Monitored footwear with step counter and speedometer display

• US 5,640,786 A
• Filed: 07/05/1995
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taher Buyayez
• Original Assignee: Taher Buyayez
• Inventors: Buyayez, Taher
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTERSON, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US08/498,408
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 36/1, 36/114, 36/132, 36/136, 73/172, 128/779
• US Class Current: 36/114
• 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: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/50 for measuring linear speed G01P3/56 takes precedence

Abstract

Articles of footwear including a power supply, a logic circuit, at least two pressure switches which control the operation of the logic circuit, a counter circuit, a monitor circuit, a driver circuit and a display device. The counter circuit counts all such steps and determines use of the footwear vis-a-vis life of the footwear and/or characteristics of the use of the footwear. The display device selectively displays the number of steps taken in the footwear, or the speed at which the steps were taken.

Claims

1. A monitored footwear comprising:

a circuit for selectively electrically monitoring steps taken by a wearer of said footwear;

a power source for supplying power to said circuit;

first and second pressure switches which alternate between "off" and "on" states in response to pressure thereon during steps taken by a wearer of said footwear;

said circuit includes logic circuit means for producing electrical signals as a function of the state of said first and second switches;

said logic circuit produces a first electrical signal only when said second pressure switch is in the "on" state shortly after said first pressure switch is in the "on" state,

said first electrical signal is representative of a step having been taken by the wearer of said footwear,

decoder means connected to said circuit and adapted to receive signals from said circuit and produce signals representative of said monitoring; and

display means mounted on said footwear and connected to receive signals produced by said decoder means.

2. The footwear recited in claim 1 wherein,

said circuit includes counting means connected to receive signals from said logic circuit means.

3. The footwear recited in claim 1 wherein,

said display means is capable of displaying at least two different parameters.

4. The footwear recited in claim 1 including,

a third switch connected to said circuit means and operative to selectively reset said circuit to a preselected condition.

5. The footwear recited in claim 1 wherein,

said logic circuit produces a second electrical signal only when said first pressure switch is in the "on" state at least twice in a short period of time with no intervening "on" state at said second pressure switch.

6. The footwear recited in claim 5 wherein,

said display means receives said second electrical signal and produces a display representative of the number of such second electrical signals received.

7. The footwear recited in claim 1 wherein,

said display means receives said first electrical signal and produces a display representative of the number of such first electrical signals received.