Shoe upper structure and shoe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10342288-B2
Application number	US-201615325912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

An upper structure for a shoe improves foot fit and hold of an upper at the time of turn motion. In an upper 2 that covers a foot of a shoe wearer, an expandable part 20 is provided at a midfoot region M that corresponds to a midfoot portion of the foot, and a non-expandable part 21 is provided at a lateral side region and a medial side region except for the midfoot region M. A boundary portion 22 between the expandable part 20 and the non-expandable part 21 has a substantially flat or flush surface. At the boundary portion 22, respective end portions 20E, 21E of the expandable part 20 and the non-expandable part 21 are sewn together such that a seam does not appear on the boundary surface. The shoe may further include an outsole having at least one groove in a particular triangular region on a bottom surface of the outsole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper structure for a shoe, said upper structure including an upper configured and adapted to cover a foot of a shoe wearer, wherein:
a first portion of a medial side region of said upper is formed of an expandable part, a lateral side region of said upper is formed of a non-expandable part, said first portion of said medial side region formed of said expandable part is devoid of said non-expandable part, said upper further includes a tongue portion that is formed by said expandable part, and said expandable part and said non-expandable part are joined to one another at a boundary that is configured without overlapping of said expandable part and said non-expandable part.

2. The upper structure according to claim 1 , wherein said first portion of said medial side region formed of said expandable part is disposed at a first area of said upper that is configured and arranged to correspond to a medial longitudinal arch of the foot or is disposed at a portion of said first area.

3. The upper structure according to claim 2 , wherein said first portion of said medial side region formed of said expandable part is further disposed at a second area of said upper extending contiguously from said first area rearwardly to and onto a rear end heel portion of said upper.

4. The upper structure according to claim 2 , wherein said non-expandable part is disposed at said lateral side region and at a second portion of said medial side region different from said first portion formed of said expandable part and is not disposed at said first portion.

5. The upper structure according to claim 4 , wherein said medial side region further comprises boundary portions that each comprise one of said boundaries at which said expandable part and said non-expandable part are joined to one another, and wherein said first portion, said second portion and said boundary portions together make up an entirety of said medial side region of said upper.

6. The upper structure according to claim 1 , wherein said expandable part and said non-expandable part are flush with one another at said boundary at which said expandable part and said non-expandable part are joined to one another.

7. The upper structure according to claim 1 , wherein said boundary has a configuration as results from sewing together respective end portions of said expandable part and said non-expandable part.

8. The upper structure according to claim 7 , wherein no stitched seam is visible at said boundary from an outer side of said upper structure.

9. The upper structure according to claim 7 , wherein said configuration of said boundary is a configuration as results from seam-opening sewing as said sewing.

10. The upper structure according to claim 7 , wherein said configuration of said boundary is a configuration as results from seam-butted sewing as said sewing.

11. The upper structure according to claim 7 , wherein said configuration of said boundary is a configuration as results from seam-lapped sewing as said sewing.

12. The upper structure according to claim 1 , wherein said boundary is configured without any step.

13. The upper structure according to claim 1 , wherein said boundary is configured without any protrusion beyond an outer surface of said expandable part and said non-expandable part.

14. A shoe configured and adapted to be worn on a foot of a shoe wearer, wherein said shoe comprises:
an upper that is configured to cover the foot of the shoe wearer; and
an outsole that is provided at a lower part of said upper;
wherein a first portion of a medial side region of said upper is formed of an expandable part, a lateral side region of said upper is formed of a non-expandable part, said first portion of said medial side region formed of said expandable part is devoid of said non-expandable part, said upper further includes a tongue portion that is formed by said expandable part, and said expandable part and said non-expandable part are joined to one another at a boundary that is configured without overlapping of said expandable part and said non-expandable part, and
wherein at least one groove is formed respectively as at least one recess or indentation that penetrates into a bottom surface of said outsole, within a triangular region of said outsole defined by connecting a first position that is located on said bottom surface so as to correspond to a location of a thenar eminence region of the foot, a second position that is located on said bottom surface so as to correspond to a location of a hypothenar eminence region of the foot, and a third position that is located on said bottom surface so as to correspond to a location of a sustentaculum tail portion of a calcaneus of the foot.

15. The shoe according to claim 14 , wherein said at least one groove comprises a plurality of grooves, and said grooves are arranged so that a respective spacing distance between adjacent ones of said grooves becomes wider as said grooves progress toward a medial side of said outsole.

16. A shoe upper comprising:
an expandable component that forms an expandable portion of a medial side of said shoe upper and that forms a tongue portion of said shoe upper;
a non-expandable component that forms a lateral side of said shoe upper and does not extend onto said expandable portion of said medial side of said shoe upper; and
a junction component that joins said expandable component with said non-expandable component in a boundary portion of said shoe upper;
wherein:
said non-expandable component exhibits a lower tensile elongation rate than said expandable component;
said junction component comprises a stitching thread; and
said expandable portion of said medial side of said shoe upper extends continuously and entirely from an instep opening at a top of said shoe upper to a bottom edge of said medial side of said shoe upper.

17. The upper structure according to claim 16 , wherein said expandable component and said non-expandable component do not overlap one another in said boundary portion.

Assignees

• Mizuno Kk

Inventors

• Yoshida Yohei
• Nakamura Takashi

Classifications

• A43B7/28 Primary

  Adapting the inner sole {or the side of the upper} of the shoe to the sole of the foot · CPC title

• A43B23/027

  with a part of the upper particularly flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• A43B5/025

  characterised by an element which improves the contact between the ball and the footwear · CPC title

• A43B23/0275

  with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• A43B23/025

  assembled by stitching · CPC title