Method and Product for Manufacturing Vulcanized Footwear or Cupsole Footwear

Abstract

A vulc style and cupsole style footwear and a method for manufacturing the footwear are disclosed. The footwear includes a midsole that is directly attached to the upper. The midsole may be attached to the outsole by adhesive. In the method of manufacturing the footwear, the upper and an outsole are disposed a set distance apart. Polyurethane or other material for providing cushioning to the footwear is either injected between the upper and outsole or poured onto the outsole and the upper is traversed over the outsole so as to define the mold for defining the midsole. The polyurethane is directly attached to the upper and adhered to the outsole/cupsole.

1 . A footwear comprising:
 an upper defining a bottom surface and an exterior shell;   a midsole fused to the bottom surface of the upper, the midsole defining a bottom surface; and   an outsole attached to the bottom surface of the midsole.   
     
     
         2 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the outsole is adhered to the bottom surface of the midsole. 
     
     
         3 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the exterior shell defines a bottom peripheral portion and the midsole is bonded to the bottom peripheral portion of the exterior shell. 
     
     
         4 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the midsole and the outsole are both polyurethane and the polyurethane of the midsole has a lower density compared to the polyurethane of the outsole so that the midsole provides cushioning and the outsole provide wear resistance. 
     
     
         5 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the outsole is a cupsole with the midsole adhered to the interior surface of the cupsole and a lip of the cupsole adhered to a bottom peripheral portion of the upper. 
     
     
         6 . The footwear of  claim 1  further comprising a foxing attached to the outer periphery of the outsole, and the midsole is adhered to the inner surface of the foxing and an upper surface of the outsole. 
     
     
         7 . The footwear of  claim 1  wherein the midsole is bonded to the entire bottom surface of the upper to facilitate force transfer between a wearer's foot and outsole. 
     
     
         8 . A method of manufacturing footwear, the method comprising the steps of:
 disposing an outsole on a first plate, the outsole defining a top surface;   disposing a upper in a second plate wherein the second plate is traverseable to a first position with respect to the first plate;   disposing settable liquid on the top surface of the outsole;   traversing the second plate to the first position with respect to the first plate so that a bottom surface of the upper is adjacent to the settable liquid on an opposite side from the outsole, the top surface of the outsole and the bottom surface of the upper defines a mold for forming a midsole from the settable liquid;   curing the settable liquid to a solid state to bond the midsole to the bottom surface of the upper.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the step of applying an adhesive to the upper surface of the outsole to adhere the midsole to the outsole. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the disposing an outsole on the first plate includes disposing a cupsole on the first plate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the second plate includes first and second parts that clamp around the lasted upper when the first and second parts are in a closed position, and the method further comprises the step of first applying adhesive to a lip of the cupsole, second traversing the second plate to the first position so that the lip of the cupsole is positioned between the upper and the first and second parts, and third traversing the first and second parts to the closed position to apply pressure on the lip of the cupsole to the upper. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising the step of activating the applied adhesive. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the activating step comprises the step of activating the applied adhesive with light or heat. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the traversing step includes the step of rotating the first and second plates with respect to each other about a common pivot axis. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising the step of lasting the upper and disposing the lasted upper in the second plate. 
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing footwear, the method comprising the steps of:
 disposing an outsole on a first plate, the outsole defining a top surface;   disposing a lasted upper in a second plate wherein the second plate is traverseable to a first position with respect to the first plate;   traversing the second plate to the first position with respect to the first plate so that a bottom surface of the lasted upper is adjacent the outsole so as to define a mold for a midsole;   injecting settable liquid between the bottom surface of the lasted upper and the outsole;   curing the settable liquid to a solid state to form the midsole;   attaching the settable liquid to the upper and the outsole.