Athletic shoe structure

• US 6,701,644 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mizuno Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazuhiko, Oorei, Takeshi, Shibahara, Yoshihide, Kawano, Mitsuhiro, Yamamoto, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US10/302,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20030079376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 361/29, 36/501, 36/89, 36/72.R, 36/585
• US Class Current: 36/129
• 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:

an outsole;

a toe guard portion secured to a toe portion of said outsole to protect a toe of a shoe wearer;

a heel guard portion secured to a heel portion of said outsole to protect a heel of a shoe wearer;

a band-shaped reinforcement member provided around an ankle and along an instep of a shoe wearer with an opening formed between said outsole and said band-shaped reinforcement member, said opening extending from the toe guard portion to the heel guard portion on both the medial and lateral sides of said shoe;

a plurality of spaced belts extending upwardly and spanning said opening between said band-shaped reinforcement member and said outsole wherein each of said adjacent belts forms a gap therebetween; and

a fastening member connected to each upper end of said belts to tighten each of said belts.

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

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

4. The athletic shoe of claim 1, wherein each of said belts 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 belts are located respectively at a first region extending from a position corresponding to a thenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a shoe wearer on a medial side of said outsole, and a second region extending from a position corresponding to a hypothenar eminence to a position corresponding to a calcaneus of a shoe wearer on a lateral side of said outsole;

a first position corresponding to a head of a proximal phalanx of a first toe of a shoe wearer, and a second position corresponding to a bottom of a distal phalanx of a fourth toe of a shoe wearer.

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

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

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