3D Zonal Compression Shoe Midsole Lattice
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shoes often fail to provide comfortable and efficient support for diverse foot anatomies and gait styles due to the complexity and cost of producing multiple specialized parts, leading to variability in user comfort and production expense.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensional printed midsole with a lattice structure is designed, featuring a platform and lattice integrally formed from polymer materials, tailored to match foot contours and varying pressure zones, allowing for customizable support and reduced production complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple specialized parts are produced to accommodate diverse foot anatomies and gait styles, then user comfort and support are improved, but production complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a single midsole component that can accommodate multiple foot types and gait styles through adjustable elements. The midsole includes a heel cup, arch support, and toe area that can be adjusted to fit different anatomies, eliminating the need for multiple specialized parts while maintaining adaptability across user populations.
Solution Approach 2:
The midsole is segmented into distinct functional zones (heel cup, arch support, toe area) that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for specific foot anatomies and gait patterns while maintaining a unified component structure, reducing production complexity compared to multiple separate parts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple specialized parts are produced to accommodate diverse foot anatomies and gait styles, then user comfort and support are improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By designing a universal midsole that serves multiple foot types and gait styles through adjustment mechanisms, the patent eliminates the need to produce multiple specialized components. This reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining the ability to accommodate diverse anatomies and gait patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functional elements (heel cup, arch support, toe area) into a single integrated midsole component. This consolidation reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured, assembled, and inventoried, thereby reducing production costs while maintaining comprehensive support for diverse foot anatomies.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single unitary midsole design is used, then production complexity and cost are reduced, but adaptability to diverse foot anatomies and gait styles may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The midsole incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the static unitary structure to adapt to different foot anatomies and gait styles. Users can modify the heel cup depth, arch support height, and toe area configuration to match their specific needs, providing versatility within a single manufactured component.
Solution Approach 2:
The unitary midsole features locally variable properties with different zones (heel, arch, toe) having distinct characteristics optimized for their specific functions. Each zone can be independently adjusted to provide appropriate support for different foot anatomies, maintaining adaptability while using a single integrated component.
Data Source
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AI summary
A shoe is configured to be worn on a user's foot and includes an upper and a sole coupled to the upper. The sole includes an insole, a midsole, and an outsole. The midsole includes a platform and a lattice integrally formed with the platform. The platform has a toe portion, a heel portion, a medial portion, and a lateral portion arranged to align with the user's foot. The lattice extends from the platform and includes a plurality of crisscrossing laths. Each lath has a longitudinal structure with a longitudinal axis and two ends. The laths are positioned in at least a first zone and a second zone in the lattice, and each lath in the first zone has a girth that is substantially different from a girth of each lath in the second zone.