CN106983223B - Sole of infant shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sole for an infant shoe, designed for the early walking phase. The sole (1) has a bottom surface (4), the bottom surface (4) being divided into ground-contact areas delimited and separated by curvilinear grooves (5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). The medial and lateral touchdown regions in the heel and middle regions and the toe region are thicker than the lateral and medial touchdown regions in the heel and middle regions. Due to the difference in thickness of the sole (1), the child will exert his/her weight on the right side area of the foot, which will promote the correct movement of the foot at the earliest walking stage.

Description

Sole of infant shoes

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sole for an infant shoe, designed for the early walking phase.

Background

In the early walking phase, also called the first step, the child usually walks in the following way: only the sole of his/her foot is dropped on the ground and his/her arm is lifted without swinging.

Although the child is able to move autonomously at 24 months, he/she will only assume the normal human correct walking posture, i.e. the correct bipedal walking gait of the human movement. The latter is obtained mainly by heel-landing followed by dorsiflexion of the foot before the foot comes into contact with the ground.

In a movement called "elica podalica" in italy (the stance phase of the gait cycle), a correct gait movement consists of dropping the foot on the ground starting from the heel and then down the lateral side until the toes touch the underside.

In the case of children, proper walking ability is achieved through appropriate degrees of freedom of exercise and foot movement.

As a result, shoes with soles that do not provide the child's foot with the right degree of freedom to move hinder his/her ability to learn how to walk correctly.

This is particularly true for prior art first step infant shoes that typically have a flat sole.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sole for infant shoes designed for toddlers in the early walking phase, which allows the foot to be correctly dropped heel-to-toe (heel-to-toe) during gait to help the infant learn how to walk.

This object is met by a sole according to the invention.

Drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments, given by way of illustration and not of limitation, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a front view of the sole of the invention, seen from the bottom side (tread side);

figure 2 is a front view of the sole of figure 1, seen from the side opposite the bottom surface, and designed for attachment to the upper of a shoe (not shown);

figure 3 is a view of the outer side of the sole of the invention, looking from the right side at the sole of figure 1;

figure 4 is a view of the inner side of the sole of the invention, looking from the left side at the sole of figure 1;

figure 5 is a view of the sole of the invention, seen from the toe;

figure 6 is a view of the sole of the invention, seen from the heel.

Detailed Description

With reference to the above figures, the sole of a child's infant shoe (infant shoe) designed to start learning how to walk correctly is indicated overall by the numeral 1. The sole has a face 2 and, opposite thereto, a face with the reference number 4, the face 2 having a conventional peripheral edge 3 designed for attachment to an upper part of a shoe (not shown), the face opposite thereto, the face with the reference number 4, being designed to serve as a sole face.

The bottom surface 4 extends in a longitudinal direction X-X and comprises a ground-contact area delimited and separated by curved grooves 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, the depth of which preferably ranges from 1mm to 3 mm.

These contact areas define a heel region, a toe region, and an intermediate region between the heel region and the toe region.

The ground contact regions include an inboard group of ground contact regions A, B, C, L and an outboard group of ground contact regions D, E, F, G, H, I.

A channel 15 extending longitudinally in sole 4 from heel region 16 to toe region 17 medially separates the medial group of touchdown regions A, B, C, L from the lateral group of touchdown regions D, E, F, G, H, I.

The medial group of ground contact regions A, B, C, L are aligned along the medial edge 8 of the sole. That is, the medial group includes a first medial group A, B, C located in the heel region and the middle region and a second medial group L located in the toe region.

The lateral set of ground contact regions D, E, F, G, H, I are aligned along the outer edge 14 of the sole. That is, the lateral groups include a first lateral group D, E, F, G, H located in the heel region and the medial region and a second lateral group I located in the toe region.

In accordance with the present invention, the thickness of the touchdown regions of first medial group A, B, C and second lateral group I is greater than the thickness of the touchdown regions of first lateral group D, E, F, G, H and second medial group L, such that the greater thickness of the touchdown regions of first medial group A, B, C and second lateral group I and the lesser thickness of the touchdown regions of first lateral group D, E, F, G, H and second medial group L will force the child to perform a stance phase movement (stance movement) with his/her foot in the touchdown regions of first lateral group D, E, F, G, H and second medial group L as he/she walks.

According to one embodiment, sole 1 has a greater height at the ground contact areas of first medial group A, B, C and second lateral group I, preferably 0.5mm to 1mm higher than the ground contact areas of first lateral group D, E, F, G, H and second medial group L.

Advantageously, the first medial group A, B, C and second lateral group I of strike areas extend longitudinally in an S-shaped profile from the medial heel region to the lateral toe region.

Referring particularly to fig. 3 and 4, the sole of the present invention is shown to include a first groove 18 that opens at the exterior of the sole and is formed at the outer edge 14. A first sipe 18 extends longitudinally along the outer edge 14 from a location 19 proximate the heel region 16 to a location 20 proximate the plantar support area, the first sipe 18 being formed in the thickness of the sole to a depth in the range of 1mm to 3mm, and the first sipe 18 being generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface.

The sole 1 also has a second groove 21 open on the outside of the sole and formed in the inner edge 8 of the sole. The second channel 21 extends longitudinally along the inner edge 8 from a location 22 proximate the toe region 16 to a location 23 proximate the plantar support region, the second channel 21 also being formed in the thickness of the sole to a depth in the range of 1mm to 3mm, and the second channel 21 being generally parallel to the ground contact plane of the sole.

The above disclosure clearly shows that the infant shoe with the sole according to the invention, thanks to its flexibility distributed across various areas of the bottom surface, particularly stimulates the child's foot to correctly fall on the ground.

Due to the different heights of the plantar region, the child will walk according to a strategy similar to the stance phase sport, where first the inner heel of the foot is laid on the ground and then the outer side of the foot up to the first metatarsal is laid on the ground.

The depth of the grooves 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 separating the respective sole regions as described above and the depth of the grooves 18 and 21 and their transverse dimensions may be varied to increase the flexibility of the sole in its various parts so that proper movement of the child's foot will not be impeded without departing from the scope of the invention.

Due to the different heights of the ground area, a correct gait can be reproduced in a way that stimulates the child to perform correct movements.

The sole of the present invention imparts flexibility similar to and/or equal to the natural flexibility of the foot, and this flexibility is different in various regions of the bottom surface. Thus, the sole of the present invention is asymmetrical.

Claims (7)

1. Sole of an infant shoe designed for the early walking phase, comprising a face (2) for connection to an upper and a bottom face (4) on the opposite side, wherein the bottom face (4) extends in a longitudinal direction (X-X) and the bottom face (4) comprises a ground contact area defined and separated by curvilinear grooves (5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13), wherein the ground contact area defines a heel region, a toe region and an intermediate region between the heel region and the toe region, and the ground contact area comprises:

-a medial group of ground-contacting regions (A, B, C, L) aligned along a medial edge (8) of the sole, the medial group comprising a first medial group (A, B, C) located in the heel region and the medial region and a second medial group (L) located in the toe region,

-lateral groups of ground-contacting areas (D, E, F, G, H, I) aligned along an outer edge (14) of the sole, the lateral groups including a first lateral group (D, E, F, G, H) located in the heel region and the medial region and a second lateral group (I) located in the toe region,

the method is characterized in that:

the thickness of the touchdown regions of the first and second medial groups (A, B, C, L) is greater than the thickness of the touchdown regions of the first and second lateral groups (D, E, F, G, H, L) such that the greater thickness of the touchdown regions of the first and second medial groups (A, B, C, L) and the lesser thickness of the touchdown regions of the first and second lateral groups (D, E, F, G, H, L) will force the child to perform stance phase movements with his/her feet in the touchdown regions of the first and second lateral groups (D, E, F, G, H, L) as he/she walks.

2. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that said contact-ground areas of said first medial group (A, B, C) and said second lateral group (I) extend longitudinally in an S-shaped profile from said heel region of the medial side to said toe region of the lateral side.

3. The sole according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said thickness of said contact-ground areas of said first medial group (A, B, C) and of said second lateral group (I) is increased by 0.5mm to 1mm with respect to said thickness of said contact-ground areas of said first lateral group (D, E, F, G, H) and of said second medial group (L).

4. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the depth of said curvilinear grooves (5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) ranges from 1mm to 3 mm.

5. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a first groove (18), said first groove (18) being formed in said outer edge (14) of said sole, and said first groove (18) extending longitudinally along said outer edge (14) from a position (19) close to said heel region (16) to a position (20) close to a plantar support region, said first groove (18) being formed in said thickness of said sole.

6. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a second groove (21), said second groove (21) being formed in said inner edge (8) of the sole and said second groove (21) extending longitudinally along said inner edge (8) from a position (22) close to said toe region (17) to a position (23) close to a plantar support region, said second groove (21) being formed in said thickness of the sole.

7. The sole according to claim 6, characterized in that said first and second sipes (18, 21) open outside the sole profile and in that the depth of said first and second sipes (18, 21) is in the range 1mm to 3 mm.

Images