Footwear with a GPS device built into the heel

Abstract

To provide a position search aid for a wanderer or a missing person, which notifies relevant people of the current position by a GPS terminal built into footwear even when walking outdoors, without the need for the person to willfully wear the device or turn it on or off. [Solution] The heel part 2 of the footwear used by the user has a storage hole excavated from the upper part of the insole, and a sturdy storage box 1 for storing a GPS terminal A is removably attached to the buried hole, and a flange part 1c with a larger area than the storage hole is formed on the upper periphery of the storage box, and at least one side of the storage box has an opening for inserting and removing the GPS terminal. The GPS terminal is stored in the storage hole in the heel part of the footwear and is attached comfortably under the insole, and since it has a configuration that does not differ in appearance from normal footwear, the user does not become suspicious, and the user's current location can be detected by guardians or related parties using the satellite's location search function.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This device relates to a storage device for a GPS portable terminal and a radio signal transmitter that is installed in the heel of the footwear that the user wears while walking, and that allows a guardian or other person concerned to search for the user's current location information, for use by wanderers, children, or users who are unable to express their intentions through verbal expression. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a known care service that allows a caregiver, parent, or other family member to search for the user's current location by GPS positioning via the Internet, even if a wanderer, elderly person, or infant with dementia gets lost and their current location is unknown, by having the user carry a commercially available GPS terminal near the user's body in advance. Specific means for realizing these technologies include a method in which the user wears clothing equipped with a GPS terminal (Patent Document 1) or a method in which a GPS terminal is embedded in the heel part of footwear (Patent Document 2), and further, a method in which a GPS terminal is simply placed on the upper part of the inner sole of any footwear, but is not embedded, and a special insole that adjusts the thickness is used (Patent Document 3), etc. are disclosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Published Patent Publication No. 2003-239118 [Patent Document 2] Published Patent Publication No. 2006-223480 [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 3199606

[0004] However, users do not always wear clothes with built-in GPS devices as specified in JP 2003-239118 A, and there are many cases where, for example, a dementia patient secretly goes outside in his nightgown without being noticed by his caregiver, or a person requiring care wanders around after taking off his clothes, making it impossible to search for the current location of the person requiring care. Also, when a GPS terminal as specified in JP 2006-223480 A is embedded in the heel of footwear, there are problems such as damage to the terminal's electrical circuit caused by shocks and loads when walking on rough roads. Furthermore, in the case of commercially available products in which a GPS terminal is stored in a waterproof plastic or metal box and attached to the instep of footwear, large amounts of money are required for the production of molds, etc., due to the convenience of mass production, and in addition, since the same product is produced in large quantities, it becomes a fixed standard product, and individual preferences are ignored. In addition, since it is made of a hard material, there are problems in that it is easy to scratch footwear, clothing, and the human body. Furthermore, when it is loaded on the upper part of the inner heel of any footwear, as stipulated in Utility Model Registration No. 3199606, the thickness of the GPS terminal and insole is excessively large, making it extremely uncomfortable for the user to wear, and since the heel of the foot is not sufficiently held by the footwear, it is easy to fall, and there are problems such as a hazard to walking safety. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above problems. That is, to provide a GPS terminal holding means that is easy to use for those who need care, such as wanderers and small children, and can fully cope with the burden on the user, discomfort, abnormal behavior due to illness, shocks when walking on rough roads, walking load, and circuit failure due to water leakage, without becoming unable to search for the current location of the person who needs care, is suitable for mass production without requiring excessive investment for manufacturers, and is available at a relatively low cost for caregivers, and can be adapted to the gender, age, and personal preferences of the user.

[0006] According to the invention described in claim 1, the footwear has a GPS terminal device installed in a storage hole cut into the heel of any footwear used for walking, and the GPS terminal is stored in a storage box having a protective function to track and confirm the user's current location. That is, the GPS terminal device installed in the heel of the footwear is packaged in a waterproof bag and cushioning material, and then stored in a strong storage box made of metal or the like, and then the storage box is installed in the storage hole cut into the heel of the footwear, thereby reducing the causes of failure of the GPS terminal, such as shocks caused by pebbles when walking on rough roads, and water leakage. In addition, the storage box has a flange on its upper surface that is larger than the storage hole, so that the storage box can be easily removed from the storage hole using the flange as a clue, and has sufficient resistance to loads and shocks applied to the heel of the user. In addition, the materials that make up the storage box are strong and tough, such as metal plates and FRP, which are easy to process and suitable for multiple production types, and there is little need to take into account user preferences.The product is easy to produce and can be produced with a relatively inexpensive investment, so the problem is solved by configuring the storage device to be easily fitted inside the user's footwear at a reasonable price and in line with user needs.

[0007] Since the GPS terminal is battery-powered, it must be removed from the storage box after a certain period of time has elapsed, charged, and then stored back in the storage box. In order to make it easier to remove the storage box from the storage hole cut in the heel of the footwear, a flange with a larger area than the storage hole is formed on the top surface of the storage box, and the guardian can easily remove the storage box by using the flange as a handle. In addition, since the flange is made of a strong thin plate, the user who wears the footwear with the insole feels almost no discomfort when wearing it, the heel of the foot is sufficiently held, and there is no abnormality in the appearance of the footwear. Since the user is not aware of the GPS terminal, the problem is solved by adopting a configuration that is unlikely to cause accidents such as the dementia patient who uses the device touching or discarding the GPS terminal at will.

[0008] The material of the GPS terminal storage box is a thin but tough material such as stainless steel, hard aluminum, FRP resin, etc., which is formed into an appropriate shape and performance by processing methods such as sheet metal processing, welding, lamination, etc. The above material is not only highly impact resistant, but also has a protective function against rainwater and dust. Therefore, when using the device, the GPS terminal is stored in a waterproof bag, wrapped in a cushioning material, stored in the storage box, and stored in a storage hole drilled in the heel part of the user's footwear, so that the terminal can be prevented from breaking down due to loads such as shocks and water leakage while walking. Furthermore, the above material and processing method do not require a large amount of cost for molds, unlike conventional products such as injection molded products made of resin, and are suitable for small-lot, high-variety production, so that it is relatively easy to realize products with different colors and the addition of accessories, and have the advantage of being able to quickly respond to requests from users and the market, such as men's and women's, children's, and elderly's.

[0009] The GPS terminal storage box has a plurality of flanges extending from the edge of the upper plate of the storage section, which serve as a locking part to prevent the storage box from falling into the storage hole cut in the heel part of the footwear when the user walks, and are also effective as a handle part when the guardian takes out or puts in the GPS terminal when performing maintenance such as charging the built-in GPS terminal. Since the flange of the storage box is a thin plate, it is in close contact with the inner sole of the heel part of the footwear, and when a footwear insole is placed on the top of the storage box, the user can hardly sense its presence, so that the user, who is a wanderer, can be prevented from removing it by himself or herself. In addition, if a groove is formed on the surface of the inner sole of the footwear, which is the contact surface of the flange, the caregiver can hold the flange using the groove as a handle and hold it, which is extremely effective in the work of removing the storage box.

[0010] As mentioned above, this device, the GPS terminal storage box, is a holder for attaching a GPS terminal to any footwear that the user owns and uses for walking. The footwear can be used by the caregiver requesting a processing company to send the footwear used by the care recipient to a processing company and have the GPS terminal installed in the heel and sent back, or by having the processing company drill a storage hole and add a cushioning layer to the contact surface of the footwear heel. Dementia patients who require care often tend to stick to their favorite footwear that they regularly wear and dislike other new footwear with GPS terminals installed, which is known to be one of the causes of problem behavior. This device is a single product and is extremely easy to install and operate, so the caregiver can properly install and use it on the footwear that the care recipient regularly wears. As mentioned above, this device is one effective means of solving the above problems, and since it is technically easy to manufacture and sell, it can provide a variety of products to the market at low cost.

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. The dimensions of the GPS terminal assumed in this embodiment are approximately 47.5 mm in length, 38.5 mm in width, and 11.5 mm in thickness. The weight is approximately 25.5 g. In order for a caregiver to install this device in the footwear worn by a care recipient, the caregiver must first ask a footwear processing company to drill a storage hole of approximately 50 mm in length, 42 mm in width, and 14 mm in depth in the heel of the footwear worn by the care recipient. In a typical construction method, a square hole of the above dimensions is drilled through the approximate center of the heel of the footwear, and then a reinforcing plate and a buffer bottom are attached to the bottom of the footwear that comes into contact with the ground to form the bottom of the storage hole. The storage box for the GPS terminal is made of a stainless steel plate with a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm, and the upper plate has multiple rims that are approximately 5 mm larger than the above-mentioned drilled hole, and this part becomes the flange. The lower part of the upper plate is formed with a box part made of the same material with at least one opening on the side, and the charged GPS terminal is stored in the box part, sealed in a waterproof bag with a zipper and wrapped in cushioning material. Since the stored GPS terminal is protected from water leakage and impact by the above method, it can be taken out and recharged as necessary, and then used as a means for searching the location information of the person requiring care by similar simple operations. In the case of severe dementia patients, they may wander around wearing only underwear after taking off their outerwear, but it has been reported that they are rarely barefoot and are often wearing some kind of footwear. Therefore, the method of attaching a GPS terminal to the user's footwear as in this device is expected to be very effective for caregivers in searching the location information of the person requiring care.

[0012] Conventionally, many types of footwear with holes for storing GPS terminals in the heel are produced and sold, but it has been reported that even if caregivers buy these commercially available products for their patients, they do not necessarily prefer to use them, and tend to stick to their own favorite products. In addition, since commercially available protective storage boxes for GPS terminals are often injection-molded resin products for the convenience of mass production, when they are used inside footwear, there is a problem that the storage box and the GPS unit are prone to fine cracks caused by the load of walking or the impact of stepping on pebbles when walking on rough roads, which can cause electrical leakage and disconnection. This invention solves this problem by being able to hold the GPS terminal through a lightweight, thin, yet sturdy storage box.

[0013] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Referring to Fig. 1, this figure is based on the present invention and shows an embodiment in which a commercially available GPS terminal is installed in the heel part of a footwear. The configuration is such that a storage hole is drilled as a through hole in the heel part of the footwear, and then a heel grounding part with a strong protective plate installed is added. This is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which a storage box in which a GPS terminal stored in a waterproof bag is wrapped in a cushioning material and installed inside the storage hole is stored in the storage hole. For convenience of illustration, the waterproof bag and cushioning material are omitted.

[0014] Explaining with reference to Fig. 2, this figure shows one embodiment of storing a GPS terminal in the heel part of footwear based on the present invention, in which a storage hole is drilled as a through hole in the heel part of the footwear, and then a heel grounding part is added, the storage hole does not have a protective plate, and the storage box in which the GPS terminal stored in a waterproof bag is wrapped in a cushioning material and stored in the storage hole is shown in a side cross-sectional view. For convenience of illustration, the waterproof bag and the cushioning material are omitted.

[0015] Explaining with reference to Fig. 3, this figure shows one embodiment of a structure for fitting a GPS terminal in the heel of a footwear based on the present invention, which is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage hole is cut in the heel of the footwear, a heel grounding part is glued to the storage hole, the bottom part is closed, and the storage hole is completed, and a storage box is fitted in the storage hole after the GPS terminal is inserted from an opening on one side of the storage hole. A flange part wider than the storage hole opening is formed on the periphery of the upper plate of the storage box, and a handhold part is formed by contacting the inner bottom surface of the footwear. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the entire heel part of the footwear with the GPS terminal installed therein with a protective plate installed at the bottom of the storage hole. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the entire heel part of the footwear with the GPS terminal installed therein without a protective plate installed at the bottom of the storage hole according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a footwear heel structure having a storage box and a storage hole for a GPS terminal according to the present invention. FIG. [Explanation of symbols]

[0017] A GPS terminal 1 Storage Box 1a Storage opening 1b Upper plate 1c Tsubabe 2 Heel 3 Grounding part 4 Protective plate 5 Storage hole

Claims

[Claim 1] The footwear with a GPS terminal embedded in the heel has a storage hole excavated from the upper part of the insole in the heel part of any footwear used by a user for walking, and has a GPS terminal (a device terminal for detecting position information via an artificial satellite) embedded in the storage hole. The footwear has a plurality of flanges on the upper periphery that are larger than the storage hole and contact the insole of the footwear, and a strong storage box part having an opening on at least one surface of the side has a GPS terminal packaged in a cushioning material and a waterproof bag inserted into the storage opening, and the storage box is stored in the storage hole, and a heel contact part made of cushioning material at the bottom of the storage hole, or has a strong protective plate on the upper surface of the heel contact part.

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