Pin plate for construction of an article

• US 10,433,617 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Carrie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Lee D
• Application Number:
  US15/494,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20170224057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/00 Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 11/00 Machines for preliminary treatment or assembling of upper-parts, counters, or insoles on their lasts preparatory to the pulling-over or lasting operations; Applying or removing protective coverings
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 5/02 Stands for making footwear stands for cleaning shoes A47L23/16
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 8/00 Machines for cutting, ornamenting, marking or otherwise working up shoe part blanks pulling-over or lasting A43D9/00 - A43D23/00; making or fastening soles, heels or welts A43D25/00 - A43D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/10 Aligning parts to be fitted together
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 3/186 Aligning devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/00 Work holders not covered by any preceding group in the subclass, e.g. magnetic work holders, vacuum work holders for holding or positioning work for welding, soldering, or cutting by applying heat locally B23K37/04; specially adapted to machine tools B23Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/02 Assembly jigs
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/01 Means for holding or positioning work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 Work holding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53013 Computer input

Abstract

An apparatus for aligning materials in order to construct an article is provided. The apparatus may include an array of moveable pins and a solid plate having an array of holes, where the array of holes is aligned with the array of pins. Each pin may be extended and/or retracted by a programmable actuator array. When a pin is extended, at least a portion of the pin may extend through the hole with which it is aligned, such that at least a portion of the pin extends beyond the solid plate. A fraction of the total number of pins in the array of pins may be extended by the programmable actuator array. The particular pins that are to be extended may be based on a pattern for an article. A material that is to be used in constructing the article may be aligned using the extended pins.

Claims

1. An apparatus for aligning one or more materials in order to construct an article, the apparatus comprising:

a first plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, each hole in the array of holes extending from the back of the first plate to the face of the first plate;

an array of pins coupled to a pin plate, the array of pins aligned with the array of holes, wherein each pin of the array of pins, when in an extended position, extends at least partially beyond the face of the first plate, and when in a retracted position, retracts behind the face of the first plate; and

an actuator system configured to individually actuate each pin of the array of pins, wherein individually actuating each pin comprises at least one of extending and retracting each pin.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each pin of the array of pins is aligned with one hole of the array of holes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each pin of the array of pins is aligned with a center of one hole of the array of holes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each pin of the array of pins when in the extended position extends through a hole of the array of holes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array of pins includes greater than 1000 pins and the array of holes includes greater than 1000 holes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a diameter of each pin of the array of pins is between about 1 millimeter and about 10 millimeters.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diameter of each pin of the array of pins is about 3 millimeters.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a diameter of each pin of the array of pins is based on the one or more materials to be aligned.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a geometry of each pin of the array of pins is based on the one or more materials to be aligned.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising each pin of the array of pins having a pin tip, the pin tip being one of a planar pin tip, a spherical pin tip, or a conical pin tip.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising each pin of the array of pins having a pin body, the pin body being shaped as one of a pyramid, a cone, a cube, or a prism.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each pin of the array of pins has a pin length, and a portion of the pin length extends beyond the face of the first plate when the array of pins is in the extended position, the portion of the pin length that extends beyond the face of the first plate is less than or equal to the pin length.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a locking system that is configured to temporarily secure each pin of the array of pins in one of the extended position or the retracted position.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a computing system causes the actuator system to extend at least a fraction of pins in the array of pins, the at least a fraction of pins based on a pattern for a shoe upper.

15. A system for aligning one or more materials in order to construct an upper of a shoe, the system comprising:

a first plate having a face, a back, and an array of holes, each hole in the array of holes extending through the first plate, from the face of the first plate to the back of the first plate;

an array of moveable pins coupled to a pin plate, each pin of the array of moveable pins moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, each pin of the array of moveable pins having a pin length and a respective pin address, wherein each pin, when in the retracted position, is retracted such that the pin length is behind the face of the first plate, and when in the extended position, is extended away from the face of the first plate such that at least a portion of the pin length extends through a corresponding hole of the array of holes; and

an actuator array that independently actuates each pin of the array of moveable pins, wherein independently actuating each pin of the array of moveable pins comprises at least one of extending and retracting each pin of the array of moveable pins based on the respective pin address.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a computing system that interfaces with the actuator array to cause the actuator array to perform at least one of extending and retracting each pin of the array of moveable pins based on a pattern corresponding to a shoe design.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the actuator array comprises one of a hydraulic actuator, an electric actuator, or a mechanical actuator.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising a locking system that fixes each pin of the array of moveable pins in the extended position or the retracted position.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein each pin of the array of moveable pins has a pin base, wherein the actuator array actuates each pin of the array of moveable pins by moving the pin base.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the array of holes is concentrated more densely at one of a perimeter of the first plate or a center of the first plate.