Footwear heel structure

Abstract

To provide a heel structure for footwear in which the heel is integrally formed of a soft foam sponge material without using a core material and combined with an outer layer member. [Solution] The top of the heel curves backward (4), making it easier for the foot to slide in naturally. In addition, an uneven structure (3) is provided on the surface of the inner layer (2), improving grip and fit. The components are joined together by fitting or bonding, making the shoe lightweight, easy to put on and take off, and comfortable. This solves the problems of conventional footwear, which have a hard core built into the heel to maintain their shape, making it easy for the foot to get caught when putting on and taking off, making it difficult to put on, causing a feeling of pressure, and increasing weight.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to footwear, particularly to the shape and structure of the heel, and more particularly to a heel structure for footwear that is easy to put on and take off. [Background technology]

[0002] The heel structure of the conventional shoe has been made of a hard core or a complicated structure, which has resulted in high manufacturing costs and poor comfort. The purpose of this invention is to provide footwear that is easy to put on and take off, using only flexible materials and a designed shape, without using a core. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-7523103 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-7317385 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-7624773 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Basic Research on Shoe Design and Structure" Shoe Industry Technology Research Association, Industrial Design Publishing, 2016 [Non-patent document 2] "Design Study on Ease of Putting On and Taking Off Indoor Shoes for the Elderly" Journal of the Japan Society of Assistive Technology, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2021 [Non-patent document 3] "CROCS 2023 Product Catalog" Crocs Japan Co., Ltd. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The heel structure of the conventional shoe has been made of a hard core or a complicated structure, which has resulted in high manufacturing costs and poor comfort. The purpose of this invention is to provide footwear that is easy to put on and take off, using only flexible materials and a designed shape, without using a core. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The heel structure of the footwear of this invention is characterized in that the heel is integrally molded from foam sponge material and does not contain a hard core material, and the upper end of the heel is curved toward the rear, allowing the wearer's foot to slide in easily. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide footwear that is simple in structure, easy to manufacture, and yet is comfortable to wear and easy to put on and take off. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Side and front views before assembly of the outer layer members. *(a) Right side view, (b) Left side view, (c) Front view [Figure 2] Side view, front view, and overhead view before assembling the inner layer components. *(a) Right side view, (b) Left side view, (c) Front view, (d) Overhead view [Figure 3] These are side, front, and overhead views of the inner and outer layer components after assembly. (a) Right side view, (b) Left side view, (c) Front view, (d) Overhead view [Figure 4] This is a perspective side view and a front view from the inside in the assembled state, showing the uneven structure of the inner layer material (the part shown in shading). *(a) Side view, (b) Front view DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the heel structure of the footwear of the present invention is composed of an inner layer member (see Figure 2) made of a flexible foam sponge material and an outer layer member (see Figure 1) that is flexible while maintaining its outer shape. Figure 1 shows a side view and a front view of the outer layer member before assembly, which forms the overall external shape of the footwear. The outer layer member does not include a core material and is formed integrally from a foam material, making it lightweight and flexible. Figure 2 shows a side view, a front view, and an overhead view of the inner layer before assembly, which is placed where the wearer's foot comes into contact. The inner layer has a curved upper end to help the foot slip in, and a textured structure to improve grip and fit. Figure 3 shows a side view, a front view, and an overhead view of the inner and outer layer members combined together, allowing the overall structure to be visually understood. Figure 4 shows a side perspective view and a front view from the inside of the assembled shoe, showing the uneven structure of the inner layer (shown in shaded areas), particularly the curved shape and details of the uneven structure of the inner layer, which allows the wearer's foot to easily slide into the heel area, making the shoe easy to put on. This structure makes the footwear easy to put on and take off, and because the entire shoe is made of soft materials, it is lightweight yet comfortable to wear. [Example]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The footwear according to this embodiment has a general slip-on type structure consisting of an upper part and a sole part, and the characteristic structure of the present invention is applied particularly to the heel part. The heel structure is molded as a single piece using a flexible EVA foam sponge material, and does not contain any hard core materials such as plastic or metal. In this example, the heel structure of the footwear is composed of two parts: an outer layer member and an inner layer member, as shown in Figures 1 to 4. Both of these members are molded from foam sponge material (EVA-based), and no core material is used. The inner layer is positioned to receive the heel of the foot, and its upper end curves backward to allow the foot to slide in naturally. The surface of the inner layer also has a specific uneven structure, which improves adhesion to the foot and prevents it from slipping off while being worn. The outer layer component forms the overall shape of the footwear, and when combined with the inner layer component, the desired heel shape is achieved. Both components are fixed together by bonding or integral molding, resulting in a structure that is flexible overall yet has adequate holding power. The footwear of this embodiment is suitable for use by the elderly, pregnant women, care workers, or as recovery sandals for post-sport recovery, and combines ease of putting on and taking off with a comfortable fit. [Industrial Applicability]

[0011] The heel structure of the present invention is widely applicable to various types of footwear, and is particularly useful in the following fields: For example, they can meet a variety of user needs, such as nursing shoes for the elderly and those in nursing homes, sandals for medical workers who need to stand while working, recovery sandals for athletes after exercise, everyday indoor shoes, and portable shoes for travel. The heel is made of foam sponge and is a one-piece structure that does not require a core, which simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the weight and cost of the product. Furthermore, not using a core increases recyclability, which may also contribute to reducing the environmental impact. Furthermore, the heel structure of this invention is designed to be both easy to put on and take off and comfortable, making it highly appealing to a wide range of users regardless of gender or age. Therefore, the present invention has extremely high industrial applicability in the footwear-related industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0012] 1 Outer layer member 2 Inner layer components 3. Uneven structure (formed on the surface of the inner layer material) 4. Curved section (rear curved section at the top end of the inner layer member) 5. Fitting position (joint between outer and inner layer components) 6. Heel top end foot insertion direction

Claims

1. A heel structure for footwear having a heel, characterized in that the heel is integrally molded from a foam sponge material, does not include a hard core material, and the upper end of the heel is curved backward, so that the wearer's foot can easily slide into it.

2. 2. The heel structure of footwear according to claim 1, wherein an uneven or wavy three-dimensional structure is formed on the inner or outer surface of the heel.

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