Hands-free shoes

Abstract

We offer hands-free shoes that are easy to put on and difficult to slip off. [Solution] A core material having a heel cup portion and a shoehorn portion extending upward is provided at the heel of the shoe upper. The middle part of the heel cup portion is semi-cup shaped to receive the wearer's heel. The heel cup portion 20 has left and right wing portions 25 extending forward from both sides. The shoehorn portion 30 extends further upward from the top of the heel cup portion 20, and its central inner surface protrudes backward to guide the wearer's heel downward during the act of putting on the shoes. A foot hook portion 13 is provided at the rear of the inner part to prevent the shoe from lifting up when stepped on with the other foot during the act of taking off the shoes. The core material has a three-dimensional shape in which two flexible semi-cup sheets are sewn together along a central seam, and the central seam is roughly S-shaped when viewed from the side and roughly straight when viewed from the back.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to hands-free shoes that are easy to put on without using hands particularly during wearing operations.

Background Art

[0002] As hands-free shoes, there are known ones provided with a core material having a shoe guide portion that guides the heel during wearing operation extended on the heel cup portion in order to be easy to put on without using hands. This core material is often an integrally molded product made entirely of synthetic resin as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. This integrally molded core material has strong shape retention, but on the other hand, tends not to spread easily during wearing operation. Therefore, if the shape retention is enhanced too much, the wearing operation cannot be performed smoothly, and conversely, if the smoothness of the wearing operation is enhanced too much, the foot may lift off the shoe during walking or the shoe may be easily removed.

[0003] In general, such shoes are required to be easy to put on during wearing operation and difficult to remove during walking. However, these two requirements demand opposite functions for the shoes, and it is extremely difficult to fully meet both requirements. In the case of hands-free shoes, it is particularly required to satisfy these requirements.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide hands-free shoes that are easy to put on and difficult to remove by basically reviewing the configuration of the core material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention proposes the following means for a hands-free shoe in which a core material having a heel cup portion and a shoehorn portion extending above the heel cup portion is provided at the heel of the shoe upper.

[0007] The middle portion of the heel cup is semi-cup shaped, with the inner surface of the rear center protruding further back than the upper and lower parts, thus receiving the wearer's heel. The heel cup is provided with left and right wing portions extending forward from both sides. The shoehorn portion extends further upward from the upper part of the heel cup, and its central inner surface protrudes rearward, thus guiding the wearer's heel downward during the putting-on motion. The core material having the heel cup and shoehorn portions is a three-dimensional shape formed by sewing together two flexible semi-cup sheets on the left and right sides along a central seam in the rear center, and the central seam is roughly S-shaped in side view and roughly straight in rear view.

[0008] In carrying out the present invention, a footrest portion is provided protruding from the rear of the inner portion, and the footrest portion is configured so that the wearer can step on it with their other foot when taking off their shoes.

[0009] Furthermore, the left and right half-cup sheets are configured to move toward and away from each other from the central seam, and the half-cup sheets are configured to move toward and away from each other during the wearing process to accommodate the wearer's heel, and the wing portion is configured such that the front end of its upper edge is positioned forward of the front end of the bottom edge of the core material, and is positioned below the wearer's ankle when the shoe is put on, and together with the heel cup portion, prevents the wearer's foot from lifting out of the shoe.

[0010] Furthermore, in carrying out the present invention, the half-cup sheet can be defined by the bottom edge of the sheet, the front edge and rear edge of the sheet extending upward from its front and rear ends, respectively, and the top edge of the sheet connecting the upper ends of the front edge and the rear edge of the sheet, respectively. The bottom edge of the sheet is approximately straight. The front edge of the aforementioned seat has its upper end positioned further forward than its lower end. The rear edge of the aforementioned sheet has a roughly S-shape with two opposite curves, one above and one below. The upper edge of the sheet comprises a high portion extending forward from the upper end of the rear edge of the sheet and a low portion extending backward from the upper end of the front edge of the sheet. The aforementioned high portion extends forward from the upper end of the rear edge of the seat, and the aforementioned low portion extends backward from the upper end of the front edge of the seat. The central suture line of the half-cup sheet comprises left and right mountain fold lines formed by folding the left and right half-cup sheets back from the suture, and a valley line between the left and right mountain fold lines. Furthermore, the shoe upper may be provided with a heel cushion that protrudes toward the upper space, and the heel cushion may extend forward from the upper part of the central seam toward both ends of the wing portion, substantially along the upper edge of the seat. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This invention fundamentally redesigns the structure of conventional hands-free shoes and provides hands-free shoes that are easy to put on and difficult to take off by constructing the core material from two flexible half-cup sheets on the left and right sides. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A perspective view of hands-free shoes according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A plan view of the rear of the hands-free shoes. [Figure 3] The images show the core material of the hands-free shoes; (A) is a side view of the half-cup sheet of the core material, and (B) is an explanatory diagram of the manufacturing process of the core material. [Figure 4] A perspective view of the core material of the hands-free shoes. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 〔Overview〕

[0014] The hands-free shoes 10 according to this embodiment are provided with a core material 15 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 at the heel of the shoe upper. The core material 15 has a heel cup portion 20 and a shoe bellows portion 30 extending upward therefrom. The shoe bellows portion 30 guides the wearer's foot into the upper space 14 inside the shoe, encouraging the wearer to put on the shoes without using their hands.

[0015] The shoe upper can be appropriately selected from materials used for general shoe uppers such as natural or synthetic leather, as well as woven or knitted fabrics made of natural fibers or synthetic fibers. Also, for cushions such as the heel cushion 34 that protrudes toward the upper space 14 that receives the foot, highly elastic materials such as foamed synthetic resins can be appropriately selected and used. 〔Regarding the core material 15〕

[0016] Conventionally, in this type of hands-free shoes, many were configured with a core material made of a relatively hard synthetic resin integrally molded product. However, the core material 15 according to this embodiment is formed by sewing together two flexible semi-cup sheets 40 on the left and right at the central stitching line 35 at the rear center. This central stitching line 35 is substantially S-shaped in side view and substantially linear in rear view, and the core material 15 forms a three-dimensional shape that spreads to the left and right front around the central stitching line 35. 〔Regarding the semi-cup sheet 40〕

[0017] The outer periphery of the semi-cup sheet 40 is defined by a sheet bottom edge 41, a sheet front edge 42, a sheet rear edge 43, and a sheet upper edge 44 in its planar state before sewing. The sheet bottom edge 41 is substantially linear as a whole, and substantially the entire bottom edge directly or indirectly contacts the shoe sole in the completed state of the shoe to support the load. The front edge 42 of the sheet extends upward from the front end of the bottom edge 41 of the sheet. Specifically, the upper end of the front edge 42 of the sheet is located forward of the lower end, and as a whole, it extends obliquely forward. Although it is shown as extending in a straight line in the figure, it may be curved in an arcuate shape or may have a step in the middle. The rear edge 43 of the sheet extends upward from the rear end of the bottom edge 41 of the sheet. Specifically, the rear edge 43 of the sheet forms a substantially S-shaped with two opposite curves, namely, a lower curved portion 45 and an upper curved portion 46, vertically.

[0018] The lower curved portion 45 defines the heel cup portion 20 and extends gradually rearward and then gradually forward as it extends upward from the rear end of the bottom edge 41 of the sheet. The upper curved portion 46 defines the vamp portion 30 and turns back and extends rearward upward from the lower curved portion 45 that extends forward until it reaches the upper end. Note that the lower curved portion 45 and the upper curved portion 46 may draw a continuous curve or may be partially straight and bent at an angle.

[0019] The upper ends of the front edge 42 and the rear edge 43 of the sheet are connected at the upper edge 44 of the sheet. The upper edge 44 of the sheet includes a high portion 47 near the rear end of the same sheet and a low portion 48 near the front end of the same sheet, and an intermediate portion 49 is arranged between the high portion 47 and the low portion 48. In other words, the high portion 47 extends forward from the upper end of the rear edge 43 of the sheet, and the low portion 48 extends rearward from the upper end of the front edge 42 of the sheet.

[0020] The high portion 47 defines the upper end of the vamp portion 30 and is arranged at the substantially highest position of the half-cup sheet 40. In this example, the high portion 47 maintains approximately the same height as the upper end of the rear edge 43 of the sheet or extends forward while slightly rising, but it may also gradually become lower toward the front. The lower portion 48 defines the upper end of the wing portion 25 and is positioned lower than the higher portion 47. In this example, the lower portion 48 extends rearward while maintaining approximately the same height as the upper end of the front edge 42 of the seat, but it may gradually rise towards the rear, or it may have a portion that is even lower than the upper end of the front edge 42 of the seat. [Regarding the formation of the core material 15]

[0021] • Creating 40 half-cup sheets: The symmetrical half-cup sheets 40 are cut out from a flexible, flat sheet such as a resin and fiber chemical board using a cutting tool such as a press cutter or scissors.

[0022] • Sewing of the central seam line 35: Overlap the two half-cup sheets 40 and sew the back edge 43 of the sheets (more precisely, slightly inside the back edge 43 of the sheets with a seam allowance) with a sewing machine or similar tool. This sewing can be done with a single straight stitch, multiple stitches, or a zigzag stitch, but it is preferable to decide based on durability and other factors.

[0023] • Inversion: The two half-cup sheets 40 are folded back along the sewing line and inverted. At this time, the left and right half-cup sheets 40 are folded back from the sewing line, forming left and right mountain fold lines 36 and a valley line 37 between the left and right mountain fold lines 36. Thus, in this example, the central seam line 35 comprises a seam including the above-mentioned seam line, left and right mountain fold lines 36, and an intermediate valley line 37. Furthermore, since the rear edge 43 of the seat has an S-shaped curve consisting of a lower curved section 45 and an upper curved section 46, by inverting the half-cup seat 40 from the rear edge 43, the half-cup seat 40 deforms into a three-dimensional shape centered on the rear edge 43 (a shape that appears to be diagonally open forward and receiving near the lower curved section 45, and a shape that appears to be diagonally concave backward and receiving near the upper curved section 46).

[0024] • Integration with other components: Following general shoe manufacturing methods, the core material 15 is integrated with other components of the shoe upper, such as the sole, by bonding or sewing. In particular, the inner and outer surfaces of the core material 15 are laminated and covered with one or more sheets. • Shaping: The shoe is heated and pressed to conform to the last (shoe mold), then cooled and rounded to create the final shape. [Regarding Heel Cushion 34]

[0025] The upper of the completed hands-free shoe 10 is equipped with a heel cushion 34 that protrudes toward the upper space 14. The heel cushion 34 is thickly positioned roughly along the upper edge 44 of the half-cup seat 40. The heel cushion 34 extends from the top of the central suture line 35 to the left and right front ends of the wing section 25, reaching close to below the wearer's ankle. The heel cushion 34 also extends along the central suture line 35 to the upper half of the upper curved section 46, reaching close to above the wearer's heel. Furthermore, the lower edge of the heel cushion 34 is deepest where it follows the central suture line 35, and as it moves forward to the left and right, it extends diagonally upward to both ends of the wing section 25.

[0026] In this example, the thickness of the heel cushion 34 is gradually reduced from the center to the periphery, but the thickness is thin or absent in the portion along the central suture line 35. This reduces the risk of the thickness of the central suture line 35 becoming an obstacle when the left and right sides of the half-cup seat 40 move in an opening and closing motion, moving closer together and further apart around the central suture line 35, thereby promoting smoother movement. [Usage status]

[0027] In these hands-free shoes 10, when the wearer inserts their foot into the upper space 14, the shoehorn part 30 guides the wearer's heel. At that time, the heel cup part 20 is formed by the connection of the left and right half-cup sheets 40 at the central suture line 35, so the left and right halves of the heel cup part 20 elastically deform to open and close around the central suture line 35, moving closer together and further apart.

[0028] Furthermore, the heel cushion 34 positioned on the inner side of the shoehorn portion 30 also undergoes elastic deformation, and the heel cushion 34, which extends to approximately half of the upper curved portion 46 of the half-cup seat 40, also undergoes elastic deformation, allowing the wearer's heel to be smoothly supported.

[0029] After the heel passes, the left and right half-cup seats 40, which have separated, and the heel cushion 34, which has been compressed, attempt to return to their original positions, thereby elastically holding the wearer's foot. This prevents the wearer's foot from lifting up unintentionally while walking. Moreover, because it is equipped not only with a heel cup portion 20 but also with a wing portion 25 and heel cushion 34 that extend to below the ankle, it can elastically hold approximately the back half of the wearer's foot.

[0030] As is evident from the fact that heels are often stepped on, a particularly large force is applied vertically to the rear center when wearing shoes. In contrast, the core material 15 of these hands-free shoes 10 has a central seam 35 that includes sutures and left and right mountain fold lines 36 and valley lines 37, so the vertical strength of this part is greater than that of other parts of the core material 15. As a result, vertical deformation can be suppressed for a longer period than in other parts, improving durability. [Undressing]

[0031] When removing the hands-free shoes 10, the feet are moved with greater force than when walking, causing elastic deformation and allowing the shoes to be removed smoothly. Alternatively, foot hooks 13 may be provided on the rear inner side of both the left and right hands-free shoes 10. The foot hooks 13 are designed so that the wearer can step on them with the other foot (especially near the heel) when removing the shoes. By stepping on the foot hooks 13, one of the hands-free shoes 10 can be held in place, allowing the shoes to function more reliably as hands-free shoes.

[0032] The footrest portion 13 consists of a single projection 2-3 cm long, protruding 2-3 mm and extending slightly diagonally upward towards the rear. However, its shape, size, and number can be modified as long as it can perform the function described above. For example, multiple point-like projections, a curved, bow-shaped projection, or a horizontal projection can be shown as examples. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 10 Hands-Free Shoes 13 Footrest 14 Foot insertion space 15 Core material 20 Heel cup section 25 Wing section 30 Shoehorn section 34 Heel Cushion 35. Central suture 36 Fold lines 37 Valley Line 40 Half Cup Sheets 41 sheet base 42 Front of the seat 43 Rear of the seat 44 Top of sheet 45 Lower curved section 46 Upper curved section 47 High part 48 Lower part 49 Middle part

Claims

1. In a hands-free shoe, a core material having a heel cup portion and a shoehorn portion extending above the heel cup portion is provided at the heel of the shoe upper, The middle portion of the heel cup is semi-cup shaped, configured to receive the wearer's heel, with the inner surface of the rear center protruding further back than the upper and lower portions. The heel cup portion comprises left and right wing portions extending forward from both sides thereof. The aforementioned shoehorn portion extends further upward from the upper part of the heel cup portion, and its central inner surface protrudes backward, thereby guiding the wearer's heel downward during the act of putting on shoes. The core material having the heel cup portion and the shoehorn portion has a three-dimensional shape formed by sewing together two flexible half-cup sheets on the left and right sides along the central seam at the rear center. The aforementioned central suture line is characterized by being roughly S-shaped in a lateral view and roughly straight in a posterior view, making it a hands-free shoe.

2. The hands-free shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a footrest protruding from the rear of the inner part, and the footrest is configured so that the wearer can step on it with the other foot when taking off the shoe.

3. The aforementioned half-cup sheets are configured to be able to move toward and away from each other from the central suture line, The aforementioned half-cup seat is configured to move in the opposite direction during the wearing motion and to accommodate the wearer's heel. The wing portion has its upper front end positioned further forward than the bottom front end of the core material. The hands-free shoe according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is positioned below the wearer's ankle when the shoes are put on, and is configured to prevent the wearer's foot from lifting out of the shoe together with the heel cup portion.

4. The aforementioned half-cup sheet is defined by the bottom edge of the sheet, the front edge and rear edge of the sheet extending upward from its front and rear ends, respectively, and the top edge of the sheet connecting the upper ends of the front edge and the rear edge of the sheet, The bottom edge of the sheet is approximately straight, The front edge of the aforementioned seat has its upper end positioned further forward than its lower end. The rear edge of the aforementioned sheet has a roughly S-shape with two opposite curves, one above and one below. The upper edge of the seat comprises a high portion extending forward from the upper end of the rear edge of the seat and a low portion extending backward from the upper end of the front edge of the seat. The aforementioned high portion extends forward from the upper end of the rear edge of the seat, and the aforementioned low portion extends backward from the upper end of the front edge of the seat. The central suture line of the half-cup sheet comprises left and right mountain fold lines formed by folding the left and right half-cup sheets back from the suture, and a valley line between the left and right mountain fold lines. The hands-free shoe according to claim 3, characterized in that it is provided with a heel cushion that protrudes toward the upper space of the shoe upper, and the heel cushion extends forward from the upper part of the central seam toward both ends of the wing portion, substantially along the upper edge of the seat.

Images