Adjustable Heel Shoe With Detent Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable heel mechanisms for high heel shoes are unstable and prone to disengagement, leading to heel collapse due to insufficient weight-bearing interface and instability in the spring-biased pin mechanism, which fails to provide secure and aesthetically pleasing solutions for changing heel heights without requiring multiple shoes or complex arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A two-part heel system with a low heel block and high heel extension piece connected by a support beam allowing limited axial and pivotal movement, featuring a detent mechanism with a spring-biased ball to maintain the high heel extension piece in position, and a replaceable wear-resistant lift to prevent excessive wear and enhance stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a spring-biased pin mechanism is used to guide and bias the high and low heel parts together, then the heel can be adjusted between high and low positions, but the mechanism becomes unstable and prone to disengagement and wiggle
Solution Approach 1:
The heel is divided into separate high heel and low heel parts that can be independently positioned. The high heel part can be detached and stored when not in use, allowing the shoe to function with either high or low heel configuration. This segmentation eliminates the need for an unstable adjustable mechanism while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The high heel part is designed to be removable from the shoe. When not needed, it can be completely taken out and stored separately, rather than relying on an unstable mechanism to hold it in place. This extraction approach solves the stability problem by eliminating the problematic spring-biased pin mechanism entirely.
2Volume of moving object
If the low heel lift is made smaller to allow compact storage of the high heel part, then the mechanism becomes more compact, but the weight-bearing interface is diminished leading to instability
Solution Approach 1:
The high heel part is designed to be completely removable and storable outside the shoe when not in use. This eliminates the need for a low heel lift structure to hold it, thereby removing the trade-off between storage compactness and weight-bearing capacity. The high heel part can be stored in a bag or drawer when not needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel system is segmented into distinct components: the shoe base with low heel option and the separate high heel part. This segmentation allows the high heel part to be stored independently without requiring a complex storage mechanism within the shoe, solving both compactness and stability issues.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pairs of shoes are carried or stored to provide different heel heights, then the woman can have both low and high heel options, but this creates inconvenience and takes up excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
A single shoe is designed to perform multiple functions by accommodating both low heel and high heel configurations. The shoe can function as a low heel shoe with the high heel part removed or stored, and as a high heel shoe when the high heel part is attached, eliminating the need to carry multiple separate shoes.
Solution Approach 2:
The low heel shoe and high heel shoe functions are merged into a single shoe unit. The high heel part attaches to the low heel shoe base to create a high heel configuration, combining two shoe functions into one physical object and reducing the quantity of shoes needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a stable, secure, and aesthetically pleasing adjustable heel that can be easily switched between high and low heel configurations without tools, preventing injury and reducing foot ailments by distributing weight effectively and maintaining stability over time.
Implementation Method 1
a detent mechanism with a spring-biased ball to maintain the high heel extension piece in position
Implementation Method 2
A two-part heel system with a low heel block and high heel extension piece connected by a support beam allowing limited axial and pivotal movement
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe has a sole with a toe, heel and arch. A two part heel has a low heel block attached to the sole heel and includes a slot therein. A high heel extension is attached to the low heel block through a support beam having a substantially rectangular cross-section capable of limited axial and pivotal movement. The fit between the beam and the slot prevents rotational movement of the high heel about its axis. The high heel extension can be pivoted between a first position where it underlies the low heel block and a second position where it lies beneath the sole arch. The bottom of the low heel block has a heel lift extending downwardly engaging the ground when the high heel is stowed. This low heel lift is enclosed by a beveled edge at the top of the high heel piece when it is vertical.