Shoe buffing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11825915-B2
Application number	US-202217856125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2022
Priority date	May 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus for buffing a shoe part includes a housing adapted to be articulated around at least a portion of the footwear part. A rotating spindle is positioned in the housing and has a buffing surface for engagement with the footwear part. A carriage is slideably connected to the housing and holds the spindle such that the buffing surface can be moved closer to and further away from the footwear part. An actuator is in the housing and in contact with the carriage. The actuator applies force to the carriage to increase the force of the buffing surface onto the footwear part. A biasing member is in the housing and in contact with the carriage. The biasing member exerts force onto the carriage in a direction opposite the force exerted by the actuator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for buffing a footwear part comprising:
a housing adapted to be articulated around at least a portion of the footwear part;
a rotating spindle positioned in the housing and having a buffing surface for engagement with the footwear part;
a carriage connected to the housing and receiving the spindle such that the buffing surface can be moved closer to and further away from the footwear part;
an actuator connected with the carriage, wherein the actuator is capable of applying force to the carriage to increase the force of the buffing surface onto the footwear part; and
a biasing member connected with the carriage, wherein the biasing member exerts a force onto the carriage in a direction opposite the force exerted by the actuator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a hydraulic cylinder.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is a spring that is compressed by movement of the actuator such that the spring force is opposed to the actuator force.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the carriage is mounted to the housing using at least one slide rail ball bearing set.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum in fluid communication with an opening positioned adjacent the buffing surface to remove excess material resulting from a buffing action.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing is positioned on a robotic arm for automatically positioning the buffing surface adjacent specific portions of the footwear part.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the footwear part is a shoe upper.

8. A system for buffing a portion of an upper of an article of footwear comprising:
a rotatable spindle having a buffing surface capable of engaging the upper;
a robotic arm having the rotatable spindle mounted thereto and capable of articulating the buffing surface adjacent to selected portions of the upper, the spindle movable with respect to the robotic arm;
an actuator coupled to the spindle and capable of apply force from the buffing surface toward the upper; and
a biasing mechanism coupled to the spindle, wherein the biasing mechanism applies a force directed away from the upper when the actuator applies a force towards the upper.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the biasing mechanism includes a spring that is compressed when the actuator exerts force towards the upper.

10. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a carriage mounted to the robotic arm and receiving the spindle such that the buffing surface can move towards the upper as a result of movement of the carriage.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the actuator is a single action pneumatic cylinder and wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to return a piston of the cylinder to its original position.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the carriage is mounted to the robotic arm via at least one slide rail ball bearing set.

13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a vacuum in fluid communication with an opening positioned adjacent the buffing surface to remove excess material resulting from a buffing action.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Jurkovic Dragan
• Wu Shih-Yuan
• Chang Chia-Wei
• Chang Wen-Ruei
• Chen Chien-Chun
• Liao Chang-Chu
• Lin Chia-Hung

Classifications

• A43D95/08 Primary

  Machines or tools for scouring, abrading, or finishing, with or without dust-separating (suction cleaners for removing dust A47L5/00; domestic cleaning of footwear A47L23/00) · CPC title

• A43D8/32 Primary

  Working on edges or margins (of leather in general C14B1/02, C14B11/00) · CPC title

• A43D8/34

  by skiving (A43D8/48 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A43D8/36

  by trimming the margins of sole blanks (trimming as an intermediate operation in shoemaking A43D27/00, as a finishing operation in shoemaking A43D87/00) · CPC title

• A43D8/44

  Creasing presses (folding on margins A43D8/40) · CPC title