Hinged Footwear Sole Structure for Hands-Free Foot Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional footwear requires the use of hands to stretch the ankle opening and adjust the fit after foot insertion, making it inconvenient for easy placement.
Innovation Solution
A sole structure with separate front and rear midsole components that pivot at a hinge, allowing hands-free foot entry and automatic closure around the foot, utilizing a predetermined coefficient of friction to maintain the access position until loaded by a foot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional footwear design is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring manual stretching and adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The sole structure is divided into a first sole component and a second sole component that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the footwear to automatically adjust to the foot during insertion without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The second sole component is designed to move from an initial position to a second position in response to foot insertion. This dynamic behavior enables automatic adjustment and hands-free placement, improving ease of operation while maintaining relatively simple structure through controlled motion rather than complex mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If hands-free placement is enabled through sole structure design, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases due to additional components and movement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the sole into two separable components with a defined interface, the patent enables hands-free placement through automatic adjustment. The segmentation allows the second component to move independently in response to foot insertion, providing automated functionality without requiring complex actuation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The footwear structure is designed to automatically adjust itself during foot insertion. The second sole component moves in response to the mechanical action of the foot entering the footwear, eliminating the need for manual stretching or adjustment. This self-service mechanism achieves hands-free placement while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
3Ease of operation
If automatic closure around the foot is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase to ensure proper fit and positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic closure is achieved through controlled movement of the second sole component from an initial position to a second position. By designing the movement path and stopping position through dynamic structural relationships rather than precise pre-positioning, the patent reduces manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining automatic closure functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface between the first and second sole components is designed to naturally guide and stabilize the second component in its final position. This equipotential design ensures that the component settles into the correct position through the mechanics of the interface itself, reducing the need for high-precision manufacturing and assembly.
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, hands-free placement and adjustment of footwear, reducing the need for manual manipulation during donning and doffing.
Implementation Method 1
a hinge disposed in the groove and connecting the midsole components. The hinge enables the sole structure to pivot (e.g., articulate) at the groove between a first orientation, referred to as a use position in which the groove is relatively open, and a second orientation, referred to as an access position in which the groove is relatively closed
Implementation Method 2
the outsole alone may provide at least the predetermined coefficient of friction to maintain the sole structure in the access position until loaded by a foot to move to the use position
Data Source
AI summary
An article of footwear includes a sole structure that has a front midsole component and a rear midsole component. A hinge connects the front midsole component to the rear midsole component and is disposed in a groove defined between the front and rear midsole components at a lower. The front midsole component and the rear midsole component are pivotable relative to one another at the groove between a use position and an access position, with the groove relatively open in the use position, and the groove relatively closed in the access position.