Segmented Shoe Tongue Lacing for Instep Fit and Foot Retention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoes lack adequate fit adjustment, particularly around the instep, and do not effectively prevent the foot from escaping during movement, especially when the MP joint flexes.
Innovation Solution
A shoe component featuring a tongue, medial and lateral wings, with varying numbers and arrangements of tongue eyelets, allowing for customizable lacing to enhance fit and hold the foot in place through different tensioning mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional lacing fitting structure with uniform eyelet distribution is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the fit to the instep and midfoot cannot be adjusted according to wearer preference
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue is divided into multiple tongue portions (first, second, third, fourth tongue portions) with different eyelet configurations. Each tongue portion can be independently adjusted, allowing different regions of the foot (instep, midfoot) to have customized fit characteristics. This segmentation enables localized fit adjustment without requiring complete redesign of the entire lacing system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different tongue portions are provided with different numbers and arrangements of eyelets according to the specific fit requirements of different foot regions. For example, the first and second tongue portions have different eyelet counts than the third and fourth tongue portions. This local differentiation allows optimal fit customization for each anatomical region while maintaining overall system simplicity.
2Reliability
If the upper is designed to prevent foot escape during MP joint flexion, then foot retention is improved, but the fit to the instep and midfoot may become too tight or uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The lacing system allows dynamic adjustment of tension distribution across different tongue portions. Wearers can tighten or loosen specific regions independently by adjusting lacing tension at different eyelet locations. This dynamic adjustability ensures reliable foot retention during movement while preventing excessive tightness that would cause discomfort, as each tongue portion can be optimized for its specific functional requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe component includes a tongue covering an instep of a foot of a wearer, a medial wing covering a medial midfoot of the wearer, and a lateral wing covering a lateral midfoot of the wearer, in which a part of the tongue on a medial foot side from a center in a foot width direction and the medial wing constitute a medial-foot tongue portion, a part of the tongue on a lateral foot side from the center in the foot width direction and the lateral wing constitute a lateral-foot tongue portion, and at least one of the medial-foot tongue portion and the lateral-foot tongue portion is provided with a tongue eyelet through which a shoelace is threaded.