Footwear outsole inlcuding gripping tread

Abstract

An outsole for an article of footwear including a plurality of laterally extending walls where each pair of adjacent walls defines a channel. The outsole also includes a plurality of receptacles between the adjacent walls where the channel extends across each of the receptacles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An outsole for an article of footwear comprising:
 a plurality of laterally extending walls, each pair of adjacent walls defining a channel; and   a plurality of receptacles between said adjacent walls, said channel extending across each of said receptacles.   
     
     
         2 . The outsole of  claim 1 , wherein each of said walls is integrally formed and extends between a medial side and a lateral side of the outsole. 
     
     
         3 . The outsole of  claim 1 , wherein each of said walls has a zig-zag shape. 
     
     
         4 . The outsole of  claim 1 , wherein each of said receptacles is diamond-shaped. 
     
     
         5 . The outsole of  claim 1 , wherein each of said receptacles includes inwardly extending surfaces meeting a center point. 
     
     
         6 . The outsole of  claim 5 , wherein each of said surfaces of said receptacles includes a plurality of steps. 
     
     
         7 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an outsole having a front side, a rear side, a medial side and a lateral side;   a plurality of walls extending between said medial and said lateral sides of said outsole, each pair of adjacent walls defining a channel;   a plurality of receptacles between said adjacent walls, said channel extending between said medial and said lateral sides of said outsole;   a toe tread portion at said front side of said outsole; and   a heel tread portion at said rear side of said outsole.   
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein said toe tread portion includes rearwardly facing lugs. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein said heel tread portion includes fowardly facing lugs. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion each include lugs, said lugs of said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion extending in opposite directions. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein said outsole includes a peripheral edge and said walls extend to said peripheral edge on said medial and lateral sides of the outsole. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion each include a plurality of overlapping lugs. 
     
     
         13 . An outsole for an article of footwear comprising:
 a plurality of laterally spaced receptacles, each of said receptacles including a plurality of angled surfaces meeting at a center point.   
     
     
         14 . The outsole of  claim 13 , wherein said angled surfaces of said receptacles each include steps. 
     
     
         15 . The outsole of  claim 13 , further comprising a channel extending across said receptacles. 
     
     
         16 . The outsole of  claim 13 , wherein each of said receptacles is diamond-shaped.