EP3799757A1

EP3799757A1 - Shoe heel

Info

Publication number: EP3799757A1
Application number: EP19201437.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ching-Song Shaw; Wen-Hsien Tang; Shun-Tsao Wang; Yu-Chen Chen; Chia-Cheng Huang
Original assignee: Euro Ace Engineering Development Co Ltd
Current assignee: Euro Ace Engineering Development Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-04
Filing date: 2019-10-04
Publication date: 2021-04-07

Abstract

A shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) includes a heel body (10), an abutting member (20), a first cushioning member (30), and a second cushioning member (40). The heel body (10) has a limit wall (14) and a containing space inside the heel body (10). The abutting member (20) moves relative to the heel body (10) between a first position (P1) and a second position (P2). When the abutting member (20) is at the first position (P1), the abutting member (20) is away from the heel body (10); when the abutting member (20) is at the second position (P2), the abutting member (20) is close to the heel body (10); when the abutting member (20) moves from the first position (P1) to the second position (P2), a first abutting part (22) of the abutting member (20) drives the first cushioning member (30) to provide a first cushioning force to the abutting member (20), and a second abutting part (24) drives the second cushioning member (40) to provide a second cushioning force to the abutting member (20).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

The present invention is related to a structure of a shoe heel, and more particularly to a heel with a cushioning structure.

Description of Related Art

To provide a user with the effect of cushioning and shock absorption, most of the shoes have cushioning insoles at the bottom to reduce the reaction force of the ground back to the feet and relieve the pain of the feet caused by standing or walking for a long time.
However, for a user of high heels, there is a height difference between the user's heel and the ground, and the weight of the whole body is only supported by the front end of the sole and the heel. When walking in high heels, it is easy to cause a twisted left-right swing on the foot, which makes the foot extremely uncomfortable and causes damage to the arches of the foot in severe cases. The above-mentioned insole with cushioning function at the bottom is not sufficient to provide a cushioning support for the user's foot.
The conventional design of the shoe's cushioning structure is still not perfect, and there is still need for improvement.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, the present invention is to provide a shoe heel with a cushioning structure.
To achieve the object mentioned above, the present invention provides a shoe heel, including a heel body, an abutting member, a first cushioning member, and a second cushioning member. The heel body has a limit wall and a containing space inside the heel body. The abutting member includes a first abutting part and a second abutting part connected to each other. The first abutting part is disposed in the containing space and restricted by the limit wall so the first abutting part is movable inside the containing space. The first cushioning member is disposed in the containing space and connected to the first abutting part of the abutting member. The second cushioning member is disposed between the limit wall of the heel body and the second abutting part.
The abutting member moves relative to the heel body between a first position and a second position. When the abutting member is at the first position, the abutting member is away from the heel body; when the abutting member is at the second position, the abutting member is close to the heel body; when the abutting member moves from the first position to the second position, a first abutting part drives the first cushioning member to provide a first cushioning force to the abutting member, and a second abutting part drives the second cushioning member to provide a second cushioning force to the abutting member.
The advantage of the present invention is that with the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member disposed on the heel body, when the user walks in the shoes, the abutting member moves towards the heel body and compresses the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member, which drives the first cushioning member to provide the first cushioning force to the abutting member and drives the second cushioning member to provide the second cushioning force to the abutting member. Whereby, the better effect of cushioning and shock absorption is provided for the user's feet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a shoe heel of a first embodiment according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe heel of the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing that an abutting member of the shoe heel of the first embodiment is at a second position;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a shoe heel of a second embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a shoe heel of a third embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing that an abutting member of the shoe heel of the third embodiment is at a second position;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a shoe heel of a fourth embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a shoe heel of a fifth embodiment; and
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a shoe heel of a sixth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following illustrative embodiments and drawings are provided to illustrate the disclosure of the present invention, these and other advantages and effects can be clearly understood by persons skilled in the art after reading the disclosure of this specification.
FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 show a shoe heel 1 of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention. The shoe heel 1 which is connected to a sole 2 includes a heel body 10, an abutting member 20, a first cushioning member 30, and a second cushioning member 40.
The heel body 10 is detachably connected to the sole 2 by one end of the heel body 10. The other end of the heel body 10 has an opening 12 communicating with a containing space inside the heel body 10 and has a limit wall 14. A wall surface of the limit wall 14 has a through hole 14a, and a diameter of the through hole 14a is smaller than that of the opening 12.
The abutting member 20 is disposed in the containing space inside the heel body 10 and includes a first abutting part 22 and a second abutting part 24. The first abutting part 22 is movably disposed in the containing space. Because an outer diameter of the first abutting part 22 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 14a of the limit wall 14, the first abutting part 22 is restricted by the limit wall 14 and is movable inside the containing space, but not separates from the containing space. Preferably, the abutting member 20 includes a connecting rod 26. One end of the connecting rod 26 is connected to the first abutting part 22 while the other end of the connecting rod 26 is connected to the second abutting part 24. In the current embodiment, the second abutting part 24 includes a wear-resistant heel pad, and the second abutting part 24 and the connecting rod 26 are connected by screwing. When a user needs to replace the heel pad, it can be easily disassembled and replaced. In other embodiments, the second abutting part 24 and the connecting rod 26 can be connected by means of gluing or fastening, but not limited thereto.
The first cushioning member 30 is disposed in the containing space and connected to the first abutting part 22 of the abutting member 20. In the current embodiment, the first cushioning member 30 is a spring cushioning member. One end of the spring cushioning member abuts against an inner wall of the containing space inside the heel body 10, while the other end thereof abuts against the first abutting part 22 and is sleeved on a shaft rod of the first abutting part 22 to prevent the spring cushioning member from being disengaged from the positioning.
The second cushioning member 40 is disposed between the limit wall 14 of the heel body 10 and the second abutting part 24. The limit wall 14 has a first surface 14b and a second surface 14c positioned back-to-back. The first surface 14b faces the first abutting part 22 of the abutting member 20 and the second surface 14c faces the second abutting part 24 of the abutting member 20. The second cushioning member 40 has a first end 40a and a second end 40b positioned at opposite ends. The first end 40a is in contact with the second abutting part 24 and the second end 40b is in contact with the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14. In the current embodiment, the second cushioning member 40 is a rubber cushioning member. In practice, other elastic cushioning materials can be used, such as springs.
The abutting member 20 moves relative to the heel body 10 between a first position PI and a second position P2. When the abutting member 20 is at the first position P1, the abutting member 20 is away from the heel body 10; when the abutting member 20 is at the second position P2, the abutting member 20 is close to the heel body 10; when the abutting member 20 moves from the first position PI to the second position P2, the first abutting part 22 drives the first cushioning member 30 to provide a first cushioning force to the abutting member 20, and the second abutting part 24 drives the second cushioning member 40 to provide a second cushioning force to the abutting member 20.
Preferably, when the abutting member 20 moves from the first position PI to the second position P2, the abutting member 20 compresses the first cushioning member 30, and the abutting member 20 and the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14 compress the second cushioning member 40. The first cushioning member 30 is compressed from a first length L1 to a second length L2, and the second cushioning member 40 is compressed from a first thickness T1 to a second thickness T2. In this way, when the user's heel is on the ground, the abutting member 20 moves towards a top of the heel body 10 and compresses the first cushioning member 30, meanwhile, the abutting member 20 and the heel body 10 compress the second cushioning member 40, thereby generating an effect of cushioning and shock absorption, reducing pressure on the foot and increasing comfort.
When the user's heel is off the ground, the first cushioning member 30 restores from the second length L2 to the first length L1 and the second cushioning member 40 restores from the second thickness T2 to the first thickness T1, so that the abutting member 20 moves back to the first position PI by a restorative elastic force provided by the first cushioning member 30 and the second cushioning member 40. Thereby, when the user's heel is on the ground next time, it provides the effect of cushioning and shock absorption again.
It is worth mentioning that the heel body 10 further includes a sealing ring 50. The sealing ring 50 has the limit wall 14 and is in contact with the first abutting part 22 and the connecting rod 26 of the abutting member 20. The sealing ring 50 can seal the containing space and prevent the abutting member 20 from being separated from the containing space.
A shoe heel 3 of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4. The shoe heel 3 has a similar structure as the shoe heel 1 of the first preferred embodiment, except that when the abutting member 20 is at the first position P1, the first end 40a of the second cushioning member 40 is in contact with the second abutting part 24, and a gap G is formed between the second end 40b of the second cushioning member 40 and the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14. When the abutting member 20 is at the second position P2, the second end 40b of the second cushioning 40 is in contact with the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14. Whereby, when the user's heel is on the ground, the abutting member 20 moves towards a top of the heel body 10 and compresses the first cushioning member 30, then the second end 40a of the second cushioning member 40 is in contact with the limit wall 14 of the heel body 10, and the abutting member 20 and the heel body 10 compress the second cushioning member 40, which achieves the effect of cushioning and shock absorption.
When the user's heel is off the ground, the first cushioning member 30 restores from the second length L2 to the first length L1 and the second cushioning member 40 restores from the second thickness T2 to the first thickness T1, so that the abutting member 20 moves back to the first position PI by a restorative elastic force provided by the first cushioning member 30. When the user's heel is on the ground next time, it provides the effect of cushioning and shock absorption again.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a shoe heel 4 of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention has a similar structure as the shoe heel 1 of the first preferred embodiment, except that the first cushioning member 30 is a hydraulic cushioning member or an air cushioning member. When the abutting member 20 moves from the first position PI to the second position P2, it can also achieve the effect of cushioning and shock absorption.
A shoe heel 5 of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7. The shoe heel 5 has a similar structure as the shoe heel 1 of the first preferred embodiment, except that an end of the heel body 10 which is connected to the sole 2 has an opening 12 communicating with the containing space, that is, the heel body 10 has the limit wall 14 at the top. The second abutting part 24 of the abutting member 20 is detachably connected to the sole 2. When the abutting member 20 moves towards a bottom of the heel body 10, the abutting member 20 compresses the first cushioning member 30 and the second cushioning member 40, and the effect of cushioning and shock absorption is achieved.
A shoe heel 6 of a fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8. The shoe heel 6 has a similar structure as the shoe heel 5 of the fourth preferred embodiment, except that the first cushioning member is a hydraulic cushioning member or an air cushioning member.
A shoe heel 7 of a sixth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 9. The shoe heel 7 has a similar structure as the shoe heel 5 of the fourth preferred embodiment, except that when the abutting member 20 relative to the heel body 10 is at the first position P1, the first end 40a of the second cushioning 30 is in contact with the second abutting member 24, and the gap G is formed between the second end 40b of the second cushioning member 40 and the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14. When the abutting member 20 relative to the heel body 10 is at the second position P2, the second end 40b of the second cushioning member 40 is in contact with the second surface 14c of the limit wall 14. Whereby, when the user's heel is on the ground, the heel body 10 moves upwards so that the abutting member 20 relative to the heel body 10 moves towards a top of the heel body 10 and compresses the first cushioning member 30, then the second end 40b of the second cushioning member 40 is in contact with the limit wall 14 of the heel body 10, and the abutting member 20 and the heel body 10 compress the second cushioning member 40, which achieves the effect of cushioning and shock absorption. When the user's heel is off the ground, the first cushioning member 30 restores from the second length L2 to the first length L1 and the second cushioning member 40 restores from the second thickness T2 to the first thickness T1, so that the abutting member 20 relative to the heel body 10 moves back to the first position PI by the restorative elastic force provided by the first cushioning member 30. When the user's heel is on the ground next time, it provides the effect of cushioning and shock-absorption again.
With the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member disposed on the heel body according to the present invention, when the user walks in the shoes, the abutting member moves towards the heel body and compresses the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member. Meanwhile, the first cushioning force is provided by the first cushioning member to the abutting member and the second cushioning force is provided by the second cushioning member to the abutting member, which achieves the effect of cushioning and shock absorption.
It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) connected to a sole (2), comprising:
a heel body (10) having a limit wall (14) and a containing space inside the heel body (10);

an abutting member (20) including a first abutting part (22) and a second abutting part (24) connected to each other, the first abutting part (22) disposed in the containing space and restricted by the limit wall (14) so the first abutting part (22) is movable inside the containing space;

a first cushioning member (30) disposed in the containing space and connected to the first abutting part (22) of the abutting member (20);

a second cushioning member (40) disposed between the limit wall (14) of the heel body (10) and the second abutting part (24);

wherein, the abutting member (20) moves relative to the heel body (10) between a first position (PI) and a second position (P2); when the abutting member (20) is at the first position (P1), the abutting member (20) is away from the heel body (10); when the abutting member (20) is at the second position (P2), the abutting member (20) is close to the heel body (10); when the abutting member (20) moves from the first position (PI) to the second position (P2), the first abutting part (22) drives the first cushioning member (30) to provide a first cushioning force to the abutting member (20), and the second abutting part (24) drives the second cushioning member (40) to provide a second cushioning force to the abutting member (20).
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 1, wherein the limit wall (14) has a first surface (14b) and a second surface (14c) positioned back-to-back, the first surface (14b) faces the first abutting part (22) of the abutting member (20), the second surface (14c) faces the second abutting part (24) of the abutting member (20); when the abutting member (20) moves from the first position (P1) to the second position (P2), the abutting member (20) compresses the first cushioning member (30).
The shoe heel (1) of claim 1, wherein the second cushioning member (40) has a first end (40a) and a second end (40b) positioned at opposite ends, the first end (40a) is in contact with the second abutting part (24), the second end (40b) is in contact with the second surface (14c) of the limit wall (14).
The shoe heel (3, 7) of claim 2, wherein the second cushioning member (40) has a first end (40a) and a second end (40b) positioned back-to-back, when the abutting member (20) is at the first position (P1), the first end (40a) is contact with the second abutting part (24); a gap (G) is formed between the second end (40b) and the second surface (14c) of the limit wall (14); when the abutting member (20) is at the second position (P2), the second end (40b) is contact with the second surface (14c) of the limit wall (14).
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein when the abutting member (20) moves from the first position (P1) to the second position (P2), the abutting member (20) and the second surface (14c) of the limit wall (14) compress the second cushioning member (40).
The shoe heel (4) of claim 5, wherein when the abutting member (20) is at the first position (P1), the second cushioning member (40) has a first thickness (T1); when the abutting member (20) is at the second position (P2), the second cushioning member (40) has a second thickness (T2); the first thickness (T1) is larger than the second thickness (T2).
The shoe heel (1) of claim 2, wherein when the abutting member (20) is at the first position (P1), the first cushioning member (30) has a first length (L1); when the abutting member (20) is at the second position (P2), the first cushioning member (30) has a second length (L2); the first length (L1) is larger than the second length (L2).
The shoe heel (5, 6, 7) of claim 2, wherein the second abutting part (24) of the abutting member (20) is detachably connected to the sole (2), a top of the heel body (10) has the limit wall (14).
The shoe heel (1, 3, 4) of claim 2, wherein the heel body (10) is detachably connected to the sole (2), a bottom of the heel body (10) has the limit wall (14).
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 1, wherein the abutting member (20) includes a connecting rod (26), one end of the connecting rod (26) is connected to the first abutting part (22) and the other end of the connecting rod (26) is connected to the second abutting part (24).
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 1, wherein the first cushioning member (30) is a spring cushioning member, a hydraulic cushioning member, or an air cushioning member.
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 1, wherein the second cushioning member (40) is a spring cushioning member or a rubber cushioning member.
The shoe heel (1, 3 to 7) of claim 1, wherein the heel body (10) includes a sealing ring (50) which has the limit wall (14).
The shoe heel (1) of claim 1, wherein the sealing ring (50) is in contact with the abutting member (20).