| C L A I M S 1. Top piece for footwear that comprises a piece (4) of plastic or rubber elastomeric material designed to be in contact with the ground, and at least one securing element (3,7) for securing said piece (4) to said heel (2), said elastomeric material having a hardness degree of less than 100 degrees Shore (A) or less than 58 degrees Shore (D), characterized in that said piece (4) includes at least one spring (5) embedded in said elastomeric material, said spring (5) being disposed in correspondence with the securing element (3,7) that is in contact with said piece (4) . 2. Top piece according to claim 1, wherein said spring (5) is helical. 3. Top piece according to claim 2, wherein said helical spring (5) includes sections of different diameter. 4. Top piece according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said elastomeric material has a hardness degree of less than 95 degrees Shore (A) or less than 50 degrees Shore (D) . 5. Top piece according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said elastomeric material is thermoplastic polyurethane . 6. Top piece according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said least one securing element includes a nail (3) , the head (3b) of said nail (3) being embedded in said piece (4) of plastic material, and said nail (3) head (3b) including a spring (5) that surrounds it, jointly forming a single skeleton embedded in the piece (4) of plastic material. 7. Top piece according to claim 6, wherein the head (3b) of said nail (3) includes a profusion (6) whereto an end of said spring (5) is attached. 8. Top piece according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein said least one securing element (7) is produced by means of moulding by injection of said elastomeric material . 9. Top piece according to claim 8, wherein the securing element (7) and said piece (4) consist of a single body. 10. Top piece according to either of claims 8 or 9, wherein said securing element (7) includes a spring (5) embedded in said elastomeric material. 11. Top piece according to claim 10, wherein the length of said spring (5) is substantially equivalent to that of said securing element (7) . 12. Top piece according to either of claims 10 or 11, wherein a stretch of the spring (5) of the securing element (7) is embedded in the piece (4) of said top piece (1), the section of said stretch of spring (5) having a diameter larger than that of the remaining stretch of spring (5) . |
The present invention relates to a top piece for footwear, which brings several advantages and innovative technical and configuration-related characteristics to the function for which it is intended, in addition to others inherent to the organization and constitution thereof, which will be described in detail later and represent an improved alternative to the currently known systems in the current state of the art for the same purpose.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present, the heels of a certain type of footwear, such as, for example, the heels of stiletto- heeled ladies' shoes, are normally finished off at their lower end, which is in contact with the ground while walking, by a top piece that covers the surface thereof to avoid wear of the heel. Said top piece is composed, generally, by a metal nail the tip of which is housed within the heel for securing thereto and the head of which is injected or embedded in a portion of plastic material, normally having a certain hardness and which adopts the profile of the base of the heel, totally covering its surface for the protection thereof.
The conventional top pieces disclosed have the drawback of having a higher and faster wear rate, causing the heel to become unprotected, due to which it will also wear out quickly, spoiling the appearance of the shoe, and causing the anchor nail to project from the base of the heel. This, in addition to producing an unpleasant noise while walking, can cause great damage to certain walking surfaces, such as parquet, when used under such circumstances. In order to avoid wear of the top pieces and increase user walking comfort, improved top pieces have been proposed in the state of the art, such as for example that disclosed in Patent EP0419317. The aforementioned patent relates to a top piece for stiletto-heeled shoes which incorporates a piece that includes soft plastic material, having a hardness degree of approximately 90 Shore (A) . As a result of the presence of said soft plastic material, top piece wear rate is lower and it is more comfortable.
However, the top piece of the aforementioned patent has the drawback of also including at least part of the hard plastic material in contact with the securing element in the top piece. Said hard plastic material is added to ensure top piece resistance to levering and deformation due to torsion or traction suffered by said securing element, especially in stiletto-heeled shoes. For this reason, this top piece continues being just as uncomfortable for the user.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, by developing a top piece for footwear which, while maintaining the ultimate purpose of protecting and avoiding wear of the heel in itself, provides the shoe, and specifically the top piece thereof, with the suitable cushioning means in order to avoid such drawbacks . In accordance with this objective, the top piece for footwear of the present invention comprises a piece of plastic or rubber elastomeric material, designed to be in contact with the ground, and at least one securing element of said piece to said heel, said elastomeric material having a hardness degree of less than 100 degrees Shore (A) or less than 58 degrees Shore (D) , and is characterized in that said piece includes at least one spring embedded in said elastomeric material, said spring being disposed in correspondence with the securing element that is in contact with said piece.
The embedded spring disposed in correspondence with the securing element configures a top piece which has been proven to be highly resistant to both wear and levering, particularly in the case of stiletto-heeled shoes, but also for any other type of footwear wherein the heel surface is protected by means of a top piece.
Additionally, said top piece is very comfortable for the user, as the cushioning effect of the soft elastomeric material that comprises the whole top piece is enhanced by the cushioning effect of the spring embedded in the material. The result is a top piece that very significantly reduces the impact of the user's heel while walking .
Another advantage of the top piece of the present invention lies in the fact that, as the whole piece is made of an elastomeric material with a low degree of hardness, the footwear that incorporates the top piece does not make noise while walking. This is especially relevant in stiletto-heeled shoes wherein, up until now, to prevent the top piece from being levered away from the heel, plastic materials with a high degree of hardness that make a lot of noise while walking have been used exclusively .
Preferably, said spring is helical and, advantageously, said helical spring includes sections of different diameter. In this manner, those sections of smaller diameter will adapt to the smaller dimensions of the securing element with which said spring is in correspondence . Also preferably, said elastomeric material is thermoplastic polyurethane . This provides the top piece with high resistance to abrasion, wear and tear.
Advantageously, said elastomeric material has a hardness degree of less than 95 degrees Shore (A) or less than 50 degrees Shore (D) , as this hardness has been verified as being the most appropriate for achieving both the cushioning effect and top piece levering resistance.
According to a first embodiment wherein at least one securing element includes a nail, the head of said nail being embedded in said piece of plastic material, and said nail head including a spring that surrounds it, jointly forming a single skeleton embedded in the piece of plastic material .
Said configuration improves both impact and wear performance while cushioning the footfall. Therefore, the cushioned footwear top piece represents an innovative structure having structural and constituent characteristics unknown until now for such purpose, reasons which, together with its practical utility, provide sufficient grounds for obtaining the requested privilege of exclusivity.
Advantageously, the head of said nail includes a protusion whereto an end of said spring is attached.
According to a second embodiment wherein at least one securing element is produced by means of moulding by injection of said elastomeric material and, preferably, said securing element and said piece consists of a single body that includes, advantageously, also a spring embedded in the elastomeric material of said securing element. This embodiment allows a very compact top piece to be produced, fully configured from elastomeric material with a low degree of hardness which is very easy to handle and insert in the shoe heel. Additionally, the incorporation of the spring in the securing element reinforces the cushioning effect of the top piece. On the other hand, the applicant has verified that the inclusion of said spring in the securing element further prevents the top piece from being levered away therefrom, thus making it highly resistant . Preferably, the length of said spring is substantially equivalent to that of said securing element.
Advantageously, a stretch of the spring of the securing element is embedded in the body of the piece of said top piece. In this manner, given that the same spring of the securing element is embedded in said piece, the top piece may be configured with a single spring for each securing element produced by means of moulding.
Also advantageously, said spring stretch embedded in the piece has a section with a diameter larger than that of the remaining stretch that is embedded in the securing element. This configuration allows the top piece to be extremely resistant to tear and levering.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to complement this description and with the object of helping to better understand the characteristics of the invention, a set of figures has been included as an integral part of this specification, wherein the following has been represented in an illustrative and non-limiting manner :
Figures 1 and 2 show a sectional and perspective view, respectively, of a first embodiment of the cushioned footwear top piece that is the object of the invention, having been represented suitably incorporated in the stiletto heel for which it is intended, wherein we can observe its constituent parts, in addition to the configuration and disposal thereof.
Figure 3 only shows a view of the securing element of the top piece of Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the top piece which is made of transparent plastic material and includes three elements for securing it to the heel. Figure 5 shows a plan view of the embodiment of Figure 3.
Figure 6 shows a view of the helical spring used in the present invention, with the peculiarity of having sections of different diameter.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In light of figures 1 and 2, and in accordance with the numbering adopted therein, we can observe how the top piece 1 in question, as already mentioned, is designed for a top piece 2 of the "stiletto" type, i.e. very thin, is comprised of a securing element consisting of a nail 3 injected in a piece 4 of plastic elastomeric material.
As we can observe in the aforementioned figures 1 and 2, in order to achieve the securing of the top piece, the tip 3a of said nail 3 is inserted in the lower base of the heel 2 and the head 3b thereof is injected, thereby being embedded in the piece of plastic material 4. The top piece 1 has the peculiarity that the aforementioned nail 3 head 3b includes a helical spring 5 that surrounds it, jointly forming a single skeleton embedded in the piece 4 of plastic material.
It is important to point out that, in order to obtain the desired cushioning effect, said piece 4, which may be made of any thermoplastic or rubber material, of elastomeric type, must be sufficiently soft to stretch together with the spring 5 while walking.
In the embodiments described, the plastic material used is thermoplastic polyurethane, having a hardness degree of less than 95 Shore (A) , specifically, 94 degrees Shore (A) or 42 degrees Shore (D) .
In the representation shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the nail 3 head 3b is equipped with a protusion 6 whereon an end of the helical spring 5 has been threaded. Figures 4 and 5 show a perspective and plan view, respectively, of a second embodiment of the top piece 1 which includes four pins 7 that emerge from the piece 4 for securing the top piece 1 to the heel 2. Said pins 7 are also made up of plastic elastomeric material. In this second embodiment of the top piece 1, each securing element 7 includes a helical spring 5 in its interior, embedded in the plastic material, having sections of different diameter (see Figure 6) . The section with the larger diameter is embedded in the piece 4, while the remaining section of smaller diameter is embedded in the securing element or pin 7 of plastic material.
This top piece configuration, in addition to being very compact, easy to handle and extremely resistant to tear and levering, is also very easy to manufacture. This is due to the fact that, in order to produce it we only have to insert the springs 5 in the cavities of the matrix of the same mould, with which both the piece 4 and securing elements 7 of the top piece 1 are configured, and inject the plastic or elastomeric material. Despite the fact that a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and represented, it is evident that a person skilled in the art could introduce variants and modifications therein, or replace the details by other technically equivalent ones, without exceeding the scope of protection defined by the claims attached hereto.
For example, even though reference has been made herein to the existence of a spring 5 embedded in the piece 4 in correspondence with a securing element 3,7, the top piece 1 of the present invention could also include, and embedded in the piece 4, other springs 5 in those zones which are not in direct correspondence with the securing elements 3,7. This would reinforce the cushioning effect of the top piece.