Athletic shoe structure

• US 20030079376A1
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazuhiko, Oorei, Takeshi, Shibahara, Yoshihide, Kawano, Mitsuhiro, Yamamoto, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,701,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/50.1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0255 assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/06 Running shoes; Track shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/1493 Strap fastenings having hook and loop-type fastening elements

Abstract

An athletic shoe includes a sole, an upper, a plurality of band-shaped members, and a fastening member. The upper has a toe portion, a heel portion, a forefoot portion and a lower periphery. The upper is secured to the sole and has a plurality of elongated through holes at regions except the toe portion and the heel portion. The band-shaped members are secured to the sole or the lower periphery of the upper and extend upwardly toward an instep of a foot of a shoe wearer. The fastening member is connected to each upper end of the band-shaped members.

Claims

1. An athletic shoe comprising:

a sole;

a toe guard portion for protecting a toe of a shoe wearer, said toe guard portion being carried by said sole;

a heel guard portion for protecting a heel of a shoe wearer, said heel guard portion being carried by said sole;

an opening reinforcement member of band-shape, said opening reinforcement member extending along a periphery of an opening of said shoe to receive a foot of a shoe wearer;

a plurality of band-shaped members spaced apart from each other, said band-shaped members being secured to said toe guard portion, said heel guard portion or said sole and extending upwardly toward an instep of a shoe wearer and being connected to said opening reinforcement member; and

a fastening member connected to each upper end of said band-shaped members.

2. The athletic shoe of claim 1, wherein said toe guard portion covers a forward area of a thenar and a hypothenar of a wearer.

3. The athletic shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel guard portion covers at least a heel rear end of a wearer.

4. The athletic shoe of claim 1, wherein each of said band-shaped members is formed of synthetic resin fiber with a modulus of elasticity of at least 500 g/d.

5. The athletic shoe of claim 1, wherein lower ends of said band-shaped members are located at a first region extending from a position corresponding to a thenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a wearer on a medial side of said sole, a second region extending from a position corresponding to a hypothenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a wearer on a lateral side of said sole, a first position corresponding to a head of a proximal phalanx of a first toe of a wearer, and a second position corresponding to a bottom of a distal phalanx of a fourth toe of a wearer.

6. The athletic shoe of claim 1 further comprising an openable cover sheet that covers at least a forefoot portion of a wearer.

7. The athletic shoe of claim 6, wherein a lower periphery of said cover sheet is secured to or detachably attached to said sole or said toe guard portion.

8. The athletic shoe of claim 6, wherein a band-shaped side reinforcement member connecting said toe guard portion with said heel guard portion is provided along a lower periphery of a medial and lateral side of said shoe, a lower periphery of said cover sheet being secured to or detachably attached to said side reinforcement member or said toe guard portion.

9. The athletic shoe of claim 6, wherein said cover sheet is formed of expandable stretch material.

10. The athletic shoe of claim 6, wherein a surface of said cover sheet is embossed.

11. The athletic shoe of claim 6, wherein a surface of said cover sheet is calendered.