BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe having a protective wrap disposed inside a shoe to support and protect the wearer's foot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various foot supports have been suggested in the art for incorporation with shoes so as to protect particular parts of the wearer's foot, such as the heel, instep, metatarsal arch, etc. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a protective wrap which includes two wrap portions 12 connected to an insole 16 which is in turn fixed to the bottom end of an upper. Straps 14 which are attached to the wrap portions 12 extend out of the upper through holes 20 formed in the upper and are connected to a shoe lace 13 which extends across a tongue 15. When the shoe lace 13 is tightened above the wearer's foot which is inserted into the upper, the straps 14 are pulled so that the foot is wrapped by the wrap portions 12 and is limited from undesirable movement during the activity of the wearer.
FIG. 3 shows another example of the protective wrap which includes two wrap portions 22 connected to an insole 26 and a tongue 25. Straps 24 are sewn to the tongue 25 and then respectively pass through the holes 28 formed in the upper of the shoe for connection with a shoe lace 23.
In both of the above-mentioned shoes, the wrap portions 12, 22 wrap around the foot to restrict movement of the foot when the shoe lace 13, 23 is tightened. However, as the insole 16 or 26 to which the wrap portions 12 or 22 are attached is connected fixedly to the bottom end of the upper by a lasting process, the insole 16 or 26 cannot be moved upward when the straps 14 or 24 are pulled. Therefore, when the shoe lace 13 or 23 is tightened, the wrap portions 12 or 22 cannot provide sufficient tightness for the foot of every user because of the varying depth of the metatarsal arches of the feet and the varying width of the feet of different users. If the foot of the user has a deep metatarsal arch, a clearance 17 will exist between the metatarsal arch and the insole 16, as shown in FIG. 1, thereby reducing the supporting effect at the sole of the foot. In case the foot of the user is thin, there will be a clearance 18 (see FIG. 2) between the wrap portions 12 and the foot so that the protective wrap cannot protect and restrain effectively the movement of the ankle 19 (see FIG. 1). Unrestrained movement of the ankle of the user's foot during strenuous activity can cause injury to the ankle of the foot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with a protective wrap which can restrain effectively undesirable movement of the user's foot and which can accommodate different sizes of the users' feet.
According to the present invention, a shoe comprises: an upper including a bottom end; a sole unit fixed to the bottom end of the upper; a protective wrap disposed inside the upper and including a sole portion disposed on the sole unit, and a side portion extending upwardly from a lateral side of the sole portion, the sole portion being at least partially and laterally removable from the sole unit; and a fastening unit connected to the side portion, wherein, when the fastening unit is tightened, the fastening unit pulls the side portion, and the side portion lifts at least a lateral part of the sole portion so that the protective wrap is wrapped tightly around the foot of the wearer.
The sole unit may be an outsole, or a sole assembly which includes an outsole in combination with an insole and/or a midsole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional shoe;
FIG. 2 is another sectional view of the shoe of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another conventional shoe;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a partially exploded view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 7 is the same view as FIG. 6 but with a protective wrap being tightened;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a protective wrap used in a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a protective wrap used in a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the third preferred embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the fourth preferred embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a plan view of a protective wrap used in the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14 is a plan view of the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 16 is a plan view of a protective wrap used in the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a first preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the present invention is shown to include an outsole 41 attached to a bottom end 421 of an upper 42. The upper 42 has a tongue 45 disposed within a tongue opening 451 formed in an instep part of the upper 42. An insole 441 is fixed to the bottom end 421 of the upper 42 above the outsole 41.
A protective wrap 46 is disposed inside the upper 42 and includes a sole portion 460 removably superimposed on the insole 441, and two side portions 461 extending upward from the sole portion 460 and integral with the sole portion 460. A sole pad 442 (the so-called sockliner or insert) is disposed removably on the sole portion 460 so that the sole portion 460 is located between the sole pad 442 and the insole 441. The protective wrap 46 is flexible and may be made of a material such as a fabric, leather, or any other suitable flexible sheeting material. The sole portion 460 and the side portions 461 are made from the same material and are formed as one piece. Alternatively, the sole portion 460 and the side portions 461 may be made from different materials as desired.
Each side portion 461 connects with a plurality of first straps 462. While the first straps 462 are sewn to each side portion 461 in this embodiment, the connection between the first straps 462 and the side portion 461 is not limited thereto. Any other suitable means may be used for connecting the side portions 461 and the first straps 462. Each first strap 462 extends out of the upper 42 from the corresponding side portion 461 through the tongue opening 451 and is then folded back to extend over the outer surface of the upper 42. The folded part of the first strap 462 is then fixed directly to the outer surface of the upper 42 by sewing to form a loop member 463. Each first strap 462 thus form the loop member 463 at the outside of the upper 42 to connect with a fastening unit that is operable to tie the tongue 45 and the tongue opening 451. The fastening unit in this embodiment includes a shoe lace 47 attached to the upper 42 proximate to the tongue 45. The shoe lace 47 passes through the loop member 463 of each first strap 462.
Referring to FIG. 7, when the user's foot (F) is inserted into the shoe, the foot is surrounded by the sole portion 460 and the side portions 461. When the shoe lace 47 is tightened, the first straps 462 are subjected to a pulling force and the side portions 461 of the protective wrap 46 are pulled upward. As a result, the sole portion 460 is lifted so that it abuts with the bottom of the foot. In addition, the side portions 461 are moved toward each other so that the foot is wrapped tightly by the protective wrap 46. Due to the sole portion 460 which is disposed removably on the insole 441, the user's foot can be wrapped tightly by the protective wrap 46 regardless of the size of the foot.
FIG. 8 shows a second preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the present invention which is substantially similar to the first embodiment. The second embodiment includes a protective wrap 56 which has a sole portion 561, two side portions 562 and first straps 563. However, the sole portion 561 is provided with ventilation openings 564, and the side portions 562 are connected to the sole portion 561 by sewing. In addition, the sole portion 561 includes only a middle portion which corresponds in position to the plantar arch of the wearer's foot. For each of the sole portion 561 and the side portions 562, a suitable material may be selected in order to comfort the wearer's foot.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a third preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the present invention is substantially similar to the first embodiment. The third embodiment includes a protective wrap 66 which has a sole portion 661, two side portions 662 and first straps 663. However, the sole portion 661 has ventilation holes 664, and includes a heel part 6611, a front part 6612 and a middle part 6613 interconnecting the heel and front parts 6611, 6612. The side portions 662 extend from two sides of the middle part 6613. The sole portion 661 of the protective wrap 66 in this embodiment not only acts as the sole portion 460 of the protective wrap 46 of the first embodiment, but also has the function of the sole pad 442 of the first embodiment. This means that the sole portion 661 acts like a shoe insert. Thus, the sole pad 442 of the first embodiment is not provided in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the side portions 662 are stitched to the sole portion 661. Of course, any means other than stitching means may also be used to fix the side portions 662 to the sole portion 661.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a fourth preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the present invention is substantially similar to the third embodiment. Like the protective wrap 66 in the third embodiment, the protective wrap 76 in this embodiment includes a sole portion 761 with ventilation holes 764, and two side portions 762. However, first straps 763 in this embodiment are one-piece long straps each of which is attached to both of the side portions 762 and the sole portion 761 and projects from the side portions 762. The sole pad 442 is disposed on the sole portion 761.
Referring to FIG. 13, the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention is substantially similar to the fourth preferred embodiment except that the protective wrap 76 in this embodiment additionally includes passages 765 each of which extends from one side portion 762 to the other side portion 762 passing through the sole portion 761. Each passage 765 receives the corresponding first strap 763 so that the first strap 763 is slidable within the passage 765.
Referring to FIG. 14, the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention is substantially similar to the fourth preferred embodiment. However, the sixth preferred embodiment includes an upper 42A which has no tongue and no tongue opening and whose bottom end is connected directly to an outsole 41A. Furthermore, the first straps 763 in this embodiment extend outward from only one of the side portions 762 through an opening 422. The other side portion 762 is attached to an inner surface of the upper 42A. The fastening unit in this embodiment includes a fastening strip 49 which has a first end 491 attached to the outer surface of the upper 42A. The fastening strip 49 then passes through a ring 48 connected to the corresponding first strap 763 and is bent back so that an opposite second end 492 of the fastening strip 49 is able to extend to the first end 491. The first and second ends 491 and 492 are interengageable by means of hook-and-loop fasteners 493, which are well-known under the tradename “VELCRO.”
When the fastening strip 49 is tightened, a pulling force is applied to the first straps 763 and the corresponding side portion 762 so that the protective wrap 76A can be wrapped tightly around the wearer's foot inserted into the upper 42A.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention is substantially similar to the fourth preferred embodiment. However, the seventh preferred embodiment includes a protective wrap 86 which has a sole portion 861 and two side portions each of which is composed of a plurality of second straps 862. The second straps 862 are attached to the sole portion 861 and extend outward from two sides of the sole portion 861. The second straps 862 extend further outward from the upper 42 forming loops 863 at the outside of the upper 42. Each loop 863 is connected to the shoe lace 47 through a ring member 48.
Especially in this embodiment, the sole portion 861 has a fixing member 9 to fix the sole portion 861 to the insole 441 only at a central part of the sole portion 861. This fixing member 9 does not effect the performance of the protective wrap 86 because lateral parts of the sole portion 861 at left and right sides of the fixing member 9 can still be lifted up when the shoe lace 47 is tightened. No doubt, the wearer's foot still can be wrapped very well through the unfixed left and right parts of the sole portion 861. While the fixing member 9 as shown is a sewing line in this embodiment, any other suitable fixing member, such as hook-and-loop fasteners (well known as Velcro fasteners) may be used in place of the sewing line.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
Patent Application
20060117606
