Patent Publication Number: US-2020275734-A1

Title: Dancing shoe, sole/toe unit, upper shoe, and kit consisting of a sole or a sole/toe unit and an upper shoe

Description:
DESCRIPTION 
     The invention relates to a dance shoe as defined in the preamble to claim  1 , a sole/toe unit according to claim  25 , an upper shoe according to claim  26  and a kit composed of a sole or a sole/toe unit and an upper shoe according to claim  27 . 
     Dance shoes, in particular pointe dance shoes for the classical ballet dance, have been known for some time. The invention relates in particular to those types of dance shoes, but can also be used for other types of dance shoes. In the following, we initially only refer to pointe dance shoes. 
     From a functional point of view, these types of dance shoes—frequently also called ballet shoes—consist of a sole extending from a back end to a front end, a toe box connected thereto in the region of the front end, as well as a textile upper shoe that is connected to the sole and toe box and also includes straps or laces for tying. To this day, dance shoes of this type are primarily manufactured individually with mechanical methods and are correspondingly expensive. This is of particular importance since professional male/female dancers wear out one to two pairs of ballet shoes per year. 
     Another problem with ballet shoes is that they must frequently be reworked by the male/female user, so that they can be worn at all. 
     Finally, a general problem with ballet dancing and especially the classical ballet dancing is the extremely high stress on the feet, which frequently leads to permanent damage to the feet. 
     From the generic U.S. Pat. No. 8,082,682 B2, for example, it is known that to make the sole of a shoe more flexible, the outside of the sole is provided with incisions taking the form of grooves that extend transverse to the longitudinal extension of the sole. 
     Starting therefrom, it is the object of the present invention to make available a dance shoe which at least contributes to an improvement regarding the above-described problem. 
     This object is solved with a dance shoe having the features as disclosed in claim  1 . A sole/toe unit for use with such a dance shoe is disclosed in claim  25 , an upper shoe for use with such a dance shoe is disclosed in claim  26 , and a kit consisting of a sole or a sole/toe unit along with an upper shoe is disclosed in claim  27 . 
     The basic idea behind the invention is to produce the sole and the upper shoe separately, such that they are connected only in the state when they are worn. For this, the upper shoe has a foot section with an underside that contains at least one recess. Elongated connecting elements extend through this recess which, when the shoe is worn, are accommodated at least in some sections in incisions on the outside of the sole. At least two and in particular at least four such connecting elements are preferably provided. As a result, a sufficiently strong, but detachable, connection is created between sole and upper shoe when the shoe is worn. The upper shoe in this case preferably consists at least in some parts of an elastic material. This type of design results in numerous advantages. 
     On the one hand, the process of producing the dance shoe is simplified in that the step of connecting the sole and to the upper shoe is omitted. 
     If a sole is worn out, the upper shoe can furthermore be used with a new sole. 
     The upper shoe preferably is embodied in the form of a stocking and has a leg section in addition to the foot section. Such a stocking-type design of the upper shoe can be adapted to the requirements of the male/female dancer, particularly since it has regions of differing elasticity and/or stiffness. On the whole, this also results in a better hold for the foot, thus reducing the stress for the male/female dancer. For these reasons, a ballet shoe according to the invention, for which the upper shoe is designed as a stocking, is definitely preferable for use during the training. For dancing performances, it may be preferable in some cases to use an upper shoe without the leg segment. 
     As mentioned, one preferred exemplary use of the invention is for a pointe dance shoe, which furthermore has a dimensionally stable toe box. The latter is preferably formed in that a toe unit adjoins the sole, wherein it is preferable if the toe unit is integrally connected to the sole, so as to form a sole/toe unit. A toe protection insert is advantageously arranged inside the toe unit. This insert can be manufactured separately, in particular so as to be adapted to the front foot of the male/female dancer. 
     Preferred embodiments and further advantages follow from the dependent claims as well as the exemplary embodiment, shown in further detail with reference to the Figures. 
    
    
     
       The invention is described in more detail in the following with the aid of a preferred example and reference to the Figures, showing in: 
         FIG. 1  A sole/toe unit for a dance shoe; 
         FIG. 2  The sole/toe unit from  FIG. 1 , as seen from a different viewing angle; 
         FIG. 3  An upper shoe to be attached to the sole/toe unit shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  A complete dance shoe being worn, consisting of the sole/toe unit according to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the upper shoe according to  FIG. 3  and, if applicable, a non-depicted toe-protection insert; 
         FIG. 5  A schematic section through the sole of the dance shoe in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  A detail of the drawing in  FIG. 5 , shown in a schematic, perspective representation; 
         FIG. 7  A sole/toe unit and two crossed-over tie straps arranged thereon; and 
         FIG. 8  The representation shown in  FIG. 7 , but seen from a different viewing angle. 
     
    
    
     The invention is described in further detail below with the aid of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive ballet shoe for the pointe dance. This shoe comprises a sole  12 , a toe unit  18  and an upper shoe  20 . The sole  12  and the toe unit  18  are produced integrally and form the sole/toe unit  10 . As a rule, the toe unit contains a toe-protection insert (not shown). We want to mention at this point that for other embodiments of the invention, which do not require a dimensionally stable toe box, an inventive shoe can also consist only of sole and upper shoe, or of upper shoe and sole/toe unit with a small, formed-on toe unit. Furthermore, the sole could also be pulled up somewhat on the sides, so that it surrounds the sole on the foot of the male/female dancer to some degree. 
     The embodiment of the inventive dance shoe as described thus consists of at least two individual elements, namely a sole/toe unit  10  and an upper shoe  20 . As mentioned, a toe-protection insert can also be provided inside the toe unit of the sole/toe unit, if applicable. The sole/toe unit  10  is initially described further with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     This sole/toe unit  10  has two functional segments, namely the sole  12  and the toe unit  18 . The toe unit  18  for the described, preferred embodiment is formed integrally onto the sole  12 , so that the two elements have a material to material connection. The sole/toe unit  10  can be composed totally or partially of a synthetic material and can be produced, for example, with the injection-molding technique or also with a 3D printing method. Insofar as the sole/toe unit is composed in part of a synthetic material, it frequently may be preferable to work reinforcements in the form of fibers (e.g. carbon or glass fibers, but also natural material fibers) integrally into the sole/toe unit. Insofar as the fibers are to be oriented, it may be useful to provide fibers extending lengthwise and/or transverse to the longitudinal extension of the sole/toe unit, depending on the required profile. The sole/toe unit  10  can be produced in standard sizes or can be tailored individually to a male/female dancer. Suitable synthetic materials for the sole/toe unit are, for example, thermoplastic-processed polyurethanes (TPU), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and polyamides (PA). 
     The sole  12  extends in longitudinal direction from a back end  12   a  to a front end  12   b  and has an inside  14  (meaning the side pointing to the foot sole when the shoe is worn) and an outside  16 . The outside  16  contains a plurality of incisions  17   a - 17   g  which are embodied for the example as grooves  17   a - 17   g  that extend over the total width of the sole  12 . These grooves  17   a - 17   g  expand on their inside ends, so that they are essentially key-shaped (see also  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). In most cases, the incisions are advantageously formed in this way, but other patterns, arrangements, or cross-sectional shapes are also conceivable. Of course, the number of incisions are not restricted to 7 and more or fewer such incisions can also be provided. Depending on the production method used, the number, position and orientation of the incisions embodied herein as grooves can also be adapted to the foot of the individual male/female dancer. The grooves  17   a  to  17   g  have two functions: on the one hand they give the sole  12  a defined flexibility and this defined flexibility is unidirectional. In  FIG. 1 , the sole can be bent relatively strongly in arrow direction since the grooves are expanding while the sole “resists” in the opposite direction as soon as the grooves are “closed.” On the other hand, the grooves function to attach the upper shoe, as will be shown later on. It must be considered here that not all grooves must also be used to attach the upper shoe. In the depicted example, the groove  17   g  is not used for attaching the upper shoe. 
     A toe-protection insert of a softer material, e.g. silicon, can additionally be arranged in the toe unit (not shown herein). This insert can be adapted individually to the front foot section of the male/female dancer. 
     The upper shoe  20 , intended to be attached to the above-described sole/toe unit, is now described further with the aid of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an upper shoe  20  to be attached to the sole/toe unit  10 . The upper shoe  20  of the depicted embodiment is essentially shaped like a stocking and consequently has a foot section  22  and a leg section  28 . The foot section  22  is provided with a recess  24  in the sole region which, for the exemplary embodiment shown, extends substantially over the total region of the sole and contains web-type connecting elements  26   a  to  26   f  that extend essentially transverse to the longitudinal direction. The term “transverse” here need not necessarily mean “perpendicular,” as can also be seen in  FIG. 3 . However, an orientation that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is frequently preferred. These connecting elements  26   a  to  26   f  are arranged and dimensioned such (as will be shown later on) that they extend through grooves  17   a  to  17   f  in the sole  12  once the dance shoe is assembled. 
     The upper shoe  20  is a textile element which, for example, can be knitted, crochet or woven either totally or in part. The stocking-type upper shoe preferably is composed at least in some sections of an elastic material, for example of a mixture of cotton fibers and elastane or spandex. Other suitable materials are, for example, polyamide and polyester. 
       FIG. 3  furthermore shows that the upper shoe  20  contains first regions  20   a  and reinforced regions  20   b . The reinforced regions  20   b  here have a lower elasticity than the first regions  20   a . The reinforced regions  20   b  can be produced separately and can then be combined with a basic body of the upper shoe  20 , which initially consists only of a first region  20   a . However, as a rule it is preferable to produce the first regions  20   a  and the reinforced regions  20   b  directly as one piece, meaning integrally, using corresponding knitting or weaving techniques. Reinforcing material can additionally also be applied. Corresponding techniques are known, for example, from the sector for athletic clothing. The reinforced regions  20   b  in particular function to offer more support for especially stressed regions and/or to purposely support or stimulate specific muscle groups. The reinforced regions can also be embodied in the form of a tape which stimulates the muscular system. It can be useful to coat the reinforced regions  20   b  on the inside with silicon, so that they adhere to the skin. 
     As shown, it is advantageous if at least one reinforced region  20   b  extends over the front foot and if, starting from the edge of the recess  24 , at least one reinforced region  20   b  extends to the upper end of the leg section  28  (insofar as it exists, as shown in the exemplary embodiment). It is especially advantageous if the leg section  28  is embodied long enough to extend around the calf of the male/female dancer when the shoe is worn. 
       FIG. 4  shows a dance shoe  5 , worn by a male/female dancer, which consists of the sole/toe unit  10  and the upper shoe  20 . Putting on this dance shoe  5  takes place as follows: 
     The sole/toe unit  10  is first fitted onto the foot in such a way that the toes of the male/female dancer are located in the toe unit  18  and the inside  14  of the sole fits against the bottom of the foot. Following this, the upper shoe  20  is pulled in the manner of a stocking over the foot and the sole/toe unit, wherein the “final state” generally is reached when the leg section  28  has been pulled over the calf. Insofar as the connecting elements  26   a  to  26   f  do not slip automatically into the grooves  17   a  to  17   g , they must be inserted by hand if applicable (see also  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The above-described cross-sectional shape of the grooves improves the hold of the connecting elements in the grooves. In this state, the dance shoe  5  can then be used immediately. A further tying of ties or the like, as is necessary for traditional ballet shoes, is not required for the example described so far, but additional ties or straps can be provided to further stabilize the foot. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , a type of “cross strap” with two straps for pulling tight can also be provided. 
     This cross strap comprises two tie straps  31 ,  32 , wherein the first tie strap extends from the left front foot side to the right heel side and the second tie strap  32  extends from the right front foot side to the left heel side. Thus, each tie strap  31 ,  32  extends from a front end to a back end. The two tie straps thus extend across the instep, so as to cross thereon. The tie straps  31 ,  32  can be segments of a one-piece element (as shown), or they can be produced as individual tie straps. In the form of a one-piece embodiment, the one-piece layout preferably forms a closed figure “8” (see  FIG. 8 ), meaning the front and the back ends of the tie straps merge. The tie straps  31 ,  32  advantageously are connected to the sole/toe unit  10 , namely to the front end and the back end of the sole/toe unit  10 . Since the two tie straps should be under tension when in use, they are preferably made of a non-elastic material. It is furthermore preferred if at least one of the two connections is not permanent, so that the tension can be adjusted. A Velcro closure, for example, is suitable for this. Once the upper shoe is fitted on, the two tie straps  31 ,  32  are located at least in some sections but as a rule completely between the sole/toe unit  10  and the upper shoe. In the state where the show is worn and correctly adjusted, the cross strap generates compression when the instep of the foot pushes against the cross strap during the pointe position. As a result, the bending of the sole is limited further, thereby providing additional support for the male/female dancer. 
     Separate tie straps that are integrated into the upper shoe can additionally or alternatively also be provided, or the cross strap could be integrated into the upper shoe (not shown). 
     In particular, the sole/toe unit and a possibly provided toe-protection insert can be produced so as to be individually adapted to the male/female dancer. For this, the feet can be scanned with a 3D scanner and the above-mentioned parts can be produced according to the resulting data set. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS AND SIGNS 
       5  dance shoe 
       10  sole/toe unit 
       12  sole 
       12   a  back end 
       12   b  front end 
       14  inside 
       16  outside 
       17   a - g  groove 
       18  toe unit 
       20  upper shoe 
       20   a  first region 
       20   b  reinforced region 
       22  foot section 
       24  recess 
       26   a - f  connecting element 
       28  leg section 
       31  first tie strap 
       32  second tie strap 
     B leg