| US 7,552,549 B2 | ||
| Shoe with sensors, controller and active-response elements and method for use thereof | ||
| Saunders N Whittlesey, Deerfield, Mass. (US); Douglas K Robinson, Mansfield, Mass. (US); and John J Erickson, Brockton, Mass. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Acushnet Company, Fairhaven, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Nov. 13, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/938,808. | ||
| Application 11/938808 is a division of application No. 10/790164, filed on Mar. 01, 2004, granted, now 7,310,895. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0060224 A1, Mar. 13, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. A43B 5/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 36—127 [36/50.1; 36/25 R; 73/172; 73/179] | 10 Claims |
| 1. A method of providing an active-response shoe comprising:
providing a shoe with at least one sensor for sensing whether a wearer is walking or swinging;
providing said shoe with a controller operatively associated with said sensor;
providing said shoe with at least one active-response element;
determining a first state when said sensor senses a pressure greater than a preset swing pressure within a time interval threshold
and a second state when the sensed pressure is less than the present swing pressure or not within a time interval threshold;
and
in the first state directing an output current to said active-response element to change the shoe from an initial state where
the shoe exhibits a first set of characteristics to a transitory state where the shoe exhibits a different second set of characteristics.
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