Instep protectors and safety shoes equipped with instep protectors

Abstract

To provide an instep protector that can alleviate interference for a user, even if the user takes a posture to bend safety shoes with a toe part, and to provide safety shoes equipped with the instep protector.SOLUTION: An instep protector 9 includes: an instep protector body 41; a support structure (instep protector support part 37); a fastening member fixing part (belt-like member 43); and an energization part BI (extension part 61). The support structure supports the tip 45A of the instep protector body 41, and arcuately moveably supports the instep protector body 41 with the tip 45A as the center. The fastening member fixing part is installed on the rear face 45D of the instep protector body 41, extends along the instep protector body 41, and forms an annular part 67 for passing the fastening member (shoelace 33). The energization part BI is installed between the rear face 45D of the instep protector body 41 and an instep part IS to energize the instep protector body 41 in a direction for separating from the safety shoes 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a toenail protector and safety shoes provided with the toenail protector.

Background Art

[0002] In order to prevent a wearer from being injured by a falling object onto the toenail of the wearer's foot, for example, toenail protectors fixed to the toe part of safety shoes, and safety shoes provided with the toenail protectors, such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The toenail protector described in Patent Document 1 includes a toenail protector main body (5), a belt (6), and fasteners (7, 8) for attaching the belt to the toenail protector main body. The toenail protector main body is fixed to the safety shoes by passing a shoelace of the safety shoes through a gap formed between the toenail protector main body and the belt. [[ID=?]]

[0005] [[ID=?]] In this structure, when the wearer tries to take a posture in which the safety shoes bend at the toe part (for example, a posture in which the wearer bends the toes and raises the heels to squat or a tiptoe posture), the rear end part of the toenail protector main body hits the wearer's foot, which may cause the wearer to feel uncomfortable or cause pain to the foot.

[0006] It seems there is a small error in the original text where "特開平9-289902号公報" was translated as "特開平9-289902号公報" instead of the correct "Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-289902". I've corrected it in the translation. Also, there were some consecutive tags with the same number which might be a formatting issue in the original, but I've translated them as they are. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.The instep protector described in Patent Document 2 comprises an instep protector body (9), a fixing structure (5), and a shoelace attachment part (6). The instep protector body (9) has its front end fixed to the toe of the safety shoe via the fixing structure, and its rear end fixed to the ankle portion of the safety shoe with shoelaces. The fixing structure has a flexible portion that allows it to slide in the front-to-back direction. When the wearer assumes a posture in which the safety shoe bends at the toe, the rear end of the instep protector body is pressed against the wearer's ankle, causing the instep protector body to slide forward.

[0007] However, even in the case of the instep protector described in Patent Document 2, the rear end of the instep protector body still comes into contact with the wearer's foot, and there is a limit to the distance the instep protector body can slide forward. Therefore, the instep protector body may come into contact with the wearer's foot, causing discomfort or pain to the wearer.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an instep protector that can mitigate interference with the wearer even when the wearer assumes a posture in which the safety shoe bends at the toes, and a safety shoe equipped with an instep protector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the instep protector of the present invention comprises: an instep protector body extending from the wearer's toes toward the ankle and covering the instep of the safety shoe; a support structure provided at the toe of the safety shoe and supporting the tip of the instep protector body, and supporting the instep protector body so as to be movable in an arc shape around the tip; a fastening member fixing part provided on the back surface of the instep protector body facing the instep of the safety shoe, extending along the instep protector body and forming an annular portion that is open in the width direction of the safety shoe, and through which a fastening member that fastens the instep of the safety shoe is passed to fix the instep protector body to the instep of the safety shoe; and a biasing part provided between the back surface of the instep protector body and the instep of the safety shoe, and biasing the instep protector body in a direction away from the safety shoe.

[0010] Furthermore, the safety shoe equipped with the instep protector of the present invention is a safety shoe equipped with an instep protector that covers the instep, and the instep is fastened with a fastening member, wherein the instep protector comprises: an instep protector body that extends in the direction from the wearer's toes toward the ankle and covers the instep; a support structure provided at the toe portion that supports the tip of the instep protector body and supports the instep protector body so that it can move in an arc shape around the tip; a fastening member fixing portion provided on the back surface of the instep protector body facing the instep, extending along the instep protector body and forming an annular portion that is open in the width direction, and fixing the instep protector body to the instep by passing the fastening member through the annular portion; and a biasing portion provided between the back surface of the instep protector body and the instep, which biases the instep protector body in a direction away from the instep. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] This reduces interference between the instep protector and the foot, even when the wearer assumes a posture where the safety shoe bends at the toes. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a safety shoe (for the left foot), which is an example of this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the instep protector portion of the safety shoe. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing safety shoes with the laces removed and the instep protector raised. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a magnified view of the instep protector portion. [Figure 5] This is a side view (schematic diagram) of the strip-shaped member. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing a person wearing safety shoes, with the shoes flexing at the toes. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the instep protector portion of the safety shoe. [Figure 8]It is a side view of a safety shoe (for the left foot) which is an example of the second embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a partial cross-sectional view of the toe protector part of the safety shoe in FIG. 8 taken in cross-section.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of a toe protector and a safety shoe provided with the toe protector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a side view of a safety shoe (for the left foot) which is an example of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the toe protector part of the safety shoe in FIG. 1 taken in cross-section, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the shoelaces of the safety shoe are removed and the toe protector is lifted, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the toe protector part in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a side view (schematic diagram) of the belt-like member.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the safety shoe 1 of this embodiment is a safety shoe of the short shoelace type. The safety shoe 1 is a safety shoe compliant with JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) standard JIS T 8101:2020. That is, the safety shoe 1 is a safety shoe in which the toe protector is "attached in such a way that it cannot be removed unless the safety shoe is damaged" after satisfying performance such as impact resistance (6.2.6.1 Structure of the toe protector). The safety shoe 1 is a set of left and right, but since it has the same symmetric structure on the left and right, hereinafter, the safety shoe 1 for the left foot will be described, and the description of the one for the right foot will be omitted.

[0016] In the safety shoe 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the longitudinal direction of the shoe extending from the toe (front) to the heel (rear) is defined as the front-rear direction X, the width direction of the safety shoe 1 is defined as the width direction Y, the shoe sole 3 is taken as the lower side, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y is defined as the vertical direction Z.

[0017] The safety shoe 1 includes a shoe sole 3, a toe cap 5, a toe reinforcement 7, and a toe protector 9.

[0018] <Shoe sole> The sole 3 is composed of a midsole 11 serving as a cushion layer and an outsole 13 constituting the ground contact surface. The midsole 11 and the outsole 13 are each formed of rubber or urethane with different hardnesses.

[0019] <Toe cap> The toe cap 5 is formed of leather such as natural leather or synthetic leather, and is composed of a front toe cap portion 15 and a rear toe cap portion 17. The front toe cap portion 15 is a portion also called the front leather, and has a toe tip portion 19, a central toe cap portion 21, and a vamp portion 23. The rear toe cap portion 17 is a portion also called the waist leather, and has a pair of flap portions 25, 25' and a heel portion 27.

[0020] In this specification, without particularly distinguishing between the front toe cap portion 15 and the rear toe cap portion 17, the range covering the wearer's toe of the safety shoe 1 is referred to as the "toe cap part (IS)" (see FIG. 2). Specifically, the toe cap part IS is the range spanning the toe tip portion 19, the central toe cap portion 21, the vamp portion 23, and the pair of flap portions 25, 25'.

[0021] The toe tip portion 19 is a portion covering the upper and side portions of the wearer's toe tip. A cup-shaped hard toe core 29 (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 2) with a closed tip is built into the toe tip portion 19 to protect the wearer's toe tip. As shown in FIG. 3, the central toe cap portion 21 is a portion covering the wearer's toe cap (especially the side portion). The vamp portion 23 is located between the pair of flap portions 25, 25' and is a portion covering the wearer's toe cap (especially the upper portion).

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the pair of flap sections 25, 25' are positioned opposite each other, with the tongue section 23 in between. The upper end of the flap section 25 is provided with eyelets 31 (first eyelet 31A to fourth eyelet 31D). The upper end of the flap section 25' is also provided with eyelets 31' (first eyelet 31A to fourth eyelet 31D'). In the safety shoe 1, the degree to which the pair of flap sections 25, 25' are opened can be adjusted by passing shoelaces (fastening members) 33 through the eyelets 31 and 31' and tightening them, thereby adjusting the tightness of the safety shoe 1. In this embodiment, as will be described later, a part of the instep protector 9 is also fixed with shoelaces 33.

[0023] <Toe reinforcement material> The toe reinforcement 7 has a reinforcement body portion 35 and an instep protector support portion (part of the support structure) 37. The reinforcement body portion 35 is the part that covers the tip of the toe portion 19 and is fixed to the surface of the toe portion 19. The instep protector support portion 37 is a tab-shaped part that protrudes from the center of the reinforcement body portion 35 in the width direction Y toward the center of the upper 21 and is not fixed to the surface of the toe portion 19. The instep protector support portion 37 has a pair of support through holes 39 to which the instep protector 9 is fixed (see Figure 4).

[0024] The instep protector support section 37 is positioned so that the fixed instep protector body 41 overlaps the rear end of the toe cap 29 by a predetermined length (3 mm or more).

[0025] <Foot protector> The instep protector 9 comprises an instep protector body 41 and a strip-shaped member 43. The instep protector body 41 is made of a hard material such as metal or hard resin, and is a member that extends in the front-to-back direction X and covers the instep IS of the safety shoe 1. As shown in Figure 3, the instep protector body 41 has a protector central wall portion 45 in the center in the width direction Y, and a pair of side wall portions 47, 47' formed from both ends of the protector central wall portion 45 in the width direction Y. A pair of protector tip through holes 49 are formed at the tip portion 45A of the protector central wall portion 45. A pair of protector rear end through holes 51 are formed at the rear end portion 45B of the protector central wall portion 45 (see Figure 4).

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, the strip-shaped member 43 is a strip-shaped member having a strip-shaped member body 53 and a surface layer 55. The strip-shaped member body 53 is made of leather such as natural leather or synthetic leather. The surface layer 55 is a low-friction layer with a lower coefficient of friction than the strip-shaped member body 53. The surface layer 55 is also attached to the top (one surface) of the strip-shaped member 43 and is designed to generate a repulsive force when the strip-shaped member 43 is bent. Nylon taffeta material is used here. When the strip-shaped member 43 is combined with the instep protector body 41, the surface layer 55 is positioned to face the back surface of the instep protector body 41.

[0027] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the strip-shaped member 43 has a pair of through holes 57 at one end 43A and a pair of through holes 59 at the other end 43B. In addition, the one end 43A of the strip-shaped member 43 has an extension 61 between the through holes 57 and the tip 43C.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, one end 43A of the strip-shaped member 43 is placed against the back surface of the instep protector support portion 37 via the tip 45A of the central wall portion 45 of the protector. The central wall portion 45 of the protector and the strip-shaped member 43 are then fixed together to the instep protector support portion 37 by crimping crimp pins 63 that are inserted through the aligned support portion through hole 39, the protector tip through hole 49, and the through hole 57 on the one end side. As a result, the instep protector body 41 is supported so as to be movable in an arc shape around the tip 45A of the central wall portion 45 of the protector, and the support structure is configured (see Figure 3). In addition, one end 43A of the strip-shaped member 43 is also fixed to the tip 45A of the central wall portion 45 of the protector.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the other end 43B of the strip-shaped member 43 is folded back over the rear end 45B of the central wall portion 45 of the protector and is in contact with the front surface 45C of the central wall portion 45 of the protector. Then, by crimping the crimping pin 65 inserted through the rear end through hole 51 and the other end through hole 59 of the protector, which have been aligned, the other end 43B of the strip-shaped member 43 is fixed to the rear end 45B of the central wall portion 45 of the protector.

[0030] As described above, the strip-shaped member 43 has one end 43A fixed to the front end 45A of the central wall portion 45 of the protector, and the other end 43B fixed to the rear end 45B of the central wall portion 45 of the protector, and is positioned to extend along the back surface 45D of the central wall portion 45 of the protector. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the strip-shaped member 43 forms an annular portion 67 between itself and the central wall portion 45 of the protector, which constitutes a fastening member fixing portion through which the shoelace 33 passes. The annular portion 67 is a gap formed between the back surface 45D of the central wall portion 45 of the protector and the strip-shaped member 43, and is open in the width direction Y. As shown in Figure 4, by passing the shoelace 33 of the safety shoe 1 through the annular portion 67, the instep protector body 41 is fixed to the instep IS of the safety shoe 1.

[0031] The extension 61 is folded back toward the toe portion 19 of the safety shoe 1, with the tip 45A of the protector's central wall portion 45 and one end 43A of the strip-shaped member 43 fixed to the instep protector support portion 37. In other words, the extension 61 extends toward the toe portion beyond the fixing position (57) of the strip-shaped member 43 relative to the instep protector body 41. The free end of the extension 61 is in contact with the instep IS (toe portion 19 in this embodiment) of the safety shoe 1. As a result, the extension 61 constitutes a biasing portion BI that biases the instep protector body 41 away from the safety shoe 1.

[0032] <effect> The following describes the function of the instep protector and the safety shoes equipped with the instep protector according to this embodiment.

[0033] Figure 6 is a side view showing a wearer wearing safety shoes 1 and assuming a posture in which the safety shoes 1 are bent at the toe area, and Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the instep protector portion of safety shoes 1 shown in Figure 6.

[0034] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the wearer assumes a posture in which the safety shoe 1 bends at the toe, the heel portion of the safety shoe 1 rises. As the heel portion rises, the instep IS of the safety shoe 1, together with the biasing portion BI (extension portion 61), pushes up the instep protector body 41. The instep IS (especially the pair of flap portions 25, 25') moves closer to the toe portion 19 at the same time as the instep protector body 41 is pushed up. As a result, the shoelace (fastening member) 33, which passes through the annular portion 67, slides relative to the tip portion 45A of the protector central wall portion 45 of the instep protector body 41 within the annular portion 67. This allows the instep protector body 41 to move smoothly in an arc around the tip portion 45A of the protector central wall portion 45 without its movement being hindered by the shoelace (fastening member) 33. Therefore, even if the wearer assumes a posture in which the safety shoe bends at the toe area, the safety shoe 1 of this embodiment can mitigate interference of the instep protector 9 with the foot. As a result, the safety shoe 1 does not cause discomfort or pain to the wearer due to the instep protector 9 rubbing against their foot.

[0035] Furthermore, the fastening member fixing portion is composed of a strip-shaped member 43 that forms an annular portion 67 between itself and the instep protector body 41. As a result, in this embodiment, the safety shoe 1 can easily form an annular portion 67 simply by fixing the strip-shaped member 43 to the instep protector body 41.

[0036] Furthermore, the strip-shaped member 43 is composed of a strip-shaped member body 53 and a surface layer 55 made of nylon taffeta material. As a result, the safety shoe 1 of this embodiment reduces the coefficient of friction between the strip-shaped member 43 and the fastening member (shoelaces) 33, allowing the fastening member (shoelaces) 33 to slide more smoothly. In addition, the safety shoe 1 of this embodiment can improve the repulsive force of the biasing portion BI, which is formed by the extension portion 61 of the strip-shaped member 43, compared to the case of the strip-shaped member body 53 alone. It should be noted that the surface layer 55 may be made of other materials having similar properties, or the surface layer 55 may be omitted altogether. It is also possible to substitute the strip-shaped member 43 with other soft materials such as polyvinyl chloride.

[0037] In this embodiment, the biasing portion BI is composed of an extension 61 of the strip-shaped member 43. This makes it possible to bias the instep protector body 41 away from the safety shoe 1 with a simple configuration without having to prepare a separate component.

[0038] <Second Embodiment> Figures 8 and 9 show safety shoes according to the second embodiment. Parts common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in Figures 1 to 5 plus 100, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0039] The safety shoe 101 of the second embodiment is a high-top type safety shoe that uses a belt 133 with hook-and-loop fastener as a fastening member. Similar to the first embodiment, the instep protector body 141 is fixed to the instep IS of the safety shoe 101 by passing the belt 133, which is the fastening member, through an annular portion 167 formed between the band-shaped member 143 and the central wall portion 145 of the protector. Even in this case, when the wearer puts on the safety shoe 101 and assumes a posture in which the safety shoe 101 bends at the toe, the instep IS of the safety shoe 101 pushes up the instep protector body 141 together with the biasing portion BI (extension portion 161), and the belt 133 slides inside the annular portion 167, causing the instep protector body 141 to move smoothly in an arc shape around the tip portion 145A of the central wall portion 145 of the protector.

[0040] Although embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications are, of course, possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0041] For example, the above example shows safety shoes (short lace-up type and high-top type) in which the instep protector is permanently fixed to the safety shoe in order to comply with JIS T 8101:2020. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example and is applicable to other types of safety shoes that have fastening members such as shoelaces or belts with hook-and-loop fasteners, and is of course applicable to safety shoes in which the instep protector is permanently fixed. Furthermore, it is also applicable to instep protectors that can be attached to safety shoes that do not have an instep protector as an add-on.

[0042] Furthermore, although the band-shaped member and fastening member are not elastic in the above example, the band-shaped member and / or fastening member may be made of an elastic material. In this case, the band-shaped member and / or fastening member will stretch, allowing the instep protector body to move smoothly in an arc shape around the tip.

[0043] Furthermore, although the instep protector was shown in the above example as a separate component consisting of the instep protector body and the band-shaped member, it is also possible to make the instep protector a single molded product.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above example, an extension of the strip-shaped member was used as the biasing part, but instead, an elastic material such as a sponge can be placed between the instep protector and the safety shoe to serve as the biasing part. Also, in the above example, the strip-shaped member was shown to have resilience by providing a surface layer, but the strip-shaped member (the strip-shaped member body) may be formed from a material that has resilience. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 safety shoes 3 Soles 5 Instep 7. Toe reinforcement 9. Instep protector 11 Midsole 13 Outsole 15 Anterior side of carapace 17 Posterior part of carapace 19 Toe area 21 Central part of the upper part 23 Tongue 25,25' Pair of flap sections 27 Heel 29 Toe Cap 31,31' eyelet 33. Shoelaces (fastening components) 35 Reinforcement material main body 37. Instep protector support section 39 Support through hole 41 Foot instep protector main body 43 Strip-shaped member 45 Protector central wall section 47,47' Pair of side wall sections 49 Protector tip through hole 51 Protector rear end through hole 53 Main body of the strip-shaped member 55 Surface layer 57 One end side through hole 59 Other end side through hole 61 Extension part (biasing part) 67 Ring section IS upper part

Claims

1. The instep protector body extends from the wearer's toes towards the ankle and covers the instep of the safety shoe, A support structure provided at the toe portion of the safety shoe, which supports the tip of the instep protector body and supports the instep protector body so that it can move in an arc shape around the tip; A fastening member fixing portion is provided on the back surface of the instep protector body facing the upper part of the safety shoe, extending along the instep protector body and forming an annular portion that is open in the width direction of the safety shoe, and through the annular portion a fastening member that fastens the upper part of the safety shoe is passed, thereby fixing the instep protector body to the upper part of the safety shoe, The foot protector body is provided with a biasing portion located between the back surface of the foot protector body and the upper part of the safety shoe, which biases the foot protector body in a direction away from the safety shoe. An instep protector characterized by the following features.

2. The fastening member fixing portion is composed of a band-shaped member in which one end is fixed to the front end side of the instep protector body and the other end is fixed to the rear end side of the instep protector body, and the band-shaped member forms the annular portion between itself and the instep protector body. The annular portion is a gap formed between the back surface of the instep protector body and the strip-shaped member. The instep protector according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned strip-shaped member comprises a strip-shaped member body and a low-friction layer formed on the strip-shaped member body, having a lower coefficient of friction than the strip-shaped member body. The strip-shaped member is fixed to the instep protector body with the low-friction layer facing the back surface of the instep protector body. The instep protector according to feature 2.

4. The one end of the band-shaped member has an extension that extends toward the wearer's toes beyond the fixing position to the instep protector body. The biasing portion is composed of an extension that is folded back toward the safety shoe, with its free end contacting the upper part of the safety shoe. The instep protector according to feature 2.

5. The aforementioned strip-shaped member has resilience The instep protector according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned strip-shaped member or fastening member is made of an elastic material. The instep protector according to feature 2.

7. Safety shoes equipped with an instep protector that covers the upper part of the foot, and in which the upper part is fastened with a fastening member, The aforementioned instep protector is, The instep protector body extends from the wearer's toes toward the ankle and covers the instep, A support structure provided at the toe area, which supports the tip of the instep protector body and supports the instep protector body so that it can move in an arc shape around the tip, A fastening member fixing portion is provided on the back surface of the instep protector body facing the instep, extending along the instep protector body and forming an annular portion that is open in the width direction, and the fastening member is passed through the annular portion to fix the instep protector body to the instep, The foot protector body is provided between the back surface and the instep, and includes a biasing portion that biases the foot protector body in a direction away from the instep. Safety shoes featuring an instep protector.

Images