Unitary composite article and method of making same

摘要

The present invention involves a unitary composite article and method of making same. The unitary composite article comprises a one-piece, plastic body and a stiffening material. The one-piece plastic body includes a collapsible first portion having an inner cavity defined by an outer wall formed by an injection molding process. The plastic of the outer wall has a thickness which makes the outer wall susceptible to collapse into the inner cavity during normal usage of the article. The stiffening material substantially fills the inner cavity by an injection process. The stiffening material provides rigidity to the article to prevent collapse of the outer wall into the inner cavity when the plastic body experiences substantial external forces at the first portion during normal usage.