摘要：
Various articles, such as footwear, apparel, athletic equipment, watchbands, and the like, and methods of forming those articles are presented. The articles are generally formed, in whole or in part, using rapid manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, stereolithography, solid deposition modeling, and the like. The use of rapid manufacturing allows for relatively economical and time efficient manufacture of customized articles. The articles may include one or more reinforcements configured to provide added durability to various regions of the articles. In addition, the articles may be formed from two or more materials in a single rapid manufacturing process. The rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique may also include using of varying intensities of the laser to fuse material to form the articles.
权利要求：
We Claim:
1. An article of footwear, comprising: an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer and formed using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique, the upper including a first portion formed from a first material and a second portion formed from a second material, the second material being different from the first material; and; a sole structure connected to the upper and including a midsole and an outsole.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherin the upper is formed using a single rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the upper includes a first set of mechanical properties and the second portion of the upper includes a second set of mechanical properties, the second set of mechanical properties being different from the first set of mechanical properties.
4. The article of footwear of claim 3, further including a transition area between the first portion of the upper and the second portion of the upper that includes a portion of the first set of mechanical properties and a portion of the second set of mechanical properties.
5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the upper is a toe region and the second portion of the upper is a lateral and medial side of the upper.
6. The article of footwear of claim 1, further including a third portion of the upper formed from a third material, the third material being different from the first material and the second material.
7. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein the third portion of the upper is a collar region of the upper.
8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole structure is formed using a non- rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole structure is formed using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
10. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the midsole is formed from a first material and the outsole is formed from a second material, the second material being different from the first material.
11. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the midsole and outsole are formed from a single rapid manufacturing additive fabrication process.
12. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, comprising: forming a first portion of an upper from a first material using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique; forming a second portion of the upper from a second material using the rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique, the second material being different from the first material; forming a sole structure including a midsole and an outsole; and connecting the sole structure to the upper.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the steps of forming the first portion of the upper and forming the second portion of the upper are performed in a single process.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sole structure is formed using a non-rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of forming the first portion of the upper from the first material includes forming the first portion of the upper with a first set of mechanical properties.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of forming the second portion of the upper from the second material includes forming the second portion of the upper with a second set of mechanical properties, the second set of mechanical properties being different from the first set of mechanical properties.
17. The method of claim 12, further including applying a colored resin to a portion of the upper.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of applying the colored resin alters the mechanical properties of the material of the portion of the upper to which the colored resin was applied.
19. An article of footwear, comprising: an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer and formed using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique, the upper including a first portion formed from a material fused with a laser at a first laser intensity and a second portion formed from the material fused with the laser at a second lasers intensity, the second laser intensity being different from the first laser intensity; and; a sole structure connected to the upper and including a midsole and an outsole.
20. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the upper is formed using a single rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
21. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein the first portion of the upper includes a first set of mechanical properties and the second portion of the upper includes a second set of mechanical properties, the second set of mechanical properties being different from the first set of mechanical properties.
22. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein the first portion of the upper is a toe region and the second portion of the upper is a lateral and medial side of the upper.
23. The article of footwear of claim 20, further including a third portion of the upper formed from the material fused with a laser at a third laser intensity, the third laser intensity being different from the first laser intensity and the second lasear intensity.
24. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein the third portion includes a third set of mechanical properties different from the first and second sets of mechanical properties.
25. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein the third portion of the upper is a collar region of the upper.
26. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein the sole structure is formed using a non- rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
27. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein the sole structure is formed using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
28. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, comprising: forming a first portion of an upper using a rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique, forming the first portion including fusing material using a laser at a first laser intensity; forming a second portion of the upper using the rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique, forming the second portion including fusing the material using the laser at a second laser intensity, the second laser intensity being different from the first laser intensity; forming a sole structure including a midsole and an outsole; and connecting the sole structure to the upper.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the steps of forming the first portion of the upper and forming the second portion of the upper are performed in a single process.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein the sole structure is formed using a non-rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of forming the first portion of the upper includes forming the first portion of the upper with a first set of mechanical properties.
32. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of forming the second portion of the upper includes forming the second portion of the upper with a second set of mechanical properties, the second set of mechanical properties being different from the first set of mechanical properties.