Abstract:
A shoe including a sole, toe reinforcement portion, heel reinforcement portion, eyelet portion, skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion, an adjustable tightening member for adjusting the ankle to heel portion of the shoe, a lace engaging the eyelet portion for adjusting the fit from toe to instep portion, and a sock inner as an internal carapace portion for covering, accommodating and holding the foot of the wearer. The toe reinforcement portion, heel reinforcement portion, eyelet portion, and skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion define an outer carapace portion. Improved fit with the foot and ankle and air intake and exhaust within the shoe accelerated to improve the aerating action.

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/184,112, filed Jan. 21, 1994, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a shoe having a skeleton-shaped outer carapace provided with an inner carapace portion for accommodating a foot. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, a conventional shoe has a sole portion and a carapace portion connected to the sole portion for covering an instep of the foot. 
     The carapace portion of the shoe is intended to cover the instep and a heel of the foot, except an underneath surface thereof, and must hold the foot as well as protect the foot from outer shock during use of the shoe. 
     Further, shoes, in particular athletic shoes, are required to fit the feet for enhancing athletic function. 
     A conventional athletic shoe was provided in the carapace portion thereof with a plurality of pieces such as an upper, bellows and the like, and reinforcements were sewn onto the carapace portion provided with such pieces. In order to function as a shoe, proper and fixing properties in addition to fitting properties are indispensable. However, even if the carapace portion was made of a stretch material to develop the fitting property, the carapace portion was required to be reinforced by a seam or other various reinforcements, which inhibited the fitting property. 
     A piece called an inner which desirably has heat insulation, waterproof, and shock relaxation properties has been used. For the inner, a material having almost no stretch property has been used. Even when the inner had a stretch property, it was only for the one portion contacting the instep and the ankle of the foot. Further, there were a number of stitches in the inner, which detracted from appropriate fit comfortable feel when wearing the shoes, and it has been technically difficult to reduce these stitches. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shoe having a skeleton-shaped outer carapace which develops a fitting property with a foot and an ankle, improves an aeration function within the shoe, and provides a well-fitting and comfortable feel when wearing the shoe. 
     The object of the invention can be achieved by a device including a sole, a hard and skeleton-shaped outer carapace fixed onto the sole, and a soft inner carapace portion directly contacting the foot, the soft inner carapace accommodated separately in the outer carapace portion, and is fixed on the sole in at least one portion of a lower edge thereof. 
     According to the shoe having the skeleton-shaped outer carapace of the present invention, the outer carapace portion fixed onto the sole is shaped as a skeleton, and includes the toe reinforcement portion, the heel reinforcement portion, the eyelet portion, and at least one longitudinal reinforcement portion for connecting the sole with the eyelet portion, and of the lateral reinforcement portion for connecting the sole with the heel reinforcement portion. The inner carapace portion contacts directly with the foot, is accommodated in the outer carapace portion but separately from the outer carapace portion, and fixed on the sole in at least one portion of the lower edge thereof. The outer carapace portion is hard, and the inner carapace portion is soft. 
     Therefore, a major part of the inner carapace portion can move separately from the outer carapace portion in a space within the outer carapace portion, hence, the inner carapace portion is allowed to deform, stretch and contract independently from the outer carapace portion. Thus, the present invention provides a proper fit with the foot and the ankle, and can accelerate air intake and exhaust within the shoe to improve aeration action. Further, since there is no seam portion for connecting the inner carapace portion with the outer carapace portion, the well-fitting and comfortable feel in wearing the shoe can be improved. 
     According to a preferred characteristic of the shoe having the skeleton-shaped outer carapace of the present invention, it is preferable that the inner carapace portion is formed unitedly by using a material cut out tri-dimentionally. Thus, the fitting property of the inner carapace portion with the foot and the ankle can be further enhanced. 
     According to the shoe of the present invention, the well-fitting property with the foot and the ankle can be improved, and the air intake and exhaust within the shoe can be accelerated to improve the aerating action, and further the well-fitting and comfortable feel when wearing the shoe can be enhanced. 
     Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of an entire shoe showing a skeleton-shaped outer carapace according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of a sock inner according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in line A--A of the shoe having the skeleton-shaped outer carapace of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a cutting view of the sock inner of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of a tightening member according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a rear view of the tightening member of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a view of variation of the sock inner according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a view of another variation of the sock inner according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view in line B--B of the sock inner of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the shock inner of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of a variation of the tightening member according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is a rear view of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a view of another variation of the tightening member according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 14 is a view of a variation of an adjuster according the present invention; 
     FIG. 15 is a view of another variation of the adjuster according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 16 is a view of still another variation of the tightening member according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 17 is a view showing a unit of the adjuster of FIG. 16; and 
     FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view in line C--C of FIG. 16. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with referring to the figures. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a shoe 1 of the present invention includes a sole 2, a toe reinforcement portion 3, a heel reinforcement portion 4, an eyelet portion 5, a skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6, a tightening member 7 for adjusting a fitting from an ankle to the heel portion of a wearer of the shoe, a lace 8 engaging the eyelet portion 5 for adjusting the shoe fit from the toe to an instep portion of a wearer of the shoe, and a sock inner 9 as the internal carapace portion for accommodating and holding the foot of the wearer by covering it, the toe reinforcement portion 3, the heel reinforcement portion 4, the eyelet portion 5, and the skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6 constituting an outer carapace portion. 
     The toe reinforcement portion 3 and the heel reinforcement portion 4 are fixed onto the front and back of the sole 2, respectively. The eyelet portion 5 is connected to the sole 2 through the toe reinforcement portion. 
     The skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6 has a skeleton construction composed of a lateral strip member 10 for connecting the toe reinforcement portion 3 with the heel reinforcement portion 4, and a longitudinal strip member 11 for connecting the sole portion 2 with the eyelet portion 5. Note that the lateral strip 10 extends intermediate the region between the eyelet portion 5 and the sole 2. The lateral strip member 10 and the longitudinal strip member 11 are disposed on the inner and outer sides of the shoe, and associate with each other to define a plurality of holes. This skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6 is completely separated from the sock inner g, and is dimensioned well enough to connect the sole 2, the toe reinforcement portion 3, the heel reinforcement portion 4 and the eyelet portion 5 with each other to reinforce the shoe. In the preferred form illustrated in FIG. 1, it will be seen that there are two lateral strip members 10 substantially parallel to one another and two longitudinal strip members 11 substantially parallel to one another, the pairs of lateral and longitudinal strip members crossing each other to form cross-points in a center of the side portion of the shoe between its opposite ends and generally centrally between eyelet portion 5 and sole 2. Further, the crossing strips define holes in the carapace skeleton as clearly seen in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 2 is a unit assembly of the sock inner 9. The sock inner 9 has a form similar to the foot of the wearer to fit it, and is provided with an opening 12 in an upper portion thereof for allowing the foot to be inserted there through. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the sock inner 9 is fixed onto an insole 13 only at a lower edge thereof, and is not sewn together with the outer carapace portion. The upper portion, front and back portions, and side portions of the sock inner 9 are constructed in a free state. 
     The sock inner 9 is composed of an upper inner 14 for accommodating an arch, the heel and the ankle, a lower inner 15 for accommodating the toe and the arch, a lining 16 for reinforcing a rear portion of an upper peripheral edge portion 14a defining the opening 12, a toe protection tape 17, a joint tape 18 for joining the upper inner 14 to the lower inner 15, and a heel protection tape 19. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the upper inner 14, the lower inner 15, and the lining 16 have support and stretch properties, and they are cut out tri-dimensionally using a material softer than that of the outer carapace portion like the skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6. The upper inner 14 and the lower inner 15 are separated in a transition portion from the ankle to the instep. Such separation face is formed in a zigzag so as to maintain the stretch property of the sock inner 9 after sewing. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 &amp; 8, the tightening member 7 includes two straps 20 disposed on the inner and the outer sides of the shoe 1, two holes 21a, and an adjuster 21 disposed on the heel reinforcement portion 4. The strap 20 is provided at an end thereof with holes 20a for allowing the lace 8 to pass therethrough, and the strap 20 is divided into two branches at the other end. One 20b of the two branches passes through the adjuster 21, and is integrally connected to one end of the lateral strip member 10 of the skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6. The other one 20c of the branches is fixed onto a stretch member 22 located on the heel reinforcement portion 4. A tightening direction of the strap 20 can be changed through the intermediary of the stretch member 22 when putting on the shoe. 
     Usage and functions of the shoe 1 of the embodiments explained with referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, will be described hereinafter. 
     When putting on the shoe 1, the foot is inserted through the opening 12 of the sock inner 9 from the toe, and is accommodated in the sock inner 9 up to the ankle. After that, when the shoe fits appropriately the foot by adjusting the tightening member with the lace 8, the lace 8 is tied. At that time, the toe and the instep are fixed by the eyelet portion 5, and the ankle and the heel portion are fixed by the tightening member 7. 
     The sock inner 9 is unitedly formed, matching the shape of the foot. The material having support and stretch properties is almost always used. The sock inner 9 is cut out tri-dimensionally so as not to damage the stretch property. Therefore, the sock inner 0 can support firmly the foot and the ankle can follow up the movement of the foot. Further, there is an appropriate clearance between the sock inner 9 and the foot, so it attenuates stiffness which is liable to be produced in a sock construction. 
     Further, the sock inner 9 is fixed on the insole 13 at the lower edge thereof and is separated from the outer carapace portion, hence the degree of freedom is large. Deformation, stretch, and contraction are freely realized in accordance with the movement of the foot. Therefore, the fit with the foot and the ankle is improved, and efficiency with the lace and the tightening member is also developed. 
     Since the sock inner 9 is not sewn together with the outer carapace portion, only a few stitches are required, hence, a well-fitting, comfortable feel when wearing the shoe is developed, and even after the long usage, the sock inner 9 does not fray and a cloth material of the sock inner 9 is not torn. 
     The material of the sock inner 9 preferably has flexibility for fitting the foot by following the movements of the foot, as well as air permeability and a heat retaining property for obtaining comfortableness. The material for reducing the sensible temperature may be also used. The material can be selected from various hard and soft materials, for example, it is selected such that the material of the inside of the opening 12 directly contacting the ankle is softer than that of the outside so as to permit the ankle to feel better. 
     The fitting property can be further improved by increasing the height of the upper peripheral edge portion 14a of the sock inner 9. Therefore, the height of the upper peripheral edge portion 14a of the sock inner 9 is determined in accordance with the intended use, such as marathon, basket ball or the like, whereby a most suitable shoe can be obtained. 
     Since the sock inner 9 has in itself certain functions naturally possessed by the shoe, the outer carapace is simplified. 
     The skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6 has a skeleton construction made only by a lateral strip member 10 and a longitudinal strip member 11 which are dimensioned well enough to connect the sole 2, the toe reinforcement portion 3, the heel reinforcement portion 4, and the eyelet portion 5 with each other and reinforce the shoe. Therefore, a plurality of openings are formed in the reinforcement portion 6 to thereby improve air permeability and lighten the shoe. The skeleton-shaped reinforcement portion 6 is separated from the sock inner 9 and is not fixed thereto, and therefore the portion 6 does not restrain the movement of the sock inner 9. 
     The strap 20 and the adjuster 21 forming the tightening member 7 are arranged in the heel reinforcement portion 4. When the tightening member 7 is fastened with the lace 8, both the ankle and the heel portion can be fixed, and fitting and fixing properties are improved. So, in particular, the athletic function for various types of athletic race shoes can be accommodated. Further, several functions are fulfilled by one member, therefore, the construction of the shoe can be simplified. 
     A variation of the present invention will be described hereinafter. 
     In FIG. 7, the upper peripheral edge portion 14d is formed in zigzag, and the zigzag portion is broadened sufficiently to allow the foot to easily enter the shoe 8. 
     In FIGS. 8 &amp; 9, the sock inner 23 is double-layered on each side face of the inner 24. A sponge 25 is arranged between the two layers to protect and fix the Achilles&#39; tendon. 
     FIG. 10 shows the sock inner 3 exploded into the inner 24, and the sponge 25. An upper portion of the inner 24 is folded into the inside of the inner 24 while sandwiching the sponge 25 between the two layers. 
     FIG. 11 &amp; 12 show a variation of the tightening member. One 26b of the two branches of the strap 26 is fixed through the adjuster 21 to the sole 2, and the other one 26c of the branches is fixed onto the sole 2 directly. 
     In FIG. 13, one 27b of the branches of the strap 27 is extended to the eyelet portion 5 through the adjuster 21 and a support portion 28 located on the sole. 
     In FIG. 14, a lower edge of the adjuster 21 is coupled to the heel reinforcement portion 4 through a stretch member 29. 
     In FIG. 15, a lower edge of the adjuster 30 is fixed onto the heel reinforcement portion 4, and an upper edge of the adjustment is turned down to form the adjuster. 
     In FIG. 16, the tightening member of the present invention is utilized for tightening the instep and the arch portion. The adjuster 31 is arranged on the eyelet portion 5. One end 32b of the strap 32 is fixed on the sole 2, while the other end 32c of the strap 32 is passed through the hole 31a of the adjuster 31, and is extended to the eyelet portion 5 through the support portion 33. Thus, various tightenings are possible by changing the arrangement of the adjuster and combination of the strap with the adjuster. 
     FIGS. 17 &amp; 18 show a unit of the adjuster 31 used for the tightening member of FIG. 16, and a cross-sectional view of the unit of FIG. 16, respectively. The adjustment 31 has a double-layered structure consisting of an artificial leather layer 31b and a polyester fiber 31c. Thus, the well-fitting feel can be adjusted. 
     It will be easily understood that the present invention can be applied to not only particular shoes such as the athletic shoes, but also shoes of various types such as townshoes. 
     Many widely different embodiments of the present invention may be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the specification, except as defined in the appended claims.