JP3425630B2 - Buffer element and shoes equipped therewith - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Object of the Invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided, for example, on shoe soles such as athletic shoes and leather shoes, footwear soles such as sandals and sandals, and absorbs mechanical shocks transmitted from the ground to these shoe soles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushioning member suitable for being used to reduce the transmission of impact to a foot, and more particularly to a cushioning element and a shoe including the cushioning element, which have a desired cushioning characteristic and repulsive characteristic by one member. It is related to.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Recently, attention has been paid to silicone gels having excellent mechanical shock absorption characteristics, and attempts have been made to develop various products using the silicone gels. For example, the silicone gel has been widely used in the field of sports shoes such as running shoes, basket shoes, and tennis shoes, and the present applicant has already filed Japanese Patent Application No. 1-3119834 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-311983). 170102)
"Vibration absorption and repulsion function in soles", Japanese Patent Application No. 1-31213
No. 0 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-170104) "Application for shock absorbing repulsion member for shoe sole" is applied.

In these applications, both the mechanical shock absorbing force required for sports shoes at the time of landing and the repulsive force required when the ground is kicked and the leg is swung upward after landing. In order to satisfy the former by a vibration absorber or a buffer made of a gel-like substance and the latter by a repulsion body having a large elastic coefficient or a high bending elasticity, , A cushioning member having both a repulsive body.

On the other hand, for athletic shoes, further weight reduction and development of products with excellent design characteristics, and in addition to the general product, it is easy to manufacture, workability is excellent, and manufacturing cost is low. Being able to set it low is also an important requirement. However, in the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned application, only the contradictory characteristics of the mechanical shock absorbing force and the repulsive force are satisfied, and the weight saving, the designability, and the workability are particularly improved. There was room for improvement in this respect.

[0005]

The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in view of the above background, and by devising the shape of the cushioning member,
By satisfying both mechanical shock absorption and repulsion with one member, it is possible to contribute to weight reduction of the member, and by making the cushioning member visible from the outside, for example, with the uneven pattern of the shoe sole. The present invention proposes a cushioning element that can contribute to the diversification of designs caused by the combination, and a shoe including the cushioning element.

[0006]

[Constitution of the invention]

[Means for Achieving the Object] That is, the buffer element according to claim 1 constitutes an element main body containing silicone gel or silicone gel as a main component, and one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the element main body is used in the inside of the element main body. Alternatively, it is characterized in that a deformation permitting hole portion which is a closed space is formed by closing both of them and a deformation permitting recess portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the element body.

In addition to the above requirements, the cushioning element according to a second aspect of the invention has a taper in which the inner peripheral surface of the deformation allowing hole and the outer peripheral surface of the element body in which the deformation allowing recess is formed have different narrowing directions. It is characterized by being formed by a surface.

Further, in addition to the above requirements, the cushioning element according to claim 3 is characterized in that the cushioning element is made of silicone gel to which resin foam beads are added as a raw material. is there.

Further, in addition to the above requirements, the cushioning element according to claim 4 is characterized in that the cushioning element is provided on the sole of an athletic shoe.

A shoe having a cushioning element according to a fifth aspect of the present invention further includes a cushioning element formed in the sole of the shoe, and the cushioning element is provided in the cavity, and the cushioning element is mainly made of silicone gel or silicone gel. For the element body that is configured as a component, in the state of use inside the element body, one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the element body is closed to form a deformation-allowing hole that becomes a closed space. It is characterized in that a deformation permitting concave portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the, and a deformation permitting space is formed outside the cushioning element in the accommodating portion.

Further, in the shoe provided with the cushioning element according to claim 6, in addition to the requirement of claim 5, the storage portion provided with the cushioning element is formed by recessing the bottom surface of the shoe sole to a certain depth. At the same time, the open bottom surface of the storage portion is provided with a synthetic resin plate which allows at least the internal buffer element to be visually recognized.

Further, in the shoe provided with the cushioning element according to claim 7, in addition to the requirement of claim 6, the color of the cushioning element and the color of the sole bottom, or the color of the cushioning element and the sole bottom. The color of the concavo-convex pattern formed in (1) is characterized by being composed of a combination of two or more colors having at least one of hue, lightness, and saturation. It is intended to achieve the above object by using the constitution of the invention described in each of these claims.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the shock-absorbing element comprises a silicone gel or a silicone gel as a main component to form an element body, a deformation-allowing hole portion inside the element body, and a deformation-allowing recess portion on the outer peripheral surface of the element body. Each has a structure of forming. As a result, the excellent mechanical shock absorption characteristics of silicone gel are exhibited, and the presence of the deformation-allowing holes allows the deformation of the cushioning element inside the element body, and the deformation-allowing holes and the upper surface of the element body Also, the space formed between the lower surface and the lower surface becomes a hermetically sealed state, and the repulsive characteristic due to the air damper action is also exhibited.

In addition, the presence of the deformation permitting recess allows the deformation of the cushioning element on the outer peripheral surface of the element body, and further improves the mechanical shock absorbing characteristics. In addition, by providing a deformation-permitting recess and making it possible to obtain the repulsion characteristic by the air damper action, the repulsion member that was separately provided in the past can be eliminated, which contributes to the weight reduction of the member and the manufacturing (materials used). ) It can also contribute to cost reduction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cushioning element has a structure in which the inner peripheral surface of the deformation allowing recess and the outer peripheral surface of the element body in which the deformation allowing recess is formed are tapered surfaces having different narrowing directions. This makes it possible to provide a damping element with high damping and an extremely wide applied load range and applied frequency range, and also the releasability from the molding die is improved.

A cushioning element according to a third aspect of the present invention has a construction in which a foam gel made of resin is added to a silicone gel as a raw material. As a result, it is possible to contribute to further weight reduction of the member, and it is possible to further reduce the manufacturing (raw material used) cost.

The cushioning element according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is configured to be provided on the sole of an athletic shoe. As a result, excellent mechanical shock absorption characteristics and repulsion characteristics required for sports shoes can be achieved, and it is possible to meet other requirements such as weight reduction of members and reduction of manufacturing cost.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a shoe including a cushioning element has a structure in which a storage portion is formed in a shoe sole, the cushioning element is provided in the storage portion, and a deformation allowable space is formed in the storage portion. . This allows the cushioning element to be freely deformed without being restricted by the storage portion, which can further contribute to the improvement of the mechanical shock absorption characteristics.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a shoe including the cushioning element has a structure in which a synthetic resin plate whose inside is visually recognizable is provided on an open bottom surface of the storage portion. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cushioning element provided in the storage portion from grounding to the ground, to prevent dust from adhering to the ground and to prevent damage thereto, and also to visually see the cushioning element from the sole side.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shoe including a cushioning element, wherein at least hue, lightness and saturation of the cushioning element color and the sole bottom color, or the cushioning element color and the sole pattern color are used. It is configured by a combination of two or more different colors. This makes the decoration on the shoe sole more extensive,
It can also contribute to the diversification of the design caused by the combination with the uneven pattern or the like.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The cushioning element of the present invention and a shoe equipped with the same will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the basic configuration of the cushioning element of the present invention will be described first, and then the configuration of the shoe of the present invention including the cushioning element will be described, and then a method of manufacturing the cushioning element of the present invention will be described. A brief description will be given, and finally, reference will be made to another embodiment in which the shape of the cushioning element of the present invention is changed and another embodiment in which the arrangement mode or the arrangement position is changed.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 is a cushioning element of the present invention, which is provided on the sole 3 of the athletic shoe 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the sole such as leather shoes. Not only can it be applied as a cushioning member for footwear such as sandals and sandals, but also as a cushioning member that is incorporated into an insulator provided on the bottom of a seat such as a helmet, an automobile, a train, or precision equipment. It has the potential.

The specific shape of the element body 1a of the following components is a substantially truncated cone shape in which the area of the upper surface 10 is set to be slightly smaller than the area of the lower surface 11 as shown in FIGS. , Furthermore, this element body 1a
A deformation permitting hole portion 12 is formed in the center of the member so as to penetrate from the upper surface 10 to the lower surface 11, and an outer peripheral surface 13 of the member is formed.
The outer peripheral surface 13 is formed with six deformable recesses 14 as an example so as to be recessed. Further, the inner peripheral surface 12 of the deformation permitting hole portion 12
The a is formed by a taper surface whose constriction direction is opposite to that of the outer peripheral surface 13 in which the deformation allowing recess 14 is formed.

Further, the cushioning element 1 having such a shape is characterized by being constituted by a silicone gel or an element body containing silicone gel as a main component. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the rubber hardness (Asker C) is 25 °.
Of silicone gel was used. Examples of the silicone gel that can be used in the present invention include diorganopolysiloxane (hereinafter referred to as component A), which is a stock solution of the silicone gel represented by the following formula [1]: RR ¹ ₂ SiO- (R ² ₂ SiO) _n
SiR ¹ ₂ R ... [1] [wherein R is an alkenyl group, R ¹ is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having no aliphatic unsaturated bond, and R ² is a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon Group (at least 50 mol% of R ² is a methyl group, and when it has an alkenyl group, its content is 10 mol% or less)
And n is the viscosity of this component at 25 ° C. is 100 to
The number is 100,000 cSt], and 25 ° C
In the component (B), which is a stock solution of a silicone gel having a hydrogen atom directly bonded to at least two Si atoms in one molecule, and having a viscosity of 5000 cSt or less. Curing a mixture adjusted so that the ratio (molar ratio) of the total amount of alkenyl groups contained in the component A to the total amount of hydrogen atoms directly bonded to atoms is 0.1 to 0.2. An addition reaction-type silicone copolymer obtained according to JIS K (K-2207-198).
The cured product has a penetration of 5 to 250 measured under a load of 050 g).

The silicone gel will be described in more detail. The component A has a linear molecular structure, and alkenyl groups R at both ends of the molecule are added to hydrogen atoms directly bonded to Si atoms in component B. And a compound capable of forming a crosslinked structure. The alkenyl group present at the terminal of this molecule is preferably a lower alkenyl group,
A vinyl group is particularly preferable in consideration of reactivity.

R ¹ existing at the terminal of the molecule is a monovalent monovalent hydrogen group having no aliphatic unsaturated bond, and specific examples of such a group include methyl group, propyl group and hexyl group. Examples thereof include alkyl groups, phenyl groups and fluoroalkyl groups.

In the above formula [1], R ² is a monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon, and specific examples of such a group include:
Examples thereof include alkyl groups such as methyl group, propyl group and hexyl group, and lower alkenyl groups such as vinyl group. However, at least 50 mol% of R ²
Is a methyl group, and when R ² is an alkenyl group, the amount of the alkenyl group is preferably 10 mol% or less. If the amount of alkenyl groups exceeds 10 mol%, the crosslink density becomes too high and the viscosity tends to be high. Also, n is
The viscosity of this A component at 25 ° C. is usually 100 to 10
0000 cSt, preferably 200 to 20000 cSt
Is set to be within the range.

The above-mentioned component B is a cross-linking agent for component A and is S
The hydrogen atom directly bonded to the i atom adds to the alkenyl group in the A component to cure the A component. The component B has only to have the above-described action, and as the component B, those having various molecular structures such as linear, branched, cyclic or network can be used.

In addition to hydrogen atom, an organic group is bonded to the Si atom in the component B, and this organic group is usually a lower alkyl group such as a methyl group. In addition, B component of 25 ℃
The viscosity is usually 5000 cSt or less, preferably 500 cSt or less. Examples of such component B include organohydrogenpolysiloxanes having both ends of the molecule blocked with triorganosiloxy groups, copolymers of diorganosiloxane and organohydrogensiloxane, and tetraorganotetrahydrogencyclotetrasiloxane. , A copolymerized siloxane consisting of HR ¹ ₂ SiO 1/2 units and SiO 4/2 units, and HR ¹ ₂ SiO 1/2 units and R
Can be mentioned copolymers polysiloxane consisting of ¹ ₃ SiO 1/2 units and SiO 4/2 units. However, in the above formula, R ¹ has the same meaning as described above.

The ratio of the total molar amount of alkenyl groups in the component A to the total molar amount of hydrogen atoms directly bonded to the Si atoms in the component B is usually 0.1 to 2.
A so that it is within the range of 0, preferably 0.1 to 1.0
It is manufactured by mixing the component and the B component and curing the mixture.

The curing reaction in this case is usually carried out using a catalyst. The catalyst used here is preferably a platinum-based catalyst, and examples thereof include finely pulverized elemental platinum, chloroplatinic acid, platinum oxide, platinum and olefin complex salts, platinum alcoholates and chloroplatinic acid and vinylsiloxane. And complex salts with. Such complex salts consist of A component and B
It is usually used in an amount of 0.1 ppm (platinum equivalent, the same applies below) or more, preferably 0.5 ppm or more based on the total weight of the components. The upper limit of the amount of such a catalyst is not particularly limited, but, for example, when the catalyst is in a liquid state or can be used as a solution, 200 p
An amount of pm or less is sufficient.

The components A, B and the catalyst as described above are mixed and left to stand at room temperature or heated to cure to form the silicone gel used in the present invention. The silicone gel obtained in this way is compliant with JIS
Penetration measured with K (K-2207-198050 g load) usually has 5-250. The hardness of such a silicone gel varies depending on the cross-linking structure formed by the A component and the B component.

The viscosity of the silicone gel before curing and the degree of penetration after curing are 5 to 75% by weight based on the silicone gel obtained, with a silicone oil having methyl groups at both ends.
It can be adjusted by adding in advance in an amount within the range. Thus, the silicone gel can be prepared as described above, or a commercially available one can be used.

Examples of commercially available products that can be used in the present invention are CF5053, CF5055, CF505.
7, CF5058 (manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.), X32-902 / cat 1300 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), F250-121 (manufactured by Nippon Unicar Co., Ltd.) and the like.

Further, a more preferable silicone gel is a silicone gel produced by using a diorganopolysiloxane, which is a stock solution of silicone gel, in which low molecular weight substances are reduced. That is, the component A contains two or more silicon atom-bonded alkenyl groups in one molecule, has a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 50 to 100,000 centipoise, and has 4 to 20 parts by weight of a cyclic diorganopolysiloxane. It is the one to which the diorganopolysiloxane having a content of 0.5% by weight or less is applied.

In addition to the above-mentioned silicone gel, it is possible to use a silicone rubber or silicone gel which is curable by ultraviolet rays. As an example of the commercially available product, SOTEF
A70, SOTEFA50 (manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.), X-31-7006 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like are mentioned, and the former is one which has already been semi-cured into a film as a silicone film adhesive. It is said that it is strongly bonded to glass, acrylic, polycarbonate, etc. by heat curing, and the latter is a one-component silicone gel, which is cured in a few seconds by irradiation of ultraviolet rays and is considered to have excellent adhesiveness. It is what If these are used, ultraviolet rays which can be used directly from the sheet state and which can be easily controlled and can be cured in a short time can be used for curing.

Further, the cushioning element 1 of the present invention can be constituted by only such a silicone gel G as shown in FIG. 7, but as shown in FIG. Foam beads B as described
It is also possible to constitute by adding. That is, the foam beads B are made of a synthetic resin such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, PVDC, etc., and are used by being dispersed in the silicone gel G as a filler having a diameter of about 5 mm. Incidentally, if such foam beads B are added to the silicone gel G, it is possible to contribute to further weight reduction of the buffer element 1 and reduction of the amount of the silicone gel G used.

Next, a shoe of the present invention provided with such a cushioning element 1 will be described. In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 2 is an athletic shoe which is an example of the shoe of the present invention. This is composed of a shoe main body 2a and a shoe sole 3, and the shoe sole 3 has a storage portion 5 formed by recessing the shoe sole bottom surface 3a to a certain depth. In the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the accommodating portion 5 is formed in accordance with the shape of the cushioning element 1 so that the accommodating space has a flat columnar shape as an example.

The buffer element 1 is provided in such a storage portion 5. In the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper surface 10 of the buffer element 1 is downward (to the ground) as an example. The lower surface 11 is disposed on the upper side (the side opposite to the ground surface) on the ground surface side), and a synthetic resin plate 7 is provided on the open bottom surface 5a of the storage portion 5. It is configured such that the open bottom surface 5a of the storage portion 5 including the cushioning element 1 is closed.

It is to be noted that the synthetic resin plate 7 is required to have at least visibility so that the presence of the buffer element 1 in the housing portion 5 can be confirmed. For example, a colorless and transparent or colored and transparent synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride. Is formed by. Further, on the outside of the cushioning element 1 in the storage portion 5, an inner peripheral surface 12 a of the storage portion 5 and an outer peripheral surface 13 of the cushioning element 1 are provided.
And a surface of the synthetic resin plate 7 on the storage section 5 side defines a deformation-allowable space 6. Incidentally, the deformation allowance space 6 is a space formed to allow free deformation of the cushioning element 1 when a load is applied to the cushioning element 1. The states of the buffer element 1 under no load and under load are shown skeletonally in FIG.

Further, by adopting the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to further develop a decoration mode as described below. That is, the combination of the shape of the cushioning element 1 and the shape and arrangement of the concavo-convex pattern 4 formed on the shoe sole bottom surface 3a is appropriately changed by making the presence of the cushioning element 1 visible from the side of the shoe sole bottom surface 3a. Or a combination of two or more colors in which the color of the cushioning element 1 and the color of the sole 3a of the shoe sole, or the color of the cushioning element 1 and the color of the concave-convex pattern 4 differ from each other in at least one of hue, brightness, and saturation. With this structure, a new decoration mode that has not existed in the past can be created.

Next, a brief description will be given to one method for manufacturing the cushioning element 1 of the present invention. Here, the resin sheet 16 is used, which can easily form the molding die 17 and can inexpensively form the molding die 17. A method of manufacturing all the cushioning elements will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, as an example, vinyl chloride resin, polypropylene, polyethylene,
A thin flat resin sheet 16 made of polystyrene or the like is prepared and press-molded with a press die 19, as shown in FIG.
A molding die 17 having a desired shape as shown in (b) is created.

Further, instead of the method of using the press die 19, it is possible to produce the forming die 17 by using a vacuum forming machine 20 as shown in FIG. That is, the resin sheet 16 as described above is prepared, placed on the concave mold 21 as shown in FIG. 10 (a), heated by a heater or the like to be softened, and then as shown in FIG. 10 (b). To reduce the pressure in the molding space defined by the concave mold 21 and the resin sheet 16,
Make a vacuum. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the resin sheet 16 comes to be adsorbed along the molding surface of the concave mold 21, and is molded into the molding die 17 having a desired shape. In addition, the molding die 17 molded in this manner is used as the concave die 2
In order to take it out from No. 1, the atmosphere in the molding space may be returned to atmospheric pressure as shown in FIG.

Although the concave mold 21 is used in the vacuum forming machine 20, it is also possible to form the mold 17 by vacuum forming the resin sheet 16 using the convex mold. In addition to this, contrary to the above-described embodiment, a molding die 17 is used which uses a compressed air molding machine for molding the resin sheet 16 into a desired shape by supplying compressed air into the molding space and increasing the atmospheric pressure in the molding space. It is also possible to create.

Next, an appropriate mold release agent is applied to the inner surface of the molding die 17 if necessary, and then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the silicone gel G or some additive (FIG. 9) is added thereto.
In (c), the raw material 18 to which the foamed beads B) have been added and which has not been cured is injected into the molding die 17 and cured. After curing, the cushioning element 1 molded from the molding die 17 as shown in FIG. 9D is taken out to obtain the cushioning element 1 as shown in FIG. 9E.

The above is a description of the basic construction of the cushioning element 1 of the present invention, an embodiment of the sports shoe 2 having the same, and a method for manufacturing the same. Further, there are other embodiments having different shapes as described below. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cushion element 1 and the deformation permitting hole 12 have a circular planar shape, but the cushion element 1 of the present invention is not limited to this. , Fig. 11
As shown in (a), it is possible to have a plane rectangular shape, and in addition, various plane shapes such as a triangular shape, a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a semicircular shape, or a combination thereof can be used. Can be adopted.

The number of the deformation permitting recesses 14 can be appropriately selected, and it is possible to set the number to four as shown in FIG. 11B, or to set the number to a smaller number or a larger number. Of course it is possible. In addition, the plane shape of the deformation allowing recess 14 is also curved as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and V is formed at an acute angle as shown in FIG. 11C.
It is also possible to form in a shape cut into a letter shape.

In addition, the deformation permitting hole 12 is formed in a penetrating state from the upper surface 10 to the lower surface 11 as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and the lower surface 11 side is closed as shown in FIG. 11D. Alternatively, although not shown in the drawing, it is possible to form the bottomed cylindrical deformation-allowing hole portion 12 with the upper surface 10 side closed.

Further, the deformation permitting recesses 14 are provided in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 13 of the cushioning element 1 as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and as shown in FIGS. 11 (e) and 11 (f). It is also possible to provide the taper surface of the outer peripheral surface 13 in the longitudinal direction. In addition, although not shown, the number of deformation allowing holes 12 is not limited to one as in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and the above-described embodiment, but a plurality of deformation allowing holes may be provided. The size of 12 can also be appropriately changed in consideration of the balance between the mechanical shock absorption characteristics and the repulsion characteristics.

Further, such a cushioning element 1 is attached to the shoe sole 3
In addition to providing only one in the heel portion as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, other portions of the shoe sole bottom surface 3a, for example, the front sole of the shoe sole bottom surface 3a as shown by phantom lines in FIG. It is possible to provide it on a part, and it is also possible to provide the cushioning element 1 on both the heel and the front sole. In addition, it is possible to provide the cushioning element 1 on the entire bottom surface 3a of the shoe sole, and in that case, the cushioning element 1
It is also possible to reduce the size of and to arrange a plurality of them.

Furthermore, the shoe sole 3 of such a cushioning element 1
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the arrangement position with respect to
In addition to being provided for a, the insole 31, insole (center core) 32, midsole 33, outer sole 3 as described below.
It is also possible to provide it inside the shoe sole 3 constituted by 4 and 4. That is, as shown in FIG. 13A, the upper surface of the midsole 33 may be recessed to a certain depth to form the storage portion 5, and the cushioning element 1 may be arranged in the storage portion 5. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13B, it is possible to form the storage portion 5 inside the midsole 33 and dispose the cushioning element 1 in the storage portion 5. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13C, the upper surface of the outer sole 34 is recessed to a certain depth,
It is also possible to form the storage part 5 and dispose the cushioning element 1 in the storage part 5.

[0052]

The cushioning element of the present invention and the shoe having the same are constituted by having the above-mentioned constitution, and by having such constitution, the following effects are exhibited. . The cushioning element 1 according to claim 1 constitutes the element body 1a containing silicone gel G or silicone gel G as a main component, and the deformation allowance hole 12 is formed inside the element body 1a and the outer peripheral surface 13 of the element body 1a is deformed. The allowable recesses 14 are formed respectively. As a result, the excellent mechanical shock absorption characteristics of the silicone gel G are exhibited, and the presence of the deformation-allowing holes 12 allows the buffer element 1 to be deformed into the element body 1a. The space formed between the upper surface 10 and the lower surface 11 of the element body 1a becomes a hermetically sealed state, and the repulsive characteristic due to the air damper action is also exhibited.

In addition, the presence of the deformation permitting recesses 14 also permits the deformation of the cushioning element 1 on the outer peripheral surface 13 of the element body 1a, thereby further improving the mechanical shock absorbing characteristics. By providing the deformation allowance hole 12 and the deformation allowance recess 14 and obtaining the repulsion characteristic by the air damper action, it is possible to eliminate the repulsion member that has been separately provided in the related art, thereby contributing to the weight reduction of the member. This can also contribute to reduction of manufacturing (raw material used) cost.

In the cushioning element 1 according to the second aspect, the inner peripheral surface 12a of the deformation allowing recess 14 and the deformation allowing recess 1 are provided.
The outer peripheral surface 13 of the element main body 1a on which 4 is formed is formed by a tapered surface having different narrowing directions. This makes it possible to make the cushioning element 1 with high damping and having an extremely wide applied load range and applied frequency range, and also improve the releasability from the molding die 17.

The cushioning element 1 according to claim 3 has a construction in which a foamed bead B made of resin is added to a silicone gel as a raw material. As a result, it is possible to contribute to further weight reduction of the member, and it is possible to further reduce the manufacturing (raw material used) cost.

The cushioning element 1 according to claim 4 has a structure in which it is provided on the sole 3 of the sports shoe 2. As a result, excellent mechanical shock absorption characteristics and repulsion characteristics required for the athletic shoe 2 can be achieved, and it is possible to meet other requirements such as weight reduction of members and reduction of manufacturing cost.

A shoe having a cushioning element according to a fifth aspect has a storage portion 5 formed in the shoe sole 3, the cushioning element 1 is provided in the storage portion 5, and the storage portion 5 has a deformation allowance space 6. Take the configuration of forming. As a result, the deformation of the cushioning element 1 is not restricted by the storage portion 5,
It can be freely deformed, which can contribute to further improvement in mechanical shock absorption characteristics.

A shoe having a cushioning element according to a sixth aspect of the present invention has a construction in which an open bottom surface 5a of the storage portion 5 is provided with a synthetic resin plate 7 whose inside can be visually recognized. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cushioning element 1 provided in the storage portion 5 from being grounded to the ground, avoiding adhesion of dust and damage accompanying it, and visually observing the cushioning element 1 from the sole 3 side. Like

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a shoe provided with a cushioning element, at least the hue of the cushioning element 1 and the sole bottom 3a, or the color of the cushioning element 1 and the uneven pattern 4 on the sole bottom 3a is at least a hue. , A combination of two or more colors having different lightness or saturation. As a result, the decoration of the shoe sole 3 becomes wider, which can contribute to the diversification of the design caused by the combination with the concave-convex pattern 4 and the like.

The effects brought about by the configurations of the invention described in each of these claims act synergistically,
It not only exhibits excellent mechanical shock absorption and repulsion, but also contributes to the weight reduction of members and the reduction of manufacturing cost. Further, the designability is improved with the expansion of the decoration aspect such as the sole 3a of the shoe sole. A wide variety of effects can be achieved that can also contribute to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a shoe including a cushioning element of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the same cut away.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing skeletonally the unloaded state and the loaded state of the cushioning element.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a cushioning element of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing an example in which expanded beads are added.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing, step by step, one method of manufacturing a cushioning element.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing, step by step, another molding method of the molding die in the above manufacturing method.

FIG. 11 is a skeletal plan view and a skeletal longitudinal side view showing various other embodiments in which the shape of the cushioning element of the present invention is changed.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view showing another embodiment in which the arrangement of the cushioning element of the present invention is different.

FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional rear view showing various embodiments in which the cushioning element of the present invention is arranged at different positions.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 buffer element 1a Element body 2 sports shoes 2a shoe body 3 soles 3a Bottom of sole 4 uneven pattern 5 storage 5a Open bottom 6 deformation allowance space 7 synthetic resin plate 10 Top surface 11 Lower surface 12 Deformation allowance hole 12a inner peripheral surface 13 outer peripheral surface 14 Deformation allowing recess 16 resin sheet 17 Mold 18 raw materials 19 Press type 20 vacuum forming machine 21 concave 31 Insole 32 insole (core) 33 Midsole 34 Outer sole B foam beads G Silicone gel

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Koshibe 4-2 Shimoda-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa A 404 (72) Inventor Takashi Mitsushima 7-1, 1-1 Minatojima-nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Co., Ltd. Asics (72) Inventor Mitsuo Nasako 7-1, 1-1 Minatojima Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Asics Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-3-170104 (JP, A) JP-A-2-224608 (JP , A) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-3801 (JP, A) Actually open 2-136507 (JP, U) Actually open 60-31803 (JP, U) Actually open 3-27603 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A43B 13/40 B32B 25/20 A43B 5/00

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A silicone gel or an element main body mainly composed of silicone gel is formed, and inside the element main body, a closed space is formed by closing one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface in a use state. A deformation-allowing hole is formed, and a deformation-allowing recess is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the element body. 2. The inner peripheral surface of the deformation allowing hole and the outer peripheral surface of the element main body in which the deformation allowing recess is formed are formed by tapered surfaces having different narrowing directions from each other. The buffer element according to 1. 3. The cushioning element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cushioning element is made of silicone gel to which resin foam beads are added as a raw material. 4. The cushioning element according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the cushioning element is provided on a sole of an athletic shoe. 5. The shoe bottom is provided with a storage portion, and the storage portion is provided with a cushioning element, and the cushioning element has a main body made of silicone gel or silicone gel as opposed to the element body. It is formed by forming a deformation-allowing hole that becomes a closed space by closing one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the element body in use, and forming a deformation-allowing recess on the outer peripheral surface of the element body. In addition, a shoe having a cushioning element is characterized in that a deformation permitting space is formed outside the cushioning element in the storage portion. 6. The accommodating portion having the cushioning element is formed by recessing the bottom surface of the shoe sole to a certain depth, and at least the synthetic resin plate capable of visually recognizing the cushioning element inside is formed on the open bottom surface of the accommodating portion. A shoe with a cushioning element according to claim 5, characterized in that it is provided. 7. The color of the cushioning element and the color of the bottom of the shoe sole, or the color of the cushioning element and the color of the concavo-convex pattern formed on the bottom of the shoe sole differ in at least one of hue, lightness, and saturation. A shoe having a cushioning element according to claim 6, wherein the shoe is constituted by a combination of two or more colors.