JP7796434B2 - footwear - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. (Exhibition) The work will be exhibited by Okura Shokai Co., Ltd. in its office and showroom on February 1, 2024.

The present invention relates to footwear that can be easily put on by inserting the foot into the footwear and placing weight on the heel, allowing the foot to slide into the footwear without using a shoehorn or hands.

Conventionally, when putting on footwear, it has been common to open the opening, insert the foot, place a shoe horn in the heel part, and place the heel part of the foot against the shoe horn to put the foot into the footwear.
However, such conventional footwear requires the user to keep a shoehorn on hand, and also requires bending over or using one's hands, making it difficult to put on the footwear smoothly.
In order to solve this problem, various types of footwear have been developed in recent years that can be put on without using a shoehorn.
Conventional footwear that can be put on without using a shoehorn is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.

Utility Model Registration No. 3238534

The conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the advantage that shoes can be easily put on without the need for a separate shoehorn and without damaging the leather part of the shoe.
However, the footwear shown in Patent Document 1 has a structure that connects the heel guide portion 400 to the insole 300, which means that the footwear tends to cause a foreign body sensation when and after putting on the footwear, resulting in a poor wearing comfort.

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art by providing footwear that can be easily put on by simply inserting the foot into the footwear and placing weight on the heel, without using a shoehorn or hands, and that is comfortable to wear, easy to put on, and has a lightweight counter.

In order to achieve the above object, the footwear of the present invention is a footwear equipped with a counter in the heel portion that can assist in sliding the foot into the footwear by inserting the foot into the footwear and putting weight on the heel portion of the footwear, the counter is made of a synthetic resin including a polyurethane resin, has an inclined portion at the rear upper end that is inclined diagonally backward, and has a plurality of openings arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface, and each of the plurality of openings has a plurality of through holes that are divided into a plurality of opening regions via a boundary frame formed by a plurality of frames , the thickness of the boundary frame of the opening that is arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is thicker than the thickness of the boundary frame of the other openings excluding the opening, and the shape of the boundary frame of the opening that is arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is such that the boundary frame is shaped so that it is parallel to the left and right The boundary frame is formed in an approximately H-shape by a pair of frames arranged in a row and extending vertically, and a pair of frames arranged in parallel above and below and extending horizontally that connect the pair of vertically extending frames , so that the center line of the approximately H-shaped boundary frame is configured to be close to the inclination angle of a vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter , and for the boundary frames of openings other than the opening mentioned above, none of the multiple frames forming the boundary frame extend vertically.As a result, the volume of the boundary frame of the opening arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is larger than the volume of the boundary frame of the openings other than the opening mentioned above, and therefore the vertical rigidity of the opening arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is made higher than the vertical rigidity of the openings other than the opening mentioned above.
The footwear of the present invention is secondly characterized in that it is provided with a counter on the outer surface of the heel portion .
In addition to the first feature, the footwear of the present invention has a counter built into the heel.
This is the third characteristic .

According to the footwear described in claim 1, by placing weight on the heel, the load on the heel is distributed among the multiple openings, allowing the counter to sink in as a unit while maintaining a certain strength. This allows the footwear to be easily put on by simply sliding the foot into the footwear via the inclined portion without using a shoehorn or hands. Furthermore, by configuring the multiple openings with multiple through-holes separated into multiple opening areas via a boundary frame, the load on the heel can be distributed in stages among an even greater number of locations. This allows the counter to sink in slowly, making the footwear easy to put on.
Furthermore, by providing a counter with a plurality of openings, the weight of the counter can be reduced.
Furthermore, the strength of the opening located on the vertical line passing through the apex of the rear outer surface, which serves as the starting point for inserting the foot into the footwear and is the area that bears the greatest load when putting on the footwear, can be made stronger than the strength of the other openings. This makes it possible to firmly maintain the weight of the foot placed on the heel when putting on the footwear and reliably prevent the heel from collapsing. This results in a footwear that allows the foot to slide into the footwear more smoothly via the inclined portion.

In addition, according to the footwear described in claim 2, by providing a counter on the outer surface of the heel portion, the footwear does not feel like a foreign body when or after putting on the footwear, making it comfortable to wear .

Furthermore, the footwear can have an excellent design .

Furthermore, according to the footwear described in claim 3, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configuration described in claim 1 , by incorporating a counter in the heel portion, the sponge contained in the heel portion can be inserted into the opening of the counter, making it possible to make the footwear such that the sponge is less likely to slip off .

In addition , the footwear can prevent the counter from falling off.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing footwear according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a right side view of the footwear, and FIG. 1B is a right side view of the counter. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a counter and footwear according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view of the counter, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the footwear is being worn. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing modified examples of footwear and a counter according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the state of wearing the footwear, and (c) is a diagram showing a modified example of the counter. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing footwear according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A is a right side view of the footwear, and FIG. 10B is a right side view of the counter. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a cross section of a counter and a heel portion of footwear according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view of the counter, and (b) is a vertical cross section of the heel portion of the footwear.

Footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to aid in understanding the present invention. However, the following description does not limit the present invention as defined in the claims.

First, footwear 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.
Referring to FIG. 1( a ), footwear 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is a so-called sneaker that includes an upper 10 , a sole 20 , and a counter 30 .
Furthermore, since the upper 10 and sole 20 are similar to the upper 10 and sole 20 that make up commonly used footwear, detailed explanations will be omitted below, and only the counter 30, which is an important component of the present invention, will be explained in detail below.

1 to 3, footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a counter 30 on the outer surface of heel portion 11 of upper 10. As shown in FIG.
This counter 30 naturally has the role of maintaining the shape of the footwear 1, just like the counters that are provided in commonly used footwear, but in the present invention, it is intended to assist the foot 40 in sliding into the footwear 1 by inserting the foot 40 into the footwear 1 and placing weight on the heel portion 11 of the footwear 1.

As shown in Figure 1(b), this counter 30 has an opening 31, an inclined portion 32, a notched portion 33, and a fixed portion 34.

The opening 31 is intended to effectively distribute the load applied to the counter 30 and to make it possible to reduce the weight of the counter 30.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2(a), the plurality of openings 31 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface, which is the axis of symmetry. Here, the "top of the rear outer surface" refers to the outermost protruding portion of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 when the counter 30, which is formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view, is attached to the footwear 1.
Specifically, the three openings 31 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface as the axis of symmetry. Note that the openings 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface are configured so that the vertical line T passes through their center in the left-right direction. In other words, the "plurality of openings" in the "plurality of openings arranged line symmetrically" in this invention is a concept that also includes openings arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface.
1(b) and 2(a), in this embodiment, each of the plurality of openings 31 is configured to have a plurality of through holes that are divided into a plurality of opening regions via a boundary frame F. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the opening 31 disposed on the right side of the counter 30 is configured to have three through holes, namely a first through hole K1, a second through hole K2, and a third through hole K3, that are divided into three opening regions consisting of a first opening region R1, a second opening region R2, and a third opening region R3 via the boundary frame F.
The shape and number of the openings 31, the shape and number of the boundary frames F, and the shape and number of the opening areas (through holes) are not limited to those of this embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate as long as multiple openings are arranged in line symmetry with the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface as the axis of symmetry.
In addition, in this embodiment, a step D is provided around the periphery of the opening 31 so that each opening 31 can be clearly distinguished, but the step D is not necessarily required, and the configuration may be such that the step D is not provided.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vertical rigidity of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is made higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31.
Specifically, as shown in Figure 2(a), the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is made larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, thereby making the vertical rigidity of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31.
Of course, the configuration for making the vertical rigidity of the openings located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings other than the openings is not limited to that of this embodiment, and other configurations may be used, for example, by changing the material.

In this embodiment, the following two configurations are provided to make the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 excluding the opening 31. First, the thickness of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is made thicker than the thickness of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 excluding the opening 31. Second, the shape of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is made approximately H-shaped, thereby bringing the angle of the boundary frame F closer to the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30, and the boundary frames F of the other openings 31 excluding the opening 31 are arranged at an angle.
Of course, the configuration for making the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31 is not limited to this configuration, and other configurations may also be used.

The inclined portion 32 serves as a starting point for assisting the foot 40 to slide into the footwear 1 by placing weight on the heel portion 11 of the footwear 1 .
In this embodiment, when the counter 30 is fixed to the upper 10, the fixing portions 34 shown by hatching in Figure 1 (b) are inserted into the fabric that forms the upper 10 and become invisible.The sloping portion 32 is formed by tilting the rear upper end portion of the upper fixing portion 34 diagonally backward.
1B, in this embodiment, the shape of the counter 30 located directly below the inclined portion 32 is configured to be a substantially V-shape when combined with the shape of the inclined portion 32. In other words, at the lower end position of the inclined portion 32, the counter 30 is configured to be recessed inward in a substantially U-shape.
The length of the inclined portion 32 overlapping with the vertical line T shown in FIG. 2(a) is not limited to that of this embodiment and can be changed as appropriate, but is preferably about 1 cm to 2 cm.

The cutout portion 33 is intended to form a space for accommodating the moving portion when the rear side of the counter 30 is pushed down and moved downward when the footwear 1 is put on.
The shape and size of the notch 33 are not limited to those in this embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.

The fixing portion 34 forms a so-called glue margin for fixing the counter 30 to the upper 10 and the sole 20 .
In this embodiment, as partially shown in FIG. 1B, fixing portions 34 are provided on the entire outer edge except for the notched portions 33.
Although not shown, in the portion fixed to the upper 10, the fixing portion 34 is inserted into the fabric forming the upper 10, and the fixing portion 34 and the fabric forming the upper 10 are bonded together via an adhesive. In addition, in the portion fixed to the sole 20, the fixing portion 34 is inserted inside the sole 20, and the fixing portion 34 and the sole 20 are bonded together via an adhesive.
The counter 30 according to this embodiment is made of a synthetic resin containing polyurethane resin. Of course, the material for forming the counter 30 is not limited to this configuration, but considering durability, flexibility, elasticity, etc., it is desirable to use a synthetic resin containing polyurethane resin.
The opening 31, the inclined portion 32, the notched portion 33, and the fixing portion 34 can be formed by integrally molding the counter 30 using a mold, for example.

Next, the actions taken when putting on the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(b) to 3(b).
First, referring to FIG. 2( b ), the foot is inserted into the footwear 1 and the weight is placed on the heel portion 11 of the footwear 1 .
As a result, as shown by the black arrows in Figure 3(a), the counter 30 is pushed downward and contracts by a certain amount. At this time, the applied load is dispersed and transmitted to each opening area (each through hole) forming each opening 31 via the boundary frame F of each opening 31, causing each opening area (each through hole) forming each opening 31 to contract by a certain amount. At the same time, the fixing portion 34 bonded to the sole 20 causes the entire counter 30 to sink by a certain amount in the direction of the notch 33 while maintaining its strength.
Then, the foot 40 slides into the footwear 1 via the inclined portion 32 along with the weight of the person wearing the footwear 1 .
Thereafter, when the foot 40 is completely inserted into the footwear 1, a restoring force indicated by the black arrows in Figure 3(b) acts on each opening area (each through hole) forming each contracted opening 31 and on the entire counter 30, causing the counter 30 to return to its original state.
This completes the operation of putting on footwear 1.

The footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, configured as described above, offers the following advantages:

By providing the counter 30, when weight is placed on the heel portion 11, the load applied to the heel portion 11 is distributed to the plurality of openings 31, and the counter 30 can be sunk as a unit while maintaining a certain strength. This makes it possible to provide footwear 1 that can be easily put on by simply sliding the foot 40 into the footwear 1 via the inclined portion 32 without using hands.
Furthermore, by configuring the plurality of openings 31 with a plurality of through holes that are divided into a plurality of opening regions via the boundary frame F, the load applied to the heel portion 11 can be dispersed in stages to an even greater number of locations. This allows the counter 30 to sink slowly while maintaining a certain degree of strength, making the footwear 1 easy to put on.
What is important here is that the counter 30 is configured to maintain a certain degree of strength while gently sinking downward by a certain amount when the foot 40 is slid into the footwear 1 with weight placed on the heel 11. This is because if the entire counter 30 were to collapse and contract when the foot 40 is slid into the footwear 1 with weight placed on the heel 11, the foot 40 would not be able to slide into the footwear 1 together with the weight of the person wearing the footwear 1.
Furthermore, by providing the counter 30 with a plurality of openings 31, the weight of the counter 30 can be reduced, resulting in footwear 1 that is less tiring to wear when walking.

In addition, by making the vertical rigidity of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the apex of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 31, the opening 31 that serves as the starting point for inserting the foot 40 into the footwear 1 and that is subjected to the greatest load when putting on the footwear 1 can be made stronger than the other openings 31. This allows the weight placed on the heel portion 11 to be firmly maintained when putting on the footwear 1, and reliably prevents the heel portion 11 from collapsing. This results in a footwear 1 that allows the foot 40 to slide even more smoothly into the footwear 1 via the inclined portion 32.

Furthermore, by making the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, the vertical rigidity of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is made higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, thereby making it possible to partially change the rigidity of the counter 30 without partially changing the material of the counter 30.
Furthermore, the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is configured to be larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, by first making the thickness of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 thicker than the thickness of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, and secondly making the thickness of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 thicker than the thickness of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31. By making the frame F approximately H-shaped, the angle of the boundary frame F is configured to be close to the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30, and by configuring the boundary frames F provided for the openings 31 other than the opening 31 to be arranged at an angle, it is possible, despite the simple configuration, to effectively make the volume of the boundary frame F provided for the openings 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F provided for the openings 31 other than the opening 31. Thus, it is possible to obtain footwear 1 that allows for cost savings.

Furthermore, by forming the counter from a synthetic resin containing polyurethane resin, the counter 30 can be gradually sunk when weight is placed on the heel portion 11, and can be gradually restored to its original shape after the foot 40 is placed inside the footwear 1. This allows the counter 30 to be flexible and elastic, making the footwear 1 even easier to put on and providing a durable counter 30.

In addition, the shape of the counter 30 located directly below the inclined portion 32 is designed to match the shape of the inclined portion 32 to form a roughly V-shape (the counter 30 is recessed inward in a roughly U-shape at the bottom end of the inclined portion 32). This makes it easy to put on the footwear 1 by using the inclined portion 32, and once the footwear 1 is put on, the recessed portion firmly secures the heel within the footwear 1, maintaining stability, making the footwear 1 easy to walk in and difficult to slip off.

Furthermore, by providing a counter 30 on the outer surface of the heel portion 11, the footwear 1 does not feel foreign when or after putting on, making it comfortable to wear. It also allows for the footwear 1 to have a high level of design.

Next, a modified example of the counter 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In this modified example, the only change made to the counter 30 attached to the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above is that the volume of the boundary frame F provided in the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is made larger than the volume of the boundary frame F provided in the other openings 31 other than the opening 31. Therefore, the same components and parts that perform the same functions as the counter 30 attached to the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above are given the same numbers and symbols, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted below.

Referring to Figure 3(c), in this modified example, the boundary frame F provided for the opening 31 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 is a circular boundary frame F in the center that is thicker than the boundary frames F provided for the other openings 31, and a pair of L-shaped and inverted L-shaped boundary frames F that are thicker than the boundary frames F provided for the other openings 31 are connected to both the left and right sides of the circular boundary frame F in an axis of symmetry, with the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 as the axis of symmetry.
With this configuration, the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 can be made larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31, thereby making the vertical rigidity of the opening 31 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 30 higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 31 other than the opening 31.
Such a configuration is also within the scope of the present invention.

Next, footwear 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Footwear 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above only in the structure and positioning of the counter. Therefore, the same components and parts that perform the same functions as those in footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention are designated by the same numbers and symbols, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted below. Furthermore, since the basic functions of counter 300 are the same as those of counter 30 in footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the following description will focus on the differences from counter 30 in footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above.

Referring to FIG. 4( a ), footwear 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a counter 300 built into heel portion 11 .
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a counter 300 is arranged between the inner fabric P of the upper 10 and a sponge S1 arranged on the outer side thereof, and the outer fabric Q and a sponge S2 arranged on the inner side thereof.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the counter 300 is made up of an opening 310, an inclined portion 320, a notched portion 330, and a fixed portion 340.
The cutout portion 330 differs only in shape and size from the cutout portion 33 of the counter 30 of the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, but has the same function, so detailed explanation will be omitted below.

As shown in Figures 4(b) and 5(a), the configuration of the openings 310 is the same as that of the counter 30 of the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment, with multiple openings 310 arranged in line symmetry with a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface as the axis of symmetry. Specifically, nine openings 310 are arranged in line symmetry with a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface as the axis of symmetry. Note that the openings 310 arranged on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface are configured so that the vertical line T passes through their center in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(b) and 5(a), each of the multiple openings 310 is configured to have multiple through holes that are divided into multiple opening regions via a boundary frame F. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(b), for example, one of the openings 310 located on the right side of the counter 300 is configured to have four through holes - a fourth through hole K4, a fifth through hole K5, a sixth through hole K6, and a seventh through hole K7 - that are divided into four opening regions consisting of a fourth opening region R4, a fifth opening region R5, a sixth opening region R6, and a seventh opening region R7 via the boundary frame F.

In addition, by making the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 310 other than the opening 310, the vertical rigidity of the opening 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 is made higher than the vertical rigidity of the other openings 310 other than the opening 310.
In this embodiment, the following two configurations are provided to make the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 310 excluding the opening 310. First, the boundary frame F of the opening 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 is composed of two frames intersecting in an X shape, and the boundary frame F of the other openings 310 excluding the opening 310 is composed of a single frame. Second, the vertical spacing of the multiple openings 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 is wider than the vertical spacing of the multiple openings 310 excluding the opening 310.
Of course, the configuration for making the volume of the boundary frame F of the opening 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of the other openings 310 other than the opening 310 is not limited to this configuration, and other configurations may also be used.

As shown in Figures 4(b) and 5(a), similar to the counter 30 of the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment, the counter 300 has an inclined portion 320 at the upper rear end thereof that is inclined diagonally rearward.
In this embodiment, the rear upper end portion of the counter 300 is inclined obliquely rearward to form the inclined portion 320 .
4(b), in this embodiment, like the counter 30 of the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment, the shape of the counter 300 located directly below the inclined portion 320 is formed into a generally V-shape by combining with the shape of the inclined portion 320. In other words, at the lower end position of the inclined portion 320, the counter 300 is formed into a generally U-shape that is recessed inward.

The fixing portion 340 forms a so-called glue margin for fixing the counter 300 to the sole 20 .
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, a fixing portion 340 is provided on the outer edge on the lower side excluding the notched portion 330 .
Although not shown, the fixing part 340 is inserted inside the sole 20 and is bonded to the sole 20 via an adhesive.
The counter 300 according to this embodiment is made of a synthetic resin containing polyurethane resin. Of course, the material for forming the counter 300 is not limited to that of this embodiment, but considering durability, flexibility, elasticity, etc., it is desirable to use a synthetic resin containing polyurethane resin.
Furthermore, the opening 310, the inclined portion 320, the notched portion 330, and the fixing portion 340 can be formed by integrally molding the counter 300 using a mold, for example.

Note that the actions taken when putting on footwear 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention are the same as the actions taken when putting on footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, except that the counter 300 is built into the heel portion 11, and therefore detailed explanation will be omitted below.

The footwear 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above provides the following effects.
In the following, we will omit descriptions of effects similar to those achieved by the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, and will only describe effects that are different from those achieved by the footwear 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above.

As a configuration for making the volume of the boundary frame F of an opening 310 located on a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of other openings 310 other than the opening 310, first, the boundary frame F of an opening 310 located on a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 is composed of two frames intersecting in an X shape, and the boundary frame F of other openings 310 other than the opening 310 is composed of a single frame. Second, the vertical spacing of the multiple openings 310 located on the vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 is wider than the vertical spacing of the multiple openings 310 other than the opening 310. This allows for a simple configuration, yet effectively makes the volume of the boundary frame F of an opening 310 located on a vertical line T passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter 300 larger than the volume of the boundary frame F of other openings 310 other than the opening 310. This allows for cost-saving footwear 2.

Furthermore, by incorporating the counter 300 into the heel portion 11, the sponges S1 and S2 contained within the heel portion 11 can fit into the opening 310 of the counter 300, making it possible to create footwear 2 in which the sponges S1 and S2 are less likely to slip off. Furthermore, it is possible to create footwear 2 in which the counter 300 can be prevented from falling off.

Note that, although footwear 1 and footwear 2 according to the above-described embodiments are configured as sneakers, the footwear according to the present invention is not limited to sneakers and may be configured as other footwear.

The present invention allows a person to easily put on footwear by inserting their foot into the footwear and placing their weight on the heel, allowing the foot to slide into the footwear without using their hands or a shoehorn. Furthermore, it provides footwear that is easy to put on and allows for a lightweight counter, making it useful in footwear-related industries and highly applicable industrially.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Footwear 2 Footwear 10 Upper 11 Heel portion 20 Sole 30 Counter 31 Opening 32 Inclined portion 33 Cutout portion 34 Fixing portion 40 Foot 300 Counter 310 Opening 320 Inclined portion 330 Cutout portion 340 Fixing portion D Step F Boundary frame K1 First through hole K2 Second through hole K3 Third through hole K4 Fourth through hole K5 Fifth through hole K6 Sixth through hole K7 Seventh through hole P Fabric Q Fabric R1 First opening area R2 Second opening area R3 Third opening area R4 Fourth opening area R5 Fifth opening area R6 Sixth opening area R7 Seventh opening area S1 Sponge S2 Sponge T Vertical line

Claims (3)

Footwear having a counter in the heel portion that can assist in sliding the foot into the footwear by inserting the foot into the footwear and placing weight on the heel portion of the footwear, the counter being made of synthetic resin including polyurethane resin, having an inclined portion at the rear upper end that is inclined obliquely backward, and having a plurality of openings arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface as an axis of symmetry, and each of the plurality of openings having a plurality of through holes that are divided into a plurality of opening regions via a boundary frame formed by a plurality of frames , the thickness of the boundary frame of the openings arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is thicker than the thickness of the boundary frames of the other openings excluding the opening, and the shape of the boundary frame of the openings arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is changed so that the boundary frames are arranged in parallel to the left and right and The footwear is characterized in that the boundary frame is formed in an approximately H-shape by a pair of frames extending vertically and a pair of frames extending horizontally that are arranged in parallel above and below and connect the pair of vertically extending frames , so that the center line of the approximately H-shaped boundary frame is configured to be close to the inclination angle of a vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter , and for the boundary frames of openings other than the opening, none of the multiple frames that form the boundary frame extend vertically , so that the volume of the boundary frame of the opening arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter is larger than the volume of the boundary frame of the openings other than the opening, thereby making the vertical rigidity of the opening arranged on the vertical line passing through the top of the rear outer surface of the counter higher than the vertical rigidity of the openings other than the opening. Footwear according to claim 1 , characterized in that the outer surface of the heel portion is provided with a counter . 2. The footwear according to claim 1 , wherein a counter is built into the heel portion.