Patent Publication Number: US-2022211143-A1

Title: Shoe

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to shoes, and particularly to sports shoes. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     For sports shoes, different functions and properties are required in each sport. Meanwhile, in many sports, shoes have a feature in common of their components, such as the uppers and outsoles, being basically required to have certain rigidity. In skateboarding, for example, the upper and the vicinity thereof of a shoe may be sometimes brought into contact with a skateboard while the player performs some tricks. Accordingly, for skateboard shoes, for example, the rigidity of their components including the uppers and outsoles may be required to be further improved. 
     PRIOR ART REFERENCE 
     Patent Literature 
     
         
         Patent Literature 1: U.S. design publication No. 639031 
       
    
     Patent Literature 1 describes a shoe protection used to prevent a shoe upper from wearing out. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     The technology described in Patent Literature 1 can improve the rigidity of uppers. However, in skateboarding, the motion of bending a shoe upper may be sometimes required. Accordingly, if the upper has excessively high rigidity and insufficient flexibility, the upper may obstruct the wearer&#39;s motions. 
     A portion required to have flexibility in a shoe is different depending on the required motion of the wearer, which means that a portion required to have flexibility is different for each type of shoes. 
     The present invention has been made in view of such actual situations, and a purpose thereof is to provide a shoe of which flexibility in an appropriate portion can be improved without losing the rigidity. 
     Solution to Problem 
     In response to the above issue, a shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an outsole including a ground contact surface to be in contact with the ground, and an upper attached directly or indirectly to the outsole opposite to the ground contact surface. The outsole includes an outsole body, and a roll-up portion extending from an edge of the outsole body toward the upper. The outsole also includes a flexible region in which at least one cut is formed to extend from the outsole body to the roll-up portion. 
     Effects of Invention 
     The present invention can improve flexibility in an appropriate portion without losing rigidity. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a shoe according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the shoe. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken along line B-B in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line C-C in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of an essential part of the shoe. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of a shoe according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the shoe. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Like reference characters denote like constituting elements, and repetitive description will be omitted. In each drawing, part of the constituting elements may be appropriately omitted, or the size of a constituting element may be appropriately enlarged or reduced, for the sake of convenience. Also, in each drawing, part of a member less important in describing embodiments may be omitted. Each embodiment will be described in detail, employing a skateboard shoe as an example. 
     The present invention is also applicable to shoes for various kinds of sports other than skateboarding, such as walking, tennis, basketball, soccer, volleyball, wrestling, bicycle riding, and skiing. 
     In the following embodiments, terms indicating vertical and longitudinal directions will be used, in which the vertical directions mean the upward direction and downward direction (toward the ground contact surface) in the state where a shoe is placed on the ground. Also, the front means the toe side, and the rear means the heel side. 
     The first embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , a shoe  1  includes an outsole  2  that mainly constitutes a bottom part of the shoe  1 , an upper  4  that covers an instep, and a midsole  6  placed over an upper surface of the outsole  2 . 
     The outsole  2  may be formed by shaping rubber into a predetermined shape, for example. Although the present embodiment describes an example using a so-called cup sole as the outsole  2 , the present invention is also applicable to a so-called vulcanized sole. The outsole  2  has a ground contact surface  8  to be in contact with the ground. The ground contact surface  8  has a certain rugged pattern formed thereon, which improves grip on the ground. 
     The midsole  6  absorbs impact and is formed of a material for absorbing impact, such as expanded EVA, urethane foam, GEL, and cork. The thickness of the midsole  6  may be appropriately determined depending on the use of the shoe  1 . For example, for a shoe used for basketball or the like in which the players often jump, the midsole  6  may preferably be made thicker. The midsole  6  is not an essential configuration and need not necessarily be provided. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 through 5 , the outsole  2  includes an outsole body  10  constituted by a foot-shaped sheet member that is almost flat, and a roll-up portion  12  extending from an edge of the outsole body  10  toward the upper. The bottom surface of the outsole body  10  constitutes the ground contact surface  8 , and, on the upper surface of the outsole body  10 , the midsole  6  is disposed. The shape of the outsole body  10  need not necessarily be a flat sheet having a uniform thickness. On the upper surface of the outsole body  10 , a concave, a convex, or an incline may be formed to match the sole in shape. On the upper surface of the outsole  2 , the midsole  6  is disposed. The outsole body  10  and the roll-up portion  12  may be formed of a material such as foamed or non-foamed rubber, or urethane resin. Also, although it is preferable that the outsole body  10  and the roll-up portion  12  are integrally formed, these may be formed by combining members that have been separately formed. 
     The roll-up portion  12  is formed by a circumferential wall extending upward from the edge of the outsole body  10 . More specifically, the roll-up portion  12  extends upward from the position of the upper surface of the outsole body  10  or the bottom surface of the midsole  6 . The roll-up portion  12  enhances the rigidity of the shoe  1 . The rigidity of the shoe  1  means the flexural rigidity or torsional rigidity, for example. With the enhanced rigidity, a shoe provided with the roll-up portion  12  can improve at least one of the durability including wear resistance and the stability of the shoe while the wearer moves. The position of the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  may be appropriately changed depending on the type of the sport for which the shoe  1  is used. For example, in the case of a skateboard shoe as employed in the embodiment, since higher stability is required, it is preferable that the position of the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  is set to be at least higher than the upper surface of the midsole  6  such as to cover part of the upper  4 . The roll-up portion  12  extends along the entire circumferential length of the outsole body  10 . Accordingly, the outsole  2  has a cup shape forming a foot shape. 
     The height of the roll-up portion  12  may be uniform or may be different depending on the position. For example, when rigidity is required on the toe side, the roll-up portion  12  may be made lower on the heel side and higher on the toe side. Also, the height of the roll-up portion  12  may be made different between the medial side and the lateral side in a width direction. 
     In the case of a skateboard shoe as employed in the present embodiment, it is preferable that an intersection part between the roll-up portion  12  and the ground contact surface  8  (i.e., an angle  14 ) makes a substantially right angle. With such a structure, the shoe can be made suitable for a sport in which the intersection part with the roll-up portion  12  is used to control a board. Meanwhile, in a shoe used for other sports, the angle  14  need not necessarily be a right angle. For example, the roll-up portion  12  may have a flare shape that is wider toward the ground contact surface  8 , and the angle  14  may be an acute angle, or a curved plane may be connected at the intersection part. 
     The roll-up portion  12  also includes a flexible region  16  for improving the flexibility of the shoe  1 . The flexible region  16  is a region provided to improve the flexibility of the entire shoe  1 , particularly the flexibility of the outsole  2 . In a skateboard shoe according to the embodiment, the flexible region  16  is provided on the lateral side of a forefoot portion (a portion on the toe side and also on the lateral side in a width direction). The forefoot portion as used herein means, when the entire length of the shoe is regarded as 100%, a range of 50% from the toe. The position of the flexible region may be appropriately changed depending on the type of the sport for which the shoe is used. For example, when flexibility is required on the medial side of the forefoot portion (a portion on the toe side and also on the medial side in a width direction) of the shoe, the flexible region may be provided only on the medial side of the forefoot portion. Also, when flexibility is required over the entire forefoot portion, the flexible region may be provided on each of the lateral side and the medial side of the forefoot portion. 
     The flexible region  16  is configured such that at least one cut  18  is formed on the roll-up portion  12 . The cut  18  has a certain width in a longitudinal direction and extends to traverse the roll-up portion  12  in a vertical direction. The number of cuts  18  has only to be at least one and may be appropriately changed depending on the required flexibility. In the present embodiment, four cuts are provided. For example, when higher flexibility is required, the number of cuts  18  may be increased; when lower flexibility is required, on the other hand, the number of cuts  18  may be reduced. 
     The width in a longitudinal direction of a cut  18  may be changed depending on the use of the shoe and may preferably be in the range of 1 to 8 mm, for example. Also, the width in a longitudinal direction of a cut  18  may be determined based on the width of a portion of the outsole body  10  positioned longitudinally adjacent to a cut  18 . In this case, the width of a cut  18  may suitably be one-fifth to one half of the width of the adjacent portion of the outsole body  10 . In the present embodiment, the width in a longitudinal direction of a cut is set to about 5 mm. 
     When multiple cuts  18  are formed, the widths of all the cuts  18  may be the same, or the widths of the cuts  18  may be different depending on the position in a longitudinal direction. Also, the width of each cut  18  may be changed depending on the position in an extending direction. 
     Each cut  18  extends from the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  to around the middle in a width direction of the ground contact surface  8 . The length of each cut  18  may be appropriately changed depending on the type of the sport for which the shoe is used. For the shoe  1  for which higher flexibility is required, such as a skateboard shoe, it is preferable that each cut  18  extends from the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  to around the middle in a width direction of the ground contact surface  8 . When lower flexibility is required, on the other hand, the length of each cut may be set to a length extending from the upper end of the roll-up portion to the ground contact surface. 
     With such a cut  18  extending from the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  to around the middle in a width direction of the ground contact surface  8  as illustrated, the midsole  6  is exposed through the cut  18 . In other words, with such a structure, the strength of the side surfaces of the outsole  2  and the midsole  6  can be improved, so that the flexibility can be further improved. 
     Also, each cut  18  may be terminated at a lower end of the roll-up portion  12  or in the middle in a height direction of the roll-up portion  12 . When each cut  18  is terminated in the middle in a height direction of the roll-up portion  12 , the position in a height direction of the flexible region  16  can be adjusted. In this case, it is preferable that the terminated end of the roll-up portion  12  is positioned at least lower than the bottom surface of the midsole  6  or the upper surface of the outsole  2 . 
     The position of each cut  18  may be appropriately changed depending on the required flexibility. However, when a cut  18  extends onto the ground contact surface  8 , it is preferable to determine the position of the cut  18  based on the positions of the metatarsal phalangeal (MP) joints. The positions of the MP joints correspond to positions within the range of 25% to 45% from the front end of the shoe  1 . When a cut  18  is formed to extend onto the ground contact surface  8  at a position corresponding to an MP joint, the ground contact surface  8  can be deformed along the MP joint when toes are bent, so that high flexibility can be achieved. 
     Also, when multiple cuts  18  extending onto the ground contact surface  8  are provided (in the example of  FIG. 2 ), the ends of the cuts  18  on the ground contact surface  8  are arranged along a curve L around the middle in a width direction. The curve L has a shape that bulges toward the lateral side in a width direction of the shoe. Such arrangement of the ends of the cuts  18  can provide the shoe  1  with flexibility appropriate for tread pressure balance on the sole. The virtual line defining the positions of the ends of the cuts  18  is not limited to the curve L. Depending on the use of the shoe, a straight line or a zigzag line may be employed therefor. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the upper  4  includes an upper protection layer  20 , a tightening means (tightening structure) for the upper  4 , and a slit  24  that extends in a longitudinal direction of the upper  4  around the middle in a width direction of the upper  4 . Also, to the upper  4 , a shoe tongue  26  is attached. In the present embodiment, as the tightening means, a structure constituted by a combination of eyelets  22  and a shoelace  28  is employed. As the tightening means, a hook-and-loop fastener or the like may also be used. 
     The upper  4  may be made of a mesh material obtained by knitting synthetic fiber, such as polyester and polyurethane, or made of synthetic leather or natural leather, for example, and has a shape covering an instep. The slit  24  is a buffer portion provided to adjust the width of the upper  4  by adjusting the degree of tightening the shoelace  28 . On each side in a width direction of the slit  24 , multiple eyelets  22  are provided. The shoe tongue  26  is exposed through the slit  24 , and, when the shoelace  28  is tied, the shoelace  28  has no contact with the wearer&#39;s instep. 
     The upper protection layer  20  may be formed of urethane resin to protect the upper  4  formed of cloth, for example. It is preferable to provide the upper protection layer  20  in a shoe used for a sport in which the upper comes into contact with a board, such as skateboarding, or a sport in which the upper  4  comes into contact with a ball, such as soccer or futsal. Meanwhile, the upper protection layer need not necessarily be provided in a shoe used for a sport in which the shoe is supposed to have no contact with other sporting goods. 
     The upper protection layer  20  may be formed by applying coating on the base material of the upper  4 , instead of pasting urethane resin integrally formed as described above over the upper  4 . Also, when the upper  4  is formed, a portion corresponding to the upper protection layer  20  may be knitted from or woven with yarn thicker than that used for other portions so that the base material of the upper  4  itself can be made thicker. Also, when the upper  4  is formed, a portion corresponding to the upper protection layer  20  may be knitted (woven) more densely than other portions. 
     The slit  24  may be provided to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper  4  in the middle in a width direction. However, in the present embodiment, the slit  24  has a curved shape extending away from the flexible region  16  in a width direction toward the front side and is formed closer the medial side in a width direction of the shoe  1  with respect to the middle in a width direction of the shoe  1 . Accordingly, in the present embodiment, a portion of the upper  4  on the lateral side in a width direction of the slit  24  is wider, and a portion of the upper  4  on the medial side in a width direction of the slit  24  is narrower. On the wider portion side of the upper  4 , the upper protection layer  20  is provided. Accordingly, when the front half of the shoe is viewed from the top, the region where the upper protection layer  20  is provided (i.e., the region on the lateral side in a width direction with respect to the slit) is larger than the region where the upper protection layer  20  is not provided and the upper  4  is exposed (i.e., the region on the medial side in a width direction with respect to the slit). 
     Although the position of the upper protection layer  20  may be changed depending on the use of the shoe  1 , it is preferable to determine the position of the upper protection layer  20  based on the position of the flexible region  16 . More specifically, the upper protection layer  20  is formed on the flexible region  16  side, with respect to the middle in a width direction of the shoe  1 . When the upper  4  is designed, the side (the medial side or the lateral side in a width direction) on which the flexible region  16  is provided is determined first, the upper protection layer  20  is disposed on the flexible region  16  side, and, lastly, the shape of the slit  24  is determined such that the slit  24  extends away from the flexible region  16 . Since the upper protection layer  20  is formed of a material harder than the other portions of the upper, if the entire upper  4  is covered with the upper protection layer  20 , the upper  4  will become too hard. However, disposing the upper protection layer  20  only on the side where protection is required, i.e., on the flexible region  16  side, can prevent the entire upper  4  from becoming too hard and can also make larger the area of a region where the upper  4  is protected. 
     It is preferable that the upper protection layer  20  has a width that extends from the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  to the slit  24  in a width direction of the shoe  1 . One end in a width direction of the upper protection layer  20  may be in contact with the roll-up portion  12 , or a space may be provided between the one end and the roll-up portion  12 . Meanwhile, the other end in a width direction of the upper protection layer  20  extends to around the slit  24  and, preferably, covers the eyelets  22  aligned on the lateral side of a width direction to protect the eyelets  22 . 
     The shape and position of the upper protection layer  20  may be appropriately changed depending on the use of the shoe. 
     The upper protection layer  20  includes a protection reinforcement part  30 , which is thick, and a flexibility providing part  32 , which is thinner than the protection reinforcement part  30 . The flexibility providing part  32  is designed based on an idea similar to that of the cut  18  and formed in a curved shape or a linear shape extending in a width direction along an MP joint. More preferably, a flexibility providing part  32  may be formed along an extended line of a cut  18  such as to form, together with the cut  18 , a line. In this case, the cut  18  and the flexibility providing part  32  need not necessarily be continuous. When the upper protection layer  20  and the upper end of the roll-up portion  12  are spaced away from each other, there may be a space between the cut  18  and the flexibility providing part  32 . With such a cut  18  and a flexibility providing part  32  provided to form a line, smooth inflection can be promoted. 
     Each of the protection reinforcement parts  30  and the flexibility providing parts  32  need not necessarily have a constant thickness over the entire upper protection layer  20 . The thickness of each of the protection reinforcement parts  30  and the flexibility providing parts  32  may be adjusted depending on the position. Also, an undulate shape may be formed such that the thickness of a protection reinforcement part  30  is tapered to shift to a flexibility providing part  32 . 
     Although the shoe  1  according to the present embodiment employs a structure including the slit  24 , the present invention is also applicable to a monosock shoe having no slit. In a monosock shoe, a curved shape may be assumed such as to extend away from the flexible region  16  in a width direction toward the front side, and the upper protection layer  20  may be provided on one side in a width direction with respect to the assumed line. 
     The shoe tongue  26  extends from the front end of the slit  24  toward the rear side and further extends rearward beyond at least the uppermost eyelet  22  (the rearmost eyelet  22 ) among multiple rows of eyelets  22 . More preferably, the shoe tongue  26  may be configured such that the rear end thereof can be folded back toward the front side, and the shoe tongue  26  may have a length such that the rear end thereof can reach, when the shoe tongue  26  is folded back, a position forward of the uppermost eyelet  22 . By setting the length of the shoe tongue  26  in this way, the knot in the shoelace  28  can be covered with the shoe tongue  26 , so that the shoelace  28  can be protected by the shoe tongue  26 . However, the shoe tongue  26  is not an essential configuration, and the present invention is also applicable to a shoe that does not include the shoe tongue  26 . Also, instead of the shoe tongue  26  of which the front end is fixed to the front end of the slit  24  and which extends rearward, a so-called split tongue may be adopted in which the ends in a width direction thereof are fixed respectively to the left and right ends of the slit  24 , and a middle portion of the shoe tongue is split into left and right parts. 
     There will now be described a second embodiment. In the following description, configurations similar to those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference characters as used in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
       FIG. 7  is a top view of a shoe according to the second embodiment, and  FIG. 8  is a side view of the shoe. As illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , a shoe  100  is a so-called slip-on shoe that does not include the tightening means. 
     The shoe  100  includes an upper  102  that covers an instep. The upper  102  covers an instep in the forefoot portion and a midfoot portion from the medial side to the lateral side. 
     The upper  102  may be formed of a single seamless material or may be formed by patching multiple materials together to achieve a stereoscopic shape more easily. 
     In the illustrated example, the upper  102  is formed by patching two materials together. The upper  102  as illustrated includes a front upper  104  that mainly covers a lateral portion of a foot, and a rear upper  106  that mainly covers a medial portion of a foot. The front upper  104  and the rear upper  106  are continuous and joined to each other by means of sewing or the like. A front end of the front upper  104  is curved along the front end of the shoe  100 . A rear end  108  of the front upper  104  is slanted with respect to a longitudinal direction and a width direction such as to extend rearward toward the lateral side of the foot. The medial side of the rear end  108  of the front upper  104  is positioned in a portion that covers the hallux, and the lateral side thereof is positioned in the rear of a portion that covers the little toe. A front end of the rear upper  106  extends along the rear end  108  of the front upper  104 . 
     Between the front upper  104  and the rear upper  106 , a joint part  110  is formed. The joint part  110  is joined along the rear end  108  of the front upper  104 . As with the rear end  108 , the joint part  110  is slanted with respect to a longitudinal direction and a width direction such as to extend rearward toward the lateral side of the foot. The joint part  110  may be formed by sewing the front upper  104  and the rear upper  106  together. The sewn part may be covered with another material for reinforcement. The joint part  110  is provided at a position in the upper  102  where, during skateboarding, the skateboard comes into contact less frequently. This can reduce the possibility of a skateboard coming into contact with and damaging the joint part  110 . 
     When the upper  102  is constituted by two or more components, it is suitable to provide each joint part between components at a position less likely to be in contact with a skateboard. The position less likely to be in contact with a skateboard means that at least the front end side of a joint part is positioned on the medial side of the foot. Meanwhile, when the upper  102  is formed of a single material, exposure of an edge of the material onto a surface can be prevented, reducing the possibility of a skateboard coming into contact with an edge of the material and damaging the material. 
     Also, the front upper  104  includes a reinforcement part  112  extending along the front end. The reinforcement part  112  continuously extends from the portion that covers the hallux to a position in the rear of the portion that covers the little toe on the lateral side. The reinforcement part  112  also extends to a position higher than the upper end of the roll-up portion  12 . The reinforcement part  112  is formed of a material having higher wear resistance and durability than the material of the front upper  104 . The reinforcement part  112  may be formed of a material of which the surface is coated with rubber or urethane, for example, and has only to have high wear resistance at least on the surface. It is preferable that the wear resistance of the shoe  100  becomes higher from the upper side toward the lower side. Although it is preferable to provide the reinforcement part  112  continuously from the portion that covers the hallux to a position in the rear of the portion that covers the little toe on the lateral side, the reinforcement part  112  may be partially cut away. 
     Also, the rear upper  106  includes a band part  116  made of a stretch material to change the size of an opening  114  into which a foot is inserted. The band part  116  defines part of the opening  114 . When a wearer inserts a foot into the opening  114 , the band part  116  is stretched by force applied from the foot to the rear upper  106 , so as to broaden the opening  114 . When the foot is appropriately placed within the shoe  100 , the band part  116  shrinks, and the rear upper  106  is appropriately brought in close contact with the instep. Although the band part  116  in this example is provided such as to constitute part of the lateral side of the opening  114 , the position of the band part  116  is not limited thereto. With the band part  116  provided, the ease of slipping on and off can be improved. 
     In addition to the abovementioned embodiments, the following modification may also be considered. A shoe according to the modification includes an outsole of sheet shape that does not include the roll-up portion, and a midsole and an upper provided on the upper surface of the outsole. The midsole includes a midsole roll-up portion that extends upward from a circumferential edge thereof toward the upper, and a midsole cut formed on the midsole roll-up portion. On the outsole, an outsole cut is provided at a position corresponding to a midsole cut. 
     The configurations of the shoe according to the modification are basically the same as those of the shoes described in the embodiments. When the modification and the embodiments are compared, the roll-up portion is formed on the outsole in the embodiments, whereas, in the modification, the midsole roll-up portion corresponding to the roll-up portion is provided on the midsole. Also, a cut is formed only on the outsole in the embodiments, whereas, in the modification, a midsole cut is formed on the midsole, and an outsole cut is formed on the outsole. It is preferable that a midsole cut and an outsole cut are formed continuously, and such continuous cuts have a configuration similar to that of a cut  18  according to the embodiments. 
     The midsole roll-up portion is provided by forming only part of the midsole from a high rigidity material, and the midsole roll-up portion has a shape extending toward the upper. The position of a midsole cut (i.e., position of the flexible region in the modification) may be appropriately changed depending on the use of the shoe. 
     Also, by combining the embodiments and the modification, the flexible region formed in the midsole roll-up portion and the flexible region formed in the outsole roll-up portion may be provided at different positions in a shoe. 
     Also, an impact buffer structure, such as a GEL material, may be provided inside the midsole or outsole. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. Each of the abovementioned embodiments merely describes a specific example for carrying out the present invention. The embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention, and various design modifications, including changes, addition, and deletion of constituting elements, may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of ideas of the invention defined in the claims. Also, if a number or an amount is mentioned in the aforementioned embodiments, the scope of the present invention will not necessarily be limited to the number or amount, unless otherwise specified. Further, each constituting element in the embodiments is not necessarily essential to the present invention, unless otherwise specified. Therefore, such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. 
     When the inventions embodied by the embodiments set forth above are generalized, the following technical ideas are derived. 
     In the following, description will be made using the first aspect described in TECHNICAL PROBLEM. 
     A shoe according to the first aspect includes an outsole including a ground contact surface to be in contact with the ground, and an upper attached directly or indirectly to the outsole opposite to the ground contact surface. The outsole includes an outsole body, and a roll-up portion extending from an edge of the outsole body toward the upper. The outsole also includes a flexible region in which at least one cut is formed to extend from the outsole body to the roll-up portion. 
     According to the first aspect, with the outsole body, the rigidity of the shoe will not be lost, and, with the flexible region, the flexibility of the shoe can be improved. 
     In a second aspect, the cut in the first aspect has a predetermined width in a longitudinal direction. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility can be improved. 
     In a third aspect, the shoe in the first or second aspect further includes a midsole provided between the outsole and the upper, and the roll-up portion extends to a position higher than an upper surface of the midsole. 
     With such a configuration, the strength of the side surfaces of the shoe can be improved. 
     In a fourth aspect, the cut in any one of the first through third aspects is provided on at least one of a lateral side and a medial side of a forefoot portion of the outsole. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility of the shoe, particularly in the lateral side or the medial side of the forefoot portion where flexibility is required, can be improved. 
     In a fifth aspect, the cut in any one of the first through fourth aspects extends continuously from the ground contact surface to the roll-up portion. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility of the shoe can be improved. 
     In a sixth aspect, the cut in any one of the first through fifth aspects extends to an upper end of the roll-up portion. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility of the shoe can be improved. 
     In a seventh aspect, the cut in any one of the first through sixth aspects extends to around the middle in a width direction of the ground contact surface of the outsole. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility of the shoe can be improved. 
     In an eighth aspect, the cut extending to the ground contact surface in any one of the fifth through seventh aspects is arranged at a position corresponding to an MP (metatarsal phalangeal) joint of a wearer. 
     With such a configuration, the flexibility of the shoe can be ensured at a position corresponding to an MP joint where higher flexibility is required. 
     In a ninth aspect, the shoe in any one of the fifth through eighth aspects includes multiple cuts extending to the ground contact surface, and the respective ends of the multiple cuts positioned around the middle in a width direction of the ground contact surface of the outsole are arranged in a curved line. 
     In a tenth aspect, it is preferable that the curved line in the ninth aspect has a shape that bulges toward the lateral side in a width direction of the outsole. 
     With such a configuration, the shoe can be provided with flexibility appropriate for tread pressure balance on the sole. 
     In an eleventh aspect, the flexible region in any one of the first through tenth aspects is provided only on the lateral side of the forefoot portion of the outsole and is not provided on the medial side of the forefoot portion. 
     With such a configuration, the present invention can be made suitable for a sport in which the wear resistance and the flexibility is required on the lateral side of the forefoot portion, such as skateboarding. 
     In a twelfth aspect, an intersection part between the ground contact surface and the roll-up portion of the outsole in any one of the first through eleventh aspects makes a substantially right angle. 
     With such a configuration, the present invention can be made suitable for a sport in which the intersection part between the ground contact surface and the roll-up portion of the outsole is used to control a board, such as skateboarding. 
     In a thirteenth aspect, on the forefoot portion of the upper in any one of the first through twelfth aspects, an upper protection layer is provided. 
     With this configuration, the forefoot portion of the upper can be protected. 
     In a fourteenth aspect, the upper protection layer in the thirteenth aspect is formed of rubber or resin, for example. 
     In a fifteenth aspect, the upper protection layer in the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect includes a protection reinforcement part, and a flexibility providing part that is thinner than the protection reinforcement part. 
     With this configuration, flexibility can be also imparted to the upper protection layer. 
     In a sixteenth aspect, the flexibility providing part in the fifteenth aspect extends along an extended line of the cut. 
     With this configuration, the cut and the flexibility providing part can be integrally inflected, so that the flexibility of the entire shoe can be improved. 
     In a seventeenth aspect, the protection reinforcement part in the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect is arranged around the upper end of the roll-up portion. 
     With this configuration, the upper can be protected around the upper end of the roll-up portion. 
     In an eighteenth aspect, the shoe in any one of the fifteenth through seventeenth aspects further includes an eyelet part through which a shoelace is inserted, and the protection reinforcement part is arranged near the eyelet part. 
     With this configuration, the eyelet part and the shoelace inserted therethrough can be protected. 
     In a nineteenth aspect, the shoe in the eighteenth aspect includes a slit formed to extend in a longitudinal direction of the upper, and the eyelet part is formed on each side of the slit. Also, in a width direction of the shoe, the slit is formed closer to the side opposite to the flexible region side with respect to the middle in a width direction of the shoe. Also, in a width direction of the shoe, the upper protection layer is provided closer to the flexible region side with respect to the slit. 
     With such a configuration, the upper protection layer can be provided on the flexible region side where protection is further required, so that the upper can be appropriately protected. 
     In a twentieth aspect, the shoe in any one of the first through nineteenth aspects further includes a shoe tongue having a length such that the shoe tongue can be folded back to reach a position forward of the uppermost eyelet part. 
     With such a configuration, the shoelace can be protected by the shoe tongue. 
     In a twenty-first aspect, the outsole in any one of the first through twentieth aspects is formed of rubber. 
     With such a configuration, grip can be imparted to the out sole. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present invention is industrially applicable to the field of shoes. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1 : shoe,  2 : outsole,  4 : upper,  6 : midsole,  10 : outsole body,  12 : roll-up portion,  16 : flexible region,  18 : cut,  20 : upper protection layer