ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR COMPRISING A UNITARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND MEHTOD OF MANUFACTURE

摘要

An article of footwear comprising a molded unitary support structure preferably constructed of substantially continuous fibers aligned in one or more defined orientations disposed within a harden resin matrix and methods of manufacturing is disclosed. The unitary support strucutre comprises a plurality of wall structures including a sole that extend generally from a front end region configured to underlie the toe region of the foot to a back region configured and side wall strucutres that extend from the sides of the sole. The wall structures are partitioned from one another to facilitate flex and provide structural and functional indepedence between partitioned regions. The vertical and longitudinal locations of the partitioned are configured to coincide with defined locations relative to the foot so as to facilitate natural movement bending in the foot while also providing the needed support as well as the desired flexibility in attached ground engaging structures. An upper portion overlies and conform to the wall strucutres of unitary support structure and extends from its perimeter regions to further encapsulate the foot and provide comfort, fit and performance traditionally obtained fromlasted articles of footwear. A prefered method of manufacture includes the step of forming a male mold, overlaying it with plies of substantially continous groups of alinged fibers oriented in defined directions to form an uncured-preform construct of the unitary support structure, which is then cured in a female mold, partitioned and incorporated into an article of footwear. Regions of the wall structures including the sole may be formed to include variations in strength, flexibility and/or elastic modulus in one or more directions.