Patent ID: 7713372

Claim:
A method of forming an energy absorbing article comprising the steps of forming a first layer of a prepart; placing said first layer of said prepart within a mold; selecting certain locations of said first layer; placing beads only on said certain locations, such that said beads discontinuously reside on and partially cover said first layer, wherein the beads are coated with an adhesive resulting in adhesive coated beads; casting and curing said adhesive of said adhesive coated beads, effective to cause said adhesive coated beads to be attached to said first layer of said prepart; placing a second layer of said prepart in contact with said adhesive coated beads, wherein said adhesive coated beads reside between said first and said second layer of said prepart; attaching the second layer to said adhesive coated beads; curing said second layer to cause said second layer to adhere to said adhesive coated beads, thereby creating the energy absorbing article having first and second layers having discontinuously residing adhesive coated beads between said first and second layers, wherein each of the adhesive coated beads is adhered to each of said first and second layers.