Holding Assembly With Locking Systems for Articles

• US 20140310890A1
• Filed: 04/23/2013
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Todd W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 12/123
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0084 Arrangement of flocked decoration on shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 11/10 Devices for holding the lacing portions in position during lasting
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 2200/60 Computer aided manufacture of footwear, e.g. CAD or CAM
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 3/022 comprising means, e.g. hooks, for holding, fixing or centering shoe parts on the last
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 3/023 Hinge constructions for articulated lasts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 3/025 Longitudinally expansible lasts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 3/029 Constructional features of the heel section
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 3/04 Pneumatic lasts; Elastic lasts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 95/14 incorporating marking, printing, or embossing apparatus ornamentation of shoe part blanks A43D8/16; printing per se , stamping per se B41
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/40731 Holders for objects, e. g. holders specially adapted to the shape of the object to be printed or adapted to hold several objects

Abstract

A holding assembly for holding articles in place for printing includes features for locking an article in place. The holding assembly can include an adjustable heel assembly. The holding assembly can include a lace locking member. The adjustable heel assembly and the lace locking member can be used to keep the article in a temporarily fixed position on the holding assembly.

Claims

1. A holding assembly configured to hold an article of footwear, comprising:

a base portion including a body portion supported by at least two leg portions, the base portion further including a forward mounting portion that extends from the body portion;

a last portion connected to the forward mounting portion;

an adjustable heel assembly connected to the forward mounting portion, the adjustable heel assembly further including a heel engaging portion that extends in parallel with a rearward edge of the last portion; and

wherein the adjustable heel assembly can be extended and retracted from the forward mounting portion thereby adjusting the distance between the heel engaging portion and the rearward edge of the last portion.

2. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is associated with a first longitudinal axis and the forward mounting portion is associated with a second longitudinal axis and wherein the first longitudinal axis is approximately perpendicular with the second longitudinal axis.

3. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adjustable heel assembly can be translated along a first direction and wherein the heel engaging portion extends in a second direction that is approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the last portion includes a first side portion, a second side portion and a bladder member disposed between the first side portion, and the second side portion.

5. The holding assembly according to claim 4, wherein the bladder member can expand to separate the first side portion from the second side portion.

6. The holding assembly according to claim 4, wherein the first side portion has a moldable outer surface.

7. The holding assembly according to claim 6, wherein the rigidity of the moldable outer surface can be varied.

8. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the position of the adjustable heel assembly relative to the forward mounting portion can be temporarily locked.

9. The holding assembly according to claim 8, wherein the position can be temporarily locked using a cam-type handle.

10. The holding assembly according to claim 9, wherein the cam-type handle can be grasped for adjusting the position of the adjustable heel assembly.

11. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the position of the heel engaging portion can be adjusted to accommodate different footwear sizes.

12. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heel engaging portion extends outwardly from a body portion of the adjustable heel assembly and wherein the body portion is slidably mounted to the forward mounting portion of the holding assembly.

13. The holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the heel engaging portion applies tension to a heel portion of the article of footwear and wherein the holding assembly includes a lace locking member, and wherein a lace of the article of footwear can be wrapped around the lace locking member to apply tension to a portion of the article of footwear that is forward of the heel engaging portion.

14. A holding assembly configured to hold an article of footwear, comprising:

a base portion and a last portion attached to the base portion;

a lace locking member attached to the base portion, the lace locking member further including a central portion extending from the base portion as well as a first catching portion and a second catching portion, wherein the first catching portion and the second catching portion are spaced apart from the base portion; and

wherein the lace locking member is configured to receive the lace of an article of footwear that may be disposed on the last portion.

15. The holding assembly according to claim 14, wherein the lace locking member may be configured to anchor the lace on the base portion.

16. The holding assembly according to claim 14, wherein the holding assembly further includes an adjustable heel assembly including a heel engaging portion configured to apply tension to a heel region of the article of footwear.

17. The holding assembly according to claim 14, wherein the lace locking member works in coordination with the adjustable heel assembly to tension the article of footwear at opposing sides of the opening of the article of footwear.

18. The holding assembly according to claim 14, wherein the last portion is adjustable.

19. The holding assembly according to claim 18, wherein the last portion can expand.

20. The holding assembly according to claim 18, wherein an outer surface of the last portion is deformable.