Footwear with flashing lights

• US 6,017,128 A
• Filed: 12/09/1993
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Congress Financial Corporation (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: LA Gear Incorporated (ACI International)
• Inventors: Rapisarda, Carmen C., Bemis, Jon L., Goldston, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Quach, Y.
• Application Number:
  US08/165,128
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 362/103, 362/190, 362/191, 362/200, 362/802, 362/800, 36/137
• US Class Current: 362/103
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0036 with fluorescent or phosphorescent parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0072 made at least partially of transparent or translucent materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/36 with light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/40 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/004 Reflective safety signalling devices attached on persons
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/00 Advertising or display means not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/802 Position or condition responsive switch

Abstract

Footwear for improving the visibility of the wearer uses a circuit including a mechanically operated pressure switching mechanism, disposed in the footwear, to turn a lighting system off and on. The switch is responsive to pressure from the foot of the wearer. When a wearer raises a foot from the ground, the lighting system is activated. When the foot is returned to the ground, the lighting system is deactivated. The system may be disabled by removing a source of power from the circuit, or through the provision of a mechanically operable deactivation mechanism.

Claims

1. Footwear for improving visibility of a wearer thereof, said footwear including an upper portion for contacting an upper surface of a wearer'"'"'s foot and a sole portion for underlying a lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot and supporting the wearer'"'"'s foot against the ground, the improvement comprising:

a cavity formed in said sole portion, said cavity having an upper surface and a lower surface;

a plug-in module, slidably insertable into and removable from said cavity, said plug-in module including;

a light source disposed in said plug-in module such that light emitted from said light source is visible exteriorly of said plug-in module;

a power source for energizing said light source; and

,

switch means, operatively responsive to close when the wearer'"'"'s foot is removed from the ground, for selectively connecting said power source to said light source to cause illumination of said light source, said switch means being operatively responsive to open when the wearer'"'"'s foot is applied to the ground, thereby extinguishing the illumination of said light.

2. The footwear of claim 1, wherein said switch means includes means, responsive to pressure from a wearer'"'"'s weight applied to the ground through said sole portion, for opening said switch means, and for closing said switch means when pressure from the wearer'"'"'s weight is removed from the ground.

3. The footwear of claim 2, wherein said switch means includes:

a pressure-receiving member disposed in said plug-in module so as to be positioned adjacent to said upper surface of said cavity when said plug-in module is inserted in said cavity;

a base plate having upper and lower base plate surfaces, said base plate supporting said pressure receiving member on said upper base plate surface;

an electrical contact plate disposed on said upper base plate surface; and

a spring member, disposed in said plug-in module, for supplying an upward biasing force against said lower base plate surface so as to bias said pressure receiving member upward relative to a lower surface of said cavity.

4. The footwear of claim 3, wherein said light source comprises a light emitting diode having first and second electrical leads extending therefrom, said power source comprises a battery having first and second terminals, said first electrical lead of said light emitting diode contacts said first terminal of said battery, and said second electrical lead selectively contacts said electrical contact plate.

5. The footwear of claim 4, further including means for connecting said second terminal of said battery with said electrical contact plate, wherein said pressure-receiving member is operatively responsive to pressure from the foot of the wearer to bias said base plate downward relative to said lower surface of said cavity, thereby preventing contact between said second electrical lead and said electrical contact plate, said spring member being operatively responsive to an absence of pressure from the foot of the wearer to bias said base plate upward relative to said lower surface of said cavity, thereby causing contact between said second electrical lead and said electrical contact plate.

6. The footwear of claim 1, wherein said switch means includes:

an on-off switch that is in a normally closed condition, said switch having an actuator for opening said switch in response to a force exerted on said actuator and being disposed in said plug-in module with said actuator in facing communication with the lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot when said plug-in module is disposed in said cavity such that, when the wearer'"'"'s weight is applied to the ground through said sole portion, the lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot exerts a downward force on said actuator, thereby opening said switch, and when the wearer'"'"'s weight is removed from the ground through said sole portion, the force exerted on said actuator is removed, thereby returning said switch to said normally closed condition.

7. The footwear of claim 6, further comprising:

switch moderator means for controlling the amount of force applied to said actuator by the wearer'"'"'s foot, said switch moderator means including a thickness of resilient material disposed between said switch actuator and the lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot.

8. The footwear of claim 1, wherein said light source comprises a light emitting diode.

9. The footwear of claim 1, further comprising:

a receptacle, disposed in said sole portion for slidably receiving said plug-in module; and

locking means for releasably securing said plug-in module in said receptacle.

10. The footwear of claim 9, wherein said locking means comprises:

a slot formed in a surface of said receptacle;

a protrusion, extending from a surface of said plug-in module and resiliently biased against said surface of said receptacle so as to be lockably engaged in said slot when said plug-in module is inserted into said receptacle, thereby securing said plug-in module in said receptacle; and

releasing means, for releasing said protrusion from engagement with said slot to enable said plug-in module to be removed from said receptacle.

11. The footwear of claim 10, wherein said releasing means comprises a lever arm having said protrusion disposed thereon, said lever arm being integrally formed with said plug-in module and resiliently biased against said surface of said receptacle when said plug-in module is inserted therein, said lever arm being movable relative to said slot such that said protrusion can be moved out of engagement with said slot to enable said plug-in module to be removed from said receptacle.

12. Footwear with means for increasing visibility of a wearer thereof, comprising:

an upper section formed of a flexible material for enclosing an upper portion of a wearer'"'"'s foot;

a sole portion for underlying a lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot and supporting the wearer'"'"'s foot against the ground, said sole portion being attached to said upper section and having an upper surface defining a footbed for supporting the lower surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot, and an outsole surface for contacting the ground;

a removable light mechanism, insertable into and removable from a cavity formed in said sole portion, said light mechanism including;

an electric light source mounted in said removable light mechanism such that light emitted from said source is visible exteriorly of said footwear;

a battery, selectably connectable to said light source, for energizing said light source;

switch means for selectively connecting and disconnecting said light source to and from said battery, said switch means being in a normally closed state such that said light source is connected to said battery in the absence of pressure on said switch means; and

disabling means, operable by the wearer, for disabling said light mechanism such that said switch means is prevented from connecting and disconnecting said light source to and from said battery.

13. The footwear of claim 12, wherein said switch means includes means, operatively responsive to pressure of a predetermined level, for changing said switch means from said normally closed state to an open state, and for returning said switch means to the closed state when said pressure is reduced below said predetermined level.

14. The footwear of claim 12, wherein said disabling means comprises:

means, operable by the wearer, for interrupting the connection of said battery and said light source independently of the state of said switch means.