Foldable Shoe With Strap Retention Recess Mitigating Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear lacks the ability to fold into a compact shape, leading to storage challenges and potential stress concentrations that may cause breakage when folded.
Innovation Solution
A foldable shoe design featuring a sole with a toe room region, heel region, and midfoot region, including a strap that spans the width of the shoe and a strap retention recess in the heel region, allowing the shoe to fold into a compact orientation while maintaining structural integrity and accommodating a user's foot with a stretchable upper portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional footwear is designed with rigid structure for strength and stability, then structural integrity is improved, but the ability to fold into compact shape deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is divided into distinct functional regions (toeroom region, midfoot region, heel region) that can fold relative to each other. The sole is segmented into multiple regions with different structural characteristics, allowing the forefoot to flex while the heel maintains stability, enabling compact folding without compromising overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the shoe have different structural properties optimized for their specific functions. The toeroom region has reduced bending strength to enable folding, while the heel region maintains high compression strength for stability during wear. The strap retainment recess provides localized reinforcement only where needed during folding operations.
2Volume of moving object
If footwear is designed to fold into compact shape, then storage capability is improved, but stress concentrations causing breakage worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The strap retainment recess is pre-configured in the heel region to receive and retain the strap before folding occurs. This preliminary positioning prevents the strap from becoming misaligned or damaged during the folding process, eliminating stress concentrations that would cause breakage while enabling compact folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap retainment recess acts as an intermediary structure that mediates between the strap and the folding motion. It provides a controlled path for the strap during folding, distributing stresses evenly and preventing concentration points that would lead to breakage while maintaining the ability to fold compactly.
3Reliability
If strap is retained in heel region during folding, then folding reliability is improved, but strap tensile strength requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The strap is designed as a flexible element that can bend and conform during folding, while the retainment recess provides structural support. This combination allows reliable retention during folding without requiring the strap itself to have high tensile strength, as the recess bears the structural load.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap retainment recess changes the mechanical parameters of the system by providing a fixed geometric constraint. This alters the stress distribution from tensile loads on the strap to compressive and reactive forces in the recess, enabling reliable folding retention while reducing requirements for strap tensile strength.
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
Enables the shoe to be folded and unfolded efficiently, reducing stress concentrations and enhancing storage capabilities while maintaining comfort and structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
mitigate stress concentrations against breakage under the tensile strength of the strap and bending strength of the sole
Implementation Method 2
a stretchable upper portion of the shoe
Data Source
AI summary
a foldable shoe, comprising: a sole extending between a toe end and heel end, the sole comprising a toeroom region proximate the toe end and a heel region proximate the heel end and a midfoot region defined between the toeroom region and heel region, the toeroom region comprising a strap spanning the width of the shoe in a toe-lever region of the toeroom region, the heel region comprising at least one strap retainment recess, configured to alternately: receive the strap and retain the strap against slipping off of the sole and mitigate stress concentrations against breakage under the tensile strength of the strap and bending strength of the sole, when the shoe is folded; and define the compression strength of the sole in the heel region, such that the shoe is configured to alternately: receive a foot of a user with a ball of the user's foot retained in the midfoot region with a stretchable upper portion of the shoe that is independent of the strap; and fold into a retainment orientation, with the heel region retained in a parallel offset orientation to the toeroom region with the strap, with the upper portion contained between the toeroom region of the sole and the heel region of the sole, with the strap traversing under the sole in the heel region and retained in the strap retainment recess.