Slatted Heel Support Structure for Hands-Free Foot Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional footwear requires the use of hands to stretch the ankle opening and hold the rear portion during foot insertion, especially in soft uppers without a heel counter.
Innovation Solution
A heel support device with a plurality of slats and a base, featuring a progressive gradient of widths and lengths, that allows for easy foot entry and removal in a hands-free manner by resiliently bending under foot pressure, and may include pegs and an elongated tip for securement and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the heel counter is made stiffer to provide better rearward support, then the support function is improved, but the comfort and flexibility of the footwear is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heel counter is divided into a rigid portion and a flexible portion, allowing different regions to perform different functions. The rigid portion provides structural support while the flexible portion maintains comfort and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the heel counter have different rigidity characteristics. The rearward portion is rigid to provide support, while the forward portion is flexible to maintain comfort, creating local quality variations that resolve the contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If the heel counter material is made softer to improve comfort, then the comfort is improved, but the structural support and stability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heel counter is segmented into rigid and flexible portions, where the rigid portion maintains structural support while the flexible portion provides comfort, resolving the contradiction between strength and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel counter combines materials or structures with different rigidity properties to create a composite structure that simultaneously provides both structural support and comfort.
3Reliability
If a traditional rigid heel counter design is used to provide stable support, then the support stability is improved, but the adaptability to different foot shapes and movements is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heel counter is divided into rigid and flexible portions, allowing the rigid portion to provide stable support while the flexible portion adapts to different foot shapes and movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The heel counter transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure with both rigid and flexible portions, allowing it to adapt to varying foot conditions while maintaining support stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of footwear includes an upper defining a foot-receiving cavity with a heel region, and a heel support device extending around the rear of a heel region from a lateral side to a medial side. The heel support device may include a plurality of slats and a base, the plurality of slats providing a progressive gradient of lengths and/or widths, and/or one or more pegs extending from the device for attachment to a footwear upper, and/or an elongated tip that may be disposed in a cavity of an extension of a heel collar of the upper.