footwear

Abstract

To improve static fitting property and dynamic fitting property in footwear provided with a flexible shell made of an elastic material.SOLUTION: The footwear sidewall comprises a flexible shell 10 of resilient material including a bottom 1A and a peripheral wall 12. The peripheral wall part 12 has a swelling part formation area A provided with a swelling part 13 swelling toward the insertion space SP3 side, and an adjacent area B which is a part adjacent to the swelling part formation area A. The swelling part 13 includes an easily deformable part composed of a three dimensional mesh structure. The peripheral wall part 12 includes a cover part 14 as a hardly deformable part having rigidity higher than that of the easily deformable part, which is arranged on the side opposite to the side where the insertion space SP3 is positioned when viewed from the swelling part 13, and covers at least a part of the swelling part 13 by being positioned over the swelling part forming area A and the adjacent area B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to footwear. [Background technology]

[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 that include a flexible shell, a bag-shaped upper body housed inside the shell, and a sole body arranged at a predetermined position inside the shell. In the shoes disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the flexible shell has a bottom wall and a peripheral wall, and when worn, the bottom wall supports the sole of the wearer's foot, while the peripheral wall covers the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-127292 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-127293 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In general, it is desirable for footwear to provide both a good fit during low-intensity exercise, such as when the wearer is standing still or walking at a low speed (so-called static fit), and a good fit during high-intensity exercise, such as when the wearer is walking or running at a high speed (so-called dynamic fit).

[0005] In this regard, in order to improve the static fit of shoes such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is conceivable to roughly conform the shape of the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the shell to the shape of the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot so that an appropriate amount of pressure is applied to the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. However, this configuration alone does not necessarily improve the dynamic fit.

[0006] In other words, improved dynamic fit can only be achieved when the shoe deforms in response to foot movement (such as the bending of the foot), while maintaining the appropriate amount of pressure applied to the circumference of the wearer's foot despite this deformation. However, achieving this is not necessarily easy.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide improved static and dynamic fit in footwear having a flexible shell made of elastic material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Footwear according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an insertion space into which a wearer's foot can be inserted, and a flexible shell made of an elastic material that surrounds the insertion space. The shell includes a bottom wall configured to support the sole of the wearer's foot and a peripheral wall configured to extend from the periphery of the bottom wall and cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. The peripheral wall has a bulge-forming region with a bulge that bulges toward the insertion space, and an adjacent region adjacent to the bulge-forming region. The bulge includes an easily deformable portion formed of a three-dimensional mesh structure. The peripheral wall includes a cover portion that is positioned on the opposite side of the insertion space from the bulge, straddling the bulge-forming region and the adjacent region to cover at least a portion of the bulge, and that serves as a less easily deformable portion with higher rigidity than the easily deformable portion. In the footwear according to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the peripheral wall including the bulge-forming region and the adjacent region is formed from a single member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, footwear having a flexible shell made of elastic material can have improved static and dynamic fit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a shoe according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the medial side of the foot. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the outer side of the foot. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a shell provided in the shoe shown in FIG. 1, taken along line VV shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of region VI shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a shell in a portion of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 that corresponds to the vicinity of the medial and lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a shell provided in a shoe according to a first modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a shell provided in a shoe according to a second modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a shell provided in a shoe according to a third modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a shell provided in a shoe according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a shell provided in a shoe according to a fifth modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the outer side of the foot. [Figure 14] 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the shell of the shoe shown in FIG. 13 taken along line XIV-XIV shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] It is a side view of the shoe according to Embodiment 3 as seen from the outer foot side. [Figure 16] It is a side view of the shoe according to Embodiment 4 as seen from the outer foot side. [Figure 17] It is a side view of the shoe according to Embodiment 5 as seen from the outer foot side. [Figure 18] It is a side view of the shoe according to Embodiment 6 as seen from the outer foot side.

Mode for Carrying out the Invention

[0011] 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.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) <A. Schematic Configuration of Shoe> FIG. 1 is a plan view of the shoe according to Embodiment 1, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the shoe shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the inner foot side and the outer foot side, respectively. Further, FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. 1 of the shoe shown in FIG. 1. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the schematic configuration of the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 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 of the ankle). The shoe 1A includes a shell 10, an upper body 20, and a sole body 30 (see FIG. 4). 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 that contacts the ground or the like is provided. Further, inside the shoe 1A, an insertion space SP3 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) that is a space into which the wearer's foot is inserted is provided.

[0014] Here, the front-to-back direction X of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction that coincides with the foot length direction of a wearer wearing the shoe 1A. The left-to-right direction Y of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction that coincides with the foot width direction of a wearer wearing the shoe 1A. Furthermore, the up-to-down direction Z of the shoe 1A is defined as the direction that is perpendicular to both the front-to-back direction X and the left-to-right direction Y. The up-to-down direction Z is generally perpendicular to the ground contact surface 3 included in the midfoot portion R2 and rearfoot portion R3 of the shoe 1A, which will be described later, in particular.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the shoe 1A includes, along the front-to-rear direction X, a forefoot portion R1 configured to support the toes and tread of the wearer's foot, a midfoot portion R2 configured to support the arch of the wearer's foot, and a rearfoot portion R3 configured to support the heel of the wearer's foot.

[0016] The forefoot portion R1, midfoot portion R2, and rearfoot portion R3 are defined as follows based on the shoe center SC of the shoe 1A (see FIG. 1). Here, the shoe center SC is a line obtained by projecting a line connecting the area between the wearer's first and second toes and the center of the calcaneus (the so-called heel center (the heel center is indicated by the symbol HC in FIG. 1)) onto the shoe 1A along the vertical direction Z when the shoe 1A is worn by a standard wearer with a foot size that fits the shoe 1A. The direction in which the shoe center SC extends coincides with the aforementioned front-to-back direction X. As a premise, the foremost and rearmost ends of the insertion space SP3 in the front-to-back direction X, which are positions on the shoe center SC, are referred to as the front end position PF and the rear end position PR, respectively, and the distance between the front end position PF and the rear end position PR along the front-to-back direction X is referred to as the total length of the insertion space SP3.

[0017] In other words, if the first boundary plane P1 is an imaginary plane that passes through a position 40% of the total length of the insertion space SP3 from the front end position PF and is perpendicular to the shoe center SC, and the second boundary plane P2 is an imaginary plane that passes through a position 80% of the total length of the insertion space SP3 from the front end position PF and is perpendicular to the shoe center SC, then the forefoot R1 corresponds to the part between the front end position PF and the first boundary plane P1 along the front-to-back direction X, the midfoot R2 corresponds to the part between the first boundary plane P1 and the second boundary plane P2 along the front-to-back direction X, and the rearfoot R3 corresponds to the part between the second boundary plane P2 and the rear end position PR along the front-to-back direction X.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the shoe 1A is divided along the left-right direction Y when viewed in a plan view into an inner foot part (the S1 side part shown in the figure) which is on the midline side (i.e., the side closer to the midline) of the anatomical orthogonal position of the foot, and an outer foot part (the S2 side part shown in the figure) which is on the opposite side of the midline side of the anatomical orthogonal position of the foot (i.e., the side farther from the midline).

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, in shoe 1A, an upper body 20 and a sole body 30 are housed in a shell 10. More specifically, the sole body 30 is located at a lower position inside the shell 10, and the upper body 20 is located at an upper position inside the shell 10 so as to be located above the sole body 30. Accordingly, the sole body 30 is sandwiched between the shell 10 and the upper body 20. The shell 10, upper body 20, and sole body 30 are all located across the forefoot region R1, midfoot region R2, and rearfoot region R3.

[0020] The shell 10 constitutes the outermost shell of the shoe 1A and is made of a flexible member made of an elastic material formed into a bag-like shape with an opening-shaped mouth 10a. The shell 10 has an internal space communicating with the mouth 10a, and the above-mentioned insertion space SP3 is included in this internal space. The upper body 20 and the sole body 30 are arranged in the internal space of the shell 10, as described above.

[0021] The shell 10 includes a bottom wall 11 configured to cover the sole of the wearer's foot, and a peripheral wall 12 configured to cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot. The peripheral wall 12 is erected so as to extend continuously upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 11.

[0022] 4, the bottom wall 11 has a pair of main surfaces, an inner surface 11a and an outer surface 11b. The inner surface 11a is located on the insertion space SP3 side, and the outer surface 11b constitutes the outermost surface located on the lower side of the shoe 1A in the vertical direction Z. The outer surface 11b of the bottom wall 11 corresponds to the above-mentioned ground contact surface 3, and thus the bottom wall 11 has the ground contact surface 3.

[0023] The peripheral wall 12 has a pair of main surfaces, an inner peripheral surface 12a and an outer peripheral surface 12b. The inner peripheral surface 12a is located on the insertion space SP3 side, and the outer peripheral surface 12b constitutes the outermost surface located in the front-to-back direction X of the shoe 1A, the outermost surface located in the left-to-right direction Y, and the outermost surface located on the upper side in the up-down direction Z.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the peripheral wall portion 12 has an inner foot side peripheral wall portion 12A configured to cover the inner part of the wearer's foot, and an outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B configured to cover the outer part of the wearer's foot.

[0025] Here, in particular, the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 that is configured to cover the instep of the wearer's foot (i.e., the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 that is located on the upper side in the vertical direction Z) is configured to be thinner than the other portions included in the peripheral wall portion 12, and is configured with a mesh-like structure portion 10b that is made up of multiple straight-line portions that intersect with each other in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0026] With this configuration, the portion of the peripheral wall 12 that is configured to cover the instep of the wearer's foot has a lower tensile modulus and bending rigidity than the other portions of the peripheral wall 12. This allows this portion to deform more flexibly. Therefore, when worn, the shoe 1A can be improved in fit while preventing excessive pressure from being applied to the instep (particularly the ridge of the instep). Furthermore, the shoe 1A is less likely to be hindered from bending when running or walking, allowing the shoe 1A to more easily follow the movement of the foot. Additionally, the shoe 1A can be put on and taken off more easily.

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

[0028] The aforementioned opening 10a is provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall 12. This opening 10a is located across the midfoot region R2 and the rearfoot region R3. The opening 10a is provided to correspond to the aforementioned shoe opening 2, and during manufacturing of the shoe 1A, the upper body 20 and the sole body 30 are inserted into the shell 10 through the opening 10a.

[0029] 4, 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 divided into a lower space SP1 located in the lower portion of the shoe 1A in the vertical direction Z, and an upper space SP2 located in the upper portion of the shoe 1A in the vertical direction Z. More specifically, the lower space SP1 is a space defined by the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall portion 11 and the inner circumferential surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 at a portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion 11, and the upper space SP2 is a space defined by the inner circumferential surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 at a portion located above the portion adjacent to the bottom wall portion 11 in the vertical direction Z.

[0031] That is, the lower space SP1 is located at the bottom inside the shell 10, and the sole body 30 is housed in the lower space SP1 as described above. On the other hand, the upper space SP2 is located at the top inside the shell 10, and the upper body 20 is housed in the upper space SP2. The upper space SP2 further includes the insertion space SP3 described above. The insertion space SP3 is defined by the space inside the upper body 20.

[0032] In shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, almost all of shell 10, except for mesh structure portion 10b, is made up of a three-dimensional mesh structure. Here, the three-dimensional mesh structure is formed by repeatedly arranging a plurality of predetermined unit structures adjacent to each other, and three-dimensional mesh structures include those having a three-dimensional lattice structure and those having a three-dimensional wall structure.

[0033] A three-dimensional lattice structure is a structure in which a plurality of unit structures formed by interconnecting a plurality of pillars extending in a predetermined direction are repeatedly arranged adjacent to each other. The unit structures of the three-dimensional lattice structure are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped lattice, a diamond lattice, an octahedral lattice, a double pyramidal lattice, a dodecahedral lattice, or any of these lattices to which various pillar supports have been added.

[0034] A three-dimensional wall structure is a structure in which a plurality of unit structures, each formed by a wall whose outer shape is defined by a pair of parallel curved or flat surfaces, are repeatedly arranged adjacent to each other. The unit structures of the three-dimensional wall structure are not particularly limited, but examples that can be used include the Schwarz P structure, gyroid structure, Schwarz D structure, octet structure, cubic structure, Kelvin structure, and dodecahedron structure.

[0035] When the shell 10 is configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure in this way, countless holes 10c are formed so as to reach the inner surface (i.e., the inner surface 11a of the bottom wall 11 and the inner circumferential surface 12a of the peripheral wall 12) and the outer surface (i.e., the outer surface 11b of the bottom wall 11 and the outer circumferential surface 12b of the peripheral wall 12) of the shell 10, as shown in Figures 1 to 4. Note that a shell 10 having such a structure can be manufactured relatively easily, particularly by three-dimensional additive manufacturing.

[0036] This construction provides shell 10 with adequate strength while also providing it with appropriate flexibility, thereby reducing the weight and improving the breathability of shoe 1A. Additionally, upper body 20 housed in the internal space of shell 10 can be seen from the outside through countless holes 10c, improving the design of the shoe.

[0037] In the shell 10 of the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, a three-dimensional mesh structure having a three-dimensional lattice structure is used, but as described above, this may be configured with a three-dimensional wall structure. Furthermore, part of the shell 10 may have a three-dimensional lattice structure, and another part of the shell 10 may have a three-dimensional wall structure.

[0038] 1 to 4, upper body 20 constitutes the portion of shoe 1A that comes into contact with the wearer's foot and is made of a bag-shaped member with opening 20a. Upper body 20 is made of a flexibly deformable member from the viewpoint of improving fit and ensuring good comfort.

[0039] 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 extend continuously upward from the peripheral edge of the lower wall portion 21. The lower wall portion 21 extends along the upper surface of the sole body 30 (more precisely, the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 described below), and the side wall portion 22 extends along the inner peripheral surface 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 of the shell 10.

[0040] 4, 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 insertion space SP3 side, and the outer surface 21b is located on the sole body 30 side (i.e., the bottom wall portion 11 side of the shell 10).

[0041] 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 insertion space SP3 side, and the outer peripheral surface 22b is located on the peripheral wall portion 12 side of the shell 10.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the opening 20a described above is provided at the upper end of the side wall 22. This opening 20a is located across the midfoot region R2 and the rearfoot region R3. The opening 20a corresponds to the opening 2 described above, and when worn, the wearer's foot is inserted into the insertion space SP3 through this opening 20a. The upper end of the side wall 22, at the portion that defines the opening 20a, is positioned so as to protrude upward in the vertical direction Z beyond the opening 10a of the shell 10. This prevents the shell 10 from coming into direct contact with the wearer's ankle when worn, ensuring a comfortable fit.

[0043] 4, the sole body 30 includes a midsole 31 as a cushioning material and a plate 32 as a resilience material. The midsole 31 and the plate 32 are stacked in the vertical direction Z so that the midsole 31 is located above the plate 32.

[0044] The midsole 31 supports the sole of the wearer's foot and has a generally flat, plate-like shape. The midsole 31 has a pair of main surfaces, a top surface 31a and a bottom surface 31b, and side end surfaces connecting the top surface 31a and the bottom surface 31b. The midsole 31 is made of an elastically deformable material with a predetermined thickness so as to obtain the desired cushioning performance when landing, etc.

[0045] Here, the top surface 31a of the midsole 31 may be configured to have an uneven shape corresponding to the shape of the sole of the wearer's foot, in order to prevent the wearer's ankle from collapsing (so-called pronation) and the arch of the wearer's foot from collapsing when landing.

[0046] The plate 32 has a pair of main surfaces, a first main surface 32a and a second main surface 32b, positioned in the thickness direction, and a peripheral end surface connecting the first main surface 32a and the second main surface 32b. The first main surface 32a faces upward in the vertical direction Z, and the second main surface 32b faces downward in the vertical direction Z. The plate 32 is made of a hard material that is thinner than the midsole 31 so as to obtain the desired resilience performance during kicking off and other times.

[0047] 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. The midsole 31 and the plate 32 may be joined together by, for example, an adhesive, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of organic solvent used, it is preferable that the midsole 31 and the plate 32 are not joined together.

[0048] The sole body 30 has an upper surface defined by the top surface 31a of the midsole 31, a lower surface defined by the second main surface 32b of the plate 32, and a peripheral surface defined by the side end surface of the midsole 31 and the peripheral end surface of the plate 32. Of these, the upper surface of the sole body 30 is covered by the lower wall portion 21 of the upper body 20. Meanwhile, the peripheral surface and lower surface of the sole body 30 face the peripheral wall portion 12 and bottom wall portion 11 of the shell 10, respectively.

[0049] In the shoe 1A according to the embodiment described above, the circumferential surface and the sole of the wearer's foot are configured to be covered by the upper body 20. Therefore, when the wearer wears the shoe 1A, the wearer's foot contacts the soft upper body 20 that can be flexibly deformed, and the shell 10 does not directly contact the wearer's foot, so that a comfortable wearing feeling can be ensured.

[0050] Also, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, the sole of the wearer's foot is configured to be supported by the sole body 30 including the midsole 31 and the plate 32 via the upper body 20. Therefore, not only can the impact at the time of landing be suppressed from being applied to the wearer's foot, but also a shoe capable of obtaining a high propulsion force during running can be achieved.

[0051] However, the upper body 20 does not necessarily need to contact the wearer's foot entirely, and in a range where the wearing comfort is not impaired, the upper body 20 may be provided with a cutout shape or an opening shape such as a removal portion.

[0052] <B. Material of Each Member> Next, the materials of the above-described respective members will be described. Note that the specific materials shown below are merely examples and are not limited thereto.

[0053] The shell 10 is made of an elastic material, preferably a resin material or a rubber material. More specifically, when the shell 10 is made of resin, for example, it can be 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, for example, it can be butadiene rubber.

[0054] The shell 10 can also be made of a polymer composition. In this case, examples of the polymer contained in the polymer composition include olefin-based polymers such as olefin-based elastomers and olefin-based resins. Examples of olefin-based polymers include polyethylene (e.g., linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE)), polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymers, propylene-1-hexene copolymers, propylene-4-methyl-1-pentene copolymers, propylene-1-butene copolymers, ethylene-1-hexene copolymers, ethylene-4-methyl-pentene copolymers, ethylene-1-butene copolymers, 1-butene-1-hexene copolymers, 1-butene-4-methyl-pentene, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers, and ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers. Examples of the polyolefin include ethyl acrylate 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), and propylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

[0055] The polymer may also be an amide polymer such as an amide elastomer or an amide resin, etc. Examples of the amide polymer include polyamide 6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, polyamide 66, polyamide 610, and polyether block amide (PEBA).

[0056] The polymer may also be an ester-based polymer such as an ester-based elastomer or an ester-based resin, etc. Examples of the ester-based polymer include polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

[0057] The polymer may be a urethane polymer such as a urethane elastomer or a urethane resin. Examples of the urethane polymer include polyester polyurethane and polyether polyurethane, and urethane acrylate is particularly suitable.

[0058] The polymer may also be a styrene-based polymer such as a styrene-based elastomer or a styrene-based resin. Examples of styrene-based elastomers include styrene-ethylene-butylene copolymer (SEB), styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS), hydrogenated SBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS)), styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer (SIS), hydrogenated SIS (styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene copolymer (SEPS)), styrene-isobutylene-styrene copolymer (SIBS), styrene-butadiene-styrene-butadiene (SBSB), and styrene-butadiene-styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBSBS). Examples of styrene-based resins include polystyrene, acrylonitrile-styrene resin (AS), and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (ABS).

[0059] Furthermore, the polymer may be, for example, an acrylic 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 polymer-based acrylic polymer and hydrogenated products thereof, 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 polymer-based methacrylic polymer and hydrogenated products thereof, a polyvinyl chloride 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), or the like.

[0060] The method for producing the shell 10 is not particularly limited, but it can be produced by, for example, three-dimensional additive manufacturing. When producing the shell 10 by three-dimensional additive manufacturing, the manufacturing method is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a fused additive manufacturing method, a photolithography method, or a powder sintering additive manufacturing method.

[0061] The upper body 20 may be made of basically any material as long as it is flexibly deformable, but preferably, woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, synthetic leather, resin, etc. More specifically, the upper body 20 may be made of natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, etc., or synthetic fibers such as polyamide resins such as nylon, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, polyvinyl alcohol resins such as vinylon, polyacrylonitrile resins such as Exlan and Cashmilon, polyvinyl chloride resins such as Tevilon and Environ, polypropylene resins such as Pylen, polyethylene resins, polystyrene resins, etc. The upper body 20 may also be made of recycled fibers such as rayon and cupra.

[0062] In particular, as will be described later, if a heat-shrinkable synthetic fiber woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, or the like is used for a portion of the upper body 20, the upper body 20 can be made to fit the wearer's foot better. Examples of heat-shrinkable synthetic fibers include those containing polyester resin, polyurethane resin, or the like as a main component, and particularly preferred is Hytrel (trademark), a type of polyester resin.

[0063] That is, if a portion of the upper body 20 is made of a heat-shrinkable synthetic fiber woven or knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, or the like, the upper body 20 can be formed into a bag shape in advance, and a last can be inserted into the bag and then subjected to a heat treatment. The heat shrinkage caused by the heat causes the portion of the upper body 20 to change shape and become intimately attached to the last, and the changed shape is maintained. Therefore, by preparing a last that corresponds to the shape of the wearer's foot and using it to mold the upper body 20 described above, it is possible to manufacture an upper body 20 that fits the wearer's foot. Furthermore, by performing a heat treatment using the above-described last while the upper body 20 is assembled into the shell 10, the upper body 20 will also fit the shell 10, further improving fit.

[0064] Here, the portion of the upper body 20 that can be made of a heat-shrinkable synthetic fiber woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, or the like is the above-mentioned side wall portion 22. This side wall portion 22 is the portion that comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot.

[0065] The above-mentioned last may be a standard shape that corresponds to the wearer's foot size, but if a last made based on 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.

[0066] The midsole 31 may be made of basically any material as long as it is elastically deformable, but is preferably made of a material that has adequate strength and excellent cushioning properties. From this perspective, the midsole 31 may be made of, for example, a resin foam material containing a resin material as a main component and a foaming agent and a cross-linking agent as secondary components. Alternatively, a rubber foam material containing a rubber material as a main component and a plasticizer, foaming agent, reinforcing agent, and cross-linking agent as secondary components may be used.

[0067] Particularly preferably, the midsole 31 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 does not necessarily have to be made of a foamed material, and it may be made of a non-foamed material instead.

[0068] 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 using epoxy resin, polyester resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyurethane resin, etc. as base 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).

[0069] <C. Configuration of the shell at the portion corresponding to the vicinity of the inner and outer ankles of the wearer's foot> FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V shown in FIG. 1 of the shell included in the shoe shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the region VI shown in FIG. 5. Further, FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of the shell for easy understanding when explaining the configuration of the portion of the shell corresponding to the vicinity of the inner and outer ankles of the wearer's foot in the shoe shown in FIG. 1 without distinguishing between the inner foot side and the outer foot side. Next, referring to FIGS. 5 to 7 and FIGS. 1 to 4 described above, the configuration of the portion of the shell 10 included in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment corresponding to the vicinity of the inner and outer ankles of the wearer's foot will be described in detail.

[0070] The portion of the circumference of the wearer's foot located behind the medial and lateral ankles is recessed more than the surrounding area, making it difficult to improve dynamic fit in that area. One possible solution to this problem is to construct that portion of the shell by combining multiple members with different elastic moduli.

[0071] However, if the structure is configured in this manner, not only will the manufacturing costs increase due to the increased number of parts and the more complicated assembly work, but the use of adhesives to secure the multiple components to each other will be unavoidable, and since the adhesives contain a considerable amount of organic solvents, this is not necessarily desirable from the perspective of environmental impact.

[0072] Furthermore, when the outer shell of a shoe is constructed from a shell made of an elastic material, as in this embodiment, the shell is often produced by three-dimensional additive manufacturing as described above. Therefore, from the perspective of efficient manufacturing, it is preferable that at least the portion of the shell corresponding to the area around the medial and lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot be constructed from a single member (i.e., a single part, rather than a composite part made up of multiple parts), and with these points in mind, it is necessary to improve the dynamic fit in that part.

[0073] In this regard, shoe 1A according to this embodiment aims to improve static fit by providing inner foot bulge 13A and outer foot bulge 13B, which will be described later, on the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot in areas located posterior to the medial and lateral ankles, and also aims to further improve dynamic fit by providing inner foot side peripheral wall 12A and outer foot side peripheral wall 12B with distinctive configurations near the areas where inner foot side bulge 13A and outer foot side bulge 13B are provided.

[0074] 5, an inner foot-side bulging portion 13A bulging toward the insertion space SP3 is provided in the inner foot-side peripheral wall 12A at a position corresponding to a portion posterior to the medial malleolus of the wearer's foot (the region designated by reference symbol A1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 corresponds to the portion posterior to the medial malleolus of the wearer's foot in this inner foot-side peripheral wall 12A). This inner foot-side bulging portion 13A is configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure.

[0075] The inner foot-side bulge 13A is configured to have a shape that follows a depression present in a portion of the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot that is located behind the medial malleolus, thereby reducing the gap between the depression and the inner foot-side circumferential wall 12A. Therefore, by providing the inner foot-side bulge 13A on the inner foot-side circumferential wall 12A, the fit when worn is improved.

[0076] Furthermore, since the inner foot-side bulging portion 13A is configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure as described above, it has a low space factor per unit volume and therefore a low density, functioning as an easily deformable portion. Therefore, when the inner foot-side bulging portion 13A comes into contact with the wearer's foot during wear, it undergoes compressive deformation, and the resulting reaction force applies an appropriate amount of pressure to the surface of the above-mentioned recessed portion of the wearer's foot, thereby improving the static fit of that portion.

[0077] The inner foot-side bulge 13A preferably has a smoothly curved surface to reduce excessive pressure on the wearer's foot and provide a comfortable fit, but may also include a flat portion. The dimensions of the inner foot-side bulge 13A are not particularly limited, but the height is preferably 3 mm to 10 mm, and the width in the vertical direction Z is preferably 5 mm to 30 mm. The compressive rigidity of the inner foot-side bulge 13A is preferably 1 MPa or less, provided that it is lower than the compressive rigidity of the inner foot-side cover portion 14A (described later).

[0078] The three-dimensional mesh structure having a three-dimensional lattice structure constituting the medial bulging portion 13A preferably has low compressive rigidity in the thickness direction of the medial circumferential wall 12A where the medial bulging portion 13A is provided (the compressive direction roughly corresponds to the left-right direction Y), and high tensile rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. One example of such a structure is a three-dimensional lattice structure including flat unit structures whose dimensions in the thickness direction of the medial circumferential wall 12A are smaller than the dimensions of the unit structures in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0079] Furthermore, in order to reduce the compressive rigidity of the medial bulging portion 13A, the columns of the three-dimensional lattice structure in the portion included in the medial bulging portion 13A may be made thinner than the columns of the three-dimensional lattice structure in the portion of the medial peripheral wall 12A that does not include the medial bulging portion 13A. This makes it possible to locally reduce the rigidity of only the medial bulging portion 13A.

[0080] The medial bulge 13A may be formed of spot-like protrusions, or may be formed of ridged protrusions extending in a predetermined direction. When the medial bulge 13A is formed of such ridged protrusions extending in a predetermined direction, it is preferable that the extending direction of the ridges be configured to follow the outline of the medial malleolus of the wearer's foot.

[0081] 5 and 6, an outer foot side bulge 13B bulging toward the insertion space SP3 is provided in the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B at a position corresponding to the portion posterior to the lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot (the region designated by reference symbol A2 in FIGS. 1 and 3 corresponds to the portion posterior to the lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot in this outer foot side peripheral wall 12B). This outer foot side bulge 13B is formed of a three-dimensional mesh structure.

[0082] The outer foot side bulge 13B is configured to have a shape that follows a depression present in a portion of the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot that is located behind the lateral malleolus, thereby reducing the gap between the depression and the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B. Therefore, providing the outer foot side bulge 13B on the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B improves the fit when worn.

[0083] Furthermore, since the outer foot-side bulging portion 13B is configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure as described above, it has a low space factor per unit volume and therefore a low density, functioning as an easily deformable portion. Therefore, when the outer foot-side bulging portion 13B comes into contact with the wearer's foot during wear, it undergoes compressive deformation, and the resulting reaction force applies an appropriate amount of pressure to the surface of the aforementioned recessed portion of the wearer's foot, thereby improving the static fit of that portion.

[0084] The outer foot-side bulge 13B preferably has a smoothly curved surface to reduce excessive pressure on the wearer's foot and provide a comfortable fit, but may also include a flat portion. The dimensions of the outer foot-side bulge 13B are not particularly limited, but its height is preferably 3 mm to 10 mm, and its width in the vertical direction Z is preferably 5 mm to 30 mm. The compressive rigidity of the outer foot-side bulge 13B is preferably 1 MPa or less, provided that it is lower than the compressive rigidity of the outer foot-side cover portion 14B (described later).

[0085] The three-dimensional mesh structure having a three-dimensional lattice structure constituting the outer foot side bulge 13B preferably has low compressive rigidity in the thickness direction of the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B where the outer foot side bulge 13B is provided (the compression direction roughly corresponds to the left-right direction Y), and high tensile rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. One example of such a structure is a three-dimensional lattice structure including flat unit structures whose dimensions in the thickness direction of the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B are smaller than the dimensions of the unit structures in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0086] Furthermore, to reduce the compressive rigidity of the outer foot side bulge 13B, the columns of the three-dimensional lattice structure in the portion included in the outer foot side bulge 13B may be thinner than the columns of the three-dimensional lattice structure in the portion of the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B that does not include the outer foot side bulge 13B. This makes it possible to locally reduce the rigidity of only the outer foot side bulge 13B.

[0087] The lateral foot-side bulge 13B may be formed of spot-like protrusions, or may be formed of ridged protrusions extending in a predetermined direction. When the lateral foot-side bulge 13B is formed of such ridged protrusions extending in a predetermined direction, it is preferable that the direction of extension be configured to follow the outline of the lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot.

[0088] 1 to 3 and 5 and 6, in the shoe 1A according to the present embodiment, an inner foot side covering portion 14A and an outer foot side covering portion 14B are provided as non-deformable portions near the portion of the inner foot side peripheral wall 12A where the inner foot side bulging portion 13A is provided, and near the portion of the outer foot side peripheral wall 12B where the outer foot side bulging portion 13B is provided, respectively. Because the inner foot side covering portion 14A and the outer foot side covering portion 14B basically have the same configuration, the following description will be given without distinguishing between the inner foot side covering portion 14A and the outer foot side covering portion 14B, with reference to FIG.

[0089] 7, the peripheral wall 12 in the vicinity of the portion where the bulge 13 is provided is divided into a bulge-forming region A where the bulge 13 is provided and an adjacent region B adjacent to the bulge-forming region A. The bulge-forming region A is surrounded by the adjacent region B.

[0090] A cover portion 14 is provided on the peripheral wall portion 12. This cover portion 14 is located on the outer surface (i.e., outer peripheral surface 12b) of the peripheral wall portion 12, and therefore the cover portion 14 is located on the opposite side to the side on which the insertion space SP3 is located as viewed from the bulging portion 13. Accordingly, the end face of the cover portion 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure that constitutes the peripheral wall portion 12, and the end face located on the opposite side to the insertion space SP3 is exposed at the outer peripheral surface 12b of the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0091] Additionally, the covering portion 14 is provided across the bulge-forming region A and the adjacent region B. As a result, the bulge 13 is covered by the covering portion 14. In the shoe 1A according to this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, when viewed along the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface 12b of the peripheral wall portion 12, the covering portion 14 is arranged to overlap the entire bulge-forming region A, and is also arranged to overlap the entire periphery of the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 adjacent to the bulge-forming region A.

[0092] The covering portion 14 is intended to increase the bending rigidity of the peripheral wall portion 12 (particularly the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 where the bulging portion 13 is provided and the vicinity thereof) and is configured as a solid structure. That is, the covering portion 14 made of a solid structure has a high space factor per unit volume and therefore a high density, and therefore functions as a portion that is difficult to deform. Therefore, the covering portion 14 can serve as a pressing portion that prevents the portion of the peripheral wall portion 12 where the bulging portion 13 is provided from lifting up.

[0093] As described above, the portion of the peripheral wall 12 where the bulge 13 is provided has the effect of improving fit by reducing the gap between the wearer's foot and the peripheral wall 12 when worn. However, if no special measures are taken, the bulge 13 will come into contact with the wearer's foot when worn, causing the peripheral wall 12 at the portion where the bulge 13 is provided to lift up, which may hinder the compressive deformation of the bulge 13 described above and result in poor fit. In particular, during high-intensity exercise, the shell 10 deforms in accordance with the wearer's foot movement (such as foot bending), which may easily cause the peripheral wall 12 at the portion where the bulge 13 is provided to lift up, which may prevent the compressive deformation of the bulge 13 from occurring at all.

[0094] In this regard, as described above, by adopting a configuration in which the bulging portion 13 is covered by the covering portion 14 as a non-deformable portion, the covering portion 14 functions as a pressing portion, and this allows the bulging portion 13 to fit closely to the wearer's foot not only during low-intensity exercise but also during high-intensity exercise, resulting in appropriate compressive deformation of the bulging portion 13. Therefore, the fit of the bulging portion 13 to the surface of the above-mentioned recessed portion of the wearer's foot can be maintained, and it is possible to ensure not only static fit but also dynamic fit in that portion.

[0095] Therefore, by making shoe 1A according to this embodiment, improvements can be achieved in static and dynamic fit in a shoe equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of an elastic material. This effect is particularly significant at the rear end of shoe 1A, which is provided with medial foot bulge 13A and lateral foot bulge 13B described above. This is the part where, if the fit is poor, the wearer's foot will move back and forth and side to side inside the shoe, causing fatigue and foot pain, and also causing the shoe to fall off the wearer's foot.

[0096] Furthermore, in shoe 1A according to this embodiment, by providing inner foot-side bulging portion 13A and outer foot-side bulging portion 13B on shell 10 as described above, it becomes easier for inner foot-side bulging portion 13A and outer foot-side bulging portion 13B to remain in contact with the depression in the portion of the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot located behind the ankle, not only when the wearer is standing still but also when walking or running. Therefore, even with foot movement (such as bending), a gap is less likely to form between shoe 1A and the depression in the portion of the circumferential surface of the wearer's foot located behind the ankle, resulting in a comfortable shoe that can prevent the occurrence of blisters.

[0097] Additionally, in shoe 1A according to this embodiment, almost the entire shell 10 is made of a three-dimensional mesh structure, and as described above, the medial bulging portion 13A and the lateral bulging portion 13B are made of a three-dimensional mesh structure in particular, which improves the breathability of those areas and, as a result, reduces the accumulation of frictional heat that causes blisters in those areas, making the shoe comfortable to wear in this respect as well.

[0098] Here, since both the medial bulge 13A and the lateral bulge 13B are covered by the side wall 22 of the upper body 20, even when the above configuration is adopted, the shoe does not feel uncomfortable on the foot and is comfortable to wear.However, even if the medial bulge 13A and the lateral bulge 13B are exposed without being covered by the upper body 20, the comfort of the shoe does not decrease significantly.

[0099] The inner foot side covering portion 14A and the outer foot side covering portion 14B do not necessarily have to be solid structures, and may be porous structures with internal voids as long as they have higher rigidity than the inner foot side bulging portion 13A and the outer foot side bulging portion 13B. In other words, as long as the inner foot side covering portion 14A and the outer foot side covering portion 14B are configured to have higher rigidity than the inner foot side bulging portion 13A and the outer foot side bulging portion 13B, respectively, the shoe can have improved static and dynamic fit of the shell 10 to the wearer's foot at a position posterior to the ankle.

[0100] (First to fifth modified examples) 8 to 12 are schematic cross-sectional views of essential parts of the shells of shoes according to first to fifth modifications, respectively. Hereinafter, shoes 1A1 to 1A5 according to first to fifth modifications based on this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. Compared with shoe 1A according to the first embodiment, shoes 1A1 to 1A5 according to the first to fifth modifications differ only in the configurations of inner foot side covering portion 14A and outer foot side covering portion 14B provided on shell 10. However, the description will be given here without distinguishing between inner foot side covering portion 14A and outer foot side covering portion 14B.

[0101] 8, in the shoe 1A1 according to the first modification, the cover portion 14 is embedded in the peripheral wall portion 12, and thus the cover portion 14 is disposed on the opposite side to the side on which the insertion space SP3 is located as viewed from the bulging portion 13. Accordingly, the end face of the cover portion 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure constituting the peripheral wall portion 12, and the end face located on the opposite side to the insertion space SP3 is also covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure constituting the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0102] 9, in shoe 1A2 according to the second modification, a portion of cover portion 14 is embedded in peripheral wall portion 12, and the remaining portion is located on the inner surface (i.e., inner peripheral surface 12a) of peripheral wall portion 12, so that cover portion 14 is located on the opposite side to the side on which insertion space SP3 is located, as viewed from bulging portion 13. Accordingly, a portion of the end face of cover portion 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side, which corresponds to bulging portion forming region A, is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure constituting bulging portion 13, and a portion of the end face of cover portion 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side, which corresponds to adjacent region B, is exposed on inner peripheral surface 12a of peripheral wall portion 12, so that the end face of cover portion 14 located on the opposite side to insertion space SP3 is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure constituting peripheral wall portion 12.

[0103] 10 , in shoe 1A3 according to the third modification, the portion of the part corresponding to bulge-forming region A excluding bulge 13 is configured as cover 14, and the portion of adjacent region B located immediately adjacent to bulge-forming region A is configured as cover 14, so that cover 14 is disposed on the opposite side of insertion space SP3 from bulge 13. Accordingly, the portion of the end face of cover 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side that corresponds to bulge-forming region A is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure that constitutes bulge 13, and the portion of the end face of cover 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side that corresponds to adjacent region B is exposed on inner circumferential surface 12a of peripheral wall 12, and the end face of cover 14 located opposite insertion space SP3 is exposed on outer circumferential surface 12b of peripheral wall 12. In addition, the covering portion 14 provided in the adjacent region B may be configured so that it is provided only in the portion located immediately adjacent to the bulge forming region A, as described above, so that the covering portion 14 is interrupted halfway, but the covering portion 14 may also be provided over the entire adjacent region B.

[0104] 11, in a shoe 1A4 according to the fourth modification, the cover portion 14 is composed of a plurality of segments. Each of the cover portions 14 made up of a plurality of segments is located on the outer surface (i.e., the outer peripheral surface 12b) of the peripheral wall portion 12, and therefore each cover portion 14 is located on the opposite side of the bulging portion 13 from the side on which the insertion space SP3 is located. Accordingly, the end face of each cover portion 14 located on the insertion space SP3 side is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure that forms the peripheral wall portion 12, and the end face located on the opposite side to the insertion space SP3 is exposed at the outer peripheral surface 12b of the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0105] As shown in Fig. 12, in a shoe 1A5 according to the fifth modification, the cover portion 14 is composed of a plurality of segments. Each of the cover portions 14 made up of a plurality of segments is embedded in the peripheral wall portion 12, and thus each cover portion 14 is disposed on the opposite side of the bulging portion 13 from the side on which the insertion space SP3 is located. Furthermore, each cover portion 14 is disposed at an angle within the peripheral wall portion 12 so that portions of each cover portion 14 face each other. Accordingly, the entire cover portion 14 is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure that constitutes the peripheral wall portion 12.

[0106] Even when configured as in these first to fifth modified examples, the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can be obtained, and improvements can be made in static and dynamic fit in shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material.

[0107] In order to increase the rigidity of the cover portion 14, spot-like or rib-like protrusions may be provided on the surface of the cover portion 14. In this case, the protrusions may be provided on the surface of a portion of the cover portion 14 that is exposed to the outside, or may be provided on a portion of the cover portion 14 that is covered by the three-dimensional mesh structure.

[0108] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 13 is a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment, as seen from the outer foot side, and Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a shell provided in the shoe shown in Fig. 13, taken along line XIV-XIV in Fig. 13. Hereinafter, a shoe 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 13 and 14. Shoe 1B according to the second embodiment differs from shoe 1A according to the first embodiment described above mainly in the configurations of inner foot side covering portion 14A and outer foot side covering portion 14B provided on shell 10. Only outer foot side covering portion 14B is shown in Figs. 13 and 14, and the following description will focus on outer foot side covering portion 14B, but inner foot side covering portion 14A also has a similar configuration.

[0109] As shown in Fig. 13, in the shoe 1B according to this embodiment, an outer foot side covering part 14B is provided in the part of the outer foot side peripheral wall part 12B where the outer foot side bulging part 13B is provided (i.e., the part indicated by reference symbol A2 in Fig. 13), and a high rigidity part 15 is provided below the outer foot side covering part 14B in the vertical direction Z. This high rigidity part 15 is made of a solid structure and has a band-like shape that extends from the front end to the rear end of the shoe 1B in the longitudinal direction X.

[0110] The high-rigidity portion 15 is a portion for increasing the bending rigidity of the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B (particularly, the portion of the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B where the outer foot side bulge portion 13B is provided). That is, the high-rigidity portion 15, which is made of a solid structure, has a high space factor per unit volume and therefore a high density, and therefore functions as a portion that is difficult to deform. Therefore, the high-rigidity portion 15 prevents the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B from collapsing outward (i.e., toward the side opposite the insertion space SP3) in accordance with the wearer's foot movement (such as so-called foot bending motion) not only during low-intensity exercise but also during high-intensity exercise.

[0111] Therefore, since the collapse of the outer foot side peripheral wall portion 12B as described above can be suppressed, the outer foot side bulge portion 13B can be prevented from separating from the surface of the wearer's foot, and as a result, the fit of the outer foot side bulge portion 13B to the surface of the above-mentioned recessed portion of the wearer's foot can be maintained, thereby improving the dynamic fit in that area.

[0112] 13 and 14, in this embodiment, the high rigidity portion 15 and the outer foot side cover portion 14B are both solid structures, and are therefore configured to be connected to each other on the peripheral wall portion 12. In other words, a part of the high rigidity portion 15 is branched and extended to reach the portion indicated by the reference symbol A1, thereby forming the outer foot side cover portion 14B.

[0113] When configured in this manner, not only can the same effects as those described in the first embodiment be obtained, but also the dynamic fit can be further improved in shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material.

[0114] In addition, by configuring shoe 1B according to this embodiment, high-rigidity portion 15 is provided so as to extend from the front end to the rear end of shoe 1B, and this makes it possible to increase the bending rigidity of medial foot-side peripheral wall portion 12A and lateral foot-side peripheral wall portion 12B not only in the rear end portion of shoe 1B where medial foot-side bulge portion 13A and lateral foot-side bulge portion 13B are provided, but also throughout the entire front-to-rear direction X of shoe 1B, thereby not only improving dynamic fit but also suppressing excessive pronation when landing.

[0115] In shoe 1B according to the present embodiment, high rigidity portion 15 is provided so as to slope downward as it approaches the front side of shoe 1B in the front-to-rear direction X. With this configuration, in forefoot portion R1 and midfoot portion R2, high rigidity portion 15 is positioned closer to the lower end of insertion space SP3 in the up-down direction Z than in rearfoot portion R3.

[0116] By providing the high rigidity portion 15 at a position closer to the lower end of the insertion space SP3 in the vertical direction Z in this manner, the collapse of the above-mentioned peripheral wall portion 12 from a lower position in the vertical direction Z can be suppressed compared to when this high rigidity portion 15 is provided at a higher position in the vertical direction Z.

[0117] Therefore, with this configuration, collapse of the peripheral wall can be more reliably suppressed not only in the forefoot portion R1 and midfoot portion R2 but also in the rearfoot portion R3. This improves stability when landing, particularly in the forefoot portion R1 and midfoot portion R2, and in the rearfoot portion R3, in addition to improving stability when landing, it is possible to suppress excessive pronation when landing.

[0118] If the high rigidity portion 15 is provided at a position further below the lower end of the insertion space SP3 in the vertical direction Z, the starting point of the collapse of the peripheral wall portion of the shell 10 will move to a position further below the sole of the wearer's foot, which will make the collapse of the peripheral wall portion 12 more likely to occur. Therefore, it is desirable that the lower limit of the position at which the high rigidity portion 15 is provided be a position corresponding to the lower end of the insertion space SP3 in the vertical direction Z.

[0119] In addition, by providing a high rigidity portion 15 in the forefoot portion R1 (particularly the front end of the shoe 1B), the rigidity of the shell 10 in the toe portion is improved, thereby improving its wear resistance, and as a result, the durability of the shoe 1B is increased.

[0120] As described above, the high-rigidity portion 15 may be provided so as to extend from the front end to the rear end of the shoe 1B, but it may also be provided only in the rear end portion of the shoe 1B in the front-to-rear direction X. Even in this configuration, the dynamic fit can be further improved.

[0121] (Embodiment 3) Fig. 15 is a side view of a shoe according to embodiment 3 as seen from the outer side of the foot. Hereinafter, shoe 1C according to embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Note that shoe 1C according to embodiment 3 differs from shoe 1B according to embodiment 2 described above only in the configuration of the shell 10.

[0122] Shoe 1C according to the present embodiment differs from shoe 1B according to the second embodiment described above in that a bulge is provided in peripheral wall 12 of shell 10 in a portion corresponding to the instep of the wearer's foot. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 15, shoe 1C has a bulge (not shown in Fig. 15) made of a three-dimensional mesh structure as an easily deformable part that bulges out toward insertion space SP3 at a position on peripheral wall 12 of shell 10 that corresponds to a recessed portion located on the surface of the instep of the wearer's foot (the region indicated by reference symbol A3 in Fig. 15 corresponds to the position corresponding to this recessed portion located on the surface of the instep of the wearer's foot).

[0123] Furthermore, shoe 1C according to the present embodiment is provided with high-rigidity section 15 made of a solid structure having a strip-like shape that extends from the front end to the rear end of shoe 1C along the front-to-rear direction X, similar to shoe 1B according to the second embodiment described above. However, unlike shoe 1B according to the second embodiment described above, this high-rigidity section 15 does not have a branched portion that reaches the portion indicated by reference symbol A1 (see FIG. 13), but instead has a branched portion that reaches the portion indicated by reference symbol A3 described above. The branched portion of high-rigidity section 15 that reaches reference symbol A3 constitutes cover section 14C.

[0124] Even with this configuration, shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material will have improved static and dynamic fit, particularly at the position corresponding to the wearer's instep.

[0125] (Fourth embodiment) Fig. 16 is a side view of a shoe according to embodiment 4 as seen from the outer side of the foot. Hereinafter, a shoe 1D according to embodiment 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Note that shoe 1D according to embodiment 4 differs from shoe 1B according to embodiment 2 described above only in the configuration of the shell 10.

[0126] Shoe 1D according to the present embodiment differs from shoe 1B according to the first embodiment described above in that a bulge is provided on peripheral wall 12 of shell 10 in a portion corresponding to the instep of the wearer's foot. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 16, shoe 1D has bulges (not shown in Fig. 16) made of a three-dimensional mesh structure as easily deformable parts that bulge toward insertion space SP3 at three positions on peripheral wall 12 of shell 10 that correspond to recessed portions located on the surface of the instep of the wearer's foot (the areas indicated by symbols A3 to A5 in Fig. 16 correspond to the positions corresponding to these recessed portions located on the surface of the instep of the wearer's foot).

[0127] Covering portion 14D made of a solid structure as a non-deformable portion is provided on peripheral wall 12 in the portion where these three bulging portions are provided and in the vicinity thereof. Covering portion 14D is not provided independently in correspondence with each of the three bulging portions described above, but is configured as a single covering portion that covers all of these three bulging portions.

[0128] Even with this configuration, shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material will have improved static and dynamic fit, particularly at the position corresponding to the wearer's instep.

[0129] Furthermore, with this configuration, the rigidity of the peripheral wall 12 of the shell 10 is increased by the cover 14D and the high-rigidity portion 15 in the portion near the rear end of the forefoot portion R1 and the portion near the front end of the midfoot portion R2, which correspond to the arch of the wearer's foot, and this effectively prevents the arch of the wearer's foot from collapsing excessively. On the other hand, in the portion where the MP joint of the wearer's foot is located, the cover 14D and the high-rigidity portion 15 are not configured to be extremely large, so that the so-called flexion of the foot is not hindered.

[0130] (Embodiment 5) Fig. 17 is a side view of a shoe according to embodiment 5 as seen from the outer side of the foot. Hereinafter, shoe 1E according to embodiment 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Note that shoe 1E according to embodiment 5 differs from shoe 1C according to embodiment 3 described above only in the configuration of the shell 10.

[0131] As shown in Figure 17, the shoe 1E of embodiment 5 differs in configuration from the shoe 1C of embodiment 3 described above only in that the cover portion 14C and the high rigidity portion 15 are connected by a rib-like portion extending along the vertical direction Z.

[0132] Even with this configuration, shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material will have improved static and dynamic fit, particularly at the position corresponding to the wearer's instep.

[0133] Furthermore, when configured in this manner, compared to the shoe 1C of the third embodiment described above, the cover portion 14C and the high rigidity portion 15 are connected by a ribbed portion, which makes it possible to more effectively increase the rigidity of the portion of the shell 10 that corresponds to the arch of the wearer's foot, thereby more effectively preventing excessive collapse of the arch of the wearer's foot.

[0134] (Sixth embodiment) Fig. 18 is a side view of a shoe according to embodiment 6 as seen from the outer side of the foot. Hereinafter, shoe 1F according to embodiment 6 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Note that shoe 1F according to embodiment 6 differs from shoe 1C according to embodiment 3 described above only in the configuration of the shell 10.

[0135] As shown in Figure 18, the shoe 1F of embodiment 6 differs in configuration from the shoe 1C of embodiment 3 described above only in that the cover portion 14C is configured as part of the enlarged high-rigidity portion 15 by enlarging the width of the high-rigidity portion 15.

[0136] Even with this configuration, shoes equipped with a flexible shell 10 made of elastic material will have improved static and dynamic fit, particularly at the position corresponding to the wearer's instep.

[0137] Furthermore, when configured in this manner, by increasing the width of the high-rigidity portion 15, it is possible to more effectively increase the rigidity of the portion of the shell 10 that corresponds to the arch of the wearer's foot, thereby more effectively preventing the arch of the wearer's foot from collapsing excessively.

[0138] (Other forms, etc.) In the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, the bulging portions and covering portions are provided on the peripheral wall of the shell in portions behind the medial malleolus and lateral malleolus of the wearer's foot, as well as at predetermined positions on the instep of the wearer's foot, but the positions at which these bulging portions and covering portions are provided are not limited to these. Since there are various other depressions of various sizes on the surface of the foot, providing the above-described bulging portions and covering portions on the peripheral wall of the shell at positions corresponding to these depressions can improve the static and dynamic fit in those areas.

[0139] Here, depressions on the surface of the foot include those that depend solely on the surface shape of the foot bones, and those that occur when there are no foot bones directly under the skin and only relatively soft biological tissue is present (for example, depressions that occur in areas between adjacent foot bones). More specifically, this includes depressions on the surface of the foot near the base of the fifth metatarsal bone.

[0140] In the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, the entire bulge portion is made of a three-dimensional mesh structure, but as long as at least a portion of the bulge portion includes a portion made of a three-dimensional mesh structure, the remaining portion may be made of, for example, a solid structure. In this case, for example, the surface of the bulge portion may be covered with a thin layer made of a solid structure, thereby further improving the foot contact.

[0141] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and its variations, many examples have been given of cases in which the entire bulge portion is covered by the covering portion, but it is not necessary that the entire bulge portion be covered by the covering portion, and the same effect can be obtained even if only a portion of the bulge portion is covered by the covering portion.

[0142] Furthermore, the shapes, sizes, numbers, etc. of the bulging portions, covering portions, high-rigidity portions, etc. disclosed in the above-described embodiments and their modified examples can be modified in various ways as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0143] Furthermore, the characteristic configurations shown in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples can be combined with each other without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0144] In addition, in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, the characteristic configuration of the present disclosure has been described by way of example in which it is applied to shoes as an example of footwear, but the characteristic configuration of the present disclosure can naturally be applied to other footwear such as sandals.

[0145] (Summary of the contents disclosed in the embodiments, etc.) The characteristic configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples can be summarized as follows.

[0146] [Appendix 1] Footwear having an insertion space provided therein into which a wearer's foot can be inserted, and a flexible shell made of an elastic material arranged to surround the insertion space, The shell includes a bottom wall portion configured to support the sole of the wearer's foot, and a peripheral wall portion configured to stand from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion and cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot, the peripheral wall portion has a bulging portion forming region in which a bulging portion bulging toward the insertion space is provided, and an adjacent region adjacent to the bulging portion forming region, The bulging portion includes an easily deformable portion configured by a three-dimensional mesh structure, The peripheral wall portion is arranged on the opposite side of the insertion space as viewed from the bulge portion, and is positioned across the bulge portion forming region and the adjacent region to cover at least a part of the bulge portion. The peripheral wall portion includes a covering portion as a less deformable portion having higher rigidity than the easily deformable portion, At least a portion of the peripheral wall portion including the bulge-forming region and the adjacent region is made of a single member.

[0147] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 1 above, the bulging portion reduces the gap between the hollow portion of the wearer's foot and the peripheral wall portion of the shell when worn, and the bulging portion is configured as a three-dimensional mesh structure, which allows the bulging portion to appropriately compress and deform, thereby improving static fit. Furthermore, by adopting this configuration, the bulging portion, which serves as an easily deformed portion, is covered by the covering portion, which serves as a less easily deformed portion, and the covering portion functions as a pressing portion that presses the bulging portion toward the wearer's foot, thereby also improving dynamic fit. Therefore, with this configuration, it is possible to improve static fit and dynamic fit in a shoe with a flexible shell made of an elastic material.

[0148] [Appendix 2] a part of the bulge-forming region and a part of the adjacent region are configured as the covering portion, Footwear as described in Appendix 1, wherein all of the portions of the bulge forming region and the adjacent region excluding the covering portion are constructed of a three-dimensional mesh structure.

[0149] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 2 above, it is possible to improve static and dynamic fit while promoting weight reduction of the shoe.

[0150] [Appendix 3] Footwear as described in Appendix 2, wherein the covering portion is located on the outer surface of the peripheral wall portion.

[0151] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 3 above, it is possible to improve static and dynamic fit while providing a shoe that feels more comfortable on the foot.

[0152] [Appendix 4] Footwear according to claim 2, wherein the covering portion is embedded in the peripheral wall portion.

[0153] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 4 above, it is possible to improve static and dynamic fit while providing a shoe that feels more comfortable on the foot.

[0154] [Appendix 5] Footwear as described in Appendix 1, wherein the portion of the bulge-forming region excluding the bulge and the entire adjacent region are configured as the covering portion.

[0155] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 5 above, the function of the cover portion as the above-mentioned holding portion is particularly maximized, thereby maximizing static fit and dynamic fit.

[0156] [Appendix 6] 6. Footwear according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the covering portion is made of a solid structure.

[0157] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 6 above, the rigidity of the cover portion can be increased to the maximum, thereby more reliably improving the dynamic fit.

[0158] [Appendix 7] Footwear described in any one of Appendices 1 to 6, wherein the shell consists of a single object formed by a three-dimensional additive manufacturing method.

[0159] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 7 above, the entire shell is constructed from a single part, which makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0160] [Appendix 8] 8. The footwear of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bottom wall portion has a ground contact surface.

[0161] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 8 above, it is no longer necessary to provide a separate outsole, which makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0162] [Appendix 9] The shoe further includes an upper body that is housed in the shell and includes a bag-like housing portion having an opening through which the wearer's foot can be inserted, 9. Footwear according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bulge is covered by the upper body.

[0163] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 9 above, it is possible to improve static and dynamic fit while providing a shoe that feels more comfortable on the foot.

[0164] [Appendix 10] Footwear described in any of Appendices 1 to 9, further comprising a sole body configured to be housed in the shell to be positioned above the bottom wall portion and to cooperate with the bottom wall portion to support the sole of the wearer's foot.

[0165] By adopting the configuration described in Supplementary Note 10 above, it is possible to improve static and dynamic fit, while providing shoes that are excellent in shock absorption when landing and that feel comfortable on the feet.

[0166] The above-described embodiments and their modifications disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 1A~1F,1A1~1A5 Shoes, 2 collar, 3 ground plane, 10 shell, 10a opening, 10b mesh structure, 10c hole, 11 bottom wall, 11a inner surface, 11b outer surface, 12 peripheral wall, 12A inner foot side peripheral wall, 12B outer foot side peripheral wall, 12a inner peripheral surface, 12b Outer surface, 13 bulge, 13A medial foot bulge, 13B lateral bulge, 14 cover, 14A medial foot cover, 14B lateral cover, 14C, 14D cover, 15 high rigidity, 20 upper body, 20a opening, 21 lower wall, 21a inner surface, 21b outer surface, 22 Side wall part, 22a Inner peripheral surface, 22b Outer surface, 30 sole body, 31 midsole, 31a top surface, 31b bottom surface, 32 plate, 32a first main surface, 32b second main surface, A bulge forming area, B adjacent area, HC heel center, P1 first boundary surface, P2 second boundary surface, PF front end position, PR rear end position, R1 forefoot portion, R2 midfoot portion, R3 rearfoot portion, SC shoe center, SP1 lower side space, SP2 upper side space, SP3 insertion space.

Claims

1. Footwear having an insertion space provided therein into which a wearer's foot can be inserted, and a flexible shell made of an elastic material arranged to surround the insertion space, The shell includes a bottom wall portion configured to support the sole of the wearer's foot, and a peripheral wall portion configured to stand from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion and cover the peripheral surface of the wearer's foot, the peripheral wall portion has a bulging portion forming region in which a bulging portion that bulges toward the insertion space is provided, and an adjacent region adjacent to the bulging portion forming region, The bulging portion includes an easily deformable portion configured with a three-dimensional mesh structure, The peripheral wall portion is disposed on the opposite side of the insertion space as viewed from the bulging portion, and is positioned across the bulging portion forming region and the adjacent region to cover at least a portion of the bulging portion. The peripheral wall portion includes a covering portion as a non-deformable portion having higher rigidity than the easily deformable portion, At least a portion of the peripheral wall portion including the bulge-forming region and the adjacent region is made of a single member.

2. a part of the bulge-forming region and a part of the adjacent region are configured as the covering portion, 2. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein the entire portions of the bulge-forming region and the adjacent region, excluding the covering portion, are made of a three-dimensional mesh structure.

3. 3. The footwear according to claim 2, wherein the covering portion is located on an outer surface of the peripheral wall portion.

4. The footwear according to claim 2 , wherein the covering portion is embedded in the peripheral wall portion.

5. The footwear according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the bulging portion-forming region excluding the bulging portion and the entire adjacent region are configured as the covering portion.

6. 10. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the covering portion is constructed of a solid structure.

7. The footwear according to claim 1 , wherein the shell is made of a single object formed by a three-dimensional additive manufacturing method.

8. The footwear of claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall portion has a tread surface.

9. The shoe further includes an upper body that is housed in the shell and includes a bag-like housing portion having an opening through which the wearer's foot can be inserted, The footwear according to claim 1 , wherein the bulge is covered by the upper body.

10. 2. The footwear according to claim 1, further comprising a sole body configured to be housed in the shell, positioned above the bottom wall portion, and to cooperate with the bottom wall portion to support the sole of the wearer's foot.

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