WO2018174833A1

WO2018174833A1 - A detachable toe protector for a sports shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2018174833A1
Application number: PCT/TR2017/050103
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aziz KARALI
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-03-20
Filing date: 2017-03-20
Publication date: 2018-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-20

Abstract

A detachable toe protector (10) for a sports shoe, comprising a perimetric body (20) which is formed arcuate, the perimetric body (20) comprising a front wall (30) having a concave inner face shaped to fit on the toe part of the shoe or to accommodate a user's toes, the perimetric body (20) extending from the front wall (30) along the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides or along the lower side edges of the shoe, the perimetric body (20) provided with attachment means (60) to prevent the toe protector's (10) unintended disengagement from the shoe, characterized in that the front wall (30) being formed of multiple layers having at least one impact-absorbing layer (70) and at least one cushioning soft layer.

Description

A DETACHABLE TOE PROTECTOR FOR A SPORTS SHOE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a detachable toe protector for sports shoes, particularly for run- ning shoes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toe protector for cross-running shoes.

BACKGROUND ART Shoes suited for physical activities such as running, jogging, brisk walking, aerobic exercise and the like are well known. In such physical activities even minor mechanical insults to the soft tissue as well as the muscles or bones of the feet result in major discomfort or even pain, and a physical injury to the feet may even compel an individual to refrain from such physical activities until such injury heals. Having these facts in view, athletes are in need of protecting their feet reliably, for example by wearing suitable sports shoes. Despite many advances in the design and construction of athletic shoes, injuries incurred during such activities continue to be widespread.

Runners, particularly off-road runners usually require toe protection of their running shoes as they usually get injured from their toes due to striking the ground, or any protrusions on the ground (stone or the like) with toe parts of their shoes.

From the safety point of view, the toes are usually best protected by safety shoes provided with a protective cap made of steel, aluminum or high-strength plastics at their forepart in order to protect the toes against injuries resulting from heavy falling objects. Safety shoes of this kind are not suitable for athletes as the weight of the material used imposes extra load which may negatively affect the physiology, balance of the feet and body of athletes. Protective toe caps which cover substantial part like all forefront of one foot are also not suitable for athletes as they affect the function of the shoes which are suitable for running.

Main function of above mentioned protective toe caps is protecting the feet of one standing user against being grievously injured from falling or crushing objects. These protective toe caps do not adequately dampen the soft tissue injury caused by crushing the toes against the inner wall of the toe cap resulting from the user himself or herself striking an object while in a running (slow) motion with a high momentum (e.g. 150-1000 kg-m/s). Primary object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned shortcomings of the toe protectors in the prior art and to provide a toe protector suitable for sports shoes, particularly for running shoes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Primary object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned shortcomings in the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable toe protector which is attached to the outside or inside of a shoe at the front part. Another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable toe protector comprising impact-absorbing layer which is capable of absorbing and distributing any external impact to the toe part of a shoe, and a cushioning soft layer which is capable of providing impact cushion to the toe of the foot of a user. Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe comprising a toe protector according to the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe comprising attachment means for the attachment of a toe protector according to the present invention. In order to realize all of the above-mentioned objects and the objects which are to be obtained from the detailed description below, the present invention is related to a detachable or built-in toe protector for a sports shoe, comprising a perimetric body which is formed arcuate, the perimetric body comprising a front wall 30 having a concave inner face shaped to fit on the toe part of the shoe or to accommodate a user's toes, the perimetric body extending from the front wall along the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides of the shoe or along the lower side edges of the shoe, the perimetric body provided with attachment means to prevent the toe protector's unintended disengagement from the shoe, characterized in that the front wall being formed of multiple layers having at least one impact-absorbing layer and at least one cushioning soft layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Features of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a toe protection for a sports shoe, particularly for a running shoe, more particularly for an off-road running shoe, according to the present invention, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of the toe protector according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cross section of the toe protector according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of one side wall of the toe protector according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of structure of the impact-absorbing layer according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a toe protector 10 for shoes, particularly for sports shoes, according to the invention. The toe protector 10 is attached on the front part of a shoe, to withstand external impact and thereby protect particularly the soft tissue of the toes of a foot of a user of the shoe.

The general structure of the toe protector of the present invention

One aspect of the present invention relates to toe protectors 10 which are attached to the outside of a shoe at the front part.

As shown in Figure 1, the toe protector 10 of the present invention comprises a perimetric body 20 which is formed arcuate. The perimetric body 20 comprises a front wall 30 and preferably two side walls (left hand and right hand side walls) 40, 50. The two side walls 40, 50 are extending to, and are connected to the front wall 30 integrally along the left and right side of the shoe so as to form the perimetric body 20 of the toe protector. The perimetric body 20 is completely open across its bottom and in permanent contact inwardly with the front part of the shoe.

The front wall 30 of the perimetric body 20 is designed to protect the toe part (tip) of one foot in a shoe. Accordingly, the front wall 30 generally covers the surface of the toe part (tip) of one shoe and reaches substantially to the sole part (as opposed to the "upper") of the shoe on the sides. The front wall 30 has a concave inner face shaped to fit on the toe part (tip) of the shoe.

The two side walls 40, 50 of the perimetric body 20 are designed to extend from the front wall 30 along the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides (lateral edges) or along the lower side edges (sole part) of the shoe. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner faces 41, 51 of the side walls 40, 50 are shaped to fit snugly on the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides (lateral edges) of the shoe.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the perimetric body 20 of the toe pro- tector 10 is constructed as having a thick cross-section at the front wall 30, which decreases grad- ually towards the peripheral edges of the left and right sides (lateral edges) of the shoe and forms the side walls 40, 50.

In one preferred embodiment the extension of the perimetric body 20 exceeds metatarsophalan- geal (MTP) joint of the foot wearing a shoe comprising the toe protector 10 of the present invention.

In one preferred embodiment, the toe protector 10 is constructed as having a thick cross-section at the front wall 30, which decreases gradually towards the side walls 40, 50. Accordingly side walls 40, 50 have thinner sections relative to the front wall 30, so the toe protector 10 is comfortable to the user of the shoe.

With reference to Figure 3, the toe protector 10 of the present invention has a length (L) at the front wall 30 as to cover the toe part of the shoe, which decreases gradually towards the side walls 40, 50. Accordingly side walls 40, 50 have shorter lengths relative to the front walls 40, 50 so the toe protector 10 is comfortable to the user. In one embodiment, the length of the front wall LI is within the range of 10-20 mm and the length of the rear edges of the side walls L2 are within the range of 2-4 mm. The two side walls 40, 50 are sufficiently flexible and resilient that can be deformed (expanded), preferably at the tips but which retain their shapes when the deformation force is removed. Due to their resiliencies side walls 40, 50 firmly engage with the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides (lateral edges) or with the lower side wall (sole part) of the shoe. In one implementation of the present invention a user can put on the toe protector 10 by stretching the side walls 40, 50 outwardly from each side of the shoe and placing the toe protector 10 under tension in its suitable position on the shoe and releasing the side walls 40, 50. The resilient force of the side walls 40, 50 causes the toe protector 10 to stay firmly attached on the shoe. To remove the toe protector 10, it is again only necessary to stretch the side walls 40, 50 outwardly from each side of the shoe, taking the toe protector 10 under tension away from the shoe and releasing the side walls 40, 50.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the toe protector 10 is further provided with attachment means 60 that are adapted to prevent unintended disengagement of the toe protector 10 from the shoe thereby providing a safer and sure means for the attachment of the toe protector 10 to the shoe.

In one preferred embodiment the attachment means 60 are notches extending from, and con- nected to the side walls 40, 50 of the perimetric body 20 integrally. These notches get firmly dug into the lateral facets of the sole part of the shoe when the toe protector 10 is released after an expanding force is removed. This structure permits the detachment and replacement of the toe protector 10 by the user when it is worn out by impacts and becomes inadequate in terms of resilience and thus protection capacity.

In one embodiment the length of the notches are within the range of 2-5 mm. The notches of the present invention have sufficient stiffness to restrain the toe protector 10 against slipping laterally or vertically. As an alternative, the toe protector 10 of the present invention is attached to the shoe by means of at least one suitable mechanical fastener. One suitable fastener may be a fastener sold under the trademark 'VELCRO', which generally has two elements. The first element comprises resilient, upstanding hooks projecting from a base and it is referred to as a male surface fastener. The second element generally consists of a fabric containing upstanding loops and is referred to as a female surface fastener. When the male and female fasteners are pressed together, the hooks entangle the loops such that the fasteners are pressed together; the hooks entangle the loops such that the fasteners will not easily disengage.

In accordance with the present invention, the inner faces 41, 51 of each side wall 40, 50 of the toe protector 10 are provided with at least one element of Velcro fasteners. The lateral facets of each side of the sole part of a shoe are provided with the corresponding elements of Velcro fasteners with glue, self-adhesive tapes and the like. Hence, the toe protector 10 of the present invention is firmly attached to the sole part of the shoe. Another aspect of the present invention relates to toe protectors 10 which are attached to the inside of a shoe at the front part.

The toe protector 10 may be attached inside of a shoe in order to protect the toes of a foot of a user against impacts. Thus the perimetric body 20 is in a permanent contact inwardly with the front part of a foot of a user of the shoe. Accordingly, the front wall 30 has a concave inner face shaped to accommodate a user's toes.

In one preferred embodiment, the toe protector 10 is provided with at least one element of Velcro fastener on the outer faces 42, 52 of the side walls 40, 50. The other element of the Velcro fasten- er is placed on the inner facets of the lateral edges of the shoe. The toe protector 10 is then put inside the shoe and pushed to the front manually and fitted to the front part of the shoe by the Velcro fasteners. This embodiment of the present invention may be implemented to an already existing sports shoe or a sports shoe built to the purpose of the present invention. The shoe may be larger than the actual foot size of the user. This wearing of shoes which is larger (longer) than the actual foot size of the user is a current practice among some users in order to protect the user against injuries to the toes. In this embodiment, the toe protector might have shorter side walls 40, 50 which extend till the end of the inner soft wall of a shoe.

In another preferred embodiment, the toe protector 10 is provided with at least one element of Velcro fastener on the outer facet of the front wall and the other element of the Velcro fastener is placed on the inner facet of the front wall of the shoe.

These structures also permit the replacement of the toe protector 10 when it is worn out by impacts and becomes inadequate in terms of resilience and thus protection capacity. It will thus be apparent that the novel toe protector 10 according to the present invention provides a safe and sure means of protecting a user's foot due to the above construction, while it can be quickly and easily put on or removed by the user. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a shoe comprising a toe protector according to the present invention.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a shoe comprising attachment means for the attachment of a toe protector according to the present invention.

The layered structure of the front wall

The front wall 30 of the perimetric body 20 is constructed as having more than one layer. In one embodiment of the present invention the perimetric body 20 comprises a protective hard layer which is the outmost layer, a soft layer which is the innermost layer, and an impact-absorbing layer which is the interlayer between the outmost and innermost layers. All layers are made of suitable polymer or composite material according to the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention side walls of the perimetric body is also con- structed as having more than one layer.

The protective hard layer - outmost layer

The protective hard layer of the present invention is preferably made of a hard crash-proof ma- terial. The material for the protective layer of the present invention may be selected by a skilled person in accordance with material selections made in the prior art, and the material may be adapted to the specific requirements in each single case. For example if a particular elasticity is required or desired, without giving up impact resistance/impact strength a material with medium or low elasticity may be used. Accordingly, a material may be used for manufacturing the protec- tive layer of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of plastics, for example hard polymer materials like those used in the prior art such as Kevlar®, polypropylene- polyethylene copolymer or reinforced plastics. With the use of this type of material in the protective layer the front wall withstands external impact and thereby protects the toes of a foot of a user wearing a shoe comprising the toe protector of the present invention.

The thickness of the protective hard layer may vary. In one embodiment the thickness of the protective hard layer is within the range of 8-20 mm.

The cushioning soft layer - innermost layer

The cushioning soft layer of the present invention is preferably made of a soft material in order to provide impact cushion to the toes of a foot of a user wearing a shoe with the toe protector of the present invention. The material for the cushioning soft layer of the present invention may be selected from the materials with high ductility, and the material may be adapted to the specific re- quirements in each single case. Accordingly, a material may be used for manufacturing the protecting layer of the present invention may be rubber, foamed rubber, sponge or Nomex® which may be also reinforced with carbon nanotubes or carbon fiber shavings.

The primary consideration for the selection of the material of the soft layer is the flexibility and ductility. Flexible materials with a high ductility are preferred due to their soft tissue trauma preventing properties.

The thickness of the cushioning soft layer may vary. In one embodiment the thickness of the protective soft layer is within the range of 5-10 mm.

The impact-absorbing layer - interlaver

The impact-absorbing layer 70 of the present invention is preferably made of a material with a high strength and a medium to low elastic flexibility. Accordingly, a material may be used for manufacturing the impact-absorbing layer 70 of the present invention is selected from plastics such as polypropylene, Kevlar®, Nomex® or carbon polymer and plastic materials comprising one type or several types of fibers.

Advantageously, the impact-absorbing layer 70 which is capable of absorbing and distributing the impact is constructed as having a cellular structure formed between thin vertical walls 71. With reference to Figure 4, the thin walls 71 of the cells 72 are oriented vertically so that any external impact applies substantially perpendicular to the plane of the walls 71.

In one preferred embodiment, the impact-absorbing layer 70 has a honeycomb structure or net- work structure which is capable of absorbing and distributing the impact.

The impact-absorbing layer 70 comprises an array of hollow cells 72 formed between thin vertical walls 71. Preferably the cells 72 are columnar and polygonal in shape. The cells 72 are oriented vertically so that any external impact to the perimetric body of the toe protector 10 applies sub- stantially in-plane direction to the polygonal structure. In this manner external impacts might break the walls 71 of the cells 72 one after another in time so that the toe cap 10 might be replaced one other toe cap 10 when it is worn out by impacts and becomes inadequate in terms of resilience and thus protection capacity. Number of polygonal cells 72 in the impact-absorbing layer 70 may vary.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention the cells 72 are hexagonal in shape. Accordingly, the impact-absorbing layer 70 of the present invention has a honeycomb structure. The geometry of the cells 72 provides high energy absorption and distribution for minimum weight relative to the horizontal orientation of the cells 72 in which the external impact applies out-of -plane direction to the honeycomb structure.

The thickness of the impact-absorbing layer 70 may also vary. In one embodiment the thickness of the impact-absorbing layer 70 is within the range of 8-20 mm. The thickness of the thin vertical walls 71 of the cells 72 may also vary. In one embodiment the thicknesses of the thin vertical walls 71 of the cells 72 are within the range of 0.1-0.3 mm.

The impact-absorbing layer 70 having a honeycomb structure may be manufactured by a usual injection molding process, or any other suitable process well known to a person skilled in this technical field.

Thus in view of above impact-absorbing layer 70, the impact exerted against the front wall 30 of the toe protector 10 is partly transmitted to the toes of the foot.

In one another embodiment the front wall 30 is provided with additional thin layers inbetween the protective hard layer and the cushioning soft layer, and inbetween the cushioning soft layer and the impact-absorbing layer 70. These layers may be selected from Kevlar ®, Nomex ® and polycarbon threaded fabric.

It is noted that the toe protector of the present invention can be adapted to various models of sports shoes for running, but can also be attached or mounted to shoes intended for different use. The materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions may vary without departing from the scope of the invention.

The above description of the present invention by its exemplary and preferred embodiments does not restrict the invention to these embodiments described. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A detachable toe protector 10 for a sports shoe, comprising a perimetric body 20 which is formed arcuate, the perimetric body 20 comprising a front wall 30 having a concave inner face shaped to fit on the toe part of the shoe or to accommodate a user's toes, the perimetric body 20 extending from the front wall 30 along the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides of the shoe or along the lower side edges of the shoe, the perimetric body 20 provided with attachment means 60 to prevent the toe protector's 10 unintended disengagement from the shoe, characterized in that the front wall 30 being formed of mul- tiple layers having at least one impact-absorbing layer 70 and at least one cushioning soft layer.

2. The toe protector 10 according to claim 1, characterized in that the impact-absorbing layer 70 has a cellular structure formed between thin vertical walls 71 so that any external impact to the toe protector applies in-plane direction to the walls 71.

3. Toe protector 10 according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the impact-absorbing layer 70 comprises an array of hollow cells 72.

4. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the impact- absorbing layer 70 comprises an array of columnar hollow cells 72 having polygonal shape.

5. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the impact- absorbing layer 70 comprises an array of columnar hollow cells 72 having hexagonal shape.

6. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the impact- absorbing layer 70 has a honeycomb structure.

7. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the impact- absorbing layer 70 is made of a material with a high strength and medium to low elastic flexibility.

8. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cushioning soft layer is made of a flexible material with high ductility.

9. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it further comprises a protective hard layer as the outmost layer.

10. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the attachment means 60 comprises notches extending from, and connected to the perimetric body 20, the notches being adapted to engage with the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides or with the lower side walls of the shoe.

11. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the attachment means 60 comprises mechanical fastening elements for engaging with further mechanical fastening elements on a surface of the shoe to which the toe protector 10 is to be attached.

12. Toe protector according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the extension of the perimetric body 20 exceeds metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot wearing a shoe comprising the toe protector 10.

13. Toe protector according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the thickness of the perimetric body 20 gradually decreases from the front wall 30 to the side walls 40, 50.

14. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the perimetric body 20 comprises side walls 40, 50 being adapted to firmly engage with the peripheral edges of the left and right hand sides or with the lower side wall of the shoe.

15. Toe protector 10 according to any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the two side walls 40, 50 are sufficiently flexible and resilient that can be deformed and retain their shapes when deformation force is removed.

16. Toe protector according to any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the length (LI) of the front wall 30 is shorter than the length (L2) of the side walls 40, 50.

17. A shoe comprising a toe protector 10 as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16.

18. Shoe as claimed in claim 17, being a sports shoe.

19. A shoe comprising attachment means for the attachment of a toe protector 10 as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16.