Footwear suspension system

Abstract

Footwear includes an upper, an outsole attached to a lower portion of the upper; and a sock liner disposed within to the upper and attached to a region of the upper above a bottom portion of the sock liner, the sock liner having a heel portion spaced above a top surface of the outsole, the sock liner attached to the upper

1 . Footwear comprising:
 an upper;   an outsole attached to a lower portion of the upper; and   a sock liner disposed within to the upper and attached to a region of the upper above a bottom portion of the sock liner, the sock liner having a heel portion spaced above a top surface of the outsole, the sock liner attached to the upper.   
     
     
         2 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the upper is formed of injection-molded plastic. 
     
     
         3 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the sock liner includes a mesh. 
     
     
         4 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the sock liner includes over-molded injection molded plastic. 
     
     
         5 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising replaceable pods attached to a bottom surface of the outsole. 
     
     
         6 . The footwear of  claim 5  wherein the replaceable pods include layers of different colors. 
     
     
         7 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising a shock absorber including:
 a base shank attached to an upper surface of the outsole; and 
 a side shank integrally attached to the base shank and a side region of the upper. 
 
     
     
         8 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of shock absorbers each having a different stiffness characteristic. 
     
     
         9 . The footwear of  claim 5  further comprising an adjustable shock absorber including:
 a post attached positioned between the outsole and the upper; 
 a resilient member attached to the post; 
 a regulator configured to adjust the level of resilience of the resilient member. 
 
     
     
         10 . The footwear of  claim 9  wherein the regulator includes a rotatable knob. 
     
     
         11 . The footwear of  claim 9  wherein the resilient member is a coiled spring surrounding the post. 
     
     
         12 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising a shock absorber including:
 a back strip attached between the outsole and an upper region of the upper; and 
 at least one stiffening band attached to a surface of the back strip; and 
 a regulator configured to adjust the level of stiffness of the at least one stiffening band. 
 
     
     
         13 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of back strips, each including at least one stiffening band attached to a surface of a corresponding one of the back strips and a regulator, one of the plurality of back strips attached to a first side region of the upper and another one of the plurality of back strips attached to a second side region, opposite the first side region of the upper. 
     
     
         14 . The footwear of  claim 12  wherein the regulator includes a rotatable knob. 
     
     
         15 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising replaceable cleats configured to be attached to the lower portion of the upper. 
     
     
         16 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising replaceable cleats configured to be attached to a bottom surface of the outsole.