System for shoe sole portion painting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9675140-B2
Application number	US-201615017826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2016
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

An automated system for painting a shoe sole portion of a shoe is provided. The automated painting system is adapted to use a variety of stations and components to automatically paint a side surface of the shoe sole portion while it is secured in a jig, transition the jig to an open position, and remove the painted shoe sole portion from the jig.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A painting system for painting a shoe sole portion of a shoe, the painting system comprising:
at least one loading station adapted to position the shoe sole portion, the at least one loading station comprising at least a jig having a first plate and a second plate coupled to the first plate, wherein the loading station is adapted to position the shoe sole portion on at least the first plate of the jig, wherein the loading station is further configured to place the first plate and the second plate of the jig in a closed position, and wherein when the first plate and the second plate are placed in the closed position at the loading station, at least a portion of a first surface and a second opposite surface of the shoe sole portion are covered by the first plate and the second plate of the jig, and at least a portion of a third surface of the shoe sole portion is left exposed;
at least one computer-controlled painting station adapted to automatically paint the portion of the third surface of the shoe sole portion while the shoe sole portion is positioned in the closed jig; and
a transport assembly adapted to transport the closed jig from the loading station to the painting station.

2. The painting system of claim 1 , wherein the first surface of the shoe sole portion is a top surface of the shoe sole portion, and wherein the second surface of the shoe sole portion is a bottom surface of the shoe sole portion.

3. The painting system of claim 1 , wherein the third surface of the shoe sole portion comprises a side surface of the shoe sole portion.

4. The painting system of claim 1 , wherein the jig further comprises an open-assist mechanism affixed to at least one of the first plate or second plate, wherein the open-assist mechanism is adapted to transition the jig from the closed position to an at least partially open position.

5. The painting system of claim 4 , further comprising an opening station having an opening mechanism configured to interact with the open-assist mechanism of the jig to transition the jig from the closed position to an open position.

6. The painting system of claim 5 , further comprising an unloading station adapted to remove the shoe sole portion from the jig.

7. The painting system of claim 6 , further comprising a cleaning station adapted to clean the jig after the shoe sole portion has been removed.

8. The painting system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more additional transport assemblies adapted to transport the jig from the painting station to the opening station, the opening station to the unloading station, and the unloading station to the cleaning station.

9. A painting system for painting a shoe sole portion of a shoe, the painting system comprising:
at least one loading station adapted to position the shoe sole portion, the at least one loading station comprising at least a jig, the at least one loading station adapted to position the shoe sole portion on the jig and place the jig in a closed position, wherein when the jig is in the closed position, the jig is adapted to hold the shoe sole portion in a fixed position such that only a first surface of the shoe sole portion is exposed;
at least one painting station adapted to paint the exposed first surface of the shoe sole portion while being held by the jig, wherein the painting station is controlled by a computing device having a predefined painting path; and
a transport assembly adapted to transport the jig from the loading station to the painting station, and from the painting station to an opening station.

10. The painting system of claim 9 , wherein the loading station, the painting station, and the transport assembly are movable with respect to one another.

11. The painting system of claim 9 , wherein the painting station further comprises a staging area adapted to retain the shoe sole portion held by the jig until it is determined that the painting station is available to paint the exposed first surface of the shoe sole portion.

12. The painting system of claim 9 , wherein the computing device is configured to provide a predefined painting path for the shoe sole portion dependent upon a style associated with the shoe sole portion.

13. The painting system of claim 9 , wherein the computing device is configured to provide a predefined painting path for the shoe sole portion dependent upon a size associated with the shoe sole portion.

14. The painting system of claim 9 , wherein the computing device is configured to provide a predefined painting path for the shoe sole portion dependent upon one or more characteristics associated with the jig.

15. A painting system for painting a shoe sole portion of a shoe, the painting system comprising:
a loading station adapted to position the shoe sole portion, the loading station comprising at least a jig, the loading station adapted to position the shoe sole portion on the jig and place the jig in a closed position, wherein when the jig is in the closed position, the jig is configured to hold the shoe sole portion such that only a side surface of the shoe sole portion is exposed;
a computer controlled painting station that is adapted to paint the exposed side surface of the shoe sole portion while being maintained by the jig;
an opening station having an opening mechanism adapted to transition the jig from the closed position to a fully-open position;
an unloading station having a mechanism adapted to remove the shoe sole portion from the jig; and
a transport assembly adapted to transport the jig from a first location to the painting station, from the painting station to the opening station, and from the opening station to the unloading station.

16. The painting system of claim 15 , further comprising a cleaning station adapted to clean the jig after the shoe sole portion is removed.

17. The painting system of claim 15 , wherein the transport assembly is further adapted to transport the jig from the unloading station to the cleaning station.

18. The painting system of claim 15 , further comprising one or more sensors adapted to detect a position and a movement path of the jig.

19. The painting system of claim 15 , further comprising a drying station adapted to dry the shoe sole portion after being removed from the jig.

20. The painting system of claim 15 , wherein the loading station, the painting station, the opening station, and the transport assembly are programmably coupled to each other via one or more computing devices.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Regan Patrick Conall
• Ou Feng-Ming
• Chen Hao-Zhen
• Wu Chih-Chung

Classifications

• A43D8/22 Primary

  by embossing or printing (printing per se, stamping per se B41) · CPC title

• B05B13/0221

  characterised by the means for moving or conveying the objects or other work, e.g. conveyor belts (B05B13/0207 takes precedence; conveyors in general B65G) · CPC title

• A43D95/14

  incorporating marking, printing, or embossing apparatus (ornamentation of shoe part blanks A43D8/16; printing per se , stamping per se B41) · CPC title

• A43D95/06 Primary

  Machines for colouring or chemical treatment; Ornamenting the sole bottoms (burnishing A43D95/20) · CPC title

• A43D8/32

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