# US 10,306,949 B2 · Pin plate for construction of an article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,306,949 B2 - Document ID: US10306949B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/494,104 - Filed: 2017-04-21 - Published: 2017-08-10 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-28 - Assignees: NIKE, Inc. - Applicants: NIKE, Inc. - Inventors: Carrie L. Davis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10306949B2 ## CPC - A43D 5/02: Stands for making footwear (stands for cleaning shoes A47L23/16) - A43B 23/00: Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear - 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) - 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 - B23P 19/10: Aligning parts to be fitted together - B23Q 3/186: {Aligning devices} - 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) - B25B 11/02: Assembly jigs - B26D 7/01: Means for holding or positioning work - Y10T 29/49998: Work holding - Y10T 29/53013: Computer input - A43D: MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR - A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - B25B: TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING, OR HOLDING - B26D: CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING (for growing crops or plants A01D, A01G; for fodder or straw A01F; for bulk butter A01J; for dough A21C; slaughtering A22B; for tobacco, cigars or cigarettes A24; marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes A41H25/00; manufacturing footwear A43D; brushmaking A46D; surgery A61B; disintegrating, mincing or shredding in general B02C; cutting wire, making pins or nails B21F, B21G; of the kind used formetal B23; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; hand-held cutting tools B26B; perforating, cutting-out, stamping-out or punching, or severing by means other than cutting B26F; for wood B27; for stone B28D; working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29; making boxes, cartons, envelopes or bags, of paper or similarly worked materials, e.g. metal foil, B31B; article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00; for leather or upholstery B68, C14B; for glass C03B; making matches C06F; for peat C10F; for sugar C13B45/00; for textile materials D06H; civil engineering, building, mining, see Section E; for light guides G02B6/25; cutting processed photographic material G03D15/04) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## 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 ### Claim 1 A method for aligning one or more materials to construct an article, the method comprising: programming a computing system interfaced to an actuator array, the programming based on an extension pattern for an extendable array of pins, wherein the extension pattern determines alignment pins that are to be in an extended position, the alignment pins comprising a set of the extendable array of pins, and any remaining pins in the extendable array of pins that are outside of the set comprising retracted pins; using the actuator array, extending the alignment pins through an array of holes in a plate having a face and a back such that the alignment pins, when in the extended position, extend at least partially beyond the face of the plate, while the retracted pins are in a retracted position, such that the retracted pins are retracted behind the back of the plate; reversibly fixing the one or more materials to the alignment pins; and modifying the one or more materials. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the extension pattern includes two sets of pins within the extendable array of pins, the two sets comprising an alignment pin set and a retracted pin set. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising: at least partially retracting a fraction of the alignment pin set initially extended. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the extendable array of pins, such that the alignment pins are fixed in the extended position and the retracted pins are fixed in the retracted position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising unlocking the alignment pins and using the actuator array to retract the alignment pins through the array of holes such that the alignment pins are retracted behind the back of the plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the one or more materials comprises one or more of printing, sewing, or fusing the one or more materials. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the extension pattern is based on a design for a shoe upper and materials to be aligned during construction of the shoe upper. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the alignment pins that are to be in the extended position based upon a diameter of the alignment pins needed, wherein the diameter of the alignment pins needed is based upon the one or more materials to be aligned. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a diameter of each pin is between about 1 millimeter and about 10 millimeters. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the diameter of each pin is about 3 millimeters. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the alignment pins that are to be in the extended position based upon a geometry of the alignment pins needed, wherein the geometry of the alignment pins needed is based upon the one or more materials to be aligned. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the extendable array of pins includes greater than 1000 pins and the array of holes includes greater than 1000 holes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each pin of the extendable array of pins has a pin length, and for each extended pin of the extendable array of pins that is in the extended position, a portion of the pin length that extends beyond the face of the plate is less than or equal to the pin length. ### Claim 14 A method for aligning one or more materials to construct a shoe upper, the method comprising: based on a design for the shoe upper, assigning to each pin of an array of pins either an extended position or a retracted position; using an actuator array configured to independently actuate each pin of the array of pins, moving each pin of the array of pins to its assigned position, such that each extended pin assigned to the extended position extends at least partially beyond a face of a plate through a hole of an array of holes in the plate, the array of holes extending from a back of the plate to the face of the plate, and each retracted pin assigned to the retracted position is retracted behind the face of the plate; reversibly fixing at least one material of the one or more materials used to construct the shoe upper to each extended pin in the extended position; and modifying the at least one material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one material is a textile. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one material is a rubber. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one material is a hard plastic. ### Claim 18 One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method for aligning one or more materials to construct an article, the method comprising: based upon an extension pattern, determining which pins of an array of pins should be in an extended position, the pins which are determined need to be in the extended position comprising a set of pins; sending a first indication to an actuator system configured to individually actuate each pin of the array of pins to move the set of pins to the extended position, such that each pin in the extended position extends at least partially beyond a face of a plate through a hole of an array of holes in the plate, the array of holes extending from a back of the plate to the face of the plate; and after reversibly fixing at least one material of the one or more materials to the set of pins and modifying the at least one material, sending a second indication to the actuator system to move the set of pins to a retracted position, such that each pin in the retracted position is retracted behind the face of the plate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises receiving the extension pattern. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises sending a third indication to the actuator system to temporarily lock the set of pins in the extended position.