Windlass Mechanism Outsole for Plantar Fasciitis Relief

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional functional shoes do not effectively support the arch of the foot during movement, leading to minimal pain and fatigue relief for plantar fasciitis, and can worsen conditions affecting the knee joints and spine.

Innovation Solution

The functional shoe incorporates a windlass mechanism with an outsole that bends in response to foot movement, featuring arch support, bending induction grooves, and a buffer groove to induce a natural arch shape and disperse load effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If conventional functional shoes support the arch of the foot, then the arch support is provided, but the shoe does not bend to conform to the foot shape during walking and does not completely adhere to the foot

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearch support stabilityVSAvoidfoot conformity during movement

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The outsole is designed with bending induction grooves that enable dynamic bending during walking, allowing the shoe to adapt to foot movement. The grooves are positioned to induce bending at specific locations, making the outsole flexible and conformable to the foot's natural motion while maintaining arch support.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The outsole is divided into multiple segments by the bending induction grooves, which create distinct bending zones. This segmentation allows different parts of the outsole to bend independently, conforming to the foot's shape during walking while maintaining overall structural integrity and arch support.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional functional shoes maintain a fixed structure, then manufacturing is simpler, but the natural arch of the foot is not maintained and plantar fasciitis worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoutsole structure simplicityVSAvoidplantar fasciitis relief effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The bending induction grooves are designed with curved surfaces that guide the foot into a natural arch shape during walking. The curved geometry of the grooves promotes proper foot biomechanics, maintaining the natural arch and reducing strain on the plantar fascia while remaining manufacturable using standard molding techniques.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Strength

If the outsole is made rigid to support the arch, then arch support is strong, but the foot cannot bend naturally during walking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearch support strengthVSAvoidfoot bending freedom

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The outsole has different structural properties in different regions: the arch support area maintains rigidity for strength, while the bending induction groove areas provide flexibility for foot movement. This local differentiation allows the outsole to simultaneously support the arch and allow natural foot bending during walking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The outsole transitions from a rigid structure to a dynamic structure through the bending induction grooves. The grooves allow the outsole to bend and adapt to foot movement during walking, while maintaining rigidity in the arch support regions. This dynamic behavior enables both strong arch support and natural foot movement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250072557A1Functional shoes that can help alleviate plantar fasciitis with a windlass mechanism and reduce the impact on the spine and knee joints

Publication Date: 2025.03.06 ALTAFIT CORP

AI summary

Provided is a functional shoe that is capable of helping alleviation of plantar fascilitis and reducing an impact to the spine and knee joints by using a windlass mechanism that is capable of inducing a wearer's foot into a natural arch shape while changing to correspond to movement of the wearer's foot when wearer walks. The functional shoe that is capable of helping alleviation of plantar fasciitis with a windlass mechanism and reducing an impact to spine and knee joints is capable of allowing an instep of a wearer to be bent when walking and includes an outsole configured to support a sole of a foot and to support an arch of the foot by being bent in response to the bending of the foot when the wearer walks, and an upper coupled to the outsole to support the instep. The outsole includes an arch support protruding from a top surface of the outsole to support the arch of the wearer's foot, first bending induction grooves defined in plurality in a bottom surface of the outsole along a longitudinal direction of the outsole and configured to induce the bending of the outsole when the wearer walks, and second bending induction grooves defined in a side surface of the outsole along the longitudinal direction of the outsole and connected to the first bending induction grooves and configured to induce the bending of the outsole when the wearer walks. Each of the bending induction grooves and the second bending induction grooves is provided in a dome structure of which a width gradually decreases along a direction in which each bending induction groove is recessed from an outer surface of the outsole.