination of the LEDs and/or sounding of the loudspeaker.
The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, an article of footwear such as a shoe 10 is shown having an outsole 12 connected to an upper 14 including a tongue 16. It should be understood that any other article of footwear is considered within the scope of this invention, and the shoe 10 is shown for purposes of illustration. As such, the term “upper” is meant to broadly encompass essentially any shoe element mounted to the outsole of an article of footwear such as the straps of a sandal, etc.
A module 18 having a housing 19 preferably made of plastic is mounted in the heel 20 of the shoe 10. The housing 19 encloses a battery 21 coupled to a first integrated circuit (IC1) 22 and to a second integrated circuit (IC2) 23. For purposes of the present discussion, the integrated circuits 22 and 23 may each be characterized as a “controller.” See
As illustrated in
Referring now to
In one presently preferred embodiment, the base 44 may be formed with two recesses 62 and 64, each extending from the playing surface 50 in a direction toward the mounting surface 54. The switches 36 and 38 are mounted in respective recesses 62, 64 in position to engage one of the balls 60 which may enter a recess 62 or 64 while moving along the channels 52. Alternatively, the switches 36 and 38 may be positioned elsewhere within the enclosure 58, such as flush with the playing surface 50 within a channel 52, in one or more of the partitions 46 or at any other location where one of the balls 60 may make contact with them. Further, it should be understood that essentially any number of switches may be used in the maze unit 40 of this invention.
As best seen in
A child may guide the balls 60 along the channels 52 of the maze units 40, 42 by moving his or her foot while wearing the shoe 10, or by removing the shoe 10 and manipulating it by hand, all by tilting the shoe 10 in a toe-to-heel direction, a side-to-side direction or combinations thereof As depicted in
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
