TWI896885B - shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

[Topic] Provide a pair of shoes that fits the foot well and is easy to put on and take off. [Solution] The shoe comprises: a sole, an upper arranged on the sole; the upper comprises: an upper body portion having an opening for the wearer's foot to enter and exit, and an annular retaining portion; the retaining portion is connected to the opening portion and is used to retain the wearer's foot and has stretchability; the edge of the opening portion comprises: a first edge located at the rear end side in the front-rear direction, and a second edge located in front of the first edge; the retaining portion has a higher degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge than to the first edge.

Description

shoe

The present invention relates to shoes.

Various types of shoes have been provided in the past. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a footwear product comprising a sole structure disposed under the wearer's foot and a knitted upper disposed on the sole structure, wherein the upper has a double-layer structure.

The upper comprises a shell component fixed to the sole structure, and a knitted component fixed and arranged within the shell component.

The knitted parts include a cavity-forming portion that forms a cavity for the wearer's foot to enter and exit, and a ring-shaped collar that is integrally formed with the cavity-forming portion and covers the entire circumference of the wearer's ankle.

When wearing footwear with the above structure, the compression force of the collar allows the sole structure to be attracted to the wearer's foot, thereby improving the fit.

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-535443

In the aforementioned known footwear, the loop covers the entire circumference and connects to the cavity. Therefore, even if the loop is stretched, it is difficult for the loop to fully expand, making it difficult for the wearer to put their foot through and take it off.

Therefore, in view of this situation, the present invention aims to provide a pair of shoes that are highly fitting and easy to put on and take off.

The shoe of the present invention comprises a sole and an upper mounted on the sole. The upper comprises a main upper portion having an opening for the wearer's foot to enter and exit, and an annular retaining portion. The retaining portion is coupled to the opening and is configured to retain the wearer's foot and is stretchable. The edge of the opening comprises a first edge located at the rear end in the front-rear direction and a second edge located forward of the first edge. The retaining portion has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge than to the first edge.

In shoes with this structure, the retaining portion has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge than to the first edge, allowing the front portion of the retaining portion to extend more easily. Therefore, the wearer can pass their foot through the shoe with the retaining portion fully extended, making it easier to put on and take off the shoe.

Furthermore, when the wearer wears the shoe, the front side of the retaining portion is in an extended state. The contraction of the front side of the retaining portion creates a tensile force that pulls the first edge, or the rear side of the sole, toward the front side of the retaining portion. This prevents the rear side of the sole from coming off the wearer's foot, improving the fit.

In the shoes of the above structure, by making the degrees of freedom of movement of the front and rear sides of the retaining portion different, a perfect fit is achieved and the shoes are easy to put on and take off.

In the shoe of the present invention, the retaining portion is joined to the first edge, and at least a portion thereof is not joined to the second edge.

This allows the retaining portion to have a higher degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge than the retaining portion has relative to the first edge, thus improving ease of insertion and removal.

In the shoe of the present invention, the retaining portion is used to cover the wearer's ankle from the front of the talus to the front of the tibia and fibula.

The tensile force created by the contraction of the retaining portion allows the rear end of the sole to adhere tightly to the wearer's heel, facilitating a more comfortable fit.

In the shoe of the present invention, the upper end of the retaining portion is positioned so as to cover the wearer's medial and lateral ankles, or above the upper ends of the medial and lateral ankles.

With this structure, the upper end of the retaining portion can be easily pulled up to a higher position, making it easier to pull the rear end of the sole toward the wearer's heel, thereby improving the fit.

In the shoe of the present invention, the upper body comprises a front cover portion that covers the toes of the wearer's foot, a pair of medial cover portions extending rearward from the front cover portion and disposed on one and the other sides in the widthwise direction, and a tongue portion disposed between the pair of medial cover portions. The retaining portion is integrally formed on the first edge portion.

The shoes with the above structure are easy to fit and put on and take off.

In the shoe of the present invention, the retaining portion is joined to the first edge, and the retaining portion and the upper main body are separate entities.

In this case, it is easier to fit and put on and take off.

In the shoe of the present invention, the retaining portion is connected to the tongue portion.

This allows the tensile force caused by the contraction of the retaining portion to be transferred to the tongue, improving the fit.

In the shoe of the present invention, the tongue portion is connected to the front cover portion.

This allows the tensile force caused by the contraction of the retaining portion to be transmitted to the front cover along with the tongue, improving the fit.

In the shoe of the present invention, the tongue portion is connected to the medial covering portion.

By also joining the tongue to the medial cover, the tensile force caused by the contraction of the retaining element is evenly distributed to the front and medial covers, improving fit and providing superior wearing comfort.

In the shoe of the present invention, the medial side covering portion is disposed on the medial instep and the lateral instep, and the tongue portion is joined to either the medial side covering portion on the medial instep or the medial side covering portion on the lateral instep.

Even in this case, the tensile force caused by the contraction of the retaining section is transmitted in a balanced manner to the front and middle covers, improving the fit and providing excellent wearing comfort.

As described above, the shoes of the present invention can achieve a highly fitting and easy-to-wear and take-off effect.

1: Shoes

2: Sole

3: Upper

4: Fasteners

20: Front bottom

21: Bottom of the middle side

22: Bottom of the back

30: Main body of the upper

31: Maintenance Department

300:The first edge

301: The second edge

302: Front cover

303: Middle side cover

304: Rear cover

305: Tongue

O: Opening

[Figure 1] is a top view showing the structure of a shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] is a side view of the shoe according to this embodiment, viewed from the medial ankle side.

[Figure 3] is a side view of the shoe according to this embodiment, viewed from the lateral ankle side.

[Figure 4] is a top view of the shoe according to this embodiment with the medial cover portion unfolded.

[Figure 5] is a partial cross-sectional view of the shoe according to this embodiment, viewed from the medial ankle side.

[Figure 6] is a partial cross-sectional view of the shoe according to this embodiment, viewed from the lateral ankle side.

[Figure 7] is an explanatory diagram of the wearing state of the shoe according to this embodiment, and is a view viewed from the inside.

[Figure 8] is an explanatory diagram of the wearing state of the shoe according to this embodiment, and is a view viewed from the outside.

The following is a detailed description of a shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG1 , the shoe 1 of this embodiment comprises a sole 2 (see FIG2 ) for supporting the wearer's foot, an upper 3 disposed on the sole 2, and a fastener 4 for securing the wearer's foot to the sole 2 via the upper 3.

In this embodiment, the front-to-back direction of the shoe 1 is referred to as the front-to-back direction, the lateral width of the shoe 1 is referred to as the lateral width direction, and the height of the shoe 1 is referred to as the height direction. The inner side of the lateral width direction is referred to as the medial malleolus side, and the outer side of the lateral width direction is referred to as the lateral malleolus side.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sole 2 includes a front bottom portion 20 located at the front side in the front-to-back direction, a middle bottom portion 21 located at the rear side of the front bottom portion 20, and a rear bottom portion 22 located at the rear side in the front-to-back direction. The front bottom portion 20 constitutes the front end of the sole 2, and the rear bottom portion 22 constitutes the rear end of the sole 2.

The front sole 20 is where the wearer's toes step, the rear sole 22 is where the wearer's heel steps, and the middle sole 21 is where the center of the wearer's foot (the center in the front-to-back direction) steps.

As shown in Figure 1, the upper 3 comprises a main upper portion 30 having an opening O for the wearer's foot to enter and exit, and an annular retaining portion 31. The retaining portion 31 is joined to the opening O and is used to retain the wearer's foot and is stretchable.

The edge of the opening O of the upper body 30 includes a first edge 300 located at the rear end and a pair of second edges 301 located forward of the first edge 300. The pair of second edges 301 are continuous with the first edge 300, with one second edge 301 positioned on the medial malleolus and the other on the lateral malleolus.

The boundary between the first edge 300 and the second edge 301 can be set, for example, at a position corresponding to the center of the opening O in the front-to-back direction (a position aligned with the center of the opening O in the transverse direction).

The upper body 30 of this embodiment includes a front cover portion 302 located at the front end in the front-to-back direction; a pair of medial cover portions 303 adjacent to the rear side of the front cover portion 302 in the front-to-back direction and spaced apart from each other in the widthwise direction; a rear cover portion 304 adjacent to the rear sides of the pair of medial cover portions 303 in the front-to-back direction (see Figures 2 and 3); and a tongue portion 305 arranged to overlap the medial side of the medial cover portion 303.

The front cover 302 is integrally formed with a pair of medial cover sections 303 and a rear cover section 304. The front cover section 302 covers the sides of the wearer's toes, one medial cover section 303 covers the medial malleolus, and the other medial cover section 303 covers the lateral malleolus. The rear cover section 304 covers the area around the wearer's heel.

As described above, the pair of center cover portions 303 are arranged side by side with a gap between them in the transverse direction. In this embodiment, the area between the pair of center cover portions 303 is referred to as the interference area. The interference area is formed to be continuous with the opening O.

The holding portion 31 has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge portion 301 than the holding portion 31 has relative to the first edge portion 300. The holding portion 31 is more easily extended at its front end in the front-back direction than at its rear end in the front-back direction.

The degree of freedom of movement of the holding portion 31 relative to the first edge 300 refers to the degree to which the holding portion 31 is displaced (moved) relative to the first edge 300 when the holding portion 31 is stretched relative to the first edge 300. The degree of freedom of movement of the holding portion 31 relative to the second edge 301 refers to the degree to which the holding portion 31 is displaced (moved) relative to the second edge 301 when the holding portion 31 is stretched relative to the second edge 301.

More specifically, the rear end of the retaining portion 31 is joined to the first edge portion 300, while the front end thereof is not joined to the pair of second edge portions 301 (see Figures 4, 5, and 6). The retaining portion 31 and the first edge portion 300 may be sewn together or joined by adhesive bonding, welding, or other means.

Therefore, the rear end of the retaining portion 31 is retained by the first edge 300 when pulled, but the front end of the retaining portion 31 is not retained by the second edge 301 when pulled, allowing the front end to extend more easily than the rear end.

The fasteners 4 can be made of metal wire, shoelaces, Velcro, etc. By operating the fasteners 4, the pair of middle side covering portions 303 can be tightened.

The structure of the shoe 1 according to this embodiment is as described above. Next, how to put on and take off the shoe 1 will be described.

To put on the shoe 1, first pull the retaining portion 31 radially outward to a size that allows the foot to easily pass through. For example, grasp one side of the retaining portion 31 and pull it apart. Then, pass the foot through the retaining portion 31 and into the upper body 30.

As mentioned above, the front end of the retaining portion 31 is not joined to the second edge 301. Therefore, the front end of the retaining portion 31 can easily expand relative to the rear end of the retaining portion 31, making the retaining portion 31 easy to pass through.

If the upper end of the retaining portion 31 is not positioned corresponding to the medial malleolus A1 and lateral malleolus A2 of the wearer's ankle N, or is not positioned above the medial malleolus A1 and lateral malleolus A2, the retaining portion 31 is pulled upward so that the upper end is positioned overlapping the medial malleolus A1 and lateral malleolus A2, or is positioned above the medial malleolus A1 and lateral malleolus A2 (see Figures 7 and 8). In Figures 7 and 8, the foot is numbered F and the ankle is numbered N.

When the fasteners 4 are operated to tighten the pair of medial cover portions 303, the wearer's feet are restrained within the upper body portion 30.

To remove the shoe 1, operate the fastener 4 to loosen the restraining force on the foot, pulling the foot out of the upper body 30 and the retaining portion 31. Even when the foot is pulled out of the retaining portion 31, the front end of the retaining portion 31 easily expands relative to the rear end, making the retaining portion 31 easy to pass through.

When the shoe 1 is worn, the front end of the retaining portion 31 is more easily stretched than the rear end. Therefore, the rear end of the retaining portion 31 is stretched toward the front end of the retaining portion 31, causing the rear cover portion 304 of the upper body 30 and the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 to also be stretched toward the front end of the retaining portion 31.

Because the retaining portion 31 is tilted so that its front end is positioned above its rear end, the rear end of the retaining portion 31, the rear cover portion 304 of the upper body 30, and the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 are stretched forward and upward by the front end of the retaining portion 31.

When the wearer steps on the ground, for example, while walking, the toes step on the sole 2 and the heel moves away from the sole 2. As described above, the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 is stretched forward and upward by the front end of the retaining portion 31. This prevents the wearer's heel from separating from the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 (causing the rear bottom portion 22 to follow the movement of the wearer's heel).

As described above, with the shoe 1 of this embodiment, the retaining portion 31 has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge 301 than relative to the first edge 300. This allows the front end of the retaining portion 31 to extend more easily. Consequently, with this structure, the wearer can pass their foot through the retaining portion 31 with the retaining portion 31 fully extended, making it easier to put on and take off the shoe. This significantly improves the ease of donning and doffing for high-top shoes, such as those of this embodiment.

The rear end of the retaining portion 31 has a lower degree of freedom of movement than the first edge portion 300. Therefore, when the wearer wears the shoe 1, the extended front end of the retaining portion 31, together with the rear end of the retaining portion 31, pulls the first edge portion 300 forward, thereby bringing the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 closer to the wearer's foot. This prevents the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 from separating from the wearer's foot, improving the fit.

The shoe 1 of this embodiment achieves a perfect fit and easy donning and doffing by differentiating the degree of freedom of movement between the front and rear ends of the retaining portion 31.

Since at least a portion of the retaining portion 31 is not bonded to the second edge 301, the retaining portion 31 has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge 301 than the retaining portion 31 has relative to the first edge 300, thereby facilitating insertion and removal.

In the shoe 1 of this embodiment, the retaining portion 31 covers the wearer's ankle from the front of the talus to the front of the tibia and fibula. The tensile force generated by the contraction of the retaining portion 31 easily pulls the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 toward the wearer's heel, thereby improving the fit.

The upper end of the retaining portion 31 is positioned to cover the wearer's medial and lateral ankles, or above the upper ends of the medial and lateral ankles. This makes it easier to pull the upper end of the retaining portion 31 higher, increasing the force with which the retaining portion 31 pulls the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2 toward the wearer's heel.

If the retaining portion 31 can transmit the tensile force not only to the rear cover portion 304 of the upper body portion 30 and the rear bottom portion 22 of the sole 2, but also to other parts of the upper body portion 30, the fit can be further improved.

For example, in this embodiment, the front side of the retaining portion 31 is joined to the tongue portion 305, and the tongue portion 305 is joined to the front cover portion 302. This interconnects the front side of the retaining portion 31, the tongue portion 305, and the front cover portion 302. This allows the tensile force of the retaining portion 31 to be easily transmitted to the front side of the shoe 1 (i.e., the front cover portion 302 or the front bottom portion).

When worn, the front cover 302 is positioned higher in the order of the front end of the tongue 305, the rear end of the tongue 305, and the retaining portion 31. This allows the front cover 302 to be closer to the wearer's foot (toes), preventing the wearer's toes from separating from the sole 2, thus improving the fit.

The shoes of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the upper body 30 is joined to the retaining portion 31, which is a separate unit from the upper body 30. However, this configuration is not limited to this. The upper body 30 and the retaining portion 31 may also be formed as a single unit.

While the second edge 301 in the above embodiment may be entirely non-engaged with the retaining portion 31, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, as long as the retaining portion 31 has a greater degree of freedom of movement relative to the second edge 301 than the first edge 300, the second edge 301 may be partially engaged with the retaining portion 31 (that is, the second edge 301 may include a portion engaged with the retaining portion 31 and a non-engaged portion not engaged with the retaining portion 31). Alternatively, at least a portion of the retaining portion 31 may be non-engaged with respect to the second edge 301.

As long as the holding portion 31 can be more movable relative to the second edge 301 than relative to the first edge 300, the holding portion 31 may be joined to the entire second edge 301.

When the retaining portion 31 is also joined to the second edge 301, the degree of freedom of movement of the retaining portion 31 relative to the first edge 300 can be expressed as the degree to which the retaining portion 31 relative to the first edge 300 expands and contracts when the retaining portion 31 is stretched relative to the first edge 300. The degree of freedom of movement of the retaining portion 31 relative to the second edge 301 can be expressed as the degree to which the retaining portion 31 relative to the second edge 301 expands and contracts when the retaining portion 31 is stretched relative to the second edge 301.

In the above embodiment, although the retaining portion 31 is connected to the tongue portion 305, this configuration is not limited thereto. For example, the retaining portion 31 may not be connected to the tongue portion 305.

In the above embodiment, although the tongue portion 305 is joined to the front cover portion 302, this configuration is not limiting. For example, the tongue portion 305 may not be joined to the front cover portion 302. In this case, the tongue portion 305 may also be joined to the medial cover portion 303, for example.

In the above embodiment, although the tongue portion 305 is not joined to the medial cover portion 303, this configuration is not limiting. For example, the tongue portion 305 may not be joined to the medial cover portion 303. In this case, the tongue portion 305 may be joined to either the portion of the medial cover portion 303 located on the medial malleolus or the portion located on the lateral malleolus.

This allows the tensile force caused by the contraction of the retaining portion 31 to be transmitted to the medial covering portion 303 along with the tongue portion 305, thereby improving the fit of the shoe.

Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the shoe 1 may be, for example, a bicycle shoe 1 suitable for a sports bicycle user, or may be a shoe 1 for other purposes.

1: Shoe 3: Upper 4: Fastener 30: Upper body 31: Retention portion 300: First edge 301: Second edge 302: Front cover 303: Middle cover 304: Back cover 305: Tongue O: Opening

Claims (10)

A pair of shoes comprises: a sole, and an upper arranged on the above-mentioned sole; 　　The above-mentioned upper comprises: 　　A main body of the upper formed with an opening for the wearer's foot to enter and exit, and an annular retaining portion; 　　The above-mentioned retaining portion is a different entity from the above-mentioned main body of the upper, and extends upward from the above-mentioned opening in a state of being sewn to the above-mentioned opening and is used to retain the wearer's foot; 　　The above-mentioned retaining portion covers the entire circumference in the circumferential direction and has stretchability; 　　The edge of the above-mentioned opening portion comprises: a first edge located at the rear end side in the front-rear direction, and a second edge located in front of the above-mentioned first edge; 　　The above-mentioned retaining portion has a higher degree of freedom of movement relative to the above-mentioned second edge than the above-mentioned first edge. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is joined to the first edge and is at least partially unjoined relative to the second edge. As in the shoe of claim 1 or 2, the retaining portion is used to cover the area of the wearer's ankle from the front of the talus to the front of the tibia and fibula. As in the shoe of claim 1 or 2, the upper end of the above-mentioned retaining portion is configured at a position covering the wearer's inner ankle and outer ankle, or above the upper end of the inner ankle and the upper end of the outer ankle. The shoe as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the above-mentioned upper main body comprises: a front covering portion covering the toe side of the wearer's foot, a pair of middle covering portions extending rearward from the front covering portion and arranged on one side and the other side in the lateral direction, and a tongue portion arranged between the above-mentioned pair of middle covering portions; the above-mentioned retaining portion is integrally formed on the above-mentioned first edge portion. As for the shoe of claim 1 or 2, wherein the retaining portion is joined to the first edge, and the retaining portion and the upper main body are different entities. The shoe of claim 5 , wherein the retaining portion is coupled to the tongue portion. The shoe of claim 7, wherein the tongue portion is joined to the front cover portion. The shoe of claim 5, wherein the tongue portion is joined to the medial side covering portion. As in the shoe of claim 9, the above-mentioned medial side covering portion is arranged on the inner dorsal side and the outer dorsal side, and the above-mentioned tongue portion is connected to: either the above-mentioned medial side covering portion on the inner dorsal side or the above-mentioned medial side covering portion on the outer dorsal side.