Field of the invention
[0001] The invention concerns a footwear structure for luminous footwear, of the type comprising
a connection unit for connecting with an outer electronic device, and a connection
unit of the aforesaid type.
[0002] The invention further concerns luminous footwear comprising the aforesaid footwear
structure.
State of the art
[0003] Luminous footwear used for increasing the visibility of those wearing it or for recreational
purposes is known nowadays.
[0004] The luminous footwear provided in the known art essentially comprise an upper, a
sole and an electronic light system which generally comprises a luminous display or
a luminous strip, a battery, a control unit and a connection unit connected to the
control unit and/or the battery by means of appropriate connecting cables.
[0005] The connection unit can be apt to recharge the battery and/or to act as a port for
the exchange of data between the control unit and an outer electronic device, so as
to allow, for example, to insert predetermined messages to be displayed in the electronic
light system.
[0006] In known luminous footwear, the connection unit comprises a connection port, for
example a USB port, and the aforesaid connecting cables, wherein the connection port
and the connecting cables are arranged opposite to and aligned with each other.
[0007] In practice, in such connection unit, at junction points provided for the contact
of the connecting cables at their ends that are proximal to the connection port, the
same connecting cables have an orientation corresponding to the accessing direction
of the connection port.
[0008] A connection unit of the aforesaid type is generally combined with the luminous footwear
at the upper or at a tongue of the luminous footwear which can be made in one piece
with the upper or can be combined therewith by sewing or gluing, and the connecting
unit can particularly be arranged between the upper or the tongue and a lining of
the luminous footwear combined with the upper or tongue, or can be arranged between
different layers of the upper or tongue.
[0009] In particular, the known art provides solutions wherein the connection unit is facing
inside the luminous footwear, for example at the mouth of the luminous footwear, and
solutions wherein it is facing outside of the luminous footwear, for example at the
tongue of the luminous footwear.
[0010] A connection unit that is facing inside the luminous footwear is however particularly
uncomfortable for the user since, among other things, it involves an obstruction at
the mouth of the luminous footwear with a consequent feeling of an undesired foreign
body inside the luminous footwear for the user.
[0011] A connection unit that is facing outside of the luminous footwear at the tongue is
just as uncomfortable for the user even though it does not involve the feeling of
an undesired foreign body inside the footwear.
[0012] In fact, in this case, it should be noted that in order to allow the user to easily
access the connection port of the connection unit, also while wearing the luminous
footwear, the same connection unit is combined with the luminous footwear so that
the connection port is faced by a cut provided on an outer upper portion of the tongue,
wherein the cut is extended in a median position and substantially horizontally, i.e.
transversely on the tongue.
[0013] In practice, the connection unit with the relative connecting cables substantially
extends longitudinally on the tongue, i.e. from an upper portion towards a lower portion
of the tongue.
[0014] The presence of the connection unit at the tongue as mentioned above, inconveniently
determines a size increase of the tongue itself, in particular as regards its thickness.
[0015] Disadvantageously, a tongue with great thickness can annoyingly press on the neck
of the user's foot, causing discomfort to the user himself.
[0016] Disadvantageously still, a tongue with great thickness constitutes an aesthetic constraint
for the whole luminous footwear, with consequent limitations in the implementation
of aesthetic variants of the luminous footwear.
[0017] It should also be noted that in the solutions which provide the connection unit combined
with the tongue, as mentioned above, the luminous footwear generally comprises an
appendix or strap made in portions which are integral respectively with the tongue
and the lining or integral with different layers of the tongue, and which extends
between the tongue itself towards a junction portion joining the upper with the sole,
for containing the connecting cables.
[0018] Such appendix or strap disadvantageously involves an increase in the wearing of the
material used to make the luminous footwear and particularly makes the assembling
operations strenuous between the different layers of the tongue or between it and
the lining, with increases in cost.
[0019] Moreover, the aforesaid appendix or strap makes a sort of "bridge" which contains
the connecting cables and which extends inside the luminous footwear, which can be
accidentally, but still rather easily, intercepted by the user, for example when inserting
the foot inside the luminous footwear, with consequent damages to the connecting cables,
for example by tearing.
[0020] Moreover, in known luminous footwear, a specific control button, active on the electronic
light system to turn on and off the luminous display or luminous strip, is generally
provided.
[0021] In some solutions provided in the known art, the control button is placed on board
of the connection unit.
[0022] In practice, in such solutions, the control button is interposed between the connection
port and the aforesaid junction points of the connecting cables.
[0023] The connection port, the control button and the connecting cables at the junction
points of the connection unit are substantially aligned with each other.
[0024] The connection units comprising the control button are thus greater in size with
respect to the connection units devoid of the control button and thus, in the solutions
described above with connection unit combined with the tongue of the luminous footwear,
inconveniently further increase the thickness of the tongue or anyhow increase the
tongue portion with greater thickness.
[0025] Moreover, in the solutions described above, the control button is near laces or closure
straps that are generally provided on luminous footwear and, thus, whenever the tongue
is lowered, also modestly, during the use of the luminous footwear, the control button
can be crushed and thus accidentally pressed by the laces or closure straps.
[0026] In order to partly solve the drawbacks mentioned above, the known art has provided
a further solution described in the Japanese document
JP 3210703 U, wherein, in luminous footwear, a connection unit of the type considered above, comprising
a control button, is combined with a band movable and flippable over the tongue, of
the tear-off closure strap type.
[0027] In detail, unlike the solutions described above, in the embodiment of
JP 3210703 U, comprising the aforesaid band, when the band itself is fixed, i.e. closed above
the tongue, the connection unit extends substantially transversely with respect to
the tongue and longitudinally on the band.
[0028] However, in this case, the connecting cables, past the band, extend along sides of
the upper at which the footwear adheres more to the user's foot, thus creating discomfort,
i.e. annoyance and inconvenience, for the user himself.
[0029] Moreover, such solution can involve the problem of sewing of upper portions with
the risk of damaging the cables.
[0030] Document
CN 201869866 U discloses a luminous and heated shoe comprising a shoe body having a sole, and an
insole comprising a heating sheet of silica gel, in which in a lower portion of the
shoe body, in correspondence with the sole, is arranged a battery, 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 tip portion of the shoe body comprises a luminous
LED.
[0031] Document
US 2018/146737 A1 discloses a shoe with a voice activated integrated light source for illuminating
a user's surrounding area, which utilizes an RF control system comprising a battery
structure, a control board, a charging port, a switch, and a light, in which the battery
structure is configured to provide a source of power to illuminate the light, the
switch controls the passage of power to the lights and is configured to optionally
regulate a pattern of illumination, the charging port is configured to allow for the
recharging of the battery structure, and the control board is configured to regulate
the communication of the switch to the light.
Summary of the Invention
[0032] The technical problem underlying the present invention was to provide luminous footwear
with structural and functional characteristics so as to overcome one or more of the
drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the known art.
[0033] The invention relates to a footwear structure for luminous footwear as specified
in appended independent claim 1. Additional embodiments of the invention are disclosed
in the dependent claims.
[0034] This way, the overall dimensions of the present connection unit with respect to the
connection units according to the known art is advantageously reduced, thus combined
with the tongue of the luminous footwear, the extension of the tongue portion of greater
thickness due to the presence of the connection unit is reduced, thus improving the
comfort felt by the user.
[0035] Moreover, a reduction of the extension of the area with greater thickness of the
upper or tongue is advantageously positively reflected on the possibility to implement
aesthetic variants of the luminous footwear.
[0036] Preferably, the aforesaid accessing direction and the aforesaid extending direction
form an angle of less than 180° and more preferably form an angle equal to about 90°,
the possibility to provide a different value of the aforesaid angle not however being
excluded.
[0037] Preferably, the aforesaid first section and the aforesaid second section form with
each other an angle different from 180°, more preferably an angle equal to about 90°
and, thus, the aforesaid main body preferably has a "T" or "L" shape, the possibility
to provide other forms, for example a "V" shape, not however being excluded.
[0038] Preferably, the width of the aforesaid second section is less than the width of the
aforesaid first section.
[0039] Preferably, the aforesaid connection unit comprises a flexible cannula in which the
aforesaid connecting cables are at least partially housed.
[0040] Preferably, the aforesaid cannula is movable with respect to the aforesaid connecting
cables, between the aforesaid cannula and the aforesaid connecting cables, a relative
sliding movement, for example a translation and/or a rotation movement, being allowed.
[0041] Advantageously, the cannula protects the connecting cables and a relative movement
between the cannula and the connecting cables is simultaneously ensured.
[0042] Thus, whenever combining the present connection unit with the upper or the tongue
of the luminous footwear, the cannula prevents the connecting cables from remaining
glued on possible traces of glue that could remain after some processing steps of
the luminous footwear and, thus, the cannula prevents the connecting cables from remaining
entangled or being torn, thus with a risk of being damaged.
[0043] Still whenever combining the present connection unit with the tongue of the luminous
footwear, it should be said that the presence of the cannula advantageously prevents
the need to provide an appendix of the tongue, of the strap type, for containing the
connecting cables and, thus, allows to save material when implementing the luminous
footwear according to the present invention and simplifies some assembling operations
of the luminous footwear.
[0044] Advantageously, the presence of the cannula, by preventing, as mentioned above, the
need to provide the aforesaid strap-like appendix of the tongue, also prevents the
formation of a "bridge" for containing the connecting cables inside the luminous footwear,
which could be easily intercepted by the user when inserting the foot inside the luminous
footwear with consequent damages to the connecting cables.
[0045] Preferably, the aforesaid connection unit comprises a wing combined with the aforesaid
main body, wherein the aforesaid wing more preferably is arranged opposite to the
aforesaid connection port.
[0046] Preferably, the thickness of the aforesaid wing is smaller with respect to the thickness
of the aforesaid main body.
[0047] Advantageously, by combining the present connection unit with the tongue of the luminous
footwear, the wing allows to particularly stably fix the connection unit to the tongue,
thus increasing the contact surface thereof but without widening the extension of
the portion with greater thickness due to the presence of the connection unit.
[0048] Moreover, the wing can be provided of pierceable material to facilitate its sewing
to the upper or tongue.
[0049] Preferably, the aforesaid control button is arranged on the aforesaid main body and
is more preferably misaligned from the aforesaid extending direction of the aforesaid
connecting cables.
[0050] Preferably, with respect to a plane extended substantially along the extending direction
of the aforesaid connecting cables at the aforesaid junction points, the aforesaid
control button is arranged on a first side and the aforesaid connection port is arranged
on a second side opposite to the aforesaid first side.
[0051] In practice, with respect to the aforesaid second section of the aforesaid main body,
the aforesaid control button and the aforesaid connection port are preferably arranged
on the aforesaid first section on opposite sides.
[0052] Preferably, the aforesaid connection port, which according to the invention can be
a so-named male port or a so-named female port, is a female connection port and is
more preferably a USB port or the like.
[0053] Preferably, the tongue comprises a cut extended substantially vertically, i.e. in
a longitudinal direction on the aforesaid tongue, wherein the aforesaid connection
port is facing from the aforesaid cut.
[0054] Preferably, the aforesaid cut is extended outside on the aforesaid tongue.
[0055] Preferably, on the aforesaid tongue, the aforesaid connection unit is oriented so
that the aforesaid connection port is arranged towards the foot outside of the aforesaid
footwear structure.
[0056] Advantageously, the configuration and arrangement of the connection unit described
above allow to move the control button, whenever provided, away from the closure region
of the luminous footwear, for example from laces or closure straps that can be provided
with the luminous footwear, thus preventing the accidental crushing of the control
button whenever the tongue, while using the luminous footwear, should lower itself,
thus preventing the accidental crushing of the control button against the laces or
closure straps.
[0057] Moreover, considering that while using the luminous footwear the tongue moves towards
the outside of the foot, the configuration and arrangement of the connection unit
described above advantageously decrease the possibility that the control button, whenever
provided, is accidentally crushed and thus pressed by the upper.
Brief description of the figures
[0058] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better highlighted
by considering the following detailed description of some preferred, but not exclusive,
embodiments illustrated by way of example only and without limitations, with the aid
of the accompanying drawings, in which:
- figure 1 is a schematic and partially transparent upper and front perspective view
of a preferred embodiment of a footwear structure for luminous footwear of a right
foot, comprising an upper, a tongue made in one piece with, or combined with, the
aforesaid upper, 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 footwear
structure of figure 1;
- figure 3 is a schematic and partially transparent upper and front perspective view
of luminous footwear comprising a sole and the footwear structure of figure 1, according
to the present invention.
Detailed description of the invention
[0059] With reference to figures 1 and 2,
1 generally denotes a footwear structure for luminous footwear according to the present
invention.
[0060] The footwear structure
1 essentially comprises an upper
2, a tongue
3 combined with, or made in one piece with, the upper
2, and a connection unit
4 intended to be connected on one side to a control unit and/or a battery of an electronic
light system of the luminous footwear, and on the other side, as needed, to an outer
electronic device.
[0061] As shown in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the connection unit
4 is combined with the tongue 3.
[0062] In detail, the connection unit
4 essentially comprises a main body
5 and connecting cables
6 extending from the main body
5 to achieve the connection with the aforesaid control unit and/or the aforesaid battery,
which are not shown in the examples of the figures.
[0063] With regard to this, in a known way, at ends distal from the main body
5, the connecting cables
6 can be provided directly constrained to the aforesaid control unit and/or the aforesaid
battery, or can be constrained to an electric connector not shown in the examples
of the figures and, thus, in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the connecting
cables
6 are limitedly shown at their portion proximal to the main body
5.
[0064] In particular, the main body
5 is provided with a connection port
7 and junction points
8 for the contact of the connecting cables
6 with the circuitry of the connection unit
4, which is arranged in a known way in the main body
5.
[0065] As shown in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the connection port
7 is of the so-named female type and particularly is a female USB port, the possibility
to provide, according to the invention, a female connection port of a different type
or a so-named male USB connection port, or the like, not however being excluded.
[0066] As shown in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the junction points
8 and the connecting cables
6 are two in number, but it is understood that, according to the present invention,
they can be of a different number, for example three or more.
[0067] According to the invention, the connection port
7 has an accessing direction denoted by the arrow
A, and the connecting cables
6, at the junction points
8, have an extending direction denoted by the arrow
E, wherein the accessing direction
A and the extending direction
E are neither aligned nor parallel to each other.
[0068] In practice, according to the examples of the aforesaid figures, the accessing direction
A, which is univocal for the connection port
7, and the extending direction
E, which is also univocal when the connecting cables
6 are fixed on the junction points
8, are lying on a same plane or on planes substantially parallel to each other, thus
forming an angle different from 180° and, preferably, the accessing direction
A and the junction points
8 are lying on a same plane or on planes substantially parallel to each other.
[0069] Still according to the examples of the aforesaid figures, it should be said that
the accessing direction
A, the extending direction
E and the junction points
8 are lying on a same plane or on planes parallel to each other wherein the aforesaid
plane is parallel, or the aforesaid planes are parallel, to the main body
5 of the connection unit
4.
[0070] According to the examples of the aforesaid figures, thus according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention, the accessing direction
A and the extending direction
E form an angle equal to about 90°, the possibility to provide a different value of
the aforesaid angle not however being excluded.
[0071] Still according to the invention and according to the examples of the aforesaid figures,
the main body
5 comprises a first section
9 at which the connection port
7 is arranged, and a second section
10 at which the junction points
8 are arranged, wherein the second section
10 extends from the first section
9.
[0072] According to the above and as shown in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the
accessing direction
A, the extending direction
E and the junction points
8 are thus lying on a same plane or on planes parallel to each other, which is preferably
parallel or which are parallel to the first section
9 and/or the second section
10 of the main body
5.
[0073] According to the above, the first section
9 and the second section
10 form with each other an angle different from 180° and preferably form an angle equal
to about 90°, thus giving a "T" shape to the main body
5, the possibility to provide the aforesaid main body with a different configuration,
for example "L" or "V" shaped, not however being excluded.
[0074] Moreover, according to the invention, the width of the second section
10 may be smaller than the width of the first section
9.
[0075] According to the invention, the present connection unit further comprises a control
button
11 active on the aforesaid electronic light system for turning on and off a relative
luminous display, not shown in the figures.
[0076] The control button
11 is advantageously arranged on the main body
5 and is preferably misaligned from the extending direction
E of the connecting cables
6 and aligned with the accessing direction
A of the connection port
7, thus 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 extending direction
E of the connecting cables
6 at the junction points
8, is arranged on a first side and the connection port
7 is arranged on a second side opposite the first side.
[0077] In practice, preferably and as shown in the examples of the aforesaid 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.
[0078] Still, as far as the connection unit
4 is concerned, it should be said that it preferably comprises a flexible cannula
12, in which the connecting cables
6 are at least partially housed so that to be movable therein.
[0079] In particular, a relative sliding movement, for example a rotation and/or translation
movement, is allowed between the cannula
12 and the connecting cables
6.
[0080] As shown in the examples of the aforesaid figures, the connection unit
4 further comprises a wing
13 combined with the main body
5, which is preferably arranged opposite the connection port 7, i.e. that the connection
port
7 and the wing
13 are arranged at opposite ends of the main body
5.
[0081] Advantageously, the thickness of the wing
13 is smaller than the thickness of the main body
5 of the present connection unit.
[0082] As far as the combining of the connection unit
4 with the tongue
3 is concerned, it should be said that the footwear structure according to the present
invention, according to the examples of the aforesaid figures, is provided with a
cut
14 extending outwards and substantially in a longitudinal direction (vertical) on the
tongue
3, from which the connection port
7 is facing to be accessible to a user.
[0083] In detail, on the tongue
3, the connection unit
4 is oriented so that the control button
11 is arranged towards the foot inside of the footwear structure
1, and the connection port
7 is arranged towards the foot outside of the footwear structure
1.
[0084] Moreover, as shown in the examples of the figures, with respect to a median axis
extending longitudinally on the tongue
3 and denoted by
X-X, the control button
11 is arranged on a side towards the foot inside of the footwear structure
1.
[0085] The footwear structure
1, which according to the examples of the aforesaid figures comprises closure straps
15 combined with the upper
2, is intended to be combined with a sole
16 when implementing luminous footwear according to the present invention and which
is shown in the example of figure 3, where it is generally denoted by
17.
[0086] The luminous footwear
17 further comprises a battery and a luminous display of the known type which are thus
not shown in the figures.
[0087] As shown in the example of figure 3, the connection port
7 of the connection unit
4 is easily accessible to a user of the luminous footwear, while the connecting cables
6 advantageously extend from an upper portion towards a lower portion of the tongue
3.
[0088] The aforesaid accessing direction
A for accessing the connecting port
7 and the extending direction
E of the connecting cables
6 at the junction points
8 are also denoted in the example of figure 3.
[0089] The advantages of the present invention, which were made clear in the description
above, can be summarized by remarking that a connection unit, preferably but not exclusively
intended for luminous footwear, which is particularly versatile and of reduced overall
dimensions, which allows to make luminous footwear particularly comfortable for the
user, without involving particular limitations for the implementation of aesthetic
variants of the luminous footwear and which allows to make the luminous footwear through
simplified processing steps, is provided.
[0090] In order to meet incidental and specific requirements, several variations and modifications
could be made by a field technician to the illustrated and described embodiments of
present invention, provided that all are included in the scope of protection of the
invention as defined by the following claims.