Shoe Accessory Coupling Using Expandable Holes and Hook-and-Loop Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal items such as toys or bags often get dropped, misplaced, or stored in a manner that hinders easy access, especially for children.
Innovation Solution
A system for attaching personal items to shoes using a molded shoe with expandable holes, a shaft, and a mounting patch with hook and loop coupling, allowing secure and releasable attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If personal items are carried on a child's person, then easy access is enabled, but the items can be dropped or misplaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the personal item with the shoe by providing attachment mechanisms (loops, Velcro, snap fasteners) that secure the item to the shoe's upper. This merging ensures the item remains reliably attached to the shoe while remaining accessible to the child wearing the shoe.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary attachment system consisting of shafts, shoulders, mounting patches, and fastening mechanisms that mediate between the shoe and the personal item. This intermediary structure provides secure retention while maintaining easy access through releasable fasteners.
2Reliability
If personal items are stored in a fixed location, then they are secure, but access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The releasable fastening system acts as an intermediary that maintains secure retention in the closed state while allowing easy access when opened. The mounting patch and attachment surface provide reliable connection that can be quickly released by the child.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system transitions from a static fixed storage solution to a dynamic system that can switch between secured and accessible states. The releasable fasteners enable the personal item to be easily attached and detached based on the child's needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a mounting patch extends beyond the shoe surface, then attachment flexibility increases, but the profile increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting patch is strategically positioned and sized to extend only as far as necessary to provide adequate attachment surface area. This localized extension provides sufficient attachment flexibility while minimizing the overall profile increase of the shoe 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 and secure attachment of personal items to shoes, preventing loss and facilitating easy access, while allowing for different attachment orientations and configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a first shoulder secured to the first end of the shaft, the first shoulder being configured for insertion through a first expandable hole of the plurality of expandable holes and configured to engage an inner surface of the upper portion of the shoe
Implementation Method 2
the mounting patch comprising a receiving surface that extends at least to a second expandable hole of the plurality of expandable holes, the second expandable hole is adjacent to the first expandable hole; a personal item comprising an attachment surface, the attachment surface configured to securely yet releasably couple to the receiving surface when the attachment surface is placed into contact with the receiving surface
Data Source
AI summary
A system for attaching a personal item to a shoe includes: a molded shoe made from a stretchable material and having a plurality of expandable holes in an upper portion; a shaft having first and second ends; a first shoulder secured to the first end, the first shoulder configured for insertion through a first expandable hole of the plurality of expandable holes and configured to engage an inner surface of the upper portion of the shoe; a second shoulder secured to the second end; a mounting patch coupled to the second shoulder, the mounting patch including a receiving surface extending at least to a second expandable hole adjacent to the first expandable hole; a personal item including an attachment surface, the attachment surface configured to securely yet releasably couple to the receiving surface when the attachment surface is placed into contact with the receiving surface.