Ambulatory foot pod
First Claim
1. A combination, comprising:
- a shoe having a shoelace;
a sensor for sensing motion of the shoe;
a housing which houses the sensor;
at least one retaining member disposed on the housing; and
an elastic member, distinct from the shoelace, releasably engaged with the at least one retaining member such that the elastic member is in a tensioned state and forms a part of a closed loop that encompasses at least one unknotted crossing of the shoelace, thereby securing the apparatus to the shoelace of the shoe.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus to be secured to a person or an article of clothing includes a housing, at least one retaining member, and an elastic member. The housing is adapted to house at least one item. The at least one retaining member is supported by the housing. The elastic member is releasably engageable with the at least one retaining member and is adapted to stretchably encompass at least a portion of the person or article of clothing and to secure the housing to the person or article of clothing when engaged with the at least one retaining member. A method for securing a housing to a person or an article of clothing involves providing a housing and an elastic member, the housing having at least one retaining member supported thereby. The elastic member is wrapped about at least a portion of the person or article of clothing and is stretched. At least a first portion of the elastic member is releasably engaged with the at least one retaining member so that tension remains in the elastic member, thereby securing the housing to the person or article of clothing.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A combination, comprising:
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a shoe having a shoelace;
a sensor for sensing motion of the shoe;
a housing which houses the sensor;
at least one retaining member disposed on the housing; and
an elastic member, distinct from the shoelace, releasably engaged with the at least one retaining member such that the elastic member is in a tensioned state and forms a part of a closed loop that encompasses at least one unknotted crossing of the shoelace, thereby securing the apparatus to the shoelace of the shoe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for securing a housing to a shoelace of a shoe, the method comprising steps of:
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(a) providing the housing and an elastic member other than the shoelace of the shoe, the housing supporting a sensor for sensing motion of the shoe and having at least one retaining member disposed thereon; and
(b) securing the housing to the shoelace by stretching the elastic member to selectively engage a first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member, thereby forming a closed loop that includes at least a part of the elastic member and encompasses at least one unknotted crossing of the shoelace. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing has at least one rigid retaining member supported thereby; and
the step (b) includes releasably engaging at least the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one rigid retaining member.
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16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing is rigid.
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17. The method of claim 14, wherein:
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the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing has a pair of retaining members disposed on opposite sides of the housing; and
the step (b) includes engaging a respective portion of the elastic member with each of the pair of retaining members to form the closed loop and secure the housing to the shoelace of the shoe.
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18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing has disposed thereon means for non-releasably engaging a second portion of the elastic member.
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19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (b) includes releasably engaging at least the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member such that the elastic member directly contacts the at least one retaining member.
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20. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (b) includes releasably engaging the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member so that tension remains in the elastic member when the closed loop is formed and the housing is secured to the shoelace.
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21. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of:
(c) attaching the at least one retaining member to the housing.
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22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step (c) includes non-releasably attaching the at least one retaining member to the housing.
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23. The method of claim 14, wherein the housing is secured to the shoelace so that the closed loop encompasses at least two unknotted crossings of the shoelace.
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24. The method of claim 23, wherein the housing is secured to the shoelace so that the closed loop encompasses at least three unknotted crossings of the shoelace.
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25. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of:
(c) removing the housing from the shoelace without untying the shoelace.
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26. A combination, comprising:
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a shoe having a shoelace;
a sensor for sensing motion of the shoe;
a housing which houses the sensor;
at least one retaining member in contact with the housing; and
an elastic member, distinct from the shoelace, releasably engaged with the at least one retaining member such that the elastic member is in a tensioned state and forms a part of a closed loop that encompasses at least one unknotted crossing of the shoelace, thereby securing the apparatus to the shoelace of the shoe. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for securing a housing to a shoelace of a shoe, the method comprising steps of:
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(a) providing the housing and an elastic member other than the shoelace of the shoe, the housing supporting a sensor for sensing motion of the shoe and having at least one retaining member in contact therewith; and
(b) securing the housing to the shoelace by stretching the elastic member to selectively engage a first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member, thereby forming a closed loop that includes at least a part of the elastic member and encompasses at least one unknotted crossing of the shoelace. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing has at least one rigid retaining member supported thereby; and
the step (b) includes releasably engaging at least the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one rigid retaining member.
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38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step (a) includes providing the housing such that the housing is rigid.
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39. The method of claim 36, wherein the step (b) includes releasably engaging at least the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member such that the elastic member directly contacts the at least one retaining member.
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40. The method of claim 36, wherein the step (b) includes releasably engaging the first portion of the elastic member with the at least one retaining member so that tension remains in the elastic member when the closed loop is formed and the housing is secured to the shoelace.
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41. The method of claim 36, further including a step of:
(c) attaching the at least one retaining member to the housing.
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42. The method of claim 41, wherein the step (c) includes non-releasably attaching the at least one retaining member to the housing.
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43. The method of claim 36, wherein the housing is secured to the shoelace so that the closed loop encompasses at least two unknotted crossings of the shoelace.
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44. The method of claim 43, wherein the housing is secured to the shoelace so that the closed loop encompasses at least three unknotted crossings of the shoelace.
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45. The method of claim 36, further comprising a step of:
(c) removing the housing from the shoelace without untying the shoelace.
Specification