Intelligent footwear systems

• US 7,676,960 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas International Marketing BV (Adidas AG)
• Original Assignee: Adidas International Marketing BV (Adidas AG)
• Inventors: Roth, Charles, Thompson, Mark Christopher, DiBenedetto, Christian, Oleson, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US11/732,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 361/32, 36/93, 36/29, 36/28, 361/36, 36/30.R, 36/25.R, 600/592, 731/72
• US Class Current: 36/132
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/181 Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/187 Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 21/26 Resilient heels
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/00 Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0042 with circular or circle shaped parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/06 Running shoes; Track shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies

Abstract

The invention is directed to intelligent systems for articles of footwear that adjust automatically in response to a measured performance characteristic. The intelligent systems include one or more adjustable elements coupled to a mechanism that actuates the adjustable elements in response to a signal from a sensor to modify the performance characteristic of the article of footwear. The intelligent system adjusts the performance characteristics of the article of footwear without human intervention.

Claims

1. An intelligent system for an article of footwear, the system comprising:

a control system comprising a measurement system for measuring a performance characteristic of the article of footwear;

a power source electrically coupled to the control system;

an adjustable element comprising a structural element void of a bladder; and

a driver coupled to the adjustable element for adjusting the adjustable element in response to a signal from the control system, wherein adjustment to the adjustable element is performed during a flight phase of the article of footwear.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system modifies the performance characteristic of the article of footwear.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the performance characteristic is selected from the group consisting of compressibility, resiliency, compliancy, elasticity, damping, energy storage, cushioning, stability, comfort, velocity, acceleration, jerk, and stiffness.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement system comprises:

a sensor; and

electrical circuitry.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a pressure sensor, a force transducer, a hall effect sensor, a strain gauge, a piezoelectric element, a load cell, a proximity sensor, an optical sensor, an accelerometer, a hall element, a capacitance sensor, an inductance sensor, a radio frequency emitter and receiver, a magneto-resistive element, and a giant magneto-resistive element.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustable element is adjusted by at least one of translation, rotation, reorientation, modification of a range of motion, and combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver is selected from the group consisting of a worm drive, a rotary actuator, a linear actuator, a gear train, a linkage, and combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustable element is at least partially disposed in at least one of a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and a rearfoot portion of the article of footwear.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustable element is at least partially disposed in at least one of a lateral side and a medial side of the article of footwear.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustable element is selected from the group consisting of an expansion element, a multiple density foam, a skeletal element, a multidensity plate, and combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustable element exhibits an anisotropic property.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a manual adjustment for altering the performance characteristic of the article of footwear.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor generates a signal corresponding to an amount of compression in a sole of the article of footwear.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the performance characteristic of the article of footwear is modified in response to the signal from the sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the performance characteristic is modified incrementally during multiple flight phases of the article of footwear to obtain a threshold value of the performance characteristic.

16. An article of footwear comprising:

a sole;

an upper coupled to the sole; and

an intelligent system at least partially disposed in the sole, the intelligent system comprising;

a control system comprising a measurement system for measuring a performance characteristic of the article of footwear;

a power source electrically coupled to the control system;

an adjustable element comprising a structural element void of a bladder; and

a driver coupled to the adjustable element for adjusting the adjustable element in response to a signal from the control system, wherein adjustment to the adjustable element is performed during a flight phase of the article of footwear.

17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the sole comprises an outsole and a midsole and the adjustable element is disposed at least partially in the midsole.

18. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the adjustable element is generally longitudinally disposed within the article of footwear.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the adjustable element extends generally from a heel region to an arch region of the article of footwear.

20. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the adjustable element is generally laterally disposed within the article of footwear.