High-Heeled Shoe

Abstract

A high-heeled shoe that comprises a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The sole comprises an insole, midsole, outsole, and heel. The midsole comprises a formed portion, a toe cushion portion, and a rigid shank. The formed portion extends from the sole heel region to the sole metatarsal region and is formed around the rigid shank such that the rigid shank is fully encapsulated by the formed portion. The toe cushion portion is secured to the formed portion and extends forward of the formed portion to the sole toe region. The midsole further comprises a midsole upper surface that has a concavity that extends from the sole heel region to the sole midfoot region. The insole comprises a cushion material that has a stiffness between 25 and 30 Asker C and is adapted and configured to nest within the concavity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention

[0001] This invention pertains to a high-heeled shoe.SUMMARY

[0002] One aspect of the disclosure is a high-heeled shoe that comprises a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The sole has a sole heel end and a sole toe end. The sole extends along a shoe axis from the sole heel end to the sole toe end. The sole has a lateral side that extends from the sole heel end to the sole toe end and a medial side that extends from the sole heel end to the sole toe end. The sole extends transversely from the lateral side to the medial side. The sole has a sole heel region, a sole midfoot region, a sole forefoot region, a sole metatarsal region, a sole ball region, and a sole toe region. The sole heel region extends longitudinally from the sole heel end to the sole midfoot region. The sole midfoot region extends longitudinally from the sole heel region to the sole forefoot region. The sole forefoot region extends longitudinally from the sole midfoot region to the sole metatarsal region. The sole metatarsal region extends longitudinally from the sole forefoot region to the sole ball region. The sole ball region extends longitudinally from the sole metatarsal region to the toe region. The sole toe region extends longitudinally from the sole ball region to the sole toe end. The sole heel region has a lateral heel portion and a medial heel portion. The sole midfoot region has a lateral midfoot portion and a medial midfoot portion. The sole forefoot region has a lateral forefoot portion and a medial forefoot portion. The sole metatarsal region has a lateral metatarsal portion and a medial metatarsal portion. The sole ball region has a lateral ball portion and a medial ball portion. The sole toe region has a lateral toe portion and a medial toe portion. The sole comprises an insole, midsole, outsole, and heel. The midsole extends from the sole heel region to the sole toe region. The outsole extends from the sole midfoot region to the sole toe region. The heel is in the heel region of the sole below the midsole. The heel is configured to space the midfoot region of the outsole from a flat ground surface when the heel and the ball region of the outsole are in contact with the flat ground surface. The midsole comprises a formed portion, a toe cushion portion, and a rigid shank. The formed portion extends from the sole heel region to the sole metatarsal region and is formed around the rigid shank such that the rigid shank is fully encapsulated by the formed portion. The toe cushion portion is secured to the formed portion and extends forward of the formed portion to the sole toe region. The midsole further comprises a midsole upper surface that has a concavity that extends from the sole heel region to the sole midfoot region. The insole comprises a cushion material that has a stiffness between 25 and 30 Asker C and is adapted and configured to nest within the concavity.

[0003] Further features and advantages, as well as the operation, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a high-heeled shoe of the present disclosure.

[0005] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the high-heeled shoe of FIG. 1.

[0006] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the insole and midsole of the high-heeled shoe of FIG. 1.

[0007] FIG. 4 is a top view of the midsole of the high-heeled shoe of FIG. 1.

[0008] FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the midsole of FIG. 4 taken along the line 5-5.

[0009] Reference numerals in the written specification and in the figures indicate corresponding items.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] An embodiment of a high-heeled shoe in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by reference number 20 in FIGS. 1-5. The high-heeled shoe 20 comprises a sole 22 and an upper 24 secured to the sole. The sole 22 has a sole heel end 26 and a sole toe end 28. The sole 22 extends along a shoe axis X from the sole heel end 26 to the sole toe end 28. The sole 22 has a lateral side 22L that extends from the sole heel end 26 to the sole toe end 28 and a medial side 22M that extends from the sole heel end to the sole toe end. The sole 22 extends transversely from the lateral side 22L to the medial side 22M.

[0011] The sole 22 has a sole heel region 30, a sole midfoot region 32, a sole forefoot region 34, a sole metatarsal region 36, a sole ball region 38, and a sole toe region 40. The sole heel region 30 extends longitudinally from the sole heel end 26 to the sole midfoot region 32. The sole midfoot region 32 extends longitudinally from the sole heel region 30 to the sole forefoot region 34. The sole forefoot region 34 extends longitudinally from the sole midfoot region 32 to the sole metatarsal region 36. The sole metatarsal region 36 extends longitudinally from the sole forefoot region 34 to the sole ball region 38. The sole ball region 38 extends longitudinally from the sole metatarsal region 36 to the toe region 40. The sole toe region 40 extends longitudinally from the sole ball region 38 to the sole toe end 28.

[0012] The sole heel region 30 has a lateral heel portion 30L and a medial heel portion 30M. The sole midfoot region 32 has a lateral midfoot portion 32L and a medial midfoot portion 32M. The sole forefoot region 34 has a lateral forefoot portion 34L and a medial forefoot portion 34M. The sole metatarsal region 36 has a lateral metatarsal portion 36L and a medial metatarsal portion 36M. The sole ball region 38 has a lateral ball portion 38L and a medial ball portion 38M. The sole toe region 40 has a lateral toe portion 40L and a medial toe portion 40M.

[0013] The sole 22 comprises an insole 42, midsole 44, outsole 46, and heel 48. The midsole 44 extends from the sole heel region 30 to the sole toe region 40. The outsole 46 extends from the sole midfoot region 32 to the sole toe region 40. The heel 48 is in the heel region 30 of the sole 22 below the midsole 44. The heel 48 is configured to space the midfoot region 32 of the outsole 46 from a flat ground surface (not shown) when the heel and the ball region 38 of the outsole are in contact with the flat ground surface.

[0014] The midsole 44 comprises a formed portion 50, a toe cushion portion 52, and a rigid shank 54. The formed portion 50 extends from the sole heel region 30 to the sole metatarsal region 36 and is formed around the rigid shank 54 such that the rigid shank is fully encapsulated by the formed portion. The toe cushion portion 52 is secured to the formed portion 50 and extends forward of the formed portion to the sole toe region 40. The midsole 44 further comprises a midsole upper surface 56 that has a concavity 58 that extends from the sole heel region 30 to the sole midfoot region 32. The insole 42 comprises a cushion material that has a stiffness between 25 and 30 Asker C and is adapted and configured to nest within the concavity 58. The formed portion 50 may have a stiffness between 60 to 70 Shore D and a rigidity of 3049 to 3258 KN / mm2. The toe cushion portion 52 may have a stiffness between 20 to 22 Shore D.

[0015] The midsole may extend between the midsole upper surface 56 and a midsole bottom surface 60. The midsole 44 may have a midsole thickness TMS equal to the distance between the midsole upper surface 56 and the midsole bottom surface 60.

[0016] The concavity 58 may extend from the midsole upper surface 56 to a concavity bottom surface 62. The concavity may have a concavity depth DC equal to the distance from the midsole upper surface 56 to the concavity bottom surface 62. The concavity depth Dc in the heel region 30 may be between 3 millimeters (mm) and 9 mm, inclusive. For example, the concavity depth Dc in the heel region 30 may be between 3 mm and 6 mm, inclusive. As another example, concavity depth DC in the heel region 30 may be 6 mm. The concavity depth Dc may be less than the midsole thickness TMS.

[0017] The insole 42 may extend between an insole top surface 64 and an insole bottom surface 66. When the insole 42 is nested within the concavity 58, the insole bottom surface 66 may be adjacent the concavity bottom surface 62 and the insole top surface 64 may be flush with the midsole upper surface 56. The insole 42 may have a stiffness of 28 Asker C.

[0018] In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.

[0019] It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.

[0020] As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A high-heeled shoe comprising:a sole; andan upper secured to the sole;the sole having a sole heel end and a sole toe end, the sole extending along a shoe axis from the sole heel end to the sole toe end, the sole having a lateral side extending from the sole heel end to the sole toe end and a medial side extending from the sole heel end to the sole toe end, the sole extending transversely from the lateral side to the medial side, the sole having a sole heel region, a sole midfoot region, a sole forefoot region, a sole metatarsal region, a sole ball region, and a sole toe region, the sole heel region extending longitudinally from the sole heel end to the sole midfoot region, the sole midfoot region extending longitudinally from the sole heel region to the sole forefoot region, the sole forefoot region extending longitudinally from the sole midfoot region to the sole metatarsal region, the sole metatarsal region extending longitudinally from the sole forefoot region to the sole ball region, the sole ball region extending longitudinally from the sole metatarsal region to the toe region, the sole toe region extending longitudinally from the sole ball region to the sole toe end, the sole heel region having a lateral heel portion and a medial heel portion, the sole midfoot region having a lateral midfoot portion and a medial midfoot portion, the sole forefoot region having a lateral forefoot portion and a medial forefoot portion, the sole metatarsal region having a lateral metatarsal portion and a medial metatarsal portion, the sole ball region having a lateral ball portion and a medial ball portion, the sole toe region having a lateral toe portion and a medial toe portion;the sole comprising an insole, midsole, outsole, and heel, the midsole extending from the sole heel region to the sole toe region, the outsole extending from the sole midfoot region to the sole toe region, the heel being in the heel region of the sole below the midsole, the heel being configured to space the midfoot region of the outsole from a flat ground surface when the heel and the ball region of the outsole are in contact with the flat ground surface, the midsole comprising a formed portion, a toe cushion portion, and a rigid shank, the formed portion extending from the sole heel region to the sole metatarsal region and being formed around the rigid shank such that the rigid shank is fully encapsulated by the formed portion, the toe cushion portion being secured to the formed portion and extending forward of the formed portion to the sole toe region, the midsole further comprising a midsole upper surface having a concavity extending from the sole heel region to the sole midfoot region, the insole comprising a cushion material having a stiffness between 25 and 30 Asker C and being adapted and configured to nest within the concavity; andwherein the formed portion has a stiffness between 60 to 70 Shore D and a rigidity of 3049 to 3258 KN / mm2.

2. (canceled)3. The high-heeled shoes of claim 2 wherein the toe cushion portion has a stiffness between 20 to 22 Shore D.

4. The high-heeled shoe of claim 1 wherein the midsole extends between a midsole upper surface and a midsole bottom surface, the midsole having a midsole thickness equal to the distance between the midsole upper surface and the midsole bottom surface, and wherein the concavity extends from the midsole upper surface to a concavity bottom surface, the concavity having a concavity depth equal to the distance from the midsole upper surface to the concavity bottom surface.

5. The high-heeled shoe of claim 4 wherein the concavity depth in the heel region is between 3 mm and 9 mm, inclusive.

6. The high-heeled shoe of claim 5 wherein the concavity depth in the heel region is between 3 mm and 6 mm, inclusive.

7. The high-heeled shoe of claim 6 wherein the concavity depth in the heel region is 6 mm.

8. The high-heeled shoe of claim 4 wherein the concavity depth is less than the midsole thickness.

9. The high-heeled shoe of claim 4 wherein the insole extends between an insole top surface and an insole bottom surface, and wherein, when the insole is nested within the concavity, the insole bottom surface is adjacent the concavity bottom surface and the insole top surface is flush with the midsole upper surface.

10. The high-heeled shoe of claim 9 wherein the insole has a stiffness of 28 Asker C.

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