Resilient Heel Support Structure for Hands-Free Foot Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional footwear requires the use of one or both hands to stretch the ankle opening and hold the rear portion during foot insertion, especially in soft uppers without a heel counter, making it difficult to put on footwear hands-free.
Innovation Solution
A heel support device with a plurality of slats and a base, configured to be resiliently bendable, which allows for easy foot entry and removal by depressing the slats to open the ankle opening, and includes features like pegs for securement and an elongated tip for guiding the foot into the cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the footwear upper is made soft and flexible, then comfort and adaptability are improved, but ease of foot entry deteriorates requiring manual stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The heel support device transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one by incorporating a resilient control bar that can bend and deform. The control bar bends forward when the heel is inserted and returns to its original position, automatically opening and closing the ankle opening without manual intervention. This dynamic mechanism resolves the contradiction by providing both flexibility for comfort and automatic operation for ease of entry.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel support device performs the function of opening and closing the ankle opening automatically through the resilient action of the control bar, eliminating the need for manual stretching. The device serves itself by using the insertion motion of the heel to trigger the opening action and the natural rebound to close it, thereby improving ease of operation without sacrificing upper flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If manual stretching is used to open the ankle opening, then foot entry is enabled, but operation complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control bar is pre-configured in a bent state with its forward end positioned to engage the heel. When the heel is inserted, the control bar is already positioned to immediately bend further and trigger the opening action, eliminating the need for preliminary manual stretching. This preliminary positioning reduces both operation complexity and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The device automatically performs the opening and closing actions through the resilient rebound of the control bar, eliminating manual intervention entirely. The insertion of the heel itself triggers the mechanism, and the natural elastic recovery closes the opening, thereby reducing operational steps and time required for foot insertion.
3Strength
If a rigid heel counter is used, then structural support is improved, but ease of foot entry deteriorates requiring manual assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The heel support device replaces the static rigid heel counter with a dynamic resilient control bar that can bend and deform. The control bar provides structural support in its normal state but can bend forward when the heel is inserted, automatically opening the ankle opening. This dynamic behavior maintains heel support strength while enabling hands-free foot entry.
Solution Approach 2:
The control bar changes its physical state from a rigid support structure to a flexible bending element during the foot entry process. The resilient material allows the control bar to temporarily deform under the insertion force and then rebound, providing both structural support and ease of entry by changing its mechanical properties during operation.
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 hands-free foot entry and securement into footwear by allowing the ankle opening to be easily opened and closed without manual assistance, enhancing convenience and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
the control bar may be resiliently bendable between an unloaded position and a loaded position when depressed toward the base from the unloaded position to the loaded position
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear includes an upper defining a foot-receiving cavity with a heel region, and a heel support device extending around the rear of a heel region from a lateral side to a medial side. The heel support device may include a plurality of slats and a base, the plurality of slats providing a progressive gradient of lengths and/or widths, and/or one or more pegs extending from the device for attachment to a footwear upper, and/or an elongated tip that may be disposed in a cavity of an extension of a heel collar of the upper.