Patent ID: 8689382

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, comprising the steps of: associating a woven layer of carbon fiber material with a flexible substrate to form a flexible composite material; applying a coating layer to an outer portion of the woven layer of carbon fiber material; the flexible composite material having a sheet-like configuration comprised of the flexible substrate, the woven layer of carbon fiber material and the coating layer, wherein the sheet-like configuration of the flexible composite material bends simultaneously in opposite directions at two adjacent and contiguous regions; cutting the sheet of flexible composite material into two or more portions; assembling the two or more portions of the flexible composite material to form an upper for the article of footwear, the upper including the flexible composite material, and wherein the coating layer of the flexible composite material forms a majority of an outer surface of the upper; wherein the outer portion of the woven layer of carbon fiber material further includes a plurality of exposed ends; and wherein the coating layer pushes down at least a portion of the plurality of exposed ends.