US Patent 9380831 Article of apparel with zonal force attenuation properties

An article of apparel, such as a sock or a shoe, is disclosed as having a foot-supporting area for extending adjacent to a plantar surface of a foot. The foot-supporting area has various zones of differing thickness that attenuate forces upon the plantar surface to different degrees. The apparel may be manufactured through a process that includes utilizing a force mapping device to obtain data relating to forces upon the plantar surface of the foot. The sock is then formed to have zones of different thickness located to correspond with the areas of the plantar surface subjected to different magnitudes of forces.