Documentation and Analysis of Patent Search (B2.0)

Introduction - Patent Search

When trying to find a solution to the problem, it is often helpful to see if there is a patent trying to solve that problem or a similar problem. When looking for patents our group looked for different types of shoes that were designed to increase friction with the ground. This included different soles made with different materials with different shapes and design. We also looked at more unique solutions like a claw or glue shoe.

Patent 2

APA Citation: Google. (2019, July 24). JP6549513B2 - sole for sports shoes. Google Patents. Retrieved from https://patents.google.com/patent/JP6549513B2/en?q=high%2Bfriction%2Bshoes&oq=high%2Bfriction%2Bshoes

Patent Number: JP6549513B2

Patent Summary: This is a type of shoe sole that has differing friction surfaces overlapping on the bottom of the shoe. These create a systematic form of friction on the sole of the shoe. It is commonly done with only two elements on the sole of the shoes but it can be done with three elements.

Patent Critique: This is an incredibly useful resource for us as it is direct research and applications of research into different friction in the soles of shoes. The goal of it was for sport shoes rather than space shoes so it isn’t a direct transfer. They didn’t have any images.

Patent 9

Google. (n.d.). JP2016016329A - multifunctional outdoor shoes, in particular mountain shoes, mountain running shoes, trail running shoes or climbing shoes, as well as methods for manufacturing them. Google Patents. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2016016329A/en?q=running%2Bshoes&oq=running%2Bshoes.

Patent Number: JP2016016329A

Patent Summary: This is a patent about the charistics of a running shoe and how it can be manufactured. It goes into depth about the materials that could be used and how they would be made. It discusses the sole of the shoe and how the sole adds friction to allow the shoe to function.

Patent Critique: This patent will help us when we are figuring out how to make our shoes. It also gives us ideas on a more wide variety of materials to use when making the shoe. Some bad parts of this source is that it doesn't go into depth about why each material was chosen so it's not as technical as we want it to be.

Conclusion - Patents

These patents all had relevant ideas to our product as they all dealt with the sole and structure of feet and shoes. The sole of the shoe is our biggest concern when going into making it, so having all of these patents that already relate to soles of shoes is very helpful. These patents show existing research into rubber soles and different physical designs of the soles of the shoes. A number of patents show different types of ridges. Most of these shoes however aren't equipped to handle the unique challenges of shoes in space, for example, most have some sort of cushioning to absorb shock from the bone, but in space astronauts don't get enough stress on their bone, so cushioning is unfavorable.

Analysis of Prior Solution Attempts (B3.0)

Introduction - Prior Solution Matrix

When analyzing different solutions or designs an engineer might often use a matrix. We took some of our favorite patents, plus other similar products like Timberland boots or Brooks running shoes. We choose these shoes because they are often used when in low friction situations. We weighed these products on criteria we thought we're in important to our design. Some of these criteria are a high frictional coefficient, being compressible and produce no static electricity.

Decision Matrix Conclusion

In this decision matrix we weighed certain factors of products with either similar design or useful specifications to our shoes. We had certain factors be worth more weight than other factors on a scale of 0.5-2 to get a good idea of how applicable certain products would be to our research. When we graded the products we rated them from 0-10 where 0 was low and 10 was high. In the end we found that there were three shoes that were all quite different but all we're at the top of our matrix. These three all excelled in their own unique ways. The Light Weight Sole Shoes had an above average friction stat, incredibly applicable and easy use, and we're incredibly lightweight for easy transport into space. It fell although in the fact that the structure wasn't firm at all and that its friction and tread was only slightly above average. The Timberland Work Boots were quite the opposite of the light weight shoes as they were very heavy and less form fitting, but had a greater friction and tread stat and were the best, by far, in how firm and how sturdy they were. Finally the Non Slip Athletic Shoes were quite ahead of the rest in the line up. They were the best in friction, which is one of the most heavily weighed categories, and they boasted above average stats in all other categories. These three shoes are likely to guide our development and research in the near future.