JP7656745B2 - Shoes - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to shoes with uppers that allow for reduced amounts of adhesive or reinforcing material to be used. Specifically, the present invention relates to shoes with uppers that have sufficient strength even when reduced amounts of adhesive or reinforcing material are used. The present invention also relates to shoes with uppers that allow for the formation of eyelets even when reduced amounts of adhesive are used.

As is well known, a shoe includes an upper and a sole.
Various functions are required for the upper depending on the use of the shoe. Also, the required functions may differ depending on the part of the upper. In order to meet these requirements, other members (reinforcements) may be bonded to specific parts of the base fabric that constitutes the upper using an adhesive to increase the strength of the upper.
Additionally, eyelets for passing shoelaces through are usually attached to the upper using an adhesive.

The adhesives used in the uppers are often ones that have a relatively high environmental impact, so it is preferable to use as little as possible. Also, increasing the number of components used in the upper (reinforcing materials and grommets other than the base fabric to increase the strength of the upper) leads to an increase in waste materials, an increase in the amount of work in the shoe manufacturing process, and an increase in the amount of heat and electricity used by tools. Furthermore, from the perspective of recycling, etc., it is often undesirable for a shoe to contain many components made of different materials.

Therefore, there is a demand for shoes with uppers that have sufficient strength even when reduced amounts of adhesive or reinforcing materials are used, and shoes with uppers that allow eyelets to be formed even when reduced amounts of adhesive are used.

Patent documents 1 to 3 propose uppers with various configurations, but they do not meet or do not fully meet the above requirements.

Patent No. 5390708 Patent No. 4971436 JP 2016-198481 A

The present invention was made to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a shoe with an upper that can reduce the amount of adhesive or reinforcing material used.

To solve the above problem, the present invention provides a shoe with an upper and a sole, the upper comprising a base fabric and a cord sewn in a serpentine manner onto the outer surface of the base fabric, the cord being sewn onto the outer surface of the base fabric across the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot parts of the base fabric, the cord having a higher stitching density in the midfoot and rearfoot parts of the base fabric than in the forefoot part of the base fabric, a portion of the cord forming an eyelet through which a shoelace is passed, and both ends of the eyelet being sewn onto the outer surface of the base fabric with embroidery thread extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the cord.

In the present invention, the cord does not need to be sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric over its entire length, and only a portion of the cord in the longitudinal direction may be sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric, as long as the stitching does not come undone and the cord does not come off the base fabric. Also, in the present invention, "sewn in a meandering manner" does not mean that the cord is sewn in a straight line in the longitudinal direction, but rather that at least a portion of the cord is sewn while changing direction from left to right in the longitudinal direction.
According to the present invention, the upper includes a base fabric and a cord sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric in a meandering manner, and the strength of the upper can be increased by the cord sewn without using adhesive. Also, according to the present invention, since the cord is sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric in a meandering manner, the upper is more likely to stretch in a direction perpendicular to the meandering direction of the cord (longitudinal direction) than in the meandering direction of the cord (left-right direction in which the direction is changed). Therefore, the direction in which the upper is likely to deform can be controlled by the meandering direction of the sewn cord, and the fitting of the upper according to the purpose of use can be improved.

In the present invention, "the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot parts of the base fabric" refer to the parts of the base fabric which correspond respectively to the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot parts of the shoe when the shoe is viewed in plan.
According to the present invention, a part of the cord sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric constitutes an eyelet through which the shoelace passes. Specifically, the part of the cord that is not sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric is used as the eyelet, and the shoelace can be passed between the eyelet and the base fabric. Therefore, the eyelet can be formed without bonding the eyelet to the base fabric with an adhesive.

According to the present invention, a shoe is provided with an upper that allows for a reduction in the amount of adhesive or reinforcing material used. According to the present invention, a shoe is provided with an upper that has sufficient strength even when a reduction in the amount of adhesive or reinforcing material used is provided. According to the present invention, a shoe is provided with an upper that allows for the formation of eyelets even when a reduction in the amount of adhesive used is provided.

1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view (as viewed from the inner foot side) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view (as viewed from the outer side of the foot) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a development view showing a schematic configuration of an upper provided in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a method of sewing a cord to a base fabric in the shoe shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic method of sewing both ends of an eyelet in the shoe shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the direction of tension acting on an eyelet in the shoe shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 13 is a perspective view (as viewed from the inner foot side) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to a first modified example. FIG. 13 is a perspective view (as viewed from the inner foot side) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to a second modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to a third modified example. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the shoe and the bones of the foot.

Hereinafter, a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It should be noted that each drawing is for reference purposes only, and that the dimensions, scale, and shapes of components shown in each drawing may differ from the actual ones.

First, with reference to FIG. 11, the meanings of the terms "forefoot,""midfoot," and "rearfoot" of a shoe used in this specification will be explained.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the shoe and the bones of the foot.
11, the "forefoot" refers to a portion that generally corresponds to the phalanges, MP joints, and metatarsals (where the sole 20 of the shoe 100 is located below these bones when the shoe is worn). If the overall length of the shoe 100 is taken as 100%, then the area that is approximately 0 to 30% from the front end of the shoe 100 corresponds to the forefoot.
Moreover, the "midfoot" refers to a portion that generally corresponds to the cuneiform, navicular, and cuboid bones (the sole 20 of the shoe 100 is located below these bones when the shoe is worn). If the overall length of the shoe 100 is taken as 100%, then the region that corresponds to approximately 30% to 85% of the shoe 100 from the front end corresponds to the midfoot.
Furthermore, the term "rear foot" refers to a portion that generally corresponds to the talus and calcaneus (where the sole 20 of the shoe 100 is located below these bones when the shoe is worn). If the overall length of the shoe 100 is taken as 100%, then the area that is approximately 85% to 100% from the front end of the shoe 100 corresponds to the rear foot.
The "forefoot", "midfoot", and "rearfoot" of the base fabric refer to the parts of the base fabric that correspond to the "forefoot", "midfoot", and "rearfoot" of the shoe, respectively, when the shoe is viewed in a plan view. The "forefoot", "midfoot", and "rearfoot" of the upper refer to the parts of the upper that correspond to the "forefoot", "midfoot", and "rearfoot" of the shoe, respectively, when the shoe is viewed in a plan view.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view (perspective view seen from the inner foot side) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view (perspective view seen from the outer foot side) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a development view showing a schematic configuration of an upper provided in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that "inner foot side" refers to the big toe side of the foot of a person wearing the shoe. Also, "outer foot side" refers to the little toe side of the foot of a person wearing the shoe.
1 to 4 show the right foot version, but the left foot version has a linearly symmetrical structure to the right foot version, so it is not shown in the figures, and only the right foot version will be described below. Note that, unlike Figures 1 to 3, the dot-shaped holes in the upper 10 are not shown in Figure 4.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a shoe 100 according to this embodiment includes an upper 10 and a sole 20 joined to the lower part of the upper 10. As shown in Figure 4, the upper 10 of this embodiment includes a main body 1 and a bottom surface 2, and is formed into a bag shape by sewing together an edge of the bottom surface 2 on the left side of Figure 4 (a curved line passing through points A and A') and an edge of the bottom surface 2 on the right side of Figure 4 (a curved line passing through points B and B'). The bottom surface 2 of the upper 10 and the sole 20 are then joined.

The upper 10 includes a base fabric 11 and a cord 12 (indicated by a thick line in Figs. 1 to 4) sewn to the base fabric 11. In this embodiment, a plurality of cords 12 are sewn.
In this embodiment, a knit made of polyester fiber is used as the base fabric 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a knit made of nylon fiber, polyurethane fiber, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) fiber, etc. can also be used as the base fabric 11. Furthermore, various types of base fabrics 11 can be used as long as the cord 12 can be sewn onto them.
In this embodiment, a round cord with an outer diameter of 2 mm and a circular cross section is used as the cord 12. The round cord is formed, for example, from polyester fiber, nylon fiber, polyurethane fiber, rubber, other plastics, metal thread, or the like. This cord 12 has a higher tensile elasticity than the base fabric 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use, for example, conductive thread as the cord 12. A preferred outer diameter of the cord 12 is 0.5 mm to 10 mm, and more preferably 1 mm to 5 mm. The cross-sectional shape of the cord 12 is not limited to a circle, and may be an ellipse, an oval, a rectangle, or the like.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing a schematic diagram of a method for sewing the cord 12 to the base fabric 11 in the shoe 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a portion where the cord 12 is sewn, and Fig. 5B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line CC shown in Fig. 5A.
5, in this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn by cord embroidery. That is, the cord 12 is placed on the base fabric 11 and sewn to the base fabric 11 with embroidery thread 13.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the shoe 100 according to this embodiment is characterized in that the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 in a meandering manner. That is, the cord 12 is not sewn in a straight line in the longitudinal direction, but at least a portion of the cord 12 is sewn with a change in direction from left to right in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the strength of the upper 10 can be increased by the cord 12 sewn without using adhesive. In addition, since the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 in a meandering manner, the upper 10 is more likely to stretch in a direction perpendicular to the meandering direction of the cord 12 (longitudinal direction) than in the meandering direction of the cord 12 (left to right direction in which the direction is changed). Therefore, the direction in which the upper 10 is likely to deform can be controlled by the meandering direction of the sewn cord 12, and the fitting of the upper 10 according to the purpose of use can also be improved.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the second feature of the shoe 100 according to this embodiment is that the cord 12 is sewn to the base cloth 11 at least in the forefoot and midfoot parts of the base cloth 11, and a part of the cord 12 forms an eyelet 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes. In the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, multiple eyelets 12a are provided in the front-to-rear direction of the base cloth 11 (corresponding to the front-to-rear direction of the shoe 100). In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 4, three eyelets 12a are formed on each of the inner and outer sides of the base cloth 11.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic method for sewing both ends of the eyelet 12a in the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, specifically, a cross-sectional view of the lower right eyelet 12a shown in Fig. 1 as viewed from the direction of the arrow D. The other eyelets 12a also have both ends sewn in the same manner.
As shown in Fig. 6, both ends of the eyelet 12a are sewn to the base fabric 11 by embroidery thread 14 extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the cord 12 (left and right direction in Fig. 6). When the cord 12 is sewn with the embroidery thread 14, it is sewn at a finer pitch than when the cord 12 is sewn with the embroidery thread 13. This allows both ends of the eyelet 12a to be firmly sewn to the base fabric 11. The part of the cord 12 that is not sewn to the base fabric 11 is used as the eyelet 12a, and the shoelace 30 can be passed between the eyelet 12a and the base fabric 11. Therefore, the eyelet 12a can be formed without bonding the eyelet 12a to the base fabric 11 using an adhesive. In addition, since the cord 12 itself constitutes the eyelet 12a, when the shoelace 30 is passed through the eyelet 12a and fastened, it feels better on the foot than a conventional eyelet.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in a shoe 100 according to this embodiment, a cord 12 is sewn to a base fabric 11 without being severed in the longitudinal direction.
In addition, in the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 between the boundary between the upper 10 and the sole 20 (the curve passing through points D and D' shown in FIG. 2) and an eyelet through which the shoelace 30 passes (in this embodiment, the eyelet 12a which is formed as part of the cord 12).
Furthermore, in the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn to the base cloth 11 across the forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot parts of the base cloth 11, and the stitching density of the cord 12 is higher in the midfoot and rearfoot parts of the base cloth 11 than in the forefoot part of the base cloth 11. The stitching density of the cord 12 means the ratio of the area occupied by the cord 12 to the surface area of each part of the base cloth 11, and for example, it is preferable that the stitching density of the cord 12 in the forefoot part of the base cloth 11 is 5% to 10%, the stitching density of the cord 12 in the midfoot part of the base cloth 11 is 10% to 50%, and the stitching density of the cord 12 in the rearfoot part of the base cloth 11 is 15% to 90%. By making the stitching density of the cord 12 in the rearfoot part of the base cloth 11 high density, a reinforcing effect of the rearfoot part of the upper 10 (an effect similar to that of a heel counter) can be obtained.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the direction of tension acting on the eyelets 12a in the shoe 100 according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the direction of tension acting on each of the eyelets 12a when the shoe lace 30 is passed through and fastened in the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, on a development view of the upper 10.
As shown in FIG. 7, the directions of tensions T1 to T6 acting on each eyelet 12a (specifically, the directions of the resultant vectors of the tensions acting on both ends of each eyelet 12a) are different from one another.

Below, we will explain modified examples of the shoe 100 according to this embodiment.

<First Modification>
Fig. 8 is a perspective view (as viewed from the inner side of the foot) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe 100A according to a first modified example. Fig. 8 shows only characteristic parts of an upper 10A according to the first modified example, and appropriately omits illustration of the same components as those of the upper 10 described with reference to Fig. 2 and the like.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the shoe 100A according to the first modified example, the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 also in the rear foot portion of the base fabric 11, and a portion of the cord 12 sewn to the rear foot portion of the base fabric 11 forms an eyelet 12a.

<Second Modification>
Fig. 9 is a perspective view (as viewed from the inner side of the foot) showing a schematic configuration of a shoe 100B according to a second modified example. Fig. 9 shows only characteristic parts of an upper 10B according to the second modified example, and the illustration of the same components as those of the upper 10 described with reference to Fig. 2 and the like is omitted as appropriate.
As shown in Fig. 9, in the shoe 100B according to the second modification, a plurality of eyelets 12a are provided in the midfoot portion of the base fabric 11 in the front-to-back direction of the base fabric 11, and the plurality of eyelets 12a are provided in a staggered pattern in the up-down direction of the base fabric 11. Note that Fig. 9 illustrates only one cord 12, but this is not limiting, and it is also possible to provide a plurality of cords 12, each having a plurality of eyelets 12a provided in a staggered pattern in the up-down direction of the base fabric 11.

<Third Modification>
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a shoe 100C according to a third modified example, in which Fig. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the midfoot of the shoe 100C, and Fig. 10(b) is a diagram showing the area surrounded by the dashed line E in Fig. 10(a) as viewed from the left and right of the shoe 100C.
As shown in Fig. 10, an upper 10C of the third modified example is formed in a bag shape and includes a main body portion 1 and a bottom surface portion 2. The cord 12 extends from the medial side of the main body portion 1 through the bottom surface portion 2 to the lateral side of the main body portion 1. Furthermore, parts of the cord 12 located on the medial and lateral sides of the main body portion 1 form eyelets 12a through which shoelaces 30 (not shown in Fig. 10) pass.
In the example shown in Figure 10, the entire length of the cord 12, excluding the eyelets 12a, is sewn to the base fabric 11 with embroidery thread 13, but this is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which only the portion of the cord 12 located on the main body portion 1 is sewn to the base fabric 11.

According to the shoe 100 according to the present embodiment described above, the cord 12 has a higher tensile elasticity than the base fabric 11. This allows the strength of the upper 10 to be further increased compared to when the cord 12 has the same or lower tensile elasticity as the base fabric 11. In addition, when the shoelace 30 is passed through the eyelet 12a and tightened, the base fabric 11 is pulled together with the cord 12, which can improve the fitting of the upper 10.

In the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 without being split in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the cord 12 is sewn in a single stroke, which further increases the strength of the upper 10 compared to when the cord is split.

In the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 between the boundary between the upper 10 and the sole 20 and the eyelet 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes. This increases the strength over a wide area of the upper 10.

In the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, the cord 12 is sewn to the base cloth 11 over the forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot portions of the base cloth 11, and the stitching density of the cord 12 is higher in the midfoot and rearfoot portions of the base cloth 11 than in the forefoot portion of the base cloth 11. This increases the strength of the midfoot and rearfoot portions of the upper 10, improving the shape retention and stability of the shoe 100.

In the shoe 100 according to this embodiment, a part of the cord 12 forms an eyelet 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes, and both ends of the eyelet 12a are sewn to the base fabric 11 with embroidery thread 14 that extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the cord 12. Therefore, even if tension acts on the eyelet 12a when the shoelace 30 is passed through the eyelet 12a and tightened, the stitching of the cord 12 can be prevented from fraying.

According to the shoe 100 of this embodiment, a part of the cord 12 forms an eyelet 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes, and multiple eyelets 12a are provided in the front-to-rear direction of the base fabric 11. When the shoelace 30 is passed through the multiple eyelets 12a and tightened, the tension acting on each of the multiple eyelets 12a is in a different direction. Therefore, the tightening force of the shoelace 30 acts in various directions, improving the fitting of the upper 10.

In the shoe 100A according to the first modification, the cord 12 is also sewn to the base cloth 11 in the rear foot portion of the base cloth 11, and a part of the cord 12 sewn to the rear foot portion of the base cloth 11 forms an eyelet 12a. Therefore, when the shoe lace 30 is passed through the eyelet 12a formed by the part of the cord 12 sewn to the rear foot portion of the base cloth 11 and tightened, the fitting of the rear foot portion of the upper 10A can be improved.

In the shoe 100B according to the second modification, a plurality of eyelets 12a are provided in the midfoot portion of the base fabric 11 in the front-to-rear direction of the base fabric 11, and the plurality of eyelets 12a are provided in a staggered pattern in the up-down direction of the base fabric 11. Therefore, when the shoelace 30 is passed through the plurality of eyelets 12a and tightened, the lifting effect of the midfoot portion of the upper 10B is improved, and the fitting of the upper 10B can be improved.

According to the shoe 100C of the third modified example, the upper 10C is formed in a bag shape with a main body portion 1 and a bottom surface portion 2, the cord 12 extends from the inner foot side of the main body portion 1 through the bottom surface portion 2 to the outer foot side of the main body portion 1, and parts of the cord 12 located on the inner foot side and the outer foot side of the main body portion 1 form eyelets 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes. Therefore, when the shoelace 30 is passed through the eyelets 12a and tightened, the main body portion 1 and bottom surface portion 2 of the upper 10C formed in a bag shape are pulled up, improving the fitting of the upper 10C to the arch of the wearer's foot.

In the present embodiment and the first to third modified examples, an example has been described in which the shoe has both the first feature (the cord 12 is sewn to the base fabric 11 in a serpentine manner) and the second feature (part of the cord 12 forms the eyelet 12a through which the shoelace 30 passes), but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to provide a shoe that has only either the first feature or the second feature.

1: Main body 2: Bottom surface 10, 10A, 10B, 10C: Upper 11: Base fabric 12: Cord 12a: Eyelets 13, 14: Embroidery thread 20: Sole 30: Shoelace 100, 100A, 100B, 100C: Shoes

Claims (10)

A shoe having an upper and a sole,
The upper includes a base fabric and a cord sewn in a serpentine manner on an outer surface of the base fabric,
The cord is sewn to an outer surface of the base fabric across the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot portions of the base fabric,
The cords are sewn at a higher density in the midfoot and rearfoot portions of the base fabric than in the forefoot portion of the base fabric;
A part of the cord constitutes an eyelet through which a shoelace is passed,
Both ends of the eyelet are sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric by embroidery thread extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the cord.
These shoes are characterized by: A part of the cord sewn to the rear foot portion of the base fabric constitutes the eyelet.
The shoe according to claim 1 . The cord has a higher tensile elasticity than the base fabric.
3. The shoe according to claim 1 or 2. The cord is sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric without being broken in the longitudinal direction.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The cord is sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric between the boundary between the upper and the sole and the eyelet.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The eyelets are provided in a plurality of positions in the front-rear direction of the base fabric at the midfoot portion of the base fabric,
The plurality of eyelets are arranged in a staggered pattern in the vertical direction of the base fabric.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The eyelets are provided in a plurality in the front-rear direction of the base fabric,
When the shoelace is passed through the plurality of eyelets and fastened, the directions of tension acting on each of the plurality of eyelets are different from each other.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The upper is formed in a bag shape and includes a main body and a bottom surface.
The cord extends from an inner foot side of the main body portion through the bottom surface portion to an outer foot side of the main body portion,
A part of the cord located on the inner foot side and the outer foot side of the main body constitutes the eyelet.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7. the cord is sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric by a first embroidery thread;
Both ends of the eyelet are sewn to the outer surface of the base fabric by a second embroidery thread extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the cord,
The second embroidery thread has a finer pitch than the first embroidery thread.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The stitching density of the cord in the forefoot portion of the base fabric is 5% to 10%;
The stitching density of the cord in the midfoot portion of the base fabric is 10% to 50%;
The stitching density of the cord in the rear foot portion of the base fabric is 15% to 90%.
The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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