WO2007029964A1

WO2007029964A1 - Ballet boots

Info

Publication number: WO2007029964A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/003537
Authority: WO
Inventors: So Jung Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-08
Filing date: 2006-09-06
Publication date: 2007-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-08
Also published as: KR200401548Y1

Abstract

Disclosed are ballet shoes, each of which is constituted by a reinforcement plate having a high elastic coefficient, and a heat-shrinkable resin sheet. The ballet shoe includes a bottom part 10 having an outsole 11 and an insole 12 layered in sequence; a toecap 20 coupled with a front tip of the bottom part 10; a reinforcement plate 30 formed of a bottom plate 31 buried into the bottom part 10, and a toecap support plate 32 bent upward at a front tip of the bottom plate 31 and extending therefrom to be buried into the toecap 20; an upper leather 40 having a lower end periphery fixedly inserted between the outsole 11 and the insole 12, and inner and outer leathers 41 and 42 surrounding the insole 12 and the toecap 20; and a heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 buried into the upper leather 40, wherein the reinforcement plate 30 and the heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 are coupled. Accordingly, it is possible to improve stability of a point motion and obtain the same effect as custom-made ballet shoes.

Description

Description BALLET BOOTS

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to ballet shoes, and more particularly, to ballet shoes, each of which has a reinforcement plate coupled with a bottom of the ballet shoe and formed of a high elastic material such that the bottom of the ballet shoe can closely contact with the sole of a user's foot when a ballet dancer stands using a toecap fixed in the front of the ballet shoe during a point motion that is one of ballet movements, and a heat-shrinkable resin sheet buried in an upper leather such that the upper leather of the ballet shoe can be fitted to the user's foot like custom-made shoe by heating the heat-shrinkable resin sheet when the user initially puts on the shoe. Background Art

[2] Generally, a ballet is a kind of dance developed in Europe, which is constituted of variously patterned positions and motions. Among them, the point is one of the positions and motions that apply an excessive load to a dancer's body and require close adhesion between ballet shoes and the dancer's feet.

[3] Since the point motion requires the dancer's toes to stand almost vertically, an excessive load is applied to the toes and tiptoes of the dancer's feet, and bottom parts of the ballet shoes may be spaced apart from the soles of the dancer's feet. In order to prevent the above problems, a dancer should put on improved exclusive ballet shoes, each of which has a shock-absorbing front part and an elastically reinforced bottom part. A conventional exclusive ballet shoe for the point motion will be described below.

[4] As one of the ballet shoes, there is a point shoe (or toe shoe) that includes a toecap having a solid front part and a flat tip to facilitate the point motion, and permits to tie with a tie string installed at an upper periphery of an upper leather to prevent a bottom part and the upper leather of the point shoe from being spaced apart from the sole of a dancer's foot during the point motion.

[5] The point shoe has a shape similar to a safety shoe having a metal toecap interposed between an upper leather and an inner leather of a front part to prevent a safety accident. However, unlike the toecap of the safety shoe having a smoothly curved tip surface like the shape of front part of the general shoe, as shown in FIG. 1, it is structured in a manner that a solid toecap 3 inserted into the front of the point shoe has an almost flat tip surface to facilitate a point motion, and a tie string 4 is installed at an upper periphery of an upper leather 2 to closely put on the point shoe.

[6] At this time, the toecap 3 may be configured to have a multi-layered structure using wood, hard synthetic resins, adhesive, and so on, to securely support the tiptoe, or various solid materials such as asbestos formed by coating glue on asbestos fibers. A bottom part 1 may also be formed of a solid material to perform a point motion together with the toecap 3 as easier as possible. However, since the conventional ballet shoe has a structure that the toecap 3 and the bottom part 1 are separately fabricated and then connected to each other by a coupling means such as sewing, adhesive, and so on, there is a problem that it is impossible to precisely move the bottom part 1 together with movement of the toecap 3.

[7] In other words, the point motion can be stably performed when the bottom part 1 is almost vertically stood in a state that a tip of the toecap 3 gets in contact with a floor. However, since the weight of a ballet dancer may be applied to the bottom part 1 of the ballet shoe through the sole of the foot in a state that dancer wears the shoe, the bottom part 1 formed separately from the toecap 3 is likely to tilt toward the floor, that is, to be spaced apart from the sole of the dancer's foot toward the floor. Therefore, the dancer always feels the ballet shoes to take off during a point motion, thereby making it difficult to perform a stable point motion.

[8] Further, since the ballet shoes are generally ready-made shoes, except for specific cases, they are ill-fitted to the dancer's feet, and therefore, the tie string 4 should be tightly fastened to prevent the ballet shoes from taking off.

[9] In addition, since the tie spring 4 tightens only an upper periphery of the upper leather 2, namely, an opening into which the foot is inserted, the ballet shoe may be taken off even during simple walking in an untightened state. Therefore, the tie string 4 should be maintained in a tightened state even at rest with little walking.

[10] Furthermore, the tie string 4 may be loosened or unfastened during the ballet movement, and thus, the dancer is always worried about such loosening or unfastening, which makes it difficult to stably perform the ballet movement. If the tie string 4 is loosened or unfastened during the point motion, a gap occurs between the bottom part

1 of the ballet shoe and the sole of the foot to lower feeling of the dancer's foot. Also, during a landing, the bottom part 1 of the ballet shoe is first in contact with the floor and then the sole of the foot therewith, rather than simultaneous contact with the floor, thereby decreasing the fitting feeling of the ballet shoes.

[11] Moreover, a gap is inevitably formed between the inner surface of the upper leather

2 and the outer surface of the feet because the ballet shoes are ready-made shoes, and therefore, the fitting feeling is decreased, which may cause reduction in mental stability during the ballet movement.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [12] The present invention has been made in view of the above drawbacks of the existing point shoes out of the ballet shoes, and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide ballet shoes capable of performing a stable point motion by contacting the sole of a foot with the floor by its own elastic force while precisely moving a bottom part of each ballet shoe together with movement of a toecap by burying a high elasticity of reinforcement member into the bottom part and the toecap as a single body, and with which an upper leather precisely conforming to the foot of a dancer is coupled, like custom-made shoes. Technical Solution

[13] To achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided ballet shoes, each of which has a reinforcement plate buried into a bottom part and a toecap as a single body, and a heat-shrinkable resin sheet coupled with the interior of an upper leather.

[14] The ballet shoe in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that the reinforcement plate for reinforcing the bottom part and the toecap as reinforcement member, and the heat-shrinkable resin sheet buried into the upper leather to obtain effect of a custom-made shoe are coupled with the ballet shoe. The reinforcement plate and the heat shrinkable resin sheet will be described in more detail below.

[15] The reinforcement plate is constituted by a bottom plate having the shape of the sole of a foot, and a toecap support plate bent upward at a front tip of the bottom plate and extending therefrom to have an approximately toecap shape. The bottom plate is buried into the bottom part of the ballet shoe, and the toecap support plate is buried into the toecap, thereby serving to integrate the bottom part with the toecap.

[16] The reinforcement plate should have a very large elastic coefficient such that the bottom part and the toecap of the ballet shoe can move as a single body and the bottom part can move at the same rotational angle as the toecap during a point motion. In the case of using a steel plate, it is preferred that the reinforcement plate is formed of a high carbon steel containing more than 0.5 wt% carbon, and in the case of using the other materials, it is preferred that the reinforcement plate is formed of a material having elastic characteristics higher than the high carbon steel.

[17] That is, during the point motion, if the toecap support plate of the reinforcement plate, almost vertically positioned to the ground, is rotated to be in contact with a floor in a state that the toecap and the upper leather are interposed therebetween, a bottom plate integrally connected to the toecap support plate is rotated together in a direction almost vertical to the ground by its own elastic force to be in contact with the sole of a dancer's foot, thereby preventing a gap from being formed between the sole of the foot and the bottom part of the ballet shoe and securely supporting the sole of the foot. [18] As described above, the reinforcement plate, which is constituted by the toecap support plate inserted into the toecap during the point motion and the bottom plate integrally connected thereto, may have, but is limited to, a width in which it does not project from a periphery of an outsole or an insole of the ballet shoe. The toecap support plate bent upward at a front tip of the bottom plate has a size smaller than that of a tip surface of the toecap, and a flat shape or a smoothly curved convex shape similar to the tip surface of the toecap in which its center part slightly projects outside.

[19] Further, it is preferred that the reinforcement plate is configured to have a length that is smaller than that of the outsole or the insole but more than at least 1/2 of that of the bottom part.

[20] Namely, although the bottom plate is elastically stood on the floor by a force applied to the toecap support plate when the length of the bottom plate is smaller than 1/2 of the length of the outsole or the insole, since it is difficult to elastically support the ballet shoe to its rear part, the rear bottom part of the ballet shoe may be spaced apart from the heel of the foot.

[21] Meanwhile, the heat-shrinkable resin sheet is inserted between an inner leather and an outer leather constituting the upper leather, and functions to fit the upper leather to the dancer's foot, like a custom-made shoe.

[22] To be more specific, the heat-shrinkable resin sheet inserted into the upper leather has properties of being plastically shrunk when heat is applied thereto. Therefore, when heat is applied to the upper leather in a state that a dancer puts on the ballet shoe, the heat-shrinkable resin sheet is shrunk, and thus, the upper leather is fitted to the dancer's foot, thereby obtaining the same effect as the custom-made shoe.

[23] As described above, if the upper leather is conformed to the outer shape of the dancer's foot, it is possible for the dancer to stably perform a point motion by minimizing a gap between the ballet shoe and the dancer's foot, and also prevent the ballet shoe from taking off even if a tie string is loosened or unfastened.

[24] The other objectives and advantages of the invention will be understood by the following description and will also be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention more clearly. Further, the objectives and advantages of the invention will readily be seen that they can be realized by the means and its combination specified in the claims.

Advantageous Effects

[25] As can be seen from the foregoing, a ballet shoe in accordance with the present invention has a single reinforcement plate inserted into a bottom part of the ballet shoe and a toecap of the ballet shoe to integrate the bottom part and the toecap, thereby enabling a dancer to more stably perform a point motion.

[26] In addition, it is possible to obtain the same effect as custom-made shoes using a heat-shrinkable resin sheet buried in an upper leather, even if the ballet shoes are ready-made shoes.

[27] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Brief Description of the Drawings

[28] The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[29] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional ballet shoe;

[30] FIG. 2 is a partially cutout perspective view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[31] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[32] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[33] FIGs. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing a reinforcement plate lying on a floor and standing thereon, respectively. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[34] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[35] FIG. 2 is a partially cutout perspective view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a ballet shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIGs. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing a reinforcement plate lying on a floor and standing thereon, respectively.

[36] As shown in the drawings, each of ballet shoes according to the present invention includes a solid bottom part 10 having an outsole 11 and an insole 12 layered in sequence; a toecap 20 coupled with a front tip of the bottom part 10; a reinforcement plate 30 formed of a bottom plate 31 buried between the outsole 11 and the insole 12 of the bottom part 10, and a toecap support plate 32 bent upward at a front tip of the bottom plate 31 spaced apart from the front tip of the bottom part 10 and extending therefrom to be buried into the toecap 20; an upper leather 40 having a lower end periphery fixedly inserted between the outsole 11 and the insole 12, and inner and outer leathers 41 and 42 surrounding the insole 12 and the toecap 20; and a heat- shrinkable resin sheet 50 buried between the inner and outer leathers 41 and 42 of the upper leather 40.

[37] The bottom part 10 is formed of the outsole 11 in direct friction contact with a floor and the insole 12 in direct contact with the sole of a dancer's foot. The outsole 11 is formed of a solid material for convenience of friction with the floor and a point motion.

[38] The reinforcement plate 30 is formed of the bottom plate 31 having the shape of the sole of a foot, and the toecap support plate 32 bent upward at the front tip of the bottom plate 31, both of which are made as a single body. The bottom plate 31 is buried between the outsole 11 and the insole 12, and the toecap support plate 32 is coupled with an inner part of the front tip of the toecap 20, thereby rendering the bottom part 10 and the toecap 20 integrated by the reinforcement plate 30.

[39] At this time, the reinforcement plate 30 is formed of a material having a large elastic coefficient. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the toecap support plate 32 is rotated in parallel with the floor during a point motion, the bottom plate 31 is rotated in a direction almost vertical to the floor by its own elastic force to thereby allow the bottom part 10 of the ballet shoe to be in contact with the sole of a dancer's foot.

[40] As a result, it is possible for the dancer to stably perform a point motion by minimizing a gap between the bottom part 10 the ballet shoe and the sole of the dancer's foot, and also free from anxiety that the ballet shoe could take off.

[41] As described above, in order to effectively adhere the bottom part 10 of the ballet shoe to the sole of the foot by the elastic force of the bottom plate 31, it preferable to configure in such a way that the bottom plate 31 has a length of more than at least 1/2 of that of the outsole 11 or the insole 12.

[42] In this configuration, when the length of the bottom plate 31 is smaller than 1/2 of that of the bottom part 10, since the bottom plate 31 cannot elastically support a rear part of the bottom part 10, the rear part of the bottom part 10 may be spaced apart from the sole of the foot, rather than adhering thereto.

[43] Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper leather 40 of the ballet shoe in accordance with the present invention includes the inner leather 41, the outer leather 42, and the heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 buried therebetween. Therefore, when heat is applied to the upper leather 40 in a state that the dancer initially puts on the ballet shoe of the present invention after purchase thereof, the heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 is shrunk and thus the whole upper leather 40 surrounding the heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 is shrunk, thereby closely adhering the upper leather 40 to the outside of the foot.

[44] That is, the upper leather 40 is shrunk in the same shape as the outside of the dancer's foot, to thereby form the ballet shoe accurately conforming to the dancer's foot, like a custom-made shoe.

Claims

[1] Ballet shoes for a point motion, each of which includes a solid bottom part and a toecap, comprising: a bottom part 10 having an outsole 11 and an insole 12 layered in sequence; a toecap 20 coupled with a front tip of the bottom part 10; a reinforcement plate 30 formed of a bottom plate 31 buried between the outsole 11 and the insole 12 of the bottom part 10, and a toecap support plate 32 bent upward at a front tip of the bottom plate 31 and extending therefrom to be buried into the toecap 20; an upper leather 40 having a lower end periphery fixedly inserted between the outsole 11 and the insole 12, and inner and outer leathers 41 and 42 surrounding the insole 12 and the toecap 20; and a heat-shrinkable resin sheet 50 buried between the inner and outer leathers 41 and 42 of the upper leather 40.

[2] The ballet shoes according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement plate 30 is formed of high carbon steel.

[3] The ballet shoes according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate 31 of the reinforcement plate 30 has a length that is equal to or greater than 1/2 of that of the bottom part 10 but smaller than that of the bottom part 10.