Heat Moldable Footwear Insert for Custom Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional footwear often fails to provide a perfect fit, leading to discomfort, reduced performance, and potential injuries, especially for athletes, as they typically require different sizes and widths for each foot and lack flexible, reusable heat moldable materials for customization.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a flexible heat moldable sheet, made of thermoplastic resin and potentially fabric, between the outer layer and lining of athletic shoes, which can be heated to conform to the wearer's foot, ankle, or leg, providing a customized fit and being reusable for multiple moldings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional footwear is used with fixed sizes and widths, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but fit precision and wearer comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing heat moldable material in the footwear during manufacturing. This allows the footwear to be customized to individual foot shapes through heat molding after purchase, rather than requiring multiple pre-sized options. The material is prepared in advance to receive thermal energy for shaping, resolving the contradiction between standardized production and customized fit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming the physical state of the heat moldable material through temperature changes. When heated, the material becomes pliable and can be molded to the wearer's foot contours. This phase transition enables a single footwear model to adapt to different foot shapes, eliminating the need for multiple size variants while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
2Strength
If heat moldable material is made thick and rigid for stiffness, then structural support is improved, but flexibility and reusability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the heat moldable material specifically in the heel counter and toe box regions where structural support is most needed. This localized placement provides stiffness and support in critical areas while maintaining flexibility in other parts of the footwear. The material thickness and rigidity are optimized for specific functional zones rather than uniformly applied throughout the entire shoe.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining heat moldable material with other footwear materials to achieve both stiffness and flexibility. The heat moldable material serves as a structural component in specific regions, while the overall footwear construction integrates multiple materials with different properties. This composite approach allows the footwear to provide structural support where needed while maintaining overall flexibility and reusability.
3Ease of operation
If footwear is customized to individual foot shapes, then comfort and performance are improved, but the need for multiple sizes and widths increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single footwear model that can serve multiple functions: it can be molded to fit different foot shapes, reused multiple times through remolding, and adapted to changing foot conditions. The heat moldable material enables one pair of footwear to replace what would traditionally require multiple size and width variants, reducing the quantity of footwear variants needed in inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by enabling the recovery and reuse of the heat moldable material. When footwear becomes ill-fitting or foot shape changes, the material can be reheated and remolded to create a new fit. This recovery process eliminates the need to discard and replace footwear, allowing the same physical object to serve multiple customization cycles, thereby reducing the total number of footwear variants required.
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
This solution allows for a customized, form-fitting athletic shoe that eliminates the need for different sizes and widths, enhancing comfort, performance, and safety by providing a flexible and adjustable fit that can be reshaped multiple times to accommodate changing requirements or different individuals.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible heat moldable sheet may be configured to conform to a wearer's body when heated to a predetermined temperature to provide the wearer with a customized form-fit
Implementation Method 2
The flexible heat moldable sheet may comprise a thermoplastic resin and does not comprise a fabric. In some embodiments, the flexible heat moldable sheet may be formed of a material which allows the sheet to be reusable so that it may be molded multiple times to conform to the wearer
Data Source
AI summary
Customized, form-fitting athletic articles with a heat moldable material that a wearer may heat to soften after purchase to conform the heat moldable material so the contours of the wearer's body may provide many advantages for consumers, such as increased comfort, performance, or safety. The heat moldable material may be incorporated into an athletic glove. The heat moldable material may be reusable in that it may be reheated and remolded multiple times so that the article may be re-customized or re-fitted as needed. The article may also include a temperature sensitive indicator that indicates when the heat moldable material has been softened.