Patent ID: 8372234
Filing Date: 2013-02-12
Classification: A43B,B29D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing footwear comprising: injection molding a first polymeric material on a first base material to form a first exoskeleton part, the first exoskeleton part holding the first base material in a three-dimensional configuration, thereby substantially preventing the first base material from returning to a substantially two-dimensional configuration, injection molding a second polymeric material to form a second exoskeleton part separate from the first exoskeleton part; providing a footwear forepart and a footwear rearpart, at least one of the footwear forepart and footwear rearpart including a primary margin, the other of the footwear forepart and footwear rearpart including an overlap margin, the overlap margin adapted to be overlapped by the primary margin by at least one of first distance corresponding to a first shoe size and a second distance corresponding to a second shoe size different from the first shoe size, the footwear forepart including at least one of the first exoskeleton part and the second exoskeleton part, the footwear rearpart including the other of the at least one of the first exoskeleton part and the second exoskeleton part; selecting either the first shoe size or the second shoe size to be the size of the footwear; aligning the footwear forepart and the footwear rearpart adjacent one another; overlapping the overlap margin and the primary margin by either the first distance or the second distance based on said selecting step; contacting the overlap margin with the primary margin at a contact area; and joining the overlap margin with the primary margin at the contact area to permanently and fixedly join the footwear forepart and the footwear rearpart along a joint, wherein at least one of the first exoskeleton part and the second exoskeleton part includes the primary margin and the other of the at least one of the first exoskeleton part and the second exoskeleton part includes the overlap margin, whereby an operator can switch back and forth between making footwear having the first shoe size and footwear having the second shoe size using the same type of footwear foreparts and footwear rearparts to provide the different sizes of the footwear.