Asymmetrical Knee Pad Socket with Offset Aperture for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard knee pads lack stability and comfort during various movements, as they tend to slide on the user's leg due to their design and the clothing layer, failing to prevent horizontal movements and maintain position effectively.
Innovation Solution
A canted socket assembly with an asymmetrical design and offset aperture, combined with a securing sleeve featuring upper and lower straps of different sizes, provides enhanced stability and comfort by distributing force to the lateral edge surface and securing the pad in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a standard knee pad is worn over clothing, then it provides some relief from acute discomfort, but it causes additional instability and sliding along the user's leg
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional wearing approach by designing the knee pad to be worn directly on the skin rather than over clothing. This reversal eliminates the sliding instability caused by clothing layers while maintaining comfort through direct skin contact and anatomical shaping.
Solution Approach 2:
The knee pad employs asymmetrical design with different heights at lateral and medial edges, and an offset aperture from the joint axis. This asymmetry creates a stable fit that prevents sliding while accommodating the natural anatomy of the knee joint, resolving the stability issue without sacrificing comfort.
2Ease of manufacture
If a standard knee pad is designed with symmetrical construction, then it is simple to manufacture, but it cannot remain in place through various movements and horizontal pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from symmetrical to asymmetrical construction, featuring unequal lateral and medial edge heights and an offset aperture. This design maintains manufacturing feasibility while dramatically improving position stability during movements and under horizontal pressures by conforming to the knee's natural anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The knee pad applies different properties to different regions: the lateral edge has greater height for stability, the aperture is offset to align with the joint axis, and the overall shape conforms to specific anatomical features. This localized differentiation ensures reliable positioning without excessive complexity.
3Device complexity
If the knee pad aperture is centered on the joint axis, then the design is symmetrical and simple, but it does not provide stability against horizontal movements
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture is deliberately offset from the joint axis rather than being centered, creating an asymmetrical configuration that provides stability against horizontal movements while maintaining simple construction. This offset positioning allows the pad to better accommodate the knee's anatomy and resist lateral forces.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an improved joint pad assembly, which includes a socket assembly that is canted and is configured to distribute an applied force to a lateral edge surface of the socket assembly. The socket assembly is asymmetrical in design and includes an aperture that is offset from the joint it is configured to receive.