Shoe Upper Tubular Lace Passage for Even Tightening Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shoe designs that tighten the upper via shoelaces passing through side edges concentrate tightening force on these edges, limiting the flexibility in selecting lace passage locations and creating uneven pressure distribution.
Innovation Solution
The upper design incorporates a tubular passage that extends from a partial region towards the outer edge and returns, allowing the shoelace to pass through, increasing flexibility in lace passage selection and enabling the upper to be pulled up from the sole side.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the shoelace passes through holes at the left and right side edges of the opening, then the upper can be tightened by tensioning the shoelace, but the tightening force is concentrated around the left and right side edges, limiting the flexibility in selecting lace passage locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional 2D surface passages (holes at side edges) to a 3D tubular passage that extends through the thickness of the upper material. This allows the shoelace to pass through the interior volume of the upper, enabling new routing options and distributing tension forces more effectively across multiple regions including the instep and vamp areas, not just the side edges.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular passage is divided into multiple sections: a first section extending from the opening toward the outer edge, and a second section returning to the partial region. This segmentation allows the shoelace to follow a complex path that engages different portions of the upper, distributing tightening forces across multiple areas rather than concentrating them at single points.
2Stress or pressure
If the shoelace passes through holes at the left and right side edges, then tightening force is applied, but the pressure distribution becomes uneven on the upper
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular passage structure creates different local tightening effects at different regions of the upper. The passage routing through the interior allows targeted tensioning of specific areas (instep, vamp, toe box) while maintaining appropriate looseness in other regions, achieving non-uniform pressure distribution that optimizes comfort and fit for different foot zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular passage acts as an intermediary structure that redistributes the tightening force from the shoelace across multiple regions of the upper. Instead of direct point-to-point tensioning at side edges, the passage mediates the force transmission, allowing the tension to be distributed through the interior structure to multiple contact points on the foot.
Data Source
AI summary
An upper includes an upper main body covering an instep of a foot. The upper main body is formed with a partial region that is a region away from an outer edge of the upper main body, and a passage formed in a tubular shape that extends from the partial region toward the outer edge and then extends so as to return to the partial region and allows a shoelace to pass through. An opening extending in a front-back direction is formed in the partial region. The passage extends from the opening toward the outer edge and then extends so as to return to the opening.