Footwear Sole Plate Recesses for Support and Bending Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sole structures in footwear with incorporated plates often become excessively stiff, making bending difficult and failing to accommodate additional cushions like foam blocks or fluid-filled chambers.
Innovation Solution
A sole structure design featuring a plate with recesses and retainers that house cushions, allowing for flexible positioning and integration of fluid-filled chambers, combined with a midsole made of resilient polymer foam for enhanced support and cushioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plates are incorporated into the sole structure to provide increased support and stability, then support and stability are improved, but the sole structure becomes excessively stiff and bending becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The plate incorporates recesses at specific locations (forefoot and heel regions) that create local variations in stiffness. These recesses allow the plate to be stiff in areas requiring support while maintaining flexibility in areas requiring bending, resolving the contradiction between overall structural strength and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous plate is segmented by introducing recesses that divide it into distinct functional zones. This segmentation allows different portions of the plate to perform different functions - providing support where needed while allowing bending in other areas, thus resolving the stiffness-f flexibility contradiction.
2Strength
If plates are incorporated into the sole structure to provide increased support and stability, then support and stability are improved, but the ability to accommodate additional cushions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The plate features locally differentiated regions including recesses and retainers positioned at specific locations. These local variations enable the plate to accommodate cushions (such as foam blocks or fluid-filled chambers) in the recesses while maintaining structural support through the retainer mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between support stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Cushions are nested within the recesses of the plate structure. The retainers engage with the cushions to secure them in place, creating a nested configuration where the cushion is housed within the plate's recess while the retainer provides additional constraint. This nesting approach allows the plate to maintain its support function while accommodating additional cushioning elements.
3Reliability
If retainers are added to the plate to secure cushions, then cushion positioning is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is merged with the plate as an integrally formed feature rather than a separate component. This combining of the retainer with the plate structure reduces the number of discrete parts while maintaining the cushion-securing function, thus resolving the contradiction between reliable cushion positioning and structural simplicity.
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 design provides improved flexibility and cushioning while maintaining support, accommodating various cushions and distributing ground-reaction forces effectively.
Implementation Method 1
The midsole provides cushioning for the foot and is generally at least partially formed from a polymer foam material that compresses resiliently under an applied load to cushion the foot by attenuating ground-reaction forces
Implementation Method 2
a first cushion having a first portion received within the recess, the first portion engaging the first retainer to maintain a desired position of the first cushion relative to the plate
Data Source
AI summary
A sole structure for an article of footwear includes an outsole defining a ground-contacting surface, a midsole disposed between the outsole and the upper, and a plate attached to the midsole and defining a recess extending in a direction away from the outsole and toward the upper, the recess including a first retainer. The sole structure further includes a first cushion having a first portion received within the recess, the first portion engaging the first retainer to maintain a desired position of the first cushion relative to the plate.