Removable Footwear Gaiter with Self-Tensioning Cable Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gaiters for footwear are not optimally designed for easy and secure attachment, often leading to rapid wear or breakage of straps, potential tripping hazards from cables, and inconvenient one-handed operation.
Innovation Solution
A removable gaiter design featuring an upper portion that envelops the tibia and a lower portion that envelops the instep, with temporary engagement means on the lower perimeter edge interacting with grip means protruding from the upper portion, allowing for easy one-handed coupling and disengagement without requiring bending or trunk rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strap is used to fix the gaiter to the footwear, then the gaiter can be securely attached, but the strap is subjected to continual impacts with the ground and blunt objects, resulting in rapid wear or breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the strap from the system by eliminating it entirely. Instead of using a strap that passes under the sole and is subjected to ground impacts, the gaiter is attached using a cable that runs along the exterior of the footwear, connecting the upper and lower parts without contacting the ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a cable as an intermediary element to replace the strap. The cable serves as a new attachment mechanism that achieves the same securing function but through a different path that avoids ground contact and blunt object impacts.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If a cable is used instead of a strap, then the cable avoids ground impacts, but the cable might catch on objects protruding from the ground, constituting a tripping hazard
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cable from the potential tripping zone by positioning it on the upper surface of the footwear rather than allowing it to drag along the ground. The cable is tensioned to create a taut configuration that clears ground obstacles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention makes the cable dynamic through tensioning mechanisms that allow it to adapt to different footwear sizes and ground conditions. The cable can be adjusted to maintain optimal tension, ensuring it remains elevated and does not contact ground objects.
3Reliability
If tension adjustment means are used to couple the strap or cable, then the attachment can be secured, but the user has to bend down and use both hands to grasp and tension the end, which is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements self-service through automatic self-tensioning mechanisms. The cable automatically tensions itself as the gaiter is put on and removed, eliminating the need for manual bending and two-handed operation. The system uses the natural movements of putting on and taking off the gaiter to achieve proper cable tension.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-positioning the cable and attachment points during manufacturing. The cable is pre-routed and attached in such a way that it automatically engages and tensions itself during the normal process of putting on the gaiter, without requiring additional user actions.
4Reliability
If conventional attachment methods are used, then the gaiter can be fixed to the footwear, but the operation requires bending and trunk rotation, which is time-consuming and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the attachment process self-serving by designing the cable system to automatically engage and tension itself during the natural motion of putting on the gaiter. The user simply needs to step into the gaiter, and the cable system completes the attachment without requiring manual manipulation or bending.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention prepares the attachment system in advance during manufacturing, with the cable pre-routed and attachment points pre-positioned. This preliminary configuration ensures that the attachment process requires minimal user action and can be completed quickly during normal gaiter application.
Data Source
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AI summary
A removable gaiter (1) for protecting footwear (2) comprising an upper (3), enveloping the foot of the user, which is associated with a sole (4) and is provided with eyelets (5) for laces for tying (6). The removable gaiter comprises an upper portion (7), which when deployed envelops the area (8) of the tibia of the user, and is connected to a lower portion (9), which when deployed envelops the area of the instep (10). The lower portion (9) is provided, on the lower perimeter edge (11), with first means for temporary engagement (12) with complementarily-shaped grip means (13) associated with and protruding laterally from the upper (3) in an area above that of the heel (22) of the sole (4).