IL163322A - System for assigning a standardized unique identification number to feet and shoes - Google Patents

Description

17880/04 ο»¾»1 ο»ϊ?:η!7 πιη«ι UTT.U >irm Ίΰσϋ ina roiyja A SYSTEM FOR ASSIGNING A STANDARDIZED UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER TO FEET AND SHOES A SYSTEM FOR ASSIGNING A STANDARDIZED UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER TO FEET AND SHOES Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of purchasing shoes. Specifically the present invention provides a system that establishes a standardized unique identification number for feet and shoes, thereby allowing a purchaser to select shoes that will optimally fit his/her feet, even without trying them on.

BACKGROUND of the Invention The problem of purchasing a pair of shoes that properly fit the feet, i.e. that are comfortable to wear and provide adequate protection and support, has existed since man first started to wear shoes. The procedure for solving this problem that is generally employed today is to enter a store that has a stock of shoes, to either measure the foot using a measuring device available in the store or to rely on the results of a previous measurement, and to compare the measured foot size to shoe sizes assigned to the shoes by the manufacturer. As anyone who has ever purchased a pair of shoes knows, the above procedure is only the beginning of the process and, in order to actually obtain a suitable pair of shoes, a time consuming and often frustrating amount of trial and error, often involving putting on, testing, and removing many pairs of shoes is necessary.

The main reasons for the inability to find appropriately fitted shoes without the necessity of trying on many different pairs are: lack of accuracy in the measurement of the feet; lack of a unique number that unambiguously characterizes the shape of the customer's foot; and, to a much larger extent, the lack of consistency in the size of the shoe as determined by different manufacturers and often by the same manufacturer for different models of shoe.

A system that would bring a universal standardization to the measurement of feet and shoe sizes and would provide a simplified procedure for matching a pair of feet with appropriately fitting shoes based on such measurements would be welcomed by and useful to manufacturers, retailers, and customers alike.

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide such a system.

Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect, the present invention provides a system for estabUshing a standardized unique identification number for feet, shoes, and shoe lasts. The system comprises: (a) a central server; (b) an electronic measuring device for capturing digital images of shoe lasts, wherein all the relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of the shoe lasts is transmitted to the server, is stored in the memory of the server, and is identified by a unique scan number generated by the server; (c) an electronic measuring device for capturing digital images of the feet of a purchaser, wherein all the relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of the feet is transmitted to the server, is stored in the memory of the server, and is identified by a unique scan number generated by the server; and (d) communication means linking the server to the electronic measuring devices.

A predetermined set of unique identification numbers (UINs) is stored within the memory of the server. The UINs are determined according to selected criteria with each UIN representing a specific range of measurement values. Dedicated software compares the relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of the shoe lasts and the feet with the set of UINs and assigns to each of the scan numbers the UIN that most closely corresponds to the relevant data identified by the scan number.

The electronic measuring device of the system of the invention can capture two or three-dimensional images and the preferred communication means are the Internet or other suitable WAN.

In another aspect the invention provides a method for establishing a standardized unique identification number (UIN) for feet, shoes, and shoe lasts. The method of the invention comprises the steps of: (a) generating a first digital set of data representative of the dimensions and shape of a shoe last and/or foot; (b) assigning a unique scan number to the set of data; (c) storing the first set of data and the unique scan number in a database; (d) comparing the first set of data to a predetermined set of unique identification numbers (UINs) that are determined according to selected criteria, each UIN in the set representing a specific range of measurement values; and (e) assigning to each unique scan number the UIN that most closely corresponds to the first set of data.

According to the method of the invention, all shoes manufactured by using the shoe last are identified by the UIN of the last.

In yet another aspect the invention provides a method for using the unique identification number (UIN) of the invention to identify a selection of one or more shoes that optimally fit a purchaser's feet. The method comprises the steps of: (a) repeating, for a plurality of lasts, steps (a) through (e) of the method for establishing a standardized UIN; (b) repeating, for the purchaser's feet, steps (a) through (e) of the method for establishing a standardized UIN; (c) using dedicated software, to identify the one or more last(s) that have the same UIN as the feet of the purchaser; and (d) displaying to the purchaser details of shoes manufactured using the one or more last(s) that have the same UIN as that of the feet of the purchaser.

All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be further understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative description of preferred embodiments thereof.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments The most commonly used foot measurement device is that devised by Charles Brannock, in 1926 and disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 1,725,334. Brannock's device, familiar to anyone who has ever visited a shoe store, basically consists of two slides mounted on an indexed base plate to determine the maximum length and maximum width of the foot.

Since Brannock's day the technology has improved, providing pressure sensors and light sensitive sensors of various types to measure the length and the width of the foot. For instance, Fitracks Ltd (Israel) manufactures different configurations of measuring devices that utilize this improved technology to provide two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital images of objects from which their dimensions and shape can be determined. Said technology is described, for instance, in International Patent Application WO 2005/060782 and WO 2004/070315 by the applicant of the present application, the descriptions of which, including references cited therein, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

According to the present invention shoe lasts and customer's feet are both measured using one of these two or three-dimensional imaging systems. The results of the measurements are transferred to and digitally recorded in the memory of a server that is a part of the system of the invention. The digitally recorded data is identified by a unique scan number that is used by the system of the invention to locate, in the memory of the server, relevant data about the dimensions and shape of the object measured. The scan number comprises a string of letters or numbers that identify the machine on which the scan was made, followed by a number that increases by one with each scan taken on the machine.

Within the server is a predetermined set of numbers known as unique identification numbers (UIN). The UINs are determined according to selected criteria such that each UIN represents a specific range of measurement values. Within the server the data from each measurement scan is compared to the values associated with the UINs and the UIN that most closely corresponds to the measured data is assigned to the scan number for each object. Thus for every last or foot that is measured, there exists in the server of the system of the invention two identification numbers: a scan number, which is the address in the memory of the server of the relevant data for the object, and a UIN, which places the object in a group of objects having closely related dimensions.

In order to identify the lasts that most closely match the foot size and shape of the customer, dedicated software is supplied to search the memory of the server and generate a first list comprising the scan numbers of all of the shoe lasts that have the same UIN as that of the customer's feet. A second list, comprising the presently available shoes manufactured using the lasts 17880/04 - 8 -on the first list is then made available to the customer, who can then select the pair of shoes that he wishes to purchase.

Each shoe manufacturer who wishes to be a participant in the system is provided with an electronic measuring device, preferably one capable of making three-dimensional measurements. The measuring devices are all connected via the Internet (or other suitable WAN) to the central server of the measuring system of the invention. According to the invention, each of the lasts in the manufacturer's current inventory, as well as those produced in the future, is scanned using the measuring device. The result of the scan, which contains relevant information can include, but is not limited to, the name of the manufacturer, the maximum length, width, girth measured at several locations along the length of the last, volume, heel height, arch type and toe shape is transferred to and stored in the central server. For each scan, which corresponds to an individual last, the server generates the scan number. Generating the scan numbers using a single central server guarantees that the number is unique for each manufacturer and each last. The data is then automatically compared with the predetermined list of UINs in the server and a UIN is then associated with the newly acquired scan number in the server's memory. The manufacturer then marks the shoes and/or shoeboxes containing them with the UIN corresponding to the last with which the shoe was manufactured.

According to the invention, stores at which shoes are sold are also provided with an electronic measuring device, which is connected to the central server of the system. The feet of customers that enter the store to purchase a pair of shoes are scanned using the device and the results of the scan, which can contain, but are not limited the maximum length, width, girth at various locations along the length of the foot, and height, and arch height and type of each foot, are transferred to and stored in the central server of the system. In a manner analogous to that for the lasts, data for the measurements of the customer's foot is compared to the UIN list in the server and the server then transmits to the store/customer the UIN number that most closely represents his foot measurements. Once the UIN for a particular customer has been determined, it can be remembered by the customer and/or recorded in the store and, under normal circumstances, it will not be necessary to remeasure the feet in the future.

Once the customer's UIN is known, the sales personnel searches through the inventory to locate boxes labeled with the identification codes on the list. The selection process can of course be greatly simplified by using other dedicated software, either in the central processor of the system or at each point-of-sale, to limit the list of shoes matching a given UIN. The limitation can be done, for example, by only selecting a certain style of shoe or by comparing the complete list generated by the server and based on manufacturer's records to the current inventory in the shop before presenting it to the customer.

The system of the invention can be used in several alternate ways. For example, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention described hereinabove, the measurements of the foot are transmitted directly from the measuring device to the server, which then generates a suitable identification code and returns it to the store for a manual search of the inventory. In another embodiment, all or a selection of the available, suitably sized shoes in the store could be displayed on a suitable display device. In this way considerable time of both the customer and the sales personnel could be saved. In another embodiment, the feet are not measured on the spot, but the server of the system is provided, through the Internet, with the previously determined UIN of the customer and the list of suitable shoes is generated based on this information. This last embodiment is especially suited to e-commerce, in which case the interface between the customer and the system would be an Internet site. On this site availability, prices, ordering information, and pictures of the suitably sized shoes, as determined by the system, can be displayed for the customer's convenience.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out with many variations, modifications, and adaptations, without departing from spirit or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims (6)

1. A system for establishing a standardized unique identification number for feet, shoes, and shoe lasts said system comprising: (a) a central server; (b) an electronic measuring device for capturing digital images of shoe lasts, wherein all the relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of said shoe lasts is transmitted to said server, is stored in the memory of said server, and is identified by a unique scan number generated by said server; (c) an electronic measuring device for capturing digital images of the feet of a purchaser, wherein all the relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of said feet is transmitted to said server, is stored in the memory of said server, and is identified by a unique scan number generated by said server; and (d) communication means linking said server to said electronic measuring devices; wherein, within said memory of said server is stored a predetermined set of unique identification numbers (UIN) that are determined according to selected criteria, each UIN representing a specific range of measurement values; and dedicated software, which compares said relevant data concerning the dimensions and shape of each of said shoe lasts and said feet with said set of UINs and assigns to each of said scan numbers the UIN that most closely corresponds to said relevant data identified by said scan number.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic measuring device captures two-dimensional images.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic measuring device captures three-dimensional images.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication means are the Internet or other suitable WAN.

5. A method for establishing a standardized unique identification number (UIN) for feet, shoes, and shoe lasts, said method comprising: (a) generating a first digital set of data representative of the dimensions and shape of a shoe last and/or foot; (b) assigning a unique scan number to said set of data; (c) storing said first set of data and said unique scan number in a database; (d) comparing said first set of data to a predetermined set of unique identification numbers (UINs) that are determined according to selected criteria, each UIN in said set representing a specific range of measurement values; and - 14 - (e) assigning to each unique scan number the UIN that most closely corresponds to said first set of data; wherein all shoes manufactured by using said shoe last are identified by the UIN of said last.

6. A method for using the unique identification number (UIN) of claim 2 to identify a selection of one or more shoes that optimally fit a purchaser's feet, said method comprising: (a) repeating steps (a) through (e) for a plurality of lasts; (b) repeating steps (a) through (e) for said purchaser's feet; (c) using dedicated software, to identify the one or more last(s) that have the same UIN as said feet of said purchaser; and (d) displaying to said purchaser details of shoes manufactured using said one or more last(s) that have the same UIN as that of said feet of said purchaser. LUZZATTO & LUZZATTO