Smart Shoe with Collapsible Heel and Adjustable Fit

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-heeled shoes pose risks to foot health and safety due to uneven weight distribution, and existing solutions fail to provide comfortable and practical alternatives that accommodate varying heel heights and foot shapes, leading to issues like balance problems, inadequate fit, and difficulty in changing shoes on the go.

Innovation Solution

A smart shoe with an electronically controlled, collapsible and extendable heel and adjustable width and length features, utilizing a smartphone app to manage heel height, and inflatable cushions for arch support, allowing for customizable fit and comfort without sacrificing style.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If high-heeled shoes are worn for aesthetic appeal, then attractiveness is improved, but foot health and balance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic appealVSAvoidfoot health and balance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic heel height adjustment mechanism that allows the heel to be extended or retracted based on activity requirements. The motorized system enables the shoe to transition between high-heel aesthetic mode and low-heel functional mode, resolving the contradiction between appearance and foot health by making the heel height adaptable rather than fixed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the heel height parameter dynamically through motorized adjustment. By varying the heel height from high to low positions, the system maintains aesthetic appeal when needed while eliminating harmful effects on foot health during walking or standing activities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple pairs of shoes are transported to accommodate different activities, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and portability worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveactivity accommodationVSAvoidshoe carrying requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal shoe that performs multiple functions through a single device. The motorized heel adjustment system allows one shoe to serve both aesthetic and functional purposes, eliminating the need to carry multiple specialized shoes for different activities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The dynamic adjustment capability allows the single shoe to adapt to different activity requirements in real-time, providing the versatility of multiple shoes while maintaining the simplicity of carrying only one pair

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of manufacture

If shoe width is standardized to B width, then manufacturing ease is improved, but fit comfort for narrow feet deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestandardized productionVSAvoidfit comfort

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic width adjustment through inflatable air pockets that can be inflated or deflated to accommodate different foot widths. This allows standardized B-width shoes to be adjusted to fit narrower or wider feet, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and fit comfort

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The internal volume parameter of the shoe is changed dynamically through air inflation/deflation, allowing the same shoe to accommodate different foot widths while maintaining standardized external dimensions for easy manufacturing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Manufacturing precision

If heel height is fixed, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to different walking conditions worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefixed heel constructionVSAvoidheel height adjustment

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the fixed heel into a dynamic, adjustable component using motorized mechanisms. The heel height can be changed in response to different walking conditions, maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized motor components while achieving adaptability through controlled adjustment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11564447B1Smart shoe and method using

Publication Date: 2023.01.31 LAMOTHE CHRISTINA

AI summary

A smart shoe has a height-adjustable heel having a plurality of co-axially oriented, concentric cylindrical wall sections of progressively different diameters comprising a skeleton framework. The wall sections are extendable from a collapsible position wherein the wall sections substantially completely overlap in an axial direction to an extended position wherein the walls sections are extended in an axial direction. Heel height is determined by the number of uncollapsed wall sections. A controller element provides incremental heel height adjustments through the sequential collapse of one wall section at a time starting with the uppermost wall section. The smart shoe includes reversibly expandable components for automatically modifying its width, length, and arch support height to provide an optimal fit of both shoes comprising the pair of smart shoes at every selected heel height.