Footwear Sole Insert with Pear-Shaped Air Bladder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current athletic footwear cushioning systems face challenges in achieving optimal impact response, with pneumatic systems providing large deflection but lacking control over stiffness and stability, while foam systems offer controlled stiffness but limited deflection, and existing methods for combining both materials are hindered by manufacturing complexities and performance constraints.
Innovation Solution
A cushioning system incorporating a resilient foam midsole with contoured, pear-shaped air bladders or sealed chambers that adjust orientation to customize cushioning properties, combining the benefits of foamed elastomers and pneumatic systems for enhanced deflection and stiffness control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a pneumatic bladder system is used, then large deflection for cushioning impact is achieved, but control over stiffness and stability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines pneumatic bladder material with foam material to create a composite structure. The foam material provides structural stability and controlled stiffness, while the pneumatic bladder provides large deflection for impact cushioning. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating the beneficial properties of both materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials with different properties to different regions of the cushioning system. The pneumatic bladder is positioned in areas requiring maximum deflection, while foam material is positioned in areas requiring stiffness control and stability. This local differentiation allows simultaneous optimization of both deflection and stiffness control.
2Stability of the object's composition
If foam material is used, then controlled stiffness response is achieved, but large deflection for impact cushioning is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates foam material with pneumatic bladder material to create a composite cushioning system. The foam provides the desired controlled stiffness response, while the pneumatic bladder component enables large deflection for impact cushioning. This composite structure allows the system to achieve both controlled stiffness and large deflection simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic cushioning system where the foam material and pneumatic bladder work together to provide different responses at different stages of impact. The foam provides initial stiffness control, while the pneumatic bladder enables subsequent large deflection, creating a dynamic response that satisfies both requirements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If an inflatable bladder is encapsulated in foam midsole, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to temperature constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the processing temperature parameter of the foam material to be compatible with the inflatable bladder material. By using foams with relatively low processing temperatures, the patent enables successful encapsulation of the bladder without damaging it, thus resolving the manufacturing complexity issue while maintaining structural stability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If foam density is increased to provide stiffer response, then cushioning stability is improved, but deflection capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where foam material with appropriate density provides structural stability, while the pneumatic bladder material provides the deflection capability. This composite approach allows the system to achieve both cushioning stability and adequate deflection capability, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
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 system provides a smooth transition from initial impact absorption to progressive stiffness, offering improved shock attenuation and stability, with customizable responses to footstrike pressures, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost by using ambient pressure and conventional materials.
Implementation Method 1
the inflated bladder must be designed with a thickness less than that of the midsole layer
Implementation Method 2
a resilient, shock absorbent layer such as a midsole
Implementation Method 3
Energy dissipation is the dissemination of both impact and useful propulsive forces
Implementation Method 4
Shock absorption involves the attenuation of harmful impact forces
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 2B~3B
Figure 5~9A
AI summary
A sole component for footwear combining the desirable response characteristics of a fluid filled chamber and an elastomeric material is disclosed. The chamber can be formed as a single bladder chamber in contact with an elastomeric midsole or as a single chamber by a sealing a void in elastomeric material. Alternately, an insert having the shape of the bladder, and potentially formed from foam, may be positioned within the chamber. The interface between the chamber and elastomeric material is sloped and gradual so that the shape of the chamber and its placement in a midsole determine the combination of response characteristics in the sole component. The chamber has a relatively simple shape with one axis of symmetry with a rounded portion and a narrow portion.