Decorative attachment for footwear

The invention relates a decorative shoe shield suitable for detachable positioning on an article of footwear and for securing thereto by shoelaces. The top surface of the shoe shield is adapted for receiving decorative indicia imprinted thereon. A plurality of openings formed in the body of the shoe shield or in fastener strips securely connected to the flexible body allow securing of the shoe shield to the shoe by shoelaces. The fastener elements can be formed as separate L-shaped or hook-shaped members securely attached to the shield body, or as unitary strips secured along side edges of the body, or formed directly in the body of the decorative attachment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to a 
decorative attachment for shoes having laces suitable for detachable 
securing of the decorative attachment to the instep portion of the 
footwear. 
In recent years, it became popular to display trademarks and logos of 
manufacturers on various articles of footwear, for example on the sides 
and rear portions of the shoes. The exterior surface of the shoe is also 
used for display of numerous emblems and logos often associated with 
cartoon characters, heros of comic books and the like. Various patents 
have been issued on the idea of providing a detachable shoe shield for 
securing on top of the shoe and for defining a decorative surface on which 
different emblems, characters and other designs can be displayed. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,719 issued on May 24, 1984 discloses a 
shoe shield made with a channel adapted for mounting on the instep of a 
shoe and for detachable engagement with the shoe with the help of 
shoelaces. The shoe shield in accordance with '719 patent is provided with 
a pair of downwardly depending triangularly shaped side legs, a forward 
tab and one elongated clip. A fastener secured on the bottom surface of 
the shoe shield allows to detachably secure the shoe shield on the top of 
the footwear. However, such a design may not be beneficial for some 
applications, since only the central portion of the shield guard is 
secured to the shoe, which makes it difficult to keep the shoe shield in a 
centralized position. Another embodiment disclosed in that patent requires 
provision of hook and loop fasteners for matching engagement with similar 
fasteners on the shoe. 
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with 
the prior art and provision of a decorative attachment for footwear that 
is detachably secured to the top of the footwear with the help of 
shoelaces provided by the footwear. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a 
decorative attachment for a footwear that can be detachably secured to the 
footwear with the help of shoelaces provided with the footwear. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a decorative 
attachment for a footwear that can be used for imprinting emblems, logos 
and other indicia selected by the user. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a decorative 
attachment for a footwear that covers and protects shoelaces during use. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a decorative 
attachment for footwear which is easy to use and inexpensive to 
manufacture. 
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a 
provision of a decorative device for an article of footwear that has an 
instep portion and shoelaces. The decorative device comprises a flexible 
body having a discrete width and length suitable for covering at least a 
part of the instep portion when detachably secured to the shoe. 
Some of the embodiments provide for the use of a pair of fastener strips 
which extend downwardly from opposing side edges of the flexible body and 
are unitary connected to the flexible body. The fastener strips are 
provided with a plurality of spaced-apart openings suitable for receiving 
shoelaces therethrough when the flexible body is secured to the shoe. 
Another embodiment of the invention provides for a flexible body having a 
plurality of shoelace-receiving openings formed along opposing side edges 
of the flexible body in a spaced-apart relationship. 
The fastener elements can be made as separate L-shaped or hook-shaped 
members securely attached to the shield body and extending downwardly 
therefrom. 
The top surface of the flexible body is adapted to receive a decorative 
indicia thereon. The indicia can represent a logo of a sports team, a 
cartoon character, a toy or other desirable decorative element.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings in more detail, numeral 10 designates the 
first embodiment of the device in accordance with the present invention. 
The device 10 comprises a flexible shield body 12 having an upper surface 
14 and a bottom surface 16. The shield body 12 has a forward edge 18 and a 
rear edge 20, with the edge 18 being curved, as shown in FIG. 2. 
A pair of downwardly depending fasteners 22 and 24 are fixedly secured, or 
unitary connected to the body 12 and extend downwardly from the sides 26 
and 28 of the shield body 12, respectively. 
FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the decorative device of the first 
embodiment showing the fastener elements provided with a plurality of 
openings 30 spaced apart from each other and divided by dividing strips 
32. The number of openings 30 depends on the size of the shield body 12 
and can be two or more in number. The space between the openings 30 
generally corresponds to the space between corresponding openings for 
shoelaces formed in a shoe, for example an athletic shoe 70, as shown in 
FIG. 1. 
The part of the shield body 12, defined by the curved edge 18 does not have 
the fastener element 22 or 24 extending along it. It is envisioned, that 
this part of the shield body will also remain securely positioned, along 
with the remainder of the body 12, once the shoelaces are extended through 
the openings 30. 
The top surface 14 of the shield body 12 presents a surface suitable for 
convenient application of various indicia, such as emblems, logos, cartoon 
characters and the like. It is also envisioned that logos of various sport 
teams can be imprinted, embroidered, stamped, or otherwise incorporated 
into the decorative attachment 10, making the device 10 attractive to 
sport team fans. 
The shield body 12, as well as the fastener elements 22, 24 are made from a 
flexible material which can easily bend to correspond to the natural curve 
of the top instep surface of a shoe. 
Turning now to the embodiments of FIGS. 5-7, an alternative design for 
forming the decorative attachment in accordance with the present invention 
is illustrated. As shown in the drawings, the second embodiment provides 
for the use of a decorative attachment 40 that comprises of a body portion 
42 formed in a square, or rectangular configuration, as desired. The 
shield body 42 of this embodiment has a top surface 44 adapted for 
accepting various indicia, such as emblems, logos, cartoon characters, and 
the like. The indicia can be embroidered, stamped,engraved or otherwise 
imprinted on the surface 44, similar to the first embodiment of this 
invention. 
A pair of fastener strips 46 and 48 are securely attached to the sides 50 
and 52 of the shield body 42, respectively. Each fastener element 46 and 
48 is provided with a plurality of openings 54 spaced along the body of 
the fastener elements 46, 48 and divided by separating strips 56. 
In this embodiment, the securing strips 46 and 48 extend through 
substantially the entire length of the shield body 42, as shown in FIG. 6. 
The fastener elements 46 and 48 as well as fastener elements 22, 24, are 
relatively narrow, so as to limit the distance to which the shield bodies 
42 and 12, extend above the top surface of a shoe. 
The openings 30 and 54 are large enough to allow a shoelace to pass 
therethrough without any effort, similar to the openings normally found in 
conventional footwear. The shield body 42, similar to the shield body 12 
is manufactured from a soft, flexible material which can readily bend to 
accommodate the shape of the instep of a shoe. 
As shown in FIG. 8, the decorative device of the present invention can be 
manufactured as a single piece comprising a body 60 having a top surface 
62 suitable for receiving decorative indicia thereon. In this embodiment, 
the shoelace receiving openings 64 are formed directly in the body portion 
60 and extend in a spaced-apart relationship along the sides 66 and 68 of 
the body 60. 
In this embodiment, the shoelaces pass through the openings 64, forcing the 
sides 66 and 68 to curve downwardly, to some degree, and causing the sides 
66 and 68 to conform substantially to the curved surface of the instep of 
the shoe. As with embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-7, the number of openings 
64 varies depending on the size of the device body 60 and can extend 
through a part of the instep portion or through substantially entire 
instep portion of a shoe. 
The body 60, similarly to the bodies 12 and 42 is formed from a flexible 
material which can easily bend when laces are extended through the 
openings 64. This material can be fabric, leather, synthetic material, or 
any other suitable material selected by a manufacturer. 
FIG. 9 illustrates still another embodiment of the device of the present 
invention, wherein shoelace-engaging fastener strips, or elements 80 are 
L-shaped. Each fastener element 80 has a downwardly extending member 82 
and a longitudinally extending member 84, which is unitary connected to 
the element 82 at a right angle. The fastener element 80 is secured to a 
shoe shield 81, as shown in FIG. 9. 
A stop 86 is formed on a free end 88 of the member 84 to prevent a shoelace 
from sliding out of a channel 90 defined by the members 82 and 84. The 
stop 86 can have a rounded upper surface 87, as shown in FIG. 9, or it can 
have any other desired configuration. 
A similar approach to a fastener element is illustrated in FIG. 10. A 
fastener element 92 of this embodiment is comprised of an arcuate 
hook-shaped member securely attached to a flat shoe shield 94 in a unitary 
manner. A stop 96 is formed on a free end 98 of each of the elements 92 to 
prevent disengagement of a shoelace therefrom. The stop 96 can have an 
elevated tip 97, as shown in FIG. 10, that can be of a triangular, oval or 
other desired cross-section. A shoelace, when engaged in a channel 100, 
will rest on an upper surface 102 of the member 92. 
The shoe shield bodies 81 and 94 can be made similar to the shield bodies 
10 and 40 of the first and second embodiments of this invention. The 
number of the fastener elements 80 and 92 can very depending on the size 
of the shield bodies 81 and 94, respectively. 
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate still further embodiment of the shoe shield 
device in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen in FIG. 
12, the shied device 110 comprises a unitary body having a central portion 
112 and a pair of angularly downwardly inclined side portions 114 and 116. 
The portions 114 and 116 can be connected to the central portion 112 
unitary or by stitching, if desired. 
A plurality of openings 118 are formed along the side portions 114 and 116, 
to allow passing of shoelaces therethrough. 
In operation, the shield device 110 is placed on top of an instep portion 
of a shoe 70, with the bottom portion 120 of the central portion 112 
resting above the shoelaces. The side portions 114 and 116 extend on both 
sides of the instep portion of the shoe, allowing shoelaces to pass 
therethrough and to secure the device 110 to the shoe 70. An upper surface 
122 of the central portion 112 receives a decorative design, if desired, 
similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 1-10. 
In addition to presenting a decorative attachment for an article of 
footwear, the device of the present invention protects the top of the 
shoe, particularly in the area of laced openings, shielding the shoes from 
debris that might accumulate on the laces in time. In this respect, the 
decorative attachment in accordance with the present invention serves a 
utilitarian purpose, as well. 
In use, the shield devices 10, 40, 60, 81 or 94 are positioned over the 
shoelaces, in any location along the instep of the shoe. Since the size of 
the shield bodies 12, 42, 60, 81 and 94 is arbitrary, the shield bodies 
can extend along substantially the entire instep portion or be limited 
only to a portion thereof. The laces are extended through the openings 30, 
54, 64, or within channels 90, 100, while the devices 10, 40, 60, 81 and 
94 are centered in a covering relationship over the instep portion of the 
footwear. 
Many other changes and modifications can be made in the design of the 
present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I, therefore, 
pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope 
of the appended claims.