EP1302119A1 - Sport shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

The sports boot has wear sole and an insole (3). It has a heel insert (5) having a side strap (7) applied against the side, a middle strap (8), a rear strap (6) and side and middle fixings. These can be a strip of the same material as the heel insert and formed integrally with it, or a pair of tongues (13,14) which fit between the insole and wear sole.

Description

The invention relates to sports shoes and more particularly to shoes intended for the practice of skateboard.

It is known in the field of manufacturing sports shoes provide cushioning for the heel to limit the harmful effects of sudden shocks by the foot and indirectly by all the joints of the practicing. It is also known that the increase cushioning capabilities of a shoe is done usually at the expense of shoe stability.

Document US 6,205,681 presents the construction of a midsole or cup providing stability during the race while retaining properties to the shoe damping. For this a relatively rigid blade is drowned in the rear part of the midsole. If one such construction may prove satisfactory for absorption of small shocks, for example shocks generated by heel contact with the ground during a running race, and is largely unsuitable in the case of more severe shocks. Indeed under the effect of a very strong shock or the reception of a jump of several meters, the shock absorbing capacities of the soft and elastic material of the midsole are exceeded as well as those of the wavy blade and the sportsman does has more depreciation. We say that the shoe "Heels". When there is tailgating the athlete is in danger because the energy of the shock must be absorbed by its joints.

The objective of the invention is to design a shoe for sport with increased shock absorption capacities and which however retains excellent stability.

The objective of the invention is solved by the presence of a heel strap placed around the perimeter of the midsole in the heel area. The heel strap allows to contain the flow of the or materials making up the midsole.

• une tige
• une semelle d'usure
• une semelle intermédiaire, laquelle comprend une zone talon comprenant un flanc latéral, un flanc médial et un flanc arrière encadrant un coussin central.

More specifically, the objective of the invention is resolved by providing a sports shoe comprising:

• a rod
• outsole
• a midsole, which includes a heel area comprising a lateral flank, a medial flank and a rear flank framing a central cushion.

The shoe is characterized in that it comprises a heel strap including a side belt applied to said lateral flank, a medial belt applied to said medial flank, a rear belt applied to said flank rear, lateral anchoring, medial anchoring and means of restraint linking lateral and medial anchoring at a distance substantially constant from each other.

In a preferred embodiment, the flange comprises a side belt, medial belt and belt rear, applied respectively to the lateral flanks, medial and rear of the midsole.

Preferably, the flange further includes an anchor lateral, a medial anchorage and means for retaining lateral and medial anchorages at a distance appreciably constant of each other.

In one embodiment of the invention, this means of retainer is a strip made of the same material as the flange and connecting the lateral and medial anchors together.

In another embodiment of the invention, this means restraint is simply achieved by the fact that the anchors lateral and medial are horizontal legs which, after assembly, are bonded between the outsole and the sole intermediate.

In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the medial, lateral and rear belts are equidistant of the outsole. In other words, having as a plan of reference the outsole plane, the elevation of the rear belt is much the same as the elevation of the lateral belt and medial belt.

In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the elevation of the rear seatbelt is roughly the same as the highest elevation of the side belt and the medial belt.

• la figure 1 est une vue latérale d'une chaussure selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de la bride talon,
• les figures 3a, 3b et 3c sont des coupes transversales de la semelle de la figure 1 soumise à des contraintes de différentes amplitudes,
• la figure 4 est une vue latérale d'une chaussure selon un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 5 est une vue en perspective éclatée de la chaussure montrée à la figure 4,
• la figure 6 montre une coupe oblique suivant le plan VI-VI de la figure 4, d'une chaussure selon le deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• les figures 7a et 7b sont une illustration du comportement de la bride talon d'une chaussure selon le deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention.
• la figure 8 est une vue en perspective d'une semelle intermédiaire alternative de la chaussure selon le deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention tel que montré à la figure 4.

The invention also includes the characteristics which are described below in the description of the appended drawing and in which:

• FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heel strap,
• FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c are cross sections of the sole of FIG. 1 subjected to stresses of different amplitudes,
• FIG. 4 is a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the shoe shown in FIG. 4,
• FIG. 6 shows an oblique section along the plane VI-VI of FIG. 4, of a shoe according to the second embodiment of the invention,
• Figures 7a and 7b are an illustration of the behavior of the heel strap of a shoe according to the second embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative midsole of the shoe according to the second embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 4.

Figure 1 shows a view of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention. Shoe 1 includes a upper 2 glued to the midsole 3. The mounting of the sole can be made in any known manner, mounting on shape, strobel mounting, etc. ... . The midsole is made of one or more materials chosen for their cushioning properties.

Under the midsole is glued a outsole 4. A heel strap 5 contains the heel area of the sole intermediate.

Figure 2 shows in perspective the heel strap 5 isolated from the rest of the shoe. This includes a medial belt 8 which is applied against the medial flank 10 of the sole intermediate. On the lateral flank 11 of the sole intermediate applies a side belt 7. Belts lateral 7 and medial 8 are connected by means of a rear belt 6 which is applied against the rear flank 12 of the midsole. If we take the plan of the outsole as a reference plane, we can see that the elevation of the lateral, medial and rear belts is much the same. In their ends opposite to the rear belt, the medial and lateral belts are extend respectively by a medial leg 16 and a leg lateral 17, which are substantially vertical and are end respectively with a medial anchorage and an anchorage lateral. These anchors are interconnected by a strip 15 of such that they are held at a distance substantially constant of each other.

Figures 3a, 3b, 3c show three sectional views partial view of the shoe described in Figure 1. These three views show only the sole of the shoe, this one further comprising an insert 9 made of a more flexible material than the midsole. These three cuts are made along the plane III of Figure 1 which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sole and cuts it at the center of the heel. In the heel area, this insert has a tapered shape whose axis passes through the center of the heel.

In Figure 3a, the single arrow represents the weight of a user at rest. Subject to such a constraint, the sole is slightly deformed and the heel strap is little operational.

FIG. 3b shows the state of the sole during walking, the double arrow corresponding to the constraint that the sole at each heel impact. Under these conditions, the energy is mainly absorbed by the insert as well as by the sensitive deformation of the midsole. Given that the insert rests in a cavity having the shape of a funnel at the bottom of which is a well, the material more flexible insert can freely flow down. At the end possible creep of this material, the deformation of the flanks of the midsole is initiated.

Finally, Figure 3c shows the strapping effect of the strap heel on the sides of the midsole which takes place when receiving a very large jump. As we can see it, the midsole deforms but is contained by the heel strap which is under tension. So the lateral stability of the sole is guaranteed because the risk of offset of the sole on one side or the other is strongly reduced.

The fact that the cushioning material of the sole intermediate either contained by the heel strap, or restraint, pushes the limit of "tailgating" of it. So if we compare the behavior of the sole according to the invention with that of a conventional sole being made up of the same shock absorbing materials, and therefore offering comfort substantially similar, there is a clear difference during the reception of jumps. For example, in the practice of skateboard, jumps sometimes have amplitudes of several meters and the reception is not amortized, neither by the board, nor by the surface on which this activity is practiced, this one very often being concrete or bitumen. Figure 3c represents the behavior of the sole according to the invention during reception of a large amplitude jump during the skateboarding.

The containment of the midsole by the heel strap also has a stabilizing role when receiving jump on an inclined surface. This is particularly the case during the practice of skateboarding in "half-pipe".

Figure 4 shows a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment of the invention. In the same way the shoe comprises a upper 2, a midsole 3 and a outsole 4. The heel strap 5 has a upper belt 18 and a lower part 19. The belt upper consists of lateral and medial belts connected to each other by a rear belt. The part low 19 is applied against the base of the sole intermediate and is connected to the upper belt on the lateral side, respectively medial, by a lateral leg 17, respectively medial 16.

FIG. 5 represents an exploded perspective view of the shoe shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the midsole includes two half-soles, the half-sole lower 20 comprising in the heel area a cavity 21 having substantially the shape of an inverted cone at the bottom of which is formed by a well 22 passing through it and the half-sole upper including a dome extending by a nipple, the assembly having a shape complementary to that of the cavity.

The lower half-sole 20 (or cup) comprises a low surface which will come into contact with the outsole 4 and a high surface which will come into contact with the half-sole upper intermediate 23. The periphery of the bowl 20 consists of substantially vertical edges. In its front part, the low surface of the bowl 20 has of a plurality of lower protrusions. The protuberances are cylindrical in shape and project towards the low from bowl 20. They are regularly arranged over the entire front part of the lower surface of the bowl 20. The arrangement of the lower protrusions is done according to a frame whose first direction is substantially oriented along the longitudinal axis of the shoe. The second direction of the frame made with the first angle between 60 ° and 80 °. The lower protrusions have a cylindrical shape of diameter between 4 and 6 mm and protrude from a distance between 1.5 and 3 mm. The distance between them two neighboring lower protrusions is between 1 mm and 5 mm. Preferably, this distance is approximately equal to 2 mm.

The upper surface of the bowl 20 is bordered on its periphery by the rim. She understands depression in the entire front area, this depression corresponds to the area front of the bottom surface of the bowl 20 where are arranged the lower protuberances. So at the level of this depression bowl 20 a, except for the height of protrusions, its smallest thickness.

At the heel, the upper surface includes a cavity having substantially the shape of an inverted cone at the bottom of which is formed a well crossing the bowl 20. the bowl 20 having in its heel part a thickness significantly larger than in the front, the upper surface thereof also includes a portion inclined joining the depression to the cavity 21.

The upper half-sole 23 includes a lower surface and an upper surface. The surface lower is complementary to the upper surface of the bowl 20. Thus in the front part, a projecting paver is arranged which resumes the form of depression.

The heel section includes a downward-facing dome, which is extended at its end by a nipple. The surface upper includes in its front part a recessed area whose peripheral contour corresponds to the projecting block present on the lower surface.

From the bottom of this recessed area, a plurality of upper protrusions protrude upward. The arrangement of these upper protrusions is done according to a frame whose direction corresponds substantially to the axis longitudinal of the shoe while the other does with this last an angle between 60 ° and 80 °. The protuberances have a cylindrical shape whose diameter is between 4 mm and 6 mm. Their height is not uniform over the entire surface of the upper surface. In the zone central, i.e. in an area close to the longitudinal axis, the protrusions have a height included between 2 and 4 mm. On the other hand, in the peripheral areas, the height of the protrusions is between 4 and 6 mm.

Once the two half-soles assembled, one with the other, each upper protuberance is found in substantially vertical alignment with a protuberance lower. We thus obtain a structure which combines damping and transmission of sensations, damping being obtained by compression of discrete elements formed by stacking an upper protuberance on a lower protuberance, while the transmission of sensations is particularly favored by the relative independence that these discrete elements have between them. Indeed, the overall structure of the midsole behaves, at least in its front part as if it were a juxtaposition of discrete elements, which are not connected with each other by a thin central core.

Of course, in order to optimize the damping properties we will choose different materials for the two half-soles intermediate. Preferably, the material of the half-sole lower is less soft than that of the half sole higher.

It is also envisaged to carry out the entire front part of the midsole in one and the same block. Such a alternative of the second embodiment of the invention is in particular shown in figure 8.

The latter represents a midsole 3 of which the upper intermediate half-sole 23 is reduced to the rear part, while the upper projections are directly provided on the lower half-sole. Such a layout makes it difficult to use materials different for the realization of the upper protuberances and lower. However in the context of use of the same material, the cost of production is reduced.

The heel strap 5 includes a medial belt 8, a rear belt 6 and a side belt 7 having a substantially horizontal orientation. The flange 5 includes also a lower part 12 also horizontal. The lateral and medial belts are respectively connected to the lower part with lateral legs 17 and medial legs 16. the leg lateral, respectively the medial leg, is located at the look from the center of the heel. Finally the heel strap includes an anchor lateral 14 and a medial anchor 13. When the sole midsole, flange, outsole are assembled, retaining means are provided so as to maintain lateral anchoring and medial anchoring at a distance substantially constant of each other.

The lateral anchor 14 consists of a horizontal tongue. Symmetrically, the medial anchor 13 consists of a horizontal language.

After assembling the sole, these languages will be taken into account. sandwich between the bottom half sole 20 and the sole wear 4 thus ensuring their maintenance at constant distance one from the other. The lateral 17 and medial 16 legs will be located opposite the well 22 of the lower half-sole 20. Well 22 is in the area where the impacts are the most important, i.e. under the center of the heel. The part low 19 of the flange will be applied on the side of the midsole near the outsole 5, while the lateral, medial and rear belts apply against the top of the flank and against the base of the rod. To further improve the attachment of the heel strap to the rest of the shoe, partial covering can be provided of the lower part 10 by the edge of the outsole, this covering accompanied by a collage. The heel strap being consisting of a lower part surrounding the base of the sole intermediate and upper part made up of belts lateral, medial and rear, these two parts meet at the level of lateral and medial anchors, this deforms like a clamp when it is subjected to a vertical force, that is to say that the rear belt is closer to the lower part than does the medial and lateral belt. This clamp-like behavior is represented by the succession Figures 7a and 7b. In Figure 7a a low stress subject to the news does not cause deformation of the flange. As soon as the constraint is greater, this the latter mainly deforms according to a precise pattern, know the approximation of the rear part of the belt is closer to the lower part.

In doing so, the heel strap guides and directs the deformation of the sole. This effect is particularly noticeable during walking at the time of the heel attack because whatever the offset lateral of the angle of attack the heel strap will impose a symmetrical lateral / medial deformation of the sole. The clamp type behavior is notably improved by the fact that the material of the heel strap 5 is more rigid than that of the midsole 3.

When receiving large jumps, the softer material of the upper half-sole is mainly channeled down, not to the sides lateral and medial of the sole. Such a pipeline is made possible by the cone and well shape of the cavity formed in the lower half-sole and by the presence of vertical legs which prevent crushing of the half sole lower. If the surface on which the sportsman receives his jump is not horizontal, the heel strap prevents shear deformation of the sole both on the sides thanks to the lateral 7 and medial 8 belts as on the rear thanks to the rear belt 6.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the flange 5 does not does not apply exclusively on the sides of the sole intermediate but also on the base of the stem. So the heel strap in addition to its role of restraint of the sole intermediate also provides lateral support for the base of the stem. In addition, when receiving jumps on inclined surfaces, such an arrangement prevents shear of the upper relative to the midsole.

The cut of Figure 6 is made while the sole is subjected to a very strong constraint, as for example during reception of a large amplitude jump. When the constraint reaches a certain amplitude, the lateral legs and medial deform by buckling towards the inside of the sole which accentuates the phenomenon of compression due to the presence of the flange itself. The materials necessary for the realization of the invention are for the sole all materials commonly used in the field of footwear sports, especially EVA for the midsole. Regarding the heel strap, many materials can be chosen with the condition that they are less stretchable than the materials of the midsole. In effect, the phenomenon of strapping the midsole by the heel strap requires a difference in behavior extension materials. However, it is not always necessary to use rigid material.

The invention is not limited to the two embodiments described here as an example and also relates to other equivalent embodiments where a heel strap contains the shock absorbing material of the midsole.

NOMENCLATURE

1-

Shoe

2-

stem

3-

Midsole

4-

Outsole

5-

Heel strap

6

Back belt

7-

Side belt

8-

Medial belt

9-

insert

10-

Sidewall

11-

Medial flank

12-

Rear flank

13-

Medial anchoring

14-

Lateral anchoring

15-

Bandaged

16-

Medial leg

17-

Side leg

18-

Upper belt

19-

Lower part

20-

Lower half sole

21-

Cavity

22-

Well

23-

Upper sole

24-

dome

25-

stud

26-

Superior protuberance

27-

Lower protuberance

Claims (12)

Sports shoe (1) comprising: a rod (2), a outsole (4), a midsole (3), which includes a heel zone comprising a lateral flank (10), a medial flank (11) and a rear flank (12) framing a central cushion, shoe (1) characterized in that it comprises a heel strap (5) comprising a lateral belt (7) applied to said lateral flank (10), a medial belt (8) applied to said medial flank (11), a belt rear (6) applied to said rear flank (12), a lateral anchoring (14), a medial anchoring (13) and retaining means linking the lateral (14) and medial (13) anchoring at substantially constant distance l ' one of the other. Sports shoe (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that having as the reference plane the plane of the outsole (4), the elevation of the rear belt (6) is substantially the same as the elevation lateral belt (7) and medial belt (8). Sports shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining means linking the lateral (13) and medial (14) anchoring comprise a strip (15) made of the same material as the heel strap (5) and integrally formed with her. Sports shoe according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the midsole (3) comprises a first cushioning material on which is fixed a second cushioning material more flexible than said first material. Sports shoe according to claim 4, characterized in that in the heel area of the sole (3), the first cushioning material defines a cavity (21), the second material having a complementary shape. Sports shoe according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the midsole (3) comprises in its front part cushioning means constituted by a plurality of upper protrusions (26) and a plurality of lower protrusions ( 27). Sports shoe according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the midsole (3) comprises a lower half-sole (20) and an upper half-sole (23) made of a more flexible material than the material of the lower half-sole (20). Sports shoe according to claim 5 and 7, characterized in that the lower projections (27) and the cavity are formed on the lower half-sole. Shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining means linking the lateral and medial anchoring are constituted by horizontal tongues which, when the sole is assembled, are sandwiched between the intermediate sole and the sole wear. Shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the heel strap comprises a lower part (19) connected to the medial belt (8), respectively lateral (7) via a medial leg (16), respectively of a side leg (17). Shoe according to claim 7, characterized in that the lateral leg (17), respectively the medial leg (16) is located opposite the center of the heel. Shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the heel strap (5) is less extensible than the material of the midsole.

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