Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/34—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use with electrical or electronic arrangements
  • A43B3/36—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use with electrical or electronic arrangements with light sources

Definitions

• the invention relates to a sole structure for luminous footwear, of the type comprising a luminous device adapted to illuminate the surrounding environment for a user and/or to make a user more visible for an external observer.
• the invention further relates to a luminous device of the aforesaid type, to luminous footwear comprising the aforesaid sole structure.
• soles for footwear items equipped with luminous devices are known, the latter comprising light sources such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that allow the surrounding environment to be illuminated thereby aiding for example a user to see where he is resting his feet, especially in poor visibility conditions, or making the same user more visible to an external observer.
• LEDs Light Emitting Diodes
• a user can decide on the color, intensity or light patterns made by the light sources, by using a button or an electronic device, such as a smartphone connected to the luminous device via a wireless connection, for example Bluetooth.
• Document CN 203182119 U describes, for example, a sole provided with a channel on its outer surface, inside the channel a transparent tube containing light sources being housed.
• document KR 1020100046707 describes a sole provided with a tube inside which light sources connected to each other by electrical cables are housed.
• 2008/0117624 A1 which describes luminous footwear having a sole with an outer surface provided with a perimeter channel in which a luminous tube is housed, in practice one or more light sources protected by a transparent casing.
• the luminous tube can be, for example, an electroluminescent tube or a neon tube or in general a tube crossed by electric current which, being substantially placed on the outer surface of the sole, is subject to impacts with external objects and/or repeated bending. Therefore, due to the considerable and repeated stresses the sole is subjected to, it often happens that the light source inside the tube may be damaged at any point, thus causing the transmission of electric current to be interrupted inside the entire luminous tube, whose operation would be, as a result, completely compromised.
• the utility model CN 208609993 U describes luminous footwear having a sole equipped with a luminous perimeter ring comprising a transparent casing and optical fibers arranged inside the transparent casing, wherein each optical fiber has an end inside the sole coupled to a respective light source.
• the luminous ring is particularly vulnerable to the stresses the sole is subjected to or to accidental impacts with external bodies.
• the luminous ring in fact, is substantially cantileverly arranged on a side wall of the sole and therefore it turns out to be not so firm and particularly exposed, therefore not very protected from vertical and tangential stresses that can cause it to detach from the sole.
• the cantilevered coupling requires a large coupling surface area between the sole and the luminous ring and, as a result, a significant amount of the light emitted by the optical fibers is disadvantageously directed towards the wall of the sole rather than towards an external observer.
• the solution described in the aforesaid utility model requires ring curves with a wide radius of curvature, making it a so to speak rigid solution with limited performing freedom.
• the technical problem underlying the present invention was to provide luminous footwear with structural and/or functional characteristics so as to overcome one or more of the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the known art.
• a luminous device for a sole for luminous footwear and more generally for a luminous clothing item or a luminous clothing accessory comprising: a luminous duct comprising one or more optical fiber(s), at least one light source combined with an end of the aforesaid luminous duct to illuminate the aforesaid one or more optical fiber(s), an integrated circuit equipped with a power source, wherein the aforesaid at least one light source is electrically connected to the aforesaid integrated circuit and the aforesaid power source, a casing made of transparent or translucent material inside which the aforesaid luminous duct is housed, characterized in that the aforesaid casing comprises a main body and at least one wing projecting outward from the aforesaid main body.
• the aforesaid casing whose function is, among others, to promote a stable and durable coupling over time between the aforesaid luminous duct and the aforesaid sole, is a sort of longitudinally finned tube, wherein the aforesaid at least one wing is a constraining surface useful to perform the aforesaid function.
• the aforesaid casing is made of a polymeric material, more preferably polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
• PVC polyvinyl chloride
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
• the aforesaid main body of the aforesaid casing has a circular section, however being possible to provide a main body with different section, e.g. elliptical, triangular, quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or a truncated-cone shape, etc., in which the aforesaid section can be closed or opened.
• the aforesaid at least one wing is flat and continuous, and more preferably has a solid linear profile, a linear profile provided with holes, a jagged or corrugated solid profile, a jagged or corrugated profile provided with holes, or a combination thereof, meaning that at least one first portion of the at least one wing with a first profile and at least one second portion of the at least one wing with a second different profile can be provided.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a sheath adapted to achieve a clearance-free coupling, i.e. a stable coupling almost without relative movements between the aforesaid at least one light source and the aforesaid end of the luminous duct.
• the aforesaid sheath is made of a heat-shrink material, more preferably a heat-shrink polymeric material.
• the aforesaid luminous device can comprise a jacket interposed between the aforesaid casing and the aforesaid luminous duct.
• the aforementioned jacket is made of a polymeric material, more preferably PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene).
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a power and/or programming port connected to the aforesaid integrated circuit, more preferably a mini-USB port of female type.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a switch to control the switching on and off of the aforesaid at least one light source and/or the execution of predefined light sequences stored in the aforesaid integrated circuit.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises an inertia switch adapted to activate the aforesaid light source as a result of a variation, exceeding a threshold limit, of the state of motion of the luminous device itself.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a cap of reflective material e.g. an adhesive tape comprising an alumina foil, at an end of the aforesaid luminous duct opposite the one combined with the aforesaid at least one light source, the cap allowing part of the light beam carried by the same duct and produced by the at least one light source to be reflected and kept substantially within the luminous duct.
• the aforesaid at least one light source is a LED ⁇ Light Emitting Diode) or an SMD ( Surface Mount Device) LED.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a covering enclosing the aforesaid integrated circuit and the aforesaid light source.
• the aforesaid luminous device comprises a heat dissipation plate arranged, with respect to the aforesaid integrated circuit, on the side opposite the aforesaid SMD LED.
• the aforesaid covering is provided with a window placed at the aforesaid heat dissipation plate for cooling the latter.
• the aforesaid covering is substantially cylindrical or truncated- cone shaped, however, a covering of the aforesaid type with different section or shape being possible.
• the aforesaid problem is further solved by a sole structure for luminous footwear comprising a sole and at least one luminous device of the aforesaid type combined with the aforesaid sole.
• the aforesaid sole comprises an outer side wall provided with at least one opening, wherein part of the aforesaid casing engages the aforesaid at least one opening, wherein more preferably the aforesaid at least one light source is arranged in the aforesaid at least one opening.
• the aforesaid sole comprises an outer side wall provided with a groove, wherein at least part of the aforesaid casing is housed in the aforesaid groove.
• the aforesaid at least one wing is constrained to the aforesaid sole by gluing and/or co-molding.
• the aforesaid sole comprises a tread and a midsole, and the aforesaid at least one wing is interposed between the aforesaid tread and the aforesaid midsole.
• the aforesaid problem is further solved by luminous footwear comprising a sole structure of the aforesaid type and an upper combined with the aforesaid sole structure.
• FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of a sole structure for luminous footwear, comprising a sole and a luminous device combined with the sole, according to the present invention
• figure 2 schematically shows a perspective view of a detail of the luminous device of the sole structure of figure 1 ;
• figure 3 schematically shows a side perspective view of the sole of the sole structure of figure 1 ;
• figure 4 schematically shows a top view of the sole of the sole structure of figure 1 ;
• FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view, at a portion of the hindfoot according to the arrows A-A of figure 3, of the sole structure of figure 1 ;
• figure 6 shows a further detail of the luminous device of the sole structure of figure 1, according to some embodiment variations of the present invention
• figure 7 shows a further detail of the luminous device of the sole structure of figure 1, according to an embodiment variation of the present invention. Detailed description of the invention
• a sole structure for luminous footwear according to the present invention is generally denoted by the numeral 1.
• the sole structure 1 basically comprises a sole 2 and a luminous device 3 combined with the sole 2, wherein the luminous device 3 is adapted to illuminate the surrounding environment for a user and/or to make a user more visible to an external observer.
• the sole 2 made of polymeric material, for example rubber, thermoplastic rubber (TR), PU, TPU, EVA, comprises a tread 4 and a midsole 5 placed above the tread 4.
• the tread 4 and the midsole 5 can be made in one piece according to known techniques or they can be made separately and then joined by co molding or gluing still according to known techniques.
• the luminous device 3 comprises a luminous duct 6 comprising one or more optical fiber(s), at least one light source 7 combined with an end of the luminous duct 6 to illuminate the optical fiber(s) of the luminous duct 6, an integrated circuit 8 equipped with a power source 9 and a casing 10 of transparent or translucent material inside which the luminous duct 6 is housed, wherein the casing 10 comprises a main body 11 and at least one wing 12 projecting outward from the main body 11 .
• the casing 10 having a function, among others, of promoting a stable and durable coupling over time between the luminous duct 6 and the sole 2, is a sort of longitudinally finned tube, wherein the aforesaid at least one wing 12 is a constraining surface useful to perform the aforesaid stable and durable over time coupling.
• the casing 10 is shown with only one wing 12, although a casing with more than one wing, for example with two wings 12, may be provided as shown in the example of figure 6-c.
• the aforesaid wing projecting from the main body 11 of the casing 10 is preferably flat and continuous, and more preferably it can have a linear profile provided with holes 13 (figure 6-a), a jagged profile provided with indentations 14 (figure 6-b), a solid linear profile (figure 6-d), a jagged profile provided with holes, or a combination thereof, meaning that at least one first wing portion with a first profile and at least one second wing portion with a second different profile can be provided, the latter two embodiments not being in the examples of the illustrated figures.
• a wing 12 having a jagged profile with indentations 14, i.e. which comprises a succession of recesses and protrusions, is particularly advantageous in that it allows the casing 10 to be better adapted to a wavy pattern of the sole 2, thus lending greater performing freedom.
• the embodiment that provides for a wing 12 equipped with holes 13, i.e. comprising a plurality of perforations, is particularly advantageous as the aforesaid holes help glue and/or polymeric material of the sole to seep through, thereby firmly constraining the wing 12, and as a result the casing 10, to the sole 2.
• Pegs, not shown in the examples of the figures, which facilitate the anchoring of the casing 10 to an external side wall 15 of the sole 2, can also be provided.
• the wing 12 can be fixed to the tread 4 and/or the midsole 5, for example by gluing. Additionally, if the tread 4 and the midsole 5 are co-molded, the wing 12 can be fixed to the tread 4 and/or the midsole 5 during the co-molding step.
• its main body 11 has a preferably circular section, as depicted in the examples of the aforesaid figures, however being possible to provide a main body of different section, e.g. elliptical, triangular, quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or a truncated cone shape, etc.
• the main body 11 of the casing 10 may have a closed section, i.e. it may comprise a continuous and uninterrupted side surface, as depicted in the example of figure 6 - a, b, c, or else the main body 11 of the casing 10 may have an open section, i.e. it may comprise a discontinuous and therefore interrupted side surface, as depicted in the example of figure 6d.
• it is preferably made of polymeric material, more preferably selected from the group comprising polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
• the casing 10 essentially functions as "cladding" of the optical fiber that constitutes the luminous duct 6.
• the ratio of the light refraction indexes of the luminous duct 6 and the casing 10 is consistent with the construction requirements, i.e. for example if it allows to obtain a sufficiently small limit angle 0 L, the casing 10 eases the confinement of the light inside the luminous duct 6, thereby reducing the dispersion of the light produced by the light source 7.
• the casing 10 functions as a "cladding" of the aforesaid optical fiber.
• a jacket preferably made of polymeric material, for example PTFE, can be interposed between the luminous duct 6 and the casing 10, in order to properly calibrate the value of the limit angle, not shown in the examples of the figures.
• the luminous duct 6 can be obtained for example by injecting PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) in the liquid state inside a tubular shaped jacket in which the PTFE jacket, thanks to the low friction coefficient, allows PMMA to flow therein almost without turbulence and, in the subsequent solidification phase, allows a high degree of transparency to be achieved, thus speeding up the production process.
• PMMA polymethyl methacrylate
• the aforesaid low coefficient of friction minimizes the possibility that air bubbles are formed between the aforesaid jacket and the luminous duct 6. Otherwise, without the aforesaid jacket, between the luminous duct 6 and the casing 10 air bubbles could form, which would inhibit the escape of light from the casing 10.
• the optical fiber of the luminous duct 6 (the aforesaid one or more optical fibers) is advantageously of the type commonly used in telecommunications as transmission means to transmit optical signals. Therefore, according to the above, the aforesaid one or more optical fibers are made of a polymeric material selected from the group comprising polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester, polystyrene, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), in which a polyurethane composed of an isocyanate, e.g. diisocyanate, and polyether polyol is particularly suitable for transmitting light from the side surface of the luminous duct 6.
• PMMA polymethyl methacrylate
• PU polyurethane
• PVC polyvinyl chloride
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• a polyurethane composed of an isocyanate, e.g. diisocyanate, and polyether polyol is particularly suitable for transmitting
• U the radiation (to be intended as radiant energy per time unit per surface unit) incident on a body, it splits off into three components: a part is reflected, a part is absorbed and a part is transmitted through the body.
• a material is transparent to light if most of the incident radiation (light) is transmitted through it, while it is translucent if most of the radiation (light) passing through it is diffused (scattering phenomenon: the electromagnetic waves change trajectory in a disorderly and random way).
• an opaque material absorbs radiation (light) and does not transmit it.
• the light absorbed by the material or materials constituting the casing 10 should not exceed a determined threshold value. This condition is satisfied if the radiation absorbed by the casing 10 is less than 50% of the radiation emitted in the form of light by the luminous duct 6, absorption of less than 40% being preferred.
• the luminous device 3 comprises first electrical cables 16 adapted to electrically connect the at least one light source 7 to the integrated circuit 8, therefore to the power source 9, which may be a battery, rechargeable or not.
• the at least one light source 7, e.g. a LED of known type, and the integrated circuit 8, of known type too, can be housed in a container or otherwise arranged inside a casing 17 which the light device 3 can be advantageously equipped with.
• the luminous device 3 also comprises a sheath 18 which achieves a clearance-free coupling, i.e. a coupling stable almost without relative movements, between the at least one light source 7 and the aforesaid end of the luminous duct 6.
• the aforesaid sheath 18 is made of a heat- shrink material, more preferably a heat-shrink polymeric material. This way, most of the light emitted by the at least one light source 7 is collected by the luminous duct 6 and is therefore useful to illuminate the structure of the sole 1.
• the luminous device 3 can also advantageously comprise a power and/or programming port, denoted by the numeral 19, connected to the integrated circuit 8 by means of second electric cables 20.
• the power and/or programming port 19, of known type, is preferably a female mini-USB port.
• the luminous device 3 may also comprise a switch 21 adapted to control the switching on and off of the at least one light source 7 and/or the execution of predefined light sequences stored in the integrated circuit 8, in which the switch 21 is preferably mounted on board the power and/or programming port 19.
• the luminous device 3 can comprise an inertia switch 22 adapted to activate the at least one light source 7 as a result of a variation, exceeding a threshold limit, of the state of motion of the luminous device itself.
• the sole 2 is provided with a groove 23 extended on the outer side wall 15 and engaged by at least part of the casing 10.
• the sole 2 may comprise at least one opening 24 advantageously arranged on the outer side wall 15 at an end of the groove 23, in which part of the casing 10 is housed, advantageously the end of the casing 10 at which the at least one light source 7 is arranged.
• the at least one through opening 24 is preferably arranged in the sole 2 in a region corresponding to the medial region of the foot, at the midfoot, i.e. far from the area of the forefoot most subject to bending as a result of the natural movement of a user's foot, bending which potentially damages the coupling
• an additional opening can be provided on the sole 2 and particularly on the outer side wall 15 of the sole 2, to allow the other end of the duct 6 to be housed.
• each of the two opposite ends of the luminous duct 6 can be coupled to a respective light source, thus increasing the illumination of the sole 2. If an end of the luminous duct 6 is not coupled to a light source, the corresponding opening on the outer side wall 15 of the sole 2 may be blind.
• the luminous duct 6 has basically the task of leading the light produced by the at least one light source 7 away from the latter, and in particular along the outer side wall 15 of the sole 2.
• the sole 2 can be illuminated even if the at least one light source 7 is kept in some way inside the sole 2, thus not visible from outside, where it is protected from impact with foreign bodies and from direct contact with water, dust and dirt.
• the luminous duct 6 does not produce light energy but merely acts as transmission means thereof and, therefore, a damage, for example an abrasion or scratch on the surface, or even a crack in the structure, of the luminous duct 6 does not affect the at least one light source 7, in the sense that even in these cases the operation of the sole structure according to the present invention is essentially preserved.
• the casing 10 is advantageous, among other things, because it protects the outer surface of the luminous duct 6 from the direct action of dust, foreign bodies and UV rays.
• the outer surface of the luminous duct 6 were, for example, abraded or incised, this would cause part of the light traveling inside the light duct 6 to escape and as a result a reduction in the light reaching the portions of the luminous duct 6 farthest from the at least one light source 7.
• the casing 10 can be co-molded with the luminous duct 6, pre-shaping it and thus facilitating the application of the luminous device according to the present invention to the sole 2, according to a predetermined pattern, thus overcoming the problem of the relative stiffness of the optical fibers of the luminous duct 6, which would make it difficult for an operator to apply them on the curved surfaces of the sole or in accordance with particular patterns.
• the sole 2 can be advantageously provided with a cavity 25 suitably obtained inside the sole 2 itself, in which the integrated circuit 8 and therefore advantageously the casing 17 can be housed.
• the cavity 25 can be conveniently oversized compared to the casing 17, e.g. to accommodate also part of the first electric cables 16 and second electric cables 20, as well as part of the luminous duct 6.
• the present sole structure may comprise several luminous ducts of the aforesaid type, each having an end or both ends combined with a respective light source, thus obtaining various embodiments of the present sole structure.
• figure 7 shows a further embodiment variation of the present invention and precisely shows a detail of a luminous device similar to the luminous device 3 previously illustrated and whose description reference is made, in which the at least one light source, denoted by the numeral 107, consists of an SMD ( Surface Mount Device) LED instead of a classic so-called "bell-like" LED.
• SMD Surface Mount Device
• the example of figure 7 shows a portion of the aforesaid luminous device comprising the SMD LED illustrated without the respective outer casing inside which a luminous duct 106 is housed, similarly to the luminous device 3.
• the luminous device according to the present invention comprises a heat dissipation plate 200 arranged on a side of the integrated circuit 108 opposite the one where the light source 107 is mounted.
• the luminous device according to the example of figure 7 may further comprise a power and/or programming port connected to the integrated circuit 108 by means of electric cables 116 which, at an end portion, are soldered, preferably soft-soldered, to the integrated circuit 108.
• the luminous device according to the example of figure 7 may further comprise a covering 201 enclosing the integrated circuit 108, the light source 107 and the terminal portion of the electrical cables 116.
• the covering 201 is equipped with a window 202 placed at the heat dissipation plate 200. It should be noted that in the example of figure 7, for reasons of clarity, the distance between the end of the luminous duct 106 and the light source 107 is deliberately enlarged to ease the understanding of the drawing, although in reality it is close to or substantially equal to zero.
• the covering 201 which is basically a casing, leads the luminous duct 106 to be properly coupled to the light source 107, i.e. to the SMD LED, and ensures a correct and stable coupling between the end of the luminous duct 106 and the light source 107.
• the covering 201 is preferably made of polyethylene, a polymeric material that allows the heat produced by the light source 107 to be sufficiently dissipated.
• the covering 201 is depicted substantially cylindrical, although a different section or shape of the aforesaid covering may be provided.
• a truncated-cone shaped covering can be provided so as to facilitate the end of the luminous duct 106 to be inserted therein by an operator assembling the present luminous device.
• the present luminous device may comprise a cap of reflective material e.g. an adhesive tape comprising an alumina foil, at an end of the luminous duct 106 opposite the one combined with the light source 107, the cap allowing part of the light beam carried by the same luminous duct 106 and produced by the light source 107 to be reflected and kept substantially within the luminous duct 106.
• an SMD LED is particularly advantageous because it allows to increase the surface to be coupled to the end of the luminous duct 106 compared to so-called "bell-like" LEDs, thus reducing the amount of light beams that do not enter the light duct 106 and, as a result, are dispersed.
• the luminous device according to the example of figure 7 is adapted to be combined with a sole very similar to the sole 2 previously illustrated, whose description reference is made, in order to implement a sole structure for luminous footwear according to the present invention.
• the present invention also provides luminous footwear comprising a sole structure of the aforesaid type and an upper combined with the aforesaid sole structure.
• a sole structure for luminous footwear with a high degree of reliability and stress resistance is provided, the sole structure allowing suitable illumination of the surroundings of the ground where a user is walking and suitable visibility of the user by an external observer in poor visibility conditions.
• the present sole structure allows a high degree of customization.
• the present sole structure can be manufactured by using an economical and reliable process.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

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• 2019
  • 2019-12-20 IT IT102019000025051A patent/IT201900025051A1/it unknown
• 2020
  • 2020-12-16 WO PCT/IB2020/062015 patent/WO2021124139A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2020-12-16 CN CN202080088367.7A patent/CN114845595A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-12-16 EP EP20833958.0A patent/EP4076084A1/de active Pending

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