FUNCTIONAL SHOE INCLUDING WEIGHT SUPPORT UNIT

• US 20130031802A1
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dong-Jin Park
• Original Assignee: Dong-Jin Park
• Inventors: Park, Dong-jin
• Application Number:
  US13/580,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/84
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 19/005 Weighted inserts for shoes, i.e. insert comprising an additional weight
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/027 with a part of the upper particularly flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/029 Pneumatic upper, e.g. gas filled
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0036 characterised by a special shape or design
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/18 Devices for holding overshoes in position
• 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 5/001 Golf shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/002 Mountain boots or shoes

Abstract

As described above, just as a person inserts his/her toes into a space under furniture and does sit-ups by using the force of the toes, a functional shoe of the present invention provides a portion into which an instep and a toe base portion are inserted on the functional shoe to use the force of the toe base portion which may exert the greatest force from among portions of a foot, thereby adding momentum.

Accordingly, a wearer may further use the force of the instep and the toe base portion to support weight.

That is, when a batter hits a baseball in a baseball game, an instep of the batter including a toe base portion may be inserted into a weight support unit to support the weight of the batter, thereby adding forces of the instep and the toe base portion the weight of the batter. When a golfer makes a tee shot in a golf game, an instep and a toe base portion may be inserted into a weight support unit provided on a golf shoe to support weight, thereby obtaining a distance gain as much as forces of the instep and the toe base portion of the golfer.

Also, the functional shoe including a weight support unit consisting of a weight support part and an auxiliary support band may be applied to a golf shoe which helps a golfer to achieve balance in a finishing posture during a golf swing or a mountain climbing shoe or a combat boot which helps a wearer to achieve balance on an ascent.

For example, when the functional shoe of the present invention is applied to a golf shoe, the golf shoe is structured to conform with a foot not to obstruct the upward movement of toes to pull ligaments, which connect the toes and an instep of a grounded foot, to achieve balance when weight is shifted backward in a finishing posture during a golf swing, and structured to allow the instep and a toe base portion to be inserted into the weight support unit formed on an instep portion to achieve balance in a finishing posture during a golf swing which is very important in a golf game, thereby improving performance.

Also, for example, when the functional shoe is applied to a mountain climbing shoe or a combat boot, when a wearer climbs a slight slope by inserting an instep including a toe base portion into the weight support unit formed on the instep portion to achieve balance when weight is shifted or climes a steep slope by holding a rope or a wire with the arms and hands to support weight, the burden of the arms and hands may be reduced by using the weight support unit into which the instep including the toe base portion is inserted and supporting the weight based on the fulcrum and level effect

Claims

1. A functional shoe including a golf shoe, a mountain climbing shoe, a baseball shoe, and a combat boot, which includes an insole that supports an entire sole of a foot, an upper that surrounds an entire foot body including toes, an instep, and a sole other than the insole, and an upper fastening portion that fastens or unfastens the upper to conform with the foot,

when it is assumed that the functional shoe is worn and a front portion that is in front of a boundary line, which is based on a toe base portion, close to the toes is referred to as a toe portion and a rear portion that is behind the boundary line is referred to as an instep portion,

the functional shoe comprising:

the toe portion that is structured such that the toes of a grounded foot, when a wearer climbs a steep mountain slope with the help of a rope or a wire or is in a finishing posture during a golf swing, may be naturally moved upward to pull ligaments connected to the toes of the grounded foot and achieve balance when weight is shifted backward without being obstructed by the upper; and

a weight support unit that is separately provided from the toe portion on the instep portion along the boundary line, and comprises only a weight support part into which the instep including the toe base portion of the grounded foot is inserted to support the weight which is shifted backward when the wearer climbs the steep mountain slope or is in the finishing posture during the golf swing, or comprises a combination of the weight support part and an auxiliary support band that makes the weight support part provided on the upper further closely attached to the grounded foot of the wearer,

wherein the toe portion is structured such that the toes of the grounded foot may be moved upward without being obstructed by the upper, and the weight support unit is provided on the instep portion along the boundary line of the functional shoe and allows the instep including the toe base portion of the wearer to be inserted thereinto to support the weight while maintaining the shapes of the toes which are moved upward to support the weight.

2. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the toe portion is structured such that the toes of the grounded foot may be moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion,

the toe portion has an inner space large enough for the toes to be moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion.

3. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the toe portion is structured such that the toes of the grounded foot may be moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion,

a portion of the toe portion facing the boundary line or the entire toe portion is formed of a material soft enough for the toes of the grounded foot to be easily moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion.

4. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the toe portion is structured such that the toes of the grounded foot may be moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion,

a portion of the toe portion facing the boundary line or the entire toe portion has a structure including a wrinkled structure, flexible enough for the toes of the grounded foot, even when the toes touch the upper, to be easily moved upward without being obstructed by the upper of the toe portion.

5. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the weight support unit is separately provided from the toe portion on the instep portion, and comprises only the weight support part or a combination of the weight support part and the auxiliary support band that makes the weight support part further closely attached to the grounded foot of the wearer,

the weight support part that is separately provided from the toe portion is formed of a material thick or strong enough to support the weight by padding a portion facing the boundary line or by forming the entire upper of the instep portion with a thick or strong material.

6. The functional shoe of claim 5, wherein material of the weight support part is a synthetic resin bag which is filled with air.

7. The functional shoe of claim 5, wherein the weight support part is formed in a tube shape into or from which air may be injected or expelled when needed by using an air injection pump disposed at a side of the functional shoe.

8. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the toe portion is separately provided from the toe portion on the instep portion,

the weight support part is provided outside the upper to surround the upper of the instep portion along the boundary line.

9. The functional shoe of claim 8, wherein when the weight support part is provided outside the upper to surround the instep portion along the boundary line,

the weight support part is formed in a band shape at a side of the insole of the instep portion to cover the upper of the instep portion, a coupling member comprising a connection band connected to the insole is formed at the opposite side of the insole of the instep portion, and the weight support part is fixed to the coupling member by being pulled to adjust a length.

10. The functional shoe of claim 9, wherein detachable members having female and male connection structures are provided on one end portion of the weight support part connected to the insole, on the other portion of the connection band to which the coupling member is connected, and on both side portions of the insole connected to the one end portion and the other end portion so that the weight support part and the coupling member may be attached to or detached from a main body of the functional shoe.

11. The functional shoe of claim 8, wherein when the weight support part is provided outside the upper to surround the upper of the instep portion along the boundary line,

the weight support part is formed in a band shape at a side of the insole of the instep portion along the boundary line to cover an outer surface of the upper of the instep portion, a loop through which the weight support part passes is formed at the opposite side of the insole of the instep portion, an end portion of the weight support part is inserted from inside to outside into the loop and is pulled in an opposite direction to closely attach the weight support part to the grounded foot, and the end portion of the weight support part is fixed by female and male coupling members respectively provided on the end portion of the weight support part and the side to which the end portion of the weight support part is connected.

12. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein when the auxiliary support band makes the weight support part provided on the upper further closely attached to the grounded foot of the wearer,

the auxiliary support band constituting the weight support unit along with the weight support part provided on the upper is provided outside the upper on which the weight support part is formed to surround the upper of the instep portion along the boundary line and is fixed by being pulled.

13. The functional shoe of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary support band is provided in a band shape outside the upper to surround along the boundary line the weight support part of the instep portion previously formed at one side of the insole of the instep portion or at a side where the upper of the instep portion and the insole are engaged, a coupling member comprising a connection band connected to the insole is formed at an opposite side of the insole of the instep portion, and the auxiliary support band is fixed to the coupling member by being pulled to adjust a length.

14. The functional shoe of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary support band is provided in a band shape outside the upper to surround along the boundary line the weight support part formed on the upper of the instep portion at one side of the insole of the instep portion or at a side where the upper of the instep portion and the insole are engaged with each other, a loop through which the auxiliary band support passes is formed at the opposite side of the insole of the instep portion to be connected to the insole, an end portion of the auxiliary support band is inserted from inside to outside into the loop and is pulled in an opposite direction to closely attach the auxiliary support band to the grounded foot, and the end portion of the auxiliary support band is fixed by female and male coupling members respectively provided on the end portion of the auxiliary support band and a portion of the auxiliary support band to which the end portion of the auxiliary support band is connected.

15. The functional shoe of claim 13, wherein detachable members comprising female and male connection structures are provided on the auxiliary support band, the coupling member, the loop, and both side portions of a main body of the functional shoe to which the auxiliary support band, the coupling member, and the loop are connected.

17. The functional shoe of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary support band is independent of a main body of the functional shoe and has both end portions,

loops through which the auxiliary support band passes are provided at both sides of the insole of the instep portion facing the boundary line, and

both ends of the auxiliary support band surrounding the weight support part of the upper along the boundary line are inserted from inside to outside into the loops provided at the both sides of the insole, are pulled to closely attach the weight support part provided on the upper to the grounded foot of the wearer, and are fixed to each other.

18. The functional shoe of claim 14, wherein detachable members comprising female and male connection structures are provided on the auxiliary support band, the coupling member, the loop, and both side portions of a main body of the functional shoe to which the auxiliary support band, the coupling member, and the loop are connected.

16. (canceled)