Footcare product dispensing kiosk

• US 20080083416A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scholl's Wellness Company LLC
• Original Assignee: MSD CONSUMER PRODUCTS Incorporated (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Howlett, Harold A., Xia, Bin, Lundy, Charles E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 132/200
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/023 wedge-like A43B17/03 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/142 situated under the medial arch, i.e. under the navicular or cuneiform bones
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/144 situated under the heel, i.e. the calcaneus bone
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/223 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 1/02 Foot-measuring devices measuring the shape, pattern or size of the body for diagnostic purposes A61B5/103, e.g. measuring physical dimensions A61B5/107
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 999/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1074 Foot measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A kiosk apparatus that may select for a person a recommended footcare product based on pressure measurements collected from pressures sensors or calculated biomechanical data estimates. Pressure measurements and calculated biomechanical data estimates may be used to determine if a foot is unshod on the pressure sensor and also group a person into a classified subgroup. The pressure measurement and calculated biomechanical data estimates may also be used to select a recommended footcare product.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a surface, wherein the surface is configured to allow a person to stand upon the surface;

a plurality of pressure sensors located under the surface forming a 2-D array of sensors;

a measurement system configured to obtain measurements from a customer'"'"'s feet;

a processor in communication with the plurality of pressure sensors, the processor configured to receive a plurality of pressure measurements from at least a subset of the plurality of pressure sensors while the person stands upon the surface, the processor further configured to select a recommended footcare product from among a set of candidate footcare products based at least in part upon the plurality of pressure measurements, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least a first subset of the plurality of pressure measurements while the person stands on one foot;

an output device to display information received from the processor, the information identifying the recommended footcare product to the person;

an input device configured to receive a person'"'"'s input in selection of a recommended product; and

a merchandise display area, the merchandise display area configured to display the set of candidate footcare products.

2. A method of selecting a recommended orthotic, comprising:

determining if a foot on a sensor is unshod;

collecting a first set of pressure measurements of a foot of a person while the person stands stationary on one foot, wherein a plurality of pressure measurements are taken from different points of the foot of a person;

calculating a biomechanical data estimate of the foot using the pressure measurements, wherein biomechanical data comprises foot length, foot width, body weight, arch index, outline of the foot and toeline, a peak pressure map, a longitudinal line drawn on a peak pressure map, or an intersection of a longitudinal line and a foot body;

comparing the biomechanical data with values from a decision matrix of orthotics and classified subgroups; and

selecting an orthotic based on the comparison.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the product is a footcare product.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the footcare product is an orthotic.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the product is a footwear product.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the set of candidate footcare products includes a set of orthotics, the set including pre-manufactured orthotics with a plurality of different sizes and a plurality of different support levels.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of pressure sensors are a grid of pressure sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pressure sensors form a 2-D array.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein there are at least 1144 sensors in an array for a single foot.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the size of each sensor is at most 7.5 mm×

7.5 mm.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pressure sensors include a pressure-sensitive conductive ink.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pressure sensors include at least a piezoelectric sensor.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the selection is made without other foot measurements being taken.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a scale configured to provide a weight measurement of the person to the processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an output device to display information received from the processor, the information identifying the recommended footcare product to the person.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output device is a video screen configured to display an image of the recommended footcare product.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output device is a video screen configured to display a biomechanical data estimate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the biomechanical data includes at least one of the foot length, foot width, body weight, arch index, outline of the foot and toeline, a peak pressure map, a longitudinal line drawn on a peak pressure map, or an intersection of a longitudinal line and a foot body.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output device is a video screen configured to display instructions, the instructions directing the person to stand on one foot.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the video screen is a touch screen.

22. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive a person'"'"'s input in selection of a recommended product.

23. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive an administrator'"'"'s input to control the procedure used to select the recommended footcare product.

24. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to take pressure measurements while the person stands on one foot.

25. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least a first subset of the plurality of pressure measurements while the person stands on one foot.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least a second subset of the plurality pressure measurements while the person stands on both feet.

27. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to receive demographic information.

28. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a storage device to store a mapping of footcare products to classified subgroups.

29. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a storage record containing an apparatus transaction.

30. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to calculate biomechanical data estimates, said biomechanical data estimates are based on the plurality of pressure measurements.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the categories of biomechanical data estimates include estimated foot dimensions, estimated foot type, and estimated body weight.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein foot dimensions are selected from the group consisting of a longitudinal line that runs from the center of a heel to the center of a second toe, a toe line that is a fitted curve through three alignment marks, a foot length that is the projection of the distance between the most anterior point and most posterior point of foot pressure map on the longitudinal line, a foot width that is the projection of distance between the most medial point and most lateral point of foot pressure map on the perpendicular line of the longitudinal line, and the arch index that is the ratio of the area of the middle third of the toeless footprint to the toeless footprint area.

33. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether an unshod foot is on the pressure sensors.

34. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine if a person is wearing a sock on the pressure sensors.

35. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to determine if a person is wearing a shoe on the pressure sensors.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to select a recommended footcare product based on the biomechanical data estimates.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor is configured to classify a person into a classified subgroup based on at least a subset of the estimated biomechanical data.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the processor is configured to recommend a footcare product based on the person'"'"'s classified subgroup.

39. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the set of candidate footcare products includes a set of different pre-manufactured orthotics.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the set of different pre-manufactured orthotics include orthotics that differ in size, arch support levels, and cushioning levels.

41. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the set of different pre-manufactured orthotics variations are calculated to fit the majority of the population.

42. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to receive accuracy factors from a person.

43. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus includes a merchandise display area, the merchandise display area configured to display the set of candidate footcare products.

3. An apparatus, comprising:

a surface, wherein the surface is configured to allow a person to stand upon the surface;

a plurality of pressure sensors located under the surface;

a processor in communication with the plurality of pressure sensors, the processor configured to receive a plurality of pressure measurements from at least a subset of the plurality of pressure sensors while the person stands upon the surface, the processor further configured to select a recommended product for a foot from among a set of candidate products for feet based at least in part upon the plurality of pressure measurements.

44. A point-of-sale system for selling orthotic, comprising:

a set of pre-manufactured orthotics of different types;

a measurement system configured to obtain measurements from a customer'"'"'s feet; and

a processor configured to receive the measurements and to recommend an orthotic to the customer from the set of pre-manufactured orthotics based at least in part on the measurements.

45. The system according to claim 44, wherein the measurement system comprises a plurality of pressure sensors.

46. The system according to claim 44, wherein the processor is configured to derive biomechanical data from measurements collected by the measurement system.

47. The system according to claim 45, wherein the biomechanical data is selected from the group consisting of foot length, foot width, body weight, arch index, outline of the foot and toeline, a peak pressure map, a longitudinal line drawn on a peak pressure map, and an intersection of a longitudinal line and a foot body.

48. The system according to claim 44, further comprising:

a dispensing mechanism to provide an orthotic from the set of pre-manufactured orthotics to the person.

49. The method of characterizing a foot, comprising:

collecting a first set of pressure measurements of a foot of a person while the person stands stationary on one foot;

characterizing the foot based on the first set of pressure measurements; and

selecting a footcare product based on the characterization of the foot.

50. The method according to 49, further comprising collecting a second set of pressure measurements from both feet of the person while the person stands on both feet.

51. The method according to 50, further comprising characterizing the foot based on the first set and second set of pressure measurements.

52. The method according to 49, further comprising calculating a biomechanical data estimate of the foot using the pressure measurements.

53. The method according to 50, further comprising comparing the biomechanical data with values from a decision matrix of orthotics and classified subgroups.

54. The method according to 49, calibrating a plurality of pressure sensors and a processor.

55. The method of claim 54, calibrating the plurality of pressure sensors and the processor using a Force Calibration method.

56. The method of claim 54, calibrating the plurality of pressure sensors and the processor using a Multi-level Pressure Calibration method.

57. The method according to 49, adjusting coefficients in a processor configuring the accuracy factors to recommend an orthotic.

58. The method according to claim 53, wherein the decision matrix is created based on a product specification list.

59. The method according to 53, wherein a classified subgroup is the weight of the person.

60. The method according to 53, wherein a classified subgroup is selected based at least in part on the person'"'"'s estimated foot length.

61. The method according to 53, wherein a classified subgroup is selected based at least in part on the person'"'"'s estimated arch index.

82. The computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed result in a performance of a method of characterizing a foot, according to claim 49.

62. The method of selecting an orthotic, comprising:

collecting a plurality of pressure measurements at different points of the foot of a person; and

selecting an orthotic based on the pressure measurements.

63. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

collecting a second set of pressure measurements of foot of the person while the person stands on one foot.

64. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

classifying the person into one of a plurality of subgroups based on the pressure measurements.

65. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

recommending a footcare product based on a person'"'"'s classified subgroup.

66. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

deriving biomechanical data estimates from the pressure measurements of at least one of the both feet of a person, the left foot of the person, or the right foot of a person.

67. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

estimating the biomechanical data of the person'"'"'s feet using the first set of pressure measurements and the second set of pressure measurements.

68. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

confirming the person is balanced based on the received pressure measurements.

69. The method according to claim 67, wherein biomechanical data is selected from the group consisting of foot length, foot width, body weight, arch index, outline of the foot and toeline, a peak pressure map, a longitudinal line drawn on a peak pressure map, and an intersection of a longitudinal line and a foot body.

70. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

confirming the person is not wearing a footwear based on the pressure measurements.

71. The method according to claim 67, further comprising:

confirming the person is not wearing a footwear based on the biomechanical data estimates.

72. The method according to claim 63, receiving the second set of pressure measurements when the load on the individual planting foot reaches a pre-determined bodyweight percentage.

73. The method according to claim 63, receiving the second set of pressure measurements when the person'"'"'s center of force enters a target zone.

74. The method according to claim 63, receiving the second set of pressure measurements when the center of force matches enters a target zone and at least 95% of static weight is achieved.

75. The method according to claim 62, further comprising:

generating a static foot outline based on pressure measurements.

76. The method according to claim 72, wherein the specified bodyweight percentage is between the range of 90 to 95 percent of bodyweight.

83. The computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed result in a performance of a method of selecting an orthotic, according to claim 62.

77. A method of determining if a foot on a sensor is unshod, comprising:

estimating a plurality of foot dimensions;

calculating a plurality of foot dimension ratios; and

determining if the foot is unshod by comparing the foot dimension ratios to pre-determined values.

78. The method according to claim 77, wherein the foot dimensions are selected from the group consisting of foot length, heel width, arch width, and forefoot width.

79. The method according to claim 77, wherein the foot dimension ratios are selected from the group consisting of foot length/heel width, forefoot width/heel width, and arch width/heel width.

80. The method according to claim 78, wherein the foot length is the length of the line between the most posterior and most anterior points of each foot pressure print.

81. The method according to claim 78, wherein the heel width is the length of a first line that is perpendicular to a second line, wherein the second line is a line between the center of the heel and the center of the second toe, and the first line is located at 5 to 20% of the FL line from the posterior end.

84. The computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed result in a performance of a method of determining if an unshod foot is on a sensor, according to claim 77.