Shoe with ergonomic insole unit

Abstract

A shoe includes an ergonomic insole unit, and an upper with a bottom margin attached directly to the insole unit via a lasting process. The insole unit has a heel part which includes a bottom face, a rear upward flange extending upward from the heel part and a concave top surface conforming to the heel of the wearer's foot. In order to permit the bottom margin of the upper to be lasted over the heel part, the bottom face is coplanar at least in a peripheral region which extends along a corner defined by the bottom face and the upward flange.

Description

[0001] This is a Continuation-in-Part Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/105,290 which is filed on Mar. 26, 2002 and which is abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates to a shoe, particularly, to a shoe which has an ergonomic insole unit incorporated therein.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Lasts used for lasting uppers and insoles are generally provided with flat bottom faces to accommodate a wiper blade of a heel lasting machine. An example of the last with a flat bottom face 1A is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In manufacturing a shoe, an upper is disposed around a last and the bottom margin thereof is folded over an insole which is mounted on the flat bottom face of the last, via the wiper blade that wipes over the flattened surface of the insole. The wiper blade cannot work if the insole and/or the bottom face of the last are not flat because the wiper blade moves only along a planar surface.

[0006] FIGS. 2A and 2B show another last 2 which has a heel part with a rounded or convex bottom face 2A conforming to the bottom of the heel of the wearer's foot. Such a last 2 is used in forming an ergonomic insole, midsole or outsole, which has a heel part with a top face concaved downwardly, and in manufacturing a sandals 3 incorporating an ergonomic sole 31 as shown in FIG. 3. However, since the rounded bottom face 2A of the last 2 does not provide a planar surface to support and flatten an insole pad, the prior art never suggests that the last 2 be used in a heel lasting process to last an upper with an ergonomic insole.

[0007] It is conventional to place inside a shoe a removable cushion pad which has a downward concave area at the top face thereof to support the convex bottom of the wearer's heel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,342 discloses a removable insole assembly which includes an ergonomic foamed pad incorporating a reinforcing a rigid cap. The foamed pad has a downward concave area which is thinner than the lateral parts thereof. This thin concave area does not have enough thickness to sufficiently cushion the wearer's heel beneath the calcaneus because the thickness of the removable foamed pad is limited by the height of the interior space of the shoe measured from the top of an insole connected directly to the bottom margin of an upper via a lasting process. Since this height is determined by a last used to manufacture the shoe, if the thickness of the concave area of the foamed pad is to increase, it is necessary to increase the height of the last. Thus, a particularly designed last with a dimension required to provide the desired height of the interior space of the shoe is needed. The need to produce a particular last would increase the cost of manufacturing shoes incorporating such removable insole assemblies.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with an ergonomic insole unit which has a downward concave area with sufficient thickness to comfort and support the wearer's heel and which can still be manufactured by using a common last.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with an ergonomic insole unit that is lasted with a bottom margin of an upper by using a last having a rounded or convex bottom heel part.

[0010] Accordingly, a shoe according to the present invention is characterized by an ergonomic insole unit and an upper having a bottom margin attached directly to the insole unit via a lasting process, the insole unit including a heel part which includes a base, a rear upward flange projecting upward from a periphery of the base and making a U-shaped turn around the base, the upward flange forming a corner with the base along the U-shaped turn, the bottom margin of the upper being folded over the corner, the base having a bottom face and a top face opposite to the bottom face, the top face having a downward concave area, the bottom face being coplanar at least in a peripheral region which extends along full length of the corner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0012] FIG. 1A is a side view of a conventional last which is planar at the bottom of a heel region thereof;

[0013] FIG. 1B is a rear view of the conventional last of FIG. 1A;

[0014] FIG. 2A is a side view of another conventional last which is convex at the bottom of a heel region thereof;

[0015] FIG. 2B is a rear view of the conventional last of FIG. 2A;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a sandal and the conventional last of FIGS. 2A and 2B;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a shoe embodying the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 5 is another sectional view of the shoe taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a heel part of an insole unit shown in FIG. 4;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

[0022] FIG. 9 is an elevation view showing an insole element and the heel part of FIG. 4, both of which are mounted on a last;

[0023] FIG. 10 is the same view as FIG. 5 but with the insole element being placed beneath the heel part;

[0024] FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing another heel part according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11B-11B of FIG. 11A;

[0026] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another insole unit according to the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a toe part of the insole unit according to the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another toe part of the insole unit according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a modified form of the toe part of FIG. 13;

[0030] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a modified form of the toe part of FIG. 14;

[0031] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a modified form of the heel part of FIG. 6;

[0032] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a modified form of the heel part of FIG. 11A;

[0033] FIG. 19 is an elevation view of another shoe embodying the present invention;

[0034] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a shank part usable in the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a heel part which is smaller in size than a heel section of an insole element according to the present invention;

[0036] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a one-piece sole-shaped member which is flat in a peripheral region and has a downwardly projecting protrusion;

[0037] FIG. 23 is another perspective view of the one-piece sole-shaped member of FIG. 22; and

[0038] FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line 24-24 of FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 4 & 5, a first embodiment of a shoe 10 according to the present invention comprises an upper 20 connected to an ergonomic insole unit which includes an insole element 21 and a heel part 30 connected to the insole element 21 via connection means, such as adhesive bonding, sewing or mechanical fasteners, etc. The upper 20 has a bottom margin 201 provided around the insole element 21 and the heel part 30. The bottom margin 201 is attached to the insole element 21 and the heel part 30 via a lasting process.

[0040] The heel part 30 may be fabricated via a molding process from a rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible plastic material. The plastic materials usable for the heel part 30 include PVC, PU, EVA, EPE, etc. Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the heel part 30 includes a base 301, and a rear upward flange 302 extending upward from the base 301 and making a substantially U-shaped turn around the base 301. The base 301 has a planar bottom face 304 which forms a corner 305 with the upward flange 302. The heel part 30 further has a top face opposite to the planar bottom face 304, which has a downward concave area 307.

[0041] The insole element 21 has a toe section 211, a shank section 212, and a heel section 213, like the conventional insole. The insole element 21 is made of a flexible material such as PU, PVC, EVA, a woven or non-woven fabric, or the like. The insole element 21 has a substantially uniform thickness, and the heel section 213 of the insole element 21 is placed above the base 301 of the heel part 30. In assembly, the insole element 21 and the heel part 30 are mounted on a bottom side of a last 40, as shown in FIG. 9, to undergo a lasting operation in a conventional manner. During the lasting operation, the upper 20 is also mounted on the last 40, and a portion of the bottom margin 201 is folded over and attached to the planar bottom face 304 of the heel part 30. The remaining portion of the bottom margin 201 of the upper 20 is folded over and attached to the bottom face of the insole element 21. After the lasting operation, the upper 20, the insole element 21 and the heel part 30 are assembled with an outsole 50 via a conventional soling process, such as a direct injection process to form the outsole 50, a cementing process to cement the outsole 50, or a goodyear welt process to attach a goodyear welt and the outsole 50.

[0042] Although the last 40 has a rounded or concave bottom profile, like the last 2 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, it is feasible to use the last 40 to fabricate the shoe 10 by using a conventional heel lasting machine since the heel part 30 has the planar bottom face 304. Since the insole unit, comprised of the heel part 30 and the insole element 21, is attached directly to the bottom margin 201 of the upper 20 during the lasting operation, the insole unit is at the outside of the volume of the last 40. Thus, the thickness of the insole unit or the heel part 30 is not limited by the height or volume of the interior space of the upper 20 which is determined by the volume of the last 40. As a result, the heel part 30 can be provided with a sufficient thickness at the downward concave area 307 so as to effectively cushion the bottom face of the wearer's heel beneath the calcaneus.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 10, the heel part 30 maybe placed above and connected integrally with the insole element 21. In assembly, the heel part 30 together with the insole element 21 is mounted on the last 40 shown in FIG. 9 and is connected to the bottom margin 201 of the upper 20.

[0044] Instead of the heel part 30 described hereinbefore, the ergonomic insole unit according to the present invention may be configured to include a heel part 30A as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. The heel part 30A has a base 301A and an upward flange 302A which are substantially the same as the base 301 and the flange 302 of the heel part 30 except that the base 301A is provided with an opening 309A in the downward concave area 307A thereof.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 12, the ergonomic insole unit according to the present invention is configured as a single piece member 30B including a heel part 301B, a shank part 302B and a toe part 303B. The heel part 301B has substantially the same configuration as the heel part 30. The shank part 302B and the toe part 303B may be designed such that they are more flexible and have a lower hardness than that of the heel part 301B. The single-piece member 30B may be constructed in such a manner that they have different levels of hardness at the heel, shank and toe parts 301B, 302B and 303B. When the single piece member 30B is used, the upper 20 may be lasted with or without the insole element 21.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the ergonomic insole unit in the present invention may also include a separate toe part 31, or a separate toe part 32 to be used together with the heel part 30 or 30A. The toe part 31 in FIG. 13 has a front upward flange 312 projecting upward from the periphery of the toe part 31 and having a U-shaped turn along the periphery of the toe part 31. The toe part 32 in FIG. 14 has a front upward flange 322 projecting upward from the periphery of the toe part 32 and having a U-shaped turn along the periphery of the toe part 32. In assembly, the toe part 31 or 32 may be placed above or below the insole element 21, like the heel part 30 or 30A, and mounted on the last 40 (shown in FIG. 9) together with the insole element 21.

[0047] Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, reference numerals 31A and 32A represent respectively another toe parts which are modified forms of the toe parts 31 and 32. The toe part 31A has an additional front outward flange 313A which projects outward from an upward flange 312A along a plane coplanar with a bottom face (not shown) of the toe part 31A. The toe part 32A has an additional front outward flange 323A which projects outward from an upward flange 322A along a plane coplanar with a bottom face (not shown) of the toe part 32A.

[0048] Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, reference numerals 30C and 30D represent respectively another heel parts which are modified forms of the heel parts 30 and 30A. The heel part 30C has an additional rear outward flange 301C which projects outward from an upward flange 302C along a plane coplanar with the planar bottom face (not shown) of the heel part 30C. The heel part 30D has an additional rear outward flange 301D which projects outward from an upward flange 302D along a plane coplanar with a planar bottom face (not shown) of the heel part 30D.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 19, the heel part 30C or 30D and the toe part 31A or 32A have the outward flanges 301C or 301D and the outward flanges 313A or 323A thereof connected to an outwardly turned bottom margin 201A of an upper 20A. The heel part 30C or 30D and the toe part 31A or 32A are disposed above the insole element 21 and are interconnected integrally. Assembly of the upper 20A with the insole element 21, the heel part 30C or 30D and the toe part 31A or 32A is accomplished via a conventional stitchdown process using the last 40 which is shown in FIG. 9.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 20, the ergonomic insole unit according to the present invention may also include a separate shank part 33 which can be used in combination with the heel part 30 or 30A and the toe part 31 or 32. The shank part 33 has two opposite lateral upward flanges 331 which project upward from two opposite ends of the shank part 33. In assembly, the shank part 33 may be placed above or below the insole element 21 together with the heel part 30 or 30A and/or the toe part 31 or 32 and connected to the bottom margin 201 of the upper 20.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 21, the heel part 30A may be configured with a size smaller than the heel section 213 of the insole element 21 so that the periphery of the insole element 21 extends beyond and projects outwardly of the periphery of the heel part 30A when the heel part 30A is disposed above the insole element 21. The outwardly projecting part of the insole element 21 may be connected to the outwardly turned bottom margin 201A of the upper 20A shown in FIG. 19.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 22, 23 and 24, a one-piece sole-shaped member 30B′ is constructed substantially in the same manner as the one-piece member 30B shown in FIG. 12 except that the one-piece sole-shaped member 30B′ has a protrusion 309B. In particular, the one-piece member 30B′ includes a heel part 301B, a shank part 302B, and a toe part 303B. The protrusion 309B projects downward from the bottom face (304B) of the one-piece member 30B′ so that a looped shoulder 3091B is formed around the protrusion 309B and a peripheral region 3092B is formed around the shoulder 3091B. The peripheral region 3092B is adjacent immediately to and extends around the shoulder 3091B. The peripheral region 3092B has a coplanar face which extends along full length of a corner 305B of the heel part 301B and further extends to the shank part 302B and the toe part 303B. Preferably, the width of the peripheral region 3092B is at least 10 mm measured from the corner 305B.

[0053] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, 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 interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

an ergonomic insole unit, and an upper having a bottom margin attached directly to said insole unit via a lasting process,

said insole unit including a heel part which includes a base, a rear upward flange projecting upward from a periphery of said base and making a U-shaped turn around said base, said upward flange forming a corner with said base along said U-shaped turn, said bottom margin of said upper being folded over said corner,

said base having a bottom face, and a top face opposite to said bottom face, said top face having a downward concave area, said bottom face being coplanar at least in a peripheral region which extends along full length of said corner.

2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein an entire part of said bottom face is coplanar.

3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole unit further includes an insole element which has a uniform thickness and which includes a toe section, a heel section, and a shank section interconnecting said toe and heel sections, said heel part being formed as a separate piece from said insole element.

4. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein said heel part is disposed beneath said heel section of said insole element and connected integrally to said insole element.

5. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein said heel part is disposed above said heel section of said insole element and connected integrally to said insole element.

6. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole unit further includes a toe part, and a shank part connected between said toe part and said heel part, said heel part, said toe part and said shank part being formed as a one-piece sole-shaped member.

7. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole unit further includes a toe part formed as a separate piece from said heel part.

8. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole unit further includes a shank part formed as a separate piece from said heel part.

9. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heel part further has a rear outward flange which projects outward from said upward flange and which is substantially coplanar with said bottom face.

10. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heel part has a protrusion projecting downward from said bottom face within said peripheral region.

11. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole unit further includes a toe part, and a shank part connected between said toe part and said heel part, said toe part, said shank part and said heel part being formed as a one-piece sole-shaped member, said one-piece member having a bottom face that extends from said toe part to said heel part and that includes said bottom face of said heel part, said bottom face of said one-piece member having a protrusion that projects downwardly.