Footwear Spring Arm Support Assembly for Heel Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional athletic footwear midsoles lack sufficient support and cushioning, particularly in high-impact areas like the heel, which can lead to discomfort and increased risk of injury during athletic activities.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a support assembly with spring arms, where the lower plate features a plurality of spring arms that curve outwardly and upwardly from the peripheral edge to an upper plate, providing additional cushioning and support through deflection, and adjustable thickness, height, and material variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional midsole made from polymer foam material is used, then the footwear provides basic cushioning and force attenuation, but the support and cushioning are insufficient in high-impact areas like the heel
Solution Approach 1:
The support assembly is segmented into multiple spring arms (at least three) distributed across the heel region, with each spring arm independently providing support. This segmentation allows localized enhancement of cushioning in high-impact areas without requiring a complete redesign of the entire midsole structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support assembly combines spring arms made from a first material with the midsole made from a second material (polymer foam). This composite approach integrates the high elastic recovery and shock absorption properties of spring metal with the comfort and conformability of foam material, achieving superior support in heel regions while maintaining overall footwear comfort.
2Strength
If the midsole is made thicker or denser to improve cushioning, then support is enhanced, but the weight of the footwear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring arms are strategically positioned in the heel region where impact forces are highest during athletic activities. This local quality approach concentrates enhanced cushioning support precisely where needed rather than uniformly throughout the entire midsole, providing targeted protection without adding unnecessary weight to other areas of the footwear.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of spring arms and polymer foam midsole creates a composite structure where the spring arms provide primary impact resistance in high-stress zones while the foam material provides secondary cushioning and comfort. This composite design achieves superior cushioning performance with less total material than a solid dense foam midsole would require.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional polymer foam material is used throughout the midsole, then manufacturing is simple, but the degree of ground reaction force attenuation cannot be optimized for specific activity demands
Solution Approach 1:
The support assembly is designed as a separate component (upper plate, spring arms, lower plate) that can be manufactured independently and then integrated with the standard polymer foam midsole. This segmentation allows customization of the spring arm configuration (number, position, dimensions) to match specific activity demands while keeping the manufacturing process relatively simple through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring arms can be varied in multiple parameters including number of arms, dimensions, curvature, and material properties to optimize ground reaction force attenuation for different athletic activities. This parametric design flexibility allows the same basic support assembly structure to be adapted for various applications without requiring complete redesign, balancing manufacturability with performance optimization.
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 support assembly enhances user comfort and reduces impact stress by providing improved cushioning and support, particularly in the heel region, thereby enhancing performance and reducing the risk of injury across various athletic activities.
Implementation Method 1
the lower plate includes a plurality of spring arms that curve outwardly and upwardly from a peripheral edge of the lower plate to an upper plate
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of footwear (10) includes an upper (12) and a sole assembly (14) secured to the upper and having a support assembly (30). The support assembly has an upper plate (32) and a lower plate (34) spaced from the upper plate. The lower plate has a peripheral edge and a plurality of spring arms (36), with each spring arm curving initially outwardly and then upwardly and inwardly from the peripheral edge to the upper plate.