Wrap-around Wire Support for Shoe Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shoes used in sporting activities, such as golf, lack sufficient stability, traction, and torsional control to effectively manage the complex forces exerted during movements, leading to reduced performance and increased foot fatigue.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a wrap-around wire support system with a reel-based lacing system and a saddle assembly that tightens around the lateral, bottom, and medial sides of the shoe, providing enhanced arch support, stability, and customizable fit, along with traction elements on the sole for improved grip and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional shoe construction is used, then the shoe is simpler and lighter, but it lacks sufficient stability, torsional control, and arch support during complex sporting movements
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is divided into distinct functional components: an upper portion, a saddle assembly with wrap-around wires, and a sole assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while contributing to overall stability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe combines multiple materials with different properties: the upper portion provides flexibility and comfort, the wire laces provide tensile strength and adjustability, the saddle assembly with wrap-around wires provides torsional control and arch support, and the sole assembly provides traction. This composite approach achieves enhanced stability through material diversity rather than structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the shoe provides enhanced stability and torsional control, then performance during sporting activities improves, but the shoe becomes heavier and less flexible
Solution Approach 1:
The saddle assembly and wrap-around wires are strategically positioned to provide support only where needed during sporting movements, rather than making the entire shoe heavy and rigid. This localized support system enhances performance in critical areas while maintaining overall shoe flexibility and minimizing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire lace and saddle assembly create a dynamic support system that adapts to the foot's movements during sporting activities. The wrap-around wires provide torsional control that moves with the foot rather than resisting all movement, allowing the shoe to maintain performance reliability without excessive weight.
3Ease of operation
If the closure is tightened around the foot, then the fit and support improve, but the shoe becomes less comfortable and more restrictive
Solution Approach 1:
The saddle assembly extends the closure system from the traditional two-dimensional top surface into the third dimension by wrapping around the lateral and medial sides of the foot. This three-dimensional closure provides comprehensive fit and support while distributing pressure more evenly, reducing the harmful effects of tightness and improving comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire laces and saddle assembly create a flexible support structure that conforms to the foot's shape rather than forcing the foot into a rigid form. This flexible closure system maintains secure fit and support while adapting to natural foot movements, preventing discomfort and restriction.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the shoe provides maximum traction and stability, then performance during sporting activities improves, but the shoe loses necessary flexibility and torsional control
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap-around wires in the saddle assembly are pre-configured to provide torsional control before the foot experiences extreme movements during sporting activities. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures stability during high-stress moments while allowing normal flexibility during less demanding phases of movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe's flexibility and stability parameters are dynamically adjusted through the wire lace tension system. During normal movement, the shoe maintains flexibility for adaptability. During high-stress sporting movements, the wrap-around wires engage to provide enhanced torsional control and stability, effectively changing the structural parameters based on performance needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe including: an upper configured to receive therein a foot of a wearer, the upper comprising a closure and a tongue configured to cover a top portion of the foot; at least one wire lace coupled to opposing edges of the closure and configured to pull the opposing edges of the closure closer together to tighten the closure around the foot, and configured to release and allow the opposing edges to move away from each other to loosen the closure around the foot; and at least one support wire coupled to the at least one wire lace, wherein the at least one support wire wraps around a lateral, bottom and medial side of the upper such that when the at least one wire lace tightens the closure around the foot, the at least one support wire tightens around the lateral, bottom and medial sides of the upper.