Variable Thickness Insole for High Heel Ankle Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional high-heeled shoes are uncomfortable due to ankle instability and pressure on the ball and forefoot regions, leading to foot pain and discomfort, with existing solutions often being bulky or requiring modifications to the shoe last, affecting fit and style.
Innovation Solution
A flexible device with ellipsoid depressions to accommodate the calcaneal tuberosity and a raised area under the metatarsals, which can be inserted into shoes during manufacturing or post-manufacture, shifting weight towards the heel and improving ankle stability without altering the shoe's fit or style.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional high-heeled shoes are constructed with a rigid insole board and high heel, then the shoe provides structural support and heel height, but it causes ankle instability and pressure on the ball and forefoot regions
Solution Approach 1:
The insole board is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thickest at the heel region (providing maximum support where needed) and gradually thinning toward the toe region. This local variation in structural properties allows the insole to provide targeted support at the heel while reducing rigidity in the forefoot area, thereby improving ankle stability and reducing pressure on the ball and forefoot regions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing solutions are added to improve comfort, then foot comfort is enhanced, but the shoe becomes bulky or requires modifications to the shoe last affecting fit and style
Solution Approach 1:
The comfort-improving features (variable thickness insole board, arch support structure, and heel cushioning) are merged into a single integrated insole assembly rather than adding separate bulky components. This integration allows the comfort features to be incorporated within the existing shoe structure without increasing overall volume or requiring modifications to the shoe last, thereby maintaining the shoe's original fit and style while enhancing comfort.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a device for insertion into a heeled shoe, having a rear region positioned to underlying a wearer's calcaneal tuberosity, the rear region being shaped to accommodate a planer surface of the wearer's calcaneal tuberosity, an upper surface of said rear region having a raised portion underlying an area of the wearer's calcaneus immediately forward of the wearer's calcaneus tuberosity; and a forward region positioned to underlie at least a portion of the shafts of the wearer's metatarsals, the second upper surface of said forward region having a raised portion which gradually rises to an apex position to underlie the shafts of the wearer's second and third metatarsals.