US20070074422A1

US20070074422A1 - Shoe structure

Info

Publication number: US20070074422A1
Application number: US11/242,968
Authority: US
Inventors: Chien Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-10-04
Filing date: 2005-10-04
Publication date: 2007-04-05

Abstract

A shoe structure includes a vamp having a bottom and the vamp is stitched to an outsole with a loop-like connection member connected therebetween. The connection member has an inner periphery and an outer periphery. An inner thread connects the connection member to the bottom of the vamp at a position close to the inner periphery of the connection member, and an outer thread connects the connection member to the outsole at a position close to the outer periphery of the connection member. There is a distance between the inner and outer threads so that water can only be absorbed by the outer thread and cannot approach the inner thread and the soft pad on the outsole.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a shoe structure, and in particular to shoe wherein a connection member is connected between the vamp and the outsole.
2. The Prior Arts
Conventional shoes includes boat shoes, stitch downs and California shoes, wherein the boat shoes are difficult to made and have unique shape so that the boat shoes have to be made by way of handsewn on last and loafer. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional boat shoe includes a vamp 11 which is sewed to a outsole 12. The conventional outsole 12 is made by plastic material and an intermediate board 13 comprising a steel shank is connected on a top thereof so as to support the shoes and reinforce the structural strength of the shoes. A foam pad 14 is attached to the intermediate board 13 and an insole 15 is connected on the foam pad 14.
There has an inherent shortcoming for the conventional boat shoes and that is because the threads 16 that connect the outsole 12 and the intermediate board 13 absorbs water which might be introduced into the shoes. In other words, when the bottom 121 of the outsole 12 of the shoes is in contact with water, the water is absorbed by the threads 16, the foam pad 14 and the insole 15. Besides, because of the steel shank, the shoes are stiff and does not bend when during walking an the stiffness makes the user feel not so comfortable.
The present invention provides a shoe structure that includes a connection member which is located between the vamp and the outsole by an outer thread and an inner thread so that water is absorbed by the outer thread and stopped by the connection member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe structure which effectively stops water from entering inside of the shoe.
According to the present invention, a shoe structure comprises a vamp having a bottom and a loop-like connection member is connected between the vamp and an outsole. The connection member has an inner periphery and an outer periphery. An inner thread connects the inner periphery of connection member to the bottom of the vamp, and an outsole connects the outer periphery of the connection member and the outsole. A soft pad is connected to a top of the outsole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view to show a conventional shoe structure;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view to show the shoe structure of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view to show that the connection member is connected to the bottom of the vamp;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view to show a part of a shoe with the shoe structure of the present invention, and
FIG. 4B is a cross sectional view to show the shoe structure of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 2, the shoe structure of the present invention comprises a vamp 20, an outsole 30, a connection member 40 and a soft pad 50.
The vamp 20 has a bottom and encloses a space with a top opening through which the wearer's foot inserts. The vamp 20 can be made any known way such as handsewn on last to form a specific shape and the material can be leather or any artificial material. The outsole 30 can be made by Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) or Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and has a shape that is correspondent to the shape of the bottom 201 of the vamp 20.
The connection member 40 is a loop-like member and has a shape that is correspondent to the shape of the bottom 201 of the vamp 20. The connection ember 40 includes an inner periphery 401 and an outer periphery 402. An outer periphery of the connection member 40 is not larger than the outsole 30 and is larger than the size of the bottom 201. There is no limitation for the width of the connection member 40 and the size of the inner periphery 401. The soft pad 50 is connected to a top of the outsole 30 by adhesive or by sewing or any known methods. The soft pad 50 is located at a center of the outsole 30 and a loop-shaped area is defined around the soft pad 50 so as to be connected with the connection member 40. The size of the soft pad 50 is less than or equal to the inner periphery 401 of the connection member 40. The soft pad 50 can be any known material such as sponge so as to absorb shocks and the load of the wearer.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B, an inner thread 61 connects the connection member 40 to the bottom 201 of the vamp 20 and the inner thread 61 stitches at a position close to the inner periphery 401 of the connection member 40. The inner thread 61 can be stitched to the connection member 40 and the vamp 20 by any known way such as by hand or by sewing machine. After the inner thread 61 connects the connection member 40 to the bottom 201 of the vamp 20, an outer thread 62 then connects the outsole 30 and the connection member 40. The outer thread 62 stitches at a position close to the outer periphery 402 of the connection 40 so that there is a distance between the inner thread 61 and the outer thread 62.
It is noted that because of the distance between the inner thread 61 and the outer thread 62, when the shoes are in contact with water, water is absorbed by the outer thread 62 and will be stopped from entering the shoes or approaching the inner thread 61 by the connection member 40. By this way, the wearer's feet can keep dry and comfortable.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A shoe structure comprising:

a vamp having a bottom;

a loop-like connection member having an inner periphery and an outer periphery, an inner thread connecting the connection member to the bottom of the vamp, and

an outsole having a soft pad connected to a top thereof and the outsole connected to the connection member by an outer thread.

2. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soft pad is a sponge pad.

3. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer periphery of the connection member is larger than an outer periphery of the bottom of the vamp.

4. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner thread connects the connection member and the vamp at a position close to the inner periphery of the connection member, the outer thread connects the connection member and the outsole at a position close to the outer periphery of the connection member.

5. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soft pad is located within an area enclosed by the inner periphery of the connection member.

6. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer periphery of the connection member is larger than an outer periphery of the bottom of the vamp.

7. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the inner thread connects the connection member and the vamp at a position close to the inner periphery of the connection member, the outer thread connects the connection member and the outsole at a position close to the outer periphery of the connection member.

8. The shoe structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the soft pad is located within an area enclosed by the inner periphery of the connection member.