Patent Description:
In general, materials are isotropic or anisotropic. Isotropic materials have identical properties in all directions. Conversely, properties of anisotropic materials are directionally and geometrically dependent.

Many footwear products incorporate materials that provide a selected degree of stiffness while still allowing for some flexibility for bending during use. Oftentimes, however, desired characteristics within a shoe can be at odds with other desired characteristics. For example, footwear products having sole assemblies that incorporate isotropic materials configured to provide enhanced flexibility and range of motion for the wearer's foot often sacrifice structural stiffness and/or stability. Conversely, the use of isotropic materials to provide enhanced structural stiffness and stability are often at the sacrifice of flexibility.

Some footwear products also incorporate materials that provide protection and security to a wearer's foot. For example, the sole assemblies of footwear products are often designed to protect the bottom of a wearer's foot from rough and uneven terrain. However, most sole assemblies are typically formed from a relatively soft material (e.g., rubber) that offers little puncture protection from sharp objects, such as nails, screws, wires, spikes, etc. To account for this, footwear products configured to offer improved puncture resistance often include sole assemblies having puncture resistant layers formed from very stiff and rigid materials (e.g., metal, rigid plastic, etc.) or very flexible materials (e.g., fabric such as Kevlar®).

However, footwear products that incorporate puncture resistant layers formed from very stiff and rigid materials limit the flexibility of the footwear product, thereby reducing the wearer's comfort, while footwear products that incorporate puncture resistant layers formed from very flexible materials offer limited stiffness and stability, resulting in a reduced ability to distribute point loads over larger portions of the sole assembly. Accordingly, there is a need for a footwear insert that can be used as a puncture resistant layer while providing sufficient flexibility to the wearer's foot motion without limiting the stiffness, stability, and load distribution of the footwear product under foot. Further relevant prior art is described in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. In accordance with the present invention it is provided an anti-puncture footwear insert having the features defined in claim <NUM>. Further it is provided a footwear assembly having the features defined in claim <NUM>.

Various examples of the devices introduced above will now be described in further detail. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however, that the techniques discussed herein may be practiced without many of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that the technology can include many other features not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description.

The terminology used below is to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of some specific examples of the embodiments. Indeed, some terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this section.

<FIG> depicts a footwear insert <NUM> having puncture-resistant and anisotropic bending properties. The insert <NUM> is shown in a planar, un-flexed configuration. The footwear insert <NUM> is formed from a composite assembly <NUM> that comprises a soft layer <NUM> formed from a woven, fiber reinforced material and a hard layer <NUM> formed from a fiber reinforced composite material and fixedly and permanently joined with the soft layer <NUM>. The footwear insert <NUM> has a generally foot-shaped layout that includes a heel portion <NUM> and an opposing forefoot portion <NUM>, where the heel portion <NUM> is configured to be positioned beneath a wearer's heel, and the forefoot portion <NUM> is configured to be positioned beneath a wearer's forefoot when the footwear insert <NUM> is incorporated into a footwear assembly <NUM> (<FIG>). The footwear insert <NUM> has a longitudinal axis <NUM> extending substantially through both the heel portion <NUM> and the forefoot portion <NUM> and a lateral axis <NUM> substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis <NUM>. The composite assembly <NUM> forming the insert <NUM> is a bendable planar assembly which is described herein with reference to the spatial orientation shown in <FIG>. Accordingly, the soft layer <NUM> is shown in <FIG> as a top layer and the hard layer <NUM> is shown as a bottom layer. It is noted that the terms "top" and "bottom" are used for purposes of convenience to discuss orientation, and it is to be understood that the assembly can be positioned in other spatial orientations, such as an inverted orientation to that shown in <FIG>, so that the first layer <NUM> is below the hard layer <NUM>.

<FIG> depicts a footwear assembly <NUM> (e.g., a shoe) having an upper <NUM> shaped to receive a wearer's foot and a sole assembly <NUM> that may include the footwear insert <NUM>. In some embodiments, the footwear assembly <NUM> may be a boot, such as a work boot, hiking boot, safety boot, or some other type of boot. In other embodiments, the footwear assembly <NUM> may be a shoe, such as a dress shoe, casual/life-style shoe, running shoe, cleated shoe, other athletic shoe, Oxford shoe, or other type of shoe. Additionally, the footwear assembly <NUM> can be a sandal or some other type of footwear. The upper <NUM> is fixedly attached along the bottom margin to a sole assembly <NUM>, which includes an outsole <NUM> and a midsole <NUM>, where the midsole is fixedly coupled to the outsole <NUM> and configured to be positioned between the upper <NUM> and the outsole <NUM>. To provide puncture resistance and desirable bending/stiffness properties to the footwear assembly <NUM>, the footwear assembly <NUM> may incorporate the footwear insert <NUM> (<FIG>) into the sole assembly <NUM>. The incorporated insert <NUM> may be coupled to the midsole <NUM> and may be sized and shaped such that it extends fully underfoot from a forefoot portion <NUM>, through an arch portion <NUM>, to a heel portion <NUM> of the footwear assembly <NUM>.

Conventional footwear sole assemblies traditionally focus on one area of improvement at the sacrifice of another. For instance, a running shoe may increase flexibility and cushioning at the sacrifice of stability and protection. The increased flexibility is commonly achieved through outsole and midsole design that provides segments in the sole in flexing regions of the shoe. While this does increase flexibility, the torsional stiffness can be considerably reduced, and the plantar flex protection can be substantively sacrificed. Another instance is a hiking boot that often sacrifices flexibility for increased protection and stability. The use of rigid materials in the construction of the sole of the hiking boot increases the stiffness so as to distribute loads and reduce transmission of point loads to the wearer's foot, thereby preventing, for example, foot bruising from rocks or roots on a hiking trail.

The composite assembly <NUM> in the form of the footwear insert <NUM> of the present technology allows for footwear assemblies to have desirable flexibility in one direction substantially corresponding to the natural flex of a wearer's foot through a gate cycle without the sacrifice of the stability and protection. When integrated into the sole assembly <NUM>, the footwear insert <NUM> is positioned such that the soft layer <NUM> is a dorsal layer configured to be facing upwardly toward a wearer's foot, while the hard layer <NUM> is a plantar layer configured to be layer <NUM> facing downwardly away from the foot towards the outsole <NUM>. As will be discussed in further detail below, the tensile and compressive properties of both the joined soft layer <NUM> and the hard layer <NUM> cause the footwear insert <NUM> to have desirable anisotropic bending properties in which the footwear insert <NUM> has a high resistance to bending in a first direction (e.g., with the toe and/or heel portions flexing downwardly), and a low resistance to bending in an opposing second direction (e.g., with the toe and/or heel flexing upwardly). Because of these desirable bending properties, the footwear insert <NUM> provides stability and comfort to the wearer of the footwear assembly <NUM> by restricting bending of the sole assembly <NUM> in a plantar flex direction without adversely affecting bending in a dorsal flex direction.

<FIG> depicts an exploded view of the composite assembly <NUM>. The soft layer <NUM> comprises a woven material formed from multiple layers of fabric stacked and coupled together and configured to act as a puncture resistant layer that resists and/or prevents penetration by sharp objects such as nails, screws, and the like. The layers of fabric are each formed from fiber bundles densely woven together into a fine mesh having warp fiber bundles woven with weft fiber bundles, where the warp fiber bundles are substantially parallel to each other and the weft fiber bundles are substantially parallel to each other. The fiber bundles are formed from a non-rigid fibrous material. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the fiber bundles are formed from polyester fibers and the woven material is a polyester material. In other embodiments, the non-rigid fabric is formed from Kevlar, Dyneema (i.e., ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene), or some other flexible woven fabric. The individual layers of fabric are stacked together and mechanically bonded (e.g., stitched, needled, etc.) to each other in a multi-layer arrangement. In this stacked configuration, the soft layer <NUM> may have a thickness in the range of between approximately <NUM> - <NUM>. In one embodiment, the soft layer <NUM> has a thickness of approximately <NUM>. To promote further bonding and adhesion between the individual layers of fabric, the soft layer <NUM> may also include a bonding agent (i.e., a binder or adhesive) applied to the fabric layers so as to further bind the individual layers to each other. Although the illustrated embodiment has a soft layer <NUM> is a puncture resistant layer made of a woven material formed from multiple layers of fabric stacked and coupled together, the soft layer <NUM> in other embodiments can be a puncture resistant layer made of other anti-puncture fabric weaves that can have multiple layers of dense fibers bonded, stitched, or pressed together.

The fibers in the fabric of the illustrated embodiment may be woven such that the warp and weft fiber bundles are oriented at a selected angle relative to each other and/or relative to the longitudinal axis <NUM> and the lateral axis <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the warp and weft fiber bundles are woven at approximately a <NUM>-degree orientation relative to each other. In some embodiments, each of the layers of fabric may have a common orientation with respect to the longitudinal and lateral axes <NUM> and <NUM>. For example, each of the layers of fabric may be oriented such that the warp fiber bundles are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM>. In other embodiments, however, each of the layers of fabric may not be oriented in a common orientation. For example, a first of the layers of fabric may be oriented such that its warp fiber bundles are parallel to the longitudinal axis <NUM> while a second of the layers of fabric is oriented such that its warp fiber bundles are oriented at an angle of approximately <NUM>-degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis <NUM>.

The hard layer <NUM> comprises a fiber-reinforced composite material. More specifically, the hard layer <NUM> comprises a rigid epoxy plate having one or more layers of fibers woven together and impregnated with an epoxy. In a preferred embodiment, the fibers comprise synthetic fibers, such as fiberglass fibers, and the epoxy comprises a cured thermoset epoxy. In other embodiments, the synthetic fibers comprise carbon fibers or some other type of fiber, and the epoxy comprises thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic polyolefins, silicone, acrylates, polyamides, polyurethanes, nitrile and butyl rubbers, and styrenic block copolymers. Other materials and arrangements from which the soft layer <NUM> and the hard layer <NUM> may be formed are described in <CIT>.

With this stacked and layered arrangement, the composite assembly <NUM> acts as a puncture resistant assembly capable of preventing or inhibiting penetration of a foreign objection. For example, the rigid epoxy plate of the hard layer <NUM> provides impact resistance and maintains overall stiffness of plate when impacted by an object. If the object is able to penetrate through the hard layer <NUM>, however, the soft layer <NUM> adds further puncture resistance. The bonded and overlapping fabric layers of the soft layer <NUM> are flexible enough to absorb the penetrating objects force and prevent penetration. In addition, when a wearer steps on an object that could puncture a conventional sole assembly, the object applies a point load on a portion of the insert <NUM>, which causes a portion of the insert <NUM> at the load point to flex in the plantar flex direction, which puts the fibers in the soft layer in tension, thereby tightening the fibers together, which further resists and prohibits penetration of the object through the insert to the wearer's foot. As such, the woven fabric merely bends and deforms without breaking and the stacked layers compress into each other without breaking.

Before the composite assembly <NUM> is finally assembled and cured, the hard layer <NUM> includes the woven reinforcing fibers impregnated with uncured epoxy. To form the composite assembly <NUM>, the soft layer <NUM> is positioned on top of the hard layer <NUM> and the composite assembly <NUM> is exposed to heat and pressure (e.g., via a heat press) in order to cure the epoxy and bond the two layers <NUM> and <NUM> together. When exposed to the elevated heat and pressure, the uncured epoxy of the hard layer <NUM> diffuses partially into the soft layer <NUM> and impregnates or otherwise adheres to at least some of the woven fabric of the soft layer <NUM>. However, if care is not taken, the uncured epoxy may diffuse across the entirety of the soft layer <NUM> and impregnate at least most of the woven fabric before curing and hardening. If this happens, the cured epoxy may be too dispersed throughout both of the layers <NUM> and <NUM> to provide the desired amount of rigidity to the hard layer <NUM>, resulting in the composite assembly <NUM> being too rigid and the footwear insert <NUM> not having the desired bending properties. In another embodiment, the composite assembly <NUM> may be formed by curing the epoxy of the hard layer <NUM> as an initial process, then in a secondary process position the soft layer <NUM> on the hard layer 16and apply sufficient heat and pressure so as to fixedly bond the soft layer <NUM> to the hard layer <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the composite assembly <NUM> of the illustrated embodiment also includes at least one interfacing layer <NUM> positioned between the soft layer <NUM> and the hard layer <NUM>. The interfacing layer <NUM> is formed from one or more thin sheets of polymer and is configured to act as an adhesive that bonds the soft layer <NUM> to the hard layer <NUM> while simultaneously preventing the unrestricted flow of uncured epoxy. In a preferred embodiment, the interfacing layers <NUM> are elastomeric bonding layers formed from sheets of a block copolymer, such as a polyether block amide (e.g., PEBAX <NUM>), having a thickness in the range of approximately <NUM> - <NUM> inches (<NUM> - <NUM>), and more preferably a thickness of approximately <NUM> inches (<NUM>) and having polymer chains arranged in a network. During the curing process, the thermal energy and pressure used to cure the epoxy in the hard layer <NUM> also causes the polymer chains to begin to flow and move around, becoming partially embedded within the soft and hard layers <NUM> and <NUM>. The heat and pressure causes cross-linking between adjacent polymer chains that prevents/limits further movement of the polymer chains, causing the polymer to harden and cure. In this way, the soft layer <NUM>, the hard layer <NUM>, and the interfacing layer <NUM> are co-cured together to form the composite assembly <NUM>. Once cured, the polymer chains, which now span between the woven fabric and the composite material, permanently bind the two layers together. The cross-linked polymer chains also act as a semipermeable barrier that limits the flow of the epoxy material into the soft layer <NUM> from the hard layer <NUM> during the curing process. While a small portion of the uncured epoxy may be able to flow through the interfacing layer <NUM>, the majority of the epoxy material is not, thereby ensuring that most of the epoxy remains within the hard layer <NUM> and that the hard layer <NUM> has a sufficient stiffness and rigidity, which is greater than that of the soft layer <NUM>, after the curing process is completed.

<FIG> shows an isometric view of a segment of the composite assembly <NUM> having opposing ends <NUM> and arranged in a planar and relaxed position (i.e., a neutral orientation), and <FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of the composite assembly <NUM> taken along line <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>. The assembly <NUM> has a neutral bending plane <NUM> near the bottom of the soft layer <NUM> and substantially parallel to the interfacing layer <NUM>. In a beam or other planar object, the neutral bending plane represents the theoretical plane that separates the portions of the object in tension from the portions in compression when the object is bent. For example, when bending the composite assembly <NUM>, portions of the composite assembly <NUM> on one side of the neutral bending plane <NUM> are in tension, while the portions on the opposing side are in compression. More specifically, bending the composite assembly <NUM> about the lateral axis <NUM> such that the opposing ends <NUM> move in a generally upward direction (as shown in <FIG>) causes the portions of the composite assembly <NUM> above the neutral bending plane <NUM> to be in compression and the portions below the neutral bending plane <NUM> to be in tension. Conversely, bending the composite assembly <NUM> such that the opposing ends <NUM> move in a generally downward direction causes the portions of the composite assembly <NUM> above the neutral bending plane <NUM> to be tension and the portions below the neutral bending plane <NUM> to be in compression.

Because the different portions of the composite assembly <NUM> are placed in either tension or compression when the composite assembly <NUM> is bent, the bending properties (e.g., the resistance to bending in a given direction) of the composite assembly <NUM> are dependent on the tensile and compressive properties of the different portions of the composite assembly <NUM>. More specifically, the bending properties of the composite assembly <NUM> are dependent on the tensile and compressive properties of both the woven material of the soft layer <NUM> and the fiber-reinforced composite material of the hard layer <NUM>.

<FIG> depicts the composite assembly <NUM> in an upward deflection configuration, a neutral configuration, and a downward deflection configuration. When the composite assembly <NUM> is forced into the upward deflection configuration, all of the material above the neutral bending plane <NUM> (i.e., a majority of the woven fabric of the soft layer <NUM>) is in compression while all of the material below the neutral bending plane <NUM> (i.e., the rest of the woven fabric of the soft layer <NUM> and all of the hard layer <NUM>) is in tension, and the opposing ends <NUM> of the composite assembly <NUM> have an upward deflection <NUM>. Conversely, when the composite assembly <NUM> is forced into the downward deflection configuration, the material above the neutral bending plane <NUM> is in tension while the material below the neutral bending plane is in compression and the opposing ends <NUM> have a downward deflection <NUM>.

The differences between the tensile and flexural properties of the joined soft and hard layers <NUM> and <NUM> are such that the composite assembly <NUM> has anisotropic bending properties. Accordingly, when the composite assembly <NUM> is bent via a force or load (i.e., a flexural load), if the flexural load causes an upward deflection, the extent of upward deflection <NUM> will be greater (i.e., the composite assembly will bend more) as compared to the extent of downward deflection <NUM> that will occur in response to the same flexural load applied in the opposite direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the soft layer <NUM> has a tensile modulus and a flexural modulus smaller than the tensile modulus and flexural modulus of the hard layer <NUM>. In some embodiments, the soft layer <NUM> has a tensile modulus in the range of approximately <NUM> GPa to <NUM> GPa and the flexural modulus is in the range of approximately <NUM> GPa to <NUM> GPa. The hard layer <NUM>, however, has a tensile modulus in the range of approximately <NUM> GPa to <NUM> GPa and the flexural modulus is in the range of approximately <NUM> GPa to <NUM> GPa.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tensile and flexural modulus of the hard layer are greater than the tensile and flexural modulus of the soft layer. For example, the ratio of the tensile modulus of the soft layer <NUM> vs. the hard layer <NUM> is in the range of approximately <NUM>:<NUM> to <NUM>:<NUM>. In one embodiment the soft layer <NUM> has a tensile modulus of approximately <NUM> GPa and a thickness in the range of approximately <NUM> - <NUM>, and the hard layer has a tensile modulus of approximately <NUM> GPa and a thickness in the range of approximately <NUM> - <NUM>. In another illustrative example, one embodiment of the composite assembly <NUM> has the soft layer <NUM> made of woven polyester/Kevlar/Dyneema with a thickness of approximately <NUM>, a tensile modulus of approximately <NUM> GPa. The hard layer <NUM> is made of Fiberglass/ Epoxy Pre Preg. with a thickness of approximately <NUM>, a tensile modulus of approximately <NUM> GPa. The resulting assembly <NUM> has a thickness of approximately <NUM>.

When the composite assembly <NUM> is subjected to a load causing bending in the downward deflection direction <NUM>, the fabric of the soft layer <NUM> is put in tension. As the soft layer <NUM> has a higher tensile modulus than its own flexural modulus, it resists the deflection of the composite assembly <NUM> in the downward flex direction. However, when the bending is in the opposite, upward flex direction, the fabric of the soft layer <NUM> is under compression. The soft layer <NUM> has very low rigidity and compressive/flexural modulus in comparison to the hard layer, and the fibers of the soft layer <NUM> are not encapsulated and restricted by a cured and hardened epoxy matrix or other material like the hard layer <NUM>. Accordingly, the material of the soft layer <NUM> is a porous material. This porous configuration of the soft layer <NUM> provides a lower flexural modulus than a similar non-porous material, and a flexural modulus lower than its tensile modulus. On the other hand, the fiber-reinforced composite material of the hard layer <NUM> has a tensile modulus greater than its flexural modulus, and the cured and hardened epoxy of the hard layer <NUM> provides higher rigidity to the hard layer <NUM> in comparison to the porous soft layer <NUM>, which does not have the rigid epoxy matrix surrounding the fibers. The epoxy matrix also restricts movement of the fibers in the fiber-reinforced composite material of the hard later in response to a flexural load. Accordingly, when a compressive, flexural load is applied in the direction of the hard layer <NUM> to cause bending in the downward flex direction, the higher rigidity of the hard layer <NUM> and the comparative higher tensile modulus of the soft layer <NUM> prevents the composite assembly <NUM> from larger deformations.

When a similar compressive/ flexural load is applied in the soft layer side, the composite assembly will have large deformations in the upward flex direction due to the very low rigidity and/or flexural modulus in the soft side to allow greater bending of the composite assembly <NUM>. The only effective rigidity in this condition is the rigidity of the hard layer <NUM>, as the rigidity of the soft layer <NUM> is substantially negligible and it collapses or folds on itself as a cloth and does not possess and structure or stability in the compressive/ flexural direction or the +/- Z axis of the soft sheet layer. Accordingly, movement or deformation of the synthetic fibers within the cured and hardened epoxy of the hard layer <NUM> are limited so as to prevent the fibers in the hard layer <NUM> from collapsing or folding on themselves when a flexural force is applied.

The majority of the woven fabric of the illustrated embodiment is above the neutral bending plane <NUM> and, with the tensile modulus of the woven fabric being larger than its flexural modulus, bending the composite assembly <NUM> in a downward direction requires more force than bending the composite assembly <NUM> in an upward direction, because more of the woven fabric is placed in tension when the assembly <NUM> is bent in a downward direction. As a result, the composite assembly <NUM> has a high resistance to bending in a downward direction while having a comparatively lower resistance to bending in an upward direction. Accordingly, in embodiments where the footwear insert <NUM> incorporates the composite assembly <NUM>, the footwear insert <NUM> expresses similar anisotropic bending properties such that the footwear insert <NUM> has a high resistance to bending in a dorsal flex direction (i.e., the downward direction) and a low resistance to bending in a plantar flex direction (i.e., the upward direction). Further, when the footwear insert <NUM> is incorporated into a sole assembly <NUM> for a footwear assembly <NUM>, the composite assembly <NUM> of the footwear insert <NUM> provides a higher resistance to bending in the plantar flex direction without significantly limiting bending in a dorsal flex direction, thereby providing stability and comfort to the wearer by preventing undesired bending of the sole assembly <NUM> without preventing any desired bending.

The composite assembly <NUM> of the illustrated embodiment does not provide much resistance to bending in a dorsal flex direction, which may occur during the transition from the flat foot stage of a gait cycle through the toe-off stage during which the wearer's foot naturally bends at the metatarsal joints. The increased flexibility helps reduce the forces required by the foot to flex the footwear assembly <NUM>, thereby reducing fatigue which can help increase stability. Conversely, when forces on the sole assembly <NUM> bend the footwear insert <NUM> in the opposite, plantar flex direction, such as when a wearer steps on a sharp object or stands on the rung of a ladder, the soft layer <NUM> is under tension and therefore resists such bending. The layered and stacked arrangement of the composite assembly <NUM> also provides stability during a wearer's gait cycle by controlling the torsional or dorsiflexive motion that helps eliminate the foot's tendency to want to roll inward or outward (pronate and supinate). Further, during use of the footwear <NUM>, such as running, walking, hiking, climbing ladders, etc., the sole assembly <NUM> is often subjected to uneven surfaces such as rocks, sidewalk cracks, sticks, ladder rungs, or other sources of unevenness that can create localized forces applied to the bottom of the wearer's foot. These localized forces can apply significant point loads to the wearer's foot. The sole assembly <NUM> with the integrated footwear insert <NUM> provides a rigid support that laterally displaces the localized forces through a high resistance to bending in the plantar flex direction. Moreover, the footwear insert <NUM> eliminates the need for the footwear assembly <NUM> to incorporate a rigid shank (e.g., a shank made from metal, ceramic, plastic shank, etc.) into the sole assembly <NUM> in order to provide support.

<FIG> shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the footwear assembly <NUM> having the footwear insert <NUM> positioned within the midsole <NUM> of the sole assembly <NUM>. In this illustrated embodiment, the footwear insert <NUM> is embedded within and completely surrounded by the midsole and is sized and shaped to extend fully underfoot. In other embodiments, however, the footwear insert <NUM> may be positioned at different portions of the footwear assembly. For example, <FIG> depicts an embodiment in which the footwear insert <NUM> is positioned between the midsole <NUM> and the upper <NUM> such that the footwear insert <NUM> is in immediate contact with an insole board <NUM> while FIG. 7V depicts an embodiment in which the footwear insert <NUM> is positioned between the midsole and the outsole <NUM>. In still other embodiments, the footwear insert may be formed as part of the insole board <NUM> or the outsole <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a method <NUM> of forming a layered composite assembly (e.g., composite assembly <NUM>) having anisotropic bending and puncture resistant properties. At step <NUM>, a first layer is provided. The first layer is formed from a plurality of sheets of woven mesh fabric stacked together and bonded to each other. The sheets of fabric are mechanically joined to each other (e.g., needled or stitched) and a bonding agent (e.g., an adhesive) applied between the layers further binds the layers together. In a preferred embodiment, the first layer comprises polyester fabric and the woven fabric layer has a thickness in the range of approximately <NUM> - <NUM> thick.

At step <NUM>, a second layer is provided. The second layer can be a preimpregnated fiber-reinforced composite layer having fabric, which may be formed from one or more layers of synthetic or other fibers woven together, impregnated with an uncured epoxy. In at least one embodiment, the fibers comprise fiberglass and the epoxy comprises a thermoset epoxy. The fiberglass fibers are woven together to form one or more sheets of fabric, and the thermoset epoxy is applied to the fiberglass fabric in order to impregnate the fiberglass with the epoxy. At step <NUM>, at least one polymer layer can be provided. The polymer layer comprises one or more thin sheets of a block copolymer having polymer chains arranged in a network.

At step <NUM>, the polymer layers are arranged on the second layer and the first layer is arranged on the polymer layer. In some embodiments, only a single polymer layer is provided and applied to the composite layer, such that the first and second layers are only separated by a single sheet of the block copolymer. In other embodiments, two or more polymer layers are provided such that the first and second layers are separated from each other by two or more sheets of the block copolymer.

Claim 1:
An anti-puncture footwear insert (<NUM>) configured to be incorporated into a sole assembly (<NUM>) for an article of footwear (<NUM>) and having anisotropic bending properties, the footwear insert (<NUM>) comprising:
a first layer (<NUM>) comprising fabric having a compressive modulus and a tensile modulus greater than the compressive modulus;
a second layer (<NUM>) comprising a fiber reinforced material positioned under the fabric;
a neutral bending plane (<NUM>) disposed in the first layer (<NUM>); and
an interfacing polymer layer (<NUM>) interposed between the first layer (<NUM>) and the second layer (<NUM>), wherein
the interfacing polymer layer (<NUM>) comprises a polymer configured to act as an adhesive to bond the first layer (<NUM>) to the second layer (<NUM>),the footwear insert (<NUM>) has a high resistance to bending in a first direction and a low resistance to bending in an opposing second direction, and
an upper surface of the first layer (<NUM>) is configured to be in tension when the footwear insert (<NUM>) bends in the first direction and in compression when the footwear insert (<NUM>) bends in the second direction.