Concave Footwear Sole With Smartphone Pressure-Based Fit Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear fails to maintain the natural biomechanical stability of the foot, leading to chronic and acute injuries due to its flat design that does not conform to the anatomically rounded shape of the foot, and lacks effective methods for identifying and addressing footwear-related injury causes or providing optimal footwear solutions.
Innovation Solution
A concavely rounded footwear sole that deforms under body weight to flatten against the ground, combined with smartphone technology using motion sensors and pressure sensors to evaluate and optimize footwear configurations in real-time, allowing for immediate implementation of optimal solutions and ongoing monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional flat footwear soles are used, then manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but the footwear fails to preserve natural biomechanical stability of the foot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by transitioning from flat soles to concavely rounded soles that wrap around the foot. The sole is configured with a concave curvature in the frontal plane that conforms to the anatomical shape of the foot, creating a rounded, wraparound structure that preserves natural biomechanical stability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized molding processes.
2Stability of the object's composition
If anatomically precise footwear is designed to conform to the complex structure of the human foot, then biomechanical stability is preserved, but the design and manufacturing complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies anatomical conformity by using a standardized concave curvature that wraps around the foot without requiring complex custom fitting. The sole features a consistent rounded profile with specific geometric parameters (concavity depth, wraparound angle) that provide anatomical support while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized production processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes biomechanical performance by adjusting specific geometric parameters of the sole, including the degree of concavity, the radius of curvature, and the wraparound extent. These parameter optimizations provide anatomical conformity and stability without requiring complex structural designs, achieving the balance between performance and simplicity through controlled geometric variations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If footwear provides protection against environmental hazards, then safety is improved, but the natural biomechanical superiority of barefoot motion is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reconciles protection with biomechanical stability by designing a sole with concave curvature that wraps around the foot. This rounded structure provides a protective interface between the foot and environmental hazards while maintaining the natural roll-over mechanics and biomechanical stability of barefoot motion through its anatomically conforming shape.
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
Preserves the natural biomechanical superiority of barefoot motion while providing protection and support, enabling effective identification and mitigation of footwear-related injuries, and facilitating the sharing of optimal solutions for improved health benefits across similar groups.
Implementation Method 1
a footwear sole with a concavely rounded lower surface that extends to the lateral extent of one or both sides of the sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section... wherein the footwear sole is configured to deform under a body weight load to flatten against the flat surface of the ground
Implementation Method 2
a pressure sensor array, including under the forefoot, midfoot, and heel areas... record a first test data set consisting of measurements by the pressure sensor array of the force and/or relative pressure distribution of a wearer's foot sole
Implementation Method 3
using motion sensors and pressure sensors to evaluate and optimize footwear configurations... record a first test data set consisting of measurements by a sensor of the relative motion during the user's locomotion
Data Source
AI summary
A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, wherein the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user. The one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors are configured for computer control. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, including one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes and sensors in the sole and/or in a removable insert; or on an insole; all being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized.