Flexible Footwear With Puncture Resistant Sole And Reinforced Strap Mounting

Abstract

A flexible article of footwear, such as a sandal or the like, with a puncture resistant sole and reinforced strap mount. The article of footwear can also have an adjustable forefoot strap, and the sole can have a midsole, outsole and puncture resistant plate that can be integrally molded together. In some embodiments, the insole can be contoured to match the contour of the wearer's foot compete with arch support.

1 . An article of footwear having:
 an upper;   a sole structure operably secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising an insole, and an outsole defining a ground engaging portion; and,   a flexible, puncture resistant plate operably secured to the sole between the insole and the outsole, the plate substantially covering the ground engaging portion..   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper includes a forefoot strap operably secured to the sole thereby defining a sandal. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 2 , further including an adjustment structure operably secured to the forefoot strap for adjusting the fit of the forefoot strap on a wearer's foot. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , further including a flex groove extending into the outsole. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , further including an midsole operably secured to the sole between the plate and the outsole. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein said forefoot strap includes a toe stay, and said insole includes a hole for receiving the toe stay therethrough. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 6 , wherein the insole has a bottom surface and the toe stay has a distal end secured to the bottom surface of the insole. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , further including a grommet encircling the hole for receiving the toe stay therethrough. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , where the bottom surface of the insole is bonded to an upper surface of the plate thereby reinforcing the toe stay. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plate is contoured to conform to the shape of a wearer's foot. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 10 , wherein the plate defines an arch support. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , further including a spacer operably secured between the bottom of the insole and the top of the plate, the spacer having substantially the same thickness of the distal end of the toe stay. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the spacer includes openings for receiving the distal end of the toe stay therein. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the openings are integrally molded with the spacer.