Extended shoe horn
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with medical impairments, injuries, or physical limitations face difficulties in bending over or reaching to put on their shoes, necessitating a solution that allows for easy shoe insertion without forward bending.
Innovation Solution
A shoehorn device with a long offset handle that can be mounted on either side, enabling users to insert their shoes in a standing or sitting position with improved visualization and reduced body movement, featuring a wide saddle and back tab for easy foot sliding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional shoehorn is used, then the shoe insertion function is achieved, but the user must bend forward which is difficult for individuals with physical limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The shoehorn is extended vertically in the vertical dimension, transforming the traditional horizontal or angled insertion tool into a vertical reaching tool. This dimensional change allows users to access shoes on shelves or elevated surfaces without bending forward, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and physical strain.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended shoehorn acts as an intermediary tool between the user's hand and the shoe, providing mechanical leverage and extended reach. This intermediary device enables users with limited mobility to perform shoe insertion tasks that would otherwise require bending or reaching, eliminating physical strain while maintaining operational ease.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the handle is mounted centrally, then the device is symmetrical and simple to manufacture, but it cannot be used effectively by both right- and left-handed users
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is deliberately positioned asymmetrically (offset from the center) to create versions suitable for right-handed and left-handed users. This asymmetric design allows the shoehorn to be held and operated more naturally by different hand preferences, improving adaptability while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through standardized offset positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
By producing mirror-image versions of the offset handle design, the product line achieves universality, serving both right-handed and left-handed users with equally optimized tools. Each version maintains the same functional capabilities but with reversed offset direction, allowing the device to adapt to different user preferences without requiring separate design developments.
3Ease of operation
If the shoehorn is short, then it is easy to maneuver, but it does not provide sufficient reach for users to access their shoes while standing
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than extending the shoehorn horizontally which would compromise maneuverability, the extension is directed vertically upward. This dimensional reorientation provides extended reach for accessing shoes on shelves or elevated surfaces while maintaining a compact horizontal footprint that preserves ease of maneuvering and positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a shoehorn device, made for right handed or left handed users, having a long offset handle allowing the user to use the shoehorn in front of the user with good visualization. The shoehorn straddles the back of the shoe allowing the user to slip into their shoes while in front of the user. The offset handle is either mounted on the right side or the left, or a universal embodiment works in both directions. The device is useful for anyone who may desire to put on their shoes with a shoehorn in a standing position or a sitting position without having to bend forward. The device may be particularly useful for people with physical conditions, impairments, or disabilities that make bending over or otherwise reaching for their shoes difficult. The invention helps those who have difficulties inserting their feet into their shoes. The shoehorn has an attached offset long vertical handle.