Footwear Shape Correcting Member for Smooth Kicking Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear designs often result in bumpy or irregular surfaces due to conforming to bony protrusions, which can lead to discomfort and difficulty in activities like kicking a ball accurately, as the irregular surfaces cause unpredictable ball rebound.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating shape correcting members with pre-formed cavities and varying thicknesses within the footwear to accommodate bony protrusions, creating a non-protruding surface that conforms to the foot's shape, thereby providing a smooth outer surface for improved comfort and ball control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the footwear upper conforms to bony protrusions of the foot, then comfort and fit are improved, but the outer surface becomes bumpy and irregular causing unpredictable ball rebound
Solution Approach 1:
The footwear incorporates shape correcting members with different thicknesses at different locations. Thinner regions are positioned over bony protrusions (metatarsal heads, navicular bone, calcaneus) to accommodate them, while thicker regions maintain a smooth outer surface in areas where ball contact occurs. This local variation in thickness allows the footwear to simultaneously conform to foot anatomy and provide a regular kicking surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Shape correcting members act as intermediary elements between the foot and the footwear upper. These members include cavities or recesses that receive bony protrusions, preventing the upper material from directly conforming to irregular foot anatomy. The intermediary shape correcting members absorb the irregularities while presenting a smooth outer surface to the external environment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the footwear conforms to the foot's natural shape, then adaptability and comfort are enhanced, but ball control and kicking accuracy deteriorate due to irregular surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The footwear design implements local quality differentiation by creating smooth, regular outer surfaces specifically in ball contact zones while allowing conforming characteristics in non-contact areas. Shape correcting members with varying thicknesses ensure that regions where the foot contacts the ground maintain anatomical adaptation, while regions where the ball contacts the footwear maintain geometric regularity for predictable ball rebound.
Solution Approach 2:
The footwear is segmented into different functional zones: areas requiring anatomical conformity (heel, arch, toe regions) and areas requiring surface regularity (kicking surface). Shape correcting members are strategically placed to provide conformity where needed while preserving smooth surfaces in ball contact zones, effectively segmenting the footwear's adaptability characteristics across different locations.
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of footwear, comprises: a shape correcting member disposed on a top portion of the article of footwear and including an inner surface corresponding with a top portion of a foot and an outer surface disposed opposite of the inner surface; the article of footwear having a medial side and a lateral side, wherein a lateral direction extends between the medial and lateral side, and the inner surface including a plurality of laterally spaced, pre-formed cavities, configured to fit to the contours of the top portion of the foot; wherein the outer surface is a substantially non-protruding surface having an approximately constant curvature.