In a surprising step, as it were, wireless and semiconductor maker Qualcomm Technologies Inc. has filed for a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for what it describes as the “Internet of Shoes.”

The patent describes a “connected shoe apparatus, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a radio; an antenna; and a magnetometer, wherein the connected shoe apparatus is wearable as a shoe by a user, and wherein the processor is to: determine the direction the connected shoe apparatus is facing with the magnetometer, and transmit information associated with the direction to a second device via the radio and the antenna.”

Lodged with the USPTO in 2015 and published Thursday, the patent goes on to describe how the shoes would be recharged through the process of walking. They could also include vibration motors, pressure sensor pads, a motion sensor, a pulse sensor, a blood pressure sensor and body temperature sensors.

Wireless communication from the Internet shoe is described in one section as being based on “such low energy wireless connection protocols as Bluetooth low energy,” suggesting that it may require tethering to a smartphone. But in a later section the patent says the shoe could include “a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and/or chipset (such as a Bluetooth device, an 802.11 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, cellular communication facilities, etc.), and/or the like” so as to “permit data to be exchanged with a network, other computer systems/devices, and/or any other devices.”

Not surprisingly, the intent of the “Internet of Shoes” patent seems to be aimed at delivering a smart shoe that could provide health advice. The patent noted that the processor in the device would be used to “collect a plurality of sensor measurements, determine one or more health statuses based on the sensor measurements, and notify the user about at least one health status,” with a determination of health based “inferred from a good gait, a fall, a step frequency, a body temperature, a heartrate, or a blood pressure when the user is either at rest or in motion.” The system, given its support for independent connectivity, could also be set up to alert third parties if something should happen to the wearers, for example, should they fall over.

Internet-connected footwear is not a new idea. Existing devices include smart socks, insoles and shoes. But those products nearly always require tethering to a smartphone to work. What Qualcomm is describing is a product that would have the computing power of something like as Raspberry Pi miniature computer or a low-end smartphone complete with full autonomy.

All that said, a patent does not equal a product and Qualcomm has said nothing about bringing an Internet of Shoes product to market. So it may be a long time, if ever, before a Qualcomm-powered smart shoe will be available.

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