US5729905A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Foot measuring apparatus and circuitry to eliminate multiplexes and demultiplexers
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1995-09-11
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Granted: 1998-03-24
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Expires: 2015-09-11
Abstract
Abstract The invention pertains to an apparatus for measuring a foot's length and width to correspond to a shoe size and a method to eliminate multiplexers and demultiplexers in circuits. The apparatus is a low profile self-contained apparatus comprising a transducing medium, a microcontroller, a reference impedance element, a signal amplifier, an analog to digital conversion circuit, and a display to generate and display foot sizing data. A microcontroller unit is connected directly to the hybrid multiplexing circuit which! contains algorithms which solve a set of linear equations to indirectly determine the electronic image of a foot. The shoe size is then calculated using a sizing algorithm and then displayed on a display which is connected to the output of the microcontroller unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Leo Mathiasmeier
- 👤 William Eugene Fullen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 10:01
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/103; A61B5/107; A61B5/1074; A43; A43D; A43D1/00; A43D1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
An apparatus for measuring and analyzing a foot, said apparatus comprising: a transducing medium to convert a foot pattern to electrical signals; a microcontroller coupled to said transducing medium for applying electrical signals to said transducing medium and for processing said electrical signals to generate foot sizing data; a reference impedance element coupled with said microcontroller for use by said microcontroller as a reference for assessing the electrical status of the transducing medium; and a display for displaying foot sizing data generated by the microcontroller.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
85 words
An apparatus for measuring and analyzing a foot, said apparatus comprising: a transducing medium to convert a foot pattern to electrical signals; a microcontroller coupled to said transducing medium for applying electrical signals to said transducing medium and for processing said electrical signals to generate foot sizing data; a reference impedance element coupled with said microcontroller for use by said microcontroller as a reference for assessing the electrical status of the transducing medium; and a display for displaying foot sizing data generated by the microcontroller.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transducing medium comprises a sensor array, an addressing circuit coupled to said sensor array, and an addressor for addressing the sensor array for use in the microcontroller.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said sensor array comprises a plurality of conductive element pairs.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
77 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said addressor comprises: a first software routine within said microcontroller for generating electrical signals applied to said sensor elements to obtain a set of measured voltage values across said reference impedance element; a second software routine within said microcontroller for performing a linear transformation to indirectly solve for each sensor element voltage value using the set of measured voltage values across said reference impedance element resulting from said first software routine.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microcontroller, reference impedance element, signal amplifier, analog to digital conversion circuit, and display are disposed on a circuit board.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display is a liquid crystal display.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said reference impedance element comprises a reference resistor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the voltage drop across said reference resistor is maintained low enough so as to not interfere with microcontroller operation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
95 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is a single chip microcontroller comprising: a central processing unit for executing instructions controlling said scanning circuitry and for processing said data indicative of foot size; a clock coupled to said central processing unit for synchronizing microcontroller unit operations; read only memory coupled to said central processing unit for storing routines, data, and subroutines of instruction to be executed by said central processing unit; and random access memory for storing measured data, transformed data, and calculated data of instructions to be executed by said central processing unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display is connected in parallel with said sensor array, and wherein the impedance of said sensor array is less than the impedance of said display.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a signal amplifier for amplifying electrical signals; an analog to digital conversion circuit for converting electrical signals for use by the microcontroller; a protective enclosure for housing and protecting the microcontroller, sensor array, reference impedance element, amplifier, analog to digital conversion circuit, and display; and, a sensor pad disposed within a upper portion of said protective enclosure for placement of a foot.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
11 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said microcontroller is battery powered.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
92 words
An apparatus for measuring and analyzing a foot of a man, woman, or youth, said apparatus comprising: a sensor array configured to receive and transmit a plurality of electrical signals; a microcontroller coupled to said sensor array for applying electrical signals to and analyzing electrical signals from said sensor array to generate foot sizing data; a reference impedance element coupled with said microcontroller for use by said microcontroller as the reference for assessing the electrical status of the transducing medium; and a display for displaying foot sizing data generated by the microcontroller.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
92 words
An apparatus for measuring and analyzing a foot of a man, woman, or youth, said apparatus comprising: a sensor array configured to receive and transmit a plurality of electrical signals; a microcontroller coupled to said sensor array for applying electrical signals to and analyzing electrical signals from said sensor array to generate foot sizing data; a reference impedance element coupled with said microcontroller for use by said microcontroller as the reference for assessing the electrical status of the transducing medium; and a display for displaying foot sizing data generated by the microcontroller.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said transducing medium comprises a sensor array, an addressing circuit coupled to said sensor array, and a addressor for addressing the sensor array for use in the microcontroller.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said sensor array comprise a plurality of conductive element pairs.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
77 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said addressor comprises: a first software routine within said microcontroller for generating electrical signals applied to said sensor elements to obtain a set of measured voltage values across said reference impedance element; a second software routine within said microcontroller for performing a linear transformation to indirectly solve for each sensor element voltage value using the set of measured voltage values across said reference impedance element resulting from said first software routine.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said transducing medium, microcontroller unit, impedance element, signal amplifier, analog to digital conversion circuit, and said display are disposed on a circuit board.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said display is a liquid crystal display.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said reference impedance element comprises a reference resistor.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the voltage drop across said reference resistor is maintained low enough so as to not interfere with microcontroller operation.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said display is connected in parallel with said sensor array, and wherein the impedance of said sensor array is less than the impedance of said display.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a signal amplifier for amplifying electrical signals; an analog to digital conversion circuit for converting electrical signals for use by the microcontroller; a protective enclosure for housing and protecting the microcontroller, sensor array, reference impedance element, amplifier, analog to digital conversion circuit, and display; and, a sensor pad disposed within a upper portion of said protective enclosure for placement of a foot.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
90 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said microcontroller comprises: a central processing unit for executing instructions controlling said scanning circuitry and for processing said data indicative of foot size; a clock coupled to said central processing unit for synchronizing microcontroller unit operations; read only memory coupled to said central processing unit for storing routines, data, and subroutines of instruction to be executed by said central processing unit; and random access memory for storing measured data, transformed data, and calculated data of instructions to be executed by said central processing unit.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
11 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said microcontroller is battery powered.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-03-23 | 2001-09-22 | 2002-03-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-03-23 | 2005-09-22 | 2006-03-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-03-23 | 2009-09-22 | 2010-03-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |