Editorial Note 2010101156 Page 1 of the drawings has been added as page 5 of the description, hence page numbering not being in order 1 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT FOOTWEAR WITH UV INDICATOR The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 BACKGROUND TO THE INNOVATION We are aware of the harmful effects of UV rays on humans, particularly on children who are more susceptible to sunburn and it is also well established that most skin damage occurs in the earlier 20 years of human life. While there are various UV protection methods available in the market (such as sunscreen, sunglasses, UV protective clothing etc), there is often no way of knowing how strong the UV rays are when someone is outdoors. And in most cases, people tend to cover most upper parts of their body with protective methods, but often forget about the foot area that is also very vulnerable to sunburn possibly leading to Skin Cancer. As most people wear footwear when they are outdoors, this novel idea provides an unobtrusive indicator that the user can just glance at and realize the potential threat perhaps resulting in increased sunscreen use and general awareness of the environmental exposure to potentially damage UV rays and hopefully help in a decrease in skin cancers and increase awareness of the necessity of protecting your feet. This invention incorporates a UV (Ultraviolet) ray indicator on footwear, thereby providing an indicative measure of the amount of UV present at that particular time of the day in their environment so they can take appropriate actions to protect themselves from potentially deadly UV exposure. There are a variety of UV Indicators available in the market including indicators as wristbands, however it is not very convenient for people to wear them everyday as it is an additional item that people have to remind themselves to wear and other items like jewellery and sleeved shirts could cover the indicator. Whereas, this innovation combines the benefit of UV indicator with day-to-day items that people are likely to wear as an essential item in their day-to-day lives. For example, people are most likely to wear thongs or other footwear outdoors, hence a built-in UV indicator is an additional convenience that will have significant benefits for the user. Similarly, for children, they are less likely to wear a wristband, but if the indicator is built into their footwear, shoe lace or shoe straps, it will be non obtrusive/instructive to them hence it works silently without attracting much attention or becoming a danger. Hence our invention places UV indicator on footwear where it is likely to be in direct contact with the sunlight and is also very visible to the person wearing these enhanced footwear. The most prime position of placement is Straps on the thongs, upper front part of the footwear, shoelaces, or rear strap of sandals. Therefore this is potentially a very powerful educational tool to enhance awareness among children as well as in adults about the presence of UV radiation in sunlight and the role this radiation plays in skin damage in general and skin cancer in particular. Unique benefits of this Invention o Footwear in general that indicates the strength of UV rays in outdoor areas o A reminding aid for people to protect themselves from harmful UV rays o Educational tool to improve awareness about protecting feet from harmful UV rays o Ease of use through ready accessibility as incorporated in daily use items o Non- obtrusive and passive accessory i.e. does not require carrying of any additional item.
3 The applications and benefits of this novel idea are numerous. It will indicate the level of UV in the outdoor, hence advising people (users) to apply appropriate protection to protect themselves from harmful UV rays. The application is particularly useful outdoors where the risk of skin cancer is acute. Particularly in warm climates in countries like Australia, USA, as well as Asia and Europe. It is anticipated that the UV indicator will be placed primarily on the upper part of the footwear that is visible to user, and will most likely come in direct contact with the sun rays. However, the indicator can be placed anywhere on the footwear (including on Laces, soles, uppers, straps) depending on the types of users and locations where this will be marketed. It can be a part of the footwear when the footwear is manufactured (built into the footwear), or it can be an added feature to the footwear after market in the form of a attachment to the footwear. For example, a small silicon badge, slip-on, sticker etc, that can be attached to the shoe laces, or to the thong strap, or to a watch strap. The patent will allow inventor to exploit the use of this novel idea, as such product/idea currently does not exist anywhere in the world. While Footwear and UV rays are independently sold around the world, the combined benefit and application of the two together is not available, hence this novel idea will be a unique concept that would attract commercial benefits to this innovation. HOW DOES IT WORK There are a variety of UV indicators already available in the market utilising the photo chromatic substances. These indicators demonstrate the strength of UV rays by changing the colour of the item. Such indicators are primarily sold as wristbands or keychain attachments. The intensity of the resulting visible color, which can be any colour such as Pink, Purple, Blue, Orange etc., but not limited to, is directly proportional to the intensity of the UV light source: the more intense the UV light the more intense the resulting visible color Is. Usually the base material, for example straps 11, on a footwear is made from a photo chromatic material or is applied with photo chromatic material/ink. The base material also is printed with a range of colours indicating the level of UV ray strength. When the base material is exposed to the UV Ray source such as Sunlight, it changes colour (to a darker shade) indicating the strength of UV rays present Fig 6. The colour of the base material 11 returns back to its normal colour once the UV Ray exposure is not present. The base material of the UV indicator can be made from a variety of materials, such as Silicon, Rubber, or any other substance that may be in the public domain. The base material can also be integrated into existing structure of the footwear which could be made from a variety of different materials. For example, the UV ray indicatory can be made of (but not limited to) a silicon band that is inserted to into a velcro strap of the shoe exposed outwardly hence visible to the eye and also exposed to sunrays. UV Indicators can also be customised too for product promotions where it can altered to represent certain brand characteristics in the form of colour combinations or contours, 4 shapes, or any other characteristic of the brand. For example, a logo can be placed on the UV indicator in 4 different colours or shapes which can indicate the intensity of the UV Ray. The UV indicatory may be presented in different styles. For example, initially it may be shown as Low, Medium, High, Extreme as per Figure 6. This scale can be adjusted or modified to suit various target audience. For example, if these are used on children footwear, these could be expressed as likable symbols or presented as colourful patterns which may appeal to young children, such as smiley faces. Another example, these could be presented as progressive lines or patterns that may appeal to adults or older children. These may also be adapted to incorporate certain brands, or their brand identity via certain colour combinations. The critical claim of our invention is not a technology but a combination of two previously existing items in public domain, combined together to provide a highly significant benefit to a wider population that is susceptible to dangers from harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. The level of innovation our idea presents is in line with numerous patents that have essentially combined two distinct benefits into a third unique benefit such as AU 2001100250 B4, that combines the benefits of Glove (benefit 1) and Stubby Holder (benefit 2) into a third benefit as Stubbyglove.
1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To assist with understanding the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one example of the invention. In the drawings: FIG. 1 represents one example 10 of embodiment of our invention where UV indicator is placed on straps 11 or base 12 of thongs 10, flip-flops, sandals, or other similar footwear. In addition to the UV Indicator, the straps 11, or base 12 may also be used for promotional branding of logos or company names. FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of our invention 20 where UV indicator may be placed on upper 21 or base 22 rear part 23 of the sandals 20 or other similar footwear. It can be built into the material used for the footwear or it can be placed as an attachment to the existing footwear. FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of our invention 30 where UV indicator is placed on upper part 32,33, or on straps 31, any other outwardly visible area, of the closed or open footwear such as shoes, but not limited to shoes, on straps or as straps, made from any known material. It can be built into the material used for the footwear or it can be blended as an attachment to existing footwear. FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of our invention where UV indicator is used as shoelaces 41 or other type of binding apparatus or connecting parts of the footwear. It can be built into the material used for the shoelaces or can blended used as attachment to existing shoelaces. FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of our invention where UV indicator is used as an attachment 51 to shoelaces. The attachment can be made from a variety of materials such as, but not limited to, Silicon, Rubber, PVC, etc. FIG. 6 illustrates examples of how the UV indicator may be presented, but not limited to, on a footwear or how it may function when placed on footwear or attached to a footwear. These are only examples as indicator may be designed and presented depending on commercial requirements of the invention. It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. The above description should not be construed as limiting, but mere as an exemplification of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.