Footwear Lacing Guide Elements Reduce Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lacing systems for footwear often face challenges in efficiently adjusting the fit and providing adequate support, as they lack effective guidance and rigidity to facilitate smooth movement of tensile elements, leading to friction and potential deformation.
Innovation Solution
The integration of guide elements, such as hollow plates, channels, or tubes with greater rigidity than the upper material, which are strategically placed to route and support tensile elements, reducing friction and maintaining structural integrity while allowing for smooth adjustment of the footwear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional eyelets and needles are used for lacing, then the lacing can be performed with simple tools, but the lace tends to fraying and the system lacks secure retention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide elements as intermediary components between the lace and the footwear structure. These guide elements with retention members (such as hooks, loops, or clips) act as mediators that secure the lace ends and intermediate portions, preventing fraying and providing reliable retention without requiring complex traditional eyelet systems or specialized needles.
2Ease of operation
If the lace is threaded through multiple holes to achieve proper fit, then the fit can be adjusted, but the lace ends fray and lose tension
Solution Approach 1:
The guide elements are pre-installed at the lace holes and intermediate positions before the lacing process begins. The retention members on these guide elements are positioned in advance to catch and secure the lace portions as they are threaded through, preventing fraying from the outset and maintaining tension throughout the lacing operation.
3Reliability
If conventional eyelet systems are used, then the lacing structure is simple, but the lace cannot be securely retained and frays easily
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing system is segmented into multiple functional components: the base footwear structure with holes, multiple guide elements positioned at different locations (lace holes and intermediate positions), and retention members on these guide elements. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, providing secure retention while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear with various types of guide elements is disclosed. The article of footwear provides a set of tensile elements that can be moved through the guide elements to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The tensile elements may be routed through a guide element associated with the upper that can provide compressive strength and support.