WO2002098252A1

WO2002098252A1 - Lighting shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2002098252A1
Application number: PCT/KR2001/000964
Authority: WO
Inventors: Byung-Hun Lee
Original assignee: Byung-Hun Lee
Priority date: 2001-06-07
Filing date: 2001-06-07
Publication date: 2002-12-12

Abstract

Disclosed is a lighting shoe with a built-in lighting system. More particularly, it is about the lighting shoe whose outsole is made of transparent material, and having a lighting system inside.The lighting system of the invention includes light emitting diodes (1.1') for emitting light, a dry cell (2) of a power source for emitting light; a thin plate (3) functioning as a contact point; a curved swinging pipe (4) for supporting the contacting function by swinging motion when the wearer walks and keeping balance at the center when the wearer stops walking; a bar (17) integrated with the curved swinging pipe and functioning as a contact terminal; and a power switch for controlling power supply.The invention can drastically reduce the possibility of having traffic accidents because the shoe's outsole is made of transparent material and thus reflects the light emitted from the light emitting diode to all directions including top and bottom side, so that a relatively broad range of visible area is ensured, therefore protecting the wearer from having traffic accidents while walking in the dark place. Moreover, the invention can satisfy the various kinds of needs of the modern consumers who seek diversity and uniqueness and maximize the foreign competitive power.

Description

Lighting Shoe

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to a lighting shoe with built-in lighting system, and more particularly to a lighting shoe with the lighting system that is built in the outsole made of transparent material. Background Art

In general, the conventional lighting shoe is manufactured by constructing a protruding light emitting diode (LED) at a certain part of outsole, namely, front, left and right sides of the shoe. Besides, the protection surface of the light emitting diode is made of plastic or glass and, therefore, if the user makes a mistake, the light emitting diode and the protection surface used to be broken out, thus causing to reduce the endurance of the shoes. Moreover, the outside of the shoe easily gets dirty and thus is left without being worn. Moreover, the outsole of the conventional lighting shoe is made of opaque material so the light emitting diode has to be mounted outside of the outsole. Thus, the aforementioned problems are caused. Furthermore, the lighting range is also very limited to around of the light emitting diode. Therefore, the light coming out of the shoe could not be observed from the distant place, losing the original function of protecting the wearer from having a traffic accident in a very dark place. Conventionally, there is a kind of lighting shoe where, in the outsole, only the part of the light emitting diode is made of a transparent window or other kind where only the heel part is made of transparent material. Thus, even if the shoe can light up the way where the wearer is going, the brightness of the light is too dim. As both kinds of the shoes emit the light in one direction, the lighting range is also restricted, not protecting the wearer in a dark place.

The lighting system of the above-mentioned shoes, boots, and sandals usually includes a light source such as an incandescent light bulb, neon tube and light emitting diode; a portable power supply like battery; a storage battery such as solar-cell using solar ray; a solar battery condensing solar energy; a manual on-off switch; an automatic on-off switch operated automatically by sensing pressure and vibration; a light sensor emitting light automatically according to the brightness of the light; and a PCB board where all the aforementioned elements are connected according to its usage for a lighting system. The conventional lighting system can be categorized as follows. First, Korean Pat. No. 137,313 shows a flashing shoe including a light source such as light emitting diode; a portable power source such as dry cell; a compression switch turned on or off automatically by the pressure or shake of the foot of the wearer; and an electrical circuit connected with the aforementioned elements. It has an effect of reducing electricity by disconnecting power when a foot of the wearer is on the ground and re-connecting the power only when the foot is off the ground, namely when walking or moving. Besides, in order to ensure a visible area of the way where the wearer is going and also increase the external look of the shoes, only a certain part of the shoe, for example, around heel, not the entire outsole is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material.

Second, Korean Utility Model No. 207, 642 shows a shoe having a lamp includes a power source such as a light emitting diode; a storage battery such as solar battery using solar ray; a solar cell condensing solar energy; a manual on-off switch; an electric circuit connecting aforementioned elements. With this invention, the wearer does not need to have an additional power source because the shoe is made to use the solar storage battery where the solar energy condensed in a solar cell is transformed into electrical energy so that the power can be supplied to a light source such as LED. Light from LED can be emitted through the transparent windows formed at an interval on the exterior surface of the band.

Third, Korean Utility Model No. 1996-8,081 shows a lighting case for a shoe with LED. It includes a light source such as LED, mercury cell, oscillator and a lighting case containing aforementioned elements. In the shoe, the lighting case is built on a side of the bottom sole of the running shoe so that the flash from the LED is instantly turned off if the shoe is shaken while the wearer is walking. Therefore, it saves power, provides a new look and also helps the wearer to comprehend his/her location in a very dark place.

Lastly, Korean Pat. No. 196,099 shows an automatic lamp controller. The controller roughly includes an operation detecting circuit part, a light detecting circuit part and a power supply. In the device, when a user uses an LED or the devices with lamp such as shoes, lantern, backpack for climbers, fishing tools or a fatigue cap, the LED or lamp is turned off automatically only when the surrounding gets dark. In other words, if the surrounding is bright, the device cannot be turned on or off by itself.

Those lighting systems include an additional on/off switch to automatically turn on or off the light emitting diode, namely, a PCB board where a kind of electronic units such as IC chip, resistor, condenser, and other kind of electronic units such as optical sensor and a pressure sensor are mounted. Consequently, a lot of unnecessary extra steps are added to the manufacturing process, raising a manufacturing cost while weakening its competitive power in the shoe markets. Disclosure of Invention The present invention is contrived to overcome the aforementioned problems. The invention includes a light emitting diode which emits light; a dry cell as a power source for the light emitting diode; a thin plate functioning as a contact terminal; a curved swinging pipe which supports the contact function, swinging when the wearer walks and leveling in the center to keep balance when the wearer stops walking; a bar integrated with the curved swinging pipe and thus functioning as a contact terminal; and an on off switch for controlling power supply. As the lighting system of the present invention is configured with the elements above, the light emitting diode can be turned on or off automatically without an additional switch according to the movement of the wearer, thus solving the problems of the conventional art. Besides, the lighting system having the light emitting diode is mounted inside the transparent outsole so that the light emitted from the light emitting diode of the lighting system can be transferred to all directions including top and bottom. Therefore, the structure satisfies the original goals of the lighting shoe, that is, to prevent the wearer from having a traffic accident while walking in a very dark place. Furthermore, it also satisfies the various kinds of preferences of the modern consumers who seek a diversity and uniqueness and thus maximizes the competitive power of the shoe. Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional flashing shoe and a circuit diagram of a conventional lighting system; Fig. 2 is a side view of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the inner shape and the protection window of the outsole of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a rough circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of the lighting system and its operational state of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the curved swinging pipe placed in the center of the lighting system of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a state view illustrating the state of the lighting system of the present invention, where the curved swinging pipe having a thin plate inside is moved forward and contacting to its contact terminal Nos. 8 and 9, finally turning on the light emitting diode; and

Fig. 7 is a state view illustrating the state of the lighting system of the present invention, where the curved swinging pipe having a thin plate inside is moved backward and contacting to its contact terminal Nos. 8 and 9', finally toning on the light emitting diode. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

As shown in Fig. 3, a perspective view illustrating the inside of the outsole and its protection window and Fig. 4, a rough circuit diagram illustrating the construction of the lighting system and its operational status, the present invention roughly includes a lighting system (A) made of light emitting diodes (1,1') for emitting light, a dry cell (2) as a power source for the light emission, a thin plate (3) functioning as a contact point, a curved swinging pipe (4) which supports the contacting function, swinging when the wearer walks and leveling in the center to keep balance when the wearer stops walking, a bar (17) integrated with the curved swinging pipe and thus functioning as a contact terminal, and an on/off switch (5) for controlling power supply; the uppers (B); a transparent outsole (6); and a protection window (7) to protect the lighting system (A) mounted inside the outsole (6).

In the curved swinging pipe (4), a minus (-) terminal (8) is mounted. A contact point of the minus terminal (8) is integrated with the upper part of the curved swinging pipe in the form of bar (17) ranging from the left contact terminal to the right contact terminal. The contact terminals at the both ends of the integrated bar (17) are protruded in the form of hemisphere in order to maximize the contact effect. Besides, on the upper part of the curved swinging pipe (4), there is a transpiercing hole (15) that help the contact for it swings when the wearer walks and keeps balance by leveling in the center when the wearer stops walking. Through the transpiercing hole (15), a small rod (16) is inserted to make the balancing easy. The rod (16) is mounted on the side of a rectangular box (10).

Plus (+) terminals (9,9') for a contact point are mounted individually on the left and right side of the thin plate (3), also on the upper part of the bar (17) of the minus (-) contact terminal (8) which is integrated with the curved swinging pipe (4), and on the side of the rectangular box (10). The thin plate (3) and curved swinging pipe (4) are mounted in the stiff rectangular box (10) not to be transformed by the weight of the wearer.

In the transparent outsole (6), a predestined number of diamond shaped supporting mounds (11) are formed at a regular interval. The mounds (11) not only facilitate the installation of the lighting system (A) but also increase the light emission, for when the light is emitted from the light emitting diode, the light is refracted by the diamond shaped cuttings. A power switch (5) for controlling power supply is mounted at a certain part of the heel.

On the upper part inside the transparent outsole (6), there is a protection window

(7), which protects the lighting system (A), light emitting diode (1,1') and cable (12). The protection window (7) has the same number of diamond shaped grooves (13) in order to be integrated with the diamond shaped supporting mounds mounted in the outsole (6), and a dry cell exchanging part (14) where a user can exchange the dry cell.

The lighting system (A), light emitting diode (1,1') and cable (12) are mounted in the transparent outsole (6). Basically, the light emitting diode (1,1') are made to be mounted at the front and back of the lighting system respectively, but if necessary, an additional installation is also available.

The light emitting diode can emit light to protect the wearer and also be arranged in the form of a specific symbol, character or figure to attract the great interest of the wearer or an observer. The material of the transparent outsole (6) refers to all the materials such as transparent resin, transparent silicon or transparent plastics, which can emit light from the light emitting diode mounted in the shoe.

Best mode for carrying out the invention is described below with reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7. When walking, if the wearer's foot is off the ground, the foot will be bent forward.

Then, the curved swinging pipe (4) swings forward and accordingly the minus (-) contact terminal (8) integrated with the upper part of the pipe (4) contacts with the plus (+) contact terminal (9) of the thin plate (3), thus lighting the light emitting diode (1) at the front. Conversely, if the foot of the wearer touches ground, the centroid of the shoe moves backward, the minus (-) contact terminal (8) which was contacted to the front contact terminals (8,9) is off them by inertia of the curved swinging pipe (4) and the minus (-) contact terminal (8) placed at the back contacts to the plus (+) contact terminal (9') of the thin plate (3), therefore lighting the light emitting diode (1') at the back. In such a manner, the light emitting diode in the outsole (6) is automatically turned on or off. Furthermore, if the wearer stops walking, the curved swinging pipe (4) which functions as a contact point keeps balance in the middle point, so that the bar (17) of the minus (-) contact terminal (8) integrated with the upper part of the pipe (4) is leveled and thus the light emitting diodes (1,1') at the back is not turned on. In addition, in order to prevent unnecessary power consumption, a power switch (5) is mounted at a part of the heel so that the user can turn off, if necessary. Industrial Applicability

The aforementioned present invention reduced the manufacturing costs of the lighting system by equipping with the light emitting diode which can be automatically turned on or off without any additional switch. The invention can drastically reduce the possibility of having traffic accidents because the shoe's outsole is made of transparent material and thus reflects the light emitted from the light emitting diode to all directions including top and bottom side, so that a relatively broad range of visible area is ensured, therefore protecting the wearer from having traffic accidents while walking in the dark place. Moreover, the invention can satisfy the various kinds of needs of the modern consumers who seek diversity and uniqueness and maximize the foreign competitive power.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A lighting shoe comprising a lighting system (A), wherein the lighting system has light emitting diodes (1, 1 ') for emitting light; a dry cell (2) as a power source for emitting light; a thin plate (3) functioning as a contact point; a curved swinging pipe (4) for supporting the contacting function by swinging when the wearer walks and keeping balance by leveling in the center when the wearer stops walking; a bar (17) integrated with the curved swinging pipe (4) and functioning as a contact terminal; and a power switch (5) for controlling power supply.

2. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein on the curved swinging pipe (4), a minus contact terminal is mounted and its contact point is integrated with the upper part of the curved swinging pipe (4) in the form of an integrated bar (17) ranging from the left contact terminal to the right contact terminal, the contact terminal on both ends of the integrated bar (17) protruding in the form of hemisphere to maximize the contacting effect.

3. The lighting shoe as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the curved swinging pipe (4) has a transpiercing hole (15) which facilitates the contact function by swinging freely as the wearer walks and leveling in the center when the wearer stops walking, the transpiercing hole having a rod (16) whose size is smaller than the transpiercing hole (15) to help the operations of the transpiercing hole, and the rod (16) being mounted on the side of a rectangular box (10).

4. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein plus (+) contact terminals are mounted individually on left and right side on the thin plate (3), as well as on the upper part of the bar (17) of the minus (-) contact terminal (8) integrated with the curved swinging pipe (4) and fixed to the side of the rectangular box (4).

5. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thin plate (3) and curved swinging pipe (4) are mounted in the stiff rectangular box (10) not to be transformed by the weight of the wearer.

6. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the curved swinging pipe (4) swings forward, the minus (-) contact terminal (8) integrated with the upper part of the pipe (4) contacts with the plus (+) contact terminal (9) of the thin plate (3), thus lighting the light emitting diode (1) at the front, and in converse, if the foot of the wearer touches ground, the centroid of the shoe moves backward, the minus (-) contact terminal (8) which was contacted to the front contact terminals (8,9) is off them by inertia of the curved swinging pipe (4) and the minus (-) contact terminal (8) placed at the back contacts to the plus (+) contact terminal (9') of the thin plate (3), therefore lighting the light emitting diode (1') at the back.

7. Alighting shoe, comprising: a lighting system (A) which includes light emitting diodes (1,1') for emitting light, a dry cell (2) as a power source for the light emission, a thin plate (3) functioning as a contact point, a curved swinging pipe (4) which supports the contacting function by swinging when the wearer walks and leveling in the center to keep balance when the wearer stops walking, a bar (17) integrated with the curved swinging pipe and thus functioning as a contact terminal, and an on/off switch (5) for controlling po er supply; the uppers (B); a transparent outsole (6); and a protection window (7) to protect the lighting system (A) mounted inside the outsole (6)

8. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lighting system (A) is mounted in the transparent outsole (6) and the light emitted from the light emitting diode (1,1') can be emitted to all directions of the outsole (6) including top and bottom side.

9. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transparent outsole (6) facilitates the mounting of the lighting system (A) by having a predetermined number of diamond-shaped supporting mounds (11) arranged at a regular interval to help the light emission from the light emitting diodes (1,1') in the effect of light refraction.

10. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein the protection window

(7) for protecting the lighting system (A) has the same number of diamond-shaped grooves (13) to be integrated with the diamond-shaped supporting mounds (11) in the outsole (6) and also has a dry-cell exchanging part (14) where the user can exchange the dry cell.

11. The lighting shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transparent material of the outsole (6) refers to all kinds of material such as transparent resin, transparent silicon, or transparent plastics that can emit the light from the light emitting diodes (1,1') outwards.