SMARTPHONE-CONTROLLED ACTIVE CONFIGURATION OF FOOTWEAR INCLUDING WITH CONCAVELY ROUNDED SOLES

• US 20130278435A1
• Filed: 04/10/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frampton E. Ellis
• Original Assignee: Frampton E. Ellis
• Inventors: Ellis, Frampton E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/00 Footwear characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/141 with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/18 Resilient soles skating boots provided with resilient means A43B5/1658
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/181 Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/186 Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/189 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/20 Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas inflatable linings for skiboots A43B5/0407
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/203 provided with a pump or valve
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/38 Built-in insoles joined to uppers during the manufacturing process, e.g. structural insoles; Insoles glued to shoes during the manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/40 with cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/026 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/00 Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/38 with power sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/14 with foot-supporting parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/14 Special medical insertions for shoes for flat-feet, club-feet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link

Abstract

A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, wherein the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user. The one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors are configured for computer control. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, including one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes and sensors in the sole and/or in a removable insert; or on an insole; all being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized.

Claims

1. A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, comprising:

the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user; and

the one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors being configured for computer control.

2. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to record a first test data set consisting of measurements by a sensor of the force and/or relative pressure distribution of a wearer'"'"'s footsole on or near an upper surface of the wearer'"'"'s footwear during the wearer'"'"'s locomotion or other physical activity;

the first test data set as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

3. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to record a first test data set consisting of measurements by a sensor of the relative motion during the user'"'"'s locomotion or other physical activity of a position at or near to a part of the body of the user of the smartphone device;

the first test data set as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

4. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to record a first test data set consisting of measurements of the relative motion during the user'"'"'s locomotion or other physical activity of a position that is at or near the center of gravity of the body of the user of the smartphone device, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

5. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to establish a first configuration setting for the bladders, compartments, chambers, sipes or other portions of the apparatus or of either or both of the footwear soles.

6. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the first configuration setting is a neutral or baseline condition, including the condition wherein the smartphone device has not activated control of the apparatus or the footwear soles.

7. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to activate a second configuration setting for the bladders, compartments, chambers, sipes, or other portions of the apparatus or of either or both of the soles, the second configuration being different from the first configuration setting.

8. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein using the second configuration setting, the smartphone device is configured to record a second test data set consisting of measurements of the relative motion during locomotion or other physical activity of the position at or near to the part of the user, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

9. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein using the second configuration setting, the smartphone device is configured to record a second test data set consisting of measurements of the relative motion during locomotion or other physical activity of the position at or near to the center of gravity of the user, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

10. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to compare the first test data set and the second test data set with a preferred data set for the measurements of relative motion during locomotion or other physical activity of the part of a model user or users, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

11. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to compare the first test data set and the second test data set with a preferred data set for the measurements of relative motion during locomotion or other physical activity of the position at or near to the part of a model user or users, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

12. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to compare the first test data set and the second test data set with a preferred data set for the measurements of relative motion during locomotion or other physical activity of the position at or near to the center of gravity of a model user or users, as measured in at least one plane (1D) or in two planes (2D) or in three planes (3D) and/or including time or other measurements.

13. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to select the configuration setting of the footwear soles that produced the test data set that is the closest to the preferred data set and to reject the other configuration setting, thereby completing at least one full cycle of an operation to optimize the configuration for the wearer.

14. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the full cycle of the configuration optimizing operation is repeated as frequently as necessary until the most recent test data set either closely matches the preferred data set or cannot be made to match the test data more closely.

15. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the full cycle of the configuration optimizing operation is repeated hundreds or thousands or millions or billions of times.

16. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the model user or users are chosen from a group of shod or barefoot users who have a history of low levels of overuse and/or acute injuries, the barefoot users including users that are distinguished by level of previous or current conventional footwear use, such as barefoot users that have been formerly shod and/or occasionally shod or seldom shod or never shod with conventional footwear.

17. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to include a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

18. The smartphone device of claim 1, wherein the smartphone device is configured to include one or more wired connections and/or one or more wireless connections, the wireless connections including WiFi, Bluetooth, near field communications (NFC) and/or cellular.

19. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, comprising:

one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes or other portions located in the sole and/or in a removable insert;

one or more sensors located in or on the sole and/or in the removable sole insert and/or located in or on an insole;

the one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, sipes or other portions and the one or more sensors being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized; and

/or the control is conducted through a wired or a wireless connection.

20. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear for footwear, comprising:

one or both of a wearer'"'"'s footwear is configured to include a sole and/or the removable inner sole insert which has concavely rounded upper and lower surfaces relative to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole, as measured in at least in a frontal plane cross-section taken in the heel area, the forefoot, and in the midfoot area; and

/or wherein the upper and lower surfaces are substantially parallel; and

/or wherein the concavely rounded lower surface extends to the lateral extent of one or both sides of the sole; and

/or wherein the lateral extent extends above the lowest point of the inner footwear surface.