Height Adjustable Platform Shoe With Nested Telescopic Rings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing platform shoe assemblies lack a mechanism to dynamically increase user height and reach by extending the sole, limiting their effectiveness in enhancing perceived height and actual accessibility for individuals of short stature.
Innovation Solution
A pair of footwear with a recessed sole containing nested rings that can be selectively extended using an actuator and controller, allowing users to elevate their height by extending the rings from the sole, which are hydraulically driven for stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing platform shoe assemblies use fixed heels or static platforms, then manufacturing is simple and structure is straightforward, but user height and reach cannot be dynamically increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nested telescopic rings within the shoe sole that can be extended or retracted like nested dolls. Multiple concentric rings are positioned one inside another, allowing progressive extension to achieve different height levels. This nesting mechanism enables dynamic height adjustment while maintaining a compact form when retracted, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transforms the static platform shoe into a dynamic system by incorporating extendable telescopic rings that can change length on demand. The rings transition from a retracted state (compact) to an extended state (elevated), allowing the shoe to adapt its height dynamically. This dynamic capability enables users to adjust their effective height based on situational needs, directly addressing the adaptability requirement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If platform shoes have fixed height, then structure is simple and reliable, but they cannot provide selective height increase for different situations
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic ring system is divided into multiple segmented rings that can extend and retract independently. Each ring segment is connected through joints that maintain structural integrity during extension. This segmentation allows the system to achieve variable heights while distributing mechanical loads across multiple connection points, thereby maintaining reliability and structural stability despite the added adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates sensors that detect the user's posture, weight distribution, and extension requests. This feedback information is processed by a controller that regulates the extension and retraction of the telescopic rings, ensuring stable and controlled height adjustment. The feedback mechanism prevents over-extension, maintains balance, and ensures the structural stability required for reliability while enabling selective height adjustment.
3Length of moving object
If nested rings are extended from the sole, then user perceived height and reach are increased, but the shoe structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The nested telescopic rings are integrated within the shoe sole cavity, with each ring positioned concentrically within the previous one. When extended, the rings increase the effective height of the shoe-sole assembly, thereby increasing the user's perceived height and reach. The nesting configuration allows multiple rings to occupy minimal space when retracted, reducing the complexity of the sole mechanism while maintaining the capability for significant height adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic rings extend vertically from the sole in the height dimension, transforming the shoe from a two-dimensional base to a three-dimensional elevated platform. This dimensional change directly increases the user's effective height and reach without requiring complex lateral or horizontal mechanisms. The vertical extension principle simplifies the overall mechanism by focusing the adjustment capability in a single dimension.
Data Source
AI summary
A selectively height adjustable platform shoe assembly for increasing perceived height and actual reach of a user includes a pair of articles of footwear, each comprising a sole to which an upper is attached. The upper and the sole define a cavity, into which a respective foot of a user is insertable. A recess extends into a lower face of the sole and from proximate to a first end and second ends of the sole. A plurality of nested rings is attached to the sole and is positioned in the recess. An actuator is attached to the sole, is operationally engaged to the plurality of nested rings, and can selectively extend the nested rings from the recess. A controller is attached to the sole and is operationally engaged to the actuator. The controller is enabled to selectively actuate the actuator to extend the nested rings from the recess.