US20190159547A1 - Shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe, which is light and capable of improving cushioning properties and a thrust force occurring upon push off without sacrificing comfort to wear, has a simple structure and can be mass-produced. The shoe is provided with: a shoe body into which a foot is inserted; a hard plate which covers a necessary area on a bottom side of the shoe body in a length direction and is fixed to the bottom side of the shoe body only at a necessary location including a position of a front foot part; and cushion materials which are attached to both end parts of a ground contact side of the hard plate in the length direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present invention relates to a shoe, which has comfort to wear and which is capable of efficiently converting grounding impact into a thrust force occurring upon push off and is suitable for running or walking.
BACKGROUND ART
• In a conventional running shoe or a conventional walking shoe (hereinafter referred to as “shoe”), as shown inFIG. 6, acushion material24 is provided to an entiresole member22 of ashoe20 so as to reduce grounding impact applied to a sole of foot and obtain flexibility and a thrust force occurring upon push off. The shoe having such structure is disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-85104).
• The inventor of the present invention has invented a shoe, which is capable of storing grounding impact as energy and radiating the stored energy as a repulsion force when pushing off by a front foot part and is capable of reducing fatigue and burden of the foot and running or walking efficiently, and the shoe is disclosed in Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-162318). Concretely, as shown inFIG. 7, ahard stepping plate31 and ahard grounding plate34 are connected, by a connectingsection34 of a heel part (a rear foot part), with asuitable clearance33, so that aplate spring35, which returns theclearance33 to an original state when an external force for narrowing theclearance33 is applied, is formed, and theplate spring35 is attached to a bottom part of the shoe at a front foot part of thehard stepping plate31.
CITATION LISTPatent Literature
• Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-85104
• Patent Literature 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-162318
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONTechnical Problem
• In the conventional shoe disclosed in Patent Literature 1, if the cushion materials are partially provided on a ground contact surface so as to improve cushioning properties and obtain an effective thrust force for push off while running or walking, pressure is partially applied to the sole of foot and comfortableness will be worse. Therefore, providing the cushion materials on the grounding surface is restricted. Further, in the conventional shoe disclosed inPatent Literature 2, a structure of the plate spring, which is capable of receiving grounding impact and which has suitable mechanical strength for obtaining the repulsion force for push off, is complex, and it is difficult to mass-produce the plate spring. Even if the plate spring is composed of a light material, an entire weight of the shoe must be heavier.
Solution to Problem
• Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a shoe, which is light and capable of improving cushioning properties and a thrust force occurring upon push off without sacrificing comfort to wear and which has a simple structure and can be mass-produced.
• Namely, the shoe of the present invention comprises: a shoe body into which a foot is inserted; a hard plate covering a necessary area on a bottom side of the shoe body in a length direction and being fixed to the bottom side of the shoe body only at a necessary location including a position of a front foot part; and cushion materials being attached to at least both end parts of a ground contact side of the hard plate in the length direction.
• Preferably, the necessary area is the entire shoe body in the length direction. With this structure, options of attachment positions of the cushion materials can be increased.
• Preferably, the necessary area is an area from the front foot part to a heel part except a toe part. With this structure, flexibility of the shoe body for pushing off and following capability of the hard plate to the shoe body can be improved.
• Preferably, the cushion material is attached to a position on the bottom side of the shoe body which corresponds to the toe part. With this structure, comfort to wear when pushing off can be improved, and a repulsion force can be increased.
• Preferably, the hard plate is curved and projected, at a position corresponding to the front foot part, toward a ground. With this structure, the hard plate can easily follow the shoe body when pushing off, and a separation (a distance) between the hard plate and the heel part of the shoe body is shortened, so that inertia moment of the shoe can be made smaller, and fatigue and burden of the foot can be reduced.
• Preferably, a sectional shape of the hard plate in a width direction is formed into a corrugated shape. With this structure, a weight of the hard plate can be reduced, and a strength of the hard plate in the length direction can be increased, so that performance of the hard plate can be kept for a long period.
• Preferably, a bending resistance of a part of the hard plate corresponding to the area of the front foot part is smaller than that of another part corresponding to an area from an intermediate foot part to the heel part. With this structure, flexibility of the shoe while running can be secured, and a repulsion force occurring upon push off can be increased.
• Preferably, the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body. With this structure, dispersion and reduction of grounding impact can be accelerated. Further, an area of a ground contact side of the hard plate, in which the cushion materials can be provided, can be broadened, so that options of attachment positions of the cushion materials can be increased, and the cushion materials can be optionally provided.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
• As described above, the hard plate is provided on the bottom side of the shoe body, so that the cushion materials can be partially provided on the ground contact side of the hard plate without sacrificing comfort to wear. The hard plate is fixed to the bottom side of the shoe body only at the necessary location of the front foot part, so that the heel part of the shoe body (a rear foot part) separates from the hard plate when pushing off and flexibility of the shoe body can be maintained. The cushion materials are attached to the both end parts (the heel part and the toe part or the front foot part) of the ground contact side of the hard plate in the length direction, so that the cushion material need not be provided to the intermediate foot part and the weight of the shoe can be reduced.
• By partially providing the cushion materials on the ground contact side of the shoe, an amount of deformation of the cushion materials can be increased, and cushioning properties and the repulsion force can be improved. Namely, grounding impact while running can be absorbed by the cushion materials of the heel part and the front foot part, and the cushion material of the heel part restores by weight shift, so that the cushion material upwardly lifts a user wearing the shoes and the cushion material of the front foot part is further compressed. Therefore, the hard plate and the shoe body are inclined forward, and restoring the shoe can be accelerated. Further, the cushion material of the front foot part, which has been compressed when pushing off, restores, so that the user wearing the shoes is upwardly lifted and the thrust force is generated. Therefore, the cushion materials are deformed when grounding, so that the stored energy can be efficiently converted into the thrust force occurring upon push off. Further, the structure of the shoe can be simplified, so that the light shoe can be mass-produced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe of Embodiment 1.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hard plate.
• FIG. 3 is a side view of the shoe shown inFIG. 1, in which the shoe is pushed off.
• FIG. 4 is a side view of a shoe of Embodiment 2.
• FIG. 5 is a side view of a shoe of Embodiment 3.
• FIG. 6 is a side view of the conventional shoe (Prior Art).
• FIG. 7 is a side view of another conventional shoe (Prior Art).
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
• Embodiments of the shoe of the present invention will be described.
Embodiment 1
• As shown inFIG. 1, ashoe10 of the present embodiment comprises: a shoe body1 into which a foot F is inserted; ahard plate2 covering a necessary area on a bottom side of the shoe body in a length direction; andcushion materials3 being attached on a ground contact side of thehard plate2.
• Thehard plates2 entirely covers a bottom side of the shoe body1 in a length direction. A suitable material of thehard plate2 is a light and has high mechanical strength. In the present embodiment, thehard plate2 is composed of carbon fiber resin, but the material of thehard plate2 is not limited to the carbon fiber resin. As shown inFIG. 1, thehard plate2 is curved and projected, at a position of a front foot part, toward a ground when seen from a side. Thehard plate2 is fixed to a bottom side of the shoe body1 only in a necessary length area including a border part between a phalange and a metatarsal (a necessary location of the front foot part). Namely, thehard plate2 is not fixed to the bottom side of the shoe body1 in an area from an intermediate foot part to a heel part (a rear foot part), and thehard plate2 is capable of moving to and away from a bottom surface of the shoe body1.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of thehard plate2 seen from a lower side. In thehard plate2, a plurality of projecting stripes2aare arranged, in a width direction of thehard plate2, with prescribed separations. Recessedstripes2bare respectively formed between the projecting stripes2a.Namely, in an upper surface of thehard plate2, the projecting stripes2ashown inFIG. 2 form therecessed stripes2b,and therecessed stripes2bin a bottom surface of thehard plate2 form the projecting stripes2a,so that a sectional shape of thehard plate2 in the width direction is formed into a corrugated shape. By forming the sectional shape in the width direction into the corrugated shape, a weight of thehard plate2 can be reduced, and a strength (a bending strength) of thehard plate2 in the length direction can be improved.
• As to a height of each projecting stripe2a(a depth of each recessedstripe2b), a depth of the intermediate foot part and the heel part is deeper than that of the front foot part. With this structure, a bending resistance (a bending strength) of thehard plate2 in an area of the front foot part can be smaller than a bending resistance (a bending strength) thereof in an area from the intermediate foot part to the heel part. The upper and the bottom surfaces of thehard plate2 may be formed flat. By changing the shape of thehard plate2, theshoe10 having a suitable repulsion force and comfortableness according to user's object and preference can be provided.
• Cushion materials3 are respectively attached to both end parts, i.e., the front foot part and the heel part, of a ground contact side (the bottom side) of thehard plate2 in the length direction. Namely, as clearly shown inFIG. 1, nocushion material3 is attached to a part of thehard plate2 corresponding to the intermediate foot part, so that the parts of thecushion materials3 contact the ground but the part of thehard plate2 corresponding to the intermediate foot part is separated from the ground in a state where theshoe10 is merely put on the ground.
• When the user wearing theshoes10 begins to run as shown inFIG. 3, only the front foot part of theshoe10 contacts the ground, so that an area of thehard plate2, which corresponds to the area from the intermediate foot part to the heel part, is separated from the ground and the heel part of the shoe body1. Therefore, bending properties of theshoe10 is not sacrificed, so that the user can smoothly push off the ground. When contacting the ground, a pressure applied to the front foot part and the heel part can be dispersed to an entire sole of user's foot by thehard plate2, so that comfortableness of theshoe10 can be improved.
• Thecushion materials3 are respectively attached to the locations of the ground contact side of thehard plate2 corresponding to the front foot part and the heel part (at least the both end parts of the ground contact side of thehard plate2 in the length direction). Thecushion materials3 are composed of a material having superior softness and elasticity, e.g., EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate). By partially providing thecushion materials3 on the ground contact side of thehard plate2, theshoe10 can be suitably lightened.
• In theshoe10 having the above described structure, grounding impact can be efficiently stored in thecushion materials3 as elastic energy (repulsion energy). Therefore, when the user pushes off the ground by a ground contact surface of theshoe10, the repulsion energy generated by restoring thecushion materials3 can be applied in a direction of push off as a thrust force, so that high power push off can be obtained.
Embodiment 2
• In theshoe10 of the present embodiment, an area of attaching thehard plate2 to the shoe body1 and locations of attaching thecushion materials3 are different from those of theshoe10 of Embodiment 1. Concretely, as shown inFIG. 4, thehard plate2 is provided to the bottom side of the shoe body1 and in an area in the length direction from the front foot part to the heel part except a toe part. Namely, thehard plate2 does not cover the toe part of theshoe10. Thehard plate2 is attached to the bottom side of the shoe body1 only in the necessary length area including the border part between the phalange and the metatarsal (the necessary location of the front foot part).
• As described above, the part not covered with thehard plate2 is formed on the bottom side of the shoe body1, a bending angle of a bending part of theshoe10, which is a border part between the part covered with thehard plate2 and the part not covered therewith, can be made wider. With this structure, following capability of thehard plate2 to the shoe body1 can be improved when pushing off, so that comfort to wear can be further improved.
• In theshoe10 of the present embodiment, thecushion material3 is additionally provided to the bottom side of the shoe body1 in the toe part which is not covered with thehard plate2. Thecushion material3 provided to the toe part is separated from thecushion materials3 which are attached to the both end parts of the ground contact side of thehard plate2 in the length direction, and it is formed into a triangular shape when seen from a side.
• A maximum thickness of thecushion material3 covering the toe part is approximately equal to that of thecushion materials3 attached to the bottom side of thehard plate2. By employingsuch cushion materials3, stumbling which is caused when thecushion material3 of the toe part unexpectedly contacts the ground while running or walking can be prevented. By wearing theshoes10, the thrust force occurring upon push off and comfort to wear can be further improved. Elastic coefficients of thecushion materials3 of the toe part, the front foot part and the heel part may be different from each other.
Embodiment 3
• InFIG. 5, the part of theshoe10 not covered with thehard plate2 is covered with thecushion material3 of the front foot part. Namely, thecushion material3 of the front foot part and thecushion material3 of the toe part described inEmbodiment 2 are integrated in the present embodiment. With this structure, in comparison withEmbodiment 2, producing and attaching thecushion material3 can be simplified, and durability can be improved.
• In the present embodiment, as shown inFIG. 5, thehard plate2 and thecushion material3 attached to the heel part of thehard plate2 are backwardly projected from a rear end of the shoe body1 and form a projectingpart4. By forming the projectingpart4, impact absorbability when grounding can be improved, so that burden of the foot can be suitably reduced.
• The present invention has been explained in detail with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. For example, theshoe10 of the above described embodiments is but the shoe may be suitably applied to a walking shoe.
• In the above described embodiments, thecushion materials3 act as ground contact members of theshoe10, but outer sole members may be attached to the bottom surfaces of thecushion materials3 as ground contact members. In Embodiment 1, the bending resistance of thehard plate2 in the length direction may be partially differed. Concretely, by employing thehard plate2 in which the bending resistance in the area of the front foot part is smaller than that in the area from the intermediate foot part to the heel part, flexibility of theshoe10 can be suitably secured even if thehard plate2 is attached to the entire shoe body1 in the length direction. Further, by attaching thehard plate2 to the entire shoe body1 in the length direction, theshoe10 having stable comfort to wear can be produced.
• InEmbodiment 2, thecushion material3 is attached to the toe part of the shoe body1 (the part not covered with the hard plate2), but thecushion material3 attached to the toe part of the shoe body1 may be omitted. With this structure, the weight of theshoe10 can be further reduced. On the other hand, thecushion material3 may be attached to cover the entire ground contact side of thehard plate2. With this structure, stability of theshoe10 can be improved and thehard plate2 can be protected when running or walking on an uneven ground.
• Further, the structures of Embodiments 1-3 may be selectively combined or applied to other examples.

Claims (21)

1-8. (canceled)

9. A shoe comprising:

a shoe body into which a foot is inserted;

a hard plate covering a necessary area on a bottom side of the shoe body in a length direction and being fixed to the bottom side of the shoe body only at a necessary location including a position of a front foot part; and

cushion materials being attached to at least both end parts of a ground contact side of the hard plate in the length direction.

10. The shoe according toclaim 9, wherein the necessary area is the entire shoe body in the length direction.

11. The shoe according toclaim 9, wherein the necessary area is an area from the front foot part to a heel part except a toe part.

12. The shoe according toclaim 9, wherein the hard plate is curved and projected, at a position corresponding to the front foot part, toward a ground.

13. The shoe according toclaim 9, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

14. The shoe according toclaim 10, wherein the hard plate is curved and projected, at a position corresponding to the front foot part, toward a ground.

15. The shoe according toclaim 10, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

16. The shoe according toclaim 11, wherein the cushion material is attached to a position on the bottom side of the shoe body which corresponds to the toe part.

17. The shoe according toclaim 11, wherein the hard plate is curved and projected, at a position corresponding to the front foot part, toward a ground.

18. The shoe according toclaim 11, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

19. The shoe according toclaim 12, wherein a bending resistance of a part of the hard plate corresponding to the area of the front foot part is smaller than that of another part corresponding to an area from an intermediate foot part to the heel part.

20. The shoe according toclaim 14, wherein a bending resistance of a part of the hard plate corresponding to the area of the front foot part is smaller than that of another part corresponding to an area from an intermediate foot part to the heel part.

21. The shoe according toclaim 16, wherein the hard plate is curved and projected, at a position corresponding to the front foot part, toward a ground.

22. The shoe according toclaim 16, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

23. The shoe according toclaim 17, wherein a bending resistance of a part of the hard plate corresponding to the area of the front foot part is smaller than that of another part corresponding to an area from an intermediate foot part to the heel part.

24. The shoe according toclaim 19, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

25. The shoe according toclaim 20, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

26. The shoe according toclaim 21, wherein a bending resistance of a part of the hard plate corresponding to the area of the front foot part is smaller than that of another part corresponding to an area from an intermediate foot part to the heel part.

27. The shoe according toclaim 23, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

28. The shoe according toclaim 26, wherein the hard plate and the cushion material are backwardly projected from the shoe body.

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