Abstract:
A shoe cover is inserted over a shoe tongue to protect the shoe tongue and to display advertisements or other fashionable designs. The cover has a sleeve with a fastener attached to an interior surface. A complementary fastener is attached to the shoe tongue. Both fasteners engage to secure the shoe tongue cover onto the shoe tongue.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a device for protecting the surface of a shoe tongue. More particularly, the device is capable of protecting the shoe tongue while displaying artistic designs, logos, and trademarks. 
     In today&#39;s market, shoes have become items of fashion and style. Thus, it is desirable to protect the surfaces on shoes from dirt and other contaminants. Unfortunately, prior art shoe tongue protection devices are often unnecessarily inflexible in their ability to adjust to different types of shoes and difficult to secure to the shoe tongue. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,497 discloses a shoe tongue cover for a shoe tongue. The shoe tongue cover has a body which defines a recess for receiving the shoe tongue. At the bottom of the body, a strip of hook and loop fasteners are attached to an exterior surface. Also at the bottom of the body is a pair of folding ends with a pair of complementary hook and loop fasteners. When the shoe tongue is inserted into the body, the ends are wrapped around the strip of hook and loop fasteners on the external surface of the body. As can be seen, the disclosed shoe tongue cover in this patent cannot be adjusted to different shoe sizes. Furthermore, once the shoe tongue is inserted into the body, the bottom of the cover is within the shoe itself. This makes it difficult to wrap the folding ends onto the strip at the bottom of the body. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     What is needed is a shoe cover that is easily secured to the shoe tongue and is easily adjustable to different shoe sizes. In one embodiment of the invention, a sleeve is provided which defines a recess for receiving the shoe tongue. The shoe tongue is received in the sleeve through an opening at the end of the recess. In order to secure the sleeve to the shoe tongue, a sleeve fastener is attached to an interior surface within the sleeve. A complementary shoe fastener is placed on the shoe tongue to engage the sleeve fastener when the shoe tongue is inserted in the sleeve. The recess is adjustable to different types of shoes because a surface on the shoe tongue is marked with measurement markings that indicate shoe tongue lengths for different types of shoes. 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a shoe tongue cover for a shoe. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe tongue cover which is easily secured to the shoe tongue. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide measurement markings for adjusting the recess length of the shoe tongue cover. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of the device shoe tongue cover and a shoe tongue. 
         FIG. 2  is an end view of the inside of the shoe tongue cover shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a shoe with a shoe tongue fastener on the shoe tongue for attachment to the sleeve fastener on the shoe tongue cover of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the sleeve fastener and the shoe tongue fastener shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the shoe tongue cover of  FIG. 1  inserted over the shoe tongue. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a device  10  for covering a shoe tongue on a shoe is shown. In this embodiment, the device has a sleeve  12  defining a recess  14  for receiving the shoe tongue. The sleeve  12  may be of any shape or design so long as the shoe tongue on the shoe is receivable into the recess  14 . Manufacturers and shoe companies may thus design sleeves in a variety of functional or aesthetic shapes and configurations to bolster a desired promotional image for the sleeve or shoe. 
     In order to secure the sleeve  12  to the shoe, a sleeve fastener  18  is attached to an interior surface  16  of the sleeve  12  which borders the recess  14 . The shoe tongue is inserted into the recess  14  through an opening  20  at an open end  34  of the recess  14 . Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , a shoe tongue fastener  26  is attached to a shoe tongue  24  on a shoe  22 . When the sleeve  12  is slipped over the shoe tongue  24 , the sleeve fastener  18  shown in  FIG. 2  and the shoe tongue fastener  26  shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3  engage and secure the device  10  on the shoe  22 . 
     The fasteners in this invention may be of any suitable type so long as the fastening mechanism is capable of preventing the sleeve  12  from coming off the shoe  22 . Thus, buttons, detachable adhesives, or clipping mechanisms can be utilized; however, in the preferred embodiment the fasteners are strips of hook and loop fasteners,  52 ,  53  which are shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . As is shown, a first mating portion of a hook and loop fastener  53  is attached to the shoe  22 . The second mating portion of the hook and loop fastener  52  is attached to the interior surface  16  of the sleeve  12 . As is known in the art, this hook and loop fastener, mating portions  52 ,  53 , are complimentary pieces which are removably attached when engaged to one another. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the strips  52 ,  53  of hook and fastener material are shown. These strips may be sewn, zippered or clipped to the interior surface  16  and the shoe tongue. However, in the preferred embodiment the strips  52 ,  53  are attached to the respective surfaces with an adhesive  54 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 2 , the strip  52  is attached longitudinally across the interior surface  16  of the sleeve  12 . Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment the strip  52  is attached adjacent to the first end  32 . In this manner, the shoe tongue must be fully inserted into the recess  14  in order for the strip  53  on the shoe tongue to engage the strip  52  on the sleeve  12 . As is shown in  FIG. 1  and in  FIG. 3 , the strip  53  is placed at the top end  56  of the shoe tongue. By placing the strip  52  adjacent to the first end and the end of strip  26  adjacent to the top end, the strips  52  and  53  are not inadvertently engaged until the shoe tongue is fully received in the recess  14 . This allows the device  10  to be slipped over the shoe tongue without being inadvertently caught before full insertion into the recess  14 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the sleeve  12  may be made of a front portion  28  for covering the front side of the shoe tongue and a back portion  30  for covering the back side of the shoe tongue. The front portion  28  may be attached to the back portion  30  to define the recess  14 . The recess  14  may have a first end  32  and an open end  34  for inserting the shoe tongue  24  into the recess  14 . These opposing ends  32  and  34  define a recess length  36 . 
     Next, the front portion  28  has an interior surface  42  bordering the recess  14  and an exterior surface  44  opposing the interior surface  42 . In the preferred embodiment, the interior surface  42  is the markable surface  38  with the measurement markings  40 . Also, the exterior surface  44  is normally a printable surface for printing advertising thereon. In this manner, different artistic designs, logos and trademarks may be displayed on the exterior surface  44  when the device  10  is covering the shoe tongue. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the sleeve  12  can be dimensioned to fit all different types of shoes. In one embodiment of the invention, the sleeve  12  is manufactured so that the original recess length  36  of the sleeve is capable of fitting the longest shoe tongue known in the industry. In order to adjust the recess length  36  to the length of the shoe tongue for the desired shoe, a markable surface  38  on one of the portions  28 ,  30  is marked with measurement markings  40 . In the preferred embodiment, these measurement markings  40  will be placed at certain locations between the first end  32  and the open end  34  so that the recess  14  can fit a shoe tongue on a man&#39;s, a woman&#39;s, or a child&#39;s shoe. As is known in the art, shoes come with shoe tongues of standard lengths and widths for men, women and children&#39;s shoes. By providing these measurement markings  40  a user can adjust the length  36  of the sleeve  12  to fit the desired shoe. The user may cut the sleeve  12  to the desired length or simply fold the open end  34  until the sleeve reaches the desired length. 
     Another variable in the manufacturing of shoe tongues is the width of the shoe tongue. Different widths are used for a child&#39;s, a man&#39;s, and woman&#39;s shoes. Thus, the sleeve  12  may be manufactured to specifically fit any of these shoe sizes. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the recess  14  has lateral edges  46  and  48  between the first end  32  and the open end  34 . These opposed lateral edges  32  and  34  define a recess width  50 . This recess width  50  may be of several different sizes depending on the type of shoe for the shoe cover. For example, the recess width  50  may be approximately two and half inches (2 1/2 ″) to fit a shoe tongue on a child&#39;s shoe. Alternatively, the recess width  50  may be approximately three inches (3″) to fit a shoe tongue for a woman&#39;s shoe. Also, the recess width  50  may be approximately four inches (4″) to fit a man&#39;s shoe. 
     Finally, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the sleeve  12  may define a loop  37  for securing the sleeve to the tongue. The loop  37  is defined on the exterior surface of the sleeve  12 . This loop  37  may be sewn on the exterior surface. However, in the preferred embodiment, the loop  37  is created by cutting a pair of slits on the exterior surface of the sleeve  12 . The laces on the shoe may be inserted through this loop  37  so that the sleeve is secured to the shoe. 
     Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Cover for Slip Tongue, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.