Article of footwear

Abstract

A shoe article includes an upper (16) and a sole (14), the upper (16) including an opening for receiving a foot. The shoe article further includes a heel cup (52) attached to the upper (16) and extending from the sole (14) to at least a portion of a heel collar (74) behind the upper (16). The heel cup (52) is uniformly molded from an upper portion (64), a middle portion (58), and a lower portion (54), the upper portion (64) having a shorter mid-lateral length than the middle portion (58), and the middle portion (58) and the lower portion (54) forming a concave structure configured to receive a heel. The upper portion (64) has a first configuration and is deformable into a second configuration under the load of the user's foot when the user wears the shoe. In the second configuration, at least a portion of the upper portion (64) is lowered relative to the first configuration, and the upper portion (64) is able to return to the first configuration after the load on the user's foot is removed. The middle portion (58) includes a peripheral portion (70) having a first thickness and a central portion (50) having a second thickness, the second thickness being less than the first thickness.

Claims

1. A shoe article comprising: an upper having a heel piece, an opening, and a sole connected to the heel piece; wherein the heel piece includes a heel cup and a foam layer lining an inner wall; the inner wall includes an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, without any openings in at least the upper portion and the middle portion; the upper portion has a convex curvature facing the opening; the middle portion and the lower portion have a concave structure configured to receive and surround a heel; the concave structure has an amplitude measured in a vertical cross-section located at the rear portion of the heel cup from a vertical axis extending from the bottom of the lower portion to the top of the upper portion; the foam layer includes a protruding portion; the protruding portion extends from at least a portion of the upper portion and at least a portion of the middle portion into the opening; The protruding portion of the foam layer is configured to be compressed by the heel during foot insertion or removal, and configured to at least partially or completely decompress and secure the ankle once the foot is inserted; a first thickness of the protruding portion has a greater overall thickness than a second thickness of the foam layer located in the top region of the upper portion or the lower region of the middle portion and the lower portion; the first thickness is positioned along at least the rear portion of the heel plate in a mid-lateral direction; the foam layer gradually narrows from the first thickness along the inner, outer, upper, and lower sides of the inner wall; the first thickness is greater than the amplitude; the first thickness is located above the calcaneal region of the foot and extends in a mid-lateral direction around the ankle region of the foot; and further includes one or more of the following features: the foam layer comprises at least one of EVA and polyurethane; a peripheral portion of the heel cup has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm; a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm is located in the central region of the middle portion of the heel cup; The upper further includes an eyelet; and / or the upper further includes a tongue and at least one of the following: medial and lateral elastic bands extending between an upper portion of the tongue and an inner lining of the upper; and a tongue support having a stiffness greater than that of the tongue and configured to reduce wrinkling of the tongue during foot insertion.

2. The footwear product of claim 1, wherein the angle at which the top portion of one of the convex curvatures slopes downward is greater than the angle at which the lower portion of one of the convex curvatures slopes downward.

3. The footwear product as claimed in claim 1, wherein a peripheral portion and a central portion are defined by the heel cup, and the minimum thickness of one of the central portions is 1 / 4 to 1 / 6 of the maximum thickness of one of the peripheral portions.

4. The shoe article of claim 1, wherein, in a vertical cross-section, the last portion of the heel cup has an integral vertical cross-sectional shape of an S-shaped wave, the S-shaped wave having an upper arc and a lower arc, wherein the lower arc is part of the concave structure.

5. As in claim 4, footwear products, wherein, The width of one of the upper arcs is smaller than the width of one of the lower arcs.

6. As in request item 4, footwear products, wherein, The amplitude of one of the upper arcs is smaller than the amplitude of one of the lower arcs.

7. The shoe article of claim 1, wherein, in one vertical cross-section of the heel cup, the thickest part of the heel cup is positioned on the upper side of the thickest protrusion.

8. The footwear product of claim 1, wherein the middle side length of one of the upper portions is less than the middle side length of one of the middle portions.

9. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a circular surface facing the opening of the shoe.

10. The shoe article of claim 9, wherein the circular surface gradually narrows as it approaches the top edge of one of the upper portions and has a downward slope that extends together with a portion of the convex curvature of the upper portion.

11. The shoe article of claim 9, wherein the circular surface gradually narrows downward along the vertical cross section toward the heel cup adjacent to the upper region of one of the concave structures.

12. The shoe article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heel cup is substantially rigid.

13. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper portion is lowerable toward the middle portion under a load of the foot, and the upper portion springs back to its original position when the load of the foot is removed.

14. The footwear product of claim 1, wherein the first thickness is at least five times greater than the thickness of the middle portion.

15. A footwear article comprising: an upper having a heel piece and an opening; and a sole connected to the heel piece; wherein the heel piece includes a heel cup and a foam layer lining an inner wall; the inner wall includes an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, without any openings in at least the upper portion and the middle portion; the upper portion has a convex curvature facing the opening; the middle portion and the lower portion are configured to receive and surround a concave structure of a heel; the convex curvature is positioned above the concave structure along a vertical cross-section of a rear portion of the heel cup; the convex curvature includes an upward-facing region; the foam layer extends together with the inner wall; an ankle foam layer region extends above a calcaneal region into the opening; The ankle foam layer is configured to be compressed by the heel during foot insertion or removal, and configured to at least partially or completely decompress and apply a force to the ankle to secure the foot once the foot is inserted; and further includes one or more of the following features: the foam layer comprises at least one of EVA and polyurethane; a peripheral portion of the heel cup has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm; a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm in a central region of a middle portion of the heel cup; the upper further includes an eyelet; and / or the upper further includes a tongue and at least one of the following: medial and lateral elastic bands extending between an upper portion of the tongue and an inner lining of the upper; and a tongue support having a stiffness greater than that of the tongue and configured to reduce wrinkling of the tongue during foot insertion.

16. The footwear article of claim 15, wherein the foam layer has a uniform thickness along the upper portion and the middle portion, and a varying thickness along the lower portion.

17. The footwear article of claim 15, wherein the foam layer is thicker along at least the upper portion or the middle portion, but thinner along the lower portion.

18. The footwear article of claim 15, wherein the foam layer is thinner in the upper portion or the middle portion and thicker in at least a portion of the lower portion.

19. The footwear article of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the lower part has an inner and an outer side that are thicker than the other parts.

20. The shoe article of claim 15, wherein the heel cup is rigid and has a generally S-shaped configuration along the vertical cross section.

21. The footwear article of claim 15, wherein an elastic region is located between at least one of the front portion of the shoe opening and the inner or outer side of the heel cup.

22. The footwear article of claim 21, wherein the elastic region forms part of an inner lining of the upper and the elastic region is covered by an outer layer of the upper.

23. The footwear article of claim 21, wherein the elastic region has a first end; the first end is attached to a sole, an insole, or a portion of the upper of the shoe; the elastic region has a second end, the second end being attached to a back of the shoe or a tongue; and the elastic region extends from the tongue through an opening in a lining of the upper.

24. A shoe article comprising: an upper having a heel piece and an opening; and a sole connected to the heel piece; wherein the heel piece includes a heel cup and a foam layer lining an inner wall and an outer wall of the heel cup; the inner wall includes an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, without any pores in at least the upper portion and the middle portion; the upper portion has a first convex curvature extending between an upward-facing portion of the upper portion and an opening-facing portion of the upper portion, and the middle portion and the lower portion are configured to accommodate and surround a concave structure of the heel; the first convex curvature is located above the concave structure along a vertical cross-section of a rear portion of the heel cup; the foam layer includes a second convex curvature extending between an upward-facing portion of the foam layer and an opening-facing portion of the foam layer. The foam layer is compressed by the heel during foot insertion or removal and holds the ankle in place when the foot is inserted; the foam layer is disposed at or near the upper portion and at or near the middle portion such that the foam layer extends around the ankle area of ​​the foot and extends sufficiently into the shoe opening such that when the shoe is worn, the foam layer is at least partially compressed and exerts a force on the foot and secures the foot in the shoe; and further has one or more of the following characteristics: the foam layer comprises at least one of EVA and polyurethane; a peripheral portion of the heel cup has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm; a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm is found in the central region of a middle portion of the heel cup; The upper further includes an eyelet; and / or the upper further includes a tongue and at least one of the following: medial and lateral elastic bands extending between an upper portion of the tongue and an inner lining of the upper; and a tongue support having a stiffness greater than that of the tongue and configured to reduce wrinkling of the tongue during foot insertion.

25. The footwear article of claim 24, wherein the foam layer has a uniform thickness along the second convex curvature.

26. The footwear article of claim 24, wherein the foam layer is thicker along the portion facing the shoe opening and the middle portion than the portion facing upward.

27. The shoe article of claim 24, wherein the heel cup is rigid and has a generally S-shaped configuration along the vertical cross section.

28. The footwear article of claim 24, wherein an elastic region is located between at least one inner or outer side of the heel cup and one front portion of the shoe opening.

29. The footwear article of claim 28, wherein the elastic region forms part of an inner lining of the upper and the elastic region is covered by an outer layer of the upper.

30. The footwear article of claim 28, wherein the elastic region has a first end and the first end is attached to a sole, an insole, or a portion of the upper of the shoe, and the elastic region has a second end and the first end is attached to a back of the shoe or a tongue, and the elastic region extends from the tongue through an opening in a lining of the upper.

31. The footwear article of claim 24, wherein the foam layer wraps around the heel cup at an interface between an outer layer and an inner layer of the upper.

32. The footwear article of claim 31, wherein the foam layer lining the outer layer is thinner than the foam layer lining the inner wall.

Images