JP2004261422A - Infant shoe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an infant shoe devised not to hurt a soft foot of an infant. <P>SOLUTION: The infant shoe 20 comprises a sole part 21 to be located under the foot of the infant, a tongue part 22 covering the instep of the foot, a first side upper 23 partly overlapping the tongue part 22 for covering one side surface of the foot, and a second side upper 24 partly overlapping the tongue part 22 for covering the other side surface of the foot. The first and second side parts 23 and 24 respectively includes cushion materials 28 and 29 for covering the ankle of the foot of the infant wearing the shoe. The cushion materials 28 and 29 have such width dimensions that their lower ends are positioned below the ankle and their upper ends are positioned at the height of the ankle of the infant. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to infant shoes, and more particularly to infant shoes that are gentle on infant feet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Infants' shoes are used from the beginning of an infant's walking, and are used for protecting the feet.
[0003]
It is said that foot growth in infancy continues from around one year old when walking begins to about six or seven years of age. In particular, it is important to grow the foot in a healthy state in a relatively young infant.
[0004]
FIG. 1 shows a "toddler's shoes at the beginning of walking" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 47-8680. The illustrated infant shoe 1 includes a shoe sole 2 located under the infant's foot, a tongue 3 covering the instep of the infant, and a part of the tongue 3 covering one side of the infant's foot. And a second side skin 5 covering the other side of the foot of the infant and partially overlapping the tongue piece 3.
[0005]
The first side skin portion 4 and the second side skin portion 5 have edges facing each other on the tongue piece portion 3, and a hole 6 for passing a shoelace is provided in this edge. Although not shown, the first side skin portion 4 and the second side skin portion 5 are connected on the tongue piece portion 3 by a shoelace passing through the hole 6, and the foot of the infant is held.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-47-8680 (FIG. 1)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of the infant shoes shown in FIG. 1, for example, the following problems can be pointed out.
[0008]
(1) The side skin portion 4 and the tongue piece portion 3 are sewn in an area indicated by A in the drawing, which is retracted from the toe portion of the shoe 1. When the infant's foot is put in the shoe, the tongue piece 3 is turned up, but the portion located in front of the area A cannot be turned up. Therefore, the size of the opening for inserting the foot cannot be so large. Because the infant's feet are soft and soft, the act of forcing the foot into the shoe through a not so large opening causes pain to the infant.
[0009]
(2) On the inner surface of the region A, a step of overlapping the side skin portion 4 and the tongue piece portion 3 appears, and furthermore, a seam for sewing them appears. The step and the seam are located at the top of the metatarsal of the infant's foot. Infants' feet are lumpy fat masses. Therefore, when weight is applied during walking, the width of the feet spreads sideways. In particular, the crown of the metatarsal is the part that spreads most laterally when the baby bears weight while walking. In the case of the infant shoes shown in FIG. 1, there is a possibility that the feet of the soft infants may be damaged because the steps spread and the seams hit the portions of the feet which are spread laterally.
[0010]
(3) The instep of a baby is widespread when he / she is carrying weight, and becomes high when he / she is floating in the air. In the walking operation, a state in which the body weighs on the foot after landing and a state in which the body floats in the air are repeated. For this reason, if the first side skin portion 4 and the second side skin portion 5 are strongly fastened with shoelaces and the toe portion 3 is strongly pressed from above by the tongue piece portion 3, the instep of the foot is pressed when walking. A situation is born.
[0011]
(4) In the case of the shoe shown in FIG. 1, the first side skin portion 4 and the second side skin portion 5 have a height extending to near the ankle of the infant wearing the shoe 1. In particular, infants who are toddlers at the beginning of walking need to keep their ankles tight by tightening shoelaces because their ankles are still loose. However, if the ankle is firmly held, the first side skin portion 4 and the second side skin portion 5 come into strong contact with the infant's ankle, causing the ankle to feel pain. Also, tightening the ankle strongly prevents smooth movement of the ankle.
[0012]
An object of the present invention is to provide a baby shoe designed so as not to damage the feet of a soft baby.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a shoe sole located under the feet of an infant, a tongue piece covering the instep of the infant, and a first side skin that covers one side of the feet of the infant and partially overlaps the tongue piece. And a second side skin that covers the other side of the baby's foot and partially overlaps the tongue piece, and is characterized by the following.
[0014]
That is, the first and second side skins include a cushion material covering the ankle of the infant wearing the shoe. The cushioning material has a width dimension such that its lower end is located below the infant's ankle and its upper end is located at the height of the infant's ankle.
[0015]
In one embodiment, the cushion material is formed continuously over the entire upper end regions of the first and second side skins. In this case, the infant shoe includes a connection band that connects the cushion material of the first side skin portion and the cushion material of the second side skin portion on the tongue piece.
[0016]
In one embodiment, a portion of the lower edge of the cushioning material, which is located below the ankle of a baby in shoes, is curved downwardly in a convex shape.
[0017]
In one embodiment, assuming that the height of the first and second side skins in the region corresponding to the infant's ankle is H, the width of the cushioning material in this region is H / 3 or more.
[0018]
The operation and effect of each of the above configurations will be described in the section of the embodiment of the invention.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 2 is an anatomical view of a foot bone. The foot bone is roughly divided into three regions, namely, a phalangeal (toe bone) region B, a metatarsal region C, and a tarsal bone region D. The anterior metatarsal arch 10 is a so-called instep arch, which is not a true arch but changes when a load is applied. In the case of an adult, the metatarsal arch 10 is crushed by its own weight during walking. In the case of an adult, there is no change in the arch of the lateral arch 11 of the tarsal portion due to its own weight.
[0020]
Infants' feet are fat and greasy, and the shape of the feet changes depending on whether they are on the ground and applied their own weight or when the feet are lifted. Under its own weight, the width of the foot increases and the height of the instep decreases. On the other hand, when the foot is lifted, the width of the foot becomes smaller and the height of the instep becomes higher.
[0021]
When standing, the infant bends his fingertips and grasps the ground. Encouraging this movement leads to the formation of the arch. In order to smoothly perform this finger movement, it is necessary to hold the metatarsal arch 10 firmly. Since the metatarsal arch 10 is a place where the movement of the finger is not restricted, even if it is firmly fixed, it does not hinder the movement of the finger.
[0022]
The region where the lateral arch 11 of the foot is formed is a portion that determines the height of the instep, and in the case of an infant, it is a portion that becomes higher when its own weight is not applied. Therefore, do not hold this part tight.
[0023]
Since the skin of infants is soft, they are easily damaged by steps or rubbing. In addition, in the case of an infant who has begun to walk, the ankle is still loose, so it is necessary to hold the ankle firmly to promote smooth walking.
[0024]
The present invention is intended to provide a baby shoe designed in consideration of the above-described foot structure peculiar to the baby so as not to damage the foot of the soft baby.
[0025]
3 to 6 show one embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a perspective view, FIG. 4 is a front view, FIG. 5 is a side view, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where a foot opening is largely opened.
[0026]
The illustrated infant shoe 20 includes a shoe sole 21 located under the infant's foot, a tongue 22 covering the instep of the infant's foot, and partially covering the tongue 22 covering one side of the infant's foot. And a second side skin portion 24 that covers the other side of the foot of the infant and partially overlaps the tongue piece portion 22. The first side skin portion 23 and the second side skin portion 24 are formed continuously via the back surface of the shoe 20.
[0027]
The front end of the tongue piece 22 is connected to the front end 21 a of the sole 21. The first side skin portion 23 and the second side skin portion 24 have edge portions 23a and 24a facing each other on the tongue piece portion 22. As shown, the edge portions 23a, 24a of the first and second side skin portions 23, 24 extend to the front end 21a of the shoe sole 21 while being located on the tongue piece portion 22.
[0028]
End portions 23a and 24a of the first and second side skin portions 23 and 24 have their front portions near the front end 21a of the shoe sole 21 sewn to the tongue piece portion 22, respectively. In FIGS. 3 to 6, a portion indicated by E is a sewn portion between the side skin portions 23 and 24 and the tongue piece portion 22.
[0029]
On the inner surface of the baby shoe 20, steps due to the overlap of the side skin portions 23, 24 and the tongue piece portion 22 and their stitch portions appear. In the case of the conventional infant shoes shown in FIG. 1, the step and the stitch portion were located at positions corresponding to the top of the metatarsal of the infant, but in the case of the infant shoes of one embodiment of the present invention, The step and the seam portion E are located on the toes of the infant's foot. According to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the infant's foot is put on the weight, the toe and the step or the seam portion E do not rub against each other, so that the infant's foot is not damaged.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the edge portions 23a, 24a of the first and second side skin portions 23, 24 extend to the front end of the shoe sole 21, and this front end Since the tongue piece 22 is sewn to the tongue piece 22 in a region close to the tongue, the tongue piece 22 can be largely turned up to near the front end of the sole 21. Therefore, the opening for inserting the foot can be greatly opened, and the foot of the infant soft and soft can be easily put in the shoe.
[0031]
Further, by rolling up the tongue piece 22 to the vicinity of the front end 21a of the shoe sole 21, the position of the phalanges of the infant in the shoe 20 can be confirmed. Can be easily determined as appropriate. Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is easy to understand when to replace shoes.
[0032]
As is clear from FIGS. 3 to 6, the edge portions 23a and 24a of the first and second side skin portions 23 and 24 located on the tongue piece portion 22 are connected to each other via a connection band. In this case, one end of the connection band is fixed to the inner surface of the first side skin portion 23, and the other end is detachably joined to the outer surface of the second side skin portion 24.
[0033]
More specifically, the infant shoe 20 includes a first connection band 25 and a second connection band that connect the edge 23a of the first side skin 23 and the edge 24a of the second side skin 24. 26 and a third connection band 27. The first connection band 25 is located far from the ankle, the third connection band 27 is located closest to the ankle, and the second connection band is located in the middle. As shown, the first, second, and third connection bands 25, 26, and 27 have one end fixed to the inner surface of the first side skin 23 and the other end of the second side skin 24, respectively. Removably joined to the outer surface.
[0034]
Preferably, the means for detachably joining the other end of each connection band is a hook-and-loop fastener 31. With the surface fastener 31, the connection band can be easily attached and detached in a short time. Since the operation is very simple, the infant can easily learn the operation of attaching and detaching the connection band.
[0035]
According to the embodiment of the present invention, one end of each of the connection bands 25, 26, 27 is located on the inner surface of the first side skin portion 23, and the other end is located on the outer surface of the second side skin portion 24. It is easy to determine the shoes. At the stage when an infant grows and wears shoes alone, the distinction between the left and right shoes becomes an important factor.
[0036]
3 to 6 show shoes for the left foot, and one end of each of the connection bands 25, 26, and 27 located on the inner surface of the foot is fixed to the inner surface of the first side skin 23. The other end located on the outer surface of the foot is detachably joined to the outer surface of the second side skin 24. Although not shown, this relationship is the same for shoes for the right foot.
[0037]
In the illustrated embodiment, the three connection bands 25, 26, 27 have the same connection form, but they may be different. For example, in the case of a baby who is beginning to walk, the ankle is shaky, so it is necessary to hold the ankle firmly. Therefore, as for the connection band 27 closest to the ankle, one end thereof is fixed to the outer surface of the first side skin portion 23, and the other end is detachably joined to the outer surface of the second side skin portion 24. With such a connection band 27, the upper end portion of the first side skin portion 23 can be pulled tight, so that the ankle can be firmly held. Then, if one end of the remaining two connection bands 25 and 26 is fixed to the inner surface of the first side skin portion 23, the left and right shoes can be easily distinguished.
[0038]
As clearly shown in FIG. 5, a grasping band 30 for grasping with a finger is attached to the rear surface of the infant shoe 20. When the parent wants the infant to wear shoes, the back of the shoe 20 can be pulled up by grasping the grip band 30 with a finger. Conventionally, baby shoes provided with this type of grip band have been provided on the market, but generally, the length of the grip portion that is not fixed (grip allowance) is small and it is difficult to grip. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, in order to make it easy to grasp with the finger, the margin of the grasping band 30 (length of the unfixed grasping portion) is set to 2 cm or more. Further, in order not to impair the design aesthetics, preferably, the height of the upper end of the grasping band 30 is substantially the same as or lower than the height of the upper end of the infant shoe 20.
[0039]
In the case of infants who have not yet learned to walk, ankles are still weak, so shoes that can hold the ankle firmly are desirable. In the infant shoe 20 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first side skin portion 23 and the second side skin portion 24 have a height covering the ankle of the infant to hold the ankle of the infant. .
[0040]
As used herein, “ankle” refers to the thinnest part of the leg from the knee to the foot, and the ankle is located immediately below the ankle.
[0041]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the first connecting band 25 is located on the metatarsal arch 10 of the infant wearing the shoes 20 (see FIG. 2) so that the metatarsal arch 10 can be securely held. It is provided in. The second connection band 26 is located on the lateral arch 11 of the infant's foot (see FIG. 2), and is provided so as to gently tighten the lateral arch 11 of the foot.
[0042]
By firmly holding the metatarsal arch 10 by tightening the first connection band 25, the infant can smoothly perform the gripping operation of the finger, thereby promoting the formation of the arch.
[0043]
As described above, the area where the lateral arch 11 of the foot is formed is a part that determines the height of the instep. Infants' feet are fat and fat, so they spread sideways when their feet are under their own weight, and rise in height when they are floating in the air and are not under their own weight. During the walking operation, the change in the shape of the foot as described above is repeatedly performed, so that the lateral arch 11 of the foot should not be tightened. On the other hand, if the foot arch horizontal arch 11 is not held at all, the foot moves in the shoe, which hinders walking. Therefore, it is necessary to hold the lateral arch 11 of the foot even by the connection band 26 even if it is gentle.
[0044]
Desirably, the connection band 26 located on the foot lateral arch 11 has a configuration in which the foot lateral arch 11 can only be loosely tightened. For example, the following structure can be considered.
[0045]
(1) By appropriately selecting the formation position of the hook-and-loop fastener 31, it is possible to only loosely tighten the foot arch 11 in the joined state.
[0046]
(2) If the position of the hook-and-loop fastener 31 is the same as that of the other connection bands 25 and 27, the length of the second connection band 26 is made longer, so that the foot-part lateral arch 11 is loosened in the joined state. Only to be tightened.
[0047]
(3) The width of the second connection band 26 is increased, and an opening is provided in a portion located directly above the lateral arch 11 of the foot, so that the lateral arch 11 of the foot is not pressed.
[0048]
(4) The second connection band 26 is made of a relatively hard material and is formed to be convexly curved, so that the curved state is maintained even when the band is strongly tightened so that the lateral arch 11 of the foot is not pressed.
[0049]
In the case of the baby shoe 20 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the third connection band 27 is formed by the edge 23 a of the first side skin 23 and the edge 24 a of the second side skin 24 at the ankle of the baby. And connect. In the case of an infant until learning the walking motion, the ankle is shaky, so it is necessary to hold the ankle firmly. Therefore, the third connection band 27 is provided so as to hold the ankle of the baby firmly. In order to increase the tightening force of the third connection band 27 to the ankle, one end of the third connection band 27 may be fixed to the outer surface of the first side skin portion 23, unlike the illustrated embodiment.
[0050]
The first side skin 23 and the second side skin 24 have a height that covers the ankle of the baby. Therefore, when the third connection band 27 is tightly held and the ankle is firmly held, the first and second side skin portions 23 and 24 hit the ankle of the baby. Looking at the walking behavior of infants, the left and right touches are greater than in adults. Therefore, if the side skin of the shoe presses the ankle at the time of starting walking, the ankle may be damaged, and the walking operation is adversely affected.
[0051]
Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first and second side skin portions 23 and 24 have soft cushion members 28 and 29 covering the ankles of the infant wearing the shoes 20. These cushions 28, 29 have a width dimension such that the lower end 29a (see FIG. 5) is located below the infant's ankle and the upper end is located at the height of the ankle of the infant.
[0052]
If the cushions 28 and 29 have the above-mentioned widths, the soft cushions can completely wrap the infant's ankle, without damaging the ankle and hindering walking. Absent.
[0053]
In the illustrated embodiment, the cushion members 28 and 29 are formed continuously over the entire upper end regions of the first and second side skin portions 23 and 24. Further, the above-described third connection band 27 connects the cushion material 28 of the first side skin portion 23 and the cushion material 29 of the second side skin portion 29 on the tongue piece portion 22.
[0054]
In order to completely wrap the ankle, preferably, as shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the lower end edge 29a of the cushion material, which is located under the infant's ankle, has a downwardly convex shape. To be curved.
[0055]
Some conventional infant shoes have a cushion material located above the ankle. However, the width of the cushioning material was so small that the ankle was not completely wrapped. In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to completely wrap the ankle, preferably, the height of the first and second side skins in the area corresponding to the infant's ankle is H, and the cushion material 29 in this area is preferably set. Is H / 3 or more.
[0056]
7 to 9 show another embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated infant shoe 40 has a sole portion 41, a tongue piece portion 42, a first side skin portion 43, a second side skin portion 44, a sewing area E, a first connection band 45, and a second A connection band 46, cushion members 47 and 48, and a grip band 49 are provided. Unlike the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the illustrated infant shoe 40 has only two connecting bands 45,46. There is no substantial difference in other elements.
[0057]
The first connection band 45 is located on the metatarsal arch 10 of the infant (see FIG. 2), and is provided so that the metatarsal arch 10 can be securely held. The second connection band 46 is located on the lateral arch 11 of the infant's foot, and is provided so as to gently tighten the lateral arch 11 of the foot.
[0058]
Since the ankle is weak during the period from toddling to learning how to walk, the infant shoes 20 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are preferable. On the other hand, at the stage of learning how to walk, the ankle has become firm, so that holding the ankle becomes unnecessary. At this stage, the infant shoes 40 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 can be used.
[0059]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same scope as the present invention or within an equivalent scope.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional infant shoe.
FIG. 2 is an anatomical view of a foot bone.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the infant shoe of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the infant shoe of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the opened state of the infant shoe of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a front view of the infant shoe of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the infant shoe of FIG. 7 in an open state.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 metatarsal arch, 11 tarsal lateral arch, 20 infant shoes, 21 shoe sole, 22 tongue piece, 23 first side skin, 23a edge, 24 second side skin, 24a edge, 25 1st connection band, 26 2nd connection band, 27 3rd connection band, 28 cushion material, 29 cushion material, 29a lower end part, 30 grip band, 31 surface fastener.

Claims (4)

A sole located under the feet of the infant, a tongue covering the instep of the infant, a first side skin covering one side of the feet of the infant and partially overlapping the tongue; A second side skin that covers the other side of the foot and partially overlaps the tongue piece,
The first and second side skins include a cushion material covering an ankle of an infant wearing the shoes,
The infant shoe according to claim 1, wherein the cushion member has a width dimension such that a lower end portion thereof is located below an infant's ankle and an upper end portion thereof is located at a height of an ankle of the infant. The cushion material is formed continuously over the entire upper end region of the first and second side skins,
The infant shoe according to claim 1, wherein the infant shoe includes a connection band that connects the cushion material of the first side skin portion and the cushion material of the second side skin portion on the tongue piece. 3. The infant shoe according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the lower edge of the cushion material, which is located below the ankle of the infant wearing the shoe, is curved downwardly in a convex shape. The height of the first and second side skins in a region corresponding to the ankle of a baby is H, and the width of the cushion material in this region is H / 3 or more. Infants shoes for crabs.

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