Heel member and shoe equipped with same

Abstract

To provide a heel member that assists easy insertion of the foot and a shoe equipped with the same. [Solution] A heel component 4 is provided that covers the heel portion of an upper 2 from the outside. The heel component 4 has a main body 4b and a rim 4a that extends upward from the main body 4b and is thinner than the main body 4b. The heel component 4 covers the heel portion of the upper 2 from the outside with the main body 4b leaving the outer surface exposed, and the rim 4a is inserted between the inner leather 6 and the outer leather 7 or piping 9 of the upper 2, and is attached to the upper 2. Furthermore, the portion of the rim 4a of the heel component 4 that corresponds to the rear of the heel portion of the upper 2 is inclined or curved rearward and upward relative to the main body 4b.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heel member that makes it easier for a wearer to insert their foot, and a shoe equipped with the heel member. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In the past, when putting on shoes such as sports shoes, the wearer may have had to use one or both hands, or a shoehorn separate from the shoe, to ensure that the foot is properly placed in the shoe.

[0003] Therefore, several shoes are known that have a heel counter that has been designed to assist in inserting the foot, allowing the shoe to be put on while standing without using hands or a shoehorn (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-160524 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2025-023036 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the core material contained in the upper of the shoe is uniformly molded to have a portion equivalent to the heel core used in conventional heel areas and a portion extending upward from there to assist in inserting the foot.

[0006] In this type of core material, it is preferable that the part that corresponds to the heel core is hard in order to stabilize the shoe and hold the foot firmly, and that the upper part that supports the insertion of the foot is not too hard and has a certain degree of flexibility in order to reduce any snagging that may occur when the foot is inserted.However, the heel cores in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are molded uniformly throughout, so that the part that corresponds to the heel core and the upper part that supports the insertion of the foot are of uniform hardness.

[0007] Therefore, the inventor of the present application has conducted extensive research into heel components in order to realize a shoe structure that is easy to put on, and has invented a heel component and a shoe equipped with the same that differs from conventional structures that assist in making foot insertion easier. The object of the present invention is to provide a heel component with a structure that assists in making foot insertion easier, and a shoe equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A heel element according to one aspect of the present invention is a heel element that is attached to cover the heel portion of a shoe upper from the outside, and comprises a U-shaped main body portion that is open at the front when viewed from above and that covers the periphery of the heel portion, and a rim portion that extends from the upper edge of the main body portion and is thinner than the thickness of the main body portion, and the rim portion is inclined or curved rearward and upward from the boundary with the main body portion at a part corresponding to the rear portion of the heel portion of the upper, and a step is formed at the boundary between the main body portion and the rim portion.

[0009] In this way, by attaching this heel core to a shoe, when putting on the shoe, the foot comes into contact with the thin upper edge of the heel member, guiding the foot forward and making it easier to insert the shoe. In other words, the part of the upper edge that corresponds to the heel of the upper is inclined or curved rearward and upward relative to the lower main body part more than the other parts, so the foot is guided forward, helping to make it easier to insert the shoe.

[0010] In addition, by making the main body thick and the edge thin, the main body, which corresponds to the conventional heel core, is hard, stabilizing the shoe and firmly holding the foot, while the upper edge, which assists in inserting the foot, is less hard than the main body, reducing any snagging when inserting the foot and providing a certain degree of flexibility.

[0011] Furthermore, when the heel member is attached to the shoe, the edge portion is inserted between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper.

[0012] In this way, a step is formed at the boundary between the main body and the rim of the heel component, and when attaching this heel component to a shoe, part or all of the rim is inserted between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper, allowing the outer skin and / or inner skin to fit snugly into this step. This allows the outer or inner side of the heel component to smoothly connect from the outer or inner skin to the main body, and when the step is on the outer side, the shoe looks neat and tidy, while when the step is on the inner side, the heel of the shoe feels comfortable when worn. Furthermore, when steps are provided on both the outer and inner sides, the shoe looks neat and tidy, and the inside of the heel feels comfortable.

[0013] The heel member is characterized in that the step is formed on the outer surface side.

[0014] This creates a step at the boundary between the main body and the rim of the heel component, and the rim extends from the inside of the main body, forming the step on the outer surface. When attaching this heel component to a shoe, inserting the rim between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper allows the outer skin to fit snugly into this step. This allows the outer surface of the heel to smoothly connect from the outer skin to the main body, providing a comfortable fit for the entire shoe, creating a natural and aesthetically pleasing overall design.

[0015] The heel member is also characterized in that the step formed at the boundary between the main body and the edge is 1 mm to 4 mm.

[0016] In this way, when the heel member is attached to the shoe, if the step is on the outer surface, the main body exposed to the outside does not protrude significantly from the upper, so the entire shoe fits well, does not look out of place in the overall design, and is excellent in appearance.If the step is on the inner surface, there is no discomfort in the heel of the shoe when worn.

[0017] The heel member is characterized in that the thickness of the edge portion is 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the thickness of the main body portion.

[0018] In this way, when the heel member is attached to the shoe, if the step is on the outer surface, the main body exposed to the outside does not protrude significantly from the upper, so the entire shoe fits well, does not look out of place in the overall design, and is excellent in appearance.If the step is on the inner surface, there is no discomfort in the heel of the shoe when worn.

[0019] Furthermore, this heel member is characterized in that the edge portion is shorter in the vertical direction than the main body portion and is gradually thinner toward the tip, and the lower portion of the main body portion is gradually thinner toward the bottom end.

[0020] In this way, the upper edge is thinner than the main body and is not too hard, and the thinner edge toward the tip allows for a better fit when attached to the shoe. Also, the thicker lower main body ensures rigidity, protecting the heel, ensuring walking stability and maintaining the shape of the shoe opening, and the thinner lower part toward the bottom end allows for a better fit when attached to the shoe.

[0021] The heel member is characterized in that a notch is formed in the lower part of the main body in a portion corresponding to the rear part of the heel of the upper.

[0022] In this way, the cutout formed in the lower center of the main body allows the heel component to have a certain degree of flexibility, so one size heel component can be attached to multiple sizes of shoes. This allows fewer sizes of heel components to be used for multiple sizes of shoes, reducing total manufacturing costs.

[0023] In addition, the heel member is formed entirely from flexible resin, gradually decreasing in height from the rear to the front, and the edge portion extends from the entire upper edge of the main body portion except for the lower edge.

[0024] This allows the rear heel to be firmly held, and the height decreases toward the front, so that the shoe fits well when attached to the shoe and interference with the sides of the foot is reduced.

[0025] Here, consumers who purchase shoes want to be able to put them on without using their hands or a shoehorn, but they also tend to dislike designs that deviate significantly from traditional shoe designs and feel unnatural.

[0026] Therefore, one aspect of the shoe of the present invention is characterized in that the heel member is attached so as to cover the heel portion of the upper from the outside, and the edge portion is inserted between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper.

[0027] In this way, the heel member described above makes it possible to realize shoes that are easy to put on, and by inserting the edge of the heel member into the outer and inner skins of the upper, the entire shoe fits well, there is no sense of incongruity in the overall design, and it has an excellent aesthetic appearance.

[0028] The shoe is also characterized in that a cushioning material is provided between the inner leather and the edge at the rear part of the heel of the upper, and the edge is covered by the outer leather and inner leather.

[0029] With this arrangement, when putting on the shoe, the heel of the foot presses against the cushioning material, and is guided by the edge of the heel member due to the cushioning properties of the cushioning material, allowing the foot to slide smoothly into the shoe.

[0030] The shoe is also characterized in that the edge of the heel member is not exposed.

[0031] This allows the shoe to fit snugly, and the overall design is aesthetically pleasing.

[0032] The shoe is also characterized in that the main body of the heel member is attached so that a lower portion including the notch is covered by the sole.

[0033] In this way, the cutout portion of the heel member is not exposed to the outside, so the entire shoe fits well, does not look out of place in the overall design, and is aesthetically pleasing.

[0034] The shoe is further characterized in that a second heel member is provided in the rear part of the heel portion of the upper and is contained within the upper.

[0035] In this way, by providing a second heel member in addition to the heel member described above in the heel portion of the upper, the heel portion of the shoe can be firmly stabilized and the foot can be firmly held in place.

[0036] In addition, the main body portion of the heel member can be attached with its surface exposed so as to cover the heel portion from the outside of the upper, and the second heel member can be attached by being sandwiched between the heel member and the inner leather of the upper.

[0037] This shoe is also characterized in that the second heel component is made of a different material from the heel component. For example, by making the heel component an elastic material and the second heel component a material with a lower elastic modulus or a non-elastic material, the heel is held and stabilized by both components, allowing the heel component to be made flexible and the rim to be made more flexible. In other words, by using both the heel component and the second heel component, it is possible to flexibly respond to desired rigidity and flexibility. [Effects of the Invention]

[0038] According to the present invention, by attaching this heel member to a shoe, the shoe can be made easy to put on and easy to insert the foot into. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] 1 is a rear view of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe in FIG. 1 near the heel. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of a heel member used in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a top view of a heel member used in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a rear view of a heel member used in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 2 is an end view taken along line AA of a heel member used in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. For example, the following embodiment will be described using sneakers as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to shoes other than sneakers, and the dimensions used in the following embodiment are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0041] <Overall shoe structure> Fig. 1 is a rear view of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the shoe, and Fig. 3 is a side view of a partial cross section of the heel of the shoe.

[0042] 1 and 2, sneakers 1 of this embodiment include an upper 2 that covers the instep of the foot, a sole 3 (midsole 3a, outsole 3b) that constitutes the sole, and a heel member 4 is provided in the heel portion of the upper 2. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, a second heel member 5 different from the heel member 4 is included in the heel portion of the upper 2.

[0043] The heel member 4 is provided so that its central portion in the width direction is positioned approximately in the center of the heel portion of the sneaker 1 in the width direction.

[0044] The upper 2 has an inner skin 6 and an outer skin 7, and the inner skin 6 and the outer skin 7 are sewn together at the opening (top line), and the upper parts of these are covered with piping 9, and the lower part of the outer skin 7 is covered with piping 8.

[0045] In the heel portion of the upper 2, a second heel member 5 and a heel member 4 are provided behind the inner leather 6 in this order so as to extend downward from the vicinity of the opening.

[0046] In addition, the rear of the heel portion continuing from the opening of the upper 2 is inclined upward and rearward, making it easy to insert the foot and put on the shoe.

[0047] <Heel member structure and attachment structure> Fig. 4 is a side view of a heel member used in the shoe of this embodiment, Fig. 5 is a top view of the heel member, Fig. 6 is a rear view of the heel member, and Fig. 7 is an AA end view of the heel member.

[0048] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, heel member 4 is molded as a single unit from a symmetrical elastic synthetic resin (e.g., TPU), and is curved so that it is U-shaped with an open front when viewed from above, and its height gradually decreases from the rear to the front (from the right to the left in Figure 4).Heel member 4 also has a curved, mountain-shaped upper edge, and is molded so that it extends from the center of the rear side toward the front, with both left and right sides gradually decreasing in height.

[0049] Heel component 4 has a main body 4b and a thin edge 4a extending from its upper edge. A notch 4c elongated in the width direction is formed in the center of the lower rear side of main body 4b, corresponding to the heel portion of upper 2. This notch 4c allows heel component 4 to have a certain degree of flexibility, so one size heel component can be attached to multiple sizes of shoes. This allows fewer sizes of heel components to be used for multiple sizes of shoes, reducing total manufacturing costs.

[0050] In the heel member 4 of this embodiment, the thickness of the main body 4b is approximately 3 mm and the thickness of the rim 4a is approximately 1 mm at the boundary between the main body 4b and the rim 4a, and the rim 4a extends upward from the upper edge of the main body 4b. Therefore, a step of approximately 2 mm is formed at the boundary on the outside of the heel member 4, and there is no step on the inside (see Figure 7).

[0051] The thickness of the edge 4a is preferably 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the thickness of the main body 4b, and the step is preferably 1 mm to 4 mm. The thickness of the main body 4b is preferably 1.5 mm to 6 mm, and the thickness of the edge 4a is preferably 0.5 mm to 3 mm.

[0052] Additionally, the rear portion of edge 4a of heel member 4, which corresponds to the rear of the heel of upper 2, is inclined or curved upward and rearward relative to main body 4b, while the other portions extend upward or forward relative to main body 4b (see Figures 4 and 7). By attaching heel core 4 to upper 2 with the rear portion of edge 4a inclined or curved upward and rearward, when putting on shoes, the foot comes into contact with the thin edge on the upper side of the heel member, guiding the foot forward and making it easier to insert the foot.

[0053] In addition, in the heel member 4 of this embodiment, the edge 4a is shorter in the vertical direction than the main body 4b, at approximately 1 / 7, and the thickness of the edge 4a gradually decreases upward to approximately 1 / 2. The thickness of the main body 4b gradually decreases downward to approximately 1 / 3 (see FIG. 7).

[0054] As shown in Figure 3, the outer surface of the edge 4a of the heel component 4 is covered with an outer skin 7, which extends to the step between the edge 4a and the main body 4b, and the lower part of the outer skin 7 that extends to the step is covered with piping 8. A part of the main body 4b of the heel component 4 is exposed to the outside. The upper parts of the outer skin 7 and inner skin 6 are covered with piping 9.

[0055] Additionally, a second heel member 5 is adhered to the inner surface of heel member 4, and inner leather 6 is adhered to the inner surface of second heel member 5. In this embodiment, second heel member 5 is approximately the same height as main body 4b of heel member 4, and unlike heel member 4, which is made of elastic synthetic resin, second heel member 5 is made of a hot melt material and has a lower elastic modulus than heel member 4 or is inelastic, so together with heel member 4, it firmly holds and stabilizes the heel portion.

[0056] The lower edge of the inner leather 6 is sewn to the midsole 11 together with the lower edge of the heel member 4 and the second heel member 5. Therefore, the heel member 4 and the second heel member 5 are fixed in place and will not shift out of position. In addition, a removable insole 12 is placed on top of the midsole (see Figure 3).

[0057] Additionally, sponge materials 10 are provided between the outer skin 7 and the inner skin 6 so as to hang over the rim 4a of the heel member 4 and the upper of the second heel member 5. In this embodiment, the sponge materials 10 are arranged on the left and right sides from the rear of the heel portion of the upper, that is, near the rear of the opening.

[0058] <Effects of this embodiment> With the above configuration, when wearing the sneakers 1, the edge portion 4a corresponding to the heel portion of the upper 2 is inclined or curved rearward and upward relative to the main body portion 4b, so that when the foot comes into contact with the edge portion 4a of the heel member 4 via the inner leather 6, the foot is guided forward, making it easier to insert the foot.

[0059] Furthermore, the sponge material 10 is arranged on the portion of the edge 4a that slopes upward toward the rear, which prevents the foot from getting caught, and the flexibility of the sponge makes it even easier to insert the foot.

[0060] In this way, the edge portion 4a is formed to be thin and the main body portion 4b is formed to be thick, so that the flexibility of the edge portion 4a and the flexibility of the sponge, together with the stability of the main body portion, allows the foot to be inserted smoothly.

[0061] Furthermore, when the sneakers 1 are worn, the cushioning properties of the sponge material 10 constantly elastically press against the heel of the foot, making it less likely that the sponge material 10 will cause heel pain. Furthermore, when the sneakers 1 are worn, the heel of the foot is constantly pressed by the cushioning material, making it easy to insert the foot but difficult to slip off, and the sneakers fit snugly around the heel of the foot, creating a sense of unity and making walking easier. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sponge material 10 is arranged near the rear of the opening, extending from the rear of the heel to the left and right, making it even more difficult to slip off and improving the fit.

[0062] Furthermore, the edge 4a of the heel member 4 is not exposed to the outside, and the exposed main body 4b is symmetrically positioned on the left and right sides in a well-balanced manner, so the appearance is not marred. In addition, because the edge 4a is thin and the main body 4b is thick, with a step between them, when the heel member 4 is attached to the upper 2, the outer skin 7 fits in well and the appearance is not marred.

[0063] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to sneakers, but the type of shoe is not limited to sneakers, and other types of shoes may be used.

[0064] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is described in which the entire edge portion 4a of the heel member 4 is inserted between the inner leather 6 and outer leather 7 of the upper, but this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to configure the upper portion of the edge portion 4a of the heel member 4 to be inserted between the inner leather 6 and outer leather 7 of the upper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Sneakers 2 Upper 3 Sole 3a Midsole 3b outsole 4 heel member 4a Edge 4b Main body 4c Notch 5 Second heel member 6 Endothelium 7 Hull 8 Piping 9 Piping 10 Sponge material 11 Insole 12 insoles

Claims

1. A heel member that is attached to the shoe upper so as to cover the heel portion from the outside, a U-shaped main body portion that is open at the front when viewed from above and that covers the periphery of the heel portion; a rim portion extending from an upper side of the main body portion and having a thickness thinner than the main body portion; the edge portion is inclined or curved rearward and upward from a boundary with the main body portion at a portion corresponding to a rear portion of a heel portion of the upper, A step is formed at the boundary between the main body and the edge, The heel member is characterized in that the edge portion has a shorter vertical length than the main body portion and gradually becomes thinner toward the tip, and the main body portion has a lower portion which gradually becomes thinner toward the bottom end.

2. A heel member that is attached to the shoe upper so as to cover the heel portion from the outside, a U-shaped main body portion that is open at the front when viewed from above and that covers the periphery of the heel portion; a rim portion extending from an upper side of the main body portion and having a thickness thinner than the main body portion; the edge portion is inclined or curved rearward and upward from a boundary with the main body portion at a portion corresponding to a rear portion of a heel portion of the upper, A step is formed at the boundary between the main body and the edge, A heel member, characterized in that a notch is formed in a lower part of the main body in a portion corresponding to a rear portion of the heel of the upper.

3. A heel member that is attached to the shoe upper so as to cover the heel portion from the outside, a U-shaped main body portion that is open at the front when viewed from above and that covers the periphery of the heel portion; a rim portion extending from an upper side of the main body portion and having a thickness thinner than the main body portion; the edge portion is inclined or curved rearward and upward from a boundary with the main body portion at a portion corresponding to a rear portion of a heel portion of the upper, A step is formed at the boundary between the main body and the edge, This heel member is formed entirely from a flexible resin, its height gradually decreases from the rear to the front, and the edge portion extends from the entire upper side of the main body portion except for the lower side.

4. When attached to a shoe, the edge portion is inserted between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper and attached. The heel member according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The step is formed on the outer surface side. The heel member according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The step formed at the boundary between the main body and the edge is 1 mm to 4 mm. The heel member according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The thickness of the edge portion is 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the thickness of the main body portion. The heel member according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. A shoe, characterized in that the heel member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is attached so as to cover the heel portion of the upper from the outside, and the edge portion is inserted between the outer skin and inner skin of the upper.

9. a cushioning material is provided between the inner skin and the edge portion at a rear portion of the heel portion of the upper, and the edge portion is covered by the outer skin and the inner skin; The shoe according to claim 8.

10. The edge of the heel member is not exposed. The shoe according to claim 9.

11. The main body of the heel member is attached so that a lower portion including the notch is covered by the sole. The shoe according to claim 8, which recites claim 2.

12. The shoe further comprises a second heel member that is included in the upper at a rear portion of the heel part of the upper. The shoe according to claim 8.

13. The main body portion of the heel member is attached with its surface exposed so as to cover the heel portion from the outside of the upper, The second heel member is attached by being sandwiched between the heel member and the inner leather of the upper. The shoe according to claim 12.

14. The second heel member is made of a different material from the heel member. The shoe according to claim 13.

15. The heel member is made of an elastic material, The second heel member is made of a material having a lower elastic modulus than the heel member, or is made of a non-elastic material. The shoe according to claim 14.

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