Toe protection cap and footgear comprising toe protection cap

Abstract

A toe cap for shoes comprises an arcuate peripheral wall capable of covering a front part and two side parts of the toe cap, a top wall and a bottom wall capable of covering top and bottom parts, respectively, of the toe cap and being connected to the arcuate peripheral wall. The wall defines a rear opening for a user's toes to be accommodated in a space defined by said walls, and the top wall comprises a rearside edge having the shape of a letter “S”. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of European Patent Application No. 09 168 387.0, filed on Aug. 21, 2009, and of European Patent Application No. 09 174 685.9, filed on Oct. 30, 2009, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a toe protection cap. In particular, the invention relates to a toe protection cap for providing improved ventilation to the toes of the wearer without a necessity of taking a significant loss of the toe protection cap in mechanical resistance to impacts or pushes. In another aspect, the invention relates to a toe protection cap for providing improved ventilation to the forefoot including the toes of the wearer without a necessity of taking a significant loss of the toe protection cap in mechanical resistance to impacts or pushes. The invention also relates t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The present invention provides a toe cap (1) for shoes. The toe cap comprises an arcuate peripheral wall (3) capable of covering the front part (3a) and the two side parts (3b, 3c) of the toe cap (1), a top wall (5) and a bottom wall (7) capable of covering the top and bottom parts (5a, 7a), respectively, of the toe cap (1) and being connected to said arcuate peripheral wall (3), said walls (3, 5 and 7) defining a rear opening (8) for a user's toes to be accommodated in the space defined by said walls (3, 5, 7). The top wall (5) comprises a rearside edge (5b) having the shape of the letter “S”, thereby allowing a protection of all toes of a user.

[0016]In yet another aspect of the toe cap, the top wall surface may comprise additional fillets (5e) extending from one point or hole radially over the whole surface of the top wall (5), thereby additionally strengthening the toe cap structure.

[0025]In a still further aspect of the toe cap, the top wall (5) may comprise a rearside edge (5b) having the shape of a letter “S”, thereby allowing a protection of all toes of a user.

[0031]The present invention also provides a toe cap (1) for shoes or boots or footgear that comprises an arcuate peripheral wall (3) capable of making up the front part (3a) and the two side parts (3b, 3c) of the toe cap (1), a top wall (5) and a optionally a bottom wall (7) capable of making up the top (5a) and (optionally) bottom (7a) parts, respectively, of the toe cap (1) and being connected to said arcuate peripheral wall (3). The rear edges of said walls (3, 5, 7) define a rear opening (8) for a user's toes to be accommodated in the space defined by said walls (3, 5, 7). Further, at least the top wall (5) is made of at least three longitudinal fillets (5p, 5q, 5r) extending from the tip (T) of the toe cap (1) radially to its rear edge, and at least one transverse fillet (5t) extending substantially in the form of a segment of a circle around the tip (T) of said toe cap (1), and / or the arcuate peripheral wall (3) comprises at its side parts alternating vertical (3p) and inclined (3q) fillets connecting the upper and lower edges of the arcuate peripheral wall. The fillets (5p, 5q, 5r, 5t, 3p, 3q) leave between them regular or irregular holes or voids distributed at least throughout the toe cap top wall (5) and arcuate peripheral side wall (3) surfaces. The fillets strengthen the toe cap (1) along its lines of stabilizing force.

[0032]In one aspect of the toe cap, the top wall (5) may comprise a rearside edge (5b) having the shape of a letter “S”, thereby allowing a protection of all toes of a user.

Problems solved by technology

The human foot, due to its adaptation to the erect movement of a human, is an anatomically and functionally highly complex part of the body.

Even minor mechanical influences to the muscles or bones of the feet result into major discomfort or even pain, and a physical injury to the feet may even have the consequence that a person has to refrain from walking, and thereby loose the possibility of movement, for the time of completely healing the injury.

As many other known toe caps, these toe caps of the prior art have no ventilation in the front part of the toe cap, and hence, sweat or humidity cannot escape.

This not only results into discomfort to the wearer of the shoe, but also creates ideal conditions for diseases and micro-organisms to develop.

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