Direct attach footwear construction

Abstract

A shoe construction having an outsole direct attached to a midsole with a mechanical interlock. The outsole includes a bottom and a wall extends upwardly therefrom, optionally around the entire periphery of the outsole. At a pre-selected distance above the bottom, a rib or a plurality of protrusions extend inwardly from the wall so that a void is defined between the protrusions and the bottom. The midsole is direct attached to the upper, the bottom, the wall and the protrusions. The protrusions enhance the mechanical securement of the midsole to the outsole. To assemble the construction, the outsole and the upper are positioned in a mold a pre-selected distance apart to form a cavity. A plastic material is injected into the cavity and direct attaches to the outsole and upper. As the plastic material fills the cavity, it seeps into the void defined between the projections and the upper surface.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:  
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising: 
 an upper including a lower peripheral edge;    an outsole including a wearing surface, an upper surface opposite the wearing surface, a peripheral wall extending upwardly around at least a portion of the upper surface, said peripheral wall including at least one protrusion extending inwardly from said peripheral wall and disposed above said upper surface a first pre-selected distance; and    a material direct attached to said lower peripheral edge and said outsole so that said lower peripheral wall and the outsole are joined substantially only by direct attachment of the material to both the lower peripheral wall and the outsole.    
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein said outsole is disposed substantially entirely below said lower peripheral edge a second pre-selected distance.  
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein the peripheral wall includes a terminating end, said lower peripheral edge disposed a second pre-selected distance above the terminating end.  
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein the wearing surface includes a tread, and a portion of the tread is reflected in the upper surface.  
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein the upper surface is textured to increase the surface area thereof.  
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5  wherein at least a portion of the upper surface conforms to the tread so that at least one recess is formed in the upper surface and wherein the material substantially fills the at least one recess.  
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein the protrusions are circular sections and are substantially encapsulated by the material.  
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7  wherein the material is polyurethane.  
     
     
         9 . A footwear construction comprising: 
 an upper;    a midsole direct attached to said upper, said midsole including a base and defining a peripheral groove; and    an outsole including a wearing surface and an upper surface opposite said wearing surface, said outsole including a periphery bounded at least partially by a wall, said wall including a wall interior and at least one protrusion extending inwardly from said wall interior, said protrusion direct attached to said midsole within said peripheral groove to form a mechanical interlock between the outsole and said midsole, said outsole secured to the upper substantially only by direct attachment of the upper to the midsole and direct attachment of the midsole to the outsole.    
     
     
         10 . The footwear construction of  claim 9  wherein said wall exterior is viewable by a wearer.  
     
     
         11 . The footwear construction of  claim 9  wherein said at least one protrusion is a rib, and wherein the peripheral groove conforms to said rib and said midsole encapsulates said rib.  
     
     
         12 . The footwear construction of  claim 9  wherein said at least one protrusion extends substantially around the periphery.  
     
     
         13 . The footwear construction of  claim 12  wherein said at least one protrusion is of a circular section shape.  
     
     
         14 . The footwear construction of  claim 9  wherein the midsole includes a midsole exterior.  
     
     
         15 . The footwear construction of  claim 14  wherein the wall exterior and the midsole exterior are both viewable by a user.  
     
     
         16 . The footwear construction of  claim 14  wherein said midsole exterior co-terminates with said wall exterior.  
     
     
         17 . A method for constructing an article of footwear comprising: 
 providing an upper;    providing an outsole including a bottom and a wall extending upwardly from the bottom and including an inwardly extending protrusion separated from the bottom a pre-selected distance to form a void;    positioning the outsole and upper in a mold;    introducing a material into the mold between the outsole and the upper so that the outsole and upper are secured together substantially only by the direct attachment of the material to both, wherein the material substantially fills the void and substantially encapsulates the protrusion.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the bottom includes an upper surface and a tread, and wherein the tread is reflected in the upper surface to define a plurality of recesses.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the material substantially fills the recesses in said introducing step.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the encapsulation of the protrusion forms a mechanical interlock between the material and the outsole when the material cures.