Footwear

Abstract

To provide footwear which a user can put on without using a tool or hand and which prevents load from concentrating on one point when put on repeatedly.SOLUTION: Footwear consists of an upper and a sole. The upper is provided with an exterior member and an interior member. A heel part of a rear part of the upper is provided with a counter core. The counter core is disposed between the exterior member and the interior member. The counter core is configured so that a rear side upper end of the counter core warps backward of the footwear and forms a guide surface tilting diagonally downward toward the front of the footwear and continuously narrows from above to below in a rear planar view of the footwear. The counter core includes: a pair of side parts which extends in a U-shape in an upper planar view so as to cover a user's ankle from the back side to a front side along a rear side upper end warped backward of the footwear and a foot insertion opening, and may have: an upper part configured to continuously narrow from above to below in the rear planar view of the footwear; and a lower part configured to continuously narrow from above to below from the upper part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in footwear. [Background technology]

[0002] When walking, it is important to keep the heel straight in order to reduce the burden on the body and walk stably, and therefore the heel part of footwear that supports the heel of the user plays an important role. Therefore, when putting on footwear such as shoes, it is recommended to use a shoehorn or support the heel part with your hand so as not to crush the heel part of the footwear. On the other hand, when putting on footwear, using a shoehorn or supporting the heel with one's hand is a hassle, and there is a demand in the market for footwear that can be put on using only one's feet, without the need for tools or hands. In order to satisfy these conflicting demands, development of footwear that can be put on using only the feet without using tools or hands and that has a structure that does not crush the heel when putting on the footwear is progressing every day (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7317385 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The footwear proposed in Patent Document 1 has a crescent-shaped core at the top end of the heel, which extends diagonally upward and backward and has a hard protrusion formed thereon that allows the heel of the human foot to slide diagonally downward and forward when lowered from above.This aims to achieve the effect that, without using a shoehorn or supporting the heel with the hand, the heel of the foot is guided diagonally downward and forward when putting on the footwear, allowing the footwear to be put on without crushing the heel. However, the footwear proposed in Patent Document 1 has a moon-shaped core that is composed of a main body portion that is formed with a semicircular cross section so as to encase the person's heel, and a protruding piece portion that is formed narrower than the main body portion. Therefore, when the heel of the foot is pressed downward on the protruding piece portion when putting on the footwear, a strong load is applied to the connection between the main body portion and the protruding piece portion, which creates the problem that the protruding piece may break backward from the connection portion. When putting on footwear, it is up to the user to decide whether to consciously slide the heel of the foot diagonally downwards and forwards, or to push the protruding part with the heel and allow the protruding part to slide the heel of the foot diagonally downwards and forwards.If the protruding part is used to slide the heel of the foot diagonally downwards and forwards, a downward load is applied to the protruding part every time the footwear is put on, and because the protruding part is narrower than the main part, a heavy load is inevitably placed on the connecting part between the protruding part and the main part. In view of the problems with conventional footwear described above, the present invention aims to provide footwear that can be put on using only the feet without using tools or hands, and that does not concentrate loads on one point when worn repeatedly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the footwear of the present invention comprises an upper and a sole, the upper comprising an exterior member that forms the outer surface of the footwear, and an interior member that is attached to the inner surface of the exterior member and forms the inner surface of the footwear, and the heel portion is formed at the rear of the upper, the heel portion comprising a moon-shaped core that is disposed between the exterior member and the interior member, the upper rear end of the moon-shaped core curves rearward in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, and forms a guide surface that slopes diagonally downward toward the front of the footwear in the front-to-rear direction, and the moon-shaped core is configured to continuously narrow from top to bottom when viewed from the rear of the footwear in the front-to-rear direction. The moon-shaped core may have the rear upper end portion that curves rearward in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, and a pair of side portions that extend in a U-shape in a top view along the opening so as to cover the user's ankle from the rear to the front in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, and may have an upper portion that is configured to continuously narrow from top to bottom in a rear view of the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, and a lower portion that is formed continuous from the upper portion and to narrow from top to bottom in a rear view of the front-to-rear direction of the footwear. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention provides footwear comprising an upper and a sole, the upper comprising an exterior member forming the outer surface of the footwear and an interior member attached to the interior of the exterior member and forming the inner surface of the footwear, the heel portion being formed at the rear portion of the upper, the heel portion comprising a crescent-shaped core disposed between the exterior member and the interior member, the upper rear end of the crescent-shaped core curving backward in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear and forming a guide surface sloping diagonally downward toward the front of the footwear, and the crescent-shaped core being configured to continuously narrow from top to bottom in a rear view of the footwear, so that when a user puts on the footwear and lowers their foot while inserting their toes into the footwear, their heel rests on the guide surface formed in the heel portion and the foot is guided diagonally forward and downward along the guide surface toward the toe of the footwear, allowing the foot to smoothly enter the footwear. This allows the user to put on the footwear without using a tool such as a shoehorn or their hands. Furthermore, with the footwear of the present invention, the moon-shaped core provided in the heel portion is configured to continuously narrow from top to bottom when viewed from the rear in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear. Therefore, when the user puts on the footwear, the load on the moon-shaped core is not concentrated at one point, but the moon-shaped core can bear the load as a whole, improving the load-bearing capacity of the moon-shaped core against the load applied during use. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of footwear according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the footwear shown in FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heel portion in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] (a) is a rear view of the moon-shaped core, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a), (c) is a top view of the moon-shaped core, and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in (a). [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing the state in which the footwear according to the present invention is worn. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4(b) showing the configuration of the moon-shaped core. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of footwear according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of footwear according to the present invention will be explained below using loafer-type footwear as an example. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the footwear according to the present invention, Figure 2 shows a side view of the footwear shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the heel portion of Figure 2. As shown in the drawings, footwear 1 comprises an upper 3 and a sole 5 fixed to the bottom surface thereof. The upper 3 is made by sewing together multiple pieces of leather material that form the parts that cover the sides of the foot, the parts that cover the instep, and the parts that cover the heel of the foot, and is composed of an exterior member 7 that forms the outer surface of the footwear 1, and an interior member 9 that is attached to the inner surface of the exterior member 7 and forms the inner surface of the footwear 1. The rear part of the upper 3 forms a heel portion 11, which forms the rear side of the opening 13 of the footwear 1 and is formed in a U-shape when viewed from above so as to cover the ankle of the user wearing the footwear 1 from the rear to the front. A moon-shaped core 15 is provided between the exterior member 7 and the interior member 9 in the heel portion 11 of the upper 3. Figure 4(a) is a rear view of the moon-shaped core 15, Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 4(a), Figure 4(c) is a top view of the moon-shaped core, and Figure 4(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 4(a). Below, the configuration of the moon-shaped core 15 will be explained, divided into an upper part 15A and a lower part 15B. The upper part 15A of the moon-shaped core 15 has a rear upper end 15a that curves backward to form a putting-in guide surface 17 that slopes diagonally downward toward the front, and both side parts 15b and 15c extend forward in a U-shape when viewed from above to cover the ankle from back to front along the opening 13, and are formed into a roughly inverted triangle shape that narrows downward when viewed from behind. The lower part 15B is continuous from the upper part 15A and is formed into a roughly inverted triangle shape that narrows downward when viewed from behind. The moon-shaped core 15 configured as described above is provided between the exterior member 7 and the interior member 9 that constitute the upper 3 as described above, and reinforces the heel portion 11 of the upper 3, while its upper end reinforces the rear portion of the opening 13, and furthermore, its rear upper end forms a fitting guide surface 17 that slopes diagonally downward toward the front. 5, when a user puts on footwear 1 configured as described above, as the user lowers the foot while inserting the toes into footwear 1, the user's heel rests on guide surface 17 formed on heel portion 11, and the foot is guided along guide surface 17 diagonally forward and downward toward the tip of footwear 1, allowing the foot to smoothly enter footwear 1. This allows the user to put on footwear 1 without using a tool such as a shoehorn or their hands. According to the footwear 1 of the present invention described above, the moon-shaped core 15 is composed of an upper part 15A in which the rear upper end part 15a curves backward and both side parts 15b and 15c extend forward in a U-shape when viewed from above so as to cover the ankle from the back to the front along the opening 13, and a lower part 15B which is formed in a roughly inverted triangle shape that continues from the upper part 15A and narrows downward when viewed from the back, and is configured so that there is no step from the upper part 15A to the lower part 15B when viewed from the back.As a result, when the user puts on the footwear 1, the load on the moon-shaped core 15 is not concentrated at one point, and the moon-shaped core 15 can bear the load as a whole. As shown in FIG. 6, the rearward curvature angle α of the upper rear end portion 15a of the crescent-shaped core 15 may be any angle that can form a putting-on guide surface 17 that slopes diagonally downward toward the front on the inner surface of the upper end portion of the crescent-shaped core 15. Specifically, the angle α between the upper rear end portion 15a of the footwear 1 and the horizontal line P may be smaller than 90° and larger than 0°, and may be preferably between 70° and 20°, and more preferably between 60° and 40°. Furthermore, the height H1 of the rear upper end portion 15a of the moon-shaped core 15 may be a height according to the design of the footwear 1, but may preferably be a height lower than 30% of the overall height H2 of the moon-shaped core 15, and more preferably be a height lower than 20%. In the above-described examples, loafer-type shoes are used as examples to explain the embodiment of the footwear according to the present invention, but the footwear according to the present invention is not limited to loafer-type shoes and can be applied to any footwear that has a moon-shaped core at the rear of the upper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0009] 1. Footwear 3 Upper 5 Sole 7 Exterior materials 9 Interior materials 11 Heel 13 Opening 15 Moon-shaped core 15A upper part 15B lower part 15a Upper rear end 15b Side 15c Side 17 Guide surface

Claims

1. It consists of an upper and a sole, The upper includes an exterior member that forms an outer surface of the footwear, and an interior member that is provided on the inner surface of the exterior member and forms an inner surface of the footwear, A heel portion is formed at the rear portion of the upper In footwear, The heel portion has a moon-shaped core, The moon-shaped core is disposed between the exterior member and the interior member, The upper rear end of the moon-shaped core is curved rearward in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, forming a guide surface that slopes obliquely downward toward the front in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, The crescent-shaped core is configured so that its width continuously narrows from top to bottom when viewed from the rear in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear. Footwear characterized by:

2. The moon-shaped core is The rear upper end portion bent rearward in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear; an upper portion including a pair of side portions extending in a U-shape in a top view along the opening so as to cover the ankle of the user from the rear side to the front side in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, the upper portion being configured to continuously narrow from top to bottom in a rear view in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear; A lower part formed so as to narrow from the top to the bottom when viewed from the rear in the front-to-rear direction of the footwear, continuing from the upper part; Equipped with Footwear according to claim 1 .

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