Shoe having a protective wrap
A shoe includes a protective wrap disposed inside an upper and includes a sole portion disposed removably on a sole unit, and two side portions extending upwardly and respectively from two sides of the sole portion and connected to a fastening unit. When the fastening unit is tightened, the fastening unit pulls the side portions, and the side portions lift the sole portion so that the protective wrap is wrapped tightly around the foot of the wearer.
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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.
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
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 DRAWINGSOther 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:
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
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.
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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
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.
Claims
1. A shoe comprising:
- an upper including a bottom end;
- a sole unit fixed to said bottom end of said upper;
- a protective wrap disposed inside said upper and including a sole portion disposed on said sole unit, and a side portion extending upwardly from a lateral side of said sole portion, said sole portion being at least partially and laterally removable from said sole unit; and
- a fastening unit connected to said side portion, wherein, when said fastening unit is tightened, said fastening unit pulls said side portion and said side portion lifts at least a lateral part of said sole portion so that said protective wrap is wrapped tightly around the foot of a wearer.
2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole portion is removable entirely from said sole unit.
3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper further includes a tongue opening and a tongue disposed within said tongue opening, said fastening unit being operable to tie said tongue opening and said tongue.
4. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein said protective wrap further includes at least one first strap which connects one of said side portions to said fastening unit.
5. The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first strap extends out of said upper and forms a loop member at the outside of said upper.
6. The shoe as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fastening unit includes a shoe lace which extends through said loop member.
7. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sole pad disposed removably on said sole portion.
8. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side portions include a material different from that of said sole portion.
9. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole portion has a plurality of ventilation holes.
10. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole portion is comprised of at least a middle portion which corresponds in position to a plantar arch of a wearer's foot.
11. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole unit includes an outsole and an insole.
12. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said protective wrap further includes a fixing member which connects said protective wrap to said sole unit and which still allows either side of said sole portion of said protective wrap to be lifted up when said fastening unit is tightened.
13. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein said protective wrap further includes a plurality of first straps which interconnect said side portions to said fastening unit, said first straps extending out of said upper.
14. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said first straps is a one-piece long strap which is attached to said sole portion and both of said side portions and projects from both of said side portions.
15. The shoe as claimed in claim 14, wherein said protective wrap further includes a plurality of passages each extending from one of said side portions to the other one of said side portions passing through said sole portion, said long strap extending slidably through a corresponding one of said passages.
16. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said side portions includes a plurality of second straps attached to said sole portion and projecting outward from two sides of said sole portion, said second straps of at least one of said side portions extending out of said upper and being connected to said fastening unit.
17. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first strap connected to one of said side portions, said first strap extending out of said upper and forming a loop member at the outside of the upper, said fastening unit being connected to said loop member.
18. The shoe as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fastening unit includes a fastening strip which is provided with hook-and-loop fasteners, said fastening strip passing through said loop member.
19. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole portion is a shoe insert.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 3, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 8, 2006
Applicant:
Inventors: Eddie Chen (Taichung City), Charlie Chen (Taichung City), Paul Yang (Taichung City)
Application Number: 11/003,300
International Classification: A43C 11/00 (20060101); A43B 7/22 (20060101);