Shoes for easy wearing

Abstract

To provide shoes that can be worn by stepping on and crushing the counter part (heel part), and can be easily put on again in a regular slip-on manner from the crushed state without the need for manual labor. 【Solution means】The easy-to-wear shoes of this invention include an upper part and a sole part 2, and are easy-to-wear shoes that can be worn by stepping on the counter part 4 and can be worn in a normal posture by releasing the stepping pressure. The shoe body 1 composed of the counter part 4, the upper part, and the sole part 2 is made of an integrally molded product of rubber or foamed resin with elasticity and stretchability. The counter part 4 crushed by the heel of the foot inserted from the top opening 7 to the deepest part can be elastically restored to a substantially vertical direction so that the heel can be inserted downward by raising the heel. The height H of the counter part 4 from the sole part 2 and the inner diameter D in the front-rear direction of the top opening 7 are set to 1.9 to 2.1 times.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a simple-to-wear shoe designed to be easily put on without using hands by stepping on and crushing the heel part (counter part) on the shoe body side and then releasing the crushed heel to elastically restore it to an upright position.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as indoor shoes that are easy to put on and take off and are required for people working in or using medical facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals, as well as in food service facilities and the food and beverage industry, shoes such as the room shoes, kick-back shoes, and slippers shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known.

[0003] Among these, both Patent Documents 1 and 2 are shoes premised on stepping on the heel (counter part) when putting them on, and both are characterized in that they can be used in two ways: the way of wearing with the stepped-on state and the normal way of wearing by elastically standing up (restoring) the crushed heel (kick-back shoes).

[0004] On the other hand, the shoes of Patent Document 3 are of a type called a slipper shoe in which a guide member for guiding the insertion of the wearer's foot heel while slipping is extended and protruded at the upper end of the upper heel part, and are characterized by being simply put on without using hands and being difficult to take off. This type of shoe is not assumed to step on or crush the heel part, and it is understood that the highly protruding guide member with a certain rigidity cannot be crushed.

[0005] Incidentally, the shoes of Patent Document 3 are also side gore shoes in which a rubber fabric is inserted into the periphery of the opening so that the opening extends when inserting the foot when putting on the shoes, and the opening elastically tightens after wearing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

[0007] The shoes of the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 are made by sewing or pasting a vamp part and a heel part (counter part) made of separate members, and there are many parts and working processes. There was a problem that it was mainly for indoor shoes and was costly as a product for work, patients, and facility users.

[0008] Also, in the shoes of Patent Document 1, when inserting and wearing the foot, it is always necessary to do it manually in order to raise the heel part. In the shoes of Patent Document 2 as well, since the side surface of the rising part 6 of the heel is inclined forward by 10° or more, when the wearer lowers the heel of the foot, it hits the upper end of the rising part 6 and falls down, so there is a drawback that manual work is required to raise this. If the opening is made large enough so that the rising part 6 is not crushed, it will be easy to take off during complicated work operations such as nursing care work. Especially for caregivers and medical workers who require high safety during operation, the above problems are of particularly high importance.

[0009] On the other hand, in order to achieve cost reduction along with the problems of easy putting on and taking off, for example, when integrally molding with a foamed resin such as rubber or EVA, there is a problem that it becomes even more difficult to satisfy both problems. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0010] The simple-to-wear shoes of the present invention for solving the above problems are, firstly, provided with an upper part and a sole part 2, and are simple-to-wear shoes that can be worn by stepping on the counter part 4 and can be worn in a normal posture by releasing the stepping pressure. The shoe body 1 composed of the counter part 4, the upper part, and the sole part 2 is formed of an integrally molded product of rubber or foamed resin having elasticity and stretchability. The counter part 4 crushed by the heel of the foot inserted from the opening 7 to the deepest part can elastically stand up and recover so that the heel can be inserted downward by raising the heel. It is characterized in that the height H of the counter part 4 from the sole part 2 and the inner diameter D in the front-rear direction of the opening 7 are set.

[0011] Secondly, it is characterized in that the longitudinal section of the counter part 4 stands up in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the ground contact surface of the shoe.

[0012] Thirdly, it is characterized in that the inner diameter D in the front-rear direction of the opening 7 with respect to the height H of the counter part 4 is set to 1.9 to 2.1 times.

[0013] Fourthly, a concave notch 8 is provided at the periphery of the opening 7 on the instep part 3 side, and a gore part 9 made of a rubber cloth, a rubber string, or a rubber tape having higher stretchability than the material of the shoe body 1 is attached to the notch 8.

[0014] Fifthly, it is characterized in that a pad part 4a that elastically presses against the back of the wearer's heel when the shoes are worn is protrudingly formed on the inner surface of the counter part 4.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the simple slip-on shoes of the present invention configured as described above, by keeping the ratio of the front-back diameter of the opening formed between the instep part that covers the front half of the wearer's instep and the counter part that covers the rear half of the heel part within a predetermined range (for example, 1.9 to 2.1), it is possible to use the shoes in a state where the counter part is crushed and worn. Then, when the wearer rotates and raises the heel part of the foot, the crushed counter part is elastically restored and erected, and by stepping down the heel, the foot can be inserted into the shoe and smoothly fits into the normal wearing posture. Also, during normal work, it can be easily worn without the need for manual operation for the original wearing as shoes and can maintain a stable fixed (wearing) state.

[0016] At this time, the instep part allows the raising and lowering of the heel due to the elasticity and stretchability of its material, while the counter part also elastically undulates due to the elasticity of the same material, assisting in re-wearing from a slipper-like provisional wearing.

[0017] Also, by using the gore member, the up-and-down swinging motion of the heel part is facilitated, and the fixation when wearing the shoes is made more stable. The pad part on the inner surface of the counter part stabilizes the fixation of the foot to the shoes when wearing.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Specifically describing the embodiments shown below, FIGS. 1 to 5 show one embodiment of the easy-to-wear shoes of the present invention. FIGS. 1 to 3 are a side view, a plan view, and a side cross-sectional view respectively, and FIG. 3 shows the comparative relationship of the dimensions of each part.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the shoe body 1 is composed of a sole part 2, a top part 3, a counter part (shoe counter or heel part) 4, and a side part 6 that connects between the top part 3 and the counter part 4. The whole is integrally formed of a lightweight material rich in elasticity and stretchability such as rubber or plastic foam, and is composed of an integrally molded product. In this example, in order to achieve the function of "easy to wear and difficult to take off" described later and for weight reduction, an EVA foam material with a hardness of about 40 to 43 is used. In addition, the upper half excluding the sole part 2 of the shoe body 1 constitutes the upper part.

[0021] The upper peripheral edges of the above-mentioned top part 3, counter part 4, and side part 6 form an oval in the front-rear direction to constitute the opening 7 of the shoe body 1. Concave cutouts 8 such as U-shaped or V-shaped are formed at the front ends of the side parts (the rear ends of the upper parts) on both left and right sides thereof. The outer periphery of a gore (gusset) part 9 made of stretchable fabric such as rubber cloth is sewn and attached to each cutout 8.

[0022] The above-mentioned gore part 9 further promotes the elastic elongation of the periphery of the opening 7 on the top part 3 side when wearing the shoes described later, and is more stretchable than the material of the top part 3 (that is, the shoe body 1). In addition, the gore part may be a stretchable member such as a rubber string or a rubber tape in addition to the rubber cloth.

[0023] And the width W of the gore part 9 on the opening 7 side and the depth L of the concave part serve as an adjustment allowance for making the elongation of the opening 7 due to the elasticity of the material of the upper part itself when the wearer inserts the foot and the elastic tightening by the entire opening 7 and upper part after wearing more flexible.

[0024] On the outer periphery of the upper edge of the opening 7, that is, the rear edge of the upper part 3 of the opening 7 and the upper edges on the side part 6 and the counter part 4 side, there are thickened edge trims 7a, 7b that serve both as decoration and reinforcement and face outward. Also, on the inner surface of the sole part 2 (the inner bottom surface of the shoe body 1), there are fine dot-shaped grip parts 2a for ensuring the grip (fixing property) on the sole of the foot when inserting the foot into the shoe and wearing it, or for improving the wearing comfort. On the heel part of the inner surface, a circular heel support part 2b protrudes respectively. On the outer bottom surface side of the sole part 2, a grip part 2c formed by irregularities is formed for ensuring the grip during walking.

[0025] Furthermore, on the curved spherical inner surface of the counter part 4 at the rear end of the shoe body 1, a pad part 4a that curves along the spherical surface and is oval in the front view in the left-right direction protrudes. When inserting the foot into the shoe, this pad part 4a elastically presses against the back of the wearer's heel along the pad part 4a, and the shoe is pushed backward against the foot, that is, the shoe is pushed in the direction where it is difficult to take off. In this way, the pad part 4a presses against the back of the heel of the foot in a state where the shoe is locked. 2d in Fig. 3 is the injection port of the mold material (foamed EVA) when molding the shoe body 1 left remaining on the tip side of the bottom surface of the sole part 2.

[0026] In addition, by integrally molding with the synthetic resin foam material as described above, for the shoes with the structure and design shown in the figure, compared with the shoes sewn by combining a large number of parts as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, it is possible to reduce the cost by approximately 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 and also achieve weight reduction.

[0027] Next, regarding the wearing of the kick-back shoes of the present invention as shoes, the correlation between the diameter D in the front-rear direction of the opening 7 and the height H from the inner surface of the sole of the counter part 4, which characterizes the functionality of being "easy to wear" without the need for help from the hand and "difficult to take off" after wearing (described later based on Figs. 5(A) to (C)), will be described.

[0028] Generally, the counter part (heel part) of the upper part of a shoe covers the outer periphery of the back and side of the wearer's heel along its shape. Therefore, the height of the counter part of a standard shoe is generally determined according to the size of the shoe. Similarly, since the size of the shoe opening also corresponds to the size of the wearer's foot, it is determined according to the size of the shoe and is understood to be determined in relation to the height (depth) of the counter part in a normal slip-on type shoe.

[0029] As a result, although there is no particular standard, there is a certain relationship between the height of the counter part and the size of the shoe opening (especially the diameter in the front-back direction) in general shoes. According to the on-site investigation by the inventor etc., for example, in general slip-on shoes of sizes 24 cm and 26 cm, the diameters (sizes) of the shoe opening in the front-back direction are about 9.0 - 9.5 cm and 10 - 10.5 cm respectively, and it was confirmed that the size ratio to the counter height is generally 1.7. In other words, if the above size ratio is made smaller than 1.7, it becomes difficult to use a slip-on, and if it is made larger, the risk of slipping off during movement when wearing increases.

[0030] In contrast, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the ratio of the diameter D in the front-back direction of the shoe opening 7 to the height H from the sole inner surface of the counter part 4 determined by the size of the shoe is expanded to about 1.9 - 2.1, which is slightly larger than that of a normal slip-on shoe. At the same time, the entire shoe body 1 as described above is integrally molded with a foamed material made of rubber or synthetic resin rich in elasticity and stretchability. Further, on the inner surface of the counter part 4, a pad part 4a that elastically presses against the outer periphery of the back side of the wearer's heel when worn as a slip-on shoe is protrudingly formed.

[0031] Table 1 shows examples of the counter height H and the shoe opening diameter D (cm) for each shoe size adopted in the prototype of the shoe of the present invention. Among them, the counter height was set to a height generally corresponding to the size of a normal slip-on shoe.

[0032]

Table 1

[0033] The ratio of the front - to - back diameter D of the opening 7 to the counter height H of shoes with sizes 23 - 28 cm shown in Table 1 is within the range of 1.9 - 2.1. Based on the results of the wearing test conducted using shoes with these ratios by the method shown in FIGS. 5(A) - (C), the following description is given.

[0034] FIGS. 5(A) - (C) show the state of using the slipper (for the left foot) while crushing the counter part 4 of the shoe of the present invention with the foot F (state (A)), the state (B) where the toe of the foot is fixed (landed) inside the sole and the heel part is raised so as to rotate upward, and the wearing state (C) where the raised heel is lowered to the sole part 2 side.

[0035] When the foot F is inserted into the deepest part of the opening 7 of the shoe in the state of FIGS. 1 - 3 from the toe and the heel part is lowered as shown by the arrow a, the counter part 4 of the shoe is elastically pushed down and crushed as shown by the arrow b, and it becomes a slipper - like wearing state.

[0036] Although this state is not the original way of wearing this shoe, for example, when going out to the veranda or descending to the dirt floor to perform simple errands or work, etc., it can fully withstand use. At this time, the periphery of the opening 7 on the instep part 3 side is such that due to the elastic elongation of the instep part 3 itself or the gore part 9, the shoe itself is stably fixed to the foot while clamping the foot F.

[0037] Next, as shown in FIG. (B), when the heel part of the foot F is rotated upward in the direction of the arrow c again, the periphery of the opening 7 on the instep part 3 side is stretched in the direction of the arrow d by its material and the gore part 9, and the counter part 4 elastically stands up and returns in the direction of the arrow e from the crushed state.

[0038] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5(C), when the heel of the foot F is rotated downward in the direction of arrow f, the heel is guided downward along the inside of the counter portion 4 in an upright state, and the foot F can be inserted into the shoe and worn in the state of using slippers. At this time, the pad portion 4a is elastically pressed against the rear side of the heel of the foot, the counter portion 4 is locked to the heel of the foot, and the entire foot portion is stably fixed in a state of being softly tightened by the material of the periphery of the opening edge 7 itself and the elasticity in the direction of arrow g of the gore portion 4a.

[0039] As described above, by defining the ratio of the counter height H, which is generally determined according to the size of the shoe, to the diameter D in the front-rear direction of the opening edge 7, the simple slip-on shoe integrally formed of a lightweight and flexible material can be used by workers and users in various facilities who frequently put on and take off shoes as a temporary slipper or can be easily switched from wearing slippers to wearing slip-on shoes, and these footwear can be provided at low cost.

[0040] In addition, according to the experiments shown in FIG. 5 by the inventors, although it becomes easier to wear when the ratio of the counter portion height to the diameter of the opening edge is increased, it becomes easier to take off when worn formally, and it has also been found that when the ratio is reduced and changed, it becomes difficult to use slippers.

[0041] In addition, the shoes of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, although maintaining the integral molding, can be provided with a notch 3a at the tip of the toe portion of the upper portion 3 constituting the upper portion, or a notch 4b can be provided at the lower end portion of the counter portion (heel portion) 4 to ensure easy toppling when stepped on or to improve the wearing comfort.

[0042] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the upper portion 3 and the counter portion 4 constituting the upper portion are separated in the middle of the side portion 6 and formed separately before and after to form a slipper or sandal style. Further, in this example, an example is shown in which the gore portion 9 is provided only at one central position at the rear end of the upper portion 3a constituting the opening edge 7, and this gore portion can also be formed by providing an elastic member such as a rubber string or a rubber tape in the left-right direction in the notch 8.

Description of Symbols

[0043] 1 Shoe body 2 Sole part 3 Top part 4 Counter part (heel part on the upper part side) 4a Pad part 6 Side part 7 Opening edge 8 Notch 9 Gore part D Opening diameter H Counter height

Claims

1. A simple-to-wear shoe comprising an upper part and a sole part (2), which can be worn by stepping on a counter part (4) and can be worn in a normal posture by releasing the stepping pressure. The shoe body (1) consisting of the counter part (4), the upper part, and the sole part (2) is formed of an integrally molded product of rubber or foamed resin having elasticity and stretchability. The counter part (4) crushed by the heel of the foot inserted from the top opening (7) to the deepest part can elastically stand up and recover so that the heel can be inserted downward by raising the heel. A simple-to-wear shoe is provided by setting the height (H) of the counter part (4) from the sole part (2) and the inner diameter (D) in the front-rear direction of the top opening (7).

2. The simple-to-wear shoe according to Claim 1, wherein the longitudinal section of the counter part (4) stands substantially vertically with respect to the ground contact surface of the shoe.

3. The simple-to-wear shoe according to Claim 1, wherein the inner diameter (D) in the front-rear direction of the top opening (7) is set to be 1.9 to 2.1 times the height (H) of the counter part (4).

4. A concave notch (8) is provided at the periphery of the top opening (7) on the vamp part (3) side, and a gore part (9) made of a rubber cloth, a rubber string, or a rubber tape having higher stretchability than the material of the shoe body (1) is attached to the notch (8). The simple-to-wear shoe according to Claim 1.

5. The simple-to-wear shoe according to any one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein a pad part (4a) that elastically presses against the back of the wearer's heel in a state where the shoe is worn is formed to project from the inner surface of the counter part (4).

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