Heat Moldable Athletic Shoe Upper 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
A customized, form-fitting athletic shoe is created using a flexible and reusable heat moldable material that conforms to the wearer's body, allowing for multiple moldings and adjustments, including a temperature-sensitive indicator for optimal fitting, which can be reheated and remolded to accommodate changing foot requirements or different individuals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional footwear is used in standard sizes, then manufacturing and inventory are simplified, but fit and comfort are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing heat moldable materials that change their physical properties (from rigid to pliable) when heated. This allows the footwear to be customized to individual foot shapes through heat molding, resolving the contradiction between standard manufacturing and personalized fit by enabling post-manufacturing adaptation without complicating the base production process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates heat moldable materials into the footwear during manufacturing as a preliminary action. These materials are pre-installed in the shoe structure, ready to be activated later through heat application. This preliminary preparation enables future customization while keeping the initial manufacturing process simple and standardized
2Ease of operation
If heat moldable materials are used for customization, then fit and comfort are improved, but material flexibility and reusability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifically selects heat moldable materials with appropriate glass transition temperatures that allow them to be reheated and remolded multiple times. By carefully choosing materials whose thermal properties enable repeated softening and reshaping, the patent achieves both customization capability and material reusability, eliminating the trade-off between one-time molding and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent avoids using expensive, single-use moldable materials by selecting cost-effective heat moldable materials that can be reheated and remolded. This approach replaces disposable or single-customization materials with reusable alternatives, enhancing adaptability while maintaining affordability and practicality
3Strength
If thick foam-based heat moldable materials are used for stiffness and support, then structural integrity is improved, but flexibility and ability to conform to body contours are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using heat moldable materials in specific strategic locations within the footwear (such as the toe box, heel counter, or tongue) rather than throughout the entire shoe. This allows the footwear to maintain structural support in critical areas while remaining flexible and contour-conforming in other regions, resolving the contradiction between stiffness and shape adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction by combining heat moldable materials with other footwear materials (leather, fabric, rubber) in a layered or integrated structure. The heat moldable components provide localized support and customization capability, while the surrounding materials provide flexibility and overall shoe structure, achieving both structural integrity and contour conformity through material composition
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 provides a comfortable, performance-enhancing, and safe fit by eliminating the need for multiple shoe sizes, allowing for customization to each foot's unique shape, enhancing comfort and safety while allowing for repeated adjustments as needed.
Implementation Method 1
heating the shoe to a predetermined temperature to soften the heat moldable material so that it conforms to the contours of a wearer's body
Implementation Method 2
The athletic shoe may also include a temperature sensitive indicator configured to undergo a visible change when the predetermined temperature is reached, such as a change in color
Data Source
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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 the upper of an athletic shoe. The heat moldable material may be sufficiently flexible so as not to impede the necessary movements of a wearer or the athletic shoe while performing activities, such as running, walking, jumping, etc. 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.