sandals

Abstract

The objective is to provide sandals that can be easily bent in accordance with the movement of the foot, regardless of the shape that covers the instep, and that maintain comfort even when deformed. [Solution] The present invention, which solves the above problems, comprises a sole portion 1 and a holding portion 2 that holds the user's foot on the sole portion, wherein the sole portion 1 has a groove portion 131 provided on the bottom surface 13 substantially parallel to the short axis S direction, and the holding portion 2 is connected to the edge of the sole portion 1 at a connection position C, and the connection position C is provided on the heel side of the groove portion 131.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to sandals that can be easily bent in accordance with the movement of the foot and can maintain a comfortable wearing feeling.

Background Art

[0002] Footwear including sandals becomes more comfortable to wear and is difficult to take off and thus safe when each part is deformed following the movement of the foot during walking. Such deformation of sandals preferably enables deformation not only of the arch part (holding part) covering the instep but also of the main body (shoe bottom part) on which the wearer places the foot, and such sandals have been developed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the footwear described in Patent Document 1, in the main body on which the wearer places the foot, the base part of the toes is thick, and the other regions are formed with concavities and convexities in accordance with the foot skeleton, improving the followability to the sole of the foot. However, due to the complexity of the concavities and convexities, it is liable to be affected by individual differences in the shape of the wearer's foot, and there is a problem that it is difficult to simultaneously consider the deformation of the arch part covering the instep and the deformation near the toes that is liable to deform during walking.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide sandals that can be easily bent in accordance with the movement of the foot regardless of the shape covering the instep and can maintain a comfortable wearing feeling even during deformation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention, which solves the above problems, comprises a sole portion and a retaining portion for holding the user's foot on the sole portion, wherein the sole portion has grooves provided on its bottom surface substantially parallel to the short axis direction, and the retaining portion is connected to the edge of the sole portion at a connection position, the connection position being located on the heel side of the groove portion. This configuration allows for a sandal that can be easily bent to match the movement of the foot, regardless of the shape that covers the instep, and that maintains comfort even when deformed.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining portion is a thong having a front strap on the toe side of the connection position. This configuration allows for stable support of the instep with fewer components and enables easy deformation in accordance with walking.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the footwear has a secondary retaining portion that further holds the user's foot, the secondary retaining portion being located towards the toes of the retaining portion. This configuration allows for more stable support of the instep.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sole portion of the shoe is curved downwards in a convex shape when viewed in the direction of the short axis. This configuration makes it easier for the sandals to deform while walking.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the grooves are provided in multiple locations on the bottom surface, and the grooves on the toe side have a narrower width in the longitudinal direction compared to the grooves on the heel side. This configuration allows the sole of the shoe near the ball of the foot, which has a large range of motion, to deform easily, making the push-off motion during walking easier.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front basin is provided directly above the groove. This configuration allows the position of the grooves to correspond to the position of the user's toe joints, improving the ability to conform to the user's foot.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connection position is located near the groove, and the sole portion and the retaining portion are continuously connected from the connection position to the vicinity of the heel. This configuration suppresses the bending of the retaining part on the heel side and maintains its ability to conform to the instep.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the toe-side end of the sub-retaining portion is provided directly above the groove. This configuration ensures that the end face shape of the sub-retaining part remains approximately constant, further improving the wearing comfort of the sandals.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining portion and the sub-retaining portion are spaced apart at least on the instep side of the foot. This configuration does not hinder the shape change around the grooves in the sole of the shoe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The present invention, which solves the above problems, provides a sandal that can be easily bent in accordance with the movement of the foot, regardless of the shape that covers the instep, and that maintains a comfortable fit even when deformed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a sandal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a bottom view showing the configuration of a sandal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the configuration of a sandal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing the configuration of a sandal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a sandal according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a bottom view showing the configuration of a sandal according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]It is a plan view showing the structure of the sandal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a side view showing the structure of the sandal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the sandal X according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The description will be detailed in the order of the configuration of the embodiment, the method of implementation, and other examples. Note that each of the embodiments shown below is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0018] ≪First Embodiment≫ As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the sandal X according to the present embodiment includes a sole portion 1 and a holding portion 2 that holds the instep of the user on the sole portion 1. In the following description, "up", "down", "vertical direction", "toe side", "heel side", long axis L, and short axis S are based on the description in FIG. 4.

[0019] The sole portion 1 is a plate-shaped or boat-shaped member on which the sole of the user is placed, and has a tread surface 11, a side surface 12, and a bottom surface 13. Further, the sole portion 1 is curved in a downwardly convex shape when viewed in the direction of the short axis S shown in FIG. 4, and the upward lift height on the toe side is higher than the lift height on the heel side. With such a configuration, it has a shape that wraps around according to the shape of the sole, and it is easy to stabilize the state where the sole is placed on the sole portion 1. Also, it is preferable that the thickness of the sole portion 1 in the vertical direction is thin on the toe side and thick on the heel side. With such a configuration, the heel side where the user's weight is likely to be applied receives the load without being crushed, and the toe side near the user's toes is easily deformed, allowing for comfortable walking.

[0020] The tread surface 11 is located above the sole of the shoe 1 and is the surface on which the user's sole rests directly. The tread surface 11 is connected to the retaining part 2 in a predetermined range including the connection point C located at its edge, and as shown in Figure 3, a portion of it is covered by the retaining part 2 in a plan view. Furthermore, it is preferable that the surface of the tread surface 11 is provided with numerous anti-slip protrusions covering almost the entire surface, except for its edges. With such a configuration, the user's sole is less likely to slip on the tread surface 11, thereby improving the wearing comfort of the sandal X.

[0021] The bottom surface 13 is the lower surface of the sole 1, particularly the surface that comes into contact with the walking surface during use, and is provided with grooves 131 and sub-grooves 132. Multiple grooves 131 are provided approximately parallel to the direction of the short axis S of the bottom surface 13, and both ends are recesses that reach the side surface 12, making it easy to deform the sole 1 by locally thinning the thickness of the sole 1 in the vertical direction. The deformation of the sole 1 at this time is a deformation in which the toe side is lifted further (relatively) to the central part in the aforementioned downward convex shape, or in other words, a deformation in the direction of widening the concave shape of the grooves 131, and the same applies in the following explanation.

[0022] The cross-sectional shape of the groove 131 is preferably triangular or inverted V-shaped (V-shaped when the bottom surface 13 is viewed upwards), as shown in Figure 4. This configuration facilitates the deformation of the sole 1 and increases the limit of the degree of deformation to which the sole 1 does not break from the bottom surface 13 side.

[0023] The sub-grooves 132 are narrow grooves provided on almost the entire bottom surface 13, excluding the main groove 131. Like the main groove 131, multiple sub-grooves are provided, roughly parallel to the direction of the short axis S, but their ends do not reach the side surface 12. This configuration prevents unnecessary deformation of the sole 1 in areas other than the main groove 131, and allows for safe walking.

[0024] The retaining part 2 is a band-shaped and / or linear or columnar member capable of holding the user's foot (especially the instep and the upper part of the metatarsals) on the sole 1, and is connected to the edge of the sole 1 such that the connection position C is the toe end. In this embodiment, the retaining part 2 is a thong that includes a retaining part body 21 and a toe strap 22.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the holding part body 21 is a strip-shaped member that spans from the connection point C that connects to the tread surface 11 to the connection point C on the opposite side of the long axis L. In this embodiment, the uppermost part of the member is curved so as to be convex toward the toes. This configuration allows the user's feet to be held from above and from the sides, improving the wearing comfort of the sandal X with fewer components.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the front thong 22 is a strip-shaped or columnar member connecting the toemost position of the holding body 21 to a predetermined position on the tread 11. The user places the front thong 22 between their big toe and index finger. This predetermined position is even closer to the toes than the toemost position of the holding body 21. This fixes the position of the user's foot and stabilizes the wearing of the sandal X. Furthermore, it is preferable that the front thong 22 is formed with a smooth contour line from the holding body 21 to the connection point with the tread 11. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the shape smoothly changes from the connection point with the side of the holding body 21 to the connection point with the tread 11 to a roughly circular (or elliptical) cross-section. With this configuration, there are no corners that come into contact with the user's foot, allowing for comfortable wear of the sandal X, reducing the risk of breakage during use, and increasing durability.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, it is preferable that the front thong 22 is located directly above the first groove 131 (directly above in the vertical direction). In particular, it is even more preferable that the position where the front thong 22 connects to the tread 11 is directly above the first groove 131. With such a configuration, the user's toes and the groove 131 are in approximately the same position in the long axis L direction, and the sole 1 can deform in accordance with the movement of the user's toes when walking, improving the wearing comfort of the sandal X.

[0028] The connection position C of the retaining part body 21 is located on the heel side of all the grooves 131. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, it is preferable that the tread surface 11 and the retaining part body 21 are connected continuously from just above the grooves 131 to near the heel. This configuration suppresses the upward bending deformation of the retaining part body 21 when the sole 1 deforms, making it easier for the shoe to adhere closely to the user's instep. For example, if the connection position C is located near the heel, the retaining part body 21 will be configured to extend upward from the connection position C in a band of approximately constant width, and the opening formed with the front thong 22 will be larger. As a result, when the sole 1 deforms, it will deform to bulge upward significantly and lift away from the user's instep. On the other hand, if the connection position C is located near the groove 131, and the tread surface 11 and the retaining body 21 are continuously connected from there to the heel, as shown in Figure 4, the retaining body 21 expands its width to connect with the tread surface 11 over a wider area, thereby suppressing upward deformation when the sole 1 deforms. This allows for more secure holding of the user's instep and improves the wearing comfort of the sandal X.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, it is preferable that the tread surface 11 does not have anti-slip features in the area where the front sole 22 is connected and in a band-shaped region extending from there in the direction of the minor axis S, similar to the edges. It is even more preferable that this band-shaped region is positioned diagonally with respect to the minor axis S, with the edge side shifted towards the heel side. With this configuration, anti-slip features are not provided in the area on the sole of the user's foot that does not come into contact with the tread surface 11, between the ball of the foot and the toes, which makes it easier to manufacture the sole 1 and also makes it easier for the user to determine the position of their foot.

[0030] The present invention may have the following configurations. However, the following configurations are merely examples, and their presence or absence can be arbitrarily determined unless otherwise specified.

[0031] ≪Example of changes≫ The side surface 12 preferably has a shallow recess in the heel area, which reduces the weight of the heel area, which has a large thickness in the vertical direction, making it easier to lift the sandal X when walking. In addition, the side surface 12 preferably has a raised section or an upwardly sharpened edge at the boundary with the tread surface 11, which makes it easier for the user to determine where to place their foot.

[0032] In the groove 131, the groove 131 provided on the toe side may be narrower in width than the groove 131 provided on the heel side. Here, the width of the groove 131 is defined in the direction of the major axis L and is determined from the radius of curvature and central angle of the arc that forms the bottom of the groove 131 in its natural state. For example, it can be determined as twice the length obtained by multiplying the radius of curvature by the value of the sine of an angle that is half the size of the central angle. In this case, as shown in Figure 2 in particular, when there are four (three or more) grooves 131, it is preferable that the width of the grooves 131 increases sequentially from the toe side to the heel side. With such a configuration, the sole 1 deforms more significantly in the part of the foot that is closest to the ball of the foot, and deforms in a manner that is closer to the deformation of the foot, thereby improving the wearing comfort of the sandal X and assisting the push-off motion when walking.

[0033] The cross-sectional shape of the groove 131 may be arch-shaped. This arch shape refers to a shape composed of curves, including circular arcs, elliptical arcs, and parabolas. This configuration facilitates the deformation of the sole 1 and appropriately distributes stress on the surface of the groove 131, making it less likely to break from the bottom surface 13 side.

[0034] The following describes a sandal X according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. Note that components similar to those in the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals. Furthermore, "top," "bottom," "vertical direction," "toe side," "heel side," major axis L, and minor axis S in the following description are based on the description in Figure 8.

[0035] ≪Second Embodiment≫ As shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, the sandal X according to this embodiment has a sole portion 1 similar to that of the first embodiment, and further comprises a retaining portion 2 that has a different shape from that of the first embodiment. In addition, the sandal X according to this embodiment further comprises a sub-retaining portion 3.

[0036] The tread surface 11 included in the sole 1 is preferably configured, as in the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, in which a band-shaped region extending from it in a direction approximately along the short axis S does not have anti-slip features, similar to the edges. More preferably, this band-shaped region is provided at an angle with respect to the short axis S, with the edge side shifted towards the heel side. With this configuration, anti-slip features are not provided in the area on the sole of the user's foot that does not come into contact with the tread surface 11, between the ball of the foot and the toes, which makes it easier to manufacture the sole 1 and also makes it easier for the user to determine the position of their foot.

[0037] The retaining part 2 is a band-shaped and / or linear member capable of holding the user's foot (especially the instep) on the sole part 1, and is connected to the edge of the sole part 1, particularly the edge of the tread surface 11, such that the connection position C is at the toe end. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the retaining part 2 is provided with its upper surface inclined so that the toe side is lower than the tread surface 11, thereby making it easier to conform to the shape of the user's instep. Furthermore, compared to the retaining part body 21 in the first embodiment, the retaining part 2 in this embodiment has less curvature towards the toe at its uppermost part, and there is room to provide a sub-retaining part 3 on the toe side of the retaining part 2.

[0038] As shown in Figure 8, it is preferable that the toe-side tip of the retaining part 2 is positioned directly above the groove 131, particularly directly above the groove 131 located closest to the heel. This configuration makes it easier to maintain the shape of the retaining part 2 when the sole 1 deforms. In other words, the above configuration ensures that the area where the multiple grooves 131 are provided and the area where the retaining part 2 is provided do not overlap in the direction of the long axis L. Therefore, the retaining part 2 is less affected by the part of the sole 1 that deforms most significantly due to the groove 131, and the possibility of the retaining part 2 bending significantly and lifting away from the wearer's instep during walking can be reduced. This improves the wearing comfort of the sandal X.

[0039] The sub-retaining portion 3 is a band-shaped member located to the toe side of the retaining portion 2, capable of holding the user's foot (especially the instep and upper part of the phalanges) on the sole portion 1, and is connected to the edge of the tread surface 11. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the upper surface of the sub-retaining portion 3 is inclined so that the toe side is lower relative to the tread surface 11, and this inclination is continuous with the upper surface of the retaining portion 2. In addition, at least on the instep side, the portion of the sub-retaining portion 3 is separated from the retaining portion 2 by a predetermined gap. This gap is preferably of a substantially constant width and takes the form of a slit at least on the instep side, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. With this configuration, the user's grip when putting on the sandal X is almost eliminated, and furthermore, the sub-retaining portion 3 flexes preferentially during walking, making it easier to maintain the shape of the retaining portion 2, thereby improving the wearing comfort of the sandal X. In addition, it is less likely to hinder the deformation around the groove portion 131 in the sole portion 1.

[0040] The toe-side end of the sub-holding portion 3 is preferably positioned directly above the groove portion 131, as shown in Figure 8. This configuration ensures that the axis of deformation is located at the end face where the user's toes are exposed, and also makes it easier to maintain a substantially constant shape of the end face even during deformation, thereby improving conformity to the instep.

[0041] In the connection between the retaining part 2 and the sub-retaining part 3 and the tread surface 11, it is preferable that they be flush with the side surface 12. With this configuration, no corners are formed at the entire connection between the retaining part 2 and the sub-retaining part 3, including the connection position C (the same applies to the sub-retaining part 3), thereby reducing the risk of the sandal X breaking during use.

[0042] It is preferable that the rigidity of the retaining part 2 is greater than that of the sub-retaining part 3. Here, rigidity refers to the resistance to deformation under load that bends the shoe vertically in the length L direction. As a result, even if the sole part 1 deforms and a load is applied that causes the retaining part 2 and sub-retaining part 3 to bend upward, the deformation of the retaining part 2 is suppressed, allowing the wearer's foot to be held more securely, and the reduced deformation also improves durability. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] X Sandals 1 Sole 11 Tread 12 Side view 13. Base 131 Groove 132 Minor groove 2 Holding part 21 Holding part body 22 Maetsubo 3 Sub holding part C Connection position L long axis S Short axis

Claims

1. The shoe comprises a sole and a retaining part that holds the user's foot on the sole, The sole portion of the shoe has grooves on its bottom surface that are provided substantially parallel to the short axis direction, The retaining part is connected to the edge of the sole of the shoe at the connection point. The aforementioned connection point is located on the heel side of the groove in the sandal.

2. The retaining part is a thong having a front strap on the toe side of the connection point. The sandal according to claim 1.

3. It has a secondary retaining part that further holds the user's feet, The aforementioned sub-retaining portion is provided on the toe side of the aforementioned retaining portion. The sandal according to claim 1.

4. The sole portion of the shoe is curved downwards in a convex shape when viewed in the direction of the short axis. The sandal according to claim 1.

5. Multiple grooves are provided on the bottom surface. The groove on the toe side has a narrower width in the longitudinal direction compared to the groove on the heel side. The sandal according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned front section is provided directly above the groove, The sandal according to claim 2.

7. The aforementioned connection position is provided near the area directly above the groove, The sole portion and the retaining portion are continuously connected from the connection point to the vicinity of the heel. The sandal according to claim 2.

8. The toe-side end of the aforementioned sub-retaining portion is provided directly above the groove portion. The sandal according to claim 3.

9. The retaining portion and the sub-retaining portion are spaced apart at least on the instep side of the foot. The sandal according to claim 3.

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