Plantar Arch Support Shoe

Abstract

A shoe providing support for the plantar arch of a foot is disclosed herein. The shoe includes a belt, guide members, and a dial unit. The belt includes a base end section fixed to an outsole at a position equivalent to a plantar arch of a foot of a user, and a leading end section covering a pair of blades. Both side edges of the belt can be separated from an upper of the shoe along a longitudinal direction of the shoe. The guide members are fixed to the leading end section of the belt, and engage with a wire, which engages the dial unit. The dial unit is used to wind the wire, thereby tightening or loosening the belt, and therefore the shoe to a wearer's foot, and is fixed to an outer side surface of the upper.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising: an outsole comprising a plantar arch portion; an upper affixed to the outsole, the upper comprising first and second blades, an outer side surface, a toe box, and a bending line; a belt comprising a base end section fixed to the plantar arch portion and a leading end section extending over at least a portion of the upper to cover the pair of blades; at least one first guide member fixed to the leading end section; a wire; and a dial unit comprising first and second openings facing the leading end section, the dial unit fixed to the outer side surface, wherein the wire extends through the at least one guide member and into each of the first and second openings, wherein the leading end section is not directly fixed to the upper, and wherein the dial unit can be adjusted to tighten or loosen the wire.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the belt is entirely disposed behind the bending line.

3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the belt covers an area of the upper equivalent to an area from the plantar arch portion to an instep.

4. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the belt comprises a rear edge and a front edge, wherein at least one of the rear edge and the front edge is curved.

5. The shoe of claim 4, wherein a width of the base end section of the belt expands toward the outsole.

6. The shoe of claim 4, wherein neither the rear edge nor the front edge is fixed to the upper.

7. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the front edge is composed of a first front edge extending along a width of the shoe and a second front edge extending toward a rear portion of the shoe from the first front edge.

8. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising a holding member disposed between the first and second blades, wherein the holding member creates a clearance between the first and second blades.

9. The shoe of claim 8, wherein the holding member is fixed to each of the first and second blades.

10. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising at least one second guide member fixed to the outer side surface, wherein the wire further extends through the at least one second guide member.

11. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the at least one first guide member comprises front, central, and rear first guide members, wherein the at least one second guide member comprises front and rear second guide members, wherein the front first guide member faces the front second guide member, wherein the central first guide member faces the rear second guide member, and wherein the rear first guide member faces the dial unit.

12. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the at least one first guide member comprises front and rear first guide members, wherein the at least one second guide member comprises a front second guide member, wherein the front first guide member faces the front second guide member, and wherein the rear first guide member faces the dial unit.

13. The shoe of claim 1, wherein tightening the wire pulls the leading end section towards the outer side section and thereby increases pressure placed on a plantar arch of a wearer's foot, and wherein loosening the wire decreases pressure placed on the plantar arch of a wearer's foot.

14. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising a tongue disposed proximate the first and second blades.

15. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the base end section is covered with a decorative material.

16. A golf shoe comprising: an outsole comprising a plantar arch portion and an irregular bottom surface; an upper affixed to the outsole, the upper comprising first and second blades, an outer side surface, a toe box, and a bending line; a belt comprising a base end section fixed to the plantar arch portion and a leading end section extending over at least a portion of the upper to cover the pair of blades; a plurality of first guide members fixed to the leading end section; at least one second guide member fixed to the outer side surface; a holding member disposed between the first and second blades; a wire; and a dial unit comprising first and second openings facing the leading end section, the dial unit fixed to the outer side surface, wherein the wire extends through each of the plurality of first guide members and the at least one second guide member and into each of the first and second openings, wherein the holding member creates a clearance between the first and second blades, wherein the leading end section is not directly fixed to the upper, wherein the belt is entirely disposed behind the bending line, and wherein the dial unit can be adjusted to tighten or loosen the wire.

17. The golf shoe of claim 16, wherein the holding member is fixed to each of the first and second blades.

18. The golf shoe of claim 16, further comprising a tongue, wherein the holding member is disposed between the tongue and the leading end section.

19. The golf shoe of claim 16, wherein the belt covers an area of the upper equivalent to an area from the plantar arch portion to an instep.

20. The golf shoe of claim 16, wherein tightening the wire increases pressure placed on a plantar arch of a wearer's foot.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shoe according to a first embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a side view of the outer side of the shoe according to the first embodiment;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of the inner side of the shoe according to the first embodiment;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a pair of blades and a holding member along lines 4-4 in the first embodiment;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a shoe according to a second embodiment;

[0017] FIG. 6 is a side view of the outer side of the shoe according to the second embodiment; and

[0018] FIG. 7 is a side view of the inner side of the shoe according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] A shoe according to a first, preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the shoe of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the shoe as viewed from the direction of an arrow D1 illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the shoe as viewed from the direction of an arrow D2 illustrated in FIG. 1. The shoe 1 has an outsole 10, an upper 20, and a belt 30. An insole (not illustrated) is disposed on a bottom surface of the inside of the shoe 1. The shape of a bottom surface of the outsole 10, which contacts the ground, can be determined by a person skilled in the art. For example, the bottom surface of the outsole 10 may be irregular.

[0020] The belt 30 fastens a foot, and particularly the instep, of a wearer of the shoe 1. The belt 30 covers an area (an inner side surface and an upper surface) of a part of the upper 20. In particular, the belt 30 covers an area equivalent to an area from the plantar arch to the instep of the foot of the user. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a base end section 31 of the belt 30 is fixed to the outsole 10 at a position equivalent to the plantar arch of the foot of the user. The belt 30 can be fixed to the outsole 10 by any means known in the art, such as bonding or sewing. The belt 30 extends from the base end section 31 toward an upper section of the shoe 1, and a leading end section 32 of the belt 30 is disposed at a position equivalent to the instep of the foot of the user.

[0021] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the width of the base end section 31 in the longitudinal direction of the shoe 1 expands toward the outsole 10. In this embodiment, the belt 30 has both side edges (a rear edge 33 and a front edge 34) in the longitudinal direction of the shoe 1. In the side surface of the shoe 1 illustrated in FIG. 3, the rear edge 33 of the belt 30 located at the rear part of the shoe 1 is curved from the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 to a rear part of the shoe 1. Additionally, in the side surface of the shoe 1 illustrated in FIG. 3, the front edge 34 of the belt 30 located at a front part of the shoe 1 is curved, and extends from the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 toward the rear part of the shoe 1, and thereafter extends toward the front part of the shoe 1.

[0022] The base end section 31 of the belt 30 is fixed to the outsole 10, but the rear edge 33 and the front edge 34 of the belt 30 are not fixed to the upper 20. Therefore, the belt 30 can be moved in the direction away from the upper 20 with the base end section 31 as a fulcrum.

[0023] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the belt 30 is disposed behind an area R corresponding to a ball joint section of a big toe of the foot of the user, so that the belt 30 does not overlap with the area R. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the belt 30 is also disposed behind a bending line L of a front part of the upper 20. The bending line L is equivalent to a line connecting the ball joint section of the big toe and a ball joint section of a little toe when the foot of the user is inserted into the shoe 1.

[0024] The leading end section 32 of the belt 30 covers a pair of blades 21 and a part of a tongue 22 in the shoe 1. The tongue 22 is disposed so as to close a clearance formed between the pair of blades 21, and a portion, particularly the upper end, of the tongue 22 is exposed to the outside of the shoe 1. Although the tongue 22 is provided in this embodiment, the tongue 22 can be omitted in an alternative embodiment.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 4 (in which the tongue 22 is omitted), a holding member 25 is fixed to the pair of blades 21 between the tongue 22 and the leading end section 32 of the belt 30. FIG. 4 illustrates a state where the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 is moved in the direction away from the blades 21, and the blades 21 are exposed. The holding member 25 creates a space between the pair of blades 21 by being fixed to the pair of blades 21. In other words, the holding member 25 prevents the pair of blades 21 from moving away from each other in the directions illustrated by the arrows shown in FIG. 4. The holding member 25 and blades 21 can be fixed to one another by any means, such as bonding or sewing. The holding member 25 needs only to be fixed to the pair of blades 21, and a shape of the holding member 25 can be suitably determined as long as this function is satisfied. Although the holding member 25 is provided in this embodiment, the holding member 25 can be omitted from an alternative embodiment.

[0026] A plurality of first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c are fixed to an outer surface of the leading end section 32 of the belt 30. The first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c are arranged in the longitudinal direction L of the shoe 1, and a wire 50 engages with the first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c. The position at which each of the first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c is fixed in the leading end section 32 can be suitably determined by a person skilled in the art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c can be disposed at a position where the tongue 22 is disposed; in other words, at a central section along the width dimension W of the shoe 1. While the position of the leading end section 32 of the belt 30, and the respective positions of the first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c are changed in accordance with the fastening state of the belt 30, the first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c can be disposed at the above respective positions in a state where the belt 30 is not fastened.

[0027] In addition to the plurality of first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c, a plurality of second guide members 42a, 42b, and a dial unit 60 are fixed to an outer side surface 23 of the upper 20. One of the second guide members 42a faces the middle first guide member 41b in the fastening direction of the belt 30, while the other of the second guide members 42b faces the front-most guide member 41c in the fastening direction of the belt 30. The wire 50 engages with the second guide members 42a, 42b.

[0028] As can be seen from FIG. 2, the dial unit 60 is disposed at a central section in the longitudinal direction L of the shoe 1, and is disposed at such a position as to face the rearward-most first guide member 41a in the fastening direction of the belt 30. The dial unit 60 has a pair of openings 61, 62 for drawing out the wire 50. The openings 61, 62 face the rearward-most first guide member 41a.

[0029] The portion of the wire 50 extending from the first opening 61 engages with the rearward-most first guide member 41a, and thereafter engages with the rearward-most second guide member 42a, and then the forward-most first guide member 41c, in that order. The portion of the wire 50 extending from the second opening 62 engages with the central first guide member 41b, and thereafter engages with the forward-most second guide member 42b. In this embodiment, the portions of the wire 50 extending from the first and second openings 61, 62 are connected to one another.

[0030] A winding mechanism (not illustrated) that winds and draws out the wire 50 is disposed within the dial unit 60, and the wire 50 is fixed to this winding mechanism. A known mechanism, such as the one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5925949 or the like, can be suitably employed for the winding mechanism. In this embodiment, when a dial 63 of the dial unit 60 is rotated in the predetermined direction, the winding mechanism winds the wire 50. When the dial 63 is pushed in the rotation axis direction Ra, the winding mechanism is released, and the wire 50 can be drawn out from the first and second openings 61, 62.

[0031] The belt 30 fastening operation proceeds as follows. When the dial 63 of the dial unit 60 is rotated in the predetermined direction, the winding mechanism winds the wire 50, so that a part of the wire 50 pulled into the dial unit 60. Consequently, the rearward-most first guide member 41a is pulled by the wire 50 so that it approaches the dial unit 60, and the first guide members 41b, 41c are pulled by the wire 50 towards second guide members 42a, 42b. As a result, the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 is pulled toward the outer side surface 23 of the upper 20, so that the belt 30 can be fastened to the instep of the foot of the wearer.

[0032] The belt 30 has a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction L of the shoe 1, and therefore the instep of the foot of the user can be fastened within a range of this width. Additionally, fastening force to the instep of the foot is generated over the whole width of the belt 30, and therefore fastening force that acts on the instep of the foot from the belt 30 can be equalized.

[0033] On the other hand, when the dial 63 is pushed in the rotation axis direction Ra, the winding mechanism draws out the wire 50 to increase the length of the wire 50 drawn out to an outer section of the dial unit 60, and the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 can be moved in the direction away from the outer side surface 23 of the upper 20. As a result, it is possible to loosen the fastening of the belt 30 to the instep of the foot.

[0034] In this embodiment, the openings 61, 62 of the dial unit 60 face the rearward-most first guide member 41a in the fastening direction of the belt 30. Therefore, force at the time of winding the wire 50 easily acts on the rearward-most first guide member 41a by the operation of the dial 63, and the belt 30 is easily fastened to the foot of the user. Additionally, when the wire 50 is drawn out from the dial unit 60, the rearward-most first guide member 41a is easily moved in the direction away from the dial unit 60, and the fastening of the belt 30 to the foot of the user is easily loosened.

[0035] The base end section 31 of the belt 30 is fixed to the outsole 10, and therefore when the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 is moved to the outer side surface 23 of the upper 20, and the belt 30 is fastened to the foot of the user, a fixing portion of the belt 30 and the outsole 10 is pulled towards an upper part of the shoe 1 to be deformed. The fixing portion of the belt 30 and the outsole 10 is located at a position equivalent to the plantar arch of the foot of the user, and therefore the fixing portion of the belt 30 and the outsole 10 is deformed toward the upper part of the shoe 1, so that the plantar arch of the foot of the user can be pushed upward. Therefore, when the belt 30 is fastened to the foot of the user, it provides support for the plantar arch.

[0036] The pressure P applied to the plantar arch of a wearer's foot by an ordinary lace shoe and the shoe 1 of this embodiment was measured. The ordinary lace shoe did not have the belt 30 described in this embodiment, and instead had a pair of blades 21 through which a lace passed. In the ordinary lace shoe, the pressure P when the lace was fastened was 85 [hPa]. On the other hand, in the shoe 1 of this embodiment, the pressure P when the belt 30 was fastened was 101 [hPa]. Thus, according to this embodiment, and compared to the ordinary lace shoe, the pressure P applied to the plantar arch of the foot can be increased, and the plantar arch is better supported.

[0037] Another benefit of the present invention is the spacing of the belt with respect to the bending line L of the upper 20. In particular, the belt 30 is disposed in the rear part of the shoe 1 behind the bending line L, and therefore a box toe 24 (the front part of the shoe 1 with respect to the bending line L) of the upper 20 is not fastened by the belt 30. A wearer's toes are housed within the box toe 24; because the box toe 24 is not fastened by the belt 30, the wearer's toes also are not also fastened. Consequently, the toes can easily move inside the box toe 24, allowing for smoother (and more comfortable) walking. Additionally, when the shoe 1 is used as a golf shoe, the toe can be expanded inside the box toe 24 and firmly held on the ground, thereby suppressing deviation of the axis of a wearer's body during a swing.

[0038] In this embodiment, the holding member 25 is fixed to the pair of blades 21, and therefore the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 can be prevented from entering clearances between the blades 21 and the tongue 22. In a case where the holding member 25 is not provided, when the belt 30 is in the process of being fastened, the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 may enter the clearances between the blades 21 and the tongue 22. When the leading end section 32 enters the clearances between the blades 21 and the tongue 22, the belt 30 cannot be fastened, and therefore the leading end section 32 needs to be removed from the space between the blades 21 and the tongue 22. The holding member 25 is provided as in this embodiment so that it will not be necessary to remove of the leading end section 32 from the space between the blades 21 and the tongue 22.

[0039] A shoe according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5-7. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the shoe of this embodiment, FIG. 6 is a side view of the shoe as viewed from an arrow D3 illustrated in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the shoe as viewed from an arrow D4 illustrated in FIG. 5. This embodiment has many of the same features as the first embodiment. For example, as with the first embodiment, a base end section 31 of a belt 30 is fixed to an outsole 10. As seen from FIG. 7, the base end section 31 of the belt 30 is covered by a decorative material forming a long wing tip of an upper 20.

[0040] While the first embodiment has three first guide members 41a, 41b, 41c fixed to the leading end section 32 of the belt 30, the second embodiment has only two first guide members 41a, 41b fixed to a leading end section 32 of the belt 30. In other embodiments, the number of first guide members are fixed to the leading end section 32 of the belt 30 may be one, or may be four or more.

[0041] While two second guide members 42a, 42b are fixed to the outer side surface 23 of the upper 20 in the first embodiment, only one second guide member 42a is fixed to an outer side surface 23 of the upper 20 in the second embodiment. In other embodiments, the second guide member 42a may be omitted entirely, or three or more second guide members may be fixed to the outer side surface 23.

[0042] The second embodiment also comprises a dial unit 60 fixed to the outer side surface 23 of the upper 20. A wire 50 drawn out from openings 61, 62 of the dial unit 60 engages with the first and second guide members 41a, 41b, 42a. A front edge 34 of the belt 30 is composed of a first front edge 34a and a second front edge 34b. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first front edge 34a extends in the width W direction of the shoe 1. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the second front edge 34b extends toward a rear part of the shoe 1 from the first front edge 34a.

[0043] The second provides benefits similar to those of the first embodiment. When pressure P applied to a plantar arch of a wearer's foot from an ordinary lace shoe and the shoe 1 of the second embodiment was measured, it was found that the ordinary lace shoe applied a pressure P of [hPa], while the shoe 1 of the second embodiment applied a pressure P of 107 [hPa] when the belt 30 was fastened. Thus, according to this embodiment, and compared with the ordinary lace shoe, the pressure P applied to the plantar arch of the foot can be increased, and the plantar arch is better supported.

[0044] From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.