GPS device holder for mounting on the instep of footwear

Abstract

To provide a GPS terminal holder for attachment to the instep of a wandering or missing person's footwear, for notifying relevant persons of the current location based on a satellite position verification function using the GPS terminal carried by the person. [Solution] A storage case part 1, which has a GPS terminal wrapped in a water-repellent exterior material with cushioning between it and the storage case part is removably attached to the instep of the footwear used by the user, and the storage case part is composed of a storage main body part, a lid part that can be opened and closed freely, an opening and closing locking part 3, and a part for attaching the main body to the footwear. The attachment of the main body to the footwear and the opening and closing locking part are performed by a guardian or the like, and the user is configured so that the GPS terminal cannot be freely touched by the user, so the guardian or related parties can detect the user's current location using the satellite's position search function regardless of the user's wishes.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This device relates to a storage holder for a GPS portable terminal and a radio signal transmitter, which is used by a wanderer, a child, or a user who is unable to express his or her intentions through language, by attaching a commercially available GPS portable terminal or transmitter close to the human body and allowing a guardian or other concerned person to search for the user's current location information. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a care service that allows a caregiver, parent, or other family member who is responsible for the care of the user 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 furthermore, a watertight box made of resin or metal that stores a GPS terminal specialized for being attached to the instep of footwear is commercially available. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Published Patent Publication No. 2003-239118 [Patent Document 2] Published Patent Publication No. 2006-223480

[0004] However, the user does not always wear the clothes with the built-in GPS device as specified in JP 2003-239118 A, and for example, there are many cases where a dementia patient secretly goes outside in his night clothes without being noticed by the caregiver, or where 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. In addition, when the GPS terminal as specified in JP 2006-223480 A is embedded in the heel part of the footwear, there are problems such as the terminal's electrical circuit being damaged by the impact and load when walking on a rough road. In addition, in the case of commercially available products in which the GPS terminal is stored in a watertight box made of resin or metal and attached to the instep of the footwear, a large amount of expenses are required for the production of molds, etc., due to the convenience of mass production, and in the mass production of the same product, it becomes a certain standard product, and individual preferences are ignored. In addition, there are problems that the footwear, clothing, and human body are easily scratched because of the hard material. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems. In other words, the material that constitutes the body of the retainer is a soft material that is strong yet elastic, so that it is unlikely to damage the footwear, clothing, or human body that is worn, and at the same time, it is suitable for small-lot, high-mix production, making it easy to produce products that meet the diverse preferences of users, such as men and women, young and old, and types of footwear, and it can be produced with a relatively inexpensive investment, so that it is possible to provide a retainer that can easily meet the needs of users at a reasonable price.

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, the device is a GPS terminal holder as a single item for attaching a GPS terminal to any footwear upper part used for walking by the user. That is, the holder is composed of a storage section for storing the GPS terminal, a lid section for freely opening and closing the storage section, a locking section for locking the lid section to the storage section, and an attachment locking section for fixing the storage section to the footwear. The GPS terminal sealed in a waterproof bag is stored in the storage section via a cushioning material, and the opening and closing lid is locked by, for example, a tie belt after closing. The device is made of a material that is both flexible and strong, and the surface of the material is treated to be water repellent, so that the GPS terminal can be safely protected from rainwater, dust, etc., and can be easily fixed to the user's footwear with a commercially available tie belt, etc., without damaging the footwear, clothing, or human body worn on the device, thereby solving the problem.

[0007] Since the GPS terminal is battery-powered, it must be removed from the holder after a certain period of time, charged, and then stored back in the holder. In addition, the opening and closing lid of the device is formed with a locking part with a release hole so that the GPS terminal cannot be freely removed or discarded by the dementia patient who uses the device, and only the caregiver can operate it, and the problem is solved by locking it with a small lock or a commercially available binding belt.

[0008] The material of the GPS terminal holder is leather, resin sheet, cloth, special paper, etc., which has both strength and flexibility, and is processed by sewing, welding, bonding, etc. to have an appropriate shape and performance. Furthermore, the surface of the above material is treated with a chemical agent to be water-repellent, so that it exhibits a protective function against rainwater and dust even when used outdoors for a long period of time. When using the device, the GPS terminal is stored in a waterproof bag, wrapped in a cushioning material, and stored in the storage section, and is then loaded and attached to the upper part of the user's footwear. This prevents the terminal from breaking down due to shocks during walking, water leakage, and other loads, as in the case of embedding the GPS terminal in the heel part of a shoe. Furthermore, the above material and processing method, unlike conventional products such as injection molded products made of resin, do not require a large amount of cost for molds and are suitable for small-lot, high-variety production, so that it is relatively easy to add different colors and accessories, and has 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 device has extensions formed from both sides of the storage section, and at least one through hole is formed in the extension, which serves to attach and fasten the device to the upper part of the footwear used by the user when walking. For example, if the user's footwear has shoelaces, a commercially available tie belt or the like is passed through the opening hole on the extension section to fasten the shoelace or shoelace hole, and if the user's footwear has a hook-and-loop fastener belt, the device is fastened to the belt. The tie belt is made of a flexible yet extremely strong resin, and cannot be easily cut without a cutting tool, so that the wanderer who is the user of the device can be prevented from removing the device by himself or herself. In addition, the tie belt is available in various sizes at low cost, so it is very easy for caregivers to attach and remove the device, and is very effective as a fastener for the device.

[0010] As mentioned above, this device, the GPS terminal holder, is a holder for attaching a GPS terminal to any footwear that the user owns and uses for walking, and the caregiver purchases this device and attaches it to the footwear of the user who is in need of care. As is currently widely done, this device does not require the caregiver to send the footwear used by the care recipient to a processing company and have the GPS terminal embedded in the heel and sent back, or to purchase commercially available footwear with a GPS terminal already embedded. Dementia patients who are in need of care often tend to stick to their favorite footwear that they regularly wear, dislike temporary breaks, and dislike new footwear, which is known to be one of the causes of problem behavior. This device is a single product and is extremely easy to attach and operate, so that the caregiver can appropriately attach and lock it to 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 cm long, 38.5 cm wide, and 11.5 cm thick, all in mm. The weight is approximately 25.5 g. The main body of the device is made of water-repellent treated lamb leather with a thickness of approximately 1 mm, and all components such as the storage section, back section, lid section, lid locking section, inner lid section, and extension locking section are integrated into one piece of leather, and then molded into a three-dimensional shape. Finally, opening holes are drilled to form the finished product. When a caregiver uses the device in the footwear used by a person who requires care, the caregiver must first place the charged GPS terminal in a zippered plastic bag and seal it, then wrap it in a cushioning sheet, store it in the device storage section, close the inner lid and the opening and closing lid, and lock it by passing a tie belt or the like through the release hole of the lid locking section. The stored GPS terminal is protected from water leakage and impact by the above method, so it can be taken out and recharged as necessary, and then used as a means for searching for the location information of the person who requires care with the same simple operations. In the case of severe dementia patients, they may wander around wearing only underwear after discarding their outerwear, but it has been reported that they are rarely barefoot and are often wearing some kind of footwear. Therefore, a method like this device, which attaches a GPS device to the user's footwear, is expected to be very effective for caregivers in searching for the location information of those in need of care.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Referring to Fig. 1, this figure shows an embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, and is a plan view of a completed product sold as a single unit with the opening and closing cover closed. The material is a single sheet of water-repellent treated lamb leather that has been three-dimensionally formed, and a metal eyelet ring is attached to the through hole.

[0013] Explaining with reference to FIG. 2, this figure is a front view of one embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, showing the state in which the opening and closing cover of the completed product sold separately is closed.

[0014] Explaining with reference to FIG. 3, this figure is a side view of one embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which shows the state in which the opening and closing cover of the completed product sold separately is closed.

[0015] Explaining with reference to Figure 4, this figure is a plan view of one embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which is a completed product sold separately, with the opening and closing lid and inner lid open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device.

[0016] Explaining with reference to Figure 5, this figure is a front view of one embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which is a completed product sold separately, with the opening and closing lid and inner lid open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device.

[0017] Explaining with reference to Figure 6, this figure is a side view of one embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which is a completed product sold separately, with the opening and closing cover and inner cover open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device.

[0018] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Referring to Fig. 7, this figure shows a second embodiment of the GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, and is a plan view showing the state in which the opening and closing lid of the finished product sold as a single unit is closed. The material is a three-dimensionally formed product of multiple sheets of water-repellent treated lamb leather, the lid is box-shaped, and between the storage section and the box-shaped lid there are three upright parts on the inside that serve as an auxiliary plate for fitting the storage section and the lid, and a metal eyelet ring is attached to the through hole. A locking part protrudes from the front edge of the lid, and by using a tie belt or the like to match with the locking receiving part formed on the front upper part of the storage section, it fulfills the function of opening and closing the lid.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 8, this figure shows a second embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which is a front view showing the state in which the opening and closing cover of the completed product sold separately is closed.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 9, this figure is a side view of a second embodiment of a GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, showing the completed product sold separately with the opening and closing cover closed.

[0021] Explaining with reference to Figure 10, this figure is a plan view of the second embodiment of the GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which shows the completed product sold separately with the opening and closing cover open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device.

[0022] Explaining with reference to Figure 11, this figure is a front view of the second embodiment of the GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which is a completed product sold separately, with the opening and closing cover open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device.

[0023] Explaining with reference to Figure 12, this figure is a side view of the second embodiment of the GPS terminal holder based on the present invention, which shows the completed product sold separately with the opening and closing cover open. In this state, the caregiver stores the GPS terminal in the storage section of the device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in an open state. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in an open state. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an overall view of the GPS terminal holder in an open state. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the entirety of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a front view showing the entirety of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a side view showing the entirety of the GPS terminal holder in a closed state according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the entirety of the GPS terminal holder in an open state. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the entirety of the GPS terminal holder in an open state according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a side view showing the overall appearance of the GPS terminal holder in an open state according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Storage section 2 Lid 3 Lid locking part 4 Distraction section 5 Through hole 6 Back plate part 7 Inner lid part 8. Fitting plate 9 Locking receiving part

Claims

[Claim 1] A holder for mounting a GPS terminal (a device terminal for detecting position information via an artificial satellite) on the instep of any footwear used by a user for walking, the holder is composed of a storage section for storing the GPS terminal, an openable lid section for freely storing and removing the GPS terminal, a locking section for locking the lid section, and a locking section for attaching and locking the storage section main body to the footwear, and at least one opening is formed in both locking sections. The storage section is made of a flexible material such as water-repellent leather, resin sheet, or cloth, and the GPS terminal stored in a waterproof bag is stored in the storage section via a cushioning material, and the holder can be attached to the instep of the footwear without damaging the footwear or the human body.

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