JP7140788B2 - foot cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to foot covers.

In recent years, sneaker styles and commuting styles have become more casual in many generations, and it has become a fashion to show only bare feet when wearing shoes such as sneakers or pumps. However, when shoes are worn barefoot, the shoes and the feet come into direct contact with each other, and the inside of the shoes becomes stuffy due to perspiration, and sweat intervenes between the shoes and the feet, causing discomfort. Such a problem can be solved by wearing socks, but some people shy away from socks protruding from the shoes because they are not fashionable.

Accordingly, a thin foot cover has been proposed and is already on the market, which exposes the instep and ankle while covering the toe and the bottom of the foot, including the heel, when worn by the user. Such a foot cover has a large opening that allows the foot to pass through when worn. It looks like you are wearing it and has excellent fashion. Furthermore, by interposing the foot cover between the sole and the shoe, it is possible to prevent problems such as the inside of the shoe from becoming stuffy due to perspiration.

However, since the opening of such a foot cover is largely cut so as not to be exposed from the shoe, the wearing position may shift or come off due to friction during walking. On the other hand, if the opening is made small, a part of the foot cover is exposed from the shoe, which is not fashionable. To address this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a foot cover designed to prevent the wearer from coming off while walking.

JP 2019-218646 A

In the foot cover disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a silicone anti-slip portion is provided on the heel contact side of the edge of the shoe opening to prevent the foot cover from coming off while walking. However, in the foot cover of Patent Document 1, since only one silicone anti-slip portion is provided at the edge of the shoe opening, the effect of the anti-slip portion is low. Sometimes the foot cover may come off from the heel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a foot cover that does not come off easily despite its excellent fashionability.

The foot cover of the present invention is a foot cover having a sole portion that contacts the bottom of the foot, a toe portion that covers the toes, and a heel portion that covers the heel when worn on the foot,
An anti-slip portion is formed in the heel portion at a position in contact with the heel,
The anti-slip portion has small blocks arranged in a horizontal direction along the sole and in a vertical direction intersecting the horizontal direction, and gaps are formed between the adjacent small blocks. cage,
the small blocks are square plate-shaped, the gaps are lattice-shaped grooves,
The surface of the small block that comes into contact with the skin surface of the foot when worn and the surface of the small block that intersects with the surface of the small block form a curved surface with a small circular arc cross section to form a chamfer .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a foot cover that does not come off easily despite its excellent fashionability.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the foot cover. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage state in which the foot cover is attached to the user's foot. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the heel-opposing surface (inner surface) of the heel portion in a state in which it is unfolded on a plane. FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the configuration of FIG. 3 taken along the line AA and viewed from above, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the same part worn by a user. 4(c) is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by arrow B in FIG. 4(b). FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the developed inner surface of the non-slip portion and the heel portion of Comparative Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the inner side surface of the heel portion, which is Comparative Example 2 and is not provided with the non-slip portion. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a test device used in the effect confirmation test.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The foot cover of this embodiment includes so-called sock covers, inner socks, nude socks, cover socks, and the like. In addition, in this specification, the term "outer side" or "inner side" refers to the side closer to the center of the anti-slip portion as the inner side, and the side farther from the center as the outer side.

(Structure of foot cover)
FIG. 1 is a top view of the foot cover 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage state in which the foot cover 10 is attached to the user's foot FT.

In FIG. 1, the foot cover 10 is formed using a knitted fabric of natural materials such as cotton, hemp, wool, etc., or a knitted fabric of chemical fibers such as rayon, nylon, acrylic, polyester, and the like. When the foot cover 10 is worn on the foot FT, the foot cover 10 is connected to the sole portion 11 that contacts the sole of the foot FT, the toe portion 12 that is connected to the sole portion 11 and covers the toes of the foot FT, and the sole portion 11. It has a heel portion 13 covering the heel of the foot FT, and a left side portion 14 and a right side portion 15 connecting the sole portion 11, the toe portion 12 and the heel portion 13 together. Note that the foot cover 10 can be formed by sewing the fabric with a loom as well as a circular knitting machine.

An oval opening 16 as an opening is formed by the upper edges of the toe portion 12, the heel portion 13, the left side portion 14, and the right side portion 15 on the side opposite to the sole portion 11. As shown in FIG. The foot cover 10 shown in FIG. 1 is of a type generally referred to as a shallow shoe, in which the toe portion 12 is short in the front-rear length and the major diameter of the oval opening 16 is relatively long. On the other hand, in the case of the so-called deep-shoe type, the toe part 12 is extended to the top of the foot as indicated by the dotted line, and the long diameter of the oval opening 16 is relatively short. The present invention can be applied to any type.

As shown in FIG. 2, the foot cover 10 has a non-slip portion 20 on the inner surface of the heel portion 13. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the heel-facing surface (inner surface) of the heel portion 13 of the foot FT in a state in which it is unfolded on a plane. Here, assuming that the sole is placed on a horizontal surface, the horizontal direction along the sole is defined as the X direction (horizontal direction), and the vertical direction intersecting the X direction is defined as the Y direction (vertical direction).

The anti-slip portion 20 includes a small block group 21 arranged in the center of the heel portion 13, a vertically long block group 22 arranged on both sides of the small block group 21 in the X direction, and a horizontally long block arranged below the small block group 21 in the Y direction. group 23; The small block group 21, the vertically long block group 22, and the horizontally long block group 23 have symmetrical shapes with respect to the center line in the X direction.

The configuration of the small block group 21 will be described in detail.
Here, a case where the small block group 21 has plate-shaped small blocks arranged in 4 rows and 3 columns will be described.
Each small block is made of natural resin or synthetic resin (silicon rubber, urethane rubber, etc.) and is adhered or welded to the inner surface of the knitted fabric of the heel portion 13 . Specifically, small blocks 21aa, 21ab, 21ac, and 21ad are arranged from the upper left to right in the Y direction in FIG. 21bc and 21bd are arranged, and furthermore, small blocks 21ca, 21cb, 21cc, and 21cd are arranged in three stages from the lower left to the right in the Y direction.

In the small block group 21, the small blocks 21ab and 21ac in the first stage, the small blocks 21bb and 21bc in the second stage, and the small blocks 21cb and 21cc in the third stage, which are arranged in two rows in the center of the X direction, have a common rectangular shape. The side along the Y direction and the side along the X direction of the rectangular small block are aligned substantially on the same line.

On the other hand, the small blocks 21aa and 21ad in the first stage, the small blocks 21ba and 21bd in the second stage, and the small blocks 21ca and 21cd in the third stage located at each stage end in the X direction have a trapezoidal shape with the lower side shorter than the upper side. , the areas of the small blocks 21aa and 21ad in the first stage are the largest, the areas of the small blocks 21ca and 21cd in the third stage are the smallest, and the areas of the small blocks 21ba and 21bd in the second stage are intermediate between them. ing. The sides of the small trapezoidal blocks along the Y direction are aligned substantially on the same line, and the sides of the small trapezoidal blocks along the X direction are substantially aligned with the sides of the small rectangular blocks along the X direction. in line. Due to the arrangement and shape as described above, the small block group 21 is formed such that the dimension of the lower side (second and third stages) in the Y direction is smaller than the dimension of the upper side (first stage) in the Y direction, resulting in roundness. The entire small block group 21 can be brought into close contact with the heel according to the curve of the calcaneus having the .

Equal-width gaps (grooves) 24 are formed in a grid pattern between adjacent small blocks.

The configuration of the oblong block group 23 will be described in detail.
The horizontally long block group 23 has a plurality of plate-like horizontally long blocks, and is arranged adjacent to the lower end of the small block group 21 in the Y direction. Each oblong block is made of natural resin or synthetic resin (silicon rubber, urethane rubber, etc.) and is adhered or welded to the inner surface of the knitted fabric of the heel portion 13 respectively.

More specifically, each of the horizontally long blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d has a horizontally long trapezoidal shape and is arranged in two rows and two columns. The inner sides of the horizontally elongated blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d along the Y direction are along the Y direction of the small blocks 21ab, 21ac, 21bb, 21bc, 21cb, and 21cc that form two rows in the center of the small block group 21 in the X direction. preferably collinear with respect to the inner edge.

In addition, the outer sides of the horizontally long blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d along the Y direction are the small blocks 21aa, 21ad, 21ba, 21bd, 21ca, and 21cd at the ends of the small block group 21 aligned in the X direction. It is preferably located substantially on the same line with respect to the outer edge.

Cross-shaped gaps (grooves) 25 are formed between the adjacent oblong blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, and gaps (grooves) 26 are formed between the oblong block group 23 and the small block group 21. formed.

The configuration of the vertically long block group 22 will be described in detail.
The vertically long block group 22 has a plurality of plate-like vertically long blocks, and is arranged adjacent to both ends of the small block group 21 in the X direction. Each longitudinal block is made of natural resin or synthetic resin (silicon rubber, urethane rubber, etc.), and is adhered or welded to the inner surface of the knitted fabric of the heel portion 13, respectively.

More specifically, the upper longitudinal block 22a has a parallelogram shape and is adjacent to the small blocks 21aa and 22ba, and the upper longitudinal block 22c also has a parallelogram shape and straddles the small blocks 21ad and 22bd. These are arranged adjacent to both ends of the small block group 21 .

The lower vertically long block 22b located below the upper vertically long block 22a in the Y direction has a substantially triangular shape that narrows downward in the Y direction, and is adjacent to the small block 21ca and the horizontally long blocks 23a and 23b. do. The lower vertically long block 22d located below the upper vertically long block 22c in the Y direction also has a substantially triangular shape that narrows downward in the Y direction, and is adjacent to the small block 21cd and the horizontally long blocks 23c and 23d.

It is preferable that the Y-direction inner sides of the upper longitudinal blocks 22a and 22c are positioned substantially on the same line as the Y-direction inner sides of the lower longitudinal blocks 22b and 22d.

Equal-width gaps (grooves) 27 are formed between the vertically adjacent blocks 22a and 22b and between the vertically adjacent blocks 22c and 22d, respectively, and between the vertically long block group 22 and the small block group 21. A gap (groove) 28 is formed in the .

The heights of the small blocks, vertically long blocks, and horizontally long blocks are almost uniform. Furthermore, the surface peripheries of the small blocks, vertical blocks, and horizontal blocks that come into close contact with the heel when worn (intersecting portions XP indicated by small arc cross-sections in FIG. 4(c), which will be described later) are chamfered. Small blocks, vertically long blocks, and horizontally long blocks with relatively small areas are adjacent to each other with gaps (grooves) between them. When 10 is worn, the surfaces of all the blocks follow the substantially spherical (rounded) surface of the heel and come into close contact with the surface of the heel.

FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the configuration of FIG. 3 taken along the line AA and viewed from above, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the same part worn by a user. 4(c) is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by arrow B in FIG. 4(b). In the small blocks 21aa to 21ad and the vertically long blocks 22a and 22d, the cross section (XP shown in FIG. 4(c)) of the surface in contact with the heel of the foot FT and the surface intersecting the surface is a curved surface with a small circular arc cross section. form a chamfer.

When the foot cover 10 of this embodiment is worn on the user's foot FT as shown in FIG. 23 (in FIG. 4(b), representatively small blocks 21aa to 21ad and vertically long blocks 23a and 23d).

At this time, in FIG. 4(b), the skin surface SF of the heel of the foot FT and the surfaces of the small blocks 21aa to 21ad and the vertically long blocks 22a and 22d opposed thereto are in close contact with each other. A relative displacement between 20 and the skin surface SF can be prevented. In particular, since there is a gap around each block, each block can be angled with respect to the undulations of the skin surface SF, so that the surface of each block can be properly brought into close contact with the skin surface SF. .

In addition, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the knitted fabric of the foot cover 10 is stretched when worn and a tensile stress is generated, thereby pressing the heel portion 13 against the heel of the foot FT. be done. At this time, the skin surfaces SF in close contact with the surfaces of the small blocks 21aa to 21ad and the vertically long blocks 22a and 22d are hardly deformed, but the skin surfaces SF facing the gaps 24 and 28 are slightly deformed so as to swell (as indicated by arrow C). ), it enters the gap 24 between the small blocks 21aa and 21ab. At this time, the chamfering of each block can be expected to have the effect of biting the skin surface SF.

Similar small deformation of the skin surface SF is caused in the X direction by the gaps 24 between the small blocks of the small block group 21, the gaps 28 between the vertically long block group 22 and the small block group 21, and the gaps between the horizontally long blocks. also occurs in the gap 25 of

Due to this small deformation, many convex shapes are formed on the skin surface SF, and in addition to these being caught by each block, the contact area with the skin surface SF increases due to the chamfering of each block. The resistance is also increased, which can prevent relative displacement between the non-slip portion 20 and the skin surface SF in the X direction.

A similar effect occurs in the Y direction as well. Specifically, by slightly deforming the skin surface SF, a gap 24 between small blocks in the small block group 21 in the Y direction, a gap 27 between vertically long blocks in the vertically long block group 22, and a horizontally long block group 23 are formed. Since it also enters the gap 26 between the small block group 21 and the gap 25 between the horizontally long blocks of the horizontally long block group 23, relative displacement between the anti-slip portion 20 and the skin surface SF in the Y direction is reduced in the same manner as in the X direction. can be prevented. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to strongly prevent relative displacement between the non-slip portion 20 and the skin surface SF in any direction. Wearing the foot cover 10 of the present embodiment together with pumps or the like ensures fashionableness.

An effect confirmation test conducted by the present inventor will be described below.
(Test 1)
In Test 1, Example 1 was prepared by forming a non-slip portion 20 shown in FIG. Here, the "gauge" is a unit representing the coarseness/fineness of the stitches of a knit product, and is generally represented by the number of stitches "N" of a knitting machine. Therefore, 200N gauge means a knitted fabric formed on a knitting machine with 200 needles.

Comparative Example 1 was obtained by similarly forming a non-slip portion 20' shown in FIG. The non-slip portion 20' shown in FIG. 5 has a plurality of hemispherical small projections 20a made of the same material as the block of the first embodiment arranged at equal pitches. Further, in Comparative Example 2, the non-slip portion was not formed on the inner surface of the heel portion of the shallow type formed from the knitted fabric of 200N gauge as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a test apparatus used in the effect confirmation test. This testing apparatus has a foot FD to which the foot cover 10 is attached, a wire WR to be hooked on the foot cover 10, and a tensile tester TE to measure the tensile force while pulling the wire WR. Here, the wire WR was hooked on the sole of the foot cover 10 adjacent to the heel and pulled at a speed of 100 mm/min in a direction perpendicular to the sole, and the maximum tensile force generated until the foot cover 10 came off was measured. Each measurement was performed four times, and the average value was obtained. The higher the maximum tensile force, the more difficult it is for the foot cover to come off. Table 1 shows the maximum tensile force (unit: N) measured for the comparative examples and the examples.

(Discussion)
According to the test results in Table 1, the maximum tensile strength of Example 1 was 30% higher than that of Comparative Example 1 and 27% higher than that of Comparative Example 2 before washing. Therefore, it was confirmed that the foot cover of Example 1 was more difficult to come off than the foot cover of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 before washing.

Furthermore, after washing, the maximum tensile strength of Example 1 was 33% higher than that of Comparative Example 1, and 40% higher than that of Comparative Example 2. Therefore, it was confirmed that the foot cover of Example 1 was more difficult to come off than the foot cover of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, as before washing.

(Test 2)
Next, in addition to the above-mentioned Example 1, Example 2 is provided with a non-slip portion 20 shown in FIG. As Example 3, a non-slip portion 20 shown in FIG. Similarly, the maximum tensile force was obtained. Table 2 shows the maximum tensile force (unit: N) measured for each example.

(Discussion)
The maximum tensile strength of Example 2 is greater than that of Example 1, both before and after washing. This indicates that the long diameter of the oval opening 16 (FIG. 1) of the deep-type foot cover is shorter than that of the shallow-type foot cover, and this opening shape difference makes it more difficult to remove.

In addition, the maximum tensile strength of Example 3 is greater than the maximum tensile strength of Example 2 regardless of whether it is before or after washing.

According to the results of Test 2, it can be seen that the shallow type foot cover using a knitted fabric of 200 N gauge, such as that used in Test 1, tends to come off most easily. Therefore, by providing the anti-slip 20 shown in FIG. 3 in the shallow type foot cover using the knitted fabric of 200N gauge, the maximum effect of preventing coming off can be exhibited.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the small blocks are not limited to 4 rows and 3 columns, but can be arranged in arbitrary rows and columns. Alternatively, small blocks may be arranged in a zigzag pattern.

10 Foot cover 11 Bottom part 12 Toe part 13 Heel part 14 Left side part 15 Right side part 20 Non-slip part 21 Small block group 22 Vertical block group 23 Horizontal block group 24-28 Gap

Claims (4)

A foot cover having a sole portion that contacts with the bottom of the foot, a toe portion that covers the toes, and a heel portion that covers the heel when worn on the foot,
An anti-slip portion is formed on the heel portion at a position in contact with the heel,
The anti-slip portion has a plurality of small blocks arranged in a horizontal direction along the sole and in a vertical direction intersecting the horizontal direction, and gaps are formed between the adjacent small blocks. has been
the small blocks are square plate-shaped, the gaps are lattice-shaped grooves,
A foot cover characterized in that the surface of the small block that contacts the skin surface of the foot when worn and the surface of the small block that intersects with the surface of the small block form a curved surface with a small circular arc cross-section at the intersection to form a chamfer. . The anti-slip portion has vertically long blocks arranged adjacent to both ends of the small block group in the horizontal direction so as to straddle two or more of the small blocks arranged in the vertical direction, and the vertically long blocks and 2. A foot cover according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between said small block adjacent to said small block. The anti-slip portion has a horizontally elongated block arranged adjacent to the longitudinal end of the small block group so as to straddle two or more of the horizontally aligned small blocks, and the horizontally elongated block and 3. The foot cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gap is formed between said small block adjacent to said small block. The foot according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the small block groups are arranged in 4 rows and 3 columns when the vertical direction is the rows and the horizontal direction is the columns. cover.

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