Article of footwear with remote sound activating unit

• US 20060104046A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBC International LLC
• Original Assignee: BBC International Limited (BBC International LLC)
• Inventors: Guzman, Rudy
• Granted Patent: US 7,114,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/103
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/30 specially adapted for babies or small children
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/50 with sound or music sources

Abstract

An article of footwear such as a shoe having an array of light sources and at least one loudspeaker is provided in combination with a separate device having a recording unit which records sound and a transmitter which transmits an RF signal representative of the sound recording to the shoe where a circuit operates the loudspeaker in the shoe to reproduce the recorded sound.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a unit adapted to be manipulated by a user, said unit having a first electrical circuit including;

(i) a recording unit capable of recording sound and playing back the recorded sound;

(ii) a first switch;

(iii) a transmitter coupled to said first switch and to said recording unit, said transmitter being effective to produce an RF signal representative of the sound recorded by said recording unit, and to transmit said RF signal in response to activation of said first switch;

an article of footwear;

a second electrical circuit mounted to said article of footwear, including;

(i) at least one light source;

(ii) a first integrated circuit coupled to said at least one light source;

(iii) a second switch coupled to said first integrated circuit, said first integrated circuit being effective to illuminate said at least one light source in response to operation of said second switch;

(iv) a loudspeaker;

(v) a second integrated circuit coupled to said loudspeaker;

(vi) a receiver operative to receive said RF signal from said transmitter, and then cause said second integrated circuit to sound said loudspeaker.

2. The system of claim 1 in which said first electrical circuit further includes a source of light which illuminates while said recorder is recording sound.

3. The system of claim 1 in which said second switch is an inertia switch.

4. The system of claim 1 in which said recording unit includes a loudspeaker and a microphone.