Shoe Housing

• US 20110239488A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas International Marketing BV (Adidas AG)
• Original Assignee: Adidas International Marketing BV (Adidas AG)
• Inventors: Vincent, Stephen Michael, Tomlinson, Scott, Carnes, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/136
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/00 Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0031 provided with a pocket, e.g. for keys or a card
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

The invention relates to a shoe with a sole unit, where the sole unit includes a recess for removably receiving a housing of an electronic assembly, for example, an electronic pedometer, an accelerometer, or a speed sensor. Further, the invention relates to a housing for receiving an electronic assembly, for example, a pedometer, an accelerometer, or a speed sensor, where the housing has an outer shape corresponding to the shape of a recess formed in a shoe sole.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising:

an upper forming a cavity for receiving a wearer'"'"'s foot; and

a sole unit attached to the upper and forming a recess for releasably receiving a housing of an electronic assembly, wherein the recess is at least partially accessible through the cavity of the upper.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit comprises a tub-like structure for forming the recess.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 further comprising the housing and the electronic assembly disposed therein, wherein the electronic assembly is at least one of a pedometer, a shock sensor, a global positioning system, a pulse sensor, an accelerometer, a speed sensor, and an MP3 player.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the recess is arranged in a region of the sole unit corresponding to a wearer'"'"'s midfoot region.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit forms an opening adapted to permit a wearer to at least one of inspect and operate the electronic assembly.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the recess is arranged in a midsole of the sole unit, and the sole unit further comprises a removable insole for covering the recess when the article is in use.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein a shape of the recess corresponds to a shape of the housing of the electronic assembly.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit proximate the recess comprises at least one receptacle engageable by a projection of the housing.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit proximate the recess comprises at least two receptacles oriented substantially opposite each other.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit proximate the recess comprises at least one elastic element to secure the housing in the recess.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the elastic element comprises an elastic boundary for circumscribing at least a portion of the housing.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit proximate the recess comprises at least one projection engageable with a corresponding receptacle in the housing.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole unit proximate the recess comprises two projections at each of a front end and a rear end, respectively, in a longitudinal direction of the article, wherein each projection is engageable with a corresponding receptacle in the housing.

14. The article of footwear of claim 1 further comprising a removal strap disposed at least partially within the recess to facilitate removal of the housing from the recess.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the removal strap is arranged within the recess such that a portion of the strap is positioned below the housing when the housing is disposed within the recess and an end of the strap extends over a top edge of the recess.

16. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the removal strap comprises an aperture for receiving a projection of the housing when the housing is disposed in the recess of the article.

17. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the recess is integrated into a reinforcing element disposed within the sole unit.

18. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising:

an attachment means for securing the article of footwear to a wearer'"'"'s foot; and

a mounting cover engageable with the attachment means, wherein the mounting cover is configured to receive a second housing configured for receiving an electronic assembly.

19. A housing for receiving an electronic assembly, the housing comprising:

a first portion comprising an exterior surface; and

a second portion comprising an exterior surface and releasably coupled to the first portion, wherein the exterior surfaces comprise a shape configured for engaging a recess formed within a sole of an article of footwear.

20. The housing of claim 19, further comprising at least one projection disposed on the external surface of at least one of the first portion and the second portion, the at least one projection configured to engage a corresponding receptacle of the sole unit proximate the recess.

21. The housing of claim 19, further comprising at least two projections oriented substantially opposite each other on the housing, the at least two projections configured to engage at least two corresponding receptacles of the sole unit proximate the recess.

22. The housing of claim 20, wherein the at least one projection comprises an elastic material to facilitate engaging the corresponding receptacle.

23. The housing of claim 19, further comprising at least one receptacle disposed in at least one of the first portion and the second portion, the at least one receptacle configured to receive a corresponding projection of the sole unit proximate the recess.

24. The housing of claim 19, further comprising two receptacles disposed at each of a front end and a rear end of the housing in a longitudinal direction, each receptacle configured to receive corresponding projections of the sole unit proximate the recess.

25. The housing of claim 19, further comprising a cover comprising an elastic material, the cover encompassing substantially the entire housing.

26. The housing of claim 19, further comprising a seal arranged between the first portion and the second portion.

27. The housing of claim 19, forming an opening defined at least partially by at least one of the first portion and the second portion, the opening configured to enable access to an interior portion of the housing by a user.

28. The housing of claim 19 further comprising a mounting cover engageable with an attachment means for securing the article of footwear to a wearer'"'"'s foot, the mounting cover configured to releasably receive and at least partially circumscribe the housing.

29. The housing of claim 28, wherein the mounting cover comprises an attachment strap extending below the housing and configured to engage with the attachment means of the article of footwear.

30. The housing of claim 28, wherein the mounting cover comprises at least one mounting arm extending below the housing and below the attachment means of the article of footwear, the mounting arm including an end region at least partially encompassing a top surface of the housing.

31. The housing of claim 28, wherein the mounting cover comprises at least two mounting arms extending below the housing and below the attachment means of the article of footwear, the mounting arms including end regions at least partially encompassing a top surface of the housing.

32. The housing of claim 28, wherein the mounting cover further comprises a mounting flap, the mounting flap defining an aperture configured for receiving a projection disposed on the housing.

33. The housing of claim 19 further comprising an electronic assembly disposed within the housing and configured for communicating with a user interface located outside of the housing.

34. The housing of claim 33, wherein the housing defines an aperture configured for passing a cable therethrough, the cable configured to provide communication between the electronic assembly and the user interface.

35. The housing of claim 33, wherein the electronic assembly communicates with the user interface in a wireless manner.