Integral spine structure for footwear

Abstract

A support structure for footwear includes a longitudinally extending member to which a plurality of laterally extending supports members are secured at spaced apart locations along a length of the longitudinal member. The support structure may extend along the entire length of a footwear or may be specifically designed for the forefoot, midfoot, or hindfoot areas of a footwear. The support structure may be combined with plate-like structures or may include a plurality of longitudinally extending members. The lateral supports may extend in a generally horizontal plane or may extend in an upward or downward direction out of the horizontal plane. Furthermore, the longitudinal and lateral members may be made of different materials, or each may be made of a plurality of different materials to provide the desired characteristics of the support structure at a given location in the footwear. Different portions of the longitudinal member may be more or less flexible than the lateral supports.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A method of manufacturing a footwear, the footwear including an upper, a sole, and a spine support structure that includes an elongate spine member and a plurality of transverse supports, the method comprising:
 positioning the spine support structure in a mold and positioning the upper adjacent to the mold;   filling the mold with a moldable material to form the sole; and   curing the moldable material to secure the sole and the spine support structure to the upper.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein filling the mold with a moldable material includes filling the mold with a first moldable material to form a first portion of the sole, and filling the mold with a second moldable material to form a second portion of the sole. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the footwear further includes a welt member secured to the upper and positioned between the upper and the mold. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the footwear further includes a lasting insole secured to the upper and positioned between the upper and the mold. 
     
     
         31 - 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . A footwear support structure, comprising:
 an elongate member extending along a first axis; and   a plurality of laterally extending supports secured to the elongate member, at least a portion of one of the lateral supports extending out of a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         60 . A footwear support structure, comprising:
 an elongate spine extending along a first axis; and   a plurality of laterally extending support ribs secured to the elongate spine at spaced apart locations along a length of the spine.   
     
     
         61 . The support structure of  claim 60 , wherein the spine includes segments along the length of the spine that have different properties. 
     
     
         62 . The support structure of  claim 60 , wherein the supports have a width, a height and a depth, and at least one of the width, height or depth varies for supports along a length of the spine. 
     
     
         63 . The support structure of  claim 60 , wherein the spine has greater flexibility than the ribs.