TPU Sidewall Training Shoe for Stability and Rope Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing training shoes face a trade-off between stability and comfort, with features like rigidity competing with flexibility, and specific exercises requiring unique features that often conflict with other design considerations.
Innovation Solution
A training shoe design featuring a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sidewall that extends upward on both sides of the shoe, providing lateral support and protection from abrasion while promoting grippiness, combined with a midsole made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for comfort and shock absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the sidewall extends upward past the bottom of the enclosure by at least 10-15 mm on both sides, then lateral support and protection from abrasion are enhanced, but the flexibility and comfort of the shoe are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different regions of the shoe. The sidewall is constructed from TPU material that provides enhanced lateral support and abrasion resistance, while the midsole uses EVA material that provides cushioning and flexibility. This local differentiation of material properties allows the shoe to simultaneously achieve both lateral support and comfort without requiring the entire structure to be uniformly rigid or flexible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining TPU sidewall material with EVA midsole material. The TPU provides structural integrity, lateral support, and protection from abrasion, while the EVA provides shock absorption and flexibility. This composite approach allows the shoe to integrate multiple functional requirements that would be conflicting if implemented with a single material.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the sidewall is made of TPU material to provide stability and protection, then abrasion resistance is improved, but the grip and friction needed for certain exercises are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface treatments to different regions of the sidewall. The outer sidewall surface features a grooved or ridged pattern that enhances grip and friction for exercises like rope climbing, while the inner sidewall surface remains smooth to provide comfort against the foot. This local differentiation of surface properties allows the same component to satisfy conflicting requirements for both grip and comfort.
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 balances stability and comfort by enhancing lateral support and protection, allowing for effective rope climbing and smooth wall contact during exercises like handstand push-ups, reducing abrasion and slippage.
Implementation Method 1
The sidewall may be grooved or ridged to promote grippiness... providing lateral support and protection from abrasion
Implementation Method 2
a midsole made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for comfort and shock absorption
Implementation Method 3
The sidewall may be grooved or ridged to promote grippiness
Data Source
AI summary
A training shoe includes a bottom sole, a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the bottom sole, one or more panels attached to one or both of the midsole and the bottom sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot, and a sidewall comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The sidewall may be disposed on at least a portion of the midsole and at least a portion of the one or more panels so as to define part of an external surface of the training shoe. The sidewall may extend upward past a bottom of the enclosure on either or both of an outer side of the training shoe and an inner side of the training shoe. The sidewall may extend from the outer side of the training shoe to the inner side of the training shoe along a rear of the training shoe.