Ultraviolet illuminator for footwear treatment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An ultraviolet (UV) footwear illuminator, comprising:
- an insert adapted for placement in an article of footwear;
at least one UV radiation source located in the insert configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region formed in the insert;
a wave guiding structure located in the insert, wherein the wave guiding structure is configured to distribute the UV radiation from the at least one UV radiation source to a plurality of locations within the footwear, wherein the wave guiding structure comprises a multilayer structure having at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer disposed between a pair of segmented liquid layers, a plurality of diffusive protrusions disposed in at least one of the liquid layers, and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer, the pair of liquid layers and the plurality of diffusive protrusions;
a control unit configured to control at least one of a plurality of predetermined UV radiation characteristics associated with the radiation emitted from the at least one UV radiation source; and
a power supply configured to power the at least one UV radiation source and the control unit.
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Abstract
An ultraviolet (UV) footwear illuminator for footwear treatment is disclosed. In one embodiment, the UV footwear illuminator includes an insert adapted for placement in an article of footwear. At least one UV radiation source is located in the insert and is configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region formed in the insert. A control unit is configured to control at least one predetermined UV radiation characteristics associated with the radiation emitted from each UV radiation source. A power supply is configured to power each UV radiation source and the control unit.
120 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An ultraviolet (UV) footwear illuminator, comprising:
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an insert adapted for placement in an article of footwear; at least one UV radiation source located in the insert configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region formed in the insert; a wave guiding structure located in the insert, wherein the wave guiding structure is configured to distribute the UV radiation from the at least one UV radiation source to a plurality of locations within the footwear, wherein the wave guiding structure comprises a multilayer structure having at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer disposed between a pair of segmented liquid layers, a plurality of diffusive protrusions disposed in at least one of the liquid layers, and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer, the pair of liquid layers and the plurality of diffusive protrusions; a control unit configured to control at least one of a plurality of predetermined UV radiation characteristics associated with the radiation emitted from the at least one UV radiation source; and a power supply configured to power the at least one UV radiation source and the control unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An ultraviolet (UV) footwear treatment system, comprising:
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an insert adapted for placement in an article of footwear; at least one UV radiation source enclosed in the insert configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region formed in the insert; and a wave guiding structure configured to distribute the UV radiation generated from the at least one UV radiation source throughout the footwear, wherein the wave guiding structure comprises a multilayer structure having at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer disposed between a pair of segmented liquid layers, a plurality of diffusive protrusions disposed in at least one of the liquid layers, and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer, the pair of liquid layers and the plurality of diffusive protrusions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An article of footwear, comprising:
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an insole insert having at least one UV radiation source located therein configured to emit UV radiation in the footwear through a transparent window region; a wave guiding structure configured to distribute the UV radiation generation from each UV radiation source throughout the footwear, wherein the wave guiding structure comprises a multilayer structure having at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer disposed between a pair of segmented liquid layers, a plurality of diffusive protrusions disposed in at least one of the liquid layers, and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the at least one UV transparent fluoropolymer layer, the pair of liquid layers and the plurality of diffusive protrusions; at least one footwear condition sensor located in the insert, each sensor configured to generate a footwear condition signal representative of an operational condition; and a control unit configured to control operation of the at least one UV radiation source and the at least one footwear condition sensor. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification