DETERMINING FOOTWEAR REPLACEMENT BASED ON PIEZOELECTRIC OUTPUT
First Claim
1. An article of footwear, comprising:
- a structural material configured to enable the article of footwear to be worn on a body;
a wireless transmission circuit;
a piezoelectric generator, positioned with respect to the structural material in a configuration to be flexed to induce a voltage signal output, configured to output a signal having a voltage profile upon being flexed;
a voltage sensor, coupled to the piezoelectric generator, configured to sense the voltage profile and output a sensor signal indicative of the voltage profile;
an electronic data storage, coupled to the voltage sensor, configured to store voltage profile information based on the sensor data; and
a comparator, coupled to the electronic data storage, configured to identify a change in the voltage profile information over time;
wherein the wireless transmission circuit is configured to transmit data indicative of a physical status of the article of footwear based on the change in the voltage profile information over time.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of apparel, a system, and methods include a structural material configured to enable the article of footwear to the worn on a body. A wireless transmission circuit is included and a piezoelectric generator is positioned with respect to the structural material in a configuration to be flexed to induce a voltage signal output. A voltage sensor is configured to sense the voltage profile and output a sensor signal indicative of the voltage profile. An electronic data storage, coupled to the voltage sensor, is configured to store voltage profile information based on the sensor data. A comparator, coupled to the electronic data storage, is configured to identify a change in the voltage profile information over time. The wireless transmission circuit is configured to transmit data indicative of a physical status of the article of footwear based on the change in the voltage profile information over time.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An article of footwear, comprising:
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a structural material configured to enable the article of footwear to be worn on a body; a wireless transmission circuit; a piezoelectric generator, positioned with respect to the structural material in a configuration to be flexed to induce a voltage signal output, configured to output a signal having a voltage profile upon being flexed; a voltage sensor, coupled to the piezoelectric generator, configured to sense the voltage profile and output a sensor signal indicative of the voltage profile; an electronic data storage, coupled to the voltage sensor, configured to store voltage profile information based on the sensor data; and a comparator, coupled to the electronic data storage, configured to identify a change in the voltage profile information over time; wherein the wireless transmission circuit is configured to transmit data indicative of a physical status of the article of footwear based on the change in the voltage profile information over time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of making an article of footwear, comprising:
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forming a structural material configured to enable the article of footwear to be worn on a body; positioning a piezoelectric generator with respect to the structural material in a configuration to be flexed to induce a voltage signal output, configured to output a signal having a voltage profile upon being flexed; and coupling a wireless transmission circuit, a voltage sensor, an electronic data storage, and a comparator to the piezoelectric generator; wherein the voltage sensor is configured to sense the voltage profile and output a sensor signal indicative of the voltage profile; wherein the electronic data storage is configured to store voltage profile information based on the sensor data; wherein the comparator is configured to identify a change in the voltage profile information over time; and wherein the wireless transmission circuit is configured to transmit data indicative of a physical status of the article of footwear based on the change in the voltage profile information over time. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An system, comprising:
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a structural material of a wearable article, configured to enable wearable article to be worn on a body; a wireless transmission circuit; a piezoelectric generator, positioned with respect to the structural material in a configuration to be flexed to induce a voltage signal output, configured to output a signal having a voltage profile upon being flexed; a voltage sensor, coupled to the piezoelectric generator, configured to sense the voltage profile and output a sensor signal indicative of the voltage profile; an electronic data storage, coupled to the voltage sensor, configured to store voltage profile information based on the sensor data; and a comparator, coupled to the electronic data storage, configured to identify a change in the voltage profile information over time; wherein the wireless transmission circuit is configured to transmit data indicative of a physical status of the wearable article based on the change in the voltage profile information over time. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification