Patent ID: 8051581

Claim:
An article of footwear comprising: a foot-receiving portion configured to extend over a portion of a foot of a wearer, and the foot-receiving portion being configured to extend to medial and lateral side of the foot, and the foot-receiving portion including a binding element; and a sole portion having a top surface for contacting the foot and a lower surface for provided for ground engagement, a midsole, a plurality of apertures extending through the top surface and the lower surface, the apertures being configured to receive the binding element therein to attach the foot-receiving portion to the sole portion; wherein the foot-receiving portion in an unassembled state is generally flat and, the foot-receiving portion in an assembled configuration retains a three-dimensional shape; the sole portion including a channel for retaining the binding element, wherein the foot-receiving portion includes a plurality of fingers extending to one of the medial side and lateral side.