Shoe with shell portions
A shoe includes a first shell portion, and a second shell portion complementing the first shell portion to form an upper. The second shell portion is more flexible than the first shell portion and is mechanically connected to the first shell portion. The first shell portion includes a surrounding wall of substantially U-shaped cross-section which is adapted to extend around the wearer's heel. The surrounding wall includes two opposite side wall sections that have frontmost ends posterior to the ball of the foot and anterior to the plantar arch of the foot.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe which has first and second shell portions, which is capable of providing ankle protection, breathability, and good bendability, which can reduce molding costs, and which is relatively light in weight.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
Referring to
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with first and second shell portions, which has advantages of ankle protection, breathability, good bendability, cost effectiveness, and lightness in weight.
Accordingly, a shoe of this invention includes a first shell portion, and a second shell portion complementing the first shell portion to form an upper. The second shell portion is mechanically connected to the first shell portion and is more flexible than the first shell portion. The first shell portion includes a surrounding wall which has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and which is adapted to extend around the heel of a wearer. The opposite side wall sections have frontmost ends posterior to the ball of the foot and anterior to the plantar arch of the foot.
Alternatively, the first shell portion may further include a sole part which has at least a heel region connected to the surrounding wall. An opening may be formed in the sole part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSOther 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:
Referring to
The second shell portion 32 is more flexible than the first shell portion and is composed of a plurality of pieces. In this embodiment, the second shell portion 32 includes a front part 321 and an instep part 322. The second shell portion 32 complements the first shell portion 31 to form an upper, and is mechanically connected to the first shell portion 31.
As shown in
The front part 321 of the second shell portion 32 is connected to the surrounding wall 310 at the frontmost ends, and the instep part 322 of the second shell portion 32 is disposed above and is connected to the front part 321 and the surrounding wall 310, thereby constituting the upper of the shoe 30.
In this embodiment, the first shell portion 31 is a molded body formed from composite, rubber, TPR, TPU, EVA or PVC. The sole part 312 is made from a material that is softer than that of the surrounding wall 310 so as to enhance the comfort in walking. There are various known methods of forming the first shell portion 31 from two materials. For instance, two materials of different hardness are disposed in a mold at positions corresponding to the surrounding wall 310 and the sole part 312 prior to formation.
Referring to
On the other hand, the outer side of the first shell portion 41 in this embodiment may be covered by a fabric material (D), such as, a fabric well-known under the registered trademark, Kevlar, as shown in
Referring to
Alternatively, the first shell portion 51 may be a multi-layered structure which includes more than one layer. For example, a two-layered structure may include a rubber layer and a fabric layer. A three-layered structure may include an EVA layer, a fabric layer and a TPU layer.
Referring to
A second shell portion that complements the first shell portion 61 to form an upper of the shoe 60 includes a front toe part 621 extending forward from the surrounding wall 610 and the instep parts 612, and a top part 622 extending upward from the surrounding wall 610 and the instep parts 612. An outsole 63 is connected to the first shell portion 61 and the front toe part 621.
The unique features of the first shell portion 61 are that the side wall sections 611 are higher than the ankle, the frontmost ends 616 of the side wall sections 611 do not extend beyond the ball of the foot, and the eyelets 613 are formed in the instep parts 612. An enhanced ankle protecting effect can be achieved when the shoe 60 of this embodiment is used.
Referring to
With the above construction, this invention is capable of achieving the following advantageous effects:
1. Good Support and Protection:
As the first shell portion is dimensioned to cover the wearer's ankle in use, it can support the wearer's ankle to prevent ankle sprains. Thus, this invention is suitable for use as a sports shoe.
2. Good Flexibility and Breathability:
Since the first shell portion has a length that does not go beyond the ball of the wearer's foot, it will not obstruct bending of the wearer's foot, or bending of the shoe, during walking. Besides, due to the overall construction of the shoe, the second shell portion can be made of a relatively soft material to enhance the breathability of the shoe. Since the softer and flexible material can be used in the second shell portion, the shoe can provide better fit for the front portion of the users' feet.
3. Lightweight
Given that the second shell portion can be formed from a relatively soft material and that only the first shell portion is made from a relatively rigid material, the overall weight of the shoe can be reduced as compared with the conventional shoe having a heavy surrounding hard shell.
4. Cost Effectiveness
In view of the fact that the feet of people usually vary in width and thickness at the part in front of the ball of the foot so that molds of different sizes have to be prepared for making shells of shoes as in the prior art, the present invention contemplates the use of a separate first shell portion as the heel part of the shoe, which is relatively fixed in size, for matching a second shell portion, thereby reducing considerably the molding costs.
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 interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Claims
1. A shoe comprising:
- a first shell portion, and a second shell portion complementing said first shell portion to form an upper, said second shell portion being mechanically connected to said first shell portion and being more flexible than said first shell portion;
- said first shell portion being waterproof and vapor impermeable and including a sole part which has at least a heel region, and a surrounding wall which projects upward from a periphery of said heel region and which has a substantially U-shaped cross-section that turns around said heel region, said surrounding wall including two opposite side wall sections, said opposite side wall sections having frontmost ends posterior to the ball of the foot and anterior to the plantar arch of the foot.
2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first shell portion is configured as a molded body.
3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surrounding wall has a marginal end for connection with said second shell portion, said marginal end having a shoulder formation that extends along the length of said marginal end to join with said second shell portion.
4. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole part has an opening therein.
5. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side wall sections have a height sufficient to reach an entire part of the ankle.
6. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sole part is relatively softer than said surrounding wall.
7. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surrounding wall further includes a ventilation hole.
8. The shoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein said surrounding wall further includes a screen covering said ventilation hole.
9. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second shell portion includes a front part connected to said surrounding wall at said frontmost ends, and an instep part disposed above and connected to said front part and said surrounding wall, said first shell portion being a one-piece body, said second shell portion being composed of a plurality of pieces.
10. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frontmost ends of said side wall sections are immediately behind the ball of the foot.
11. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first shell portion is a multi-layer structure.
12. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first shell portion has an outer layer which includes a Kevlar fabric.
13. A shoe comprising:
- a first shell portion, and a second shell portion complementing said first shell portion to form an upper, said second shell portion being mechanically connected to said first shell portion and being more flexible than said first shell portion;
- said first shell portion being waterproof and vapor impermeable and including a surrounding wall which has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and which is adapted to extend around the heel of a wearer, said surrounding wall including two opposite side wall sections, said side wall sections having frontmost ends posterior to the ball of the foot and anterior to the plantar arch of the foot.
14. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first shell portion further includes a sole part.
15. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said side wall sections have a height higher than the ankle.
16. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first shell portion further includes a sole part which has at least a heel region connected to said surrounding wall.
17. The shoe as claimed in claim 15, wherein said surrounding wall further includes an instep section connected to said side wall sections, said instep section being one piece with said surrounding wall, said instep section having a lower end extending downward to said frontmost ends of said side wall sections.
18. The shoe as claimed in claim 17, wherein said instep section includes two instep parts which are spaced apart from each other to define a tongue opening and which are connected respectively to said side wall sections, said instep parts having eyelets formed therein.
19. The shoe as claimed in claim 18, wherein said second shell portion includes a front toe part extending forward from said surrounding wall and said instep parts, and a top part extending upward from said instep parts and said surrounding wall.
20. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first shell portion is a one-piece molded body, said second shell portion being composed of a plurality of pieces.
21. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first shell portion includes a material which is selected from the group consisting of composite, rubber, TPU, TPR, EVA and PVC.
22. The shoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first shell portion is a multi-layered structure.
23. The shoe as claimed in claim 22, wherein said multi-layered structure includes a rubber layer and a fabric layer.
24. The shoe as claimed in claim 22, wherein said multi-layered structure includes an EVA layer, a fabric layer and a TPU layer.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 3, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 8, 2006
Inventor: Eddie Chen (Taichung City)
Application Number: 11/003,548
International Classification: A43C 11/00 (20060101); A43B 23/28 (20060101); A43B 13/42 (20060101);