Patent Publication Number: US-2006010721-A1

Title: Logo apparatus for shoe

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/588,579 filed Jul. 16, 2004, which application is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Statement of the Technical Field  
      The inventive arrangements concern advertising and more particularly advertising on shoes.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Marketers are constantly searching for new methods to promote products and services. These efforts can include the placement of logos, trademarks, slogans, or other identifying marks on various articles. Marketing efforts in this area have identified many novel and innovative locations on which advertisements can be placed. For example, advertising can now be found in diverse locations ranging from baseball fields to articles of clothing.  
      Most often, advertising attached to articles of clothing is affixed by the manufacturer. For example, logos and other promotional messages can be affixed by screen printing, embroidery, various kinds of patches affixed to the articles of clothing and so on. Shoes, especially sports shoes, are also known to sometimes include promotional labels or logos. Usually, these are affixed to the shoe at the time of manufacture by stitching, printing, stitched on labels, molded on insignia and so on. These systems have proved satisfactory for most kinds of advertising affixed to shoes.  
      Still, it is sometimes the case that consumers will wish to affix logos, advertising or personal messages to an article of clothing after it has been manufactured. For example, at a sporting event, spectators may wish to identify themselves with a particular team or player.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention concerns an apparatus for providing a logo on a shoe. The apparatus can include a body having a logo disposed thereon. A clip member can also be provided having a base attached to a surface of the body. The clip member can be formed as a blade extending a predetermined distance from the base adjacent to the surface. The blade can be positioned between a tongue of a shoe and a shoe lace so as to secure the body in place in a location where the logo can be seen. The blade can have at least one tab disposed on it and extending toward the surface.  
      The base can include a spacer element for spacing the elongated clip member from the body. The blade can be any length suitable for securing the clip member between the tongue and the laces. For example, the blade can extend a predetermined distance beyond an edge of the body to facilitate insertion of the blade between the tongue and laces of a shoe.  
      According to another aspect, the invention can also include a method for applying a logo to a shoe. The method can include inserting a clip member between a tongue of a shoe and a lace of a shoe and attaching to the clip member a logo so that the logo is displayed on the shoe over the laces. The method can also include providing the clip member with at least one elongated blade portion which has a thin profile so it can be positioned between the tongue and the lace without causing discomfort to a person wearing the shoe. Further, the method can include using at least one tab extending from the elongated blade portion to securely engage the laces when the laces are tightened in the shoe. Finally, the method can include the step of removing the elongated blade portion from the shoe by loosening the laces and sliding the blade out from betweens the laces and the tongue.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a logo apparatus that can be removably attached to a shoe.  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the logo apparatus in  FIG. 1 , taken along line  2 - 2 .  
       FIG. 3  is drawing that is useful for understanding how a body portion of the logo can be attached to the clip member.  
       FIG. 4  is a drawing that is useful for understanding how the logo apparatus in  FIG. 1  can be attached to a shoe.  
       FIG. 5  is a drawing that is useful for understanding how the logo apparatus in  FIG. 1  can appear when affixed to a shoe.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a logo apparatus  100  that can be removably attached to a shoe. As illustrated therein, the logo apparatus can include a body  102  having a logo  104  disposed thereon. The term logo as used herein can include any of a wide variety of designs, information, marks, symbols or advertising. For example the logo can include team insignia, race car numbers, trademarks, service marks, personal messages and so on. The logo can be a two dimensional graphic. Alternatively, the logo can be a three dimensional object such as a character sculpture or novelty design.  
      The logo apparatus  100  can also have a clip member  106  that can be configured for removably securing the logo apparatus to a shoe. The clip member  106  can be any structure suitable for attaching the logo apparatus to a shoe. According to one embodiment, the clip member can be a structure suitable for engaging the laces of as shoe such that the logo apparatus is removably secured to thereto.  
       FIGS. 1-3  show one embodiment of a clip member  106  that can be used for the logo apparatus of the present invention. As illustrated therein, the logo apparatus  100  can include a base portion  108  attached to a surface  110  of the body  102 . The base can include a spacer element  112  for spacing the clip member from the body  102  but the invention is not limited in this regard. The clip member  106  can also include at least one blade  114  extending a predetermined distance from the base  108  adjacent to the surface  110 . The exact dimensions of the blade width W will depend to some extent on the number of blades used to form the clip. If a single blade is used, the blade can have a relatively broad width. For example, the blade can be slightly less than the width of a tongue for a shoe. Alternatively, a narrower blade can be used for greater user comfort and convenience.  
      According to an embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , multiple blades  114  can be used. In that case, the width W of the blades can be generally narrower. Multiple blades having a relatively narrow width can be more comfortable in some instances than a single broader width blade. If multiple blades  114  are used, the blade width and overall spacing between the blades can be selected so that the clip member  106  fits within an area between the laces and tongue of a shoe. Still, many other blade configurations are possible and the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-3 .  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the blade can have at least one tab  116  disposed on it and extending toward the surface  110 . Each tab  116  preferably has a tip or edge  118  that is useful for engaging a shoe lace when the laces are slipped between the surface  110  and the blade  114 . The tab  116  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  comprises a prong-like member punched from the surface of the blade  114 . However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in this regard. Instead, any suitable structure can be disposed on the surface of the blade  114  that will allow a shoe lace to easily slide into the space between the blade  114  and surface  110 , but will generally tend to prevent the blade from being removed. For example, the tabs can be formed from one or more ridges, lips, raised areas or other similar structure.  
      In addition, or as an alternative to providing tabs  116  on the blade  114 , the tabs can be provided on surface  110  of the logo body. In either case, the tabs  116  preferably provide some structure for allowing the blade to slide easily between the laces for securing the logo body  102  to a shoe. Conversely, the structure of the tabs  116  should be selected to prevent the blade  114  from being removed from its position between the laces and tongue of a shoe, at least when the laces of the shoe are snugly tied.  
      The blade  114  can be any length suitable for securing the clip member  106  between the tongue and the laces of a shoe. For example, the blade can extend a predetermined distance beyond an edge of the body as shown in  FIG. 1 . This can be useful for allowing a user to more conveniently slide the blade  114  between a tongue and a lace of a shoe.  
      According to another aspect, the invention can also include a method for applying a logo to a shoe. As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the method can include inserting a clip member  106  between a tongue  122  of a shoe  120  and a lace  124  of the shoe  120 . The method can also include the step of attaching to the clip member  106  the logo body  102  so that the logo  104  is displayed on the shoe  120  over the laces  124 . The method can also include providing the clip member  106  with at least one elongated blade  114  which has a relatively thin profile or thickness T so it can be positioned between the tongue and the lace without causing discomfort to a person wearing the shoe.  
      Further, the method can include the step of using at least one tab  116  extending from the elongated blade portion  114  or surface  110  to securely engage the laces  124  when the laces are tightened in the shoe. Finally, the method can include the step of removing the elongated blade portion  114  from the shoe by loosening the laces and sliding the blade out from betweens the laces and the tongue.  
      The invention described and claimed herein is not to be limited in scope by the preferred embodiments herein disclosed, since these embodiments are intended as illustrations of several aspects of the invention. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.