JP2000316604A - Shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To aid the exercising process of an athletic player in sport shoes. SOLUTION: Shoes 1 are so arranged to each have a plate 1 on the sole part thereof extending in the overall length of the sole part. The plate 1 is substantially flat at the front part 2 of a foot and elastically bent longitudinally to wrap the rear part 2 of the foot three-dimensionally. Preferably, the plate 1 has a heel cup at the rear part 2' of the foot to wrap the foot like a bowl. Further preferably, a wedge- or rib-shaped heaped part is arranged below the heel cup 3 to turn the foot forward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to shoes in general, and more particularly to athletic shoes. The invention particularly relates to a sprint shoe having a plate disposed on a sole portion.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Athletic shoes for athletics, especially for sprinting, must meet the opposite requirements. On the other hand, the shoes must be extremely light so as to prevent as fast as possible the athlete's movement during sprinting. Shoes weigh 30g
The fact that when reduced, energy consumption while driving is reduced by 0.3% indicates that lightweight construction is important. On the other hand, the shoe must have sufficient stability against deformation so that the foot can be sufficiently supported and guided during running.

[0003] A further object of the construction of shoes for sprinting is
The elastic storage of energy by the shoes during the exercise process. During each landing phase, the shoes, along with the ball and toe, are rolled
f: The foot is deformed at the forefoot by the action of the roller moving from the point of contact with the ground to the front until the sole comes into contact with the ground until the sole leaves the ground. Then, while pushing away from the ground with your toes, your feet straighten up,
The shoes return to their straight, original shape. This process is repeated step by step during running.

[0004] Thus, in contrast to the assemblage of layers of material formed in the forefoot of commonly used ordinary athletic shoes, the prior art elastically stores the energy required to deform the shoe. To this end, it has been proposed to provide a flat, flexible, elastic plate at the forefoot of a sprint shoe, extending to the center and to the rear. In one cycle, the plate bends longitudinally during the rolling phase of movement, and then rebounds elastically to its original shape on leaving the ground, thus assisting the sprinter in the process of movement.

An example of such a flexible elastic plate is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,052,130. The substantially flat plate of carbon fiber disclosed therein,
It has a large bending rigidity in the longitudinal direction. The plate occupies the full width of the sole at the forefoot, but is very narrow at the back of the foot, which, in addition to energy storage, better dampens the vibrations caused by the viscous material during the first touchdown on the shoe. Decay.

[0006] A further example of a flexible elastic plate is
It is disclosed in EP-A-0272082. Again, the flat plate extends substantially the entire length of the shoe. Preferably, (additional) damping material is provided at the rear of the foot to reduce the stress on the foot during heel contact.

However, the short-distance running shoes according to the prior art described above have the disadvantage that the elastic force of the elastic plate is transmitted only insufficiently to the entire foot when leaving the ground. In particular, the heel is insufficient to be included in the overall process due to the softer material provided therein. The plate itself stores the applied energy elastically, ie without any loss, but only partially achieves the intended effect.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe, particularly a flexible elastic plate, which effectively pushes the entire foot forward when bouncing to assist the athlete in the process of exercising. It is to provide shoes for sprinting.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a shoe, and more particularly to a sprint shoe having a plate in the sole portion, the plate extending substantially the entire length of the sole and extending in the longitudinal direction. A substantially flat shape at the forefoot to allow the plate to flex elastically at
The present invention relates to a shoe characterized in that the foot is wrapped three-dimensionally at the rear of the foot.

Since the plate (hereinafter referred to as the splint plate) extends substantially the entire length of the shoe, its stiffness constantly determines the elastic properties of the shoe. The flat shape at the forefoot deforms during each step during the rolling phase, acting like a "leaf spring" that resiliently bounces off its flat original shape when leaving the ground. The elasticity of the forefoot of the splint plate ensures that the energy used to deform the "leaf spring" is recovered with substantially no loss.

The elastic properties of the forefoot may vary over a wide range. Preferably, the forefoot is 40 N / mm to 120 N / mm (AST
(Measured according to M790). Preferably the energy loss is at most the stored energy
Does not exceed 5%.

The rear part of the plate has a completely different purpose according to the invention. Since the sprinter's feet are wrapped in three dimensions, this part of the plate is relatively stiff and thus, like a catapult's arm, transmits the plate's bounce to the entire foot, including the heel without any loss . Since the athlete runs only on the forefoot during sprinting without touching the heel, the attenuation at the backfoot emphasized in the prior art is not necessary in sprint shoes.

[0013] Preferably, the splint plate has, at the rear of the foot, a heel cup that wraps the foot like a bowl. Thus, the foot is effectively supported against medial or lateral rotation, reducing the risk of injury to the foot and knee joints.

According to a more preferred embodiment, a wedge or rib-like raised portion is arranged below the heel cup to direct the foot forward during running. This makes it easy to run at the forefoot without touching the heel.

If the rear of the foot touches the ground, for example during normal walking, an additional damping element is preferably arranged under the heel cup. This additional damping element preferably extends like a horseshoe around a wedge-like ridge on the rear of the foot. Therefore, this damping element is also effective when the heel is slightly inclined.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the forefoot and the backfoot of the splint plate are separate parts having different material properties, which are preferably firmly connected, more preferably corresponding It is firmly connected by a number of projections and recesses or holes that engage.

Preferably, the rigidity of the forefoot is greater than that of the rear. Thus, on the one hand, the "leaf spring" action of the forefoot is ensured, but at the same time the comfort of the shoe according to the invention is improved by a softer and therefore more comfortable rear.

The selective support of the foot, especially the toes, is further improved by a forefoot having a plurality of individual extensions. However, the individual extensions allow independent movement of the toe without losing the elastic bending properties of the splint plate.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the forefoot contains a carbon fiber composite to achieve the desired stiffness. This material has both excellent elastic properties and light weight.

The splint plate according to the invention is preferably arranged in a corresponding recess of the outsole as a midsole above the outsole. The material of the outsole is preferably softer than the material of the front and rear of the plate.

Further preferred improvements of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0022]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, an athletic shoe according to the present invention has a splint plate arranged on a sole portion of a foot. For simplicity, only the splint plate 1 with the preferred damping element 10 is shown in FIGS. The exact arrangement in the sole part of the shoe will be described in more detail below, based on FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a splint plate 1 having a flat forefoot 2. This part has a thickness of about 1 mm, which may vary depending on the material used. The material of the splint plate is preferably a composite of carbon fibers embedded in a resin matrix. Kevlar or glass fiber can also be used. These materials combine high stiffness with low energy loss and light weight. In addition, spring steel or other elastic alloys can be used. Plastic materials such as Pebax and Hytrel have advantages in injection molding manufacture, but the required elastic properties can only be obtained with additional reinforcement by fibers.

In the prototype, the forefoot 2 is only slightly bent. However, during the rolling operation phase of the step, the forefoot 2 deforms as shown by the two arrows in FIG. This deformation causes tension inside the forefoot 2 of the splint plate 1, i.e. the energy required for deflection is stored. As the foot (not shown) stretches, the forefoot 2 releases the stored energy by elastically bouncing back to the original shape shown in FIG. 1, thereby assisting the toe to kick the ground .

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7,
The splint plate 1 extends not only over the entire length of the shoe, but also preferably over the entire width of the front part 2 and the rear part 2 ′. However, narrower or perforated embodiments are also possible, as long as it is ensured that the bending properties over the entire length of the shoe are substantially determined by the rigidity of the splint plate (see, for example, FIG. 10).

In order to greatly assist the movement of the athlete by the accumulation and release of energy, the stiffness of the splint plate 1 of the forefoot 2 is sufficient so that the (inelastic) deformation of the rest of the shoe is not relevant. It is necessary. On the other hand,
The forefoot 2 must not be too stiff, since in this case the movement of the running athlete is prevented. Studies have shown that preferred stiffness in the range of 40 N / mm to 120 N / mm produces the best results.

The above values were measured with a test apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 8 to measure the stiffness according to ASTM 790. To this end, a sample plate 200 250 mm long and 50 mm wide is placed in contrast to two support points 310 80 mm apart and then flexed by a vertical force acting on the center of the plate (FIG. 8). Vertical arrow). The preferred deflection of the sample plate is a minimum of 12 mm to achieve sufficient stability for later use in shoes. A force meter can measure the deflection of the sample plate depending on the applied force. The stiffness is obtained as the slope of the curve thus measured in the linear range, i.e. in the small deflection range.

A further important criterion for the use of a sample material in a splint plate according to the invention is the elasticity, that is, how much of the energy required for the deflection of the sample plate can be recovered when the plate bounces back to its original shape. is there. FIG. 9 shows an exemplary hysteresis curve for a sample plate having a stiffness of 100 N / mm. For this purpose, the force in the cyclic bending and bounce of the plate was measured using the measuring test apparatus described above (FIG. 8) with a measuring cycle of 200 ms per cycle. The total area under the curve corresponds to the total stored energy, while the difference between the upper and lower curves, i.e. the area between the two lines, represents the loss of elastic energy when the sample plate sags. Measure. The energy loss shown in the example was 4.6% of the stored energy. For use in the forefoot, the energy loss of the splint plate according to the invention is preferably less than 5%.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rear part 2 'of the splint plate 1 is not flat and has a three-dimensional shape for wrapping the athlete's foot. Preferably, a heel cup 3 is located on the back of the foot and wraps the athlete's heel in three directions like a bowl. This ensures that not only the heel but also the arch is supported.

In addition to the preferred embodiment shown in which the foot is completely wrapped by the heel cup 3, in order to further reduce the weight of the shoe, it is also conceivable to arrange the three-dimensional shape only in the area of the rear part 2 '. Can be However, due to the rear part 2 'of the splint plate 1, the shoe cannot be substantially deformed in this part, but the rebounding action of the above-mentioned elastic bending of the front part is transmitted to the athlete's heel without any loss. That is important.

According to a further preferred embodiment, a wedge or rib-like raised portion 4 is provided below the heel cup, preferably formed integrally with the splint plate 1 and made of the same material. In this way, two goals are achieved: First, the athlete automatically assumes the desired forward leaning position. This is necessary for running fast on the forefoot 2. Secondly, the wedge-like raised portion 4 corrects at least part of the upward curvature of the forefoot 2 which is commonly caused by lasts in the manufacture of shoes. Therefore, the forefoot 2
The original mold (see FIG. 1) is almost flat so that a larger deformation range is available for elastic deformation.

Preferably, a damping element 10 is provided under the heel cup 3 in addition to the raised portion 4 such as a wedge. The damping element reduces contact between the heel and the ground when the athlete switches to running on the heel as well as running on the forefoot 2. At the same time, protect the splint plate 1 from damage. The damping element can be connected to the wedge-like raised portion 4 in a number of ways. In addition, the wedge-like raised portions 4 can be completely replaced by damping material. FIG.
In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 4, the wedge-like raised portion 4 is preferably about 1 cm in which the damping element 10 such as a horseshoe is arranged (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
All three outer surfaces are recessed inward with respect to the portion of the splint plate 1 at the rear of the foot so that a step is formed. This shape also eases the contact of the heel with a slight tilt of the foot. The damping element 10 is preferably made from a common damping material, such as EVA (ethylene-vinylene-acetate) and offers many different possibilities to influence the outer design by the shape and / or color of the shoe. .

FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the invention. The sole part is arranged under the upper 30 (shaft), and the splint plate 1 according to the present invention is incorporated in the sole. 5 and 7, only the heel cup 3 and the additional damping element 10 are shown. In a preferred embodiment, the upper 30 is secured to the inside of the heel cup 3 at the rear of the shoe (e.g. by an adhesive), protecting the foot from direct contact with the relatively stiff splint plate 1 and making it more comfortable To At the front of the shoe according to the preferred embodiment, a reinforcement 31 of shoe upper material is provided which extends laterally around the splint plate 1 and is fixed to the underside of the plate (see FIG. 6). .

As can be seen from FIG. 6, an additional support or frame 20 is arranged below the forefoot 2 of the splint plate 1. This support serves for mounting the corrugated element 21, for example a threaded hail as shown.
Depending on the material used for the splint plate 1 (see above), the corrugated element 21 may also be incorporated directly into the forefoot 2 of the splint plate. The support 20 is preferably made of a relatively soft and lightweight plastic material so as not to affect the stiffness of the shoe. If the corrugated element 21 is also located at the rear of the foot, the corresponding support (not shown) is located at the rear of the foot or the support 20 is extended backward to the desired position.

In the preferred embodiment described above, the splint plate 1 (apart from the support 20) constitutes the outer running sole of the shoe. However, this is only one of the possibilities. The splint plate may be placed on the running sole or on several separate sole elements if a continuous sole is not placed for light weight. Most preferably, the splint plate is located as close as possible to the runner's feet. If a sole or an assembly of several layers is used, the splint plate 1 can be arranged as a midsole or an insole. However, the other layers must not affect the elasticity and stiffness of the forefoot according to the invention. Or,
The above properties may be achieved by a combination of several layers rather than just one sole layer.

A further preferred embodiment of the splint plate according to the invention is shown in FIG. In this case, the splint plate 1 consists of two parts, a front part 102 and a rear part 102 ', and 102 and 102'.
Are firmly interconnected by a plurality of projections 110 and holes 111 (and vice versa). In addition, the two parts 102 and 102 ′ can alternatively or additionally be glued together to form a mechanically stable splint plate 1 and elastically resist upward mechanical stresses when elastically bending. I do.

The separation of the forefoot 102 and the backfoot 102 'allows each part to be adapted to the desired action during travel without significantly increasing the manufacturing costs. The substantially flat forefoot 102 is designed to store elastic energy, while the heel itself is only slightly deformed, which helps to guide the foot.

Accordingly, as in the above-described embodiment, the forefoot portion 102 is relatively stiff. However, a less rigid material is used for the rear foot 102 'of the splint plate, which contacts the foot from below and from the side and back. Therefore, the foot can be guided more comfortably.

Four selectively elastically deformable extensions 11 for selectively supporting the toes of the foot
2 is placed at the forefoot end of the splint plate 1. Further, the cut made between the extensions 112 is preferably plugged with a raised portion of the additional outsole 200 having a recess 220 for receiving the splint plate 1. The recesses 2 are provided so that the bending elasticity of the splint plate 1 is transmitted to the outsole 200 with substantially no loss.
20 ensures a direct mechanical interaction between the splint plate 1 and the outsole 200. For this purpose, the material of the outsole is preferably softer than the material of both the forefoot 102 and the backfoot 102 ′ of the splint plate 1. A typical material for the outsole is EVA foam, which is lightweight and has excellent damping properties.

The outsole 200 provides damping when the shoe according to the present invention is in contact with the ground (similar to the horseshoe-like damping element 10 in the first embodiment) and additional corrugated elements (not shown). ) To improve shoe grip.

For better ventilation, the outsole 200 as well as the forefoot 102 and the backfoot 102 'of the splint plate 1 may be provided with holes 230 for circulating air into the shoe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first preferred embodiment of a splint plate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a preferred additional damping element;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows the diagram of FIG. 2 with the damping element removed;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 of an athletic shoe according to the invention having a splint plate;

FIG. 6 is a view from below of the athletic shoe of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an opposite side view of the shoe of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 shows a test device according to ASTM 790 for measuring the stiffness of a sample plate at the forefoot of a splint plate according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a graph of an exemplary hysteresis curve of a sample plate for measuring energy loss during deformation.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment showing a two-part splint plate and an outsole located below the splint plate;

[Description of Signs] 1 Sprint plate 2 Forefoot 2 'Backfoot 3 Heel cup 4 Rib-shaped raised portion 10 Damping element 20 Support body 21 Corrugated element 102 Forefoot 102' Backfoot 110 Protrusion 111 Depression 112 Extended part 200 Out Sole 220 recess 230 hole

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Daniel Eugene Norton United States of America Pennsylvania 19072 Narbers Forest Ave 114 (72) Inventor Patrizio Carucci Italy 00179 Rome Via Mondragone 10 (72) Inventor Bertolt Krabbe Germany 91443 Shinefeld Kirchstrasse 14 (72) Inventor Christoph Berger 91349 Egrovsch Tyne Schweininter 30

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A shoe having a plate disposed on a sole portion, wherein the plate extends substantially the entire length of the sole portion and is substantially flat at the forefoot to bend elastically in a longitudinal direction. A shoe characterized by a three-dimensional shape that wraps around the back of the foot. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forefoot is from 40 N / mm to 120 N / mm.
2. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shoe has a rigidity in the range of: 3. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the energy loss associated with the bending of the plate is less than 5%. 4. The shoe according to claim 3, wherein the plate has a heel cup at the rear of the foot to wrap the foot like a bowl. 5. The shoe according to claim 4, further comprising a wedge-shaped raised portion at the rear of the foot below the heel cup, so that the foot is inclined forward. 6. The shoe according to claim 5, wherein the shoe has at least one additional damping element below the heel cup. 7. The shoe according to claim 6, wherein the additional damping element extends around a wedge-shaped ridge at the rear of the foot like a horseshoe. 8. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the plate forms an outsole of the shoe. 9. The shoe according to claim 8, wherein the forefoot has at least one additional support under the plate for mounting at least one corrugated element. 10. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the plate forms a shoe insole. 11. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the front part and the rear part are separate parts having different material properties and are connected to one another. 12. The shoe according to claim 11, wherein said forefoot and said backfoot are connected by a plurality of correspondingly engaging projections and recesses. 13. The shoe according to claim 11, wherein the rigidity of the front part is greater than the rigidity of the rear part. 14. The shoe according to claim 11, wherein the forefoot has a plurality of individual extensions for selectively and flexibly supporting the toes. 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forefoot contains a carbon fiber composite material to achieve a desired rigidity.
15. The shoe according to any one of 1 to 14. 16. The shoe according to claim 11, wherein the plate is arranged on the outsole as a midsole. 17. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein said plates are located in corresponding recesses in an outsole. 18. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the material of the outsole is softer than the material of the front part and the rear part of the plate. 19. The shoe according to claim 18, wherein the front part and / or the rear part and / or the outsole has a hole for ventilation inside the shoe.