WO2024228289A1 - Shoe heel core and shoe comprising same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention improves the feel and appearance of a shoe made easier to put on by the function of a slide.　A shoe heel core 31 that is to be built into the heel of a shoe 11 is rigid and comprises a lower support part 32 that is curved to hold a human heel and an upper reception part 33 that is above the lower support part 32 and receives the heel. So as to keep corners from forming at ends in the thickness direction, an inclined guide part 35 that is inclined forward and diagonally downward is formed at both the right and left edges of an upper part of the upper reception part 33, and a thin part 36 that is thinner than a center part that is on the inside of an outer circumferential edge part is formed at the edge part at at least the upper reception part 33.

Description

Heel pad for shoes and shoes equipped with same

This invention relates to shoes with a heel, such as sneakers or low shoes, and in particular to shoes that are easy to put on.

Shoes that can be put on without bending over are disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Patent Document 1 discloses a shoehorn that is attached to the inside of the heel of a shoe by gluing or the like. In this configuration, the shoehorn is attached to the heel, so that when a foot is about to enter a shoe, the foot moves forward with the instep and front sole in contact with the inside of the shoe, and as it does so, the heel of the foot hits the inclined part of the shoehorn, pushing the heel of the shoe backwards and widening it. This allows the foot to slide into the shoe. In other words, when the foot is put in, the shoehorn pushes the rear surface of the heel of the shoe backwards, i.e., deforms it, widening the opening, and also allows the foot to slide into the shoe by inserting the toes forward.

Patent Document 2 discloses a shoe with a shoehorn function. This shoe has a heel guide section that extends diagonally backwards and is continuous with the upper part of the heel. The heel section and heel guide section are equipped with a core material. With this configuration, when the foot is inserted through the opening and the heel of the foot abuts against the heel guide section, the shoehorn function allows the foot to easily enter the shoe and the shoe can be put on. Because it has a shoehorn function, the shoe in Patent Document 2, like the contents of Patent Document 1, is configured so that the heel section of the shoe can be spread backwards or lowered to make it easier to insert the heel over the top of the foot.

However, putting on shoes by spreading the heel backwards and downwards in this way requires deformation of the heel and the repulsive force that occurs when the heel is deformed, which often makes it difficult to actually put on shoes. In other words, in a configuration where the opening is spread backwards and the toes are inserted to make it easier to put the foot into the shoe, the action of putting on the shoe requires deformation of the heel of the shoe and the force to insert the foot, and force and directional control are essential to insert the foot. Because a repulsive force is generated by the deformation of the heel, this action may seem easy for able-bodied people, but it is not easy for elderly people and others who cannot put force into their feet.

On the other hand, the following Patent Document 3 discloses a shoe in which the unique shape and rigidity of a moon-shaped core (heel core for shoes) supports the weight of the heel and allows it to slide. In other words, the shoe can be put on without the need to deform the heel, simply by putting the foot in and fitting the shoe onto the foot. The wearer can put the foot into the shoe while standing or sitting, and a caregiver can simply move the shoe so that it fits onto the foot; this action is simple, as there is no need to spread the heel backwards at the same time.

However, this structure was designed to give the heel core rigidity, resulting in sharp corners on the outer periphery. When using general-purpose plastic as the material, the heel core needs to be a certain thickness, but if the heel core has a sharp corner shape that extends to the outer periphery edge at the top of the heel core, the sole of the heel will come into contact with the corners, even if not directly, when wearing the shoe. This can result in an unpleasant feel. Furthermore, the heel can appear to have a foreign object in it, making it look inferior.

JP 2004-344396 A Registered Utility Model No. 3195071 JP 2022-139151 A

The main objective of this invention is to improve the feel and appearance of comfortable shoes.

To that end, the present invention provides the following heel core for shoes. That is, the heel core for shoes has a lower support part curved to encase the heel of the human body, and an upper receiving part that receives the heel of the human body above the lower support part, and has rigidity. An inclined guide part that slopes diagonally downward and forward is formed on both left and right edges of the upper part of the upper receiving part, and the thickness of at least the upper peripheral edge of the upper receiving part is formed to be thinner than the central part inside the edges.

In this configuration, at least the edge of the upper support, which is thinner than the center, is shaped so that there are no noticeable corners at the ends in the thickness direction, softening the impact on the heel when wearing the shoe. At the same time, when the edge is built into the heel of the shoe, it is hidden by the covering material and prevents the appearance of visible corners. Furthermore, the thin edge allows slight deformation even in a rigid shoe heel core, which also softens the impact on the heel and makes it easier to perform the hanging work during shoe manufacturing.

According to this invention, at least the edge of the upper support is thinner than the center, which reduces the impact on the sole of the foot, improves the feel, and prevents deterioration of the appearance.

Perspective view of a shoe. FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a heel core for a shoe. 1 is a bottom view of a heel pad for a shoe. AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. BB cross-sectional view of FIG. 6. Schematic diagrams showing examples of shapes of thin-walled portions of edges. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional end view showing another example of the wall thickness. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another example of a shoe heel core. 14 is a front view, a central cross-sectional view, and a bottom view of the shoe heel core shown in FIG. 13 . 13A and 13B are external views and cross-sectional views showing other examples of shapes of shoe heel cores. 13A and 13B are external views and cross-sectional views showing other examples of shapes of shoe heel cores. 13A and 13B are external views and cross-sectional views showing other examples of shapes of shoe heel cores.

One embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the drawings.

This invention relates to shoes 11 that are easy to put on, and the shoes 11 referred to here are composed of a sole 12 and an upper 13 as shown in Figure 1. The rear end of the upper 13 has a heel part 14. The shoes 11 may be short shoes as shown in Figure 1, as well as sneakers and other types of shoes.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of only the right shoe of a pair of left and right shoes 11, viewed from above and behind. The upper 13, which is fixed onto the sole 12 that serves as the base that supports the foot and wraps around the foot, has an opening 15 at the rear through which the foot is inserted. The toes of the foot are placed in the part in front of the opening 15, and the part behind the opening 15, i.e. the heel part 14, wraps around the heel of the foot.

As mentioned above, the shoe 11, which simplifies the putting-on action, has a hard protrusion 16 that extends diagonally upward and backward from the top end of the heel 14. The protrusion 16 is part of the upper 13 and is integrated with the heel 14.

The protrusion 16 and heel portion 14 have a rigidity that is not easily crushed or broken even when stepped on, unlike the heel portion of a normal shoe. Such rigidity is achieved by sandwiching a shoe heel core 31 between the interior material 14a and the exterior material 14b that make up the heel portion 14 of the shoe 11.

The shoe heel core 31 is made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, ABS, polyethylene terephthalate, or polyvinyl chloride, and is formed into a three-dimensional curved sheet shape. Rigidity is achieved by the hardness of the material and the curved shape.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the shoe heel core 31 from diagonally above the front, Fig. 3 shows its front view, Fig. 4 shows a plan view, Fig. 5 shows a bottom view, and Fig. 6 shows a vertical cross-sectional view at the center of the front view (cross-sectional view A-A in Fig. 3). As shown in these figures, the shoe heel core 31 comprises a lower support portion 32 curved to encase the heel of the human body, and an upper support portion 33 that supports the heel of the human body above the lower support portion 32, and has the rigidity described above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower support portion 32 has a U-shape in plan view with both ends slightly open. In side view, it has, from bottom to top, a lower curved portion 32a whose rear surface is rounded and protrudes backward, and an upper curved portion 32b above the lower curved portion 32a which is rounded and protrudes forward in the opposite direction to the lower curved portion 32a. The upper curved portion 32b is less curved than the lower curved portion 32a, and the lower support portion 32 as a whole is shaped to correspond to the heel of the human body.

As can be seen in Figure 6, the shape of the lower support part 32 in a side view is roughly trapezoidal, protruding forward as it approaches the bottom, with both the left and right ends of the bottom surface positioned at the very front of the shoe heel core 31. The lower end of the lower support part 32 has a ground contact edge 34 that forms a straight line in a side view, and is formed so that when the ground contact edge 34 is horizontal or in a position similar to the horizontal position when it is incorporated into the shoe 11, it is in a position that wraps around the heel of the human body. The lower end of the lower support part 32 is slightly tapered overall, and is shaped to be stable when the ground contact edge 34 is supported by a surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper receiving portion 33 has a U-shape in plan view with both ends slightly open, and is a reduced-size version of the lower support portion 32 in plan view. The size of the upper receiving portion 33 in plan view is smaller than the shape of the human heel in plan view.

In addition, in a side view, the upper support portion 33 has a base curved portion 33a whose rear surface curves diagonally upward and backward, continuing from the upper curved portion 32b of the lower support portion 32, and an extension portion 33b that extends in a roughly straight line diagonally upward and backward from the base curved portion 33a. The inclination angle α of the extension portion 33b is preferably about 15° with respect to the vertical. It may be 10° to 20°, or about 25°.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 6, and is a cross-sectional view of the forward-most portion of the portion that connects the upper curved portion 32b of the lower support portion 32 to the base curved portion 33a of the upper receiving portion 33. The portion shown in this cross-sectional view corresponds to a height close to the ankle, above the heel of the human body, and the heel is placed below that.

The side view of the upper support portion 33 is roughly a fan shape tilted backward by an inclination angle α, as shown in FIG. 6. The upward length of the upper support portion 33 varies depending on the inclination angle α, but is set to a length that provides sufficient rigidity and does not impair the stability of the shoe heel core 31 when stepped on with the heel, and is not too long in consideration of the appearance. At this time, it is advisable to also consider the front-to-rear position of the rear upper end P of the upper support portion 33. As shown in FIG. 6, it is better to have the front-to-rear position of the rear upper end P of the upper support portion 33 correspond to the rearmost part Q of the lower curved portion 32a of the lower support portion 32 in order to achieve both stability and ease of wear, rather than a situation in which the position differs greatly.

The front and rear views of the upper receiving portion 33 are as shown in Figure 3, and are wider to the left and right as they go downwards.

The lower support portion 32 and the upper support portion 33 are smoothly connected without any steps.

Then, on both left and right edges of the upper part of the upper receiving part 33, i.e., on the upper part of the upper receiving part 33, an inclined guide part 35 is formed which is inclined diagonally downward toward the front. As described above, the inclined guide part 35 is U-shaped in a plan view and fan-shaped in a side view, so it has an undulating shape and is continuous with both left and right edges of the lower support part 32.

A shoe heel core 31 having such an overall shape is formed to a thickness that provides the desired rigidity, but the thickness of at least the upper receiving portion 33 of the outer peripheral edge is formed to be thinner than the central portion inside the edge. The shoe heel core 31 in Figures 2 to 7 is an example in which the thickness of the entire peripheral edge, including the bottom end, is thin. In other words, the appropriate range of the inner part of the outline that forms the outer periphery of the shoe heel core 31 shown in Figure 2 is the thin-walled portion 36.

The manner in which the thickness is reduced, that is, the manner in which the thin-walled portion 36 is formed, can be made thin with a step or without a step. In terms of avoiding stress concentration, it is better not to make a step.

For this reason, in the illustrated example, the thin edge portion (thin portion 36) is formed by a thickness reducing surface 36a that gradually reduces the thickness toward the end.

There are multiple ways to form this reduced thickness surface 36a, and as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 8, there are three main types. One is a structure in which the reduced thickness surface 36a is formed on one side, as shown in (a) and (b). If the left side of the drawing is the inner surface and the right side is the outer surface, (a) is an example in which the reduced thickness surface 36a is formed on the inner surface. When the reduced thickness surface 36a is on the inner surface as in (a), the upper receiving portion 33 is shaped to bend upward and backward, so the angle is gentler and the surface is wider, making it easier for the heel to hit.

In another example, as shown in (c), the thickness-reduced surface 36a is formed on both the inner and outer surfaces.

Furthermore, the shape of the thickness-reducing surface 36a can be a flat surface as shown in (a) to (c), a convex curved shape as shown in (d), or a concave curved shape as shown in (e).

Whether or not the edge surface is a reduced thickness surface 36a is a relative matter in relation to the surface inheritance due to the characteristics of the shoe heel core 31, which is composed of a curved surface. For this reason, it is not necessarily possible to clearly distinguish between them.

Although not shown in the illustration, it is a good idea to chamfer the edges.

Also, as can be seen in Figure 9, which shows another example of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the end view of the B-B section, the thickness may be different not only at the edges but also at the center. In the example of Figure 9, the thickness is made thicker toward the center in the left-right direction.

In the examples of Figures 2 to 7, the ends of the thin-walled portions 36 are shown as being drawn with lines, but the ends of the thin-walled portions 36 may have any appropriate thickness.

In a shoe 11 equipped with the heel core 31 configured as described above, the interior material 14a and exterior material 14b are attached along the heel core 31, so that the upper protrusion 16 of the heel part 14 has a shape that is evenly padded to the upper support part 33 of the heel core 31.

Such shoes 11 can be worn as shown in Figures 10 and 11.

In other words, when wearing the shoes while standing, as shown in Figure 10, you can easily put them on by simply inserting your toes into the opening 15 of the upper 13 and dropping your heels. When wearing them while sitting, as shown in Figure 11, you can insert your toes into the shoe 11 and press the sole 12 against the sole of your foot.

In either case, as shown in FIG. 12, the heel core 31 has its bottom ground-contact edge 34 in contact with the ground, and the rigidity of the heel core 31 itself supports the load on the upper support portion 33. Even if the heel of the human body presses against the upper support portion 33 through the interior material 14a, the heel core 31 does not deform or collapse, but instead uses the inclined guide portion 35 to slide the heel forward, encouraging the foot to enter the shoe. The protrusion 16 above the heel portion 14 functions as a slide, and when the heel falls onto the heel portion of the sole 12, the foot fits into the shoe.

When putting on the shoe, the edge of the shoe heel core 31 is made up of a thin section 36, and there are no noticeable corners at the ends in the thickness direction, so the heel feels soft and comfortable. Furthermore, when the edge is built into the heel part 14 of the shoe 11, it is hidden by the interior material 14a and exterior material 14b, so there are no visible corners that can be seen from the outside, preventing the appearance from being marred.

The thin-walled portion 36 that provides this effect is configured with a thickness-reduced surface 36a, and since the thickness-reduced surface 36a is formed without any steps, it is possible to achieve the above-mentioned effect while maintaining rigidity.

Moreover, the thin edge (thin portion 36) allows slight deformation even within the rigid shoe heel core 31, which also softens the impact on the heel. This further improves the feel when wearing the shoe.

Furthermore, since the thin-walled portion 36 is formed around the entire circumference including the lower end, some deformation is possible even at the lower end of the heel core 31 during shoe manufacturing in which the rigid heel core 31 is built into the upper 13. As a result, the suspending operation is easy to perform.

In this regard, as shown in the perspective view of Figure 13, it is advisable to form a notch 37 that cuts upward in the left-right middle part of the lower end of the lower support part 32. It is preferable that the notch 37 is triangular in shape. Figure 14 (a) is a front view, (b) is a central cross-sectional view of the front view, and (c) is a bottom view. Providing the notch 37 in this way increases the degree of freedom of deformation of the shoe heel core 31, making the hanging work even easier and allowing for a beautiful upper 13 to be finished without wrinkles.

The above configuration is one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and other configurations may also be adopted.

For example, the ground contact edge 34 at the lower end of the shoe heel core 31 may not be a straight line, but may have a step or be curved.

Figures 15, 16, and 17 show other examples of the shape of the shoe heel core 31. In these figures, (a) to (d) are perspective views from different angles, (e) is a plan view, (f) is a front view, (g) is a bottom view, and (h) is a right side view. These external views are added to the cross-sectional views. (i) of Figure 15 is an end view of the C-C section of (h), (j) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of the front view, and (k) is a D-D cross-sectional view of (e). (i) of Figure 16 is an end view of the E-E section of (h), (j) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of the front view, and (k) is an F-F cross-sectional view of (e). (i) of Figure 17 is an end view of the G-G section of (h), and (j) is a central vertical cross-sectional view of the front view.

The shoe heel core 31 shown in Figures 15 and 16 differs from the shoe heel core 31 shown in Figure 2 and other figures in that it prevents the lower support part 32 from protruding forward. The lower end of the lower support part 32 is formed in a straight line in the case of Figure 15, but in the case of Figure 16, it is slightly inclined in side view and appears curved in front view. In addition, as can be seen from figures such as (e) and (k), the narrow shape between the lower support part 32 and the upper receiving part 33 and the curved shape around it are relatively larger in Figure 16 than in Figure 15.

The heel core 31 in Fig. 17 has a shape in which the lower support part 32 protrudes forward significantly, like the heel core 31 in Fig. 2 and other figures described above, but as can be seen in (e), the upper support part 33 protrudes rearward only forward of the rear end of the lower support part 32. Also, the angle of the upper support part 33 is slightly gentler than the example shown in Fig. 2 and other figures.

In the examples of Figures 15 to 17, the lower end of the lower support part 32 has an end face, but a thin-walled part 36 may be formed on the edge of the lower end. Also, although a notch part 37 is provided, the notch part 37 may be omitted.

11: Shoe 31: Shoe heel core 32: Lower support portion 33: Upper support portion 35: Inclined guide portion 36: Thin portion 36a: Reduced thickness surface 37: Notch portion

Claims (6)

The support includes a lower support portion curved to wrap around the heel of the human body, and an upper support portion that supports the heel of the human body above the lower support portion, and has rigidity.
The upper receiving portion has an inclined guide portion inclined downward and forward on both left and right edges of the upper portion,
The thickness of at least the upper receiving portion at the outer peripheral edge of the shoe heel core is thinner than that of the central portion on the inside of the edge. 2. The shoe heel core according to claim 1, wherein the edge portion having a thin thickness is formed by a thickness reducing surface whose thickness gradually decreases toward the end. 3. The shoe heel core according to claim 2, wherein said edge portion having a reduced thickness has said reduced thickness surface on an inner surface thereof. 3. The shoe heel core according to claim 1, wherein the edge portion having a smaller thickness is formed around the entire circumference. 3. The shoe heel core according to claim 1, wherein a notch extending upward is formed in a left-right intermediate portion of a lower end of the lower support portion. A shoe comprising the heel core according to claim 1 or 2.

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