Illumination – With wearing apparel or body support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-21
2001-09-11
Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With wearing apparel or body support
C362S227000, C362S236000, C362S276000, C362S184000, C200S00600C, C200S06145M
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286975
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to means for creating light or sound during the motion of a shoe. ‘Acceleration’ includes deceleration herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
The closest prior art known to the applicant is represented by the U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,764 dated Apr. 25, 1995 to, WUT, Siu B. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,088 to CHIEN, Tseng L. Both show means for providing light sources for LED's which use inertially activated contact springs responsive to acceleration of the shoe to intermittently close the circuit to and illuminate the light sources. In such prior art patents the light source or sources illuminated with each switch closure are the same each time they come on.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a switch closable to connect one or two of a plurality of sub-circuits, said switch having a fixed end for connected to one side of a battery and movable end to contact one plurality of selectable conducting members, each member for respective connection to the separate contact of a different sub-circuits on contact by the movable end of said switch. A sub-circuit contains a source of light or sound and in a common terminal remote from the conducting member, is connected to the other side of said battery.
The preferred circuit therefore comprises: a battery connected on one side to fixed end of a switch member and on the other side connected to a common terminal for the sub-circuits. If the sources in sub-circuits have a polarity (such as LED's) then they must conform to the battery polarity.
Although, for completeness, sources are spoken of as ‘light or sound’, a high proportion are light, since this is thought to produce a better effect with random activation. The light source will usually be an LED since this gives the best intensity relative to the voltage required.
Thus a shoe or boot will have the switch mounted to have its movable end vibrate therein and each time a conducting member is contacted by the switch movable end, the sub-circuit corresponding to the contacted conducting member will provide a light or sound output. The light will be sustained for the duration of the ‘dwell time’, being the interval of contact between conducting member and the switch movable terminal contacting it. Thereafter the resilience of the spring will move the movable end out of contact with the formerly contacted conducting member.
Given the switch design, the next contact of a conducting member by the movable end of the switch is usually a different member. Given the substantially random pattern of switch movable end movement, the lights will appear randomly or sound is heard randomly or in random patterns at various locations on the shoe for novel and striking effects.
‘Source’ refers to a source of light or sound although the more striking effects are thought to occur with light sources.
One sub-circuit may use a completely different source or sources from another, but may also use a different combination of sources. For example a shoe with two LED's (sources A and B) may have three sub-circuits, containing respectively: source A, source B and sources A and B.
Preferably the switch will be mounted in the shoe with the longitudinal axis of the resilient stem approximately vertical, in the most common attitude of the switch. The bending stresses are in the resilient extent between the movable and fixed end and the largest one those about a horizontal axis and switch failure is thought to be reduced. Switch failure will often cause battery failure if there is a continued drain on the battery.
It is a feature of one facet of the invention that it is desirable to have variable dwell times that is a variable length of contact between the movable and a conducting member. This results in corresponding varying length of energization of the light or sound system activated during the dwell interval. A preferred way of accomplish thus, when the movable contacts are formed in a general circular ring about the switch stem, is to curve the conducting members so that their ends corresponding to the movable end are curving away from its rest position. Another preferred way is to shape the conducting member to be convex in section perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the stem so that the movable contact again tends to move for varying distances along the convex surface extending the dwell time. Thus any surface, convex toward the movable contact will tend to produce variable dwell times as the surface is non-normal to the direction of the moving contact. Variable and sometimes extended dwell times are also obtainable with conducting members concave toward the stem. However the problems of construction are much greater. The switch being discussed will often be 7 mm high and about 7 mm wide to fit in a shoe and this limits design flexibility. Other means of extending dwell time are considered within the scope of the invention such as making the conducting member contact areas of a softer mechanical resistance but this is difficult within the scale provided and also it is noted that the design must be such as to avoid the risk of tangling.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5469132 (1995-11-01), Lam
patent: 5599088 (1997-02-01), Chien
Negron Ismael
Sember Thomas M.
Westell Robert L.
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