Kick Toss Boot with Weighted Front for Aerodynamic Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional shoe golf suffers from shoe wear and tear, soiling, exposure to injury or dampness, poor aerodynamic performance, and lack of standardized targets.
Innovation Solution
A recreational activity using a specially designed toe box ('boot') for kick tossing, combined with upper body balance and coordination, featuring a weighted front for consistent aerodynamics, and a framed net or scoring tarp for standardized scoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If one uses their actual shoe for kicking in traditional shoe golf, then the game can be played with readily available equipment, but the shoe suffers from wear and tear, soiling, and potential injury exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a boot as an intermediary object between the player's foot and the ground/target. The boot is specifically designed for kicking activities, absorbing the wear, tear, and soiling that would otherwise affect regular shoes. It also protects the player's foot from injury by providing a protective barrier during the kicking action.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot is designed to replicate the essential function of a shoe for kicking purposes, but with enhanced protective features. It copies the basic structure needed for foot coverage while adding reinforced areas to handle the harsh conditions of kicking games, effectively creating a specialized version that solves the problems of using regular shoes.
2Ease of manufacture
If one uses regular shoes for kicking, then no special equipment is needed, but the aerodynamic performance is poor and kicking consistency is inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The boot modifies key parameters of the kicking object by changing its shape, weight distribution, and surface characteristics. The weighted front end and streamlined shape are specifically designed to improve aerodynamic performance during the kicking motion, while the standardized design ensures consistent kicking behavior across different players and sessions.
3Device complexity
If one kicks their actual shoe, then the game setup is simple, but frequent cleaning is required and foot exposure to dampness occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The boot serves as a protective intermediary that takes on the burden of soiling and dampness. Players can wear their regular shoes with the boot over them, or use the boot alone, but the key benefit is that the boot absorbs the environmental contaminants and moisture that would otherwise directly affect the player's foot or require frequent cleaning of valuable footwear.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional shoe golf is played without standardized targets, then the game can be played anywhere, but there is no standardized scoring system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal target system that can be used in various locations while maintaining standardized scoring. The target with clearly defined scoring zones provides a consistent measurement framework that works whether the game is played in a backyard, park, or other outdoor space, thus combining the versatility of play-anywhere with the precision of standardized scoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A recreational activity and component pieces for that activity in which one or more participants toss a specially designed article that fits over at least the toe portion of their footwear, the toss using their lower extremities (leg and foot) in combination with upper body for balance and coordination. The activity can be adapted as a game in which the participants or players score points while sometimes negotiating obstacles or making goals depending on the game of choice. The game tests a player's kick toss agility.