Patent Publication Number: US-6701644-B2

Title: Athletic shoe structure

Description:
This application is a divisional of U.S. applications Ser. No. 09/842,891 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,424 which claims priority from Japanese patent application No. 2001-112653 filed Apr. 11, 2001. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an athletic shoe, and especially, to a competition track shoe and a running shoe. More specifically, this invention concerns an improved structure of an athletic shoe for an advanced fittability, weight lightening, and reduction in air resistance. 
     In athletic shoes, since there has been a strong request for weight lightening to improve time in track meets, reconsideration for materials of shoe components and research and development of new materials have been made. However, there remain certain limitations in weight lightening by employing lighter materials. 
     On the other hand, improved structures for weight lightening of athletic shoes have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,857, to Devlin, discloses an athletic shoe having three pairs of straps on a medial and lateral side instead of employing an upper that covers the whole foot of a shoe wearer. Each pair of the straps is fastened to each other through a tongue member. 
     However, in this case, a wearer must fasten a corresponding pair of straps to each other, which is very troublesome. Moreover, the prior art shoe has a larger number of components, which makes the structure of a shoe complicated. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe that not only improves fittability and decreases weight but also causes easy handling and simplifies a structure. Another object of the present invention is to reduce air resistance of an athletic shoe. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, an athletic shoe includes a sole, an upper, a plurality of spaced, band-shaped members, and a fastening member. The upper has a toe portion, a heel portion, a forefoot portion and a lower periphery. Also, the upper is secured to the sole and has a plurality of elongated through holes at regions except the toe portion and the heel portion. The band-shaped members are secured to the sole or the lower periphery of the upper and extend upwardly toward an instep of a foot of a shoe wearer. The fastening member is connected to each upper end of the band-shaped members. 
     In this embodiment, since a plurality of elongated through holes are formed in the upper, weight of a shoe is lightened. Also, because the band-shaped members extend upwardly toward an instep of a shoe wearer and are connected to the fastening member at the upper ends thereof, fastening and tightening by a fastening member such as a shoelace can be collectively conducted at an instep portion. Thus, tensile direction of each band-shaped member is regulated and optimum fittability is realized at the time of fastening of the fastening member and besides, easy handling of a fastening member is achieved. Moreover, since the upper having a plurality of elongated through holes covers a foot of a shoe wearer, the number of shoe components is decreased, thereby simplifying the whole shoe structure. 
     In a second embodiment, an athletic shoe includes a sole, a toe guard portion, a heel guard portion, an opening reinforcement member of band-shape, a plurality of spaced, band-shaped members, and a fastening member. The toe guard portion protects a toe of a shoe wearer and is secured to the sole. The heel guard portion protects a heel of a wearer and is secured to the sole. The opening reinforcement member extends along the periphery of an opening for a foot entry into a shoe. The band-shaped members are secured to the toe guard portion, the heel guard portion, and the sole, and extend upwardly toward an instep of a wearer, and are connected to the opening reinforcement member. The fastening member is connected to each upper end of the band-shaped members. 
     In this embodiment, since a foot of a wearer is covered with a toe guard portion, a heel guard portion, an opening reinforcement member, and a plurality of spaced, band-shaped members, weight of a shoe is decreased. Also, because the band-shaped members extend upwardly toward an instep of a wearer and are connected to the fastening member at the upper ends thereof, fastening and tightening by a fastening member such as a shoelace can be collectively conducted at an instep portion. Thus, tensile direction of each band-shaped member is regulated and optimum fittability is realized at the time of fastening of the fastening member and besides, easy handling of a fattening member is achieved. Moreover, this athletic shoe is comprised of a relatively smaller number of shoe components, which simplifies the whole shoe structure. 
     Each of the band-shaped members may be formed of synthetic resin fiber of higher elasticity. Lower ends of the band-shaped members are located at a first region extending from a position corresponding to a thenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a wearer on a medial side of the sole, a second region extending from a position corresponding to a hypothenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a wearer on a lateral side of the sole, a first position corresponding to a head of a proximal phalanx of a first toe of a wearer, and a second position corresponding to a bottom of a distal phalanx of a fourth toe of a wearer. Thereby, a region except a toe portion is properly tightened. 
     A band-shaped tightening member may further be provided that extends from the heel portion to the medial and lateral portions of a shoe. A portion of this tightening member is engaged with the heel portion, and the medial and lateral extending portions are folded back toward an instep of a shoe at turning portions provided at lower regions on the medial and lateral sides of the shoe. Each distal end of the medially and laterally extending portions of the tightening member is tightened to an instep of a shoe wearer. 
     In this case, since a tightening member wraps around an ankle of a wearer and extends forward to the lower peripheries of the medial and lateral sides and is folded back to extend upward to an instep of a wearer, a heel portion of the upper can be tightly contacted with a heel portion of a wearer when the tightening member is tightened at an instep portion, thereby advancing fittability of a shoe. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an openable cover sheet is provided that covers at least a forefoot portion of an upper of a shoe or covers a region corresponding to at least a forefoot portion of a wearer. In this case, the cover sheet covers the through holes at the forefoot portion or covers gaps formed between the adjacent bend-shaped members, which reduces irregularities of the outer surface of a shoe and smoothes the outer surface. Thus, air resistance of a shoe is lowered and time can be advanced in athletic meets. 
     Also, due to the cover sheet that covers the through holes at the forefoot portion of a shoe or covers the gaps formed between the adjacent band-shaped members at the forefoot portion of a shoe, dirt or rain is prevented from entering the shoe through the forefoot portion, and the forefoot portion of a wearer is prevented from being wounded. Moreover, since the cover sheet covers the whole forefoot portion of a shoe, integrated aesthetic appearance of the forefoot portion of a shoe can be described by the cover sheet. 
     A lower periphery of the cover sheet is secured to or detachably attached to a sole or lower edge portions of the upper. Alternatively, a lower periphery of the cover sheet is secured to or detachably attached to a toe guard portion and a sole. Here, a term, “secured” means to be fixed by sewing, bonding, heat welding, or the like. Also, a term “detachably attached” means to be fitted removably by a fastener, buckle, button, hock, hook, or the like. 
     A side reinforcement member of band-shape may be provided along the lower edges of the medial and lateral sides to connect the toe guard portion with the heel guard portion, and the lower periphery of the cover sheet may be secured to or detachably attached to the toe guard portion and the side reinforcement member. 
     The cover sheet may be formed of expandable stretch material. Here, a term, “stretch material” means a resilient material that can expand moderately like skins corresponding to body movements. 
     Embossing finish or calendering finish may be performed on a surface of the cover sheet. Here, “embossing finish” means a surface finish that causes irregularities on the surface of the material by applying pressure on the surface of the material at an elevated temperature. “Calendering finish” means a surface finish that makes the surface of the material flat by applying pressure on the surface of the material at an elevated temperature. The purpose of both finishes is to reduce air resistance due to turbulence effect or laminar flow effect. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings which are not to scale, and described below by way of examples of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a medial side view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating an anatomical relationship between the bone structure of a foot and the lower fitted position of a band-shaped member. 
     FIG. 4 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet closed. 
     FIG. 5 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet open. 
     FIG. 6 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe according to an alternative embodiment of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is a medial side view of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 8 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet closed. 
     FIG. 9 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet open. 
     FIG. 10 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet closed. 
     FIG. 12 is a lateral side view of an athletic shoe having a cover sheet attached on the forefoot portion of a shoe and showing the cover sheet open. 
     FIG. 13 is an alternative embodiment of FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 to  5  show an athletic shoe of one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an athletic shoe  1 , which is designed for a sprint or a short-distance dash, includes an outsole  2  extending along the whole shoe from a toe portion to a heel portion, an upper  3  secured to the outsole  2 , and a plurality of spaced, band-shaped members  71  to  74 . 
     The outsole  2  is formed of a relatively hard synthetic resin with higher modulus of elasticity and has a plurality of studs  5  at a lower bottom surface thereof. These studs  5  are made of ceramics, metal, hard plastics, or the like and are fixed with a screw on the lower bottom surface of the sole  2 . In the alternative, the studs  5  may be formed or molded integrally with the outsole  2 . The outsole  2  has an upraised portion  20  extending upwardly on each of the medial and lateral sides in front of the heel portion of the outsole  2 , and the upraised portion  20  is formed with a slit  20   a.    
     A midsole  2 ′ extending from the heel portion to the midfoot portion is fixed to the upper surface of the outsole  2 . The midsole  2 ′ may be generally formed of thermoplastic synthetic resin foam such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). A plastic heel counter  6  is provided over the outsole  2  to maintain a shape of the heel portion of a shoe. 
     The upper  3  has a plurality of through holes  30 ,  31  and  32  formed therein. These through holes  30 ,  31 ,  32  are formed at regions except a toe portion and a heel portion of a shoe on a medial and lateral side. Each of the through holes  30 ,  31 ,  32  is elongated in a generally longitudinal direction of a shoe. A pair of slits  3   a  and  3   b  are formed on a medial and lateral side at a heel portion of the upper  3 . 
     Inside the upper  2 , there are provided a plurality of spaced, band-shaped members  71 ,  72 ,  73  and  74  that extend upwardly toward an instep of a wearer from a lower portion of a shoe. These band-shaped members  71  to  74  are provided at a medial side and a lateral side of a shoe, respectively, and wrap around the instep of a shoe. 
     Each of the band-shaped members  71  to  74  is formed of a material having a higher tensile strength and a higher modulus of elasticity to effectively transmit the reaction of a kick to the sole of a foot from the ground. Specifically, polyethylene fibers, polyacetal fibers, or polyvinyl alcohol fibers having a tensile strength of 15 g/d or more and a modulus of elasticity of 500 g/d or more may be preferably used. Nylon fibers or polyester fibers may also be used. 
     The band-shaped members  71  to  74  may be sewn onto the edge portions of the openings of the through holes  30  to  32  of the upper. Alternatively, the band-shaped members  71  to  74  may be provided slidably in a pocket formed in the upper  3  without being sewn onto the upper  3 . Lower ends of the band-shaped members  71  to  74  are fixed to the lower periphery of the upper  3 . Gaps formed between the adjacent band-shaped members  71  to  74  are gradually narrowed as the members  71  to  74  go upwardly toward the instep, and each upper end of the band-shaped members  71  to  74  is formed with a turning portion  70  of loop-shape. A shoelace  8  is inserted into each turning portion  70  of the band-shaped members  71  to  74 . Tightening a shoelace  8  causes the upper  3  to be pulled toward a foot of a wearer through the band-shaped members  71  to  74 , which makes the outsole  2  and the midsole  2 ′ secured to a sole of a wearer. A belt  74  is folded back at the instep portion and the distal end of the belt  74  is fixed to the rear end portion of the heel portion. 
     In addition, a metallic or plastic. D-shaped loop ring may take the place of the turning portion  70  to fasten each corresponding belt on a medial and lateral side. 
     By considering a bone structure and movable portions of a foot, lower fitted positions of the belts  71  to  74  are determined so as to effectively fasten and tighten a foot. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the lower fitted position of the belt  71  on a lateral side is placed at a position corresponding to the bottom portion of the fourth distal phalanx DP 4  of a foot and the lower fitted position of the belt  71  on a medial side is placed at a position corresponding to the head portion of the first proximal phalanx PP 1  of a foot. 
     The lower fitted positions of the belts  72  to  74  are disposed at a first region extending from the hypothenar to the calcaneus of a foot on a lateral side, and at a second region extending from the thenar to the calcaneus of a foot on a medial side. 
     The width of each of the belts  71  to  74  may be constant or may be varied according to the fitted position. For example, a belt disposed at the arch of a foot may be wider, whereas belts disposed around a forefoot portion, toe portion and heel portion may be narrower. Additionally, the number of belts is not limited to this embodiment, but may be varied according to the size of a shoe or the width of each belt. 
     Each tilting angle of the belts  72 ,  73  and  74  is determined at about 0 to 90 degrees, preferably, about 20 to 70 degrees, as measured from the front side of the fitted position. Similarly, a tilting angle of the belt  71  is determined at about 60 to 180 degrees, preferably, about 90 to 150 degrees, as measured from the front side of the fitted position. 
     A tightening member  9  is provided on a medial side and a lateral side of a heel portion of a shoe. The tightening member  9  is inserted into slits  3   a  and  3   b,  which are formed on the medial side and the lateral side at the heel portion of the upper  3 . Each of the medial and lateral extending portions of the belt  9  is inserted into a slit  20   a  formed at the upraised portion  20  of the sole  2  and is folded back toward the instep. 
     The lateral extending portion of the tightening belt  9  is longer than the medial extending portion and has a pair of hook-and-loop fasteners  90 ,  91  attached at its distal end. On the other hand, the medial extending portion of the tightening belt  9  has a buckle  92  at its distal end. When fastening the tightening belt  9 , first, the lateral extending portion is inserted into the buckle  92  and folded back. Then, by attaching the fastener  90 ,  91  to each other, the lateral extending portion is fastened to the medial extending portion. In such a way, the tightening member  9  is tightened on the instep of a shoe. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cover sheet  4  may be provided to cover at least a forefoot portion of the upper  3 . The cover sheet  4  is openable and closable by a zipper  40 . A lower periphery of the cover sheet  4  may be secured to the outsole  2  or the lower periphery of the upper  3 . Alternatively, a lower periphery of the cover sheet  4  may be detachably attached to the outsole  2 , the lower periphery of the upper  3 , or the midsole  2 ′ through a fastener, button, hock, or hook. 
     The cover sheet  4  is formed of expandable stretch materials, preferably, half tricot stitch of stretch materials. Here, a term, “stretch material” means a resilient material that can expand moderately like skins corresponding to body movements. Also, a term, “half tricot stitch” is a kind of warp knitting to knit longitudinal loops in a row, which has been applied to an athletic wear, tights, swimming wear, and the like. 
     Also, the cover sheet  4  may be formed of a meshed material, “triaxial woven fabric”, or a synthetic resin such as nylon, urethane or the like. Here, “triaxial woven fabric” means a woven fabric in which each component fiber is disposed 60 degrees apart from each other. The “triaxial woven fabric” has a higher strength, a superior shape retainability and an advanced durability. The cover sheet  4  may be formed of synthetic leather. 
     Embossing finish or calendering finish may be conducted on a surface of the cover sheet  4 . Here, “embossing finish” means a surface finish that causes irregularities on the surface of the material by applying pressure on the surface of the material at an elevated temperature. “Calendering finish” means a surface finish that makes the surface of the material flat by applying pressure on the surface of the material at an elevated temperature. The purpose of both finishes is to reduce air resistance due to turbulence effect or laminar flow effect. 
     According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of elongated holes  30  to  32  in the upper  3  makes the weight of a shoe lighter. Also, the cover sheet  4  that covers a through hole  30  and portions of the through holes  31 ,  32  decreases the irregularities of the outer surface of a forefoot portion of a shoe and makes the outer surface smoother, which reduces air resistance of a shoe and contributes to an improvement in time at track meets. 
     Moreover, the cover sheet  4  that covers through holes at the forefoot portion prevents dirt or rain from entering the shoe and also prevents the forefoot portion of a foot of a wearer from being wounded. Furthermore, since the cover sheet  4  covers the whole forefoot portion of a shoe, integrated aesthetic appearance of the forefoot portion of a shoe can be described by the cover sheet  4 . 
     FIGS. 6 to  9  illustrate an alternative embodiment of an athletic shoe for a sprint or a short-distance dash according to the present invention. FIGS. 6,  7 ,  8  and  9  correspond to FIGS. 1,  2 ,  4  and  5 , respectively. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a medial extending portion of the tightening belt  9  has generally the same length as a lateral extending portion, and a pair of fasteners  90 ,  91 , and  92 ,  93  are respectively attached at each of the medial and lateral extending portions. Also, a tongue piece  10  is provided at the instep portion, and buckles  11  and  12  are provided to the opposite ends of the tongue piece  10 . Furthermore, as a turning portion of a medial and lateral extending portion of a tightening belt  9 , a slit  6   a  formed at a heel counter  6  is used. 
     In this embodiment, when tightening a tightening belt  9 , first, a lateral extending portion is inserted into a buckle  11  on the lateral side and folded back rearwardly. Then, by attaching the fasteners  90 ,  91  to each other, the lateral extending portion is fastened to the buckle  11 . Similarly, a medial extending portion is inserted into a buckle  12  on the medial side and folded back rearwardly. Then, by attaching the fasteners  92 ,  93  to each other, the medial extending portion is fastened to the buckle  12 . 
     In addition, each position and shape of the through holes  30 ,  31  and  32  formed in the upper  3  are rather different from that of the first embodiment, but in this embodiment as well, there are three through holes formed on a medial and lateral side of the upper  3 . respectively. 
     According to this embodiment, as with the first embodiment, a plurality of elongated through holes  30  to  32  are formed on the medial and lateral side of the upper  3 , which makes the weight of the shoe lighter. A cover sheet  4  that covers the through holes  30 ,  31  of the forefoot portion of the upper  3  decreases the irregularities of the outer surface of a shoe and smoothes the outer surface to reduce the air resistance. 
     Moreover, a cover sheet  4  prevents dirt or rain from entering a shoe through the forefoot portion of a shoe and also prevents the forefoot portion of a wearer from being wounded. Furthermore, since the cover sheet  4  covers the whole forefoot portion of a shoe, integrated aesthetic appearance of the forefoot portion of a shoe can be described by the cover sheet  4 . 
     FIGS. 10 to  12  show a second embodiment of an athletic shoe for a sprint or a short-distance dash according to the present invention. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that there is not provided any upper. As shown in FIG. 10, an athletic shoe  1  includes a toe guard portion  35  secured to an outsole  2  and protecting a toe portion of a wearer, and a heel guard portion  36  secured to a midsole  2 ′ and protecting a heel portion of a wearer. Also, an opening reinforcement member  37  of band-shape is provided along the periphery of an opening of a shoe for receiving a foot of a wearer. The opening reinforcement member  37  wraps around an ankle of a foot and extends toward an instep. 
     Also, in this second embodiment, a belt  75  is substituted for a tightening belt of the first and second embodiments. A lower end of the belt  75  is fixed to the heel guard portion  36 . An upper end of the belt  75  is folded back at an instep portion and extends downwardly, and the distal end thereof is secured to the heel portion  36 . 
     Each fitting position and tilting angle of the other belts  71  to  74  is nearly equal to those of the belts  71  to  74  of the first embodiment. Lower ends of the belts  71  and  72  are secured to the toe guard portion  35 , and lower ends of the belts  73  and  74  are secured to the sole  2 . Upper portions of the belts  71  to  75  are sewn onto the opening reinforcement member  37 . Between the adjacent belts, gaps  38  are formed. A shoelace  8  is inserted into a loop-shaped turning portion  70  formed at each upper end of the belts  71  to  75 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a cover sheet  4  may be provided to cover at least a forefoot portion of a shoe. Lower edges of the cover sheet  4  may be secured to a toe guard portion  35 , an outsole  2  and a heel guard portion  36 . Alternatively, lower edges of the cover sheet  4  may be detachably attached to a shoe through a fastener, button, hock, hook or the like. 
     The toe guard portion  35  preferably has a shape that covers a region extending from each distal end of a first to fifth toe of a foot to at least metatarsophalangeal joints MJ 1 -MJ 5  (see FIG.  3 ). In the alternative, the toe guard portion  35  preferably has a shape that covers a region extending forwardly from the thenar and hypothenar of a foot. The heel guard portion  36  has a shape that covers at least a region extending from the rear end of a heel portion to a lower portion of a malleolus. The toe guard portion  35  and the heel guard portion  36  are formed of fabric, non-woven fabric, plastic sheet, natural leather, synthetic leather, or composite materials. The opening reinforcement member  37  is also formed of these materials. 
     According to the second embodiment, there is no upper provided, and a toe guard portion  35 , a heel guard portion  36 , an opening reinforcement member  37  and a plurality of spaced belts  71  to  75  cover a foot of a shoe wearer, which makes the weight of the whole shoe lighter. Moreover, a cover  4  disposed at least at a forefoot portion of a foot covers the gaps  38  formed between the adjacent belts  71  to  75 , thereby decreasing the irregularities of the outer surface of a shoe, smoothing the outer surface, and reducing the air resistance. 
     Also, a cover sheet  4  prevents dirt or rain from entering a shoe through the forefoot portion of a shoe and also prevents the forefoot portion of a wearer from being wounded. Furthermore, since the cover sheet  4  covers the whole forefoot portion of a shoe, integrated aesthetic appearance of the forefoot portion of a shoe can be described by the cover sheet  4 . Also, in this case, since tightening is conducted only by a shoelace, handling of the shoelace is improved. 
     In this second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, a band-shaped side reinforcement member  39  may be provided along the lower periphery of a shoe to connect a toe guard portion  35  with a heel guard portion  36 . In this case, the side reinforcement member  39  is formed integrally with the toe guard portion  35  and the heel guard portion  36 . The lower periphery of the cover sheet  4  may be secured to or detachably attached to the toe guard portion  35 , the side reinforcement member  39 , and the heel guard portion  36 . 
     In each of the above three embodiments, the current invention is applied to an athletic shoe for a sprint or a short-distance dash, but it is also applied to an athletic shoe for a long-distance race such as marathon or jogging. In this case, an outsole is formed of a lighter material with higher wear resistance and greater slippage prevention function such as foamed rubber or foamed polyurethane. A midsole extends from the heel portion to the toe portion. 
     In addition, according to the events or races, a sole plate formed of synthetic resin with relatively higher modulus of elasticity and lighter weight may be placed at a region extending from the heel portion to the toe portion of a shoe, and a heel wedge with rich cushioning properties may be placed on the sole plate at the heel portion to form a laminate structure. 
     Those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains may make modifications and other embodiments employing the principles of this invention without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics particularly upon considering the forgoing teachings. The described embodiments and examples are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is therefore indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Consequently, while the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments and examples, modifications of structure, sequence, materials and the like would be apparent to those skilled in the art, yet fall within the scope of the invention.