Abstract:
The invention relates to a sole chassis for shoes comprising a flexible front sheet assigned to the front foot area, which is connected in an articulated manner via a bending edge to a flexurally rigid rear sheet assigned to the rear foot area, wherein the front sheet comprises a corrugated structured sole made of spring steel or another flexible hard material, which can be bent at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis and is designed to be flexurally rigid in the transverse area and is connected to the rear sheet via a bending edge.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a U.S. National Phase patent application based on International Application No. PCT/EP2012/003286 filed Aug. 2, 2012, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2011 109 274.2 filed Aug. 3, 2011, the entire disclosures of which are hereby explicitly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention concerns a sole chassis for shoes in accordance with the generic term of patent claim  1 . 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Sole chassis for shoes are used as the basic construction form for the construction of a shoe, whereby the shoe upper is connected to the sole chassis by known means of fastening (gluing, lock stitching, crimping). Shoe construction of a welted shoe consists of, for instance, an insole that is strengthened with a shank as a hinge and with a heel at the rear area of the foot and joined e.g. with nails or by gluing. The bottom of the insole is covered with an outer sole. Filling material is positioned between the insole and the outer sole. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    For a welted shoe, the connection between the shoe upper and the insole is made with a double seam which joins both parts all around. 
         [0007]    A known shoe construction such as this is characterized by the fact that the rear foot area of the insole (rear sheet) is made rigid because e.g. a spring joint, which connects the rear portion firmly with the heel, is positioned in this area whereas the front portion is made flexible so as to enable a rolling and pronation of the front of the foot while walking. 
         [0008]    Such a shoe construction has proven its worth on a large scale and it was perceived in DE 10 2008 059 030 A1 by the same inventors, that a better support of the foot can be achieved by using an insole which is inserted in the shoe aforementioned construction. 
         [0009]    The aforementioned publication reveals an insole insert made in one piece of spring steel and used as a supporting sole that can be separately inserted into the shoe. Characteristic for this known insole insert is the use of spring steel or some other flexible elastic material which gives the insole insert sufficient lateral stability and an outstanding longitudinal flexibility. 
         [0010]    It has been shown that an insole insert that stretches over the entire length of the foot in a shoe construction of the type mentioned at the outset is inconvenient, since the actual supporting force is only achieved if—particularly in sports shoes—the entire area of the sole is fashioned in the shape of a wedge, i.e. without a heel or is actually a flat outer sole. 
         [0011]    The use of an insole in a shoe construction mentioned earlier as per the subject of DE 10 2008 059 030 0 A1 has a another disadvantage, in that the shoe construction becomes unnecessarily taller and also results in higher manufacturing costs since, as in the earlier described known shoe construction consisting of an insole and a cover of the insole, an additional insole made of spring steel or some other flexible elastic material has to be inserted. 
         [0012]    The objective of this invention is therefore to build a sole chassis for shoes referred to at the outset to be constructed in such a way that even for a low construction height, an excellent lateral stability and a good longitudinal stability of the sole chassis is ensured even for shoes with heels or such shoes which have an arch. 
         [0013]    The solution to the objective is characterized by the invention technical teaching of Claim  1 . 
         [0014]    A significant feature of the invention is that the sole chassis as per this invention no longer consists of a two part insole that is built rigid in the rear foot area and flexible in the front foot area. Instead, the invention suggests that the front sheet of the known sole chassis is fashioned as a corrugated structured sole of spring steel or some other flexible elastic material and connected to the rigid rear sheet via a bending edge. 
         [0015]    With this, a completely novel sole chassis is created since, instead of building an insole as the sole chassis a two part sole chassis is suggested, which consists of a corrugated structured sole as the front sheet that is connected in an articulated manner via a bending edge with the rigid rear sheet that makes up the rear foot area. 
         [0016]    With this, the shoe construction is made much smaller, in as much as an additional insole which is the subject of DE 10 2008 059 030 A1 need no longer be used because as per the invention the insole described there is now part of the sole chassis. 
         [0017]    With this, the height is significantly lowered, so that the human foot is supported closer over the contact area, which is important in various kinds of sports or also while walking. Further, it is significant that due to the construction of a sole chassis that is made in at least two parts, the front sheet of which is made as a corrugated structured sole, now acquires superior ease of wear properties. Replacing the usual insole with the corrugated structured sole as per this invention, the foot is given a till now unknown stability from below and at the same time with freedom of movement. The sole chassis as per this invention provides a stable base for standing and walking. As a result of the lateral stability of the structured sole as per this invention, a greater stability is achieved, particularly by application of a supporting force directed upwards in the region of the ball of the foot, which supports the ball of the human foot so that a sinking or push-through downwards of the arch in the region of the ball of the foot is avoided. The clinical condition of Hallux vulgus (skewed toe) is thus successfully combated. 
         [0018]    In this clinical condition, the bones of the middle foot that connect the middle foot to the big toe spread out considerably. The big toe turns the other way, that is, towards the smaller toes. The original joint protrudes more and more outwards and can lead to abrasion areas and inflammation while walking. 
         [0019]    As per this invention, thanks to the use of a corrugated structured sole, the arch of the foot is supported from below, and thus prevented from pushing through of the arch of the foot downwards and the building of a roof gutter effect. Hereby, by the use of a structured sole that allows longitudinal flexibility and provides lateral stability, the footprint area is increased resulting in a safer stance. Thus, the use of a sole chassis with a corrugated structured sole that makes up the front sheet leads to a more uniform loading of the shoe on a larger area. 
         [0020]    It is the unfavorable shape of conventional shoes that is responsible for the roof gutter effect and not the weak musculature of the foot. The foot must adapt to the shoe, whereby it gets deformed unnaturally and the musculature becomes insufficient. A lightweight shoe (e.g. a wedge shaped sports shoe) feigns a direct force transfer which, however, is not achieved because, due to the soft material of such a shoe, the foot is presented only with the uneven subsurface of the ground, so the foot is not fully supported by the flexible outer sole. 
         [0021]    A further advantage of using the sole chassis built up in at least two parts with a corrugated structured sole as a front sheet is that due to the springing force of the structured sole there is a constant recoil effect of the front cap of a shoe that has this kind of sole chassis. This counteracts the so called beak effect in which, particularly in pointed ladies shoes, the toe points upwards in a permanent deformation. This is prevented by the sole chassis as per this invention. 
         [0022]    According to a preferred version in the concept of this invention, provision is made for the rigid rear plate to be further reinforced in the direction of its longitudinal axis by a steel joint (joint spring). 
         [0023]    This is a hinge spring, also known as steel joint, and is attached to the lower side of the insole e.g. with an adhesive (Agokleber) or by a riveting. 
         [0024]    Also, provision is made in a further development of the invention for the rear sheet to be built up as a complete foot-bed or as a straight and flat piece or also as a heel cup. 
         [0025]    Also, provision is made in a further development of the invention for the sole chassis as per this invention to be just loosely laid in or stuck in a shoe. 
         [0026]    A usual shoe shaft using the sole chassis as per this invention is, however, preferably lock stitched in front and crimped at the back. 
         [0027]    Alternatively, a shoe built with a sole chassis as per this invention can also be crimped to a strip along its entire length. 
         [0028]    As per this invention, is intended that the sole chassis as per this invention replaces the usual insole of a shoe. 
         [0029]    In the case of shoes with heels, particularly ladies&#39; pumps or other shoes which have a relatively large arch, the sole chassis itself is preferably built up as an insole which merges with a flexible front sheet in the direction of the ball of the foot beyond the bending edge and is connected to it, whereby the flexible front sheet itself is built up as a structured sole or is at least partly connected with the corrugated structured sole. 
         [0030]    Therefore, if in the following description the term “structured sole” is used, it can mean several embodiments: 
         [0031]    In a first embodiment, provision can be made for the structured sole that makes up the insole to have an additional cover on the side directed towards the foot and to be connected on the underside to an outer sole. 
         [0032]    The structured sole as per this invention can also have lateral, standing side cheeks to support the side surfaces of the foot on the outer sides and thus counteract the roof gutter effect. Such side cheeks can be preferably arranged in the region of the ball of the foot as lateral limits of the structured sole. With this, the foot is also supported laterally and not just against the walking surface. 
         [0033]    The subject matter of this invention results not only from the subject of the individual claims but also from combinations of the individual patent claims. 
         [0034]    All details and characteristics revealed in the documents, including in the summary, particularly those described in the spatial forms shown in the drawings, are claimed as essential to the invention in so far as they are, individually or in combination, new with reference to the state of the art. 
         [0035]    In the following, the invention is described in detail with the help of drawings showing several embodiments. Characteristics and advantages essential to the invention are set out in the drawings and their descriptions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0036]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0037]    As shown: 
           [0038]      FIG. 1  A schematic top view of a first embodiment of a sole chassis. 
           [0039]      FIG. 2  Section as per line II-III in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 3  A second embodiment of a sole chassis. 
           [0041]      FIG. 4  Section through a third embodiment of a sole chassis. 
           [0042]      FIG. 5  Schematic cross section through the front sheet of a sole chassis with details of the position of the foot. 
           [0043]      FIG. 6  A modified embodiment with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
           [0044]      FIG. 7  Ladies&#39; pumps with illustration of the unwanted beak effect. 
           [0045]      FIG. 8  A detailed illustration of a corrugated structured sole in top view. 
           [0046]      FIG. 9  Section through the structured sole with reference to  FIG. 8 . 
           [0047]      FIG. 10  An illustration of the construction of a sole chassis with the use of the structural sole in ladies&#39; pumps. 
           [0048]      FIG. 11  The view from the underside of the embodiment with reference to  FIG. 10 . 
           [0049]      FIG. 12  A partial section through another arrangement of a ladies&#39; pumps with the sole chassis according to this invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0050]    In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , two different embodiments of a sole chassis  32 ,  33  are shown. The sole chassis  32  shown in  FIG. 1  consists of a structured sole  1  that is positioned in the front foot area which stretches at least up to the ball area of the human foot and which has a corrugated structure  2 . 
         [0051]    In the rear area it is connected by a rivet  22  to a steel joint  21 , whereby as per  FIG. 2 , the steel joint  21  is fashioned as a rigid strip of metal which is formed as a rigid longitudinal bead  28  running in the longitudinal direction. 
         [0052]    Such a sole chassis  32  can be directly built into a shoe as an insole, whereby it is just required as an additional measure that the rear part of the steel joint  21  is connected to a heel with fastening material not described here in detail. 
         [0053]      FIG. 3  shows as an extended example of an embodiment with respect to  FIG. 1 , that the rear sheet  14  of the sole chassis  33  is made rigid by connecting the normally rigid rear sheet as a flat part additionally in the direction of its longitudinal axis to the earlier mentioned steel joint  21 , whereby the front part of the rear sheet  14  overlaps with the rear part of the structured sole  1  with an overlapping area  29  and is connected there to the structured sole  1  with the help of a rivet  22 . 
         [0054]    The sole chassis  32  shown in  FIG. 1  is therefore built in two parts and consists of the flexible front sheet  15 , which is made up by the structured sole  1  and the steel joint  21  which is positioned on the front sheet  15  and which forms the rigid rear sheet  14 . 
         [0055]    The sole chassis  33  according to  FIG. 3  is on the other hand built in three parts, since it consists of the flexible front sheet  15  in the form of the structured sole  1  and the rigid rear sheet  14  which is formed from a leaf shaped, flat and rigid plastic material, which is stiffened on the inner or outer side additionally by the steel joint  21 . 
         [0056]    The invention also includes embodiments in which the sole chassis consists of more than three parts. Such parts can be coverings, multiple subdivisions or something similar. 
         [0057]      FIG. 4  shows the use of a sole chassis according to the  FIGS. 1 and 2  during the construction of a shoe that has a heel  10 . 
         [0058]    The front sheet  15  consists of the structured sole  1  as per this invention which is covered at the top by a support. 
         [0059]    The structured sole  1  is connected to the steel joint  21  by a rivet  22  and by another rivet  22  with the rigid rear sheet  14  at its rear end. 
         [0060]    The steel joint  21  stretches into the area of a heel  10  which is connected with the rear sheet. The gap  31  is a measure for the extent of the arch of the foot. 
         [0061]    It is clear from  FIG. 4  that the structured sole  1  with corrugated structure  2  counteracts the unwanted beak effect. If the structured sole  1  is bent upwards in the direction of the arrow  12  while walking, the spring material of the structured sole  1  generates a resetting force in the direction of the arrow  12 ′, due to which the shoe always has a straight and level toecap. Thanks to the resetting force of the structured sole, an upward bending due to the unwanted beaking of the toecap is thus permanently eliminated. 
         [0062]      FIG. 5  shows other details of the support of the front of the foot  37 , where it can be seen that the structured sole  1  can also have side cheeks  44  which give additional side support to the front of the foot  37 . The length of the side cheeks  44  should be such that at least the front of the foot with its ball is at least partly laterally surrounded. 
         [0063]    Out of the five bones of the foot it is known that the body weight is directed mostly over the middle of the front portion of the foot, specifically over the middle toe  40  in the direction of the arrow  41  on the upper side of the structured sole  1 , which preferably has a convex bowed shape  45 , so as to be able to develop a counter force  43  to the bodyweight applied in the direction of the arrow  41 . 
         [0064]    As a result of this, the awkward sheering away to the left of the bone of the big toe  39  in the direction of the arrow as per  FIG. 5  is counteracted, because a pushing through of the arch of the foot due to the bowed form  45  of the structured sole  1  and the application of a counterforce  43 , is avoided. Thus the arch of the foot is not pressed flat continuously on the contact area  42  and will not deform adversely. 
         [0065]      FIG. 6  shows a sole chassis as per this invention for a flat shoe, whereby simultaneously as a replacement for the rivet joints with the rivets  22  mentioned earlier, the rear end of the structured sole  1  forms a flexible bending edge  16  and is connected in the overlapping region  29  with the rigid rear sheet  14  in the region of a fixture  38 . This fixture  38  can be a glued connection or also an open slot in the rear sheet  14  in which the rear end of the structured sole is inserted and held fast. 
         [0066]    It is very important that the structured sole  1  reaches at least up to the front portion of the human foot and generates a resetting force in the direction of the arrow  12 ′ in the direction of the contact area  42  while walking 
         [0067]      FIG. 7  shows the beak effect mentioned earlier, where it can be seen that for sling pumps  9 , which have a relatively high heel, the toe cap  11  constantly deforms in the direction of the toe cap  11 ′, shown as a dotted line, and leads to a permanent deformation of the toe cap  11 ′. Here, the structured sole  1  as per this invention acts against this and generates a resetting force in the direction of the arrow  12 ′, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , and counteracts the unwanted beak effect of the toecap  11 . 
         [0068]    The  FIGS. 8 and 9  show other details of the structure of the structure sole as per this invention. 
         [0069]    It is made preferably out of spring steel material or a plastic material which has a corrugated structure  2  as in  FIG. 9 , which is made up of rows of parallel angled profiles  3 ,  4 . 
         [0070]    The profiles  3 ,  4  are angled against each other and thus build the basic transverse grooves or corrugations  5  that are positioned diagonally to the longitudinal axis of the structured sole  1 , parallel and at a distance from each other. Recesses  6  are provided in the material of the structured sole in the region of the (sloping) profiles  3  which are preferably made as holes. The recesses  6  serve on the one hand for the passage of air through the structured sole  1  and on the other they serve as a means of fixing to a plastic material or for the anchoring of an outer sole or for foaming of the structured sole  1  into a plastic structure. 
         [0071]    It can be seen that due to the force acting on the structured sole in the direction of the arrow  7 , it is capable of adapting to every foot movement and of enabling a walking motion (rolling-off motion) of the foot with the best adaptation to the foot, whereby the corrugated structure  2  allows the foot to roll-off in conformation to the area of contact  42  (ground). 
         [0072]      FIG. 9  further shows that an excellent side or lateral stability is achieved with forces acting in the directions of the arrow  8  without resulting in a deformation of the structured sole. 
         [0073]    The angle between the profiles  3 ,  4  and the longitudinal axis  19  is approximately 97°, because the human foot carries out its rolling movement angled to the front. The angle  20  corresponds exactly to the direction of the pronating movement of the human foot while walking 
         [0074]      FIG. 10  shows a sole chassis in the form of an insole  13  that consists of a relatively rigid rear sheet  14  which is connected to a heel  10 , whereby the flexible front sheet  15  is connected on its upper side to a structured sole  1  as per this invention, which is connected in the region of an overlapping area  29  with the front end of the rigid rear sheet  14 . 
         [0075]    Due to this, a bending edge  16  is created in the area of the connection between the rear sheet  14  and the front sheet  15 , so that the front sheet  15  can swing in the direction of the arrow  17 . 
         [0076]    Here too it is shown that the structured sole  1  has an excellent flexibility in the longitudinal direction, whereas the structured sole  1  has deformation stability in the lateral direction  23 . 
         [0077]    As a result of this there is always a recoverability of the front end of the insole  13  if the insole  13  is bent downwards in the direction of the arrow  24  while walking 
         [0078]      FIG. 11  shows a bottom view of the construction of the insole  13  as per  FIG. 10 . 
         [0079]    Here it can be seen that the rigid rear sheet  14  that is coated with a rigid plastic and additionally reinforced in the middle region with the steel joint  21  mentioned earlier, which is riveted to the rear sheet  14  with two rivets  22 . 
         [0080]    In the overlapping region  29 , the structured sole  1  is connected to the front end of the rear sheet  14 , whereby such a connection is either formed as a slide-in slot, an adhesive joint, a riveted joint or a snap-on joint. 
         [0081]      FIG. 12  shows another embodiment of ladies&#39; pumps  30  in which the shaft  27  is covered with an inner lining  26  and the upper  25  is decorated in a certain way. The structured sole  1  can be covered on the upper side with a cover, whereby the inlay sole  35  is indicated only as a line. The underside of the structured sole  1  is covered with the outer sole  36 . Filler material  34  can be put in the region between the upper side of the outer sole  36  and the underside of the structured sole  1 . 
         [0082]    Here too, the unwanted beak effect is counteracted by the spring force of the structured sole  1  because when bending the toecap  11 , it is constantly moved back in the direction of the arrow  24  and held there permanently. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Index of Drawings 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                  1. 
                 Structured sole 
               
               
                   
                  2. 
                 Corrugation 
               
               
                   
                  3. 
                 Profile 
               
               
                   
                  4. 
                 Profile 
               
               
                   
                  5. 
                 Wave 
               
               
                   
                  6. 
                 Recess 
               
               
                   
                  7. 
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                  8. 
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                  9. 
                 Sling pumps 
               
               
                   
                 10 
                 Heel 
               
               
                   
                 11. 
                 Toecap 
               
               
                   
                 11′. 
                 Toecap 
               
               
                   
                 12.  
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 12′. 
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 13.  
                 Insole 
               
               
                   
                 14.  
                 Rear sheet 
               
               
                   
                 15.  
                 Front sheet 
               
               
                   
                 16.  
                 Bending edge 
               
               
                   
                 17.  
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 18.  
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 19.  
                 Longitudinal axis 
               
               
                   
                 20.  
                 Angle 
               
               
                   
                 21.  
                 Steel joint 
               
               
                   
                 22.  
                 Rivet 
               
               
                   
                 23.  
                 Lateral direction 
               
               
                   
                 24.  
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 25. 
                 Upper material 
               
               
                   
                 26.  
                 Inner lining 
               
               
                   
                 27.  
                 Shaft 
               
               
                   
                 28.  
                 Longitudinal bead 
               
               
                   
                 29. 
                 Overlapping area 
               
               
                   
                 30.  
                 Ladies&#39; pumps 
               
               
                   
                 31. 
                 Arch 
               
               
                   
                 32.  
                 Sole chassis 
               
               
                   
                 33. 
                 Sole chassis 
               
               
                   
                 34.  
                 Filler material 
               
               
                   
                 35. 
                 Insole insert 
               
               
                   
                 36.  
                 Outer sole 
               
               
                   
                 37. 
                 Front part of the foot 
               
               
                   
                 38.  
                 Fastening 
               
               
                   
                 39.  
                 Bone of the big toe 
               
               
                   
                 40.  
                 Middle toe 
               
               
                   
                 41.  
                 Direction of arrow 
               
               
                   
                 42. 
                 Contact surface 
               
               
                   
                 43. 
                 Counterforce 
               
               
                   
                 44.  
                 Side cheek 
               
               
                   
                 45.  
                 Bowed shape