ES2955659T3 - Shoe structure for luminous shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

Footwear structure (1) for luminous footwear, comprising an upper (2) and a connection unit (4) combined with the upper (2), where the connection unit comprises a main body (5) and connecting cables ( 6).) that extend from the main body (5) to connect the connection unit to a control unit and/or a battery of an electronic lighting system, where the main body (5) is provided with a port connection (7) to connect with an external electronic device and connection points (8) for the contact of the connection cables, where the connection port (7) has an access address (A) and the connection cables (6) at the joining points (8) have an extension direction (E), in which the access direction (A) and the extension direction (E) are not aligned or parallel to each other, forming the direction of access (A) and the extension direction (E) an angle other than 180°. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Shoe structure for luminous shoes

field of invention

The invention relates to a shoe structure for luminous footwear, of the type comprising a connection unit for connecting with an external electronic device, and a connection unit of the type referred to above.

The invention further relates to a luminous shoe that further comprises the aforementioned shoe structure.

State of the art

Nowadays, luminous footwear is known to increase the visibility of those who wear it or for recreational purposes.

The luminous footwear provided in the prior art essentially comprises a shoe upper, a sole and an electrical luminous system generally comprising a luminous device or a luminous band, a battery, a control unit and a connection unit connected to the unit. control and/or to a battery connected by appropriate cables.

The connection unit may be capable of recharging the battery and/or acting as a port for data exchange between the control unit and the external electronic device, to make it possible, for example, to insert predetermined messages to be displayed on the electronic lighting system.

In a known luminous shoe, the connection unit comprises a connection port, for example a USB port, and the said connection cables, wherein the connection port and the connection cables are arranged facing and aligned with each other.

In practice, in said connection unit, at the connection points provided for the contact of the connection cables at their proximal ends with respect to the connection port, the connection cables themselves have an orientation corresponding to the access direction of the connection port.

A connection unit of the type referred to above is generally combined with the luminous shoe in the upper part of the shoe or in a tongue of the luminous shoe which may be made in one piece with the upper part of the shoe or which may be combined with said part. by sewing or gluing, and the connecting unit may be specifically arranged between the upper part or the tongue and a lining of the luminous shoe combined with the upper part or the tongue or may be arranged between different layers of the upper part and the tongue.

In particular, the known technique provides solutions in which the connection unit is facing inside the luminous shoe, for example, at the mouth of the luminous shoe, and solutions in which it is facing outside of the luminous shoe, for example in the luminous shoe tongue.

A connection unit that is oriented inwards of the luminous shoe is, however, particularly uncomfortable for the user, since, among other things, this implies an obstruction at the mouth of the luminous shoe with the consequent sensation for the user of a body Unwanted stranger inside the luminous shoe.

A connection unit that faces outwards with respect to the luminous shoe on the tongue is just as uncomfortable for the user even if it does not involve the sensation of the existence of an unwanted foreign body inside the shoe.

In fact, in this case, it should be noted that, in order to make it possible for the user to easily access the connection port of the connection unit, also while wearing the luminous shoes, the same connection unit is combined with the shoe. luminous so that the connection port is faced by a notch arranged on an upper outer portion of the tongue, so that the notch extends in a medium and substantially horizontal position, that is, transversely on the tongue.

In practice, the connection unit with the relative connection cables substantially extends longitudinally over the tab, that is, from an upper portion to a lower portion of the tab.

The presence of the connection unit on the tongue as mentioned above inappropriately determines an increase in the size of the tongue itself, in particular with regard to its thickness.

Disadvantageously, a tongue with a large thickness can press annoyingly on the collar of the user's foot, causing discomfort to the user himself.

Also, disadvantageously, a tongue with a large thickness constitutes an aesthetic condition for the entire luminous footwear, with the consequent limitations in the application of aesthetic variants of the luminous footwear.

It should also be noted that in the solutions that provide the connection unit combined with the tongue, as indicated above, the luminous footwear generally comprises an appendage or strap manufactured in portions that are respectively integral with the tongue and with the lining or integral with different layers of the tongue, and that extends between the tongue itself towards a joining portion that joins the upper part of the shoe to the sole, to contain the connecting cables.

Said appendix or strap disadvantageously implies an increase in the wear of the material used to manufacture the luminous footwear and particularly makes the assembly operations between the different layers of the tongue or between it and the lining difficult, with increases in cost.

Furthermore, the aforementioned appendage or strap creates a kind of “bridge” that contains the connecting cables and extends inside the luminous shoe, which can accidentally, but also even easily, be intercepted by the user, for example, by inserting the foot into the luminous shoe with consequent damage to the connecting cables, for example by tearing.

Furthermore, in the known luminous footwear a specific control button is provided, active on the electronic luminous system to turn on and off the luminous device or the luminous band.

In some solutions provided in the prior art, the control button is located on board the connection unit.

In practice, in these solutions, the control button is interposed between the connection port and the aforementioned connection points of the connection cables.

The connection port, the control button and the connection cables at the connection points of the connection unit are substantially aligned with each other.

The connection units that include the control button are therefore larger than the connection unit without the control button and therefore, in the solutions described above of the connection unit combined with the tongue of the luminous shoe, they increase even inappropriately increase the thickness of the tongue or in any case increase the portion of the tongue by increasing the thickness.

Furthermore, in the solutions described above, the control button is close to the laces or closure straps that are generally arranged in the luminous footwear and, therefore, as long as the tongue is positioned downwards, also to a limited extent, during When using luminous shoes, the control button may be crushed and thus accidentally pressed by the laces or closure straps.

In order to partially solve the aforementioned drawbacks, the known technique has provided other solutions described in the Japanese document JP 3210703 U, in which, in the luminous footwear, a connection unit of the type referred to above, comprising a button control, is combined with a mobile and flippable band on the tongue, of the removable closure strap type.

In detail, unlike the solutions described above, in the embodiment of document JP 3210703 U, which comprises the referred band, when the band itself is fixed, that is, closed above the tongue, the connection unit it extends substantially transversely with respect to the tongue and longitudinally over the band.

However, in this case, the connecting cables beyond the band, extend along the sides of the upper part of the shoe where the shoe adheres more to the user's foot, thereby creating discomfort, that is, a nuisance and a disturbance for the user himself.

Furthermore, such a solution may involve the problem of sewing the upper portions with the risk of damage to the cables.

Document CN 201869866 U discloses a luminous and heated shoe comprising a shoe body having a sole and an insole comprising a heating sheet and a silica gel, wherein in a lower portion of the shoe body, correspondingly With the sole, a battery is arranged, in which a charging hole and a control circuit board are arranged on one side of the external surface of the shoe body and in which a toe portion of the shoe body comprises a bright LED.

US 2018/146737 A1 discloses a shoe with an integrated voice-activated light source for illuminating the surrounding area of a user, which uses an RF control system comprising a battery structure, a control board, a charging port, a switch, and a light, wherein the battery structure is configured to provide a power source for illuminating the light, the switch controls the passage of power to the lights and is configured to optionally dim a lighting pattern, with the charging port configured to make it possible to recharge the battery structure and the control board is configured to regulate the communication of turning on the light.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem underlying the present invention was to provide a luminous shoe with structural and functional characteristics intended to solve one or more of the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the known art.

The invention relates to a shoe structure for luminous footwear as claimed in independent embodiments of claim 1. Additional forms of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

In this way, the overall dimensions of the present connection unit are advantageously reduced with respect to the connection units according to the known technique, combining with the tongue of the luminous shoe, the extension of the thicker tongue portion being reduced due to to the presence of the connection unit, thereby improving the feeling of comfort for the user.

Furthermore, a reduction in the extension of the area with a greater thickness of the upper part of the tongue shoe advantageously reflects positively on the possibility of implementing aesthetic variants of the luminous shoe.

Preferably, the referred access direction and the referred extension direction form an angle of less than 180° and, more preferably, form an angle equal to approximately 90°, without, however, excluding the possibility to provide a different value of the referred angle.

Preferably, the first referred section and the second referred section form an angle between themselves other than 180°, more preferably an angle equal to approximately 90° and, in this way, referring to the main body, preferably , presents a “T” or “L” shape without, however, excluding the possibility of providing other shapes, such as a “V” configuration.

Preferably, the width of said second section is less than the width of said first section.

Preferably, the referred connection unit comprises a flexible cannula in which the referred connection cables are at least partially housed.

Preferably, the said cannula is movable with respect to the said connecting cables, between the said cannula and the said connecting cables, making possible a relative sliding movement, for example, a translational and/or rotational movement.

Advantageously, the cannula protects the connecting cables by simultaneously ensuring relative movement between the cannula and the connecting cables.

In this way, whenever the combination of this connection unit with the upper part of the shoe or the tongue of the luminous shoe occurs, the cannula prevents the connection cables from remaining adhered to possible traces of glue that could remain after a few stages of treatment of the luminous footwear and, therefore, the cannula prevents the connection cables from remaining tangled or being torn, with the consequent risk of being damaged.

Likewise, also whenever the present connection unit is combined with the tongue of the luminous footwear, it should be noted that the presence of the cannula advantageously prevents the need to provide an appendage to the tongue, of the type of a strap, to contain the connection cables and, in this way, makes it possible to save material to carry out the luminous footwear according to the present invention and simplifies some of the assembly operations of the luminous footwear.

Advantageously, the presence of the cannula, preventing, in accordance with the aforementioned, the need to provide said appendage as a strap of the tongue, also prevents the creation of a "bridge" to contain the connecting cables within of the luminous footwear, which could be easily intercepted by the user when inserting the foot into the luminous footwear with consequent damage to the connection cables.

Preferably, said connection unit comprises a wing combined with said main body, wherein said wing is preferably arranged in front of said connection port.

Preferably, the thickness of said wing is smaller with respect to the thickness of said main body.

Advantageously, by combining the present connection unit with the tongue of the luminous shoe, the wing makes it possible to fix the connection unit to the tongue in a particularly stable manner, thus increasing its contact surface but without expanding the extension of the tongue. portion with greater thickness, due to the presence of the connection unit.

In addition, the wing may be provided with a perforable material to facilitate its sewing to the upper part of the shoe or to the tongue.

Preferably, said control button is arranged on said main body and, more preferably, is misaligned with respect to said direction of extension of said connecting cables. Preferably, with respect to the plane extending substantially along the direction of extension of said connection cables at said connection points, said control button is arranged on a first side and said connection port is arranged on a second side opposite the first side referred to. In practice, with respect to said second section of said main body, said control button and said connection port are preferably arranged on said first section on opposite sides.

Preferably, said connection port, which, according to the invention, can be called a male port or a female port, is a female connection port and, more preferably, a USB port or the like. Preferably, the tongue comprises a notch extending substantially in a vertical direction, that is, in a longitudinal direction on said tongue, in which said connection port faces said notch.

Preferably, said notch extends on the outside of said tongue.

Preferably, on said tongue, said connection unit is oriented such that said connection port is disposed towards the foot towards the outside of said shoe structure.

Advantageously, the configuration and arrangement of the connection unit described above make it possible to move the control button whenever it is incorporated, at a distance from the closure region of the luminous shoe, for example, with respect to the laces or straps. of closure that may be arranged with the luminous footwear, thus preventing accidental crushing of the control button whenever the tongue, while the luminous footwear is being used, has to be lowered, thereby preventing accidental crushing of the control button against the laces or closing straps.

Furthermore, considering that while wearing the luminous footwear, the tongue moves towards the outside of the foot, the configuration and arrangement of the connection unit described above advantageously reduces the possibility that the control button, when incorporated, accidentally crushed and thus subjected to pressure from the upper part of the shoe.

Brief description of the figures

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent taking into account the subsequent detailed description of some preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments, illustrated solely by way of example and without limitation, with the aid of the drawings which are accompanied, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic and partially transparent top and front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a shoe structure for luminous shoes for a right foot, comprising an upper part of the shoe, a tongue manufactured in a single piece with, or combined with, said upper part, and a connection unit combined with the tongue, according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic and partially transparent view of a detail of the structure of the sole of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a schematic, partially transparent top and bottom perspective view of the luminous footwear comprising a sole and the footwear structure of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the number 1 generally indicates a luminous shoe structure according to the present invention.

The shoe structure 1 essentially comprises a shoe upper part 2 , a tongue 3 combined with or made in one piece with, the upper part 2 and a connection unit 4 intended to be connected on one side to a control unit and / or to a battery of a luminous electronic system of the luminous shoe, and, on the other hand, according to needs, to an external electronic device.

As shown in the referred figures, the control unit 4 is combined with the tab 3 .

In detail, the connection unit 4 essentially comprises a main body 5 and connection cables 6 that extend from the main body 5 to achieve connection with said control unit and/or with said battery, which are not shown in the examples in the figures.

In this regard, in a known manner, at the distal ends from the main body 5 , the connecting cables 6 may be arranged directly on said control unit and/or said battery, or may be confined to an electrical connector. not shown in the examples of the figures and, therefore, in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the connection cables 6 are shown in a limited manner in their proximal portion with respect to the main body 5 .

In particular, the main body 5 is provided with connection ports 7 and connection points 8 for contact of the connection cables 6 with the circuitry of the connection connection 4 , which is arranged in a known manner within of the main body 5 .

As shown in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the connection port 7 is called a female type body and particularly is a USB female body, without however excluding the possibility of having, according to the invention, a port of female connection of a different type or a so-called male USB connection port, or similar.

As shown in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the connection points 8 and the connection cables 6 are presented in number of two, but it is understood that, according to the present invention, they can be presented in a different number, for example , three or more.

According to the invention, the connection port 7 has an access direction indicated by arrow A and the connection cables 6 at the connection points 8 have an extension direction indicated by arrow E , in which the direction Access address A and extension address E are neither aligned nor parallel to each other.

In practice, according to the examples in the aforementioned figures, the access address A , which is unique for the connection port 7 , and the extension address E , which is also unique when the connection cables 6 are fixed on the connection points 8 are fixed on the same plane or on planes substantially parallel to each other, thus forming an angle other than 180° and, preferably, the access direction A and the connection points 8 are located on the same plane on planes substantially parallel to each other.

Also according to the examples of the referred figures, it must be taken into account that the access direction A , the extension direction E and the connection points 8 are located in the same plane on planes parallel to each other, so that the planes referred to are parallel or that the referred planes are parallel with respect to the main body 5 of the connection unit 4 .

According to the examples of the referred figures, therefore according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the access direction A and the extension direction E form an angle equal to approximately 90°, however the possibility of providing a different value of the aforementioned angle.

Continuing with the invention and according to the examples of the aforementioned figures, the main body 5 comprises a first section 9 in which the connection port 7 is arranged, and a second section 10 in which the connection points 8 are arranged. , so that the second section 10 extends from the first section 9 .

In accordance with what is stated and shown in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the access direction A , the extension direction E and the connection points 8 are thus arranged on the same plane or on planes parallel to each other, plane or planes that are preferably parallel, or parallel with respect to the first section 9 and/or the second section 10 of the main body 5 .

According to the above, the first section 9 and the second section 10 form an angle other than 180° between themselves and, preferably, form an angle equal to approximately 90°, thus adopting a “T” shape with the main body 5 , without however excluding the possibility of providing that the referred main body has a different configuration, for example, an "L" or "V" configuration.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the width of the second section 10 may be less than the width of the first section 9.

According to the invention, the present connection unit further comprises a control button 11 active on the referred electronic lighting system to turn on and off a relative lighting device, not shown in the figures.

The control button 11 is advantageously arranged on the main body 5 and is preferably misaligned with respect to the extension direction E of the connection cables 6 and aligned with the access direction A of the connection port 7 , thereby that the control button 11 is preferably arranged on the first section 9 of the main body 5, while the control button 11, with respect to a plane extended substantially along the extension direction E of the connecting cables 6 at the connection points 8, is arranged on a first side and the connection port 7 is arranged on a second side opposite the first side.

In practice, preferably as shown in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the control button 11 and the connection port 7 are arranged on opposite sides of the first section 9 with respect to the second section 10 of the main body 5 .

Even more, with regard to the connection unit 4 , it should be noted that it preferably comprises a flexible cannula 12 in which the connection cables 6 are at least partially housed so that they can move inside.

In particular, a relative sliding movement, for example a rotation and/or translation movement can be enabled between the cannula 12 and the connecting cables 6.

As shown in the examples of the aforementioned figures, the connection unit 4 also comprises a wing 13 combined with the main body 5 , which is, preferably, arranged in the opposite direction to the connection body 7 , that is, the Connection port 7 and wing 13 are arranged at the ends of the main body 5 .

Advantageously, the thickness of the wing 13 is less than the thickness of the body 5 of the present connection unit.

With regard to the combination of the connection unit 4 with the tongue 3 , it should be noted that the shoe structure according to the present invention, according to the examples of the aforementioned figures, is provided with a notch 14 that it extends outwardly and substantially in a longitudinal (vertical) direction over the tab 3 from which the connection port 7 faces so as to be accessible to a user.

In detail, on the tongue 3 the connection unit 4 is oriented so that the control button 11 is arranged towards the foot inside the shoe structure 1 , and the connection port 7 is arranged towards the outside of the foot. the structure of footwear 1 .

Furthermore, as shown in the examples of the figures, with respect to a median geometric axis extending longitudinally over the tongue 3 and indicated by the letters X - of the shoe structure 1 .

The footwear structure 1 , which, according to the examples of the aforementioned figures, comprises the closure straps 15 combined with the upper part of the footwear 2 , is designed to be combined with a sole 16 when developing the luminous footwear in accordance with the present invention and which is shown in the example of Figure 3, where, globally, it is indicated by the reference numeral 17 .

The luminous shoe 17 further comprises a battery and a luminous device of the known type and which is therefore not shown in the figures.

As shown in the example of Figure 3, the connection body 7 of the connection unit 4 is easily accessible to a user of the luminous footwear, while the connection cables 6 advantageously extend from an upper portion to a lower portion. of tab 3 .

The referenced access address A for accessing the connection port 7 and the extension address E of the connection cables 6 at the connection points 8 are also indicated in the example of Figure 3.

The advantages of the present invention, which could be classified in the described description, can be summarized by underlining that a connection unit, preferably but not exclusively designed for luminous footwear, which is particularly versatile and of reduced overall dimensions, which It allows the luminous footwear to be particularly comfortable for the user, without implying particular limitations for the application of aesthetic variants of the luminous footwear and which makes it possible to obtain the luminous footwear through simplified treatment steps.

In order to satisfy incidental and specific requirements, different variants and modifications could be made by a technician in the field with respect to the illustrated and described embodiments of the present invention, provided that all of them included the scope of protection of the invention as defined in the subsequent claims.

Claims (7)

1. - Footwear structure (1) for luminous footwear, comprising an upper part (2) and a connection unit (4) combined with said upper part (2), in which said connection unit comprises a main body ( 5) and connection cables (6) that extend from said main body to connect said connection unit with a control unit and/or with a battery of an electronic lighting system, in which said main body (5) is provided with a connection port (7) and with connection points (8) for the contact of said connection cables at their ends that are proximal with respect to said connection port, in which said main body (5) comprises a first section (9) in which said connection port (7) is arranged and in which said second section (10) in which said connection points (8) are arranged, in which said connection port (7) presents an access direction (A) and said connection cables (6) have an extension direction (E) at said joining points (8) in which said access direction (A) and said extension direction (E) do not They are neither aligned nor parallel to each other, said access direction (A) and said extension direction (E) forming with each other an angle other than 180°, preferably forming an angle of approximately 90°, in which said access direction (A), said extension direction (E) and said connection points (8) are located in the same plane or in planes parallel to each other, in which said plane is parallel, or said planes are parallel with respect to said main body characterized in that said footwear structure comprises a tongue (3) manufactured in a single piece with, or is confined on said upper part (2) in which said main body (5) of said connection unit (4) is combined with said tab (3), in which said connection unit comprises a control button (11) that operates on said electronic light system, and in which with respect to the intermediate geometric axis (X - X) longitudinally extended on said tongue (3), said control button (11) is arranged on one side towards the inside of the foot of said footwear structure (1). 2. - Footwear structure according to claim 1, wherein said first section (9) forms, with said second section (10) an angle other than 180°, preferably an angle of approximately 90°, conferring in this way to the main body a substantially T or L shape. 3. - Footwear structure according to claims 1 or 2, wherein said connection unit (4) comprises a flexible cannula (12) in which said connection cables (6) are at least partially housed, so preferably, in which said cannula (12) can be displaced with respect to said connecting cables (6), in particular displaced translationally and/or rotationally. 4. - Footwear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said connection unit (4) comprising a wing (13) combined with said main body (5), preferably in which said wing (13) is arranged in the opposite direction to said connection port (7), more preferably in which the thickness of said wing (13) is less than the thickness of said main body (5). 5. - Footwear structure according to claim 1, wherein said control button (11) is arranged on said main body (5) preferably in which said control button is not aligned with said extension direction (E) of said connection cables (6). 6. - Footwear structure according to claim 1, wherein said tongue (3) comprises a notch (14) that extends outwardly and substantially in a longitudinal direction on said tongue (3), wherein said connection port (7) emerges from said notch (14). 7. - Footwear structure according to claims 1 or 6 in which, on said tongue (3) it is oriented to said connection unit (4) so that said connection port (7) is arranged towards the outside of the foot of said footwear structure (1).