Sintered Drainable Shoe Lattice Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional drainable shoe designs, such as shower shoes, face limitations in both functionality and aesthetics due to manufacturing processes, which hinder optimal water flow and comfort, making them unsuitable for showering purposes and uncomfortable to wear.
Innovation Solution
A shoe construction featuring a lattice-interlace surface with horizontal and vertical laths and apertures, formed using sintered material through rapid manufacturing techniques like laser sintering, creating a tessellated framework with hollow cubes that allow efficient water flow in and out of the shoe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard manufacturing processes (molding, pattern cutting, knitting, and sewing) are used to create openings in the drainable shoe, then the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective, but the water flow efficiency and aesthetic design are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a lattice structure with interconnected struts forming void spaces throughout the shoe body, creating a porous framework that enables efficient water drainage while maintaining structural integrity. This porous architecture allows water to flow through multiple pathways simultaneously, significantly improving drainage efficiency compared to traditional single-opening designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional two-dimensional surface openings to a three-dimensional lattice framework that extends throughout the shoe volume. This dimensional transformation creates multiple drainage pathways in different spatial directions, enhancing water flow efficiency while providing aesthetic value through the complex geometric pattern.
2Ease of manufacture
If standard manufacturing processes are used, then production is easier and less costly, but the aesthetic creativity and functional optimization of the shoe are constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is divided into a lattice framework consisting of numerous discrete struts connected at nodes, forming repeating geometric units. This segmentation allows for modular construction and creates an aesthetically pleasing pattern while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through the repetition of standard structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple materials with different properties to create the lattice structure, including rigid materials for structural support and potentially flexible or porous materials for enhanced drainage functionality. This composite approach allows optimization of both aesthetic appearance and water flow performance.
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
The solution enables efficient water flow while providing aesthetically creative and comfortable designs, suitable for showering purposes, by forming a lattice-interlace surface and tessellated framework that enhances water passage through the shoe.
Implementation Method 1
formed using sintered material through rapid manufacturing techniques like laser sintering
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a shoe construction that includes an upper that has an interior surface and a corrugated exterior surface of rapid manufactured material. The upper interior surface and corrugated exterior surface form a lattice-interlace surface. The lattice-interlace surface includes the interior surface that has a plurality of horizontal laths, the corrugated exterior that has a plurality of vertical laths, and a plurality of lattice apertures that extend from an interior of the shoe to an exterior of the shoe. The shoe construction further includes an interior sole portion of sintered material. The interior sole portion forms a tessellated framework. The tessellated framework includes a lattice of hollow cubes; each hollow cube has a top surface opening and a bottom surface opening, the openings extending from an interior of the shoe to an exterior of the shoe.