Sole Structure for Shoe and Shoe Including the Sole Structure

Abstract

A sole structure includes a thin plate made of an elastic material having a higher elastic modulus than that of a midsole and stacked on a lower side of the midsole and a shock-absorbing body made of a soft-elastic material and abutting on a lower surface of the plate at least in a hindfoot area. The plate extends from a position corresponding to calcaneus of the foot of a shoe wearer at least to a position corresponding to first interphalangeal joint of the foot in a longitudinal direction, is interposed between the midsole and the shock-absorbing body in the hindfoot area, is interposed between the midsole and an outsole in a forefoot area, and is formed such that at least a portion of the plate serves as an exposed portion in which a lower surface is exposed above a grounding surface in a midfoot area.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sole structure for a shoe which includes a midsole which is made of a soft-elastic material and an upper surface of which serves as a foot sole support surface that supports a sole of a foot of a shoe wearer and an outsole which is made of an elastic material having a higher hardness than that of the midsole and a lower surface of which serves as a grounding surface, the sole structure comprising:
 a thin plate made of an elastic material having a higher elastic modulus than that of the midsole and stacked on a lower side of the midsole over the outsole; and   a shock-absorbing body made of a soft-elastic material and stacked on an upper side of the outsole so as to abut on a lower surface of the plate at least in a hindfoot area of the shoe,   
       wherein
 the plate
 extends from a position corresponding to calcaneus of the foot of the shoe wearer at least to a position corresponding to first interphalangeal joint of the foot in a longitudinal direction, 
 is interposed between the midsole and the shock-absorbing body in the hindfoot area of the shoe, 
 is interposed between the midsole and the outsole in a forefoot area of the shoe, and 
 is formed such that at least a portion of the plate serves as an exposed portion in which a lower surface of the plate is exposed in a position above the grounding surface in a midfoot area of the shoe. 
 
 
     
     
         2 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 1 , wherein
 in the plate, at least one protruding portion that protrudes or is raised upwardly from an upper surface or downwardly from the lower surface is formed at least in the midfoot area of the shoe.   
     
     
         3 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 2 , wherein
 the at least one protruding portion is formed in the exposed portion of the plate.   
     
     
         4 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 2 , wherein
 the protruding portion is a linear protruding portion that extends in a longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         5 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 1 , wherein
 the shock-absorbing body is formed so as to extend from the hindfoot area to the midfoot area of the shoe, and   an opening that passes through in a vertical direction is formed in the shock-absorbing body and the exposed portion of the plate is formed by the opening.   
     
     
         6 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 1 , wherein
 the shock-absorbing body is provided only in the hindfoot area.   
     
     
         7 . The sole structure for a shoe of  claim 6 , wherein
 an opening that passes through in the vertical direction is formed in a central portion of the shock-absorbing body in a foot width direction.   
     
     
         8 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 1 .   
     
     
         9 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 2 .   
     
     
         10 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 3 .   
     
     
         11 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 4 .   
     
     
         12 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 5 .   
     
     
         13 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 6 .   
     
     
         14 . A shoe comprising:
 the sole structure for a shoe of  claim 7 .