US20120216427A1

US20120216427A1 - Asymmetrical upper of shoe

Info

Publication number: US20120216427A1
Application number: US13/465,045
Authority: US
Inventors: Tzann-Yuh TZENG
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-08-26
Filing date: 2012-05-07
Publication date: 2012-08-30

Abstract

An asymmetrical shoe upper is combined in a shoe body. The shoe upper at a medial side of a foot dorsum inclines to a lateral side of the shoe upper and to a front end of a foot sole so as to form an asymmetrical design. Accordingly, when wearing the shoe body, muscles of the foot dorsum are constrained by the shoe upper. At this time, the shoe upper affects pressures applied onto the medial and lateral sides of the foot dorsum. Thereby, based on the lever principle, the foot can be automatically adjusted so as to form a specific angle such that a heel has a medial side not constrained by the shoe upper at the medial side of the heel, and an inverted ankle can be avoided.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of the co-pending patent application Ser. No. 12/198,625, owned by the same applicant.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

a) Field of the Disclosure
The invention relates to an asymmetrical upper of a shoe fitting a movement direction of a foot, and more particularly, to that suitable for a leather shoe, boot, casual shoe, sneaker, running shoe or other footwears.
b) Brief Description of the Related Art
Currently, a shoe can be generally divided into a shoe sole, including a shoe pad, and a shoe upper over the shoe sole. For increasing comfort of shoes, a footwear maker when designing shoes pays great attention to hardness of the shoe sole, but often ignores important associations between design of the shoe upper and foot health.
Referring to FIG. 13, various current shoes typically have symmetrical uppers 90 in design. When a person wear a shoe having the symmetrical upper 90, a specific movement direction will be created based on a position of a contact between the shoe upper 90 and a foot dorsum because muscle at the foot dorsum is soft and sensitive. This leads a foot heel to be constrained by a medial shoe upper 92 and a foot sole to be constrained by a lateral shoe upper 91, and thus the foot heel and sole cannot extend in the specific movement direction. The foot heel and sole could be compensated to become varus or valgus. Accordingly, a person wearing shoes while walking or standing easily has an out-toe or in-toe gait that leads systemic changes of a musculoskeletal system.
Referring to FIG. 14, when a person wearing a shoe stands or walks, both of medial and lateral sides of the foot dorsum are forced by the shoe upper, because the muscle at the foot dorsum is soft and sensitive and has a specific arc. At this time, the foot heel tends to move horizontally in a medial direction and the foot sole tends to move horizontally in a lateral direction. The shoe upper 90 having medial and lateral sides designed to be symmetrical and horizontal does not fit the arc of the foot dorsum. Accordingly, when the foot wears the shoe, the foot heel tends to move horizontally in a medial direction but is constrained not to move medially by the medial shoe upper 92 at a shoe heel such that an ankle joint is compensated to be inverted. The foot sole is constrained not to move horizontally in a lateral direction by the lateral shoe upper 91 such that the foot sole is compensated to be everted so as to reduce a pressure applied to the lateral side of the foot sole. Both inversion and eversion of the heel and foot sole create tremendous influence on the body and long-term wear could cause a poor walking posture and other adverse health factors.
For a long time, designs for a shoe try to modify a shoe sole 80 to reduce the above-mentioned irregular impacts on walking, but these modifications have no significant effects. Further, the foot sole interacts with the shoe sole 80 only in a vertical direction. However, a foot moves in three dimensions. The shoe upper can be improved in design so as to fit biomechanics of a foot.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention has a main objective of providing an asymmetrical shoe upper fitting biomechanics of a foot.
In order to achieve the above objective, in accordance with the present invention, the asymmetrical shoe upper is combined in a shoe body. The shoe upper at a medial side of a foot dorsum inclines to a lateral side of the shoe upper and to a front end of a foot sole so as to form an asymmetrical design. Accordingly, when wearing the shoe body, muscles of the foot dorsum are constrained by the shoe upper. At this time, the shoe upper affects pressures applied onto the medial and lateral sides of the foot dorsum. Thereby, based on the lever principle, the foot can be automatically adjusted so as to form a specific angle such that a heel has a medial side not constrained by the shoe upper at the medial side of the heel, and an inverted ankle can be avoided. The lateral side of the shoe upper over the foot dorsum inclines to the foot sole such that the foot sole has a lateral side not constrained by the lateral side of the shoe upper, and an everted foot can be avoided. Accordingly, irregular impacts on ankle joints and inverted or everted foot soles can be improved.
In an embodiment, the shoe body has no shoelaces, and the shoe upper corresponding to the foot dorsum has an inclined stop surface. A shoe opening has an apex defined as a base point set with a horizontal line at an angle between 5 and 50 degrees to the shoe upper close to a medial side of the shoe upper.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a leather shoe.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a boot.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a shoelace, wherein the shoe upper comprises medial and lateral eyelet stays and a shoe tongue, wherein the medial eyelet stay and a medial side of the shoe tongue have more projection in a direction towards the shoe opening than the lateral eyelet stay and a lateral side of the shoe tongue.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a sneaker.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a casual shoe.
In an embodiment, the shoe body comprises a running shoe.
In accordance with the present invention, comparing to the current technology, the shoe upper is designed to be asymmetrical such that the ankle joint can be maintained at a middle position and the foot sole has no inversion or eversion. When walking or standing, a user has a skeletal system not caused to be displaced and has a muscular system not caused to have lengthened or shortened adaptation. The design can be performed by a simple implementation so as to achieve significant effectiveness, and with the structural changes to the shoes, the shoes can be realized with foot biomechanics.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated as a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings disclose illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure. They do not set forth all embodiments. Other embodiments may be used in addition or instead. Details that may be apparent or unnecessary may be omitted to save space or for more effective illustration. Conversely, some embodiments may be practiced without all of the details that are disclosed. When the same numeral appears in different drawings, it refers to the same or like components or steps.

Aspects of the disclosure may be more fully understood from the following description when read together with the accompanying drawings, which are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as limiting. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a 3D outside view in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention when being used.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view in accordance with the present invention used by a regular foot.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention when being used.

FIG. 6 is a top view in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention when being used.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view in accordance with the present invention used by a person having an in-toe gait.

FIG. 9 is a top view in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention when being used.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view in accordance with the present invention used by a person having an out-toe gait.

FIG. 12 is a top view in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a prior art.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a prior art when being used.

While certain embodiments are depicted in the drawings, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments depicted are illustrative and that variations of those shown, as well as other embodiments described herein, may be envisioned and practiced within the scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments are now described. Other embodiments may be used in addition or instead. Details that may be apparent or unnecessary may be omitted to save space or for a more effective presentation. Conversely, some embodiments may be practiced without all of the details that are disclosed.
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a shoe body 4, such as leather shoe or boot, does not need to be tied by a shoelace. The shoe body 4 includes an asymmetrical shoe upper 41 at a specific relatively large angle to and over a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper 41 is adapted to constrain a foot dorsum and to change a movement direction during feet walking. The shoe body 4 is provided with a shoe opening 42, wherein the shoe upper 41 is arranged in front of the shoe opening 42. The shoe upper 41 at a medial side of the foot dorsum inclines to a lateral side of the shoe upper 41, wherein the shoe body 4 has a fulcrum at a point 1, at which x axis and y axis join. When wearing the shoe body 4, a foot 3 has a lateral side contacting the fulcrum 1 and based on the lever principle, naturally inclines to another fulcrum 2. The foot dorsum and the two fulcrums 1 and 2 compose a z axis defined as another lever, wherein the two fulcrums 1 and 2 act based on the lever principle. Thereby, the foot sole of the foot 3 has a medial side that can contact the ground under uniform pressure and is not constrained by the shoe upper 41, and the foot 3 has no everted thumb. Preferably, an angle between the x axis and the z axis is 25 degrees. The two fulcrums 1 and 2 on the z axis act as a lever of the foot dorsum. The angle increases or reduces when the fulcrums 1 and 2 moves forward or backward relative to the y axis. The foot 3 acts as a lever. The angle changing horizontally has impacts on pressure distribution of the heel and the foot sole. The angle varies based on various races, foot widths and pathological feet, such as flat feet or telipes cavus, and thus the angle can range from 5 to 50 degrees so as to fit the above situations.
Referring to FIGS. 6-8, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the shoe body 4, such as sneaker, casual shoe or running shoe, having a shoelace is provided with a shoe opening 42 a and a shoe upper 41 a. The shoe upper 41 a includes medial and lateral eyelet stays and a shoe tongue at a front side of the shoe opening 42 a. The medial eyelet stay and a medial side of the shoe tongue have more projection in a direction towards the shoe opening 42 a than the lateral eyelet stay and a lateral side of the shoe tongue. Thereby, the shoe upper 41 a can be designed to be asymmetrical at two sides thereof and thus pressure applied to the medial and lateral sides of the foot dorsum can be adjusted so as to improve ankle joints and inverted or everted foot soles. When the angle, i.e., a shoe-upper angle, between the x axis and the z axis created from the foot dorsum and the two fulcrums 1 and 2 is 5 degrees, a horizontal force of the foot 3 leads the foot sole to move laterally and leads the heel move medially such that feet when walking appear like an out-toe gait, relatively much weight of the body is supported by the medial side of the foot, and the ankle joints are slightly inverted. Accordingly, the shoes are suitable for a person having an in-toe gait.
Referring to FIGS. 9-11, in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, the shoe body 4 may have a shoelace or no shoelaces. When the angle, i.e., a shoe-upper angle, between the x axis and the z axis created from the foot dorsum and the two fulcrums 1 and 2 is 50 degrees, a weight center of the body is located at the z axis close to the heel such that an ankle joint is slightly everted and a horizontal force leads the foot sole to move medially and leads the heel move laterally. Accordingly, the shoes are suitable for a person having an out-toe gait.
Referring to FIG. 12, in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, the shoe body 4 can be a sandal. The shoe body 4 includes an asymmetrical shoe upper 43 at a specific angle to and over a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper 43 is adapted to constrain a foot dorsum and to change a movement direction during feet walking. The shoe body 4 is provided with a shoe opening 43 a, wherein the shoe upper 43 is arranged in front of the shoe opening 43 a. The shoe upper 43 at a medial side of the foot dorsum inclines to a lateral side of the shoe upper 43, wherein the shoe body 4 has a fulcrum at a point 1, at which x axis and y axis join. When wearing the shoe body 4, a foot has a lateral side contacting the fulcrum 1 and based on the lever principle, naturally inclines to another fulcrum 2. The foot dorsum and the two fulcrums 1 and 2 compose a z axis defined as another lever, wherein the two fulcrums 1 and 2 act based on the lever principle.
In accordance with the present invention, the shoe-upper angle can be changed so as to control the movement direction of the foot. Thereby, a user when walking can avoid inverted or everted ankles. The design can be performed by a simple implementation so as to achieve significant effectiveness. Compared to current technologies that structural changes to shoe soles are based on ergonomics, the invention has the above improved advantages. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the shoes can be processed with improved shoe soles of existing technology so as to complete relatively ergonomic shoes.
Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain. Furthermore, unless stated otherwise, the numerical ranges provided are intended to be inclusive of the stated lower and upper values. Moreover, unless stated otherwise, all material selections and numerical values are representative of preferred embodiments and other ranges and/or materials may be used.
The scope of protection is limited solely by the claims, and such scope is intended and should be interpreted to be as broad as is consistent with the ordinary meaning of the language that is used in the claims when interpreted in light of this specification and the prosecution history that follows, and to encompass all structural and functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An asymmetrical shoe upper combined in a shoe body, wherein the shoe upper at a medial side of a foot dorsum inclines to a lateral side of the shoe upper and to a front end of a foot sole so as to form an asymmetrical design, wherein when wearing the shoe body, muscles of the foot dorsum are constrained by the shoe upper, wherein the shoe upper affects pressures applied onto the medial and lateral sides of the foot dorsum, wherein based on the lever principle, the foot is automatically adjusted so as to form a specific angle such that a heel has a medial side not constrained by the shoe upper at the medial side of the heel, wherein the lateral side of the shoe upper over the foot dorsum inclines to the foot sole such that the foot sole has a lateral side not constrained by the lateral side of the shoe upper.

2. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 1, wherein the shoe body has no shoelaces, wherein the shoe upper corresponding to the foot dorsum has an inclined stop surface, wherein a shoe opening has an apex defined as a base point set with a horizontal line at an angle between 5 and 50 degrees to the shoe upper close to a medial side of the shoe upper.

3. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 2, wherein the shoe body comprises a leather shoe.

4. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 2, wherein the shoe body comprises a boot.

5. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 2, wherein the shoe body comprises a sandal.

6. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 1, wherein the shoe body comprises a shoelace, wherein the shoe upper comprises medial and lateral eyelet stays and a shoe tongue, wherein the medial eyelet stay and a medial side of the shoe tongue have more projection in a direction towards the shoe opening than the lateral eyelet stay and a lateral side of the shoe tongue.

7. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 6, wherein the shoe body comprises a sneaker.

8. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 6, wherein the shoe body comprises a casual shoe.

9. The asymmetrical shoe upper of claim 6, wherein the shoe body comprises a running shoe.