Lighted footwear
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Footwear comprising:
- a sole having a front and a back;
a light source disposed in the front of the sole;
a foot sensor disposed in the sole that upon detecting the presence of a foot in the footwear operates a switch to cause a control circuitry to activate and to receive a foot present signal;
a light sensor disposed in the sole and adapted to detect, upon activation of the control circuitry, the amount of ambient light adjacent the footwear; and
said control circuitry that is responsive first to the foot present signal and second to the light sensor maintains the light source in the ON state while the foot sensor detects the presence of a foot in the footwear and while the light sensor detects ambient light below a threshold light level, and that maintains the light source in the ON state for a predetermined period of time after a foot is removed from the footwear and before the control circuitry ceases operation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Footwear is provided that includes a sole having a front and a back. A light source is disposed in the front of the sole. A foot sensor, disposed in the sole, detects the presence or absence of a foot in the footwear. A light sensor, disposed in the sole, is adapted to detect the amount of ambient light adjacent the footwear. The sole may also include a delay circuit for maintaining the light source in the ON state for a predetermined period of time after the foot is removed.
85 Citations
24 Claims
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1. Footwear comprising:
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a sole having a front and a back; a light source disposed in the front of the sole; a foot sensor disposed in the sole that upon detecting the presence of a foot in the footwear operates a switch to cause a control circuitry to activate and to receive a foot present signal; a light sensor disposed in the sole and adapted to detect, upon activation of the control circuitry, the amount of ambient light adjacent the footwear; and said control circuitry that is responsive first to the foot present signal and second to the light sensor maintains the light source in the ON state while the foot sensor detects the presence of a foot in the footwear and while the light sensor detects ambient light below a threshold light level, and that maintains the light source in the ON state for a predetermined period of time after a foot is removed from the footwear and before the control circuitry ceases operation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of producing footwear comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a sole having a front and a back; (b) installing a light source in the front of the sole; (c) installing a foot sensor in the sole; (d) positioning the foot sensor so that it can detect the presence of a foot in the footwear; (e) installing a light sensor in the sole that is adapted to detect the amount of ambient light adjacent the footwear; and (f) providing control circuitry configured to operate selectively only upon detection of the presence of the foot in the footwear and to maintain the light source in the ON state while (1) the foot sensor detects the presence of a foot in the footwear and (2) the light sensor detects that the amount of ambient light is below a selected threshold, and to maintain the light source in the ON state for a predetermined period of time after a foot is removed from the footwear. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. Footwear comprising:
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a sole having a front and a back; a light source disposed in the front of the sole, the light source having two states (ON and OFF); a foot sensor disposed in the sole that detects the presence or absence of a foot in the footwear, said foot sensor configured for operating a switch to cause a control circuitry to activate; a light sensor disposed in the sole which light sensor upon activation of the control circuitry outputs a signal indicative of the amount of light sensed; and said control circuitry will upon activation determine whether to turn the light source ON by comparing the signal from the light sensor with a threshold ambient light level and maintain the light source in the ON state while the foot sensor detects the presence of a foot in the footwear and maintain the light source in the ON state for a predetermined period of time after a foot is removed from the footwear. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification