US-12627909-B2 - Footwear products including data transmission capabilities

US12627909B2US 12627909 B2US12627909 B2US 12627909B2US-12627909-B2

Abstract

Footwear systems include an article of footwear and a data transmission system engaged with the article of footwear. The transmission system transmits data to a remote system, such as a display system, another data transmission system, a processing system, etc. Such footwear systems further may include activation systems for activating the transmission and/or display systems. The transmitted data may be used for various purposes, such as: (a) identifying a user of the article of footwear; (b) activating targeted advertising or product information; (c) confirming the user's presence at a specific location and/or at a specific time; (d) determining start, finish, and/or intermediate split times for specific user; (e) confirming athletic equipment usage; (f) providing data for a game or reward program; (g) registering the user for an event or competition; or the like.

Inventors

Charles W. Case, JR.

Assignees

NIKE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240618

Claims (20)

1 . A method of transmitting data, comprising: determining that a device associated with a user is within a predefined threshold distance of a location or an object; and, activating, in response to determining the device is within the predefined threshold distance of a location or an object, an activation system for activating a data transmission system.
2 . The method of transmitting data of claim 1 , wherein the device is a wearable device.
3 . The method of transmitting data of claim 1 , wherein the device is a mobile device.
4 . The method of transmitting data of claim 1 , wherein the data transmission system is engaged with the device.
5 . The method of transmitting data of claim 1 , further comprising: activating the data transmission system; and, transmitting data from the data transmission system.
6 . The method of transmitting data of claim 5 , further comprising: receiving the transmitted data by at least one remote system.
7 . The method of transmitting data of claim 5 , wherein the transmitted data includes user identification data.
8 . The method of transmitting data of claim 7 , wherein the transmitted data further includes time data.
9 . The method of transmitting data of claim 6 , wherein the at least one remote system is configured to obtain additional information based on the transmitted data from the data transmission system.
10 . The method of transmitting data of claim 6 , wherein the transmitted data is used to register the user for a first event.
11 . The method of transmitting data of claim 6 , wherein the at least one remote system is configured to transmit additional data back to the data transmission system.
12 . The method of transmitting data of claim 1 , wherein the device includes a display to provide data or information to the user.
13 . A data transmission system, comprising: a device associated with a user; and an activation system associated with the device for activating a data transmission system, wherein the activation system is activated in response to the device being within a predefined threshold distance of a location or an object.
14 . The data transmission system of claim 13 , wherein the data transmission system transmits data from the device for receipt by a remote system.
15 . The data transmission system of claim 14 , wherein the transmitted data includes user identification data.
16 . The data transmission system of claim 14 , wherein the transmitted data is used to register the user for a first event.
17 . The data transmission system of claim 14 , wherein the remote system transmits a second set of data back to the data transmission system.
18 . A method of transmitting data, comprising: determining that a device associated with a user is within a predefined threshold distance of a location or an object; and, transmitting, from a data transmission system in communication with the device, user identification data.
19 . The method of transmitting data of claim 18 , further comprising: receiving the transmitted data by a remote system.
20 . The method of transmitting data of claim 19 , further comprising registering, by the remote system upon receiving the transmitted data, that the user was within the predefined threshold distance of the location or the object at a specific time.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/306,692, filed Apr. 25, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/010,292, filed Sep. 2, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,583,614, issued on Jun. 20, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/296,655 filed Mar. 8, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,798,470, issued on Oct. 6, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/365,273 filed Nov. 30, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,277,963, issued on Apr. 30, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/267,521 filed May 1, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,542,706, issued on Jan. 10, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/894,088 filed May 14, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,730,034, issued on May 20, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/564,100 filed Aug. 1, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,461,979, issued on Jun. 11, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/506,846 filed Jul. 21, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,258,941, issued on Sep. 4, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/407,353 filed Apr. 20, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,946, issued on Aug. 25, 2009. Each application is entirely incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to articles of footwear that include data transmission capabilities, e.g., to enable communications and interactions with remote devices. At least some further aspects of this invention relate to activation systems to activate and/or otherwise control the data transmission process. BACKGROUND Conventional articles of footwear have included two primary elements, namely an upper member and a sole structure. The upper member provides a covering for the foot that receives and positions the foot with respect to the sole structure. The upper member may be made from a wide variety of materials, including, for example, leather, canvas, rubber (natural or synthetic), polymeric materials, fabric, and the like. In addition, the upper member may have a configuration that protects the foot and provides ventilation, thereby cooling the foot and removing perspiration. The sole structure generally is secured to a lower portion of the upper member and generally is positioned between the foot and the contact surface (the terms “contact surface” or “surface,” as used herein, include any foot or footwear contact surface, including but not limited to: grass, dirt, snow, ice, tile, flooring, carpeting, synthetic grass, asphalt, cement, concrete, clay, court surfaces, and the like). In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces, the sole structure may provide traction and help control foot motion, such as pronation. Accordingly, the upper member and the sole structure operate cooperatively to provide a comfortable structure that is suited for a variety of ambulatory activities, such as walking and running. The sole member of athletic footwear, in at least some instances, will exhibit a layered configuration that includes a comfort-enhancing insole, a resilient midsole (e.g., formed, at least in part, from a polymer foam material), and a ground-contacting outsole that provides both abrasion-resistance and traction. The midsole, in at least some instances, will be the primary sole structure element that attenuates ground reaction forces and controls foot motion. Suitable polymer foam materials for use as at least portions of the midsole include ethylvinylacetate (“EVA”) or polyurethane (“PU”) that compress resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground reaction forces. Conventional polymer foam materials are resiliently compressible, in part, due to the inclusion of a plurality of open or closed cells that define an inner volume substantially displaced by gas. The upper member and sole structure in footwear products may be joined to one another in various different ways, such as using cements or adhesives, stitching or sewing, mechanical connectors, fusing techniques, or the like. SUMMARY The following presents a general summary of aspects of this invention in order to provide a basic understanding of at least some aspects of the invention. This summary is not intended as an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below. Aspects of this invention relate to generally to footwear systems (e.g., including athletic footwear, etc.) that include data transmission capabilities. Such systems may include, for example: (a) an article of footwear including an upper member and a sole member engaged with the upper member; and (b) a data transmission system engaged with the article of footwear, where