Gradient Footwear Sole Cushioning for Forefoot Strike Mechanics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional athletic footwear sole arrangements provide uneven cushioning, with thicker heel areas and thinner forefoot areas, leading to biomechanical inefficiencies during foot strikes, particularly interfering with midfoot or forefoot contact with the ground.
Innovation Solution
A sole arrangement with a gradient cushioning design, featuring a thicker anterior area for improved forefoot and midfoot cushioning, transitioning smoothly from the posterior heel area to the anterior forefoot area, enhancing biomechanical performance by encouraging earlier ground engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the heel area is made thicker to provide more cushioning, then heel cushioning is improved, but forefoot strike mechanics are interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional sole thickness distribution by making the forefoot area thicker than the heel area. This reversal allows the forefoot to be elevated and cushioned properly, enabling natural forefoot or midfoot strike mechanics while the heel provides sufficient but not excessive cushioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different thickness qualities to different regions of the sole. The forefoot area is made locally thicker to promote ground engagement, while the heel area is made relatively thinner to avoid interference with strike mechanics. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific function.
2Weight of moving object
If the forefoot area is made thinner to reduce weight, then overall footwear weight is reduced, but ground engagement is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the forefoot area thicker rather than thinner. This increased thickness in the forefoot region elevates the forefoot, promoting earlier and more natural ground engagement during the strike phase, while the overall footwear weight remains manageable through optimized material distribution.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform thickness is used throughout the sole, then manufacturing is simplified, but biomechanical performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements varying thickness levels across different regions of the sole, with the forefoot area being locally thicker than the heel area. This local differentiation optimizes biomechanical performance by elevating the forefoot to promote ground engagement, while still maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes through controlled gradient transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter across the sole surface, creating a gradient from the forefoot region to the heel region. This parameter variation optimizes both biomechanical performance and manufacturing feasibility by using controlled transitions rather than abrupt changes, allowing for efficient production methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A sole arrangement for an article of footwear with a gradient depth value is provided. In one aspect of the disclosure, the sole arrangement extending from an end of a posterior area of the sole arrangement to an end of an anterior area of the sole arrangement, wherein the posterior area of the sole arrangement being formed under a heel area and the anterior area of the sole arrangement being formed under a forefoot area of a foot. The sole arrangement having an upper facing surface and a ground engaging surface, wherein the upper facing surface being on an opposite side of the sole arrangement than the ground engaging surface. The sole arrangement having a maximum posterior depth value. The sole arrangement having a maximum anterior depth value. The maximum posterior depth value may be smaller than the maximum anterior depth value by a first margin.