Safety footwear

Abstract

A method of constructing footwear includes providing a mold having an inner cavity, injecting an expandable material into the inner cavity, removing the expandable material from the inner cavity such that the material expands to form a footwear-shaped shell having an inner cavity and at least one recessed area offset from an inner surface of the shell, and inserting a chassis within the inner cavity of the expanded shell. The chassis has one or more components adapted to protect a user's foot from injury. The insertion of the chassis within the shell permanently affixes the one or more components within the at least one recessed area of the shell.

1 . A method of constructing footwear comprising:
 providing a mold having an inner cavity;   injecting an expandable material into the inner cavity;   removing the expandable material from the inner cavity, such that the material expands to form a footwear-shaped shell, the shell having an inner cavity and at least one recessed area offset from an inner surface of the shell; and   inserting a chassis within the inner cavity of the expanded shell, the chassis having one or more components adapted to protect a user's foot from injury, wherein insertion of the chassis within the shell permanently affixes the one or more components within the at least one recessed area of the shell.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein inserting the chassis within the inner cavity of the shell comprises positioning a stop surface of the one or more components so that it interferes with a stop surface arranged adjacent the at least one recessed area. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein interference between the stop surfaces secures the one or more components within the at least one recessed area. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising adhering the one or more components of the chassis to the at least one recessed area. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the shell is composed of a corrosive-resistant material, or a material selected from the group consisting of a polyolefin elastomer, ethyl vinyl acetate, an expandable polymer, or a co-polymerized material suitable for cross-link foaming in a post-injection expandable foaming process. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the shell is impermeable to water or other solutions. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the chassis includes a toe cap composed of rigid material, a heel counter, and an insole board engaged to the top cap and heel counter, and wherein the one or more components comprise the toe cap and heel counter. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the chassis includes a metatarsal guard adapted to be positioned over a user's metatarsal region to protect the user's metatarsal region from injury. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the chassis includes a puncture-resistant insole engaged to the toe cap and heel counter. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the stop surface adjacent the at least one recessed area is at an acute angle to the inner surface of the shell. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each recessed area includes a set of stop surfaces arranged at an angle to the inner surface of the shell, and each component includes corresponding stop surfaces adapted to engage with the stop surfaces of the shell to retain the component within the recessed area. 
     
     
         12 . The footwear system according to method  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is expandable from a first dimension to a second greater dimension to permanently lock the chassis in place within the shell.