Deformable Heel Counter Structure for Easier Shoe Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear designs require manual assistance or the use of a shoehorn to easily insert and remove the foot, as the heel counter often collapses under the heel, making it difficult to enter the shoe without hands.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a heel cup with a uniformly molded upper, mid, and lower portion, where the upper portion is capable of distorting under load to widen the shoe opening, allowing easier foot insertion and removal. This distortion is reversible, returning to its original configuration once the load is removed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the heel counter is made rigid to maintain structural support, then the shoe maintains its shape and provides proper heel support, but the shoe opening collapses under the heel making foot insertion difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The heel counter is designed with a dynamic upper portion that can change configuration between a first configuration (when no load is applied) and a second configuration (when load is applied). This dynamic behavior allows the heel counter to adapt its shape based on the applied force, resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural support and enabling easy foot insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper portion of the heel counter changes its physical parameters (shape, position) in response to applied load. When a user's foot applies load, the upper portion distorts from the first configuration to the second configuration, widening the shoe opening. When the load is removed, it returns to the first configuration, maintaining structural support.
2Ease of operation
If the upper portion of the heel cup is made thinner to allow distortion, then foot insertion becomes easier, but the structural integrity and support may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The heel cup is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, where the midportion has a first thickness and the central portion has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness. This local variation in thickness allows the central portion to distort more easily under load while the peripheral portions maintain sufficient strength and structural integrity.
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 heel cup's ability to distort and widen the shoe opening significantly reduces the need for manual assistance during foot insertion and removal, providing easier and more convenient use of the footwear.
Implementation Method 1
The compressible component has a first configuration in its native state, and the compressible component is capable of distorting into a second configuration under a load of a user's foot when the user is donning the footwear and is capable of automatically returning to the first configuration after the user's foot in fully inserted into the footwear
Implementation Method 2
The upper portion of the heel cup has a first configuration in its native state and is capable of distorting into a second configuration under a load of a user's foot when the user is donning the footwear and the heel cup is capable of returning to the first configuration after the load of the user's foot is removed
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe has an upper with a foot receiving shoe opening. A heel counter is located at a rear portion of the upper and includes a rigid heel cup. The heel cup has a lower portion, a midportion, and an upper portion having a curvature extending from a top edge of the heel cup and that is curved downward towards the shoe opening. On a vertical cross-section, the heel cup has a S wave shape. A compressible layer is located along an inner wall of the heel cup and is configured to curve around a portion of a user's ankle above the user's heel once donned. The compressible layer may be compressed during donning of the shoe and may at least partially expand to secure the foot within the shoe once donned.