Automatic shoe lacing system, device and technique
阅读说明:本技术 自动鞋系鞋带系统、装置及技术 (Automatic shoe lacing system, device and technique ) 是由 M.斯蒂尔曼 B.里赫蒙德 于 2018-05-31 设计创作,主要内容包括:在一示例中,系鞋带引擎设备可以包括壳体和传动系。该壳体可以固定在鞋物品内。传动系可以包括马达、太阳轮、行星齿轮、旋转齿圈和线轴。线轴可以固定到齿圈并且可以随其旋转。线轴可以配置为控制鞋物品的鞋带,并且可以配置为随着齿圈沿第一方向旋转而缠绕鞋带。(In an example, a lace engine apparatus may include a housing and a drive train. The shell may be secured within an article of footwear. The drive train may include a motor, a sun gear, a planetary gear, a rotating ring gear, and a spool. The spool may be fixed to the ring gear and may rotate therewith. The spool may be configured to control a lace of the article of footwear, and may be configured to wind the lace as the ring gear rotates in the first direction.)
1. A lacing engine for an automated shoe platform, the lacing engine comprising:
a housing securable within an article of footwear; and
a drive train at least partially located within the housing, the drive train comprising:
a motor including a shaft rotatable within a housing;
a sun gear driven by a shaft to rotate about a central axis of the sun gear;
a planetary gear engaged with and driven by the sun gear to rotate;
a rotary ring gear engaged with and driven by the planetary gear to rotate about the central axis; and
a spool secured to the ring gear and rotatable therewith, the spool configured to control a lace of an article of footwear and to wind the lace when the ring gear is rotated in a first direction.
2. The lacing engine of claim 1, wherein the sun gear comprises:
an outer set of teeth engaged with the shaft and driven thereby; and
an inner set of teeth driven for coaxial rotation with the outer set of teeth, the planet gears engaging and being driven by the inner set of teeth.
3. The lacing engine of claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of planetary gears including the planetary gear, each planetary gear of the plurality of planetary gears being engageable with and driven by the inner set of teeth.
4. The lacing engine of claim 2, wherein the sun comprises a worm gear.
5. The shoelace tying engine of claim 4, wherein said plurality of planetary gears are located within said worm gear.
6. The lacing engine of claim 2, wherein the shaft comprises a worm drive engageable with the outer set of teeth of the worm gear to rotate a sun gear in response to rotation from a motor.
7. The lacing engine of claim 1, further comprising:
a ring gear bearing engaged with the ring gear.
8. The lacing engine of claim 7, wherein the housing further comprises a cover securable to the housing base, the cover engageable with the ring gear bearing to axially retain the ring gear and ring gear bearing within the housing.
9. The lacing engine of claim 8, further comprising:
a stationary ring gear, the rotating ring gear being disposable within and rotatable relative to the stationary ring gear, the cover being securable to the stationary ring gear to restrict movement of the stationary ring gear relative to the housing, and the stationary ring gear being engageable with the sun gear to restrict axial movement of the sun gear relative to the housing.
10. The lacing engine of claim 9, wherein the retaining ring comprises a plurality of mounting flanges securable to the cover, each flange extending radially outward from a body of the retaining ring, each flange configured to receive a fastener to secure the retaining ring to the cover.
11. The lace engine apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a pair of plates surrounding the planetary gear; and
a pin extending through the planet gear and the pair of plates to retain the planet gear between the pair of plates, the planet gear being rotatable about the pin.
12. The lace engine apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a thrust bearing engaged with one of the pair of plates and with the first side of the sun gear.
13. The lace engine apparatus of claim 12 wherein the housing includes a recess configured to receive at least a portion of a sun gear therein.
14. The lace engine apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:
a sun gear bearing at least partially disposable in the recess of the housing, the bearing engageable with the second side of the sun gear.
15. A lacing engine for an automated shoe platform, the lacing engine comprising:
a housing securable within an article of footwear; and
a drive train at least partially located within the housing, the drive train comprising:
a motor including a shaft rotatable within a housing;
a power spring driven by the shaft to rotate about the central axis to transfer stored energy when activated;
a spool rotatable about a central axis, the spool configured to controllably wrap a lace of an article of footwear; and
a clutch configured to controllably couple the power spring to the spool to transfer rotation therebetween.
16. The lacing engine of claim 15, wherein the clutch is a ratchet clutch.
17. The lacing engine of claim 15, further comprising:
a spring spindle connected to and rotatable relative to the housing, the spring spindle supporting the power spring and being controllably coupled to the shaft to transfer rotation from the shaft to the power spring.
18. The lacing engine of claim 17, further comprising:
a conical drive gear fixed to the shaft and rotatable with the shaft about the shaft axis; and
a conical driven gear engaged with the conical drive gear and driven for rotation about a transverse axis generally transverse to the axis of the shaft, the conical driven gear coupled to the spring spindle to transmit rotation thereto.
19. The lacing engine of claim 15, wherein the power spring is one of a coil spring or a torsion spring.
20. The lacing engine of claim 15, further comprising:
a spool spindle at least partially within the housing and coaxial with the power spring, the spool spindle controllably coupled to the spool and coupled to the clutch, the spool spindle rotatable about the central axis.
21. The lacing engine of claim 20, further comprising:
a lever supported by the spool spindle and coupled to the power spring and the clutch, the lever configured to be driven by the power spring to rotate relative to the spool spindle.
22. The lacing engine of claim 21, further comprising:
a coupler bearing secured to the housing and engaged with the spool spindle to restrict movement of the spool, spool spindle, clutch and power spring relative to the housing.
23. The lacing engine of claim 15, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the shaft to drive the power spring to store rotational energy therein, the power spring configured to transmit the rotational energy through the clutch to the spool to wind the lace when the clutch selectively connects the power spring to the spool.
24. The lacing engine of claim 15, wherein the clutch is positioned coaxially with the power spring.
Technical Field
The following description describes various aspects of a shoe assembly that includes a lacing system that includes an electric or non-electric lacing engine, shoe components associated with the lacing engine, an automated lacing platform, and related concepts. More specifically, much of the following description describes various aspects of a lacing engine architecture (configuration) for footwear that includes electric or non-electric automatic lace tightening. This specification also discusses related concepts such as battery charging devices, storage and delivery packaging, and shoe user interfaces.
Drawings
In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of components of a portion of a footwear assembly with an electric lacing system according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
Figure 3A is an isometric view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 3B is a top view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional side view of section A-A of FIG. 3B of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
Figure 3D is an exploded isometric view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
Figure 4A is an isometric view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 4B is a top view of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional side view of section A-A of FIG. 4B of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional side view of section A-A of FIG. 4B of an example lacing engine, according to some example embodiments.
Any headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used or discussed under such headings.
Detailed Description
The concept of self-tightening lace was first defined by the notion of a hypothetical powered lace threaded by Marty McFly in the movie Back to the future II, shown in 1989Sports shoes are widely popularized. After that time, the user can select the desired position,at least one powered shoelace sports shoe has been released with an appearance similar to the movie props in Back to the Future II, and the internal mechanical systems and surrounding shoe platforms used are not necessarily suitable for mass production and/or everyday use. In addition, other previous designs for electric lacing systems have relatively suffered from issues such as high manufacturing costs, complexity, assembly challenges, and poor serviceability. The present inventors have developed various concepts to provide modular shoe platforms to accommodate both electric and non-electric lace-tying engines that address some or all of the problems discussed above, among others. To take full advantage of the modular lacing engine discussed briefly below and in more detail in co-pending application serial No. 15/450860, entitled "automated shoe platform lacing apparatus", the present inventors developed various alternative and complementary lacing engine designs, battery chargers, user interface concepts, and display/carrying cases discussed herein.
The electric lacing engine discussed below with reference to fig. 1, as well as the alternative concepts discussed throughout, were developed from scratch to provide robust, serviceable and interchangeable components of an automated lacing shoe platform. The lacing engine includes unique design elements that enable retail level final assembly into a modular shoe platform. The lacing engine design allows most shoe assembly processes to utilize known assembly techniques, yet the unique adaptation to standard assembly processes can still utilize current assembly resources.
In an example, a modular automated lace tying shoe platform includes a midsole plate secured to a midsole for receiving a lace tying engine. The mid-chassis design allows the lacing engine to be placed into the shoe platform at the point of purchase. The midsole plate, as well as other aspects of the modular automated shoe platform, allow different types of lacing engines to be used interchangeably. For example, the electric lace tying engine discussed below may be modified to a manual lace tying engine. Alternatively, a fully automated electric lacing engine with foot presence sensing or other optional features may be housed within a standard midsole board.
Tightening athletic shoes using powered or unpowered centralized lacing engines presents several challenges in providing adequate performance without sacrificing some level of comfort. The lacing architecture discussed herein has been specifically designed for use with centralized lacing engines and to enable a variety of shoe designs, from casual to high performance.
This initial summary is intended to introduce the subject matter of the present patent application. There is no intention to provide an exclusive or exhaustive explanation of the various inventions disclosed in the more detailed description that follows.
Automatic shoe platform
Various components of the automated shoe platform are discussed below, including the electric lacing engine, the midsole, and various other components of the platform. While much of the present disclosure focuses on lacing architectures for use with electric lacing engines, the discussed designs are applicable to manual lacing engines or other electric lacing engines having additional or fewer functions. Thus, the term "automated" as used in "automated shoe platform" is not intended to cover only systems that are operable without user input. Rather, the term "automated shoe platform" includes a variety of electric and human powered, automatically actuated, and human actuated mechanisms for tightening a shoe's lacing or retaining system.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of components of an electric lacing system for a shoe according to some example embodiments. The electric lacing system 1 shown in fig. 1 includes a lacing engine 10, a cover 20, an actuator 30, a midsole 40, a midsole 50, and an outsole 60. Figure 1 shows the basic assembly sequence of the components of an automated lacing shoe platform. The electric lacing system 1 begins by securing the midsole plate 40 within the midsole. Next, the actuator 30 is inserted into an opening in the side of the midsole plate opposite the interface button that may be embedded in the outsole 60. Next, the lace tying engine 10 is placed in the midsole 40. In the example, lacing system 1 is inserted under a continuous loop of lacing cable, and the lacing cable is aligned with a spool in lacing engine 10 (discussed below). Finally, the lid 20 is inserted into the groove of the midplane 40, secured in the closed position, and latched in the recess of the midplane 40. Cover 20 may capture lace engine 10 and may help maintain alignment of the lace cables during operation.
In an example, the article of footwear or electric lacing system 1 includes or is configured to interface with one or more sensors that can monitor or determine foot presence characteristics. Based on information from one or more foot presence sensors, a shoe including the electric lacing system 1 may be configured to perform various functions. For example, a foot presence sensor may be configured to provide binary information regarding whether a foot is present in the footwear. If the binary signal from the foot presence sensor indicates the presence of a foot, the electric lacing system 1 may be activated to automatically tighten or loosen (i.e., loosen) the lace cables. In an example, an article of footwear includes a processor circuit that may receive or interpret signals from a foot presence sensor. The processor circuit may optionally be embedded within or mated with the lace engine 10, such as in the sole of an article of footwear.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of various internal components of the lacing engine 10 according to an example embodiment. FIG. 2 also shows how the load cell may be incorporated into a lacing engine, such as lacing engine 10. In this example, the lace tying engine 10 also includes spool magnets 136, O-ring seals 138, worm drive 140, bushing 141, worm drive key 142, gear box 144, gear motor 145, motor encoder 146, motor circuit board 147, worm gear 150, circuit board 160, motor plug 161, battery connection 162, and wired charging plug 163. Bobbin magnet 136 facilitates tracking of movement of bobbin 130 by detection of a magnetometer (not shown in FIG. 2C). The O-ring seal 138 serves to seal dirt and moisture that may migrate around the spool 133 into the lacing engine 10. In this example, a load cell may be incorporated outside of the bushing 141 to detect the force transferred from the spool 130 through the worm gear 150 to the worm drive 140. Information from the load cells may be used as an input to tension control to tighten or loosen lace tension based on an inference of the activity level experienced by the shoe. For example, if the load cells detect frequent impact loads on the laces, it may be inferred that the activity level is high (e.g., playing a basketball game). Alternatively, if the load cell detects little or no impact load, the lacing engine may infer that the activity level is low and that the lace may be loosened.
In this example, the primary drive components of the lace tying engine 10 include a worm drive 140, a worm gear 150, a gear motor 145, and a gear box 144. Worm gear 150 is designed to inhibit back-driving of worm drive 140 and gear motor 145, which means that the primary input force from the lace tying cable entering via spool 130 is resolved on the larger worm gear and worm drive teeth. This arrangement protects the gear box 144 from the need to include gears of sufficient strength to withstand dynamic loads from actively using the shoe platform or tightening loads from tightening the lacing system. The worm drive 140 includes additional features that help protect the more fragile portions of the drive system, such as the worm drive key 142. In this example, the worm drive key 142 is a radial slot in the motor end of the worm drive 140, and the worm drive 140 is connected to the pin by a drive shaft exiting the gear box 144. This arrangement prevents the worm drive 140 from exerting any axial force on the gear box 144 or gear motor 145 by allowing the worm drive 140 to move freely in the axial direction (away from the gear box 144) that transfers these axial loads to the bushing 141 and housing structure 100. As mentioned above, this arrangement also allows for a load cell to be conveniently placed on the outside of the sleeve 141 to measure the axial force on the driving force training from the shoelace.
Planetary gear drive system shoelace tying engine
Figure 3A is an isometric view of a
Fig. 3A-3D are diagrams illustrating a planetary gear based lacing engine according to some example embodiments. In this example, a planetary gear-based
In this example, the planetary gear system may be driven by a worm gear of a shaft engaged with the sun gear to drive the spool. Planetary gear systems can provide compact (dense) and high ratio packaging (large gear reduction). This example design may balance radial forces and primarily allow the components to withstand torsional stresses. Any of the previously discussed lacing engines can be modified to include a planetary gear drive train. The details of this example will be discussed further below.
The
The
The
Each of the
The
In some examples,
The planet gears 255A-255C can be relatively small gears that are configured to engage the
The
The fixed
The
The ring gear bearing 265 may be a bearing configured to engage the rotating ring gear and the cover 208 to retain the ring gear 230 (and other components) within the base 206 of the
Printed Circuit Board (PCB)270 may be an integrated circuit board configured to support and electrically connect components, including any of a variety of forms of transistors and circuitry known in the art, and may be configured to provide conductive structures and contacts to distribute signals. In some examples, PCB270 may be a programmable controller, such as a single or multi-board computer, or a Direct Digital Controller (DDC). In other examples, PCB270 may be any relatively small computing device, including a processor with or without wireless communication capabilities.
The battery 275 may be configured to store power received from the charging coil 280, which may then be distributed to the PCB270 and the
In some example operations, the battery 275 may be charged by a charging coil 280. When a lace tying event is desired, the PCB270 may transmit power (or may instruct the battery to transmit) to the
The
The planetary gear system of
Furthermore, because multiple planetary gears, such as three
By positioning the
Moreover, due to the relative positioning of
This example design of
Power spring shoelace tying engine
Figure 4A is an isometric view of a
4A-4C are diagrams illustrating a power spring-based lacing engine according to some example embodiments. In this example, the power spring-based
In this example, the power spring lacing engine may be driven by a motor to rotate the power spring to store energy in the power spring. During a lacing event, the power spring may selectively and controllably release stored energy to the coupler to rotate the spool, and between lacing events, the power spring may rotate to store energy. The power spring system may use a small number of small parts to provide a compact, quiet, and cost-effective lace tying engine. Any of the previously discussed lacing engines may be modified to include a power spring drive train. The details of this example will be discussed in further detail below. Accordingly, alternative lace spool designs may be incorporated into lacing
The
In some examples, the driven
The
The
The coupling (spool spindle) 445 may be a rotating spindle, coupling, chuck, or the like. In some examples, the
In some example general operations, the battery may be charged by a charging coil, which may be controlled by the PCB to deliver power to the
Rotation of the driven
Also, during adjustment of increased lace tension,
During threading of the article of footwear and when the lace will remain tightened, the
In some examples, the
In some examples, the clutch 435 may include a mechanism for reversing the direction of rotation of the
In some examples,
Because the
In some examples, the
FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional side view of section A-A of FIG. 4B of lacing
In the example shown in fig. 4D, torque may be transferred from the drive train, for example, from the
Examples of the invention
The following non-limiting examples detail certain aspects of the present subject matter to address the challenges and provide the benefits discussed herein.
Example 1 is a lacing engine for an automated shoe platform, the lacing engine comprising: a housing securable within an article of footwear; and a drive train at least partially within the housing, the drive train comprising: a motor including a shaft rotatable within a housing; a sun gear driven by a shaft to rotate about a central axis of the sun gear; a planetary gear engaged with and driven by the sun gear to rotate; a rotary ring gear engaged with and driven by the planetary gear to rotate about the central axis; and a spool fixed to the ring gear and rotatable therewith, the spool configured to control a lace of the article of footwear and to wind the lace when the ring gear is rotated in the first direction.
In example 2, the subject matter of example 1 optionally includes wherein the sun gear comprises: an outer set of teeth engaged with the shaft and driven thereby; and an inner set of teeth driven for coaxial rotation with the outer set of teeth, the planet gears engaging and being driven by the inner set of teeth.
In example 3, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-2 optionally includes a plurality of planetary gears including a planetary gear, each planetary gear of the plurality of planetary gears engageable with and driven by the inner set of teeth.
In example 4, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 2-3 optionally includes wherein the sun gear comprises a worm gear.
In example 5, the subject matter of example 4 optionally includes wherein the plurality of planet gears are located within a worm gear.
In example 6, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 2-5 optionally includes wherein the shaft includes a worm drive engageable with the outer set of teeth of the worm gear to rotate the sun gear in response to rotation from the motor.
In example 7, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-6 can optionally include a ring gear bearing engaged with the ring gear.
In example 8, the subject matter of example 7 optionally includes wherein the housing further comprises a cover securable to the housing base, the cover engageable with the ring gear bearing to axially retain the ring gear and ring gear bearing within the housing.
In example 9, the subject matter of example 8 can optionally include a stationary ring gear, the rotating ring gear can be disposed within and rotatable relative to the stationary ring gear, the cover can be fixed to the stationary ring gear to restrict movement of the stationary ring gear relative to the housing, and the stationary ring gear can be engaged with the sun gear to restrict axial movement of the sun gear relative to the housing.
In example 10, the subject matter of example 9 optionally includes wherein the fixed ring gear includes a plurality of mounting flanges securable to the cover, each flange extending radially outward from a body of the fixed ring gear, each flange configured to receive a fastener to secure the fixed ring gear to the cover.
In example 11, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-10 can optionally include a pair of plates surrounding the planetary gear; and a pin extending through the planet gear and the pair of plates to retain the planet gear between the pair of plates, the planet gear being rotatable about the pin.
In example 12, the subject matter of example 11 can optionally include a thrust bearing engaged with one of the pair of plates and with the first side of the sun gear.
In example 13, the subject matter of example 12 optionally includes wherein the housing includes a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the sun gear therein.
In example 14, the subject matter of example 13 can optionally include a sun gear bearing at least partially disposable in the recess of the housing, the bearing engageable with the second side of the sun gear.
Example 15 is a lacing engine for an automated shoe platform, the lacing engine comprising: a housing securable within an article of footwear; and a drive train at least partially within the housing, the drive train comprising: a motor including a shaft rotatable within a housing; a power spring driven by the shaft to rotate about the central axis to transfer stored energy when activated; a spool rotatable about a central axis, the spool configured to controllably wrap a lace of an article of footwear; and a clutch configured to controllably couple the power spring to the spool to transfer rotation therebetween.
In example 16, the subject matter of example 15 optionally includes wherein the clutch is a ratchet clutch.
In example 17, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-16 optionally includes a spring spindle connected to and rotatable relative to the housing, the spring spindle supporting the power spring and being controllably coupled to the shaft to transfer rotation from the shaft to the power spring.
In example 18, the subject matter of example 17 can optionally include a conical drive gear fixed to the shaft and rotatable with the shaft about an axis of the shaft; and a conical driven gear engaged with the conical drive gear and driven to rotate about a transverse axis generally transverse to the axis of the shaft, the conical driven gear being coupled to the spring spindle to transmit rotation thereto.
In example 19, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-18 optionally includes wherein the power spring is one of a coil spring or a torsion spring.
In example 20, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-19 optionally includes a spool mandrel at least partially within the housing and coaxial with the power spring, the spool mandrel controllably coupled to the spool and coupled to the clutch, the spool mandrel rotatable about the central axis.
In example 21, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-20 optionally includes a lever supported by the spool spindle and coupled to the power spring and the clutch, the lever configured to be driven by the power spring to rotate relative to the spool spindle.
In example 22, the subject matter of example 21 can optionally include a coupler bearing secured to the housing and engaged with the spool spindle to restrict movement of the spool, spool spindle, clutch, and power spring relative to the housing.
In example 23, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-22 optionally includes wherein the motor is configured to rotate the shaft to drive the power spring to store rotational energy therein, the power spring configured to transmit the rotational energy to the spool through the clutch to wind the lace when the clutch selectively connects the power spring to the spool.
In example 24, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 15-23 optionally includes wherein the clutch is positioned coaxially with the power spring.
In example 25, the system, device, or method of any one or any combination of examples 1-23 is optionally configured to make available or selectable all of the referenced elements or options.
Supplementary notes
Throughout the specification, multiple instances may implement a component, an operation, or a structure described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.
Although the summary of the present subject matter has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the embodiments of the disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.
The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosed teachings. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be considered as limiting, and the scope of various embodiments includes the full range of equivalents to which the disclosed subject matter is entitled.
As used herein, the term "or" may be interpreted in an inclusive or exclusive sense. Furthermore, multiple instances may be provided for a resource, operation, or structure described herein as a single instance. In addition, the boundaries between the various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality may be envisioned and may fall within the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in the example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the embodiments of the disclosure as expressed in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Each of these non-limiting examples may exist independently or may be combined in various permutations or combinations with one or more other examples.
The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as "examples. These examples may include elements in addition to those illustrated or described. However, the inventors also contemplate examples providing only those elements shown or described. Moreover, the inventors also contemplate examples of any combination or permutation of those elements (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof) or with respect to use of other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.
If usage between this document and any document incorporated by reference is inconsistent, then usage in this document controls.
In this document, the terms "a" or "an" are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more, independent of any other instances or usages of "at least one" or "one or more". In this document, the term "or" is used to indicate nonexclusive, or such that "a or B" includes "a but not B," "B but not a," and "a and B," unless otherwise indicated. In this document, the terms "including" and "wherein" are used as shorthand, English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein". Furthermore, in the following claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, composition, formulation, or process that comprises an element in the claims other than the element listed after the term is still considered to be within the scope of that claim. Furthermore, in the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.
The method (process) examples described herein, such as the shoe assembly examples, may include, at least in part, machine or robotic embodiments.
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used, for example, by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The abstract is included (if provided) to comply with 37 c.f.r. § 1.72(b), to enable the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. This document is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Additionally, in the description above, various features may be combined together to simplify the present disclosure. This should not be construed as an intention that an unclaimed disclosed feature be essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments may be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
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