The present invention to musical footwear incorporates in the shoe a Bluetooth® wireless protocol compatible multi-level integrated circuit board assembly having a wireless audio Bluetooth enabled receiver antenna, an amplifier, mini-speaker connections, an on/off switch connection cord and a USB port for charging a battery source. The battery source powers the circuit board assembly to provide power to the shoe mounted receiver antenna, amplifier and to mini-speakers mounted on or in the footwear. The battery source is concealed in a compartment in the footwear along with or separate from the circuit board assembly. An external Bluetooth enabled music source which can be hand held transmits a Bluetooth wireless music signal to the receiver antenna.
The desirability of playing sounds such as music or instructions through small speakers mounted in or on footwear such as shoes or boots are well known. Various music sources such as an MP3 player, recordable microchip, integrated memory device or microprocessor with a ROM memory have been proposed for placement in shoes. This placement can subject these expensive components to damage from dirt, water, vibration and shock when the foot wearer is engaged for example in a running activity. Music source devices in or on a footwear also adds undesirable weight and bulkiness to the footwear.
The present invention avoids these drawbacks by use of a music source having audio playing capabilities which is easily hand held. Recent hand held devices often have built in Bluetooth technology. For older hand held devices, an inexpensive Bluetooth enabled audio adapter antenna is connected to an existing USB port or mini USB port on the music source to wirelessly transmit Bluetooth® sound signals to the Bluetooth® wireless protocol compatible multi-level integrated circuit board assembly located in the footwear. A tiny amplifier integrated with the circuit board enhances mini-speaker performance. Sound volume may be either controlled by the hand held device or by a volume control feature on the mini-speakers.
The hand held music source may be a smartphone. Exemplary kinds of smart phones include but are not limited to a Droid® phone or a HTC EVO 4G Android® phone. Other examples of music sources include but are not limited to any iPhone®, iPad®, iPad Nano®, iPod®, iPad 3G®, iPad Shuffle®, iPad Touch®, iPad Tablet®, iPod Touch®, MP3 player, CD player, microchip player, laptop computer or computer. Other examples of the hand held device include personal digital assistant (PDA) and the Touch Pad®. Use of already owned hand held music sources greatly reduces the cost of this invention to the footwear owner.
One known speaker shoe product is the Dada Code M® basketball shoes featuring built-in speakers in each shoe. A MP3 player having prerecorded sound tracks from a Macintosh® or Windows® computer is embedded in the sole of the right shoe. The MP3 player serving as the music source wirelessly sends music to the left shoe's speakers or to a speaker headset. The Dada Code M® shoes had drawbacks such as limited battery life and only 128 MB storage capacity. Speaker size also contributed to unwanted weight and bulkiness of the footwear.
The following U.S. patents were found in a prior art search of speaker footwear:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,700 to Norment discloses an integral unitary assembly slipped into a side pocket of a shoe. The assembly includes an audio speaker, battery and microchip which can be activated to play a musical composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,188 to Drago et al discloses a sound system incorporate into articles of clothing such as footwear. The system plays preprogrammed music in one embodiment using a memory circuit which can be preprogrammed for new music. The shoes in one embodiment may display light patterns to illuminate in synchrony with the rhythmic beat of either an external or internal music or sound program.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,111 to Raskas et al discloses a sound system using record and playback circuits with a memory incorporated in a shoe to store the recorded music and play the same through a speaker. Both the memory and a battery mounted in the shoe may be removed to change the music program and recharge the battery. Also incorporated in the shoe are a microcontroller and several switches to control the operating mode and the power on/off from the battery to the microcontroller.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,531,989 to Takiguchi discloses sending a wireless signal from a hand held device such as a portable telephone to a speaker headset. A bimorph having piezoelectric plates located in the soles of a pair of shoes provides an electrostatic field formed on a living body to receive acoustic data which is amplified to provide the feeling of sound through the soles of the feet by using an acoustic piezoelectric vibrator speaker as a diaphragm while simultaneously listening to sound through the headset speaker. Movement of the wearer of the shoes generates electrical power transmitted by the bimorph which power is stored by a capacitor and used to provide bodily sensation to the soles of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,078 to Wang discloses a plug-in antenna adapter for use with hand held portable devices. In one embodiment, a compact portable wireless pedometer is placed under the sole of a runner's shoe to wirelessly transmit information to the portable device using the antenna adapter to receive information about steps a runner is taking. The adapter is used to provide wireless transmit and receive functions for audio and visual devices including cellular telephones, wireless media players, wireless speakers and hand held computers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,077 to Wang et al discloses a transceiver antenna and printed circuit board placed in the shoe.
Also found in the prior art search was U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2006/0101674 filed May 18, 2006 by Ungari and now abandoned. This publication discloses use of a molded lithium ion battery mounted on or in a shoe made to conform to either the upper heel or sole assembly. Light elements formed as a woven fabric were mounted integral with the shoe and powered by this lithium ion battery.
Also found in the prior art search was PCT Application PCT/US06/45746 to Lay et al which discloses a data system having an electronic module in a shoe sole's shank. The electronic module includes a microprocessor in electronic communication with a data storage device, a rechargeable battery, a decoding device to convert digital data to analog data and a wireless data link. Each shoe has speakers for playing sounds stored in the data storage device. A USB port is located in the rear heel of the shoe to allow battery recharging. Data such as MP3 music program files are inputted to a ROM chip within the data storage device. In one embodiment, a wireless link is used in both shoes to send data from the first shoe to the second shoe to enable stereo music to be played. In another embodiment the wireless link is used to send music to a headset for private listening enjoyment.
Also found in the prior art search was U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0166230 filed Apr. 6, 2009 by Tseng et al. This publication discloses use of a solar powered FleXpeaker® wherein a wireless sound signal is transmitted from a hand held device to controlling integrator circuitry which controls an upper electrode and a chamber mounted diaphragm and diaphragm electrode to vibrate together according to filled electrical charges and a voltage of input audio signals thereby generating sound output by compressing nearby air. The materials used for the electrodes and diaphragm are flexible and extremely thin. A single integrator may control multiple flat or flat rolled speakers. The diaphragm is made of a static charge retaining dielectric material produced to have pores having micrometer or nanometer diameters. This permits piezoelectric properties to be controlled by corona charging to generate dipolar charges in the dielectric material of the diaphragm. The components of the flat speakers are made of extremely light weight, thin and flexible materials.
Also found in the prior art search was U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0298420 filed Jul. 9, 2008 by Haartsen et al. This publication discloses a wireless audio data distribution system which system is a Bluetooth piconet. The system uses a Bluetooth enabled smartphone to wirelessly transmit audio signals to either a stereo headset or a plurality of stand alone stereo speakers. The speakers synchronize the start of signal decoding of received audio data and compensate for relative skew overtime of internal clocks in the speakers in response to occurrence of timing events that are defined relative to signals from the wireless network.
It is the primary object of the invention to provide a slim and light weight integrated multi-level circuit board assembly small enough to fit in a compartment under the sole portion of the footwear or vertically in the rear heel wall above the sole of the footwear. This circuit board assembly includes a wireless Bluetooth enabled receiver antenna in communication with one or more sound signal amplifiers which are integrated with the circuit board. Mini-speakers closest to the amplifiers may be connected directly to the circuit board amplifiers so as to eliminate the need for a wiring harness for each speaker. However a wiring harness may be used depending on the distance from the amplifiers.
It is a further object of the invention to use a slim rechargeable lithium ion battery pack hidden below the sole in the rear heel or in a vertical heel wall above the sole of the footwear to provide power to the above mentioned circuit board components and mini-speakers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide as part of the integrated circuit board assembly a power on/off switch connection receiver for a remote on/off power switch assembly to control power to the circuit board and conserve battery life.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a USB battery charging port connection as part of the integrated circuit board assembly.
It is a further object of the invention to enable the speaker shoe wearer to make cost effective use of already owned myriad of hand held sound playing devices. This may be accomplished by plugging into an USB port of the hand held device a compatible audio adapter transmitter antenna. This has the advantage of the hand held device's battery being the source for the transmitter antenna's power. Additionally, the controls of the volume of the hand held device may be utilized to set a desired sound volume being transmitted by the footwear's mini-speakers.
It is a further object of the invention to enable wireless transfer of stereo music from a hand held music source to multiple mini-speakers embedded in a pair of shoes.
Yet another object of the invention is to play stereo music having volume controllable up to an effective range of 100 feet free of static, noise, signal drop out and signal interference.
It is a further object of the present invention to miniaturize the size and weight of the integrated circuit board, speakers and battery pack so as to avoid the bulkiness of prior art speaker shoes. To achieve these ends, improvements in lithium ion battery design and speaker reduction weight are incorporated in some embodiments of this invention. This miniaturization enhances the appeal of the invention for use with sports footwear with basketball shoes and roller blade skates being examples thereof. Highly miniaturized components of the invention permit the incorporation of the invention in stylish women's footwear.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a shape conforming curved multi-planed integrated circuit board assembly and a companion shape conforming curved multi-planed lithium ion battery pack suitably miniaturized to fit in a lady's fashionable footwear. This miniaturization permits one or both curved the circuit board assembly and the lithium ion battery pack to be hidden in the spiked heel of a ladies high heel shoe. Also, a thin curved circuit board assembly can be placed in a vertical recess located in a wall of the rear of a footwear heel above the sole of the footwear to avoid putting pressure on the circuit board assembly.
It is a further object of the invention to free the speaker shoe wearer from having to use an earphone speaker so as to avoid creating a safety hazard caused by blocking the ear drums by wearing an earphone or ear pod.
It is a further object the invention to have mini-speakers in only one footwear with the other footwear having hidden weights distributed beneath the sole pad to give a balanced feel to the footwear pair.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a miniaturized integrated circuit board assembly and a miniaturized battery pack which allows mini-speakers to be remotely mounted in a toe area and an ankle leg support area of a shoe wearer. Harness wires carry power and sound signals to these remotely spaced mini-speakers.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
It will be understood that, as used herein, the term “comprising” or “comprises” is open-ended, and includes one or more stated elements, steps and/or functions without precluding one or more unstated elements, steps and/or functions. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “and/or” and “/” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of regions may be exaggerated for purposes of clarity. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Referring to
In this invention, Bluetooth uses a wireless protocol to stream stereo audio data from an audio source device to a plurality of physically separated speakers which with the audio source constitute a piconet. As mini-speakers on one shoe are physically separated from the mini-speakers on the other shoe, each circuit board assembly includes control circuitry in each shoe having internal clocks designed to permit a slight time delay on the order of a few microseconds in playing music signal packets. An example of such time delay circuitry is disclosed in the Haartsen et al U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0298420 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Speakers through use of internal clock circuitry and Bluetooth enabled transceivers synchronize the start of received stereo audio data and compensate for relative skew over time of transceiver circuitry in response to occurrence of timing events that are defined relative to signaling from the audio source. A common network clock is established that is timed relative to defined repetitively occurring signals of the Bluetooth piconet. An adjusted clock signal is generated that is time offset a controllable amount relative to the local clock signal. This time offset can be defined to align the adjusted clock signal with signaling of the Bluetooth piconet.
Such time alignment circuitry is used in this invention to synchronize the timing of the audio output from a plurality of mini-speakers and also to maintain frequency hop synchronicity between the audio source device 40 and the mini-speakers on each shoe. An audio distribution system in the form of a Bluetooth piconet is thus formed as shown in the
A less expensive approach is to employ just two mini-speakers on one shoe. The two mini-speakers can be on each side of the shoe or both on one side with the choice being mostly one of esthetics. Having the mini-speakers on each side is preferred for a more balanced feel. Weights (not shown) can be placed in the non-music playing shoe at appropriate locations to give the shoe pair a balanced weight. A fake exterior giving the non-music playing shoe the same appearance as the mini-speaker shoe may be employed.
In the embodiment of
The antenna 8 is a Bluetooth enabled receiver antenna compatible with a sound source device 40 having a built in Bluetooth enabled transmitter antenna. For older hand held devices not having Bluetooth enabled built in antenna, a Bluetooth enabled audio adaptor transmitter antenna 18 (shown in
One compatible plug-in audio adapter antenna is the Audioengine W1 (AW1) premium wireless audio adapter antenna. This Bluetooth enabled antenna can be used with any hand held audio device having an USB port. Audioengine also manufactures another premium transmitter antenna wherein the audio adapter transmitter antenna docks with an iPhone® or iPod®. Both audio adaptor transmitter antennas have a range of 100 feet. Other known in the art transmitter and receiver antenna adapters may be used. The receiver antenna is made integral as part of the circuit board assembly.
The hand held audio device 40 shown in
The integrated circuit board 2 and battery pack having batteries 3 and 4 are illustrated in an exploded view in
The circuit board assembly 2 mounts compatible microelectronic circuitry to accept Bluetooth wireless protocol signals. Bluetooth® is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances by using short wavelength transmissions operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency band from fixed and mobile devices. Bluetooth is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. In the preferred embodiment the circuitry incorporates Bluetooth version 4.0 specifications known as the Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0. This version has been found ideal for this invention which employs low energy, short range wireless signals. The Bluetooth Core Specification version 4.0 includes Classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth high speed and Bluetooth low energy protocols. Those skilled in the art would recognize that other earlier Bluetooth protocols are also suitable for use with this invention.
A design variation (not shown) of the circuit board assembly 2 uses a short audio adapter receiver antenna extending in the width direction of the heel with the on/off switch connection 11 and the USB port 12 placed at a side edge of the circuit board rather than at the rear edge. The amplifiers 9 and 10 are located on the circuit board assembly before and after the shorter antenna. A battery pack similar to that shown in
A lithium ion battery pack having batteries 37, 38 stacked vertically on top of each other is placed in a cavity 39 in the heel shank of the shoe 42 below the circuit board assembly 44 which battery pack connects with the bottom of one end of the angled circuit board by way of an interface 20. One wiring harness 45 extends from one amplifier 9 upwards as shown by a dashed line to a mini-speaker 46 mounted on one side of the ankle collar 43 of the shoe. A second mini-speaker (not shown) is mounted on or in the other side of the collar 43. This second mini-speaker also receives an amplified sound signal through the wiring harness 45. Front mini-speakers 50 and 51 are connected with the circuit board assembly by a second wiring harness 48 shown as a dashed line under the sole 49. The harnesses 45 and 48 provide a sound signal from the amplifiers integrated with the circuit board assembly 44 to the mini-speakers. These harnesses also provide power for the mini-speakers from the battery pack. If desired, the mini-speakers may have the appearance of the decorative buttons 34, 35. The circuit board assembly 44 has a USB power port 52 at the front edge of the inside of the heel. The circuit board assembly also has an on/off switch connection 53 extending through the front edge of the inside of the heel.
If Bluetooth wireless signals are being sent to both shoes, circuitry of each circuit board is modified as explained earlier to have the internal clock circuitry for a slight time delay synchronous circuit creating a Bluetooth piconet with the source 40.
Optionally, only one shoe may mount the mini-speakers. The other shoe is provided with hidden weights (not shown) distributed beneath the sole pad 41. The weights placed in the shoe give a balanced feel to the shoe pair. This arrangement has the advantage of needing only one circuit board assembly and a set of mini-speakers used with just one shoe.
Another shoe embodiment, this time in boot form, is illustrated in
Another embodiment of a low profile shoe is illustrated in
One form of mini-speakers useful in this invention includes the well known magnetic coil generating a varying magnetic field fixed to a voice coil and a cone to control the vibrations of the cone to create air pressure carried sound waves.
Recently a newer type of lithium ion battery compatible with the present invention has been developed by researchers at Rice University using silicon wafers containing microscopic pores that increase the storage capacity for batteries. The anode or negative side of the common lithium ion battery is made of graphite holding the lithium. It has been reported that storage of lithium is greatly increased by the substitution of silicon wafers. Microscopic micron-sized pores are manufactured into the silicon wafers to aid the silicon in its expansion and contraction as lithium is stored and released. The pores solve the problem of premature wafer breakdown and cracking after a few cycles of use. Common lithium ion batteries hold about 300 milliamp hours per gram of carbon based anode material. The newer type lithium ion silicon wafer battery is expected to hold ten times this amount. This newer type has a reported 200 to 250 charge-discharge cycle range and is the preferred battery for use with all the embodiments of the present invention.
Another newer type lithium ion battery compatible with the present invention has recently been developed by researchers at Stanford University. This battery replaced the carbon (graphite) anodes with anodes of silicon nanowires. One design uses silicon nanowires with a core shell structure consisting of a center solid wire surrounded by a cylindrical shell similar to a coaxial cable. The core is a crystalline structure with the shell's nanowires having an amorphous structure. This battery also has an improved charge-discharge cycle range and can hold ten times the charge of the conventional lithium-ion battery.
While reference has been made to a battery pack in the above descriptions, it should be understood that a single larger battery may also be substituted.
Although various separate functional blocks have been shown in the figures for purposes of illustration and instruction, it is to be understood that at least some of their functionality described herein may be integrated within a common integrated circuit package or distributed among more than one integrated packages.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, many variations and modifications can be made to these embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, although specific terms are used, they are used in a generic and specific sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/802,733, filed Jun. 14, 2010 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,638,958, entitled SPEAKZ SHOES which application is herein incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110306299 A1 | Dec 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12802733 | Jun 2010 | US |
Child | 13066547 | US |