Footwear having sensor system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper member at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber;
a sole structure engaged with the upper member, the sole structure comprising an outsole member, a midsole member located between the outsole member and the foot-receiving chamber, and a foot contacting member located between the midsole member and the foot-receiving chamber;
an insert member engaging the sole structure and located between the midsole member and the foot contacting member, the insert member comprising an insert body, a plurality of force sensors connected to the insert member in different locations, each force sensor configured for detecting a force exerted by a foot on the force sensor, and a plurality of sensor leads connected to the insert member, the sensor leads extending from the force sensors and having terminal ends that converge to a single location to form a consolidated interface configured for removable connection to an electronic module;
a well located in the sole structure and being at least partially defined within the midsole member, configured for removably receiving the electronic module, wherein the well defines an opening in an upper major surface of the midsole member configured to provide access for removing and inserting the electronic module into and out of the well, and wherein the foot contacting member covers the upper major surface of the midsole member to cover the opening of the well; and
a port accessible within the well and including the consolidated interface, the port having the consolidated interface exposed within the well and being configured for removable connection to the electronic module such that the port is configured to enable communication between the force sensors and the electronic module through the sensor leads and the consolidated interface when the electronic module is received in the well.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shoe has a sensor system operably connected to a communication port. Performance data is collected by the system and can be transferred for further use via the communication port. The shoe may contain an electronic module configured to gather data from the sensors. The module may also transmit the data to an external device for further processing. The collected data can be further processed for a variety of different uses or applications.
401 Citations
42 Claims
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1. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper member at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber; a sole structure engaged with the upper member, the sole structure comprising an outsole member, a midsole member located between the outsole member and the foot-receiving chamber, and a foot contacting member located between the midsole member and the foot-receiving chamber; an insert member engaging the sole structure and located between the midsole member and the foot contacting member, the insert member comprising an insert body, a plurality of force sensors connected to the insert member in different locations, each force sensor configured for detecting a force exerted by a foot on the force sensor, and a plurality of sensor leads connected to the insert member, the sensor leads extending from the force sensors and having terminal ends that converge to a single location to form a consolidated interface configured for removable connection to an electronic module; a well located in the sole structure and being at least partially defined within the midsole member, configured for removably receiving the electronic module, wherein the well defines an opening in an upper major surface of the midsole member configured to provide access for removing and inserting the electronic module into and out of the well, and wherein the foot contacting member covers the upper major surface of the midsole member to cover the opening of the well; and a port accessible within the well and including the consolidated interface, the port having the consolidated interface exposed within the well and being configured for removable connection to the electronic module such that the port is configured to enable communication between the force sensors and the electronic module through the sensor leads and the consolidated interface when the electronic module is received in the well. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper member at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber; a sole structure engaged with the upper member; a plurality of force sensors connected to the sole structure, each force sensor configured for detecting a force exerted by a foot on the force sensor through contact-based sensing, wherein each sensor comprises a first electrode and a second electrode; a well located in the sole structure, configured for removably receiving an electronic module; a port accessible within the well and being connected to an interface, the port being configured for connection to the electronic module when the electronic module is received in the well; a plurality of sensor leads connecting the force sensors to the port, configured to enable communication between the force sensors and the electronic module through the sensor leads and the port when the electronic module is received in the well, wherein the sensor leads are connected to the second electrode of each of the force sensors; and a single power lead connected from the port to all of the plurality of force sensors by connection to the first electrode of each of the force sensors, wherein the single power lead is configured for providing power from the electronic module to all of the plurality of force sensors. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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41. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper member at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber; a sole structure engaged with the upper member, wherein the sole structure comprises an outsole member, a midsole member located between the outsole member and the foot-receiving chamber, a foot contacting member located between the midsole member and the foot-receiving chamber, and an insert member positioned within the foot-receiving chamber, the insert member comprising a first flexible layer and a second flexible layer connected to each other in a superimposed manner, wherein the first flexible layer and the second flexible layer each have a thickness of 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm; a plurality of force sensors positioned on the insert member, between the first and second flexible layers, each force sensor configured for detecting a force exerted by a foot on the force sensor; a well located in the sole structure, configured for removably receiving an electronic module, wherein that the well defines an opening in an upper major surface of the midsole member configured to provide access for removing and inserting the electronic module, and wherein the foot contacting member covers the upper major surface of the midsole member to cover the opening of the well; and a port accessible within the well and being connected to an interface, the port being configured for connection to the electronic module when the electronic module is received in the well; and a plurality of sensor leads positioned on the insert member, between the first and second flexible layers, the sensor leads connecting the force sensors to the port and being configured to enable communication between the force sensors and the electronic module through the sensor leads and the port when the electronic module is received in the well. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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Specification