Soles and footwear

Abstract

To provide a sole that can be worn and used for training the toes by walking. [Solution] The sole (10) of the present invention comprises a sole body (11) and a protruding portion (12) integrally formed on the back surface of the sole body (11). The sole body (11) and the protruding portion (12) are formed of a material having high resilience and flexibility. The protruding portion (12) extends continuously or intermittently in the width direction in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the interphalangeal joint (IP) of the first toe (T1) of the wearer's foot and the vicinity of the proximal interphalangeal joints (PIP) of the second toe (T2) through the fifth toe (T5) of the wearer's foot up to the base (TB) of the wearer's toes. When the sole body (11) is not being worn, spaces A1 and A2 are defined between the back surface of the sole body (11) and the ground (G) in the region from the front end (121) of the protruding portion (12) to the front end (111) of the sole body (11) and the region from the rear end (122) of the protruding portion (12) to positions corresponding to the rear ends of the ball of the big toe (TE) and the ball of the little toe (HE) of the wearer's foot.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sole and footwear. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, footwear such as sandals and slippers are known that are expected to have health, exercise, and diet benefits when worn. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes sandals that allow for foot stretching and muscle training. The sandals in Patent Document 1 have a platform sole consisting of an elastically deformable upper platform sole formed in a flat plate shape from the toe to the heel, and an elastically deformable lower platform sole bonded to or integrally formed on the underside of the upper platform sole and formed in a flat plate shape from the arch to just before the toe. These sandals provide muscle training benefits by walking while maintaining weight on the toe side and keeping the sole of the foot approximately horizontal, and by lowering the heel onto the upper platform sole, the upper platform sole is bent downward, allowing for stretching of the Achilles tendon. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5905149 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One type of exercise for strengthening the foot muscles is to clench and stretch the toes. By doing this toe strengthening exercise, the muscles and ligaments in the soles of the feet are strengthened, and the arch of the foot is raised, reducing foot fatigue and the strain on the legs, hips, and knees.

[0005] In the sandals of Patent Document 1, the lower platform bottom extends only up to just before the toe, and a space is formed below the upper platform bottom from just before the toe to the toes. Therefore, at first glance, the sandals of Patent Document 1 appear to be configured to train the toes while walking. However, the lower platform bottom of the sandals of Patent Document 1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and when wearing the sandals, the little toe rests on the upper platform bottom where the lower platform bottom is located. Therefore, the space below the upper platform bottom from just before the toe to the toes functions only to smoothly shift weight while walking, and there is a problem in that the sandals of Patent Document 1 cannot be used to train the toes.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sole that allows training to strengthen the toes by wearing and walking, and footwear equipped with such a sole. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Item 1. Sole body, a protrusion portion integrally formed on the back surface of the sole body, the sole body and the protrusion are formed of a material having high resilience and flexibility, the protruding portion extends continuously or intermittently in a width direction in a region corresponding to a region from the vicinity of the interphalangeal joint of the first toe and the vicinity of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the second to fifth toes of the wearer's foot to the base of the toes of the wearer, The sole is characterized in that, when not being worn, the back surface of the sole body has a space between it and the ground in the area from the front end of the protrusion to the front end of the sole body, and in the area from the rear end of the protrusion to a position corresponding to the rear end of the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe of the wearer.

[0008] Item 2. The sole according to Item 1, wherein the front end of the protrusion has a height of 5 mm or more.

[0009] Item 3. The sole further includes a toe receiving portion integrally formed on the surface of the sole body, 3. The sole according to item 1 or 2, wherein the toe hooking portion is provided extending continuously or intermittently in the width direction at a position where the interphalangeal joint of the first toe and the proximal interphalangeal joints of the second to fifth toes of the wearer's foot are hooked.

[0010] Item 4. An upper that covers at least a part of the wearer's instep, a sole to which the upper is attached; Footwear characterized in that the sole is the sole described in any one of items 1 to 3. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, training for strengthening the toes can be performed by walking while wearing the shoes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the foot skeleton. [Figure 2] 1 is a side end view showing footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the footwear of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the footwear of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a side end view showing one state of walking while wearing the footwear of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a modified example of footwear according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the footwear of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] First, in order to clarify the definitions of terms used in this specification, the names of each part of the human foot will be explained with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the skeleton of the foot.

[0015] The human foot includes a first toe (hallux) T1, a second toe T2, a third toe T3, a fourth toe T4, and a fifth toe (little toe) T5. The first toe T1 has an interphalangeal joint IP distal to the base of the toes TB. The second toes T2 to T5 each have a distal interphalangeal joint DIP and a proximal interphalangeal joint PIP distal to the base of the toes TB. The foot also has a metatarsophalangeal joint MTP posterior to the base of the toes TB. In FIG. 1, the area indicated by TE is the area where the thenar eminence TE is located on the sole of the foot. In FIG. 1, the area indicated by HE is the area where the hypothenar eminence HE is located on the sole of the foot.

[0016] Next, footwear 1 and sole 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 is a side end view showing footwear 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of footwear 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of footwear 1 according to this embodiment. Note that FIG. 2 shows footwear 1 for the right foot, and footwear 1 for the left foot is omitted because it is bilaterally symmetrical. This also applies to the other drawings. Also, in FIG. 4, the upper 2 is omitted to make the structure of the toe-holding portion 13 easier to understand. Below, the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-to-back direction are defined from the perspective of a wearer wearing footwear 1 with footwear 1 placed on a flat surface, as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the up-down direction is defined when footwear 1 is normally used, the front-to-back direction is defined with the toe side as the front and the heel side as the back, and the left-to-back direction is defined with the wearer's right hand side as the right side and the wearer's left hand side as the left side.

[0017] In the following, footwear 1 will be described using sandals as shown in Fig. 2 as an example. Note that footwear 1 is not limited to sandals that expose the wearer's toes as shown in Fig. 2, but may be shoes that cover the wearer's toes or shoes that also cover the wearer's heels. Furthermore, footwear 1 is not limited to footwear 1 that has a sole 10 extending to the wearer's heel, but also includes footwear 1 that does not have a sole 10 in the area corresponding to the wearer's heel.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, footwear 1 includes an upper 2 that covers at least a portion of the instep of a wearer's foot, and a sole 10 to which the upper 2 is attached. The upper 2 is made of, for example, leather. The lower edge of the upper 2 is folded inward, and the folded portion is attached to the periphery of the sole 10 by any known method, such as using an adhesive. Note that if the footwear 1 is a shoe that covers the wearer's toes, the upper 2 is configured to cover the wearer's toes and instep. If the footwear 1 is a shoe that also covers the wearer's heel, the upper 2 is configured to use the area near the wearer's ankle as a foot insertion opening and cover the entire toes, instep, and heel of the wearer's foot excluding the area near the ankle.

[0019] The sole 10 comprises a sole body 11, a protrusion 12 integrally provided on the back surface (lower surface) of the sole body 11, and a toe retaining portion 13 integrally provided on the front surface (upper surface) of the sole body 11. Here, "integrated" includes not only the sole body 11 and the protrusion 12 and / or the toe retaining portion 13 being integrally molded, but also the sole body 11 and the protrusion 12 and / or the toe retaining portion 13 being integrally molded by fixing them together after being molded separately.

[0020] A sole generally comprises an insole and an outsole, or an insole, a midsole, and an outsole. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term "sole" refers to the entire sole 10, which is an integral combination of the insole and the outsole, or the insole, the midsole, and the outsole. As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the sole 10 comprises an insole 101 and an outsole 102.

[0021] 1 to 3, the protrusions 12 extend continuously in the width direction (left-right direction) in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the interphalangeal joint IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 to the fifth toe T5 of the wearer's foot, up to the base TB of the wearer's foot. That is, the protrusions 12 are provided at different positions in the front-to-back direction from the left end to the right end so as to follow the interphalangeal joints IP and proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the wearer's foot. It is preferable that the protrusions 12 are provided so as to extend over at least the regions corresponding to the interphalangeal joint IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 to the fifth toe T5 of the wearer's foot.

[0022] The protrusions 12 have a downwardly arched cross section (cross sections along the vertical and front-to-back directions) perpendicular to the direction along the interphalangeal joints IP and proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the wearer's foot. The lower part of the protrusions 12 may have a flat shape with a predetermined front-to-back length, or a pointed or rounded lower end, as shown in FIG. 2 . The height (vertical length) of the front end 121 of the protrusions 12 from the rear surface of the sole body 11 to the ground G is preferably 5 mm or more. The front-to-back length of the lower surface of the protrusions 12 is preferably equal to or shorter than the length from the metatarsophalangeal joints MTP of each toe to the interphalangeal joints IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second to fifth toes T2 to T5, and is preferably 0.1 mm to 15 mm, for example.

[0023] When the sole body 11 is not being worn, there are spaces A1, A2 between the back surface of the sole body 11 and the ground G in a region A1 from the front end 121 of the protrusion 12 to the front end 111 of the sole body 11 and a region A2 from the rear end 122 of the protrusion 12 to a position corresponding to the rear end of the ball of the big toe TE and the ball of the little toe HE of the wearer's foot. Specifically, the sole body 11 is formed in a plate-like shape having a predetermined thickness, which is commonly used in sandals and the like, and has a shape that follows the shape of the foot in a plan view, a flat plate-like shape in a side view, and a predetermined thickness. In this embodiment, the sole body 11 is formed by scraping the back surface of the sole body 11 in the region A1 from the front end 121 of the protrusion 12 to the front end 111 of the sole body 11 and the region A2 from the rear end 122 of the protrusion 12 to a position corresponding to the rear end of the ball of the big toe TE and the ball of the little toe HE of the wearer's foot. As a result, on the back surface of the sole body 11, a space A1 is formed between the sole body 11 and the ground G in a region A1 from the front end 121 of the protrusion 12 to the front end 111 of the sole body 11, and a space A2 is formed between the sole body 11 and the ground G in a region A2 from the rear end 122 of the protrusion 12 to positions corresponding to the rear ends of the ball of the big toe TE and the ball of the little toe HE of the wearer's foot. In other words, the space A2 is formed in the region corresponding to the ball of the big toe TE and the ball of the little toe HE of the wearer's foot. The portions left unshaved near the interphalangeal joint IP and the proximal interphalangeal joint PIP of the wearer's foot become the protrusions 12, and the sole body 11 and the protrusions 12 are formed integrally.

[0024] 2, the space A1 rises substantially vertically in the up-down direction at the front end 121 of the protrusion 12, and has a shape that extends substantially horizontally with the ground G from the front end 121 of the protrusion 12 to the front end 111 of the sole body 11. The space A2 has an arch shape in side view. That is, the space A2 has a shape in which the distance (vertical length) between the ground G and the rear surface of the sole body 11 increases from the rear end 122 of the protrusion 12 toward the rear, the distance between the ground G and the rear surface of the sole body 11 is longest at the center of the space A2 in the front-to-rear direction, and the distance (vertical length) between the ground G and the rear surface of the sole body 11 decreases further toward the rear.

[0025] The toe retaining portions 13 are provided so as to extend continuously in the width direction of the wearer's foot at positions where the interphalangeal joints IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 through the fifth toe T5 of the wearer's foot are retained. That is, the toe retaining portions 13 are provided at different positions in the front-to-back direction from the left end to the right end so as to follow the interphalangeal joints IP and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the wearer's foot. Generally, when the joints of a human foot are slightly bent, the joints on the sole of the foot are slightly depressed (raised slightly above the ground G). The toe retaining portions 13 have a vertical height and a front-to-back length sufficient to retain the toe when the joints of the foot are slightly bent.

[0026] The surface (upper surface) of the sole body 11 has recesses 14 into which the first toe T1 to the fifth toe T5 fit individually. The recesses 14 are sized to fit each toe comfortably. The toe retaining portions 13 and the recesses 14 are formed by integral molding when the sole body 11 is formed.

[0027] The sole body 11, ridges 12, and toe retaining portion 13 are made of elastically deformable, highly resilient, and flexible materials such as polyurethane, synthetic resin made from ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA resin; Ethylen-Vinyl Acetate resin), and silicone. In particular, the portion corresponding to the outsole 102 is preferably made of a highly resilient, flexible, yet durable material such as rubber, polyurethane, or EVA. Using a durable material for the outsole 102 allows it to withstand wear caused by contact with the ground G.

[0028] Next, walking in footwear 1 having sole 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a side end view showing one state of walking while wearing footwear 1 of this embodiment.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, when the wearer walks wearing the footwear 1, the wearer shifts their weight forward, and the space A2 behind the protrusion 12 comes into contact with the ground G due to the pressure from the ball of the big toe TE and the ball of the little toe HE. At this time, the front end 111 of the sole body 11 rises, with the rear end 122 of the protrusion 12 serving as a fulcrum. To continue walking, the wearer must push down the raised front end 111 of the sole body 11 with their toes (first to fifth toes T1 to T5). By pushing down the front end 111 of the sole body 11 with their toes, the wearer can walk over the protrusion 12. This movement of the toes pushing down the front end 111 of the sole body 11 corresponds to a gripping movement of the toes. Once the wearer has climbed over the protrusion 12, the footwear 1 returns to the state shown in FIG. 2, and the space A2 behind the protrusion 12 returns to its arched shape in a side view. At this time, no force is applied to the toes, so they are extended. In other words, by continuing to walk, the toes naturally grip and extend, providing training to strengthen the toes.

[0030] As described above, footwear 1 equipped with sole 10 of the present invention has ridges 12 integrally formed on the back surface of sole body 11, with spaces A1 and A2 in the front and back. As a result, when walking while wearing footwear 1 equipped with sole 10, the space A2 behind ridges 12 comes into contact with the ground G, and ridges 12 become an obstacle to walking. The movement of the toes when climbing over this obstacle, ridges 12, generally becomes an exercise of clenching and stretching the toes, which is one type of training to strengthen the foot muscles. As a result, walking while wearing the footwear allows natural training to strengthen the toes, thereby enabling training to strengthen the foot muscles.

[0031] In this way, by wearing footwear 1 equipped with the sole 10 of the present invention and moving around in daily life, the wearer can naturally train their toes, and this training can become a habit. Similar exercises can also be performed using a towel (for example, towel gathering exercises, towel pulling exercises, etc.), but when using a towel, these exercises are usually performed while sitting. In contrast, with footwear equipped with the sole 10 of the present invention, the wearer can walk while standing, so the same exercise can be performed with the wearer's own weight on the foot, allowing for more effective training to strengthen the toes.

[0032] Furthermore, footwear 1 equipped with sole 10 of the present invention is provided with toe retaining portions 13 on the surface of sole body 11. As a result, the interphalangeal joint IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 to the fifth toe T5 are caught in toe retaining portions 13, preventing the foot from moving within footwear 1 and allowing for easy walking, and enabling even those with weak leg muscles to train to strengthen their leg muscles.

[0033] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0034] For example, in the above embodiment, the protrusions 12 are provided so as to extend continuously in the width direction, but this configuration is not necessarily required for the present invention. For example, the protrusions 12 may be configured as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a modified example of footwear 1 according to the present invention. That is, the protrusions 12 may be provided so as to extend intermittently in the width direction (left-right direction) in a region corresponding to the interphalangeal joint IP of the first toe T1 of the wearer's foot and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 to the fifth toe T5 of the wearer's foot, up to the base TB of the wearer's foot. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the protrusions 12 are provided in at least the regions corresponding to each of the first toe T1 to the fifth toe T5.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the toe retaining portion 13 is provided so as to extend continuously in the width direction, but this configuration is not necessarily required for the present invention. For example, the toe retaining portion 13 can be configured as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a modified example of footwear 1 according to the present invention. That is, the toe retaining portion 13 may be provided so as to extend intermittently in the width direction of the wearer's foot at positions where the interphalangeal joint IP of the first toe T1 and the proximal interphalangeal joints PIP of the second toe T2 through the fifth toe T5 of the wearer's foot are to be retained. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that the toe retaining portion 13 is provided at least at the positions where the interphalangeal joint IP or the proximal interphalangeal joint PIP of each of the first toe T1 through the fifth toe T5 is to be retained.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the sole 10 having the ridges 12 integrally formed therewith is formed by cutting the back surface of the sole body 11, but the present invention does not necessarily have to have this configuration. For example, the sole body 11 may have a shape in which the front end side 111 curves upward, and the sole 10 may be formed by adhering the ridges 12 to the sole body 11 having such a shape.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sole 10 is provided with the toe retaining portion 13 and the recessed portion 14, but the present invention does not necessarily have to have this configuration. For example, the sole 10 does not have to have the toe retaining portion 13, and it does not have to have the recessed portion 14 as shown in Fig. 7. Furthermore, when recessed portions 14 are provided, they are not limited to recessed portions 14 that fit for each toe as shown in Fig. 4, but the recessed portions 14 shown in Fig. 4 may be connected in a band shape to form a recessed portion that fits all the toes together. [Industrial Applicability]

[0038] The footwear and sole of the present invention are intended to be worn daily by wearers who wish to train their toes, and therefore have industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Footwear 2 Upper 10 soles 11 Sole body 111 Front end of sole body 12 Projection part 121 Front end of protrusion 122 Rear end of protrusion 13 Toe latching part A1,A2 space T1 first toe T2 second toe T5 fifth toe TB base of the toes TE Ball of the foot HE Little toe ball IP interphalangeal joint PIP Proximal Interphalangeal Joint G ground

Claims

1. The sole body, a protrusion portion integrally formed on the back surface of the sole body, the sole body and the protrusion are formed of a material having high resilience and flexibility, the protruding portion extends continuously or intermittently in a width direction in a region corresponding to a region from the vicinity of the interphalangeal joint of the first toe and the vicinity of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the second to fifth toes of the wearer's foot to the base of the toes of the wearer, When the sole body is not being worn, there is a space between the back surface of the sole body and the ground in the area from the front end of the protrusion to the front end of the sole body, and in the area from the rear end of the protrusion to a position corresponding to the rear end of the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe of the wearer's foot, and when the wearer shifts their weight forward while walking, the front end rises up with the rear end of the protrusion as a fulcrum.

2. The sole according to claim 1, wherein the front end of the protrusion has a height of 5 mm or more.

3. The sole further includes a toe receiving portion integrally formed on the surface of the sole body, The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the toe hooking portion is provided extending continuously or intermittently in the width direction at a position where the interphalangeal joint of the first toe and the proximal interphalangeal joints of the second to fifth toes of the wearer's foot are hooked.

4. an upper that covers at least a portion of the instep of the wearer; a sole to which the upper is attached; Footwear characterized in that the sole is a sole according to at least one of claims 1 to 3.

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