Resilient Heel Insert Spine for Hands-Free Footwear Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Slipping a foot into footwear often requires the use of hands and/or tools to stretch the ankle opening and hold the heel region, making it difficult to achieve hands-free entry.
Innovation Solution
A heel insert with a base and a resiliently deflectable spine, biased by a spring, that moves between positions to stretch the ankle opening, allowing for hands-free foot entry by enabling the foot to slide into the footwear without external assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hands and tools are used to stretch the ankle opening and hold the heel region, then the foot can be inserted into the footwear, but the operation becomes complex and requires external assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The heel insert is designed to enable the foot itself to perform the stretching action on the ankle opening. When the foot is inserted, it directly pushes the spine forward, which in turn stretches the ankle opening and holds the heel region, eliminating the need for hands or external tools to perform these actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel insert acts as an intermediary device between the foot and the footwear upper. It includes a spine that extends forward to engage with the ankle opening and a heel region engagement structure that holds the heel. This intermediary mechanism translates the simple forward motion of the foot into the complex coordinated actions of stretching and holding required for easy entry.
2Ease of operation
If hands or tools are used to assist foot entry, then the ankle opening can be stretched, but the process requires external assistance and reduces convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed so that the foot itself performs the work of stretching the ankle opening and holding the heel region. The spine of the heel insert engages with the ankle opening and is pushed forward by the foot, automatically performing the stretching function without requiring hands or external tools.
3Productivity
If the ankle opening is stretched using external force, then foot entry is enabled, but the mechanism becomes more complex requiring springs and movable spines
Solution Approach 1:
The heel insert incorporates a movable spine that can move forward and backward, and a spring that provides elastic force. This dynamic structure allows the spine to be pushed forward by the foot to stretch the ankle opening, then return to its original position using the spring's elastic force, enabling repeated easy entry and exit operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring's elastic force provides a dynamic parameter change in the system. When the foot pushes the spine forward, the spring compresses and stores energy. When the foot is removed, the spring's elastic force returns the spine to its original position. This parameter change (elastic force) simplifies the overall mechanism compared to requiring continuous external force or complex mechanical systems.
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
Enables easy and hands-free foot entry into footwear by using the foot itself to stretch the ankle opening, reducing the need for tools and enhancing the ease of putting on shoes.
Implementation Method 1
a spring operatively connected to the spine such that the spring biases the tip of the spine toward the first position of the tip
Implementation Method 2
The tip of the spine is resiliently deflectable toward the second position against the bias of the spring
Data Source
AI summary
A heel insert is provided for an article of footwear that includes an upper defining a foot-receiving cavity having an ankle opening. The heel insert includes a base. The heel insert includes a spine extending outward from the base to a tip of the spine such that the spine extends upward along a posterior wall of a heel region of the upper toward the ankle opening when the base is operatively connected to the heel region. The tip of the spine is moveable relative to the base between a first position and a second position along a longitudinal axis of the article of footwear. The heel insert includes a spring operatively connected to the spine such that the spring biases the tip of the spine toward the first position of the tip. The tip of the spine is resiliently deflectable toward the second position against the bias of the spring.