Footwear having a sole assembly with a concave chassis for a welt construction and associated methods

Abstract

Footwear assemblies with a light weight sole assembly securely attached to an upper and associated methods are described herein. In one embodiment, a footwear assembly includes an upper connected to a light weight sole assembly, wherein the sole assembly has a durable outsole securely attached to a lightweight midsole, and a lightweight cradle style chassis is attached to the midsole. The chassis has a body and sidewalls extending upwardly from the lateral and medial side portions of the body to define a concave structure that receives a portion of the upper therein. At least a portion of the upper is cemented to the chassis, and edge portions of the upper are stitched to the sidewalls of the chassis.

1 . A footwear assembly, comprising:
 an upper with a top portion and a bottom portion, the bottom portion has medial and lateral side portions; and   a multi-layer sole assembly connected to the upper, the sole assembly comprises:
 an outsole defining a first layer and having a top outsole surface; 
 a midsole attached to the top outsole surface and defining a second layer, the midsole being made of a first material and having a top midsole surface; and 
 a chassis having a cradle configuration and defining a third layer, the chassis being made of a second material different than the first material, the chassis being attached to the top midsole surface with the midsole intermediate the chassis and the outsole, the chassis having a full-length body portion having a toe portion, a heel portion, a medial side portion and a lateral side portion, the body portion being supported atop the midsole, the chassis having a medial sidewall projecting from the medial side portion and extending between the toe and heel portions, and a lateral sidewall projecting from the lateral side portion and extending between the toe and heel portion, the medial and lateral sidewalls and the body defining a concave receiving area that defines the cradle configuration and that receives the bottom portion of the upper therein, wherein the medial and lateral side portions of the upper are stitched with stitching to interior surfaces of the medial and lateral sidewalls, respectively, with a Welt construction. 
   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion of the upper is cemented to the body portion of the chassis. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion of the upper has a toe portion connected to the medial and lateral side portions, and wherein the lateral and medial sidewalls terminate at forward end portions spaced apart from each other and proximate to the toe portion of the body without extending fully around the toe portion of the body, and the outsole has a toe bumper disposed between the forward end portions and connected to the toe portion of the upper. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 3  wherein the forward end portions of the medial and lateral sidewalls are immediately adjacent to edges of the toe bumper and uncovered by the toe bumper. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 3  wherein at least a portion of the medial and lateral sidewalls is covered by the toe bumper. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion of the upper has a heel portion connected to the medial and lateral portions, and wherein the lateral and medial sidewalls terminate at rearward end portions spaced apart from each other and proximate to the heel portion of the body, and the outsole has a heel guard disposed between the forward end portions and connected to the heel portion of the upper. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6  wherein the rearward end portions of the medial and lateral sidewalls are immediately adjacent to edges of the heel guard and uncovered by the heel guard. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 6  wherein at least a portion of the medial and lateral sidewalls is covered by the heel guard. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 3  wherein the bottom portion of the upper has a heel portion connected to the medial and lateral portions, and wherein the lateral and medial sidewalls terminate at rearward end portions spaced apart from each other and proximate to the heel portion of the body, and the outsole has a heel guard disposed between the forward end portions and connected to the heel portion of the upper. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the midsole is a full length midsole and the body portion of the chassis fully covers the top midsole surface. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the midsole is a full length midsole and the body portion of the chassis has an opening that exposes at least a portion of the top midsole surface. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the upper has an exterior layer that defines the medial and lateral side portions, and the upper has a waterproof inner layer coupled to an inner surface of the exterior layer, portions of the waterproof inner layer being adjacent to the medial and lateral side portions of the exterior layer, and wherein the stitching extends through the medial and lateral sidewalls and through the medial and lateral side portions of the exterior layer, and the stitching does not extend through the waterproof inner layer. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 12  wherein the waterproof inner layer is a full-foot booty with an underfoot portion positioned atop the body portion of the chassis. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 13  wherein the underfoot portion is cemented to the body portion. 
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the medial and lateral sidewalls are integrally connected to the body portion. 
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the chassis has toe and heel sidewalls connected to the medial and lateral sidewalls and that wrap around the toe and heel portions, respectively of the body portion, and the toe and heel portions of the upper are stitched to the toe and heel sidewalls, respectively, in a Welt construction. 
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the upper includes an insole board and the medial and lateral side portions of the upper are wrapped around portions of the insole board. 
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 17  wherein the insole board is cemented to the body portion of the chassis. 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the body portion is a full-length, one-piece layer integrally connected to the medial and lateral sidewalls. 
     
     
         20 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the outsole is a one-piece, full-length rubber outsole. 
     
     
         21 . A waterproof footwear assembly, comprising:
 an upper having an exterior layer and an interior waterproof layer, the exterior layer having a bottom portion with medial and lateral side portions; and   a sole assembly connected to the upper, the sole assembly comprises:
 an outsole made of a first material; 
 a midsole connected to a top of the outsole and made of a second material different than the first material; and 
 a chassis made of a third material different than the second material, the chassis having a cradle configuration and being attached to a top of the midsole intermediate the chassis and the outsole, the chassis having a body with a toe portion, a heel portion, a medial side portion and a lateral side portion, the body being supported atop the midsole, the chassis having a medial sidewall projecting from the medial side portion and extending between the toe and heel portions, and a lateral sidewall projecting from the lateral side portion and extending between the toe and heel portion, the medial and lateral sidewalls and the body defining a concave receiving area forming the cradle configuration that receives a portion of the upper therein between the medial and lateral sidewalls, wherein the medial and lateral side portions of the exterior layer are stitched with stitching to the medial and lateral sidewalls, respectively, with a Welt construction, and wherein the stitching does not extend through the interior waterproof layer. 
   
     
     
         22 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein at least one of the exterior layer or the interior waterproof layer is cemented to the body of the chassis. 
     
     
         23 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein the exterior layer has a toe portion connected to the medial and lateral side portions, and wherein the lateral and medial sidewalls terminate at forward end portions spaced apart from each other and proximate to the toe portion of the exterior layer, and the outsole has a toe bumper disposed between the forward end portions and connected to the toe portion of the exterior layer. 
     
     
         24 . The assembly of  claim 23  wherein the forward end portions of the medial and lateral sidewalls are immediately adjacent to edges of the toe bumper and are fully uncovered by the toe bumper. 
     
     
         25 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein the exterior layer has a heel portion connected to the medial and lateral side portions, and wherein the lateral and medial sidewalls terminate at rearward end portions spaced apart from each other and proximate to the heel portion of the exterior layer, and the outsole has a heel guard disposed between the forward end portions and connected to the heel portion of the exterior layer. 
     
     
         26 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein the body is a full-length member that fully covers a top surface of the midsole. 
     
     
         27 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein the waterproof inner layer is a full-foot booty with an underfoot portion positioned atop the body of the chassis. 
     
     
         28 . The assembly of  claim 21  wherein the medial and lateral sidewalls wrap around the toe and heel portions of the body and are integrally connected to each other, and the medial and lateral side portions of the exterior layer are stitched to the medial and lateral sidewalls around the toe and heel portions in a Welt construction. 
     
     
         29 . A method of manufacturing a footwear assembly having an upper and a sole assembly, wherein the sole assembly has an outsole layer, a midsole layer attached to a top portion of the outsole layer, and a chassis layer, the method comprising:
 attaching the chassis layer to a top portion of the midsole layer wherein the midsole layer is intermediate the chassis and the outsole;   positioning the upper on the chassis, wherein the upper has a bottom portion with medial and lateral side portions, and the chassis has a body with a toe portion, a heel portion, a medial side portion and a lateral side portion, the body being supported atop the midsole, the chassis having a medial sidewall projecting from the medial side portion and extending between the toe and heel portions, and a lateral sidewall projecting from the lateral side portion and extending between the toe and heel portion, the medial and lateral sidewalls and the body defining a cradle configuration with a concave receiving area that receives a portion of the upper therein between the medial and lateral sidewalls, the upper being positioned with the medial side portion of the upper adjacent to the medial sidewall of the chassis and the lateral side portion of the upper adjacent to the lateral sidewall of the chassis;   stitching the medial side portion of the upper directly to the medial sidewall of the chassis in a Welt construction; and   stitching the lateral side portion of the upper directly to the lateral sidewall of the chassis in a Welt construction.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising cementing a portion of the upper's bottom portion to the body of the chassis. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the chassis has a toe sidewall extending between the medial and lateral sidewalls, and further comprising stitching a toe portion of the upper to the toe sidewall. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the chassis has a heel sidewall extending between the medial and lateral sidewalls, and further comprising stitching a heel portion of the upper to the heel sidewall.