Skate Boot Liner Abrasion Resistant Overlay Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Skate boot inner liners experience abrasion and damage due to repetitive flexing motions in the ankle region, particularly around the lace openings, leading to material wear and tear from friction with hockey socks.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating overlays made of a material with higher abrasion resistance than the standard inner liner material in the medial and lateral upper inner regions of the skate boot's inner liner to mitigate friction and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the inner liner is made of soft material for comfort, then comfort is improved, but abrasion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different materials to different regions of the inner liner. The high-wear areas (medial and lateral upper inner regions around lace openings) are reinforced with abrasion-resistant material, while other areas maintain the soft comfort material. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing both comfort where needed and durability where required.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner liner combines two different materials: a soft comfort material (such as polyester or nylon fabric) and an abrasion-resistant material (such as synthetic leather or reinforced fabric). This composite construction allows the liner to simultaneously provide comfort through the soft material and abrasion resistance through the reinforced material in high-wear zones.
2Ease of operation
If the inner liner material is made soft for comfort, then comfort is improved, but the material durability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality enhancement by placing abrasion-resistant overlays specifically in the high-wear zones (medial and lateral upper inner regions around lace openings). This allows the majority of the liner to remain soft and comfortable while only the critical areas receive enhanced durability protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The abrasion-resistant overlays are pre-installed on the inner liner during manufacturing, providing durability protection in advance before the skate is used. This preliminary reinforcement prevents future wear and damage in high-stress areas without requiring the entire liner to be made of durable material.
3Reliability
If overlays with higher abrasion resistance are added to the inner liner, then abrasion resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the entire inner liner complex, the patent applies overlays only to specific high-wear zones (medial and lateral upper inner regions). This localized approach minimizes the added complexity while maximizing the abrasion resistance benefit where it is most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies abrasion-resistant overlays only to the extent necessary for protection - specifically to the medial and lateral upper inner regions around lace openings where wear occurs. This partial application avoids unnecessary complexity in areas where the standard liner material is sufficient.
Data Source
AI summary
A liner for a skate boot that includes an outer surface and an inner surface. The outer surface is configured to be mounted to a shell of the skate boot. The inner surface includes a first material and an overlay of a second material covering a part of the first material. The overlay and another part of the first material not covered by the second material are configured to be exposed to a foot when the foot is placed in the skate boot.