Shoe Insole Coating Segmentation for Slip Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shoe insoles lack a balance between providing sufficient anti-slip properties, flexural rigidity, and maintaining air permeability and breathability, while also ensuring easy removal and comfort.

Innovation Solution

The insole features a coating with discrete, individual patterns formed by coating lines that are not continuous, incorporating curved and intersecting lines to distribute forces evenly and prevent preferred directions, ensuring good slip resistance without compromising the base material's properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a coating is applied to increase frictional force for anti-slip effect, then slip resistance is improved, but air permeability and breathability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveslip resistanceVSAvoidair permeability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The coating is divided into discrete individual patterns (dots, lines, or geometric shapes) rather than a continuous coating layer. These segmented patterns are distributed across the sole surface, providing anti-slip functionality while leaving gaps between them that allow air to pass through, thus maintaining breathability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The coating is applied locally only where anti-slip properties are needed (on the sole surface facing the shoe), while other areas remain uncoated to maintain breathability. The individual patterns create localized friction zones without compromising the overall air permeability of the insole.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If a continuous coating is applied to provide anti-slip effect, then slip resistance is improved, but flexural rigidity increases excessively

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveslip resistanceVSAvoidflexural rigidity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous coating is segmented into discrete individual patterns scattered across the sole surface. This segmentation prevents the formation of a continuous rigid structure, allowing the insole to maintain its natural flexibility while still providing sufficient anti-slip effect through the distributed patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If coating lines extend continuously from one side to the other, then manufacturing is simplified, but preferred directions are created reducing anti-slip effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating applicationVSAvoidanti-slip effect
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The coating patterns are designed with varied orientations and asymmetric arrangements rather than uniform continuous lines. Individual patterns may include curved lines, geometric shapes, or dots oriented in different directions, ensuring that no single preferred direction exists for slipping, thereby improving anti-slip effectiveness in all directions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

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 design enhances slip resistance, flexural rigidity, and maintains air permeability and breathability, allowing for better ergonomic adaptation and ease of insertion, while ensuring the insole can be easily removed.

Implementation Method 1

a coating is applied to the sole surface which gives the sole surface of the insole an increased frictional force compared to the uncoated sole surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3143893B1Insole
Publication Date: 2021.06.02 CMC CONSUMER MEDICAL CARE
  • EP3143893B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3143893B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3143893B1 patent drawingFigure 3a

AI summary

Insole (100) for shoes with a base material having a shoe-facing sole surface (102) and an opposite foot-facing foot surface, wherein a coating (112) is provided on the sole surface (102) which gives the sole surface (102) of the insole (100) an increased frictional force compared to the uncoated sole surface (102), characterized in that the coating (112) is formed from a plurality of individual patterns (120) formed by coating lines (114) which are discrete from each other and are arranged in such a way that they cannot be formed by one or more continuous coating lines (114) extending continuously from a first side (122a) of the sole surface (102) to an opposite second side (122b) of the sole surface (102).