Patent ID: 7497011

Claim:
A hoop molding method comprising: arranging and disposing, at the inner side of frame portions plurally formed along the longitudinal direction of a long band-like parent material, plural molded portions which are substantially coplanar along the width direction of the parent material; bending at least one molded portion of the plural molded portions in the thickness direction of the parent material such that bent and unbent molded portions are formed, wherein said unbent molded portions remain substantially coplanar; cutting away the plural molded portions from the frame portions; and partially embedding the plural molded portions in a synthetic resin material, wherein the method further includes forming, in the frame portions, connection portions that link, to the frame portions, at least one molded portion of the at least one bent molded portion or at least one other molded portion other than the at least one bent molded portion such that the at least one molded portion of the at least one bent molded portion or the at least one other molded portion is displaceable in a direction toward another molded portion along the width direction of the parent material, and displacing the connection portions such that the at least one molded portion of the at least one bent molded portion or the at least one other molded portion other than the at least one bent molded portion is displaced toward the another molded portion after the bending in only a width direction such that unbent molded portions of said plural molded portions remain substantially coplanar.