Patent ID: 9173451
Filing Date: 2015-11-03
Classification: A43B

Abstract:
1. A heel counter support for a shoe having an upper, a shoe sole and a heel counter, the heel counter support configured to support a heel of a wearer from a rear side of the heel, wherein the heel counter support is formed of two members of different materials, one being a support member and the other being a tension-maintaining member, wherein each of the support member and the tension-maintaining member are formed into a single layer, and the support member and the tension-maintaining member extend serially and are combined together into one integral part, wherein the support member is formed of hard synthetic resin materials, the support member having a main body portion with an arc shape in a same contour as the heel counter of the shoe, the main body portion having a predetermined length to support and cover the heel of the wearer, and a lower end portion extending laterally from a lower end of the main body portion and configured to be affixed to the shoe sole of the shoe at a heel side thereof, wherein the tension-maintaining member is arc-shaped and formed of elastic synthetic resin materials, the tension-maintaining member having a lower end portion abutting continuously against and unitarily joined to an upper end edge of the support member, an interim portion, and an upper end portion defining a terminal end of the tension-maintaining member, the interim portion and the upper end portion extending freely upwardly to a predetermined length from the upper end edge of the support member, wherein the heel counter support is separately formed from the upper, the sole, and the heel counter, and configured to be coupled to the heel counter of the shoe to support the heel of the wearer from the rear side of the heel, wherein the upper end portion of the tension-maintaining member is elastically bendable to flex in a forward direction to facilitate an introduction of a foot of the wearer into an inner space of the shoe while the support member formed of hard synthetic resin materials and coupled to the heel counter maintains original shape of the supporter member, and the upper end portion of the tension-maintaining member restores original shape of the upper end portion of the tension-maintaining member extending upwardly from the support member after the foot is received in the shoe as the tension-maintaining member is formed of elastic synthetic materials.