Elastically recoverable heel counter for shoes

Abstract

To provide a heel counter for manufacturing shoes that allow a person to put on shoes quickly and hands-free and that fit well even during natural walking or exercise. [Solution] The heel counter is composed of a head arch section 110, a neck arch section 120, an abdominal arch section 130, and a foot section 140. The top of the head arch section 110 extends in an upwardly and backwardly arc-like shape, and the center section of the head arch section 110 is formed in a concave shape to form an arch-shaped tray section 111. The neck arch section 120 is a substantially arcuate V-shape, narrow at the back and wide at the front, and the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 is formed narrower than the width of the heel of the foot. The abdominal arch section is formed in a hemispherical shell structure. When downward pressure is applied to the tray section 111 of the head arch section 110, the tray section 111 is deformed to bend back in response to the pressure, and the neck arch section 120 is deformed to widen the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121, and immediately returns to its original shape when the pressure is released.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heel counter for shoes that makes it easier to put on and take off shoes. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, hands-free shoes that can be quickly put on without using hands or shoehorns have been available. The technologies used in these shoes include those that modify the shape of the heel of the shoe and its heel counter, and those that add a spring structure to the heel of the shoe to restore the shape of the heel. Examples of the former include Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, and examples of the latter include Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes making it easier to put on shoes without widening the opening area of ​​the shoe opening by providing a guide section that slopes upward as it moves away from the rear edge of the heel section, including the rear edge of the opening edge of the shoe opening. To form this guide section, the heel counter has a double structure consisting of a hard first heel counter that is normally used in the heel of a shoe, and a softer second heel counter that has a slit and forms a guide core section.

[0004] Patent Document 2 proposes a shoe that has a hard protrusion extending diagonally upward and backward from the upper edge of the heel of the shoe, and the protrusion can reliably guide the heel of the foot lowered from above into the inside of the shoe. The heel counter used here has the rigidity to support the heel of the foot and is shaped to function as a slide for the heel, allowing the foot to slide diagonally downward and forward.

[0005] Patent Document 3 proposes providing a spring part that restores the shape of the heel part when the rear end of the shoe opening is stepped on. In order to facilitate the exertion of this spring function, the heel part of the shoe is structured with a first hard leather part, a flexible intermediate leather part, and a second hard leather part.

[0006] Patent Document 4 proposes a heel shape retainer with a spring made of a superelastic alloy. It claims that the incredible restoring force of the superelastic alloy can be used for shoe heels manufactured by conventional methods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3212460 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-139151 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3239159 [Patent Document 4] Utility Model Registration No. 3244158 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Shoes that can be put on quickly and hands-free must be able to be put on quickly, not come off during natural walking or exercise, have a good fit, and be able to be taken off hands-free. The heel counter in Patent Document 1 has a fixed shape, so the heel curve is inclined inward toward the rear edge to hold the heel of the foot and make it difficult to take off the shoe during natural walking or exercise. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a hook on the outer surface of the heel to make it easy to take off the shoe hands-free, but this is problematic in terms of manufacturing and design. In addition, the second heel counter has a slit to make it soft, but it may be damaged if it is stepped on strongly by the heel of the foot. Furthermore, it is time-consuming and costly to have a double structure of the first heel counter and the second heel counter.

[0009] The heel counter in Patent Document 2 is made of a hard material, and the upper extension is formed narrow and linear, so there is a risk of it breaking if strong pressure is applied to the heel of the foot. Also, since the heel counter has a fixed shape, if the emphasis is on ease of wearing, there is a risk of it coming off during natural walking or exercise, and it is necessary to provide a padding part to prevent this.

[0010] In Patent Document 3, in order to facilitate the function of the spring, the heel part of the shoe is structured with a first hard skin part, a flexible intermediate skin part, and a second hard skin part, so that the resistance when putting on the shoe is not too large and the heel part is easy to restore. In Patent Document 4, it is required that the material used for the heel part is not too hard, and there are limitations on the choice of material.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a heel counter with elastic recovery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The heel counter of the invention of claim 1 is an elastic heel counter used in the heel of a shoe, and includes a head arch portion, a neck arch portion, and a belly arch portion. The top of the head arch portion extends in an upwardly and backwardly arc-like manner, and the center of the head arch portion is formed in a concave shape to form an arched tray portion. The neck arch portion imitates the shape of the Achilles tendon in the heel of the foot, and is formed in a roughly arcuate V-shape, narrow at the back and wide at the front, with the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening narrower than the width of the heel of the foot. The belly arch portion imitates the shape of the calcaneus at the heel of the foot, and is formed in a hemispherical shell structure. When downward pressure is applied to the tray portion of the head arch portion, the tray portion deforms by bending in response to the pressure. Thus, the opening area of ​​the shoe opening is increased, and the head arch portion functions as a slide to slide the heel of the foot into the shoe, and the neck arch portion deforms so that the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening is widened, and the heel of the foot passes through the neck arch portion and smoothly slides into the abdominal arch portion, so that the heel of the foot can be easily inserted into the shoe, and the heel of the foot slides into the abdominal arch portion, As soon as the pressure is released, The tray portion returns to its original shape, and at the same time, the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening that had widened returns to a narrower width, so that the heel portion of the shoe fits snugly against the heel of the foot, making it difficult for the shoe to fall off during natural walking or exercise, and providing a comfortable fit for the user. This allows the shoe to easily deform in response to the pressure of the heel of the foot when putting on shoes, allowing the shoe to be put on quickly and hands-free.

[0013] The heel counter of the invention of claim 2 is: To integrate the upper and outsole ,moreover The abdomen It is placed between the upper and the lining at the bottom of the arch, An approximately rectangular shape that can be folded and attached onto the outsole. The foot is distributed so that the heel counter can be firmly fixed to the heel of the shoe. Effect of the Invention

[0017] As described above, the present invention uses a material with elastic restoring force for the heel counter, so that the heel of the shoe can easily deform in response to the pressure of the heel of the foot when putting on shoes, allowing the user to put on the shoes quickly and hands-free. In addition, the shape is restored during natural walking and exercise, making the shoes less likely to come off and providing a good fit to the user. When taking off the shoes, the neck arch part expands, allowing the shoes to be easily taken off hands-free. The heel of the shoe does not need to have a special structure, so it can be used in a wide variety of shoe manufacturing methods, and there are no special requirements for the material or hardness. Furthermore, the heel counter of the present invention can be manufactured by injection molding, so it can be manufactured in large quantities at low cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heel counter of the present invention. [Diagram 2] (a) is a front view of the heel counter of the present invention, and (b) is a right side view. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of deformation of the heel counter of the present invention caused by pressure from the top of the head. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an end view of the heel counter of the present invention taken along the line AA' in FIG. 2(a), where (a) is an end view when there is no pressure, and (b) is an end view when deformed by pressure. [Diagram 5] The figure shows a user wearing shoes equipped with the heel counter of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the heel counter 100 of the shoe heel of the present invention, Fig. 2(a) is a front view, and Fig. 2(b) is a right side view. The heel counter 100 used in the shoe heel of the present invention is composed of a head arch portion 110, a neck arch portion 120, a abdominal arch portion 130, and a foot portion 140.

[0020] The top of the head arch portion 110 extends upward and backward in an arc shape, and the center of the head arch portion 110 is formed in a concave shape to form an arch-shaped tray portion 111. The neck arch portion 120 imitates the shape of the Achilles tendon part of the heel of the foot, and is formed in a substantially circular V-shape with a narrow rear part and a wide front part, and the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 is formed narrower than the width of the heel of the foot. When this is illustrated, it has a shape as shown in FIG. 4(a). FIG. 4(a) is an end view of the heel counter 100 when cut at the position AA' in FIG. 2(a). The abdominal arch portion imitates the shape of the calcaneus of the heel of the foot and is formed in a hemispherical shell structure so as to encase the calcaneus. The foot portion 140 is arranged in a substantially rectangular shape distributed in multiple parts along the lower bottom of the abdominal arch portion.

[0021] As shown in the right side view of FIG. 2(b), the heel counter 100 is curved in an approximately S-shape in the vertical direction, and as shown in FIG. 4(a), it is curved in an arc shape in the horizontal direction. The head arch portion 110, the neck arch portion 120, and the abdominal arch portion 130 are gradually formed to be thinner from the inside to the outside in the parts extending in the upward and horizontal directions. This increases the strength of the heel counter 100, and makes the outline of the heel counter 100 less noticeable on the surface of the shoe in appearance, and also prevents the edge of the heel counter 100 from hitting the ankle of the foot when the user wears the shoe, causing discomfort. Furthermore, the parts extending forward of the neck arch portion 120 and the abdominal arch portion 130 are also formed so as not to cause discomfort to the ankle of the foot.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 5, the heel counter 100 is placed between the upper 210 at the heel of the shoe and the lining 220. When the upper 210 is tucked in, the foot 140 is folded and sandwiched between the midsole 240 and outsole 230 of the shoe, and is firmly attached and integrated with the upper 210.

[0023] Materials for the heel counter 100 having the elastic recovery properties of the present invention include TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), silicone, elastomer, neoprene, etc., but TPU is preferred in terms of its abrasion resistance, oil resistance, chemical resistance, elastic recovery, and bending resistance.

[0024] When downward pressure is applied to the tray portion 111 of the head arch portion 110 of the heel counter 100 of the present invention, the tray portion 111 is deformed so as to bend back in response to the pressure. This deformation force is transmitted to the neck arch portion 120, and the neck arch portion is deformed so that the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 widens. This state is shown in Figure 3. When pressure P is applied to the heel counter 100, the tray portion 111 of the head arch portion is deformed in the direction D, and at the same time, the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 of the neck arch portion is deformed so as to widen in the directions R and L. Figure 4(b) is an end view of the cross section taken at the position AA' in Figure 2(a), and shows the state in which the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 of the neck arch portion is widened and deformed.

[0025] When the pressure on the heel counter 100 is released, the head arch portion 110 and the neck arch portion 120 immediately return to their original shapes due to elastic restoring force.

[0026] When a user puts on a shoe, the heel of the foot engages with the tray portion 111 of the head arch portion 110, and when a downward force is applied to the tray portion 111, the tray portion 111 bends back as described above. This increases the opening area of ​​the shoe opening, and the head arch portion 110 functions as a slide to slide the heel of the foot into the shoe, allowing the user to easily insert the heel of the foot into the shoe. At this time, the neck arch portion 120 deforms so that the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 increases, so that the heel of the foot passes through the neck arch portion 120 and smoothly slides into the abdominal arch portion 130, allowing the heel of the foot to be easily inserted inside the shoe.

[0027] When the heel of the foot slides into the abdominal arch portion 130, the curvature of the tray portion 111 of the head arch portion 110 returns to its original shape, and the area of ​​the shoe opening also returns to its original shape. At the same time, the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 of the neck arch portion, which had expanded, is restored and narrowed. Therefore, the heel portion of the shoe equipped with the heel counter 100 of the present invention is properly attached to the heel of the foot and is less likely to fall off during natural walking or exercise. When taking off shoes, the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 is expanded by lifting the instep of the foot, since the neck arch portion has moderate elasticity, and shoes can be easily taken off. In addition, as when putting on shoes, the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening 121 of the neck arch portion 120 can also be expanded by applying a downward force, making it easy to take off shoes.

[0028] The heel counter 100 of the present invention can be manufactured in large quantities at low cost by injection molding, which involves heating and melting a material such as TPU, injecting it into a mold at high pressure to form a specific shape. In addition, there are many different ways to manufacture shoes, such as direct molding or direct injection, cementing or strobel, vulcanization, McKay, and Goodyear welt, and the heel counter 100 of the present invention can be applied to any of these methods.

[0029] The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the shape shown in this example, and other shapes may be adopted as long as they do not go against the purpose of the present invention, which is to provide a shoe that can be quickly put on and taken off hands-free, using the heel counter 100 that utilizes elastic recovery properties. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 100 Heel Counter 110 Head arch 111 Tray section 120 Neck arch 121 V-shaped horizontal opening 121R Right side V-shaped horizontal opening 121L Left side V-shaped horizontal opening 130 Abdominal arch 140 Foot 200 shoes 210 Upper material 220 Lining 230 Outsole 240 Midsole

Claims

1. A resilient heel counter for use in the heel of a shoe, comprising: Includes a head arch portion, a neck arch portion, and an abdominal arch portion. The head top of the head arch portion extends upward and backward in an arc shape, The central portion of the head arch portion is formed in a concave shape to form an arch-shaped tray portion, The neck arch portion is formed in a generally arcuate V-shape, narrower at the back and wider at the front, in accordance with the shape of the Achilles tendon at the heel of the foot, with the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening being narrower than the width of the heel of the foot; The abdominal arch portion is formed in a hemispherical shell structure to mimic the shape of the calcaneus of the foot, When downward pressure is applied to the tray portion of the head arch portion, the tray portion is warped and deformed in response to the pressure, thereby increasing the opening area of ​​the shoe opening, The head arch portion functions as a slide for sliding the heel of the foot into the shoe, Furthermore, the neck arch portion is deformed so as to widen the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening, The heel of the foot passes through the neck arch and smoothly slides into the abdominal arch, so that the heel of the foot can be easily inserted into the shoe; This heel counter is characterized in that when the heel of the foot slides into the abdominal arch portion and the pressure is released, the tray portion immediately returns to its original curl, and at the same time the width of the V-shaped horizontal opening, which had widened, returns to its original width and narrows, so that the heel portion of the shoe fits properly against the heel of the foot, making it less likely to fall off during natural walking or exercise, and giving the user a comfortable fit.

2. A heel counter as described in claim 1, further characterized in that in order to integrate the upper and outsole, a roughly rectangular foot portion is distributed and arranged on the underside of the abdominal arch portion, which is sandwiched between the upper material (upper) and the lining material (lining) and folded and attached onto the outsole.

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