Adjustable Footbed Arch via Tensioned Element and Pleats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Footwear often requires adjustments in arch length and width due to factors like growth, pregnancy, injury, or changes in activity level, but existing solutions do not effectively allow for these adjustments without compromising the overall length of the footbed.
Innovation Solution
An arch adjustable footbed with an elongated element coupled to an anchor point, extending through a channel, allowing tension to be applied or removed to adjust the height of the arch portion, while surrounding folds or pleats maintain the overall length of the footbed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the arch portion height is adjusted by moving parts of the footbed relative to each other, then the arch support is customizable, but the overall length of the footbed may change
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second portions of the arch portion are nested within the folds/pleats/baffles structure, allowing them to move relative to each other while remaining contained within the same overall boundary. This nesting enables arch height adjustment without changing the external dimensions of the footbed.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism operates in a vertical dimension (arch height) while the folds/pleats/baffles structure maintains the horizontal dimension (overall footbed length). By confining the relative movement to a different dimensional plane, the patent achieves adjustability without compromising the overall length.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tension is applied to the elongated element to adjust the arch, then the arch height can be changed, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The arch portion is segmented into first and second portions that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows the arch height to be adjusted by moving these segments while keeping the rest of the footbed structure simple and unchanged.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated element acts as an intermediary component that transmits tension between the first and second portions of the arch. This simple intermediary mechanism enables adjustment without requiring complex actuators or control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a footbed for an article of footwear, the footbed having an arch portion defined by a curve, wherein a height of the curve is adjustable to increase or decrease the height of the arch portion.