Patent ID: 8911577

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a fluid-filled chamber of a sole structure for an article of footwear, the method comprising: locating a first sheet and a second sheet of a polymer material between a pair of mold portions; compressing the first sheet and the second sheet together between the pair of mold portions to form: a peripheral bond that joins the first sheet and the second sheet around a periphery of the chamber; and a plurality of interior point bonds that join the first sheet and the second sheet and are spaced inward from the peripheral bond, the plurality of interior point bonds being located in a regularly-spaced hexagonal array; shaping the first sheet and the second sheet to form elliptically-shaped structures between the plurality of interior point bonds; sealing the chamber to enclose a fluid within the chamber and between the first sheet and the second sheet; and incorporating the fluid-filled chamber in the sole structure.