# US 10,441,020 B1 · Intelligent electronic footwear and control logic for executing automated footwear features > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,441,020 B1 - Document ID: US10441020B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/220,403 - Filed: 2018-12-14 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-31 - Assignees: NIKE, Inc. - Applicants: NIKE, Inc. - Inventors: Christopher Andon; Jamian R. Cobbett; Vikram Malhotra; Hien Tommy Pham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441020B1 ## CPC - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - A43B 3/34: with electrical or electronic arrangements - A43B 3/36: with light sources - A43B 3/44: with sensors, e.g. for detecting contact or position - A43B 3/48: with transmitting devices, e.g. GSM or Wi-Fi® - A43B 3/50: with sound or music sources - B60Q 1/2673: {on parts worn by the driver, e.g. clothes, gloves or bags, specially adapted to provide auxiliary vehicle signalling} - B60Q 1/525: {automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data} - B60Q 5/006: {indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians} - B60Q 9/008: {for anti-collision purposes} - G01S 5/0027: {of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile} - G01S 5/0072: {Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems} - G01S 19/19: Sporting applications - G08B 21/02: Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons - G08G 1/005: including pedestrian guidance indicator - G08G 1/07: Controlling traffic signals - G08G 1/087: Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle - G08G 1/162: {event-triggered} - G08G 1/164: {Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles} - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - A43C 11/165: {characterised by a spool, reel or pulley for winding up cables, laces or straps by rotation} - G01S 19/49: whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - A43C: FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL ## Abstract Presented are intelligent electronic footwear with controller automated features, methods for making/using such footwear, and control systems for executing automated features of intelligent electronic footwear. An intelligent electronic shoe (IES) includes an upper that attaches to a user's foot, and a sole structure that is attached to the upper and supports thereon the user's foot. An alert system, which is mounted to the sole structure and/or upper, generates predetermined outputs in response to electronic command signals. The IES system also includes a wireless communications device that wirelessly communicates with a remote computing node, and a footwear controller that communicates with the wireless communications device and alert system. The footwear controller receives location data indicative of the user's and remote computing node's locations, determines whether the user's location is within a predetermined location/proximity to the node's location and, if so, transmits command signals to the alert system to notify the user/vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of executing an automated feature of an intelligent electronic shoe (IES), the IES including an upper for attaching to a foot of a user, a sole structure attached to the upper for supporting thereon the foot of the user, and an alert system attached to the sole structure and/or upper, the method comprising: receiving, via a controller through a wireless communications device, location data indicative of a user location of the user wearing the IES; receiving, via the controller through the wireless communications device, location data indicative of a vehicle location of a motor vehicle; determining, via the controller, whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location; receiving, from a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure, a sensor signal indicative of a detected presence of the foot of the user in the upper; and transmitting, via the controller in response to the detected presence of the foot in the upper and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location, a command signal to the alert system of the IES to generate a predetermined visible, audible, and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the motor vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, via the controller in response to the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location, a second command signal to a control system of the motor vehicle to generate an audio and/or visual output. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the motor vehicle includes a vehicle headlamp system, and wherein the visual output includes illumination, flashing, and/or intensification of a light output of the vehicle headlamp system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the motor vehicle includes a vehicle horn system, and wherein the audio output includes activation and/or modulation of a sound output of the vehicle horn system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user has a portable electronic device, and wherein the wireless communications device is further configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the motor vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alert system includes a haptic transducer, and wherein the command signal causes the haptic transducer to generate a haptic cue. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alert system includes an audio system, and wherein the command signal causes the audio system to generate a predetermined sound output. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined location includes a geofence defined by the controller, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system upon detection of the motor vehicle breaching the geofence. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure, a sensor signal indicative of a weight of the user, wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the detected weight of the user being within a predetermine range of a memory-stored validated user weight. ### Claim 10 A method of executing an automated feature of an intelligent electronic shoe (IES), the IES including an upper for attaching to a foot of a user, a sole structure attached to the upper for supporting thereon the foot of the user, and an alert system attached to the sole structure and/or upper, the method comprising: receiving, via a controller through a wireless communications device, location data indicative of a user location of the user wearing the IES; receiving, via the controller through the wireless communications device, location data indicative of a vehicle location of a motor vehicle; determining, via the controller, whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location; receiving, from a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure, a sensor signal indicative of a detected weight of the user; determining if the detected weight is within a predetermine range of a memory-stored validated user weight; and transmitting, via the controller in response to the detected weight being within the predetermine range of the memory-stored validated user weight and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location, a command signal to the alert system of the IES to generate a predetermined visible, audible, and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the motor vehicle. ### Claim 11 A method of executing an automated feature of an intelligent electronic shoe (IES), the IES including an upper for attaching to a foot of a user, a sole structure attached to the upper for supporting thereon the foot of the user, and an alert system attached to the sole structure and/or upper, the method comprising: receiving, via a controller through a wireless communications device, location data indicative of a user location of the user wearing the IES; receiving, via the controller through the wireless communications device, location data indicative of a vehicle location of a motor vehicle; determining, via the controller, whether the user location is within a predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location; determining, via a lace motor mounted to the sole structure and/or upper and operable to selectively transition a shoelace of the IES between tensioned and untensioned states, if the shoelace is in the tensioned state; and transmitting, via the controller in response to the shoelace being in the tensioned state and the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location, a command signal to the alert system of the IES to generate a predetermined visible, audible, and/or tactile alert perceptible by the user and/or the motor vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the tensioned state of the shoelace includes a plurality of discrete tensioned positions, the method further comprising: receiving, from a lace sensor configured to detect the discrete tensioned positions, a sensor signal indicative of a current one of the discrete tensioned positions of the shoelace; and determining if the current one of the discrete tensioned positions corresponds to a memory-stored validated lace tensioned position, wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the current one of the discrete tensioned positions corresponding to the memory-stored validated lace tensioned position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting, via the controller in response to the user location being within the predetermined location or proximity to the vehicle location, a second command signal to a control system of the motor vehicle to generate an audio and/or visual output. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the motor vehicle includes a vehicle headlamp system, and wherein the visual output includes illumination, flashing, and/or intensification of a light output of the vehicle headlamp system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the motor vehicle includes a vehicle horn system, and wherein the audio output includes activation and/or modulation of a sound output of the vehicle horn system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the user has a portable electronic device, and wherein the wireless communications device is further configured to wirelessly connect to the portable electronic device and thereby wirelessly communicate with the motor vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the alert system includes: a haptic transducer activated by the command signal to generate a predetermined haptic cue; and/or an audio system activated by the command signal to generate a predetermined sound output. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined location includes a geofence defined by the controller, and wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system upon detection of the motor vehicle breaching the geofence. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, from a pressure sensor mounted to the sole structure, a sensor signal indicative of a presence of the foot of the user in the upper, wherein the command signal is transmitted to the alert system further in response to the detected presence of the foot in the upper. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the motor vehicle includes an optical sensor, and wherein the alert includes a personalized color and/or a blinking pattern detectable by the optical sensor and configured to verify the user to the motor vehicle.