Shoe

Abstract

To improve durability in a shoe in which a hard plate is stored in a flexible shell.SOLUTION: A shoe 1A includes a flexible shell 10 and a sole body 30. The shell 10 includes a bottom wall part 11 having a ground plane and a peripheral wall part 12 standing from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall part 11. The sole body 30 is located above the bottom wall part 11 by being stored in the shell 10. The sole body 30 includes at least a plate 32 harder than the shell 10. The plate 32 is arranged so that a principal surface 32b located in a thickness direction of the plate 32 faces an inner surface 11a of the bottom wall part 11. At a position between a circumferential end surface 32c of the plate 32 and an inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall part 12, a protection part 22c softer than the plate 32 is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to shoes.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-127292 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-127293 (Patent Document 2) disclose shoes including a flexible shell and a sole body composed of a foam material or the like housed in the shell.

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, shoes have become popular in which a plate as a high-rigidity member is provided on the sole to increase the forward propulsive force at the time of kicking by suppressing the dorsiflexion generated in the sole particularly during running. As a document disclosing shoes provided with this type of sole, for example, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-529461 (Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, when the plate is housed in the flexible shell without any particular modification, since the plate is hard while the shell is relatively soft, there is a risk that the end portion of the plate contacts the shell, resulting in shaving or tearing of the shell. This shaving or tearing of the shell leads to a decrease in durability and causes a problem of significantly shortening the product life.

[0006] Accordingly, the present disclosure aims to improve the durability of a shoe in which a rigid plate is housed in a flexible shell.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A shoe according to an aspect of the present disclosure has an insertion space into which a wearer's foot is inserted provided therein, and includes a flexible shell and a sole body. The shell includes a bottom wall portion having a ground contact surface and a peripheral wall portion erected from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion. The sole body is configured to support the sole of the wearer's foot and is located above the bottom wall portion by being housed in the shell. The sole body includes at least a plate harder than the shell, and the plate is arranged such that one of a pair of main surfaces located in the thickness direction of the plate faces the inner surface of the bottom wall portion. In the shoe according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a protective portion softer than the plate is provided at a position between a peripheral end surface of the plate and an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, in a shoe in which a rigid plate is housed in a flexible shell, it becomes possible to improve the durability thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments shown below, the same or common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) (A. Schematic Configuration of Shoe) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 as seen from another direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the outer foot side. FIGS. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional views taken along lines V-V, VI-VI, and VII-VII shown in FIG. 3, respectively. Also, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the assembly structure of the shoe shown in FIG. 1. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the schematic configuration of the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment is in the form of a sock that covers substantially the entire foot of the wearer (that is, the part on the end side rather than the ankle). The shoe 1A includes a shell 10, an upper body 20, a sole body 30 (see FIGS. 3, 5 to 8), an additional sole body 40 (see FIGS. 6 to 8), and a heel counter 50 (see FIGS. 6 to 8). At the upper part of the shoe 1A, an opening 2 for inserting the foot is provided, and at the lower part of the shoe 1A, a ground contact surface 3 for contacting the ground or the like is provided. Also, inside the shoe 1A, an insertion space SP3 (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 5 to 7) is provided, which is a space into which the wearer's foot is inserted.

[0013] Here, the longitudinal direction X of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction that coincides with the length direction of the foot of the wearer wearing the shoe 1A. Also, the lateral direction Y of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction that coincides with the width direction of the foot of the wearer wearing the shoe 1A. Further, the vertical direction Z of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction X and the lateral direction Y described above. In particular, in the midfoot part R2 and the rearfoot part R3 of the shoe 1A to be described later, the vertical direction Z is substantially orthogonal to the ground contact surface 3 included in these parts.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shoe 1A includes a forefoot part R1 configured to support the toe part and the stepping part of the foot of the wearer along the longitudinal direction X, a midfoot part R2 configured to support the instep part of the foot of the wearer, and a rearfoot part R3 configured to support the heel part of the foot of the wearer.

[0015] The forefoot part R1, the midfoot part R2, and the rearfoot part R3 are defined as follows based on the shoe center SC (see FIG. 3) of the shoe 1A. Here, the shoe center SC is a straight line obtained by projecting, along the vertical direction Z, a straight line connecting the part between the first toe and the second toe of the wearer and the central part of the calcaneus bone (so-called heel center (the heel center is denoted by the reference numeral HC in FIG. 3, etc.)) of the wearer when a standard wearer having a foot of a size suitable for the shoe 1A wears the shoe 1A onto the shoe 1A. The direction in which the shoe center SC extends coincides with the longitudinal direction X described above. As a premise, the positions on the shoe center SC and the frontmost end and the rearmost end in the longitudinal direction X of the insertion space SP3 are respectively referred to as the front-side end position PF and the rear-side end position PR, and the distance between the front-side end position PF and the rear-side end position PR along the longitudinal direction X is referred to as the total length of the insertion space SP3.

[0016] That is, when a virtual plane passing through the 40% position with respect to the total length of the insertion space SP3 from the front end position PF and perpendicular to the shoe center SC is defined as the first boundary plane P1, and a virtual plane passing through the 80% position with respect to the total length of the insertion space SP3 from the front end position PF and perpendicular to the shoe center SC is defined as the second boundary plane P2, the front foot part R1 corresponds to the part included between the front end position PF and the first boundary plane P1 along the front-rear direction X, the middle foot part R2 corresponds to the part included between the first boundary plane P1 and the second boundary plane P2 along the front-rear direction X, and the rear foot part R3 corresponds to the part included between the second boundary plane P2 and the rear end position PR along the front-rear direction X.

[0017] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the shoe 1A, in a plan view, along the left-right direction Y, the inner foot side part (the part on the S1 side shown in FIG. 3) which is the medial side (that is, the side closer to the midline) in the anatomical neutral position of the foot, and the outer foot side part (the part on the S2 side shown in FIG. 3) which is the side opposite to the medial side (that is, the side farther from the midline) in the anatomical neutral position of the foot are partitioned.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, in the shoe 1A, the upper body 20 is accommodated in the shell 10, and the sole body 30 is accommodated in the upper body 20. Further, the additional sole body 40 and the heel counter 50 are accommodated in the shell 10 and arranged on the outer side of the upper body 20. The shell 10, the upper body 20, and the sole body 30 are all located across the front foot part R1, the middle foot part R2, and the rear foot part R3. On the other hand, the additional sole body 40 is located across the middle foot part R2 and the rear foot part R3, and the heel counter 50 is located in the rear foot part R3.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the shell 10 constitutes the outermost shell of the shoe 1A and is made of a flexible member configured in a bag shape having an opening-shaped mouth part 10a. The shell 10 has an internal space communicating with the mouth part 10a, and the above-described insertion space SP3 is included in this internal space. The upper body 20, the sole body 30, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50 are arranged in the internal space of the shell 10.

[0020] The shell 10 includes a bottom wall portion 11 configured to cover the sole of the wearer's foot and a peripheral wall portion 12 configured to cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. The peripheral wall portion 12 is erected so as to continuously extend upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 11.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the bottom wall portion 11 has an inner surface 11a and an outer surface 11b which are a pair of main surfaces. The inner surface 11a is located on the side of the insertion space SP3, and the outer surface 11b constitutes the outermost surface located on the lower side in the vertical direction Z of the shoe 1A. The outer surface 11b of this bottom wall portion 11 corresponds to the grounding surface 3 described above, whereby the bottom wall portion 11 has the grounding surface 3.

[0022] The peripheral wall portion 12 has an inner peripheral surface 12a and an outer peripheral surface 12b which are a pair of main surfaces. The inner peripheral surface 12a is located on the side of the insertion space SP3, and the outer peripheral surface 12b constitutes the outermost surface located in the front-rear direction X of the shoe 1A, the outermost surface located in the left-right direction Y, and the outermost surface located on the upper side in the vertical direction Z.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the peripheral wall portion 12 includes an inner-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A configured to cover the inner-foot-side portion of the wearer's foot, an outer-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B configured to cover the outer-foot-side portion of the wearer's foot, a rear-side peripheral wall portion 12C configured to cover the rear surface of the heel portion of the wearer's foot, and a front-side peripheral wall portion 12D configured to cover the front surface of the toe portion of the wearer's foot.

[0024] Note that the height of the peripheral wall portion 12 (i.e., the dimension in the vertical direction Z) is not particularly limited. For example, by making the height of the outer-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B lower than the height of the inner-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A at a position corresponding to the opening 2, the pressure received by the wearer's ankle from the shoe 1A can be reduced.

[0025] Here, among the above-described peripheral wall portions 12, the portion configured to cover the toenail of the wearer's foot (that is, the portion located on the upper side in the vertical direction Z of the peripheral wall portion 12) is different from the other portions included in the peripheral wall portion 12. It is configured to have a thin thickness and is configured by a mesh-like structure portion 10b formed by a plurality of linear portions intersecting each other in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction.

[0026] By configuring in this way, the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 configured to cover the toenail of the wearer's foot has a lower tensile elastic modulus and a smaller bending rigidity than the other portions included in the peripheral wall portion 12. Therefore, it becomes possible to deform the portion more flexibly. Thus, during wearing, it is possible to improve the fitting property while preventing excessive pressure from being applied to the toenail of the wearer's foot (especially the ridge line portion of the toenail), and moreover, it becomes difficult to inhibit the bending of the shoe 1A during running or walking, and the shoe 1A becomes more likely to follow the movement of the foot. In addition, the shoe 1A can be worn and removed more easily.

[0027] In addition to the above-described structure, the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 configured to cover the toenail of the wearer's foot may be configured by a mesh-like structure portion in which polygons such as triangles and quadrilaterals are regularly arranged, or a mesh-like structure portion formed in the shape of a line obtained by Voronoi division.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the above-described mouth portion 10a is provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 12. This mouth portion 10a is located across the midfoot portion R2 and the rearfoot portion R3. The mouth portion 10a is provided corresponding to the above-described opening edge 2. During the manufacture of the shoe 1A, etc., the upper body 20, the sole body 30, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50 are inserted into the shell 10 through the mouth portion 10a.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the internal space of the shell 10 is defined by the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12. The internal space is located across the forefoot portion R1, the midfoot portion R2, and the rearfoot portion R3.

[0030] The internal space of the shell 10 is partitioned into a lower-side space SP1 located in the lower part of the shoe 1A in the vertical direction Z and an upper-side space SP2 located in the upper part of the shoe 1A in the vertical direction Z. More specifically, the lower-side space SP1 is a space defined by the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion 11, and the upper-side space SP2 is a space defined by the inner peripheral surface 12a of the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 located above the portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion 11 in the vertical direction Z.

[0031] As will be described in detail later, the lower-side space SP1 houses the lower part of the upper body 20, the entire sole body 30, the entire additional sole body 40, and the lower part of the heel counter 50, and the upper-side space SP2 houses the upper part of the upper body 20 and the upper part of the heel counter 50. In addition, the upper-side space SP2 further includes the above-described insertion space SP3. The insertion space SP3 is defined by the upper surface of the sole body 30 (more precisely, the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 described later) and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22 of the portion of the upper body 20 not covered by the sole body 30.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the upper body 20 constitutes a part of the portion that contacts the foot of the wearer of the shoe 1A (more specifically, the portion that contacts the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot), and is composed of a bag-shaped member provided with an opening 20a. The upper body 20 is accommodated in the shell 10 in a state of being superimposed on the bottom wall portion 11 and the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10 so as to cover the inner surface of the shell 10. The upper body 20 is made of a member that can be deformed flexibly from the viewpoint of improving the fit and ensuring a good wearing comfort.

[0033] The upper body 20 includes a lower wall portion 21 configured to cover the sole of the wearer's foot and a side wall portion 22 configured to cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. The side wall portion 22 is erected so as to continuously extend upward from the peripheral edge of the lower wall portion 21. The lower wall portion 21 extends along the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10, and the side wall portion 22 extends along the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the lower wall portion 21 has a pair of main surfaces, an inner surface 21a and an outer surface 21b. The inner surface 21a is located on the side of the insertion space SP3, and the outer surface 21b is located on the side of the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10.

[0035] The side wall portion 22 has a pair of main surfaces, an inner peripheral surface 22a and an outer peripheral surface 22b. The inner peripheral surface 22a is located on the side of the insertion space SP3, and the outer peripheral surface 22b is located on the side of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the side wall portion 22 includes an inner foot side wall portion 22A configured to cover the inner foot side portion of the wearer's foot, an outer foot side wall portion 22B configured to cover the outer foot side portion of the wearer's foot, a rear side wall portion 22C configured to cover the rear surface of the heel portion of the wearer's foot, and a front side wall portion 22D configured to cover the front surface of the toe portion of the wearer's foot.

[0037] Thereby, the inner foot side wall portion 22A of the upper body 20 is positioned so as to overlap the inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A of the shell 10, and the outer foot side wall portion 22B of the upper body 20 is positioned so as to overlap the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B of the shell 10. Also, the rear side wall portion 22C of the upper body 20 is positioned so as to overlap the rear side peripheral wall portion 12C of the shell 10, and the front side wall portion 22D of the upper body 20 is positioned so as to overlap the front side peripheral wall portion 12D of the shell 10.

[0038] Note that the upper body 20 is provided with a strip portion 23 (see FIGS. 3, 5, and 7). This strip portion 23 is for fixing the sole body 30 to the upper body 20. More specifically, the strip portion 23 is connected to the inner foot side wall portion 22A and the outer foot side wall portion 22B of the upper body 20 so as to bridge them. The sole body 30 is sandwiched between the strip portion 23 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, whereby the sole body 30 is fixed to the upper body 20.

[0039] In addition, the upper body 20 is provided with a tightening portion 24. This tightening portion 24 is for fixing the shell 10, the upper body 20, and the heel counter 50 to each other. More specifically, the tightening portion 24 has a belt-like shape and is drawn out from the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20. The tightening portion 24 is inserted into a through-hole-shaped insertion portion provided in the heel counter 50 and a through-hole-shaped insertion portion provided in the shell 10. In this state, the shell 10 and the heel counter 50 are tightened by the tightening portion 24, and the tip of the tightening portion 24 is attached to the upper body 20, whereby the shell 10, the upper body 20, and the heel counter 50 are fixed to each other.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the above-described opening 20a is provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 22. This opening 20a straddles the midfoot portion R2 and the rear foot portion R3. The opening 20a corresponds to the above-described opening edge 2. When worn, the wearer's foot is inserted into the insertion space SP3 through the opening 20a. The upper end portion of the side wall portion 22 that defines the opening 20a is positioned so as to protrude upward in the vertical direction Z from the mouth portion 10a of the shell 10. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the shell 10 directly contacting the wearer's ankle during wearing, and it is possible to ensure a good wearing comfort.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the sole body 30 includes a midsole 31 as a cushioning material and a plate 32 as a repelling material. These midsole 31 and plate 32 are laminated in the vertical direction Z such that the midsole 31 is located above the plate 32. The sole body 30 is housed in the shell 10 and is further housed inside the upper body 20.

[0042] The midsole 31 supports the wearer's foot sole by forming a part of the portion in contact with the wearer's foot of the shoe 1A (more specifically, the portion in contact with the sole of the wearer's foot), and has a substantially flat plate-like shape. The midsole 31 has a top surface 31a and a bottom surface 31b which are a pair of main surfaces. The midsole 31 is composed of an elastically deformable member having a predetermined thickness so that desired cushioning performance can be obtained during landing and the like.

[0043] Here, the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 may be configured to have an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the wearer's foot sole from the viewpoint of suppressing the tilting of the wearer's ankle (so-called pronation) that may occur during landing and the collapse of the arch of the wearer's foot.

[0044] The plate 32 has a first main surface 32a and a second main surface 32b which are a pair of main surfaces located in the thickness direction, and a peripheral end surface 32c connecting these first main surface 32a and second main surface 32b. The first main surface 32a faces the upper side in the vertical direction Z, and the second main surface 32b faces the lower side in the vertical direction Z. The plate 32 is composed of a hard member having a smaller thickness than the midsole 31 so that desired repelling performance can be obtained during kicking and the like.

[0045] As described above, the sole body 30 is configured by laminating the midsole 31 and the plate 32, and the bottom surface 31b of the midsole 31 is in contact with the first main surface 32a of the plate 32. These midsole 31 and plate 32 may be joined by, for example, an adhesive, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of organic solvent used, it is preferable that these midsole 31 and plate 32 are not joined.

[0046] The sole body 30 has an upper surface defined by the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 described above, a lower surface defined by the second main surface 32b of the plate 32 described above, and a peripheral surface including the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 described above. Among these, the lower surface of the sole body 30 covers the inner surface 21a of the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, and the peripheral surface of the sole body 30 faces the lower end side portion of the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20. Thereby, the sole body 30 is located above the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and further above the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the additional sole body 40 supports the sole of the wearer's foot (particularly the lower surface of the heel portion), and has a flat shape in which its thickness decreases from the rear end to the front end in the front-rear direction X. The additional sole body 40 functions as a cushioning material and is configured by an elastically deformable member so that a desired cushioning performance can be obtained at the time of landing or the like. Here, the elastic modulus of the additional sole body 40 is different from the elastic modulus of the midsole 31 as the cushioning material included in the sole body 30 described above.

[0048] The additional sole body 40 is located at the rear foot part R3 as described above, is housed in the shell 10, and is disposed outside the upper body 20. Thereby, the lower surface of the additional sole body 40 covers the inner surface 11a on the rear end side in the front-rear direction X of the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10, and the upper surface of the additional sole body 40 covers the outer surface 21b on the rear end side in the front-rear direction X of the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20. Further, the end surface of the additional sole body 40 (that is, the surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface of the additional sole body 40) covers a part of the inner peripheral surface 12a on the lower end side in the vertical direction Z of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0049] In this way, in addition to the midsole 31 as the cushioning material included in the sole body 30 described above, by disposing the additional sole body 40 as a cushioning material having an elastic modulus different from that of the midsole 31 at a position corresponding to the rear foot part R3, it is possible to more easily optimize the cushioning performance for the heel part at the time of landing.

[0050] That is, at the time of landing, particularly high foot pressure is applied to the sole of the shoe at the rear foot part R3. Therefore, in order to sufficiently relieve this foot pressure, it is necessary to enhance the cushioning performance of the cushioning material disposed at this portion. In that case, considering that the above-described midsole 31 is configured by a single member disposed across the front foot part R1, the mid foot part R2, and the rear foot part R3, it is assumed that the thickness of the midsole 31 at the rear foot part R3 is increased compared to the thicknesses of the front foot part R1 and the mid foot part R2. However, when the thickness of the midsole 31 at the rear foot part R3 is increased, although it is necessary to obtain corresponding cushioning performance also at the front foot part R1 and the mid foot part R2, a problem occurs in that significant sinking of the heel at the time of landing at the rear foot part R3 occurs, and particularly at a position corresponding to the toenail of the wearer's foot, a large gap is generated between the toenail and the upper body 20.

[0051] In this regard, as described above, in addition to the midsole 31 as a cushioning material included in the sole body 30, an additional sole body 40 as a cushioning material having an elastic modulus different from that of the midsole 31 is disposed in the rear foot portion R3. By doing so, while maintaining the necessary cushioning performance in the front foot portion R1 and the mid foot portion R2, it becomes possible to enhance the cushioning performance in the rear foot portion R3 compared to the cushioning performance in the front foot portion R1 and the mid foot portion R2, and moreover, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of excessive sinking of the heel portion at the time of landing. Therefore, as described above, it becomes possible to more easily optimize the cushioning performance with respect to the heel portion at the time of landing, and as a result, it becomes possible to suppress the generation of a gap between the foot of the wearer and the upper body 20.

[0052] Here, the thickness of the additional sole body 40 is preferably larger than the thickness of the midsole 31, particularly in the portion that supports the heel portion of the wearer's foot. Further, the elastic modulus of the additional sole body 40 is preferably lower than the elastic modulus of the midsole 31. By configuring in this way, at the time of landing, it becomes possible to make the deformation amount of the additional sole body 40 larger than the deformation amount of the midsole 31. Therefore, while ensuring high cushioning performance, it is possible to reduce the gap generated between the foot of the wearer and the upper body 20 as described above.

[0053] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the additional sole body 40 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20. By configuring in this way, since the upper body 20 can be downsized by the amount corresponding to not disposing the additional sole body 40 inside the upper body 20, it contributes to the weight reduction of the shoe 1A.

[0054] In addition, when landing, particularly high foot pressure is applied to the shoe sole at the rear foot part R3. As a result, the cushioning material in the part located at the rear foot part R3 is more likely to deteriorate than the cushioning material in the parts located at the front foot part R1 and the mid-foot part R2, and there is a problem that the cushioning performance deteriorates due to long-term use. In this regard, as in the present embodiment, by dividing the cushioning material in the part located at the rear foot part R3 into the midsole 31 and the additional sole body 40, it becomes possible to replace only the additional sole body 40 that is more likely to deteriorate, and it becomes possible to use the shoe 1A for a longer period of time.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the heel counter 50 covers the peripheral surface of the heel of the wearer's foot (that is, the inner ankle and outer ankle of the wearer's foot and the rear surface of the heel of the part located between them), and is configured by a curved plate having a substantially C-shaped shape when viewed along the direction orthogonal to the ground contact surface 3. The heel counter 50 is a member for reinforcing the inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A and the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B of the shell 10 in the part corresponding to the rear foot part R3, and the rear side peripheral wall portion 12C of the shell 10.

[0056] The heel counter 50 is configured by a member harder than the shell 10 and the upper body 20. The heel counter 50 includes an enclosing portion 51 that covers the peripheral surface of the heel of the wearer's foot, and a protruding portion 52 that continuously extends from the lower end of the enclosing portion 51.

[0057] The enclosing portion 51 has a first portion 51A that covers the inner foot side peripheral surface of the heel of the wearer's foot (that is, the inner ankle of the wearer's foot), a second portion 51B that covers the outer foot side peripheral surface of the heel of the wearer's foot (that is, the outer ankle of the wearer's foot), and a third portion 51C that connects the first portion 51A and the second portion 51B and covers the rear surface of the heel of the wearer's foot.

[0058] As a result, the first portion 51A of the surrounding portion 51 is positioned between and overlaps each of the inner instep side peripheral wall portion 12A of the shell 10 and the inner instep side wall portion 22A of the upper body 20, and the second portion 51B of the surrounding portion 51 is positioned between and overlaps each of the outer instep side peripheral wall portion 12B of the shell 10 and the outer instep side wall portion 22B of the upper body 20. Further, the third portion 51C of the surrounding portion 51 is positioned between and overlaps each of the rear side peripheral wall portion 12C of the shell 10 and the rear side wall portion 22C of the upper body 20.

[0059] Therefore, since the peripheral surface of the wearer's heel portion of the foot is surrounded by the surrounding portion 51 of the heel counter 50, it is possible to suppress the shell 10 and the upper body 20 of the portion covering the peripheral surface of the wearer's heel portion of the foot from tilting in the left - right direction Y, and in particular, it is possible to ensure the stability at the time of landing.

[0060] The protruding portion 52 extends from the lower end of the surrounding portion 51 toward the bottom wall portion 11 side and protrudes toward the peripheral wall portion 12 side. More specifically, the protruding portion 52 is provided so as to continuously extend from any of the first portion 51A, the second portion 51B, and the third portion 51C of the surrounding portion 51, and thereby the protruding portion 52 has a flare shape. This protruding portion 52 is a part for fixing the heel counter 50 to the shell 10, but the details thereof will be described later.

[0061] In the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment described above, the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot is covered by the upper body 20, and the sole of the wearer's foot is covered by the midsole 31 of the sole body 30. Therefore, when the wearer wears the shoe 1A, the wearer's foot comes into contact with the soft upper body 20 that can be flexibly deformed and the relatively soft sole body 30 that can be elastically deformed. Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, the shell 10 does not directly contact the wearer's foot, and the shoe 1A with a comfortable wearing feeling can be obtained.

[0062] However, the upper body 20 and the sole body 30 do not necessarily have to come into contact with the wearer's foot entirely. In a range where the wearing comfort is not impaired, notches or openings such as cutout shapes may be provided in the upper body 20 and the sole body 30.

[0063] <B. Material of Each Component> Next, the materials of the above-described components will be described. Note that the specific materials shown below are merely examples and are not limited thereto.

[0064] The shell 10 may basically be made of any material as long as it has flexibility, but it preferably has appropriate strength. From this perspective, the shell 10 is preferably made of a resin material or a rubber material. Here, the material constituting the shell 10 may be a reactive material that starts a reaction by light (for example, ultraviolet light) or heat, and may be, for example, a polymer or a reactive monomer.

[0065] More specifically, when the shell 10 is made of resin, it can be, for example, a polyolefin resin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), a polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPA, TPAE), a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or a polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE). On the other hand, when the shell 10 is made of rubber, it can be, for example, butadiene rubber.

[0066] The shell 10 can also be made of a polymer composition. In that case, examples of the polymer contained in the polymer composition include olefin-based polymers such as olefin elastomers and olefin resins. Examples of olefin-based polymers include polyethylene (e.g., linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), etc.), polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, propylene-1-hexene copolymer, propylene-4-methyl-1-pentene copolymer, propylene-1-butene copolymer, ethylene-1-hexene copolymer, ethylene-4-methyl-pentene copolymer, ethylene-1-butene copolymer, 1-butene-1-hexene copolymer, 1-butene-4-methyl-pentene, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-butyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, propylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, propylene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, propylene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, propylene-methyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, propylene-butyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyolefins such as propylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, etc.

[0067] Also, the above polymer may be an amide-based polymer such as an amide-based elastomer or an amide-based resin. Examples of amide-based polymers include polyamide 6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, polyamide 66, polyamide 610, etc.

[0068] Also, the above polymer may be an ester-based polymer such as an ester-based elastomer or an ester-based resin. Examples of ester-based polymers include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc.

[0069] Further, the polymer may be, for example, a urethane-based polymer such as a urethane-based elastomer or a urethane-based resin. Examples of the urethane-based polymer include polyester-based polyurethane, polyether-based polyurethane, etc., and urethane acrylate can be preferably used.

[0070] Further, the polymer may be, for example, a styrene-based polymer such as a styrene-based elastomer or a styrene-based resin. Examples of the styrene-based elastomer include styrene-ethylene-butylene copolymer (SEB), styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS), hydrogenated product of SBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS)), styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer (SIS), hydrogenated product of SIS (styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene copolymer (SEPS)), styrene-isobutylene-styrene copolymer (SIBS), styrene-butadiene-styrene-butadiene (SBSB), styrene-butadiene-styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBSBS), etc. Examples of the styrene-based resin include polystyrene, acrylonitrile styrene resin (AS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS), etc.

[0071] Further, the polymer may be, for example, an acrylic-based polymer such as polymethyl methacrylate, a urethane-based acrylic polymer, a polyester-based acrylic polymer, a polyether-based acrylic polymer, a polycarbonate-based acrylic polymer, an epoxy-based acrylic polymer, a conjugated diene polymerization-based acrylic polymer and its hydrogenated product, a urethane-based methacrylic polymer, a polyester-based methacrylic polymer, a polyether-based methacrylic polymer, a polycarbonate-based methacrylic polymer, an epoxy-based methacrylic polymer, a conjugated diene polymerization-based methacrylic polymer and its hydrogenated product, a polyvinyl chloride-based resin, a silicone-based elastomer, butadiene rubber (BR), isoprene rubber (IR), chloroprene (CR), natural rubber (NR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), butyl rubber (IIR), etc.

[0072] The manufacturing method of the shell 10 is not particularly limited, but the shell 10 can be manufactured, for example, by injection molding, casting molding, or molding using a three-dimensional lamination molding apparatus. In particular, if the shell 10 is manufactured by molding using a three-dimensional lamination molding apparatus, shells 10 with various structures that are difficult to manufacture by injection molding or casting molding can be manufactured. Also, even when adopting molding using a three-dimensional lamination molding apparatus, the molding method is not particularly limited, but preferably, a thermal melting lamination molding method, a photopolymerization molding method, or a powder sintering lamination molding method can be used.

[0073] The upper body 20 may basically be made of any material as long as it can be flexibly deformed, but preferably, a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric, synthetic leather, resin, etc. are used. More specifically, the upper body 20 can be made of, for example, natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, and silk, and also, for example, synthetic fibers made of polyamide-based resins such as nylon, polyester-based resins, polyurethane resins, polyvinyl alcohol-based resins such as vinylon, polyacrylonitrile-based resins such as exlan and cashmilon, polyvinyl chloride-based resins such as teviron and envylon, polypropylene-based resins such as pyren, polyethylene-based resins, polystyrene-based resins, etc. Also, the upper body 20 can be made of, for example, rayon or cupra as regenerated fibers.

[0074] In particular, as will be described later, if a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric, etc. of synthetic fibers having heat shrinkability are used, the upper body 20 that fits better to the wearer's foot can be obtained. Examples of synthetic fibers having heat shrinkability include those mainly composed of, for example, polyester-based resins, polyurethane resins, etc., and particularly preferably, Hytrel (trademark), which is a type of polyester-based resin, can be mentioned.

[0075] That is, when the upper body 20 is made of a woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, etc. of synthetic fibers having heat shrinkability, it is formed into a bag shape in advance, and heat treatment is performed in a state where a last is inserted therein. By heat shrinking due to heating, the upper body 20 undergoes a shape change to a state where it adheres closely to the last, and the shape after the change is retained. Therefore, if a last corresponding to the shape of the wearer's foot is prepared and the upper body 20 is formed using the same, an upper body 20 that fits the wearer's foot can be manufactured. Furthermore, if the heat treatment using the above-described last is performed in a state where the upper body 20 is incorporated into the shell 10, the upper body 20 will also fit the shell 10, and further improvement in fit can be achieved.

[0076] As the above-described last, a standard-shaped one corresponding to the size of the wearer's foot may be used. However, if a last manufactured based on the foot shape data obtained by measuring the actual wearer's foot is used, the fit of the manufactured shoe 1A to the wearer's foot will be significantly improved.

[0077] The midsole 31 and the additional sole body 40 may basically be made of any material as long as they can be elastically deformed, but it is preferable that they are made of a member having appropriate strength and excellent cushioning properties. From this viewpoint, as the midsole 31 and the additional sole body 40, for example, a resin foam material containing a resin material as a main component and a foaming agent or a crosslinking agent as a sub-component is used. Alternatively, a rubber foam material containing a rubber material as a main component and a plasticizer, a foaming agent, a reinforcing agent, and a crosslinking agent as sub-components may be used.

[0078] Particularly preferably, the midsole 31 and the additional sole body 40 can be made of a foamed material such as a polyolefin resin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), a polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPA, TPAE), a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or a polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE). Note that the midsole 31 and the additional sole body 40 do not necessarily have to be made of a foamed material, and they may be made of a non-foamed material.

[0079] The plate 32 only needs to be made of a material harder than the material constituting the midsole 31, and its material is not particularly limited. Examples of the material of the plate 32 include fiber-reinforced resins using carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, Dyneema fiber (registered trademark), Zylon fiber (registered trademark), boron fiber, etc. as reinforcing fibers and epoxy resin, polyester resin, phenol resin, polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyurethane resin, etc. as matrix materials, and non-fiber-reinforced resins made of polymer resins such as urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPU), amide-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPA), and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA).

[0080] The heel counter 50 only needs to be made of a material harder than the material constituting the shell 10, and its material is not particularly limited. Examples of the material of the heel counter 50 include polymer resins such as urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPU), amide-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPA), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), and thermosetting urethane elastomer (TSU), and thermoplastic rubber.

[0081] Note that the manufacturing method of the heel counter 50 is not particularly limited, but the heel counter 50 can be manufactured, for example, by injection molding, casting, or molding using a three-dimensional laminating apparatus. In particular, if the heel counter 50 is manufactured by molding using a three-dimensional laminating apparatus, heel counters 50 with various structures that are difficult to manufacture by injection molding or casting can be manufactured. Also, even when adopting molding using a three-dimensional laminating apparatus, the molding method is not particularly limited, but preferably, a thermal melting lamination molding method, a stereolithography method, or a powder sintering lamination molding method can be used.

[0082] <C. Schematic shoe assembly method> Next, with reference to FIG. 8 described above, a schematic shoe assembly method according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 8, the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment is manufactured by mutually assembling a shell 10, an upper body 20, a midsole 31, a plate 32, an additional sole body 40, and a heel counter 50. These shell 10, upper body 20, midsole 31, plate 32, additional sole body 40, and heel counter 50 may be manufactured by any method.

[0084] Specifically, first, the additional sole body 40 and the heel counter 50 are inserted into the internal space of the shell 10. Here, since the shell 10 has flexibility, the additional sole body 40 can also be elastically deformed, and the heel counter 50 can also be flexibly deformed, so the additional sole body 40 and the heel counter 50 can be inserted into the shell 10 through the mouth portion 10a provided at the upper end of the shell 10. The additional sole body 40 inserted into the shell 10 is arranged along the inner surface 11a on the rear end side in the front-rear direction X of the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10. Also, the heel counter 50 inserted into the shell 10 is arranged along the inner peripheral surface 12a on the rear end side in the front-rear direction X of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0085] Next, the upper body 20 is inserted into the internal space of the shell 10. Here, since the shell 10 has flexibility and the upper body 20 can also be flexibly deformed, the upper body 20 can be inserted into the shell 10 through the mouth portion 10a provided at the upper end of the shell 10. The upper body 20 inserted into the shell 10 is arranged so as to follow the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Further, the upper end portion of the side wall portion 22 of the portion defining the opening 20a is in a state of being drawn out from the mouth portion 10a of the shell 10 toward the outside. At this time, the upper surface of the additional sole body 40 and the inner peripheral surface of the heel counter 50, which have been previously accommodated inside the shell 10, will be covered by the upper body 20.

[0086] Next, the sole body 30 including the midsole 31 and the plate 32 is inserted into the internal space of the shell 10 by being inserted into the upper body 20. The midsole 31 and the plate 32 may be individually inserted into the upper body 20, or they may be inserted into the upper body 20 together. Here, although the midsole 31 can be elastically deformed, the plate 32 is relatively rigid and does not easily deform in its in-plane direction. However, since the upper body 20 can be flexibly deformed and the shell 10 also has flexibility, the sole body 30 including the midsole 31 and the plate 32 can be inserted into the upper body 20 through the opening 20a provided at the upper end of the upper body 20. At this time, the insertion of the midsole 31 and the plate 32 is not hindered by the mouth portion 10a provided at the upper end of the shell 10. The sole body 30 including the midsole 31 and the plate 32 inserted into the upper body 20 is arranged so as to follow the inner surface 21a of the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20. Thereby, the sole body 30 is arranged at an appropriate position in the internal space of the shell 10.

[0087] By going through the above assembly procedure, the mutual assembly of the shell 10, the upper body 20, the midsole 31, the plate 32, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50 is completed, and thereby the manufacturing of the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment described above is completed. Note that the above-described assembly method is merely an example, and other assembly methods (for example, other assembly procedures, the arrangement positions of the respective members different from the above, etc.) may be adopted.

[0088] <D. Parentheses> Thus, the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment can be manufactured by a very simple operation of mutually assembling the shell 10, the upper body 20, the sole body 30, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50, which are individually manufactured in advance. Therefore, its manufacturing is facilitated as compared with the prior art. Note that in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, when the shell 10, the upper body 20, the sole body 30, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50 are mutually assembled, they are configured such that their fixing can be easily performed. Moreover, the use of an adhesive is not required for the assembly of the midsole 31, the plate 32, the additional sole body 40, and the heel counter 50 to the shell 10 and the upper body 20. These points will be described in detail later.

[0089] <E. Fixing Structure of the Sole Body to the Shell> FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the region IX shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the shoe shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is a partially broken perspective view of the shell shown in FIG. 1 along the line XI-XI shown in FIG. 3. Further, FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the formation range of the pressing surface provided on the peripheral wall portion of the shell shown in FIG. 1. Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12 and FIGS. 6 and 7 described above, the fixing structure of the sole body 30 to the shell 10 in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0090] Here, FIGS. 9 and 10 are both cross-sectional views of the shoe 1A cut along a plane orthogonal to the shoe center SC. The cross-section shown in FIG. 9 is the cross-section of the shoe 1A at the portion where the heel counter 50 is disposed, while the cross-section shown in FIG. 10 is the cross-section of the portion where the heel counter 50 is not disposed. More specifically, the cross-section shown in FIG. 9 is the cross-section at the rear foot part R3, and the cross-section shown in FIG. 10 is the cross-section at the midfoot part R2. Also, in FIG. 12, illustration of the detailed structure of the shoe 1A is omitted, and the formation range of the pressing surface 14 is colored in a dark color to show the formation range of the pressing surface 14 when viewed from the upper side along the vertical direction Z.

[0091] As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 9 to 11, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, a constricted portion 13A is provided in the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. The constricted portion 13A is formed by constricting a predetermined portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 toward the inside of the shell 10 (that is, toward the insertion space SP3 side). Thereby, the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 at the portion where the constricted portion 13A is provided protrudes toward the inside of the shell 10, while a depression is formed in the outer peripheral surface 12b of the peripheral wall portion 12 at the portion where the constricted portion 13A is provided.

[0092] The constricted portion 13A extends along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12. More specifically, the constricted portion 13A extends from the rear end side portion in the front-rear direction X of the inner-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A of the portion included in the front foot part R1 along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12, via the rear end position PR (see FIG. 7 etc.), to the rear end side portion in the front-rear direction X of the outer-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B of the portion included in the front foot part R1.

[0093] Here, by providing the constricted portion 13A described above on the peripheral wall portion 12, the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 includes a surface that extends toward the inside of the shell 10 and faces the bottom wall portion 11 side. The surface of the peripheral wall portion 12 that faces the bottom wall portion 11 side corresponds to the lower surface of the constricted portion 13A, and the lower surface of the constricted portion 13A functions as a pressing surface 14 for fixing the sole body 30. That is, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the end portion of the sole body 30 is inserted into the space below the portion where the constricted portion 13A is provided, so that the sole body 30 is sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 and the bottom wall portion 11, and thereby the sole body 30 is fixed to the shell 10.

[0094] As described above, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, since the constricted portion 13A is provided so as to extend along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12, the above-described pressing surface 14 is also located so as to extend along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0095] That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing surface 14 extends along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12 from the rear end side portion in the front-rear direction X of the inner-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A of the portion included in the forefoot portion R1, via the rear end position PR, to the rear end side portion in the front-rear direction X of the outer-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B of the portion included in the forefoot portion R1. Therefore, the pressing surface 14 includes an inner-foot-side pressing surface 14A provided on the inner-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A, an outer-foot-side pressing surface 14B provided on the outer-foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B, and a rear-side pressing surface 14C provided on the rear-side peripheral wall portion 12C, and these inner-foot-side pressing surface 14A, outer-foot-side pressing surface 14B, and rear-side pressing surface 14C extend continuously with each other along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0096] As a result, the sole body 30 will be sandwiched between each of these inner foot side pressing surfaces 14A, outer foot side pressing surfaces 14B, and rear side pressing surfaces 14C and the bottom wall portion 11. Therefore, the sole body 30 will be held by the shell 10 in the vertical direction Z at both ends in the left - right direction Y, and will also be held by the shell 10 in the vertical direction Z at the rear end in the front - rear direction X.

[0097] Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, the sole body 30 can be stably fixed to the shell 10, and it is possible to effectively suppress the sole body 30 from shifting inside the shell 10 during use. Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, the shoe 1A can be made such that the fit to the wearer's foot and the stability during landing are greatly improved. Also, since the pressing surface 14 for fixing the sole body 30 can be integrally provided on the shell 10 during the manufacture of the shell 10, it is also possible to reduce the number of parts and simplify the manufacturing process.

[0098] Note that the pressing surface 14 including the above - mentioned inner foot side pressing surface 14A, outer foot side pressing surface 14B, and rear side pressing surface 14C is positioned so as to extend long along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 12, while the protruding amount toward the inside of the shell 10 is configured to be relatively small. By configuring in this way, the operation of fitting the end portion of the sole body 30 into the space below the pressing surface 14 is facilitated, and more stable fixing of the sole body 30 becomes possible because more parts of the sole body 30 are held by the shell 10.

[0099] Here, the fixing structure of the sole body 30 to the shell 10 described above can stably fix the sole body 30 to the shell 10 without using an adhesive, and in this regard, the amount of organic solvent used can be significantly reduced compared to the case of performing these fixings using an adhesive. Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, the environmental load can be reduced compared to the conventional situation.

[0100] In addition, as described above, since the shell 10 has flexibility, when assembling the sole body 30 to the shell 10, the end portion of the sole body 30 can be easily inserted into the space below the portion where the constricted portion 13A is provided due to the shell 10 being flexed and deformed. Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, the assembly of the sole body 30 to the shell 10 is not difficult and can be easily performed.

[0101] Also, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the pressing surface 14 is not provided on the front end side portions in the front-rear direction X of the inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A and the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B of the portion included in the front foot portion R1 and the front side peripheral wall portion 12D. This is because the foot pressure applied to the sole body 30 during landing is large in the rear foot portion R3, while it is relatively small in the front foot portion R1. Therefore, if the sole body 30 is stably fixed to the shell 10 in the rear foot portion R3 and the midfoot portion R2, corresponding effects can be obtained. Further, among the internal spaces of the shell 10, the portion corresponding to the front foot portion R1 is located deeper from the opening edge 2. Therefore, if the pressing surface 14 is provided in this portion, it is assumed that the assembly of the sole body 30 to the shell 10 will become complicated, and this is also for avoiding this. However, it is of course possible that the pressing surface 14 is provided on the front end side portions in the front-rear direction X of the inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A and the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B of the portion included in the front foot portion R1 and the front side peripheral wall portion 12D.

[0102] Also, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the pressing surface 14 has an inclined surface shape in which the protruding amount increases as it goes upward in the vertical direction Z, and the midsole 31 is configured to have a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional view so that the above-described peripheral surface of the sole body 30 (that is, the portion of the sole body 30 that faces the lower end side portion of the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20) also has a corresponding inclined surface shape. By configuring in this way, while realizing stable fixing of the sole body 30 by the pressing surface 14, the assembly of the sole body 30 to the shell 10 can be easily performed.

[0103] Note that the pressing surface 14 does not necessarily have to be configured in an inclined surface shape in which the protruding amount increases as it goes upward in the vertical direction Z as described above. It may be configured in an inclined surface shape in which the protruding amount increases as it goes downward in the vertical direction Z, or may be configured in a horizontal plane shape extending in the left-right direction Y.

[0104] Here, when the pressing surface 14 is configured in an inclined surface shape in which the protruding amount increases as it goes upward in the vertical direction Z as described above, the smaller the angle formed by the pressing surface 14 of the inclined surface shape and the horizontal plane, the greater the fixing force with respect to the sole body 30. On the other hand, when the pressing surface 14 is configured in an inclined surface shape in which the protruding amount increases as it goes downward in the vertical direction Z, the greater the angle formed by the pressing surface 14 of the inclined surface shape and the horizontal plane, the greater the fixing force with respect to the sole body 30.

[0105] As described above, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the sole body 30 includes the midsole 31 and the plate 32, and the plate 32 is laminated with the midsole 31 by being disposed at a position below the midsole 31 in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, not only the midsole 31 but also the plate 32 can be held by the shell 10. Even if the midsole 31 and the plate 32 are not adhered to each other, the midsole 31 and the plate 32 can be stably fixed to the shell 10 at the same time.

[0106] Also, as described above, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the upper body 20 is housed in the shell 10, and further, the sole body 30 is housed inside the upper body 20. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sole body 30 is sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 and the bottom wall portion 11 with the upper body 20 interposed therebetween. Even in a configuration where the sole body 30 does not directly contact the pressing surface 14 in this way, since the upper body 20 is made of a sufficiently flexible member, the sole body 30 can be stably fixed to the shell 10 via the upper body 20.

[0107] Also, as described above, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the heel counter 50 is located at the rear foot portion R3, and the heel counter 50 is housed in the shell 10 and disposed outside the upper body 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the sole body 30 is sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 and the bottom wall portion 11 with the flare-shaped protruding portions 52 of the upper body 20 and the heel counter 50 interposed therebetween. Even in a configuration where the sole body 30 does not directly contact the pressing surface 14 in this way, since the upper body 20 is made of a sufficiently flexible member and the shape of the protruding portion 52 of the heel counter 50 corresponds to the shape of the pressing surface 14 and the shape of the circumferential surface of the sole body 30, the sole body 30 can be stably fixed to the shell 10 via the upper body 20 and the heel counter 50.

[0108] Furthermore, as described above, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the additional sole body 40 is located across the midfoot region R2 and the hindfoot region R3, and the additional sole body 40 is accommodated in the shell 10 and disposed outside the upper body 20. Here, the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 covers the second main surface 32b of the plate 32 which is the lower surface of the sole body 30, and the additional sole body 40 is disposed between the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 and the bottom wall portion 11. Therefore, the additional sole body 40 is sandwiched and held by the sole body 30 fixed by the pressing surface 14 and the bottom wall portion 11, and thereby is fixed to the shell 10. Therefore, by configuring in this way, it becomes possible to stably fix the sole body 30 and the additional sole body 40 to the shell 10 at the same time.

[0109] <F. Structure for preventing damage to the shell> Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, FIGS. 9 and 10 described above, the structure for preventing damage to the shell 10 in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0110] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, FIGS. 9 and 10, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the sole body 30 has a plate 32 in addition to the midsole 31, and the plate 32 is disposed in the internal space of the shell 10 and thereby is accommodated in the shell 10.

[0111] As described above, the plate 32 functions as a resilient member for obtaining a desired resilience performance at the time of kicking out or the like. That is, the plate 32 is composed of a member having a high elastic modulus and being hard. Thereby, the plate 32 is elastically deformed by receiving a high load at the time of kicking out or the like, and the restoring force generated in the plate 32 acts on the ground as a high repulsive force along with this elastic deformation. Therefore, by providing the shoe 1A with the plate 32, the propulsive force forward at the time of kicking out or the like can be improved dramatically.

[0112] Here, since the plate 32 is relatively hard while the shell 10 is relatively soft, if the plate 32 is accommodated in the shell 10 without any special measures, the end portion of the plate 32 (that is, the edge portion of the plate 32 including the above-mentioned peripheral end surface 32c) may come into contact with the shell 10, resulting in the shell 10 being scraped or torn.

[0113] In this regard, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the plate 32 is not disposed at a position outside the upper body 20 within the internal space of the shell 10, but is accommodated in the upper body 20. As a result, the plate 32 is disposed not only within the internal space of the shell 10 but also within the upper body 20.

[0114] Therefore, by configuring in this way, particularly as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, an upper body 20 made of a member softer than the plate 32 is interposed between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Thus, a portion of the upper body 20 sandwiched between these peripheral end surface 32c and inner peripheral surface 12a (in FIGS. 9 and 10, reference numeral 22c is attached to this portion) functions as a protection portion for protecting the shell 10 from the plate 32.

[0115] Therefore, by adopting the above configuration, while providing a high propulsion force at the time of kicking out by providing the flexible shell 10 with the hard plate 32 as a repulsion member, the end portion of the plate 32 does not directly contact the shell 10, so that it is possible to prevent the shell 10 from being scraped or torn. Therefore, it is possible to make the shoe 1A achieve both an improvement in propulsion force and an improvement in durability.

[0116] In addition, by providing the flexible shell 10 with the hard plate 32, an effect of dispersing pressure inside the shoe 1A can also be obtained, so that a large deformation of the shell 10 locally occurring can be suppressed, and as a result, it becomes possible to deform the shell 10 more uniformly.

[0117] <Other aspects of the shell G> FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another aspect of the shell of the shoe shown in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, another aspect of the shell 10 of the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0118] In the present embodiment, as an example, the case where the shell 10 provided in the shoe 1A is of the type shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and the like has been described. However, as the shell 10, various types can be used as long as they have flexibility. As an example, a shell 10A as shown in FIG. 13 may be used.

[0119] The shell 10A shown in FIG. 13 is configured by a three-dimensional mesh structure except for the above-described mesh-like structure portion 10b. Here, the three-dimensional mesh structure is formed by repeatedly arranging a plurality of predetermined unit structures adjacent to each other. Such a three-dimensional structure like this three-dimensional mesh structure is also referred to as a lattice structure or a three-dimensional lattice structure. More specifically, the three-dimensional mesh structure includes a plurality of wire elements connected so as to cross each other. As a result, it has intersections formed by the crossing of the wire elements and hole portions 10c located between adjacent wire elements.

[0120] Therefore, when the shell 10A is configured by such a three-dimensional mesh structure, innumerable hole portions 10c are formed so as to reach the inner surface (that is, the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12) and the outer surface (that is, the outer surface 11b of the bottom wall portion 11 and the outer peripheral surface 12b of the peripheral wall portion 12). Note that the shell 10A having such a structure can be manufactured relatively easily by shaping using the above-described three-dimensional laminated molding apparatus.

[0121] By configuring the shell 10A in a three-dimensional mesh structure in this way, while giving the shell 10A sufficient strength, the shell 10A will have appropriate flexibility, and moreover, the weight of the shoe 1A will be reduced and the breathability will be improved. In addition, since the upper body 20 accommodated in the internal space of the shell 10A can be visually recognized from the outside through the innumerable holes 10c, the design property will also be improved.

[0122] Note that the shell 10A described above is configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure (i.e., a three-dimensional lattice structure) for the part excluding the above-described mesh-like structure portion 10b, but this part may be configured with a structure having a three-dimensional wall structure instead of this three-dimensional mesh structure.

[0123] Here, the three-dimensional wall structure is a three-dimensional shape formed by a wall whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved surfaces or planes as a unit structure, and a plurality of such unit structures are repeatedly arranged adjacent to each other. Specific examples in that case include, for example, those obtained by adding thickness to a triply periodic minimal surface such as a gyroid structure, a Schwarz P structure, a Schwarz D structure, etc., and those obtained by adding thickness to an octet structure, a cubic structure, a Kelvin structure, etc.

[0124] Also, a part of the shell may be configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure (i.e., a three-dimensional lattice structure), and another part of the shell may be configured with a structure having a three-dimensional wall structure.

[0125] Furthermore, when at least a part of the shell is constituted by a three-dimensional mesh structure, for example, the thickness of the wire elements described above may be partially changed, or the size of the unit structure may be partially changed. With this configuration, changes can be made to the physical properties (such as rigidity) of each part of the shell. Also, when at least a part of the shell is constituted by a structure having a three-dimensional wall structure, for example, the thickness of the wall described above may be partially changed, or the size of the unit structure may be partially changed. With this configuration, changes can be made to the physical properties (such as rigidity) of each part of the shell.

[0126] (First Modified Example and Second Modified Example) FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the upper body of the shoe according to the first modified example, and FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the region XVI shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the upper body of the shoe according to the second modified example, and FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the region XIX shown in FIG. 18. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 19, the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 according to the first modified example and the second modified example based on the above-described Embodiment 1 will be described. Note that the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 according to the first modified example and the second modified example differ only in the configuration of the upper body 20 when compared with the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0127] In the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1, the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20, which is softer than the plate 32, is disposed at a position between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. As a result, the protection portion that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32 is constituted by the portion 22c (see FIGS. 9 and 10) of the side wall portion 22 that faces the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32. In this regard, in the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 according to the first modified example and the second modified example, further reinforcement of this protection portion has been made.

[0128] As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, in the shoe 1A1 according to the first modification, a lining material 25 is provided at the lower end side portion (that is, the portion disposed in the lower side space SP1 of the side wall portion 22) including the portion of the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20 that faces the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32. This lining material 25 is laminated and fixed to the side wall portion 22 so as to cover the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22. The fixing of the lining material 25 to the side wall portion 22 may be, for example, bonding using an adhesive, but from the viewpoint of reducing the usage amount of the organic solvent, sewing is preferably used.

[0129] The lining material 25 may be made of any material, thickness, and strength, but it is preferably composed of a member having wear resistance and strength against tearing. Further, it is still more preferable that the lining material 25 is composed of a member that is equal to or thinner than the upper body 20. The lining material 25 is composed of, for example, a member made of woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, synthetic leather, resin, or the like. Further, the lining material 25 may be composed of a member made of the same material as the member constituting the upper body 20. Here, from the viewpoint of enhancing the reinforcing effect of the above-described protection portion, it is still better if it is composed of a member having a higher strength than the upper body 20.

[0130] Note that the lining material 25 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the side wall portion 22 so as to cover the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22 as described above, and may be fixed to the side wall portion 22 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface 22b of the side wall portion 22.

[0131] As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, in the shoe 1A2 according to the second modification, the lower end side portion (that is, the portion disposed in the lower side space SP1 of the side wall portion 22) including the portion of the side wall portion 22 of the upper body 20 that faces the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 is made of a high-strength material that is stronger than the material constituting the other portion of the side wall portion 22 (that is, the portion disposed in the upper side space SP2 of the side wall portion 22), and is constituted by a high-strength member 22d. This high-strength member 22d is joined to the above-described other portion of the side wall portion 22 and the lower wall portion 21, for example, by stitching. In FIG. 17, for ease of understanding, only the high-strength member 22d is shown in a dark color.

[0132] Thereby, the portion 22c of the side wall portion 22 that faces the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 is constituted by this high-strength member 22d, and this high-strength member 22d functions as a protection portion that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32. The high-strength member 22d may be made of any material as long as it is stronger than the material of the above-described other portion of the side wall portion 22, and is constituted by, for example, a member made of a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a non-woven fabric, synthetic leather, resin, or the like.

[0133] By using the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 according to these first and second modifications, the protection portion that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32 can be reinforced, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent chipping and tearing from occurring in the shell 10. In addition, the durability of the upper body 20 itself is also improved, and in this regard, the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 with further improved durability can be obtained. Therefore, by configuring in this way, not only the effects described in the above-described Embodiment 1 can be obtained, but also the shoes 1A1 and 1A2 with excellent durability can be obtained.

[0134] In the shoe 1A1 according to the first modification described above, as described above, when the lining material 25 is fixed to the side wall portion 22 so as to cover the inner peripheral surface 22a of the side wall portion 22 instead of covering the outer peripheral surface 22b of the side wall portion 22, the lining material 25 also functions as a protection portion for protecting the upper body 20 from the plate 32. In this regard as well, the shoe 1A1 with improved durability can be obtained.

[0135] (Third Modification) FIG. 20 is a plan view of a plate of a shoe according to the third modification. Hereinafter, with reference to this FIG. 20, the shoe 1A3 according to the third modification based on the above-described Embodiment 1 will be described. Note that the shoe 1A3 according to the third modification basically has a different shape of the plate 32 when compared with the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 20, in the shoe 1A3 according to the third modification, when the outer dimension of the plate 32 in the left-right direction Y is referred to as the width dimension, the maximum width dimension W2 of the plate 32 at the position corresponding to the rear foot portion R3 is equal to or larger than the maximum width dimension W1 of the plate 32 at the position corresponding to the front foot portion R1. That is, the maximum width dimension W1 of the plate 32 at the front foot portion R1 and the maximum width dimension W2 of the plate 32 at the rear foot portion R3 satisfy the condition of W1 ≦ W2.

[0137] Although not shown in FIG. 20, in the shoe 1A3 according to the third modification, correspondingly, the outer dimension of the midsole 31 in the left-right direction Y at the position corresponding to the rear foot portion R3 and the distance in the left-right direction Y between the inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A and the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B of the shell 10 are also configured to be large, respectively.

[0138] Here, in the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1, the maximum width dimension of the plate 32 in the forefoot part R1 is the largest, followed by the maximum width dimension of the plate 32 in the heel part R3, and the maximum width dimension of the plate 32 in the midfoot part is the smallest (see Fig. 13 etc.). This is because the position where the repulsive force by the plate 32 should be maximally exerted at the time of kicking out is the part near the rear end of the forefoot part R1 (that is, the part corresponding to the MP joint of the wearer's foot). In the midfoot part R2 and the heel part R3, it is because there is no need to increase the outer shape of the plate 32.

[0139] However, in the shoe 1A3 according to the third modification example, the plate 32 in the part corresponding to the heel part R3 is configured to be wide, so that the outer shape of the plate 32 in that part is enlarged. When configured in this way, it becomes possible to more stably fix the plate 32 in the heel part R3 by holding the sole body 30 by the pressing surface 14 described above.

[0140] Therefore, by configuring in this way, it becomes possible to more stably fix the sole body 30 including the plate 32 in the heel part R3, which is the part where a particularly high foot pressure is applied to the sole at the time of landing. It is possible to reduce the decrease in fit and the decrease in stability at the time of landing caused by the displacement of the sole body 30. Therefore, by configuring in this way, not only the effects described in the above-described Embodiment 1 can be obtained, but also the shoe 1A3 can be made to have improved fit to the wearer's foot and stability at the time of landing. Also, when configured in this way, since the plate 32 in the part located in the heel part R3 is sufficiently large, it is also possible to enhance the followability of the shoe 1A3 to the wearer's foot during running.

[0141] In addition, as the position of the plate 32 to be configured to have the maximum width dimension W2 described above, from the perspective of preventing the wearer's foot from slipping out of the opening 2, it is preferably between the front end portion in the front-rear direction X of the opening 2 and the heel center (see reference sign HC). Specifically, considering the position of the opening 2, it is preferable that the maximum width dimension W2 is located in the range from 55% to 85% of the total length of the insertion space SP3 from the front end position PF on the front side.

[0142] (Embodiment 2) FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembled structure of the sole body of the shoe according to Embodiment 2, and FIG. 22 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the shoe. Next, with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, the shoe 1B according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the shoe 1B according to the present embodiment is different only in the configuration of the sole body 30 when compared with the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0143] As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, in the shoe 1B according to the present embodiment, when viewed along the vertical direction Z, the midsole 31 is configured to have an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the plate 32 (that is, the outer shape of the bottom surface 31b of the midsole 31 is configured to be larger than the outer shape of the plate 32), and further, a concave portion 31d having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the plate 32 is provided on the bottom surface 31b of the midsole 31. The concave portion 31d is for accommodating the plate 32.

[0144] When configured in this way, the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 will be positioned to face the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 31d provided in the midsole 31. Therefore, the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 that constitutes the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 31d is positioned between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Here, since the midsole 31 is softer than the plate 32, the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 described above functions as a protection portion that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32.

[0145] Therefore, even when configured in this way, the same effects as those described in the above-described Embodiment 1 can be obtained, and the shoe 1B can be made such that both the improvement in propulsion force and the improvement in durability are achieved. In addition, when the above configuration is adopted, the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 also functions as a protection portion that protects the upper body 20 from the plate 32, and in this regard as well, the shoe 1B with further improved durability can be obtained.

[0146] Here, in order to enhance the protection function of the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31, it is preferable that the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 is completely covered by the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31. In order to configure it in that way, the height of the edge portion 31e with respect to the bottom surface of the concave portion 31d may be made the same as or greater than the distance from the bottom surface of the concave portion 31d to the second main surface 32b of the plate 32. If configured in this way, the bottom surface 31b of the midsole 31 and the second main surface 32b of the plate 32 are located on the same plane, or the plate 32 is arranged at a position deeper than the bottom surface 31b of the midsole 31, so that the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 is completely covered by the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31.

[0147] Note that the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 as the above-described protection portion does not necessarily have to be provided over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the midsole 31, and it may be provided only on a part of the circumferential direction.

[0148] (Fourth Modified Example) FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a shoe according to the fourth modified example. Hereinafter, with reference to this FIG. 23, the shoe 1B1 according to the fourth modified example based on the above-described Embodiment 2 will be described. Note that the shoe 1B1 according to the fourth modified example is different only in the configuration of the member accommodated inside the shell 10 when compared with the shoe 1B according to the above-described Embodiment 2.

[0149] The shoe 1B according to the above-described Embodiment 2 has a configuration in which the upper body 20 is housed in the shell 10 and the sole body 30 is housed in the upper body 20 (see FIG. 22). However, as shown in FIG. 23, in the shoe 1B1 according to the fourth modification, although the sole body 30 is housed in the shell 10, the upper body 20 has a configuration in which it is housed inside the shell 10 without housing the sole body 30 inside. That is, the sole body 30 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, and the upper body 20 is disposed only in the upper side space SP2 (see FIGS. 5 to 7, etc.) of the internal space of the shell 10.

[0150] When configured in this way, the upper surface of the sole body 30 defined by the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 is covered by the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, except for the portion covered by the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Along with this, the sole body 30 is directly sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 and the bottom wall portion 11 without the upper body 20 intervening.

[0151] Therefore, the upper body 20 is not positioned between the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 as a protection portion and the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. However, the edge portion 31e of the midsole 31 as a protection portion is positioned between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0152] Therefore, even in the case of such a configuration, effects similar to those described in the above-described Embodiment 2 can be obtained, and the shoe 1B1 can be made to achieve both an improvement in propulsion force and an improvement in durability. As described above, when the sole body 30 including the plate 32 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 without being housed in the upper body 20, the upper body 20 can be made smaller by the amount of the sole body 30 not being disposed inside the upper body 20. As a result, not only can the weight of the shoe 1B1 be reduced, but also the manufacturing of the shoe 1B1 can be facilitated by facilitating the assembly work. Furthermore, since the sole body 30 is not housed in the upper body 20, there is no need to match the shape between the sole body 30 and the portion of the upper body 20 facing the sole body 30, which further facilitates manufacturing. As the distance between the sole of the wearer's foot and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 becomes smaller, the moment in the left-right direction generated at the time of landing becomes smaller, and as a result, it becomes possible to suppress the tilting of the wearer's ankle (so-called pronation).

[0153] (Embodiment 3) FIG. 24 is a plan view of a plate of a shoe according to Embodiment 3, and FIG. 25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the shoe. Next, the shoe 1C according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. The shoe 1C according to the present embodiment is different only in the configuration of the plate 32 when compared with the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0154] As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, in the shoe 1C according to the present embodiment, a cushioning material 33 is provided so as to cover an end portion including the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32. The cushioning material 33 has a substantially C-shaped configuration capable of covering the edge of the first main surface 32a of the plate 32, the edge of the second main surface 32b of the plate 32, and the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32, and is fixed to the plate 32 by being fitted to the above-described end portion of the plate 32. The cushioning material 33 is softer than the plate 32 and is formed of a member made of, for example, urethane resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene resin, rubber, or the like.

[0155] When configured in this way, the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 will be covered by the cushioning material 33. Therefore, the cushioning material 33 will be located between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Therefore, the cushioning material 33 will function as a protection part that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32.

[0156] Therefore, even when configured in this way, the same effects as those described in the above-described Embodiment 1 can be obtained, and the shoe 1C can be made such that both the improvement of the propulsion force and the improvement of the durability are achieved. In addition, when the above configuration is adopted, the cushioning material 33 will also function as a protection part that protects the upper body 20 from the plate 32, and in this regard as well, the shoe 1C with further improved durability can be made.

[0157] Furthermore, when the cushioning material 33 is configured of a resin-made or rubber-made member or the like as described above, a function as an anti-slip part that prevents the plate 32 from being displaced due to the frictional resistance between the cushioning material 33, the midsole 31, and the upper body 20 will also be exhibited.

[0158] Note that the cushioning material 33 as the above-described protection part does not necessarily need to be provided over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the plate 32, and it may be provided only on a part of the circumferential direction.

[0159] (Fifth Modification Example) FIG. 26 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a shoe according to the fifth modification example. Hereinafter, with reference to this FIG. 26, the shoe 1C1 according to the fifth modification example based on the above-described Embodiment 3 will be described. Note that the shoe 1C1 according to the fifth modification example differs only in the configuration of the members housed inside the shell 10 when compared with the shoe 1C according to the above-described Embodiment 3.

[0160] The shoe 1C according to the above-described Embodiment 3 has a configuration in which the upper body 20 is housed in the shell 10 and the sole body 30 is housed in the upper body 20 (see FIG. 25). However, as shown in FIG. 26, in the shoe 1C1 according to the fifth modification, although the sole body 30 is housed in the shell 10, the upper body 20 has a configuration in which it is housed inside the shell 10 without housing the sole body 30 inside. That is, the sole body 30 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, and the upper body 20 is disposed only in the upper side space SP2 (see FIGS. 5 to 7, etc.) of the internal space of the shell 10.

[0161] In the case of such a configuration, the upper surface of the sole body 30 defined by the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 is covered by the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, except for the portion covered by the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Accordingly, the sole body 30 is directly sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 and the bottom wall portion 11 without the intervention of the upper body 20.

[0162] Therefore, the upper body 20 is not positioned between the cushioning material 33 as a protection portion and the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. However, a cushioning material 33 as a protection portion is positioned between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0163] Therefore, even when configured in this way, effects similar to those described in the above-described Embodiment 3 can be obtained, and the shoe 1C1 can be made to achieve both an improvement in propulsion force and an improvement in durability. As described above, when the sole body 30 including the plate 32 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 without being housed in the upper body 20, the upper body 20 can be downsized by the amount of the sole body 30 not being disposed inside the upper body 20. As a result, not only can the weight of the shoe 1C1 be reduced, but also the manufacturing of the shoe 1C1 can be facilitated by simplifying the assembly work. Furthermore, since the sole body 30 is not housed in the upper body 20, there is no need to match the shapes between the sole body 30 and the upper body 20 at the portion facing the sole body 30, making the manufacturing easier. As the distance between the sole of the wearer's foot and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 becomes smaller, the moment in the lateral direction generated during landing becomes smaller, and as a result, it becomes possible to suppress the tilting of the wearer's ankle (so-called pronation).

[0164] (Embodiment 4) FIG. 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a shoe according to Embodiment 4. Next, the shoe 1D according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 27. The shoe 1D according to the present embodiment is different only in the configuration of the plate 32 when compared with the shoe 1A according to the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 27, in the shoe 1D according to the present embodiment, a coat layer 34 is provided so as to cover the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32. This coat layer 34 is softer than the plate 32 and is constituted by, for example, an adhesion film made of urethane resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene resin, silicone resin, silicon resin, rubber, or the like.

[0166] When configured in this way, the coating layer 34 will be located between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Therefore, the coating layer 34 will function as a protection part that protects the shell 10 from the plate 32.

[0167] Therefore, even when configured in this way, the same effects as those described in the above-described Embodiment 1 can be obtained, and the shoe 1D can be made such that both the improvement of the propulsion force and the improvement of the durability are achieved. In addition, when the above configuration is adopted, the coating layer 34 will also function as a protection part that protects the upper body 20 from the plate 32, and in this regard, the shoe 1D with further improved durability can be made.

[0168] Note that the coating layer 34 as the above-described protection part does not necessarily need to be provided over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the plate 32, and it may be provided only on a part of the circumferential direction. Also, the coating layer 34 as the protection part does not necessarily need to be provided only on the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32, and it may be provided so as to reach the entire surface or a part of the first main surface 32a and / or the second main surface 32b of the plate 32. When the coating layer 34 as the protection part is provided so as to cover the entire area of the surface of the plate 32, not only the film formation of the coating layer is facilitated, but also the durability of the plate 32 is improved.

[0169] (Sixth Modification Example) FIG. 28 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a shoe according to the fifth modification example. Hereinafter, with reference to this FIG. 28, the shoe 1D1 according to the sixth modification example based on the above-described Embodiment 4 will be described. Note that the shoe 1D1 according to the sixth modification example is different only in the configuration of the members housed inside the shell 10 when compared with the shoe 1D according to the above-described Embodiment 4.

[0170] The shoe 1D according to the above-described Embodiment 4 has a configuration in which the upper body 20 is housed in the shell 10 and the sole body 30 is housed in the upper body 20 (see FIG. 27). However, as shown in FIG. 28, in the shoe 1D1 according to the sixth modification, although the sole body 30 is housed in the shell 10, the upper body 20 has a configuration in which it is housed inside the shell 10 without housing the sole body 30 therein. That is, the sole body 30 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20, and the upper body 20 is disposed only in the upper side space SP2 (see FIGS. 5 to 7, etc.) of the internal space of the shell 10.

[0171] In such a configuration, the upper surface of the sole body 30 defined by the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 is covered by the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 except for the portion covered by the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. Along with this, the sole body 30 is directly sandwiched between the pressing surface 14 provided on the peripheral wall portion 12 and the bottom wall portion 11 without the upper body 20 intervening therebetween.

[0172] Therefore, the upper body 20 is not positioned between the coat layer 34 as a protective portion and the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10. However, the coat layer 34 as a protective portion is positioned between the peripheral end surface 32c of the plate 32 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0173] Therefore, even when configured in this way, effects similar to those described in the above-described Embodiment 4 can be obtained, and the shoe 1D1 can be designed to achieve both an improvement in propulsion force and an improvement in durability. As described above, when the sole body 30 including the plate 32 is disposed between the bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10 and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 without being housed in the upper body 20, the upper body 20 can be made smaller by the amount of the sole body 30 not disposed inside the upper body 20. As a result, not only can the weight of the shoe 1D1 be reduced, but also the manufacturing of the shoe 1D1 can be facilitated by simplifying the assembly work. Further, since the sole body 30 is not housed in the upper body 20, there is no need to match the shape between the sole body 30 and the upper body 20 at the portion facing the sole body 30, which further simplifies the manufacturing. As the distance between the sole of the wearer's foot and the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20 becomes smaller, the moment in the lateral direction generated during landing becomes smaller, and as a result, it becomes possible to suppress the collapse of the wearer's ankle (so-called pronation).

[0174] (Summary of the disclosure in the embodiments and modification examples) Summarizing the characteristic configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modification examples, it is as follows.

[0175] [Appendix 1] A shoe having an insertion space into which the wearer's foot is inserted, a shell including a bottom wall portion having a ground contact surface and a peripheral wall portion erected from the periphery of the bottom wall portion, a sole body configured to be located above the bottom wall portion and support the sole of the wearer's foot by being housed in the shell, the sole body including at least a plate harder than the shell, the plate being disposed such that one of a pair of main surfaces located in the thickness direction of the plate faces the inner surface of the bottom wall portion, a shoe, wherein a protective portion softer than the plate is provided at a position between the peripheral end surface of the plate and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion.

[0176] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 1, a soft protective part is interposed between the peripheral end surface of the plate and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall part. Therefore, direct contact between the plate and the shell can be avoided at this part, and it becomes possible to improve the durability of the shoe.

[0177] [Supplementary Note 2] The shoe further includes a bag-shaped upper body that is accommodated in the above-mentioned shell and provided with an opening into which the wearer's foot can be inserted. The above-mentioned upper body includes a lower wall portion extending along the inner surface of the above-mentioned bottom wall portion and a side wall portion extending along the inner peripheral surface of the above-mentioned peripheral wall portion. The shoe according to supplementary note 1, wherein the protective part is constituted by a portion of the side wall portion that faces the peripheral end surface of the above-mentioned plate.

[0178] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 2, since it is not necessary to add a separate part as the protective part, a shoe with a simple configuration can be obtained.

[0179] [Supplementary Note 3] The shoe according to supplementary note 2, wherein the above-mentioned upper body is made of a synthetic fiber having heat shrinkability.

[0180] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 3, not only is it not necessary to add a separate part as the protective part, but also a shoe with excellent fit can be obtained.

[0181] [Supplementary Note 4] The shoe according to supplementary note 2 or 3, wherein a lining material is provided on a portion of the side wall portion that faces the peripheral end surface of the above-mentioned plate.

[0182] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 4, the upper body at the portion in contact with the peripheral end surface of the plate is reinforced, and further improvement in the durability of the shoe can be achieved.

[0183] [Supplementary Note 5] The shoe according to appended claim 2 or 3, wherein a portion of the side wall portion facing the peripheral end surface of the plate is made of a material having a higher strength than the material constituting the other portions of the side wall portion.

[0184] By adopting the configuration according to the above appended claim 5, the upper body of the portion in contact with the peripheral end surface of the plate is reinforced, and further improvement in the durability of the shoe can be achieved.

[0185] [Appended claim 6] The sole body further includes a cushioning material laminated and arranged with respect to the plate in a direction orthogonal to the ground contact surface. The cushioning material has an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the plate when viewed along a direction orthogonal to the ground contact surface. A recess in which the plate is accommodated is provided on the opposing surface of the cushioning material facing the plate. The shoe according to appended claim 1, wherein the protection portion is constituted by a portion of the cushioning material facing the peripheral end surface of the plate.

[0186] By adopting the configuration according to the above appended claim 6, since it is not necessary to add a separate part as the protection portion, a shoe with a simple configuration can be obtained.

[0187] [Appended claim 7] The shoe according to appended claim 1, wherein the protection portion is composed of a cushioning material fitted to the peripheral end portion of the plate so as to cover the peripheral end surface of the plate.

[0188] By adopting the configuration according to the above appended claim 7, it becomes possible to very easily interpose a soft protection portion between the peripheral end surface of the plate and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion.

[0189] [Appended claim 8] The shoe according to appended claim 1, wherein the protection portion is composed of a coat layer covering the peripheral end surface of the plate.

[0190] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 8, it becomes possible to very easily interpose a soft protective part between the peripheral end surface of the plate and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall part.

[0191] [Supplementary Note 9] On the inner peripheral surface of the above-mentioned peripheral wall part, a pressing surface is provided which protrudes toward the inside of the above-mentioned shell and faces the above-mentioned bottom wall part side. The sole body is sandwiched between the pressing surface and the bottom wall part, whereby the sole body is fixed to the shell. The shoe according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 8.

[0192] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 9, it becomes possible to sandwich and fix the sole body including the plate between the bottom wall part of the shell and the pressing surface provided on the peripheral wall part of the shell, so that the sole body including the plate can be stably fixed to the shell.

[0193] [Supplementary Note 10] The above-mentioned pressing surface is provided at a position corresponding to the rear foot part which is a part of the inner peripheral surface of the above-mentioned peripheral wall part that supports the heel part of the wearer's foot. When the outer dimension of the above-mentioned plate in the left-right direction, which is the direction matching the foot width direction of the wearer's foot, is referred to as the width dimension, the maximum width dimension of the above-mentioned plate at the position corresponding to the rear foot part is equal to or larger than the maximum width dimension of the above-mentioned plate at the position corresponding to the front foot part which is a part that supports the toe part and the stepping part of the wearer's foot. The shoe according to supplementary note 9.

[0194] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned supplementary note 10, in the rear foot part where the sole body including the plate is more likely to be displaced, it becomes possible to more firmly fix the sole body including the plate to the shell, so that the sole body including the plate can be more stably fixed to the shell.

[0195] [Supplementary Note 11] The shoe according to any one of Appendices 1 to 10, wherein the shell is composed of a three-dimensional mesh structure in which a plurality of unit structures are repeatedly arranged adjacent to each other.

[0196] By adopting the configuration described in the above-mentioned Appendix 12, the shell will have sufficient strength while having appropriate flexibility, and moreover, the weight of the shoe will be reduced and the breathability will be improved.

[0197] (Other forms, etc.) The configuration of the member accommodated inside the shell shown in the above-described embodiments and modification examples is merely illustrative, and various modifications are possible. That is, for any shoe as long as it has a configuration in which a hard plate is accommodated inside a flexible shell, the effective application of the present disclosure is possible.

[0198] In addition, in the above-described embodiments and modification examples, the description was made on the premise that the shoe is used without a sockliner being attached to the shoe. Naturally, a sockliner may be attached to and used with these shoes. In that case, the above-described pressing surface and sole body will be covered by the sockliner. When the shoe is provided with a sockliner in this way, a shoe with a better foot feel can be obtained.

[0199] In addition, the characteristic configurations shown in the above-described embodiments and modification examples can be combined with each other as long as they do not depart from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0200] Thus, the above-described embodiments and modification examples disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the scope of the claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0201] 1A to 1D, 1A1 to 1A3, 1B1, 1C1, 1D1 boots, 2 shoe openings, 3 ground contact surface, 10, 10A shells, 10a mouth part, 10b mesh structure part, 10c hole part, 11 bottom wall part, 11a inner surface, 11b outer surface, 12 peripheral wall part, 12A inner foot side peripheral wall part, 12B outer foot side peripheral wall part, 12C rear side peripheral wall part, 12D front side peripheral wall part, 12a inner peripheral surface, 12b outer peripheral surface, 13A constricted part, 14 pressing surface, 14A inner foot side pressing surface, 14B outer foot side pressing surface, 14C rear side pressing surface, 20 upper body, 20a opening, 21 lower wall part, 21a inner surface, 21b outer surface, 22 side wall part, 22A inner foot side wall part, 22B outer foot side wall part, 22C rear side wall part, 22D front side wall part, 22a inner peripheral surface, 22b outer peripheral surface, 22d high-strength material, 23 belt-like part, 24 fastening part, 25 lining material, 30 sole body, 31 midsole, 31a top surface, 31b bottom surface, 31d recess, 31e edge, 32 plate, 32a first main surface, 32b second main surface, 32c peripheral end surface, 33 cushioning material, 34 coating layer, 40 additional sole body, 50 heel counter, 51 surrounding part, 51A first part, 51B second part, 51C third part, 52 protruding part, P1 first boundary surface, P2 second boundary surface, PF front side end position, PR rear side end position, R1 forefoot part, R2 midfoot part, R3 rearfoot part, SC shoe center, SP1 lower side space, SP2 upper side space, SP3 insertion space.

Claims

**Claim 1** A shoe having an insertion space into which a wearer's foot is inserted, the shoe comprising: a shell including a bottom wall portion having a ground contact surface and a peripheral wall portion erected from a periphery of the bottom wall portion; a sole body that is housed in the shell, located above the bottom wall portion, and configured to support the sole of the wearer's foot; the sole body including at least a plate harder than the shell; the plate being arranged such that one of a pair of main surfaces located in the thickness direction of the plate faces the inner surface of the bottom wall portion; a shoe, wherein a protective portion softer than the plate is provided at a position between a peripheral end surface of the plate and an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion. **Claim 2** The shoe according to claim 1, further comprising a bag-shaped upper body that is housed in the shell and has an opening into which the wearer's foot can be inserted, the upper body including a lower wall portion extending along the inner surface of the bottom wall portion and a side wall portion extending along the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion, wherein the protective portion is constituted by a portion of the side wall portion facing the peripheral end surface of the plate. **Claim 3** The shoe according to claim 2, wherein the upper body is made of a synthetic fiber having heat shrinkability. **Claim 4** The shoe according to claim 2, wherein a lining material is provided at a portion of the side wall portion facing the peripheral end surface of the plate. **Claim 5** The shoe according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the side wall portion facing the peripheral end surface of the plate is made of a material having a higher strength than a material constituting other portions of the side wall portion. **Claim 6** The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the sole body further includes a cushioning material laminated on the plate in a direction orthogonal to the ground contact surface, the cushioning material having an outer shape larger than an outer shape of the plate when viewed along a direction orthogonal to the ground contact surface, a concave portion in which the plate is housed is provided on a facing surface of the cushioning material facing the plate, wherein the protective portion is constituted by a portion of the cushioning material facing the peripheral end surface of the plate. **Claim 7** The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the protective portion is made of a cushioning material fitted to a peripheral end portion of the plate so as to cover the peripheral end surface of the plate. **Claim 8** The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the protective portion is made of a coat layer covering the peripheral end surface of the plate. **Claim 9** On the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion, a pressing surface is provided that protrudes toward the inside of the shell and faces the bottom wall portion side. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the sole body is sandwiched between the pressing surface and the bottom wall portion, so that the sole body is fixed to the shell.

10. The pressing surface is provided at a position corresponding to the rear foot portion, which is a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion that supports the heel portion of the wearer's foot. When the outer dimension of the plate in the left-right direction, which is the direction matching the foot width direction of the wearer's foot, is referred to as the width dimension, the maximum width dimension of the plate at the position corresponding to the rear foot portion is equal to or larger than the maximum width dimension of the plate at the position corresponding to the front foot portion, which is a portion that supports the toe portion and the stepping portion of the wearer's foot. The shoe according to claim 9.

11. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the shell is formed of a three-dimensional mesh structure in which a plurality of unit structures are repeatedly arranged adjacent to each other.

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