Stitching system for a shoe upper
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsBruce Alan Barney, Kassio Figur, Jessica Anne Junkins, Sara Kilgore
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for stitching two parts of a shoe together includes a stitching machine with a head and a cylinder bed. The head has a needle base disposed on a lower end adjacent the cylinder bed such that the two shoe parts can be stitched together therebetween. A positioning mechanism has a curved drive frame and is capable of moving the curved drive frame in a rotating motion along the circumference of the curved drive frame and in a linear direction generally along an axis of the curved drive frame. A jig positions the two shoe parts with respect to one another and is coupled to the curved drive frame. The jig includes a curved support surface for supporting the two shoe parts.
Claims18
A stitching system for stitching two parts of a shoe together comprising:
- a stitching machine including a head and a cylinder bed, wherein the head has a needle base disposed on a lower end adjacent the cylinder bed such that the two shoe parts can be stitched together therebetween;
- a positioning mechanism having a curved drive frame coupled thereto, wherein the positioning mechanism is capable of moving the curved drive frame in a rotating motion along a circumference of the curved drive frame and in a linear direction generally along an axis of the curved drive frame;
- a jig for positioning the two shoe parts with respect to one another and coupled to the curved drive frame, wherein the jig includes a curved support surface for two shoe parts and at least one pin extending upwardly from the curved support surface;
- and
- a computing device for controlling actuation of the needle base and the positioning mechanism such that the jig can be manipulated to provide a specific stitch arrangement for connecting the two shoe parts.
A jig for stitching two shoe parts together on an embroidery machine, the jig comprising:
- a curved mounting member capable of being coupled to the embroidery machine;
- a curved support surface extending from the curved mounting member and capable of supporting the two shoe parts as they are joined together, wherein the curved support surface includes an edge that is at a location distal from the curved mounting member and that has the general shape of a stitch line to be formed between the two shoe parts;
- and
- at least one pin extending upwardly from the curved support surface.
A method of joining two shoe parts together in a specific fashion, the method comprising:
- providing an embroidery machine with a hat hoop positioning mechanism;
- securing the two shoe parts to a curved jig by securing the two shoe parts to at least one pin extending upwardly from a curved surface of the curved jig;
- securing the curved jig to the hat hoop positioning mechanism;
- accessing a pattern from a computing device of the embroidery machine, wherein the pattern represents a stitch line for joining the two shoe parts together;
- and
- joining the two shoe parts together based upon the pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.