WO2004084668A1

WO2004084668A1 - Shoe accessory

Info

Publication number: WO2004084668A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/050317
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allan Robert May
Original assignee: Allan Robert May
Priority date: 2003-03-24
Filing date: 2004-03-23
Publication date: 2004-10-07

Abstract

This invention relates to a clothing accessory (10) adapted for promoting advertising of goods, services and/or events. Particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to an advertising accessory for use in association with footwear. The advertising accessory (10) is for use in association with footwear having a sole, the accessory comprising a ball (12); and attachment means (14) connectable to the ball (12) and suitable for attaching the ball to the footwear such that the ball (12) projects from the footwear substantially in the general plane of the sole of the footwear.

Description

SHOE ACCESSORY Technical Field

This invention relates to a clothing accessory adapted for promoting advertising of goods, services and/or events. Particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to an advertisement-type accessory for use in association with footwear.

Background Art

It will generally be appreciated that clothing can be adapted in many ways for purposes of advertising, ranging from advertising on a T-shirt, caps, scarves or the like. Essentially it is an object of any advertiser to promote its goods and/or services in such a manner that it attracts the eye of a likely consumer.

It is also often an object of an advertiser to create a product which will form part of the "latest craze" so to speak and thus gain popularity amongst the consuming public for a specific period of time, for example during the course of a specific sporting event, such as world cup cricket or rugby events.

Object of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative advertising product and in particular an accessory for use in association with footwear.

Disclosure of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided an advertising accessory for use in association with footwear having a sole, the accessory comprising a ball; and attachment means connectable to the ball and suitable for attaching the ball to the footwear such that the ball projects from the footwear substantially in the general plane of the sole of the footwear.

In this specification, the term "ball" means a representation in three dimensions on a smaller, larger or actual scale of a cricket ball, soccer ball, golf bail, tennis ball, rugby ball or the like balls generally utilised in sports.

The ball may project from the sole of the footwear in an substantially operatively horizontal plane when attached to the sole of the footwear.

The ball may be of any suitable material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, rubber or the like. The ball may include decorative means, such as a country flag, spoiling colours of a particular team participating in a sporting event, and/or names, colours, logos or the like of relevant sponsors of a particular event.

The ball may be shaped by means of an injection moulding process, a rotation mould or the like process.

The ball may include illuminating means for illuminating at least part of the ball. Particularly, the illuminating means may be adapted to illuminate at least part of the ball as and when a user steps on footwear to which the accessory is attached.

The accessory also may include sound generating means for playing a sound associated with a particular ball sport, or with the theme song for a particular series of games or a world cup. Particularly, the sound generating means may be adapted to produce a sound as and when a user steps on footwear to which the accessory is attached.

The attachment means may be shaped to attach the ball to a sole portion of a shoe. In one form of the invention the attachment means may releasably be connected to the ball. The attachment means also may removably be attached to the footwear.

In one form of the invention, the attachment means may comprise at least one elongate attaching pin connected to and extending from the ball, the arrangement being such that the pin may be pushed into a side portion of the shoe sole such that the ball is substantially flush with a bottom portion of the shoe sole or abuts the sole of the shoe.

The pin extending from the ball may terminate in a sharp outer end. The attachment means also may include a number of attaching pins connected to and extending from the ball.

The attaching pin may be of any suitable material, such as stainless steel, aluminium or the like and may include at least one retaining hook formation located on the pin so as to prevent the accessory from becoming disengaged with the shoe in use. In one form of the invention, the attaching pin may include a series of retaining hook formations arranged along the length of the attaching pin.

In an alternative form of the invention, the attachment means may comprise adhesive tape or the like adhesive means such that the ball may be stuck to the footwear. It will be appreciated, however, that the accessory may comprise any other suitable attachment means for attaching the accessory to footwear.

Specific embodiment of the invention Without limiting the scope thereof, an embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein -

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an accessory according to the invention wherein the accessory resembles a soccer ball;

Figure 2 is a side view of the accessory of Figure 1 illustrating how the accessory is attached to a shoe; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the accessory of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an example of a typical circuit configuration embodied in the ball in respect of the illuminating means, wherein the circuit includes a series arrangement of a battery, switch, resistor and two light-emitting diodes arranged in parallel; and Figure 5 is an example of a typical circuit configuration embodied in the ball for effecting working of the sound generating means, wherein the circuit includes a series arrangement of a battery, switch, semiconductor chip and a speaker.

An accessory for footwear according to the invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The accessory 10 comprises a ball 12; and attachment means 14 connectable to the ball 12 and suitable for attaching the ball 12 to footwear. In the illustrated embodiments of the invention the ball 12 resembles a soccer ball.

The ball 12 is of any suitable material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, rubber or the like. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ball is of a substantially transparent plastic-type material. In addition, the ball may include graphic representations, such as an illustration of one or more flags. The applicant particularly envisages that, when this invention is exploited in connection with sporting events, for example, a consumer would be able to purchase a ball depicting the national flag of the country it supports.

The attachment means 14 is shaped to attach the ball 12 to a sole portion 16 of a shoe 18. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the attachment means 14 comprises an elongate attaching pin connected to and extending from the ball 12, the arrangement being such that the pin may be pushed into a side portion of the shoe sole 16 such that the ball 12 is substantially flush with a bottom portion of the shoe sole 16

The attaching pin 14 is of any suitable material, such as stainless steel, aluminium or the like and includes two retaining hook formations 20 located on the pin 14 so as to prevent the accessory 10 from becoming disengaged with the shoe 18 in use.

In one form of the invention, the ball 12 of the accessory includes illuminating means for illuminating the ball 12. Particularly, the illuminating means may be adapted, for example, to illuminate the ball as and when the user steps on the sole 16 of the shoe 18 to which the accessory is attached. The illuminating means are light-emitting diodes 38.1 and 38.2 moulded into the ball. The light-emitting diodes 38.1 and 38.2 are activated by means of a tactile pushbutton switch 32 or similar device located at an underside of the ball 12. The light-emitting diodes 38.1 and 38.2 are typically 3mm diameter high bright, low current type diodes.

The battery 24 is arranged in a watertight housing that is moulded into the ball 12 and is typically a 3V lithium battery.

The resistor 36 is a 300-ohm, 1/8-watt current-limiting resistor arranged to give a typical current of 10 mV.

In certain embodiments of the invention the accessory also includes sound generating means for playing a sound associated with a particular ball sport or with the theme song for a particular series of games or a world cup series of games. A speaker 46 is included within the ball 12 and is activated by means of a tactile pushbutton switch 40 at an underside of the ball 12. The requisite sound is pre-recorded digitally onto the semiconductor chip 44, the arrangement being such that each time the switch 40 is activated, a sound is played through the speaker 46. The speaker 46 is typically a piezo buzzer.

It will be appreciated that numerous other embodiments of the invention may be possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set out in the consistory clauses hereinbefore.

Claims

1. An advertising accessory for use in association with footwear having a sole, the accessory comprising a ball and attachment means for attaching the ball to the

5 footwear such that the ball projects substantially in the general plane of the sole of the footwear.

2. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 1 in which the ball projects from the attachment means in a substantially operatively horizontal plane when attached to o the sole of the footwear.

3. An advertising accessory a claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball is attached to a front end of the sole of the footwear.

5 4, An advertising accessory as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the ball is made of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or rubber.

5. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball displays a country flag, sporting colours of a particular team participating in 0 a sporting event, and/or a name, a colour or a logo.

6. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 5 in which the colour or logo or name displayed is that of a relevant sponsor of a particular event.

7. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball is shaped by means of an injection moulding process or a rotation moulding process.

5 8. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the ball includes illuminating means for illuminating at least part of the ball.

9. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 8 in which the illuminating means is adapted to illuminate at least part of the ball as and when a user steps on the o footwear to which the accessory is attached.

10. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the accessory includes sound generating means for playing a sound.

5 11. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 10 in which the sound is a sound associated with a particular ball sport or with the theme song for a particular series of games or a world cup.

12. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 10 or 11 in which the sound o generating means is adapted to produce a sound as and when a user steps on the footwear to which the accessory is attached.

13. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the attachment means is shaped to attach the ball to a sole portion of a shoe. 5

14. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the attachment means includes securing means for releasably connecting the bail to the footwear or for releasably connecting to the ball.

15. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the attachment means is an elongate attaching pin connected to and extending from the ball to terminate in a sharp outer end, the arrangement being such that the pin may be pushed into a side portion of the shoe sole such that the ball abuts an edge of the shoe sole.

16. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 15 in which the attachment means includes a number of attaching pins connected to and extending from the ball.

17. An advertising accessory as claimed in any of claims 15 to 16 in which the attaching pin is made of stainless steel or aluminium.

18. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 17 in which the attachment means includes at least one retaining hook formation on its outer end so as to prevent the accessory from becoming disengaged with the shoe in use.

19. An advertising accessory as claimed in claim 18 in which the attaching pin includes a number of retaining hook formations arranged along the length of the attaching pin.

0. An advertising accessory as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 in which the attachment means is adhesive means such that the ball may be stuck to the footwear.