Signaling sole for shoes, shoe provided with said sole and kit comprising at least one of said sole

• US 10,188,170 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vibram Spa
• Original Assignee: Vibram Spa
• Inventors: Bramani, Marco, Conchieri, Claudio, Perrotti, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US15/514,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20170290390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731, 36 73
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/42 where power is generated by conversion of mechanical movement to electricity, e.g. by piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/46 Global positioning system [GPS] sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/48 with transmitting devices, e.g. GSM or Wi-Fi®
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1455 with special properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/02 making use of electrical energy B06B1/18, B06B1/20 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0005 the light guides being of the fibre type G02B6/0003 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/061 using rotary unbalanced masses for generating mechanical vibrations in general B06B1/16

Abstract

The present invention regards a sole for shoes including an upper surface, in use facing the user, a lower surface, in use facing the ground or the resting surface, and a thickness, wherein the thickness corresponds to a distance between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the sole includes at least one signaling means. Such at least one signaling means includes at least one vibrating motor, capable of vibrating inside such sole and/or at least one light device and the sole includes means for receiving-processing a control signal (sc) intended, in use, to receive and process such control signal (sc) and to emit in reply an activation-deactivation signal (S) towards such at least one signaling means.

Claims

1. A sole for shoes comprising an upper surface, in use facing a user, a lower surface, in use facing a ground, and a thickness, wherein said thickness corresponds to a distance between said upper surface and said lower surface, wherein said sole comprises at least one signaling means, wherein

said at least one signaling means comprises at least one vibrating motor, capable of vibrating inside said sole and at least one light device, wherein said sole comprises means for receiving-processing a control signal (sc) to receive and process said control signal (sc) and to emit in reply an activation-deactivation signal (S) towards said at least one signaling means, wherein said at least one vibrating motor and said at least one light device are activated in response to the activation-deactivation signal (S).

2. The sole according to claim 1, wherein said at least one vibrating motor comprises a motor of the type used for generating a vibration in a mobile phone.

3. The sole according to claim 1, wherein said at least one light device comprises at least one light source of at least one of LED and laser type.

4. The sole according to claim 3, wherein said light device comprises at least one means for propagating a light radiation that can be generated by said at least one light source.

5. The sole according to claim 4, wherein said at least one propagation means of said one light radiation comprises at least one or more optical fibers arranged at at least one of said lower surface of said sole and laterally to said sole, so that, a light radiation transmitted therein is visible from the outside.

6. The sole according to claim 1, wherein said means for receiving-processing said control signal (sc) comprise at least comparing means.

7. The sole according to claim 1, wherein said thickness is variable and comprises a first height (D) and a second height (d), wherein said first height (D) is greater than said second height (d).

8. The sole according to claim 1, further comprising at least one hollow seat designed to contain said at least one signaling means, wherein said at least one seat has a depth, wherein said depth is equal to or lower than said thickness of said sole.

9. The sole according to claim 1, wherein said upper surface of said sole comprises a covering insole, adapted to come into contact with the foot of the user.

10. The sole according to claim 9, wherein at least one of said upper surface of said sole and/or and said covering insole comprise at least one openable portion at an at least one seat.

11. The sole according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said upper surface of said sole and said covering insole comprise means designed to ensure a seal of at least one of said at least one openable portion and of said seat and of said at least one signaling means.

12. The sole according to claim 1, comprising power supply means for said at least one signaling means, said power supply means being removable from said sole or rechargeable by means of input-output means provided therein.

13. A sole comprising the sole according to claim 1.

14. The sole according to claim 13, comprising an upper and said sole, wherein said at least one signaling means is present in at least one of said sole, in said lower surface of said sole and in said upper.

15. The sole according to claim 13, wherein said at least one signaling means is completely inserted in said thickness of said sole.

16. A kit comprising at least one sole according to claim 1, and a portable device operatively connected thereto, for sending the control signal (sc) to said receiving-processing means of said at least one sole.

17. The kit according to claim 16, wherein said portable device comprises:

at least one means for receiving a navigation signal;

at least one program control unit, operatively connected to said means for receiving said navigation signal and in charge of an analysis of said navigation signal;

input-output means operatively connected to said program control unit, through which a user can send some parameters of interest to said program control unit;

transmission means, operatively connected to said program control unit and intended to receive, from the latter, suitable control signals, emitted in response to said analysis of said navigation signal, said suitable control signals being provided to be sent to said receiving-processing means of said at least one sole.

18. The kit according to claim 17, comprising a right sole and a left sole according to claim 1.

19. The kit according to claim 16, wherein said portable device comprises a device to be selected from among a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a satellite navigation system, a laptop computer, a smartwatch, a earphone, or a device capable of receiving a navigation signal and provided with at least one map M concerning a place of interest for a user.

20. A method for controlling a sole comprised in a kit according to claim 18, wherein, if based on said analysis carried out by said program control unit said control signal (sc) is correlated with a direction indication of “

turn right”

, said control signal (sc) is an activation signal of said at least one signaling means of said right sole such that said receiving-processing means of said sole, once said control signal (sc) is received, emit in output an activation signal (S′

) of at least one of said at least one vibrating motor and of said at least one light device of said right sole.

21. The method according to claim 20, when said portable device comprises input-output means operatively connected to said program control unit, through which the user can send some parameters of interest to said program control unit, wherein said parameters of interest comprise a final destination, a color of choice that can be selected by means of a Colorwheel displayable on display means of the input-output means, one on-off setting of one or more soles of said kit, one activation-deactivation setting of said at least one signaling means.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein, when said portable device is a mobile phone or a smartphone or a device capable of connecting to a data transmission line and said remote device receives a call or a message, said program control unit generates, in use, a suitable output control signal (sc) so that said receiving-processing means of one or more soles of said kit, emit in output a suitable activation signal (S′

, S″

) of said signaling means.

23. A control method according to a kit according to claim 20, wherein if, based on said analysis carried out by said program control unit, said control signal (sc) is correlated with a direction indication of “

turn left”

, said control signal (sc) is an activation signal of said at least one signaling means of said left sole such that said receiving-processing means of said sole, once said signal (sc) is received, emit in output the signal (S″

) for activating at least one of said at least one vibrating motor said at least one light device of said left sole.

24. The control method according to claim 23, wherein if said processing carried out by said program control unit provides for the user to make a reversal of travel, said control signal (sc) transmitted by the transmission means is a subsequent activation signal of both said soles such that said receiving-processing means of said right sole emit in output the signal (S′

) for activating at least one of said at least one vibrating motor and at least one light device of said right sole, wherein said receiving-processing means of said left sole, once a certain preset amount of time has elapsed, emit in output the activation signal (S″

) for activating at least one of said at least one vibrating motor and said at least one light device of said left sole.

25. The control method according to claim 23, wherein, if said processing carried out by said program control unit provides for the user to stop, said control signal (sc) transmitted by said transmission means is a simultaneous activation signal of said soles such that said receiving-processing means of said soles, once said signal (sc) emitted by the portable device is received, emit in reply the activation signal (S′

, S″

) for activating at least one of said at least one vibrating motor and said at least one light device in each sole.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein said activation signal (S′

, S″

) activates said signaling means for a determined time interval or it is followed, after a certain preset time, by a corresponding deactivation signal (S′

, S″

) of said signaling means.

27. A sole for shoes comprising:

an upper surface for facing a user;

at least one signaling means, wherein said at least one signaling means comprises at least one vibrating motor and at least one light device,

wherein said sole comprises means for receiving-processing a control signal (sc) to receive and process said control signal (sc) and to output an activation-deactivation signal (S) to said at least one signaling means, wherein said at least one vibrating motor and said at least one light device are activated in response to the activation-deactivation signal (S) to indicate a direction the user must follow.