EP2554070A1 - Sole structure for shoe - Google Patents

Sole structure for shoe Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2554070A1
EP2554070A1 EP11765859A EP11765859A EP2554070A1 EP 2554070 A1 EP2554070 A1 EP 2554070A1 EP 11765859 A EP11765859 A EP 11765859A EP 11765859 A EP11765859 A EP 11765859A EP 2554070 A1 EP2554070 A1 EP 2554070A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sole
bending
restriction member
groove
bending restriction
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP11765859A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Kazunori Iuchi
Natsuki Sato
Takeshi Takeshita
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mizuno Corp
Original Assignee
Mizuno Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mizuno Corp filed Critical Mizuno Corp
Publication of EP2554070A1 publication Critical patent/EP2554070A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
    • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
    • A43B13/141—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
    • A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
    • A43B13/12—Soles with several layers of different materials

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to a sole structure for a shoe, and more particularly, to an improved sole structure for decreasing an energy loss during running.
  • the sole structure is comprised of a longitudinally extending upper plate disposed on an upper side of the sole forefoot region and a longitudinally extending lower plate disposed under and located away from the upper plate and having an undulated shape such that a longitudinal path length of the lower plate is greater than a longitudinal path length of the upper plate.
  • the lower plate can further extend due to the undulated shape of a greater longitudinal path length and as a result the lower plate does not hinder bending deformation of the sole forefoot region, thus improving bendability of the sole forefoot region
  • the sole structure has a longitudinally extending void in a flat shape at the sole forefoot region.
  • the void is formed of a first curved surface and a second curved surface and a longitudinal path length between a front end and a rear end of the first curved surface is substantially equal to a longitudinal path length between a front end and a rear end of the second curved surface.
  • the first curved surface deforms so as to come close to the second curved surface and as a result a sole rear foot region located behind the void is deformed so as to be lifted upwardly. From such a state, as the sole forefoot region is further compressed and the void is closed, the bending rigidity of the sole forefoot region is increased, thus conducting the push off motion of the sole forefoot region in a smoother manner.
  • the inventors of the present application paid attention to the energy due to the metatarsophalangeal (or MP) joint torque during the push off motion in order to improve a ride feeling due to a weight transfer from the ground contact phase to the toe off phase of the sole forefoot region, i.e. to attain a smoother ride feeling in sensual evaluation.
  • FIG. 12 schematically illustrates a state in which a shoe wearer is running and especially shows a push off phase of running.
  • (a) is a state in which the entire sole surface including the sole forefoot region is in contact with the ground;
  • (b) is a heel-off state in which the heel region of the sole begins to leave the ground and also the sole forefoot region begins to bend;
  • (c) and (d) are states in which bending of the sole forefoot region gradually proceeds;
  • (e) is a state in which the sole forefoot region is bent at a maximum angle, in other words, the push off motion of the sole forefoot region is going to start; and
  • (f) is a state in which the push off motion of the sole forefoot region ends and the sole forefoot region is about to leave the ground.
  • FIG. 13 illustrates a leg of a runner in a schematic manner, in which MP shows a metatarsophalangeal (or MP) joint.
  • Fig. 14 is a graph that shows a torque around the MP joint (or MP joint torque), which is fluctuated during the push off phase shown in FIG. 12 .
  • FIG. 15 is a graph that shows a fluctuation of an angular velocity.
  • FIG. 16 is a graph that shows a fluctuation of a power due to the MP joint torque during the push off phase, the power being calculated based on the MP joint torque and the angular velocity.
  • FIG. 17 shows a power due to the MP joint torque during the push off phase, which fluctuates as time elapses.
  • Drawings (b)-(f) on the top side of FIG. 17 correspond to the drawings (b) - (f) of FIG. 12 , respectively.
  • the drawings (b) - (f) on the top side of FIG. 17 correspond to the graph on the bottom side of FIG. 17 .
  • a negative region in the vertical axis indicates generation of a power loss and thus as the graph goes down from zero in the vertical axis a power loss becomes great.
  • the present invention has been made based on the result of the above-mentioned consideration and it is directed to providing a sole structure for a shoe that can decrease an energy loss during running.
  • the present invention is directed to providing a sole structure that can attain a smooth ride feeling during running by decreasing en energy loss.
  • a sole structure for a shoe according to a first aspect of the present invention as claimed in claim 1 comprises a sole having a laterally extending groove that is formed on a bottom surface of the sole, and a bending restriction member that is formed in a bent shape and that spans the groove longitudinally between a front edge and a rear edge of an opening of the groove.
  • the bending restriction member allows for the sole to bend till the bending restriction member gradually extends toward a straight shape from the bent shape and becomes taut between the front edge and the rear edge of the opening of the groove.
  • the bending restriction member experiences a force that pulls the bending restriction member in a longitudinal direction from its taut state, it functions so as to restrict bending of the sole.
  • the bending restriction member in the bent shape spanning the groove longitudinally between the front and rear edge of the groove allows for the sole to bend till the bending restriction member gradually extends toward the straight shape from the bent shape and becomes taut between the front and rear edge of the groove. Therefore, in the beginning of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively small thus allowing for the sole to bend smoothly. As a result, an energy loss at the beginning of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • the bending restriction member experiences a force that pulls it in the longitudinal direction from its taut state and the bending restriction member functions so as to restrict bending of the sole. Therefore, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively large thus restraining the sole from bending. As a result, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • a shoe can be achieved that can decrease an energy loss during running and can thus attain a smooth ride feeling during running.
  • the groove may be provided at a sole forefoot region as claimed in claim 2.
  • the bending restriction member may have an upwardly bent portion in the groove and its longitudinal sectional shape may be inverted V-shaped or U-shaped as claimed in claim 3.
  • the upwardly bent portion deforms in such a way that its height is gradually lowered, i.e. the upwardly bent portion gradually becomes flatter, and thus it gradually extends in the longitudinally direction.
  • the bending restriction member is not fixedly attached to a surface of the groove as claimed in claim 4.
  • the bending restriction member can deform independently from the groove without being directly influenced by deformation of the groove.
  • the bending restriction member is located away from the surface of the groove as claimed in claim 5.
  • the bending restriction member is less influenced by deformation of the groove and can deform more independently from the groove.
  • a bottom of the groove that is a bending or flex point during bending of the sole can be located at an upper position away from the bending restriction member.
  • a neutral axis of sole bending can be located at an upper position.
  • the bending restriction member may have a downwardly bent portion in the groove and its longitudinal sectional shape may be V-shaped or U-shaped as claimed in claim 6.
  • the downwardly bent portion deforms in such a way that its height is gradually lowered, i.e. the downwardly bent portion gradually becomes flatter, and thus it gradually extends in the longitudinally direction.
  • the bending restriction member may be band-shaped or tape-like member as claimed in claim 7.
  • the bending restriction member is flexible, it can be easily installed at the opening of the groove with its bent shape maintained. Also, in this case, a variation of width or thickness of the bending restriction member causes its tensile modulus of elasticity and modulus in bending to vary with ease. Thereby, a restraining action of the bending restriction member relative to bending of the sole can be adjusted easily.
  • the bending restriction member may have a sideway bent portion in the groove as claimed in claim 8.
  • the sideway bent portion deforms in such a way that the amount of bending of the sideway bent portion is gradually lessened, and it thus gradually extends in the longitudinally direction.
  • the bending restriction member may be wire-shaped such as a string, thread or a wire as claimed in claim 9.
  • a variation of size or diameter of a section of the bending restriction member causes its modulus of elasticity to vary with ease. Thereby, a restraining action of the bending restriction member relative to bending of the sole can be adjusted easily.
  • the bending restriction member may be made of fabric as claimed in claim 10.
  • the bending restriction member since the bending restriction member is made of a material with less flexibility, when the bending restriction member is pulled in the longitudinal direction from its taut state in the advanced phase of sole bending, it effectively functions to restrain sole bending. Thereby, in the latter half of the push off phase during running, bending resistance of the sole can be effectively enlarged.
  • the bending restriction member made of fabric since the bending restriction member made of fabric has a very small bending resistance and is very flexible, there is little power to bend it when it is in a bent shape. Therefore, the bending restriction member made of fabric does not cause any bending resistance to the sole in the beginning of sole bending.
  • the bending restriction member may be a sheet-shaped member that covers a ground contact side surface of the sole, and the sheet-shaped member may have a plurality of outsole pieces fixedly attached on a ground contact side surface of the sheet-shaped member as claimed in claim 11.
  • the sheet-shaped bending restriction member is used as a base sheet for a plurality of outsole pieces that are separately provided from each other, the bending restriction member and the outsole pieces are integrally formed with each other and can be made unitary.
  • an assembly process of the sole structure can be simplified and the weight of the sole structure can be decreased.
  • the bending restriction member may be located on a medial side or a lateral side of the sole as claimed in claim 12.
  • a shoe In the event that the bending restriction member is located on the medial side of the sole, a shoe can be achieved that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of pronation during running. In this case, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the medial side region of the sole becomes relatively great and bending of the sole medial side region is restrained. Thereby, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be reduced.
  • a shoe In the event that the bending restriction member is located on the lateral side of the sole, a shoe can be achieved that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of supination during running.
  • bending resistance of the lateral side region of the sole becomes relatively great and bending of the sole lateral side region is restrained. Thereby, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be reduced.
  • the bending restriction member may be located on the lateral side and the medial side of the sole as claimed in claim 13.
  • a shoe can be attained that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of pronation as well as for a runner who has a tendency of supination during running. Also, in this case, when the tensile modulus of elasticity or modulus in bending of the bending restriction member on the medial side is made different from the tensile modulus of elasticity or modulus in bending of the bending restriction member on the lateral side, a fine adjustment of the sole bending resistance is made possible between the medial side and the lateral side.
  • An elastic cover member may be disposed between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove to cover the bending restriction member from below as claimed in claim 14.
  • the elastic cover member extends longitudinally along the bent shape of the bending restriction member.
  • the elastic cover member prevents the bending restriction member from being exposed to the ground thereby improving durability of the bending restriction member. Also, in this case, since the elastic cover member has a longitudinal elasticity it does not hinder bending of the sole.
  • An outsole member with a ground contact surface may be disposed on a bottom surface of the sole and the cover member may be formed of the outsole member as claimed in claim 15.
  • the elastic cover member does not need to be provided separately from the outsole member the number of components of the sole structure can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.
  • the sole structure may further include a longitudinally extending upper plate disposed on an upper side of the sole, and a midsole that is formed of a soft elastic material, that is disposed under the upper plate and that has a groove formed on a bottom surface of the midsole as claimed in claim 16.
  • a downward force imparted from a shoe wearer's foot at the time of sole contact with the ground can be supported by the upper plate.
  • the upper plate since the upper plate is disposed above the bottom portion of the groove, the bottom portion of the groove can be prevented from being deformed by the downward force imparted from the shoe wearer's foot and a neutral axis during sole bending can be located at an upper position.
  • the amount of deformation of a span of the bending restriction member between the front and rear edge of an opening of the groove can be enlarged, thereby increasing the amount of restraint easily by the bending restriction member relative to sole bending to facilitate an adjustment of the amount of restraint.
  • the midsole since the midsole is disposed under the upper plate, the midsole can prevent the upper plate from sinking downwardly as the downward force is exerted. Thus, the neutral axis during sole bending can be maintained at an upper position.
  • the sole structure may further include a longitudinally extending lower plate disposed on a lower side of the midsole and the bending restriction member maybe formed of the lower plate that extends beyond the groove as claimed in claim 17.
  • a sole structure for a shoe according to a second aspect of the present invention as claimed in claim 18 comprises a longitudinally extending plate disposed on an upper side of a sole, a midsole that is formed of a soft elastic material, that is disposed under and fixedly attached to the plate, and that has a laterally extending groove formed on a bottom surface of the midsole, and a bending restriction member formed in a bent shape and spanning the groove longitudinally between a front and rear edge of an opening of the groove.
  • the bending restriction member allows for the sole to bend till the bending restriction member gradually extends toward a straight shape from a bent shape and becomes taut between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove.
  • an advanced phase of bending of the sole when the bending restriction member experiences a force that pulls the bending restriction member in a longitudinal direction from its taut state, it functions so as to restrain the sole from bending.
  • the bending restriction member in the bent shape spanning the groove longitudinally between the front and rear edge of the groove allows for the sole to bend till the bending restriction member gradually extends toward the straight shape from the bent shape and becomes taut between the front and rear edge of the groove in the beginning phase of sole bending. Therefore, in the beginning of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively small thus allowing for the sole to bend smoothly. As a result, an energy loss in the beginning of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • the bending restriction member experiences a force that pulls it in the longitudinal direction from its taut state and the bending restriction member functions so as to restrict bending of the sole in the advanced phase of bending of the sole. Therefore, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively large thus restraining the sole from bending. As a result, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • a shoe can be achieved that can decrease an energy loss during running and can thus attain a smooth ride feeling during running.
  • a downward force imparted from a shoe wearer's foot at the time of sole contact with the ground can be supported by the plate.
  • the plate since the plate is disposed above the bottom portion of the groove, the bottom portion of the groove can be prevented from being deformed by the downward force imparted from the foot and a neutral axis during sole bending can be located at an upper position.
  • the amount of deformation of a span of the bending restriction member between the front and rear edge of an opening of the groove can be enlarged, thereby increasing the amount of restraint easily by the bending restriction member relative to sole bending and thus facilitating an adjustment of the amount of restraint.
  • the midsole since the midsole is disposed under the plate, the midsole can prevent the plate from sinking downwardly as the downward force is exerted. Thus, the neutral axis during sole bending can be maintained at an upper position.
  • a length L of the bending restriction member along the bent shape thereof between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove satisfies the following inequality as claimed in claim 19: S + D ⁇ sin 15 ⁇ ° ⁇ L ⁇ S + H ⁇ sin 15 ⁇ ° wherein S designates a distance between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove; D designates a depth of the groove; and H designates a thickness of the midsole above the bottom of the groove.
  • FIG. 4 schematically shows a structure in which a bending restriction member Br is provided in a bent shape between a front and rear edge of an opening of a groove G formed in a midsole M.
  • the length L of the bending restriction member Br along the bent shape is an intermediate value between the value of the equation (1) and the value of the equation (2) and can thus be represented by the above-mentioned inequality.
  • FIG. 5 is a graph showing a fluctuation of a kick force imparted backward to the ground by a runner during running and also a fluctuation of a bending angle of the sole during running. This graph is obtained by a bio mechanics experiment.
  • a graph on the upper side of FIG. 5 indicates a variation of the kick force Fy as time elapses.
  • the horizontal axis shows time [ms] and the vertical axis shows the kick force Fy [N] imparted backward to the ground by the runner in the period from heel contact with the ground to toe off phase during running.
  • a graph on the lower side of FIG. 5 indicates a variation of the bending angle [°] of the sole as time elapses.
  • the bending angle of the sole is 15°.
  • the bending angle of the sole is determined by an increment of the angle measured from the state in which the entire sole surface is in contact with the ground, i.e. the bending angle of the sole is zero.
  • the bending restriction member in the state where the sole bending angle is less than 15 degrees the bending restriction member is bent between the front and rear edge of the groove, in the state where the sole bending angle is equal to 15 degrees the bending restriction member is linearly taut between the front and rear edge of the groove, and in the state where the sole bending angle is more than 15 degrees the bending restriction member is pulled in the longitudinal direction from the taut state, i.e. a tensile force is imparted to the bending restriction member in a taut state.
  • the bending restriction member is preferably formed of a material that has the Young's modulus of 400 MPa or more at a strain of 10% or less as claimed in claim 20.
  • bending restriction members made of four kinds of materials of different Young's modulus were prepared.
  • the same runner wore four kinds of shoes with these four kinds of bending restriction members and took a running test.
  • an energy loss due to the MP j oint torque was calculated for each of the shoes.
  • FIG. 6 shows the result of calculation of the energy loss during running.
  • the Young's modulus of material to compose the bending restriction member the value of 400 MPa or more at strain of 10% or less is determined.
  • the materials suited for this condition are polyester or nylon in the example of FIG. 6 .
  • the bending restriction member functions such that it allows for the sole to bend till sole bending angle reaches 15 degrees and it restrains the sole from bending when sole bending angle exceeds 15 degrees as claimed in claim 21.
  • the bending restriction member in the bent shape is provided so as to span the groove longitudinally between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove, the sole is allowed to bend till the bending restriction member gradually extends toward the straight shape from the bent shape and becomes taut between the front and rear edge of the groove during the beginning phase of sole bending. Therefore, in the beginning of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively small thus allowing for the sole to bend smoothly. As a result, an energy loss in the beginning of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • the bending restriction member experiences a force that pulls it in the longitudinal direction from its taut state and the bending restriction member functions so as to restrict bending of the sole. Therefore, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the sole becomes relatively large thus restraining the sole from bending. As a result, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be decreased.
  • a shoe can be achieved that can decrease an energy loss during running and can thus attain a smooth ride feeling during running.
  • the bending restriction member due to the function of the bending restriction member, not only an energy loss during running can be decreased and a smooth ride feeling during running can be achieved but also a downward force imparted from a shoe wearer's foot at the time of sole contact with the ground can be supported by the plate. Moreover, since the plate is disposed above the bottom portion of the groove, the bottom portion of the groove can be prevented from being deformed by the downward force imparted from the shoe wearer's foot and a neutral axis during sole bending can thus be located at an upper position.
  • the amount of deformation of a span of the bending restriction member between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove can be enlarged, thereby increasing the amount of restraint easily by the bending restriction member relative to sole bending and thus facilitating an adjustment of the amount of restraint.
  • the midsole since the midsole is disposed under the plate, the midsole can prevent the plate from sinking downwardly as the downward force is exerted. Thus, the neutral axis during sole bending can be maintained at an upper position.
  • FIGS. 1A to 7C show a sole structure or a sole assembly for a shoe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
  • a sole structure 1 for a shoe comprises an upper midsole 2 formed of a soft elastic material and extending longitudinally from a heel region H through a midfoot region M to a forefoot region F of the shoe, an upper plate 3 formed of a hard elastic material, fixedly attached to the bottom of the upper midsole 2 and extending longitudinally from the heel region H through the midfoot region M to the forefoot region F of the shoe, a lower midsole 4 formed of a soft elastic material, fixedly attached to the bottom of the upper plate 3 and disposed mainly at the forefoot region F of the shoe, and a lower plate 5 of hard elasticity which extends longitudinally mainly from the heel region H to the midfoot region M and whose front end portion is fixedly attached to the bottom of the lower midsole 4.
  • the upper midsole 2 as shown in FIG. 2 , has a foot sole contact surface 20 that a sole of a shoe wearer's foot contacts and a pair of upraised portions 21 extending obliquely upwardly from opposite side edges of the foot sole contact surface 20.
  • the upper plate 3 has a support portion 30 to support the foot sole contact surface 20 of the upper midsole 2 and a pair of upraised portions 31 extending obliquely upwardly from opposite side edges of the support portion 30.
  • the lower midsole 4 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B , has grooves 40, 41 formed on a bottom surface of the lower midsole 4 at the forefoot region F and extending laterally or substantially along the width of the shoe. These grooves 40, 41 are provided to facilitate bending of the forefoot region F of the sole.
  • the groove 40 is disposed on the front side of the forefoot region F and the groove 41 is disposed on the rear side of the forefoot region F, preferably, at the slightly rear of a thenar eminence of a ball of the foot of the shoe wearer.
  • Vent holes 4a are formed in the groove 41 to pass through the lower midsole 4 upwardly.
  • the upper midsole 2 and the upper plate 3 also have vent holes (not shown) to pass through them, which provide a connection with the vent holes 4a.
  • the lower plate 5 has a wavy corrugation that progresses forwardly and has protrusions 50 protruding upwardly in a convex shape at the heel region H and the midfoot region M.
  • dotted lines L indicate ridge lines of the protrusions 50.
  • Each of the protrusions 50 is coupled to the upper plate 3 via an elastic block member 6.
  • Outsole plates 7 that contact the ground are fixedly attached to each of bottom surfaces of the lower midsole 4 and the lower plate 5.
  • the upper midsole 2 and the lower midsole 4 are formed of a soft elastic material such as thermoplastic synthetic resin or its foam, e.g. ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA); thermosetting resin or its foam, e.g. polyurethane (PU); or rubber material or its foam, e.g. butadiene or chloroprene rubber.
  • thermoplastic synthetic resin or its foam e.g. ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA); thermosetting resin or its foam, e.g. polyurethane (PU); or rubber material or its foam, e.g. butadiene or chloroprene rubber.
  • the upper plate 3 and the lower plate 5 is formed of a hard elastic material such as thermoplastic resin, e.g. thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide elastomer (PAE) ; or thermosetting resin, e.g.epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin.
  • thermoplastic resin e.g. thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide elastomer (PAE)
  • PAE polyamide elastomer
  • thermosetting resin e.g.epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin.
  • the upper plate 3 may be integrally formed with the lower plate 5 using EVA or rubber.
  • the outsole plate 7 is formed of rubber material or the like.
  • the groove 41 formed on the bottom surface of the lower midsole 4 has a cross sectional shape of an inverted V-shape that opens to the ground contact side.
  • a bending restriction member 10 spans an opening of the groove 41 longitudinally between a front end edge and a rear end edge of the opening of the groove 41.
  • the bending restricting member 10 is a bend-shaped member and forms an inverted V-shape between the front and rear end edge of the opening of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member 10 has an upwardly bent portion 10a in an inverted V-shape and its longitudinally opposite ends are coupled to the front and rear end edge of the opening of the groove 41.
  • a nylon tape is used as the bending restriction member 10.
  • the bending restriction member 10, as shown in FIG. 1A is provided on the medial side and the lateral side of the sole, respectively.
  • a length L of the bending restriction member 10 along its bent shape between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove 41 satisfies an inequality, S + D ⁇ sin 15 ⁇ ° ⁇ L ⁇ S + H ⁇ sin 15 ⁇ ° wherein S designates a distance between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove; D designates a depth of the groove; and H designates a thickness of the midsole above a bottom of the groove.
  • FIG. 4 schematically shows a structure in which a bending restriction member Br is provided in a bent shape between a front and rear edge of an opening of a groove G formed in a midsole M.
  • the length L of the bending restriction member Br along the bent shape should be an intermediate value between the value of the equation (1) and the value of the equation (2) and can thus be represented by the above-mentioned inequality.
  • FIG. 5 is a graph showing a fluctuation of a kick force imparted backward to the ground by a runner during running and also a fluctuation of a bending angle of the sole during running. This graph is obtained by a bio mechanics experiment.
  • a graph on the upper side of FIG. 5 indicates a variation of the kick force Fy as time elapses.
  • the horizontal axis shows time [ms] and the vertical axis shows the kick force Fy [N] imparted backward to the ground by a runner in the period from heel contact with the ground to toe off phase during running.
  • a graph on the lower side of FIG. 5 indicates a variation of the bending angle [°] of the sole as time elapses.
  • the bending angle of the sole is 15°.
  • the bending angle of the sole is determined by an increment of the angle measured from the state in which the entire sole surface is in contact with the ground, i.e. the bending angle of the sole is zero.
  • the bending restriction member in the state where the sole bending angle is less than 15 degrees the bending restriction member is bent between the front and rear edge of the groove, in the state where the sole bending angle is equal to 15 degrees the bending restriction member is linearly taut between the front and rear edge of the groove, and in the state where the sole bending angle is more than 15 degrees the bending restriction member is pulled in the longitudinal direction from the taut state, i.e. a tensile force is imparted to the bending restriction member in a taut state.
  • the bending restriction member is preferably formed of a material that has the Young's modulus of 400 MPa or more at a strain of 10% or less.
  • FIG. 6 shows the result of calculation of the energy loss during running.
  • the above-mentioned four kinds of materials were solid rubber, PEBAX ® , polyester tape, and nylon tape.
  • the Young's modulus of each of these materials was measured by the following test:
  • the Young's modulus of material to compose the bending restriction member the value of 400 MPa or more at strain of 10% or less is determined.
  • the materials suited for this condition are polyester or nylon in the example of FIG. 6 .
  • the upwardly protruding bent or curved portion 10a of the bending restriction member 10 is not fixedly attached to the bottom of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member 10 is not fixed to nor even contacted with a sidewall of the groove 41 and it is located away from the sidewall of the groove 41.
  • an elastic cover member 8 is provided under the bending restriction member 10.
  • the elastic cover member 8 spans the groove 41 between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove 41 and covers a lower surface of the bending restriction member 10.
  • the elastic cover member 8 is formed of the outsole plate 7.
  • the elastic cover member 8 does not need to be provided discretely from the outsole plate 7 the number of components of the sole assembly can be reduced thus simplifying the structure.
  • the elastic cover member 8 may be formed of rubber material provided separately from the outsole plate 7.
  • the elastic cover member 8 extends along the bent shape of the bending restriction member 10 between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove 41 and is fitted to the lower surface of the bending restriction member 10. Since the elastic cover member 8 is provided at the position corresponding to the position of the bending restriction member 10, the elastic cover member 8 is also disposed at both the medial side and the lateral side of the sole as with the bending restriction member 10.
  • an extent of a sandwiched portion of the end of the bending restriction member 10, which is shown in FIG. 4 as an extent of ⁇ in the bending restriction member Br that is sandwiched between the midsole M and the cover member P, is preferably more than or equal to 10 mm, i.e. ⁇ 10 [mm], in order to secure a sufficient bonding area of the bending restriction member to prevent a separation of the bending restriction member from the sole structure.
  • FIGS. 7A to 7C schematically illustrate the sectional structure of the above-mentioned sole assembly.
  • like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
  • the bending restriction member 10 extends along the left to right direction in the drawings.
  • FIG. 7A shows the state before bending
  • FIG. 7B the state in which the sole is bent at 15 degrees
  • a distance between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove 41 is 10 mm and a path length L of the bending restriction member 10 along its bent shape is equal to 12.5 mm.
  • point P that indicates the bottom of the groove 41 is a bending or flex point of sole bending.
  • the bending restriction member 10 gradually extends from the bent shape and then becomes taut or tight on the straight between the front and rear edge of the opening of the groove 41. As a result, the bending restriction member 10 allows the sole to bend and does not hinder sole bending.
  • the bending restriction member 10 functions to restrict bending of the sole.
  • a sole structure can be achieved that can reduce an energy loss during running and thus can attain a smooth ride feeling during running.
  • the bending restriction member 10 since the bending restriction member 10 is not fixedly attached to the wall surface of the groove 41 it can bend independently from the groove 41 and without being directly influenced by deformation of the groove 41 during bending of the sole.
  • the bending restriction member 10 since the bending restriction member 10 is located away from the wall surface of the groove 41 the bending restriction member 10 can bend more independently from the groove 41 and without being influenced by deformation of the groove 41 during bending of the sole.
  • the bottom of the groove that is the bending or flex point of the sole during bending of the sole can be located at the position located upwardly away from the bending restriction member 10.
  • the neutral axis during bending of the sole can be located at the upper position.
  • the bending restriction member 10 a band-shaped or tape-like member is adopted and thus the bending restriction member 10 has flexibility thereby facilitating a provision of the bending restriction member 10 in a bent shape between the front and rear edge of the groove 41.
  • a variation of a width or thickness of the bending restriction member 10 can vary the tensile modulus of elasticity and modulus in bending of the bending restriction member 10.
  • the action of restraint of the bending restriction member 10 relative to bending of the sole can be adjusted with ease.
  • the elastic cover member 8 is provided under the bending restriction member 10 the bending restriction member 10 can be prevented from being exposed to the ground contact side and durability of the bending restriction member 10 can be improved. Also, in this case, the elastic cover member 8 has elasticity and thus it does not hinder bending of the sole.
  • the upper plate 3 can support the downward force imparted from the wearer's foot at the time of sole contact with the ground, prevent the bottom of the groove 41 from being deformed and maintain the neutral axis during bending of the sole at the upper position.
  • the amount of deformation of the bending restriction member 10 spanning the groove 41 between the front and rear edge of the groove 41 can be enlarged during bending of the sole.
  • the amount of restraint of the bending restriction member 10 relative to bending of the sole can be easily increased thus facilitating an adjustment of the restriction
  • the lower midsole 4 can prevent the upper plate 3 from being lowered when the downward force is exerted to the upper plate 3, thereby maintaining the neutral axis at an upper position during bending of the sole.
  • the bending restriction member 10 may be formed by extending the lower plate 5. In this case, the bending restriction member 10 does not need to be provided discretely from the lower plate 5 thus decreasing the number of components and simplifying the structure of the sole assembly.
  • the groove 41 formed on the lower midsole 4 has an inverted V-shape in cross section but the present invention is not limited to such an example.
  • the cross sectional shape of the groove 41 may be inverted U-shaped or circular shaped. Any suitable shape can be adopted as long as the groove 41 opens to the ground contact side.
  • the sole bends around the bottom of the groove of an inverted V-shape, inverted U-shape, circular shape or any other shape as the bending or flex point during bending of the sole.
  • the bending restriction member 10 disposed in the groove 41 has the upwardly protruding bent portion 10a, which is not fixedly attached to the bottom of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member 10 is not fixed to the sidewall of the groove 41 either and located away from the sidewall of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member 10 has an inverted V-shape in longitudinal section but the present invention is not limited to such an example.
  • the longitudinal sectional shape of the bending restriction member 10 may be inverted U-shaped or circular shaped. Any suitable shape can be adopted in accordance with the cross sectional shape of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member may have a downwardly protruding bent portion 10'a in a V-shape or U-shape.
  • an elastic cover member 8' that covers the downwardly protruding bent portion 10'a of the bending restriction member 10' from below also has a downwardly protruding bent shape along the bent shape of the bending restriction member 10'.
  • reference numbers similar to those of the first embodiment indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
  • the bending restriction member 10' gradually extends from the bent shape in such a way that the height of the downwardly protruding bent portion 10'a gradually decreases or the downwardly protruding bent portion 10'a gradually flattened.
  • a nylon tape was shown by way of example as the bending restriction member 10 but the present invention is not limited to such an example.
  • Other kinds of tapes such as polyester tape or the like may be used.
  • fabric such as textile, non-woven material or the like, knitting, or artificial leather may be used.
  • the bending restriction member is made of material with less flexibility such as fabric or artificial leather
  • the bending restriction member when the bending restriction member is pulled in the longitudinal direction from its taut state in the advanced phase of sole bending, the bending restriction member effectively functions to restrain sole bending. Thereby, in the latter half of the push off phase during running, bending resistance of the sole can be effectively enlarged.
  • the bending restriction member is made of fabric, which has a very small bending resistance and is very flexible, there is little power to bend it when it is in a bent shape. Therefore, the bending restriction member made of fabric does not cause any bending resistance to the sole in the beginning of sole bending.
  • the bending restriction member 10 may be formed by extending the lower plate 5 to the opening of the groove 41.
  • aband-shaped or tape-like member was used as the bending restriction member 10, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment.
  • a wire-like member may be used as the bending restriction member.
  • reference numbers similar to those in the first to fourth embodiment indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
  • the bending restriction member 10 is a wire-like member that spans the groove 41 between the front and rear edge of the groove 41 and that is crooked sideways or in the width direction (i.e. the left to right direction in FIG. 9 ) in a generally V-shape or U-shape between the front and rear edge of the groove 41.
  • the bending restriction member 10" has a sideway crook or laterally bent portion 10"a that is crooked sideways in a generally V-shape or U-shape and opposite ends of the bending restriction member 10" couple the front edge to the rear edge of the groove 41.
  • a nylon wire other wires made of resin different from nylon, thread, twisted yarn or the like may be used.
  • the bending restriction member 10" gradually extends to a linear shape from the crooked shape in such a way that the amount of a sideway crook 10"a of the bending restriction member 10" gradually decreases.
  • a variation of the size of the section or the diameter of the bending restriction member 10" can vary the tensile modulus of elasticity and modulus in bending of the bending restriction member 10", thereby facilitating an adjustment of restricting action of the bending restriction member 10" relative to bending of the sole.
  • the bending restriction member 10 when forming the bending restriction member 10 of fabric of a poor elasticity, the bending restriction member may be formed of a fabric sheet that covers the ground contact side surface of the lower midsole 4 and a multiple of outsole pieces that are separately disposed from each other may be fixedly attached to a ground contact side surface of the fabric sheet.
  • FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention that employs such a fabric sheet.
  • the same reference number as those in the first embodiment indicate identical or similar elements.
  • fabric sheets 10A, 10B and 10C are attached on the bottom surface of the lower midsole 4.
  • the fabric sheet 10A is disposed at a front side region F 1 of the forefoot portion of the shoe, the fabric sheet 10B at a central side region F 2 of the forefoot portion of the shoe, and the fabric sheet 10C at a region F 3 extending from the rear side region to the midfoot region of the forefoot portion of the shoe.
  • the fabric sheets 10B and 10C are disposed at opposite sides of the groove 41.
  • the rear end of the fabric sheet 10B and the front end of the fabric sheet 10C are coupled to each other via a pair of band-shaped sheet connections 10e each spanning the groove 41.
  • the sheet connection 10e is also formed of fabric and integrated with the fabric sheets 10B and 10C.
  • the sheet connection 10e has upwardly bent portion in an inverted U-shape in the groove 41.
  • outsole pieces 7p are fixedly attached on ground contact side surfaces of the fabric sheets 10A, 10B and 10C.
  • the outsole pieces 7p are, for example, hexagonal or rectangular shaped small pieces and formed integrally with the fabric sheets 10A, 10B and 10C through insert molding or the like.
  • the fabric sheets 10A, 10B and 10C are used as base members of the outsole pieces 7p, the fabric sheets 10A, 10B and 10C and the outsole pieces 7p are integrated with each other to be a unitarypart. Thereby, an assembly process of the sole structure can be simplified and the weight of the sole structure can be decreased.
  • the bending restriction member 10 was provided on both the medial side and the lateral side of the sole, but the present invention is not limited to such an example.
  • the bending restriction member 10 may be provided on either the medial side or the lateral side of the sole.
  • a shoe In the event that the bending restriction member 10 is located on the medial side of the shoe, a shoe can be achieved that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of pronation during running. In this case, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the medial side region of the sole becomes relatively great and bending of the sole medial side region is restrained. Thereby, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be reduced.
  • a shoe In the event that the bending restriction member 10 is located on the lateral side of the shoe, a shoe can be achieved that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of supination during running. In this case, in the latter half of the push off phase of running, bending resistance of the lateral side region of the sole becomes relatively great and bending of the sole lateral side region is restrained. Thereby, an energy loss in the latter half of the push off phase can be reduced.
  • a shoe can be attained that is suitable for a runner who has a tendency of pronation as well as for a runner who has a tendency of supination during running.
  • the tensile modulus of elasticity and modulus in bending of the bending restriction member 10 on the medial side is made different from the tensile modulus of elasticity and modulus in bending of the bending restriction member on the lateral side, a fine adjustment of the sole bending resistance is made possible between the medial side and the lateral side.
  • the bending restriction member 10 disposed on the medial side or/and the lateral side of the sole may be composed of a plurality of members.
  • the bending restriction member 10 disposed on the medial side of the sole had generally the same width as the bending restriction member 10 disposed on the lateral side of the sole.
  • the width of the bending restriction member 10 on the medial side may be greater than the width of the bending restriction member 10 on the lateral side.
  • the width of the bending restriction member 10 that is herein referred to means the total amount of the widths of the bending restriction members.
  • the number of bending restriction members 10 disposed on the medial side may be greater than the number of bending restriction members 10 disposed on the lateral side.
  • the medial side region of the sole forefoot portion is in contact with the ground for a longer time than the lateral side region of the sole forefoot portion and thus the bending angle of the MP j oint on the medial side is generally greater than the bending angle of the MP joint on the lateral side. That is the reason why the width/number of bending restriction members 10 on the medial side where a greater bending restriction action needs to be imparted during sole bending is greater than the width/number of bending restriction members 10 on the lateral side.
  • the present invention is useful for a sole assembly for a shoe, and suitable especially to a running shoe that can attain smooth ride feelings during running by decreasing energy loss.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
EP11765859A 2010-04-02 2011-03-28 Sole structure for shoe Withdrawn EP2554070A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2010085924 2010-04-02
PCT/JP2011/058479 WO2011125959A1 (ja) 2010-04-02 2011-03-28 シューズのソール構造体

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2554070A1 true EP2554070A1 (en) 2013-02-06

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EP11765859A Withdrawn EP2554070A1 (en) 2010-04-02 2011-03-28 Sole structure for shoe

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US (1) US20110239489A1 (ja)
EP (1) EP2554070A1 (ja)
JP (1) JP5392954B2 (ja)
CN (1) CN102821633A (ja)
AU (1) AU2011236925A1 (ja)
BR (1) BR112012020621A2 (ja)
CA (1) CA2787326A1 (ja)
TW (1) TW201201727A (ja)
WO (1) WO2011125959A1 (ja)

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TW201201727A (en) 2012-01-16
US20110239489A1 (en) 2011-10-06
BR112012020621A2 (ja) 2018-03-20
CA2787326A1 (en) 2011-10-13
CN102821633A (zh) 2012-12-12
JP5392954B2 (ja) 2014-01-22
AU2011236925A1 (en) 2012-08-30
JPWO2011125959A1 (ja) 2013-07-11
WO2011125959A1 (ja) 2011-10-13

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