Patents on the soles of your shoes...: 2025

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Oh, patents! Manolo Blahnik Borla evening clutch (6)

The Manolo Blahnik Borla evening clutch was also inspired by the Monolo Blahnik Borlak pumps. A bigger and more striking Borlak pump buckle adorns the front of the Blahnik evening clutch.

The Manolo Blahnik Borla evening clutch is a patented design. On March 7th, 2017, the US design patent, USD780443S1, titled Handbag was awarded to Manolo Blahnik.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right perspective view of the Borla evening clutch, together with an image of the marketed product. The Manolo Blahnik Borla clutch shown is satin-clad with a Swarovski crystal ornament fully covering the front of the clutch.

References
Manolo Blahnik (website)
https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/
Pithers, E. (Aug. 5, 2015). Manolo Blahnik on misanthropy, minaudières and the "divine" Mary Beard. Daily Telegraph.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/manolo-blahnik-launches-new-bag-collection-stays-independent/

Oh, patents - Manolo Blahnik Mina clutch

One more patented Manolo Blahnik evening clutch—the Mina clutch. Un-inspired by previous pump collections, the Mina clutch was designed separately from the six released for the Fall of 2015. The Mina clutch is a silver-toned minaudiere* with large royal blue polka dots, and a magnetic clasp closure.

The Manolo Blahnik Mina clutch is patented. The US design patent USD781052S1, titled Handbag, was awarded to Manolo Blahnik on March 14th, 2017.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right perspective view of the Mina clutch, together with a marketed embodiment of the design.

Note

A minaudière is a small hard-shell evening clutch, made popular by the luxury jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, in 1934.

Reference

Manolo Blahnik (website)
https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/

Friday, November 7, 2025

Manolo Blahnik - Manolo Blahnik Lakka evening clutch (5)

The rectangular Manolo Blahnik Lakka evening clutch was inspired by the satin-clad Manolo Blahnik Borlak pumps. Manolo Borlak pumps are embellished with a jeweled buckle. The Manolo Blahnik jeweled Borlak pump buckle adorns the rectangular front of the satin Manolo Blahnik Lakka evening clutch.

The Manolo Blahnik Lakka evening clutch is a patented design. The US design patent, USD780445S1, titled Handbag, was awarded on March 7th, 2017, to Manolo Blahnik.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right perspective view of the invention design, together with two images of the marketed Lakka evening clutch. The two satin-clad, Lakka evening clutches, respectively in black and nude, both have a Swarovski crystal front decoration, inspired by the Borlak Monolo Blahnik pump buckle.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Oh, patents! Manolo Blahnik Kana evening clutch (4)

The square Manolo Blahnik Kana evening clutch was also inspired by the Manolo Blahnik Okkato pumps. Okkato Manolos are satin pumps with a jeweled buckle. The Okkato buckle ornament is designed on the front of the Kana minaudière*.

The Manolo Blahnik Kana evening clutch was granted the US design patent, USD781053S1, on March 14th, 2017. The patent was awarded to Manolo Blahnik.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right view of the invention design, together with three images of the marketed Manolo Blahnik Kana evening minaudière, satin-clad with Swarovski crystal decoration .

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Note

A minaudière is a small hard-shell evening clutch, made popular by the luxury jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, in 1934.

References
Manolo Blahnik (website)
https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/

Pithers, E. (Aug. 5, 2015). Manolo Blahnik on misanthropy, minaudières and the "divine" Mary Beard. Daily Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/manolo-blahnik-launches-new-bag-collection-stays-independent/

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Oh, patents! Manolo Blahnik Nadi evening clutch (3)

The Manolo Blahnik Nadi evening clutch was inspired by the Nadira Manolos. Nadira Manolos are satin-clad Blahnik pumps with a diagonal Swarovski crystal buckle. A jeweled buckle that is designed as a handle on the Nadi evening clutch.

The Manolo Blahnik Nadi evening clutch is a patented invention. The US design patent, USD788454S1, titled Handbag, was awarded to Manolo Blahnik, on June 6th, 2017.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right perspective view of the invention design, together with three images of the marketed, satin-clad, Nadi evening clutch.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Oh, patents! Manolo Blahnik Okka evening clutch (2)

The Manolo Blahnik Okka evening clutch, inspired by the Manolo Blahnik Okkato pumps, is a patented design. The US design patent, USD780446S1, titled Handbag, was awarded on May 7th, 2017, to Manolo Blahnik.

Below the patent Figure 1, depicting a front-right perspective of the design, together with three images of the marketed design. The satin-clad hard-shell clutch, called a minaudière, is adorned with clear Swarovski crystals in a striking pattern.

References

Manolo Blahnik (website)
https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/

Pithers, E. (Aug. 5, 2015). Manolo Blahnik on misanthropy, minaudières and the "divine" Mary Beard. Daily Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/manolo-blahnik-launches-new-bag-collection-stays-independent/

Monday, November 3, 2025

Oh, patents! Manolo Blahnik Hangi evening clutch (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

In the Fall 2015, the famous Spanish shoe designer Manolo Blahnik launched a series of six evening clutches, each inspired by existing Blahnik shoes (called “Manolos”). The series comprised dazzling minaudières (small hard-shell clutches without straps), bejeweled with clear Swarovski crystals, and vibrantly colored satins—just like their famous counterpart Manolos.

The clutch designs are each patented. For example, the Hangi* evening clutch, inspired by the Hangisi Manolo Blahnik pumps, was awarded the US design patent, USD780444S1, titled Handbag. The patent was awarded on May 7th, 2017, to Manolo Blahnik

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a front-right perspective view of the Hangi design, together with four images of marketed embodiments. The images illustrate the model in black satin, and just three of the many vibrantly colored Hangi clutches, adorned with Swarovski crystals.

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Note: The name Hangi is a Turkish word meaning “which”. In this case, the handbag name is short for the many variations of the shoe series called Hangisi, aptly meaning “which one?” in Turkish.

References

Manolo Blahnik (website)

https://www.manoloblahnik.com/us/

Pithers, E. (Aug. 5, 2015). Manolo Blahnik on misanthropy, minaudières and the "divine" Mary Beard. Daily Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/manolo-blahnik-launches-new-bag-collection-stays-independent/

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Oh, patents! D&G - Dolce perfume bottle cap

Dolce & Gabbana (D&G), the famous Italian fashion House, was founded by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, in 1984. The first D&G perfumes – Dolce & Gabbana pour femme (for women) and Dolce & Gabbana pour homme (for men) were launched in the early 90s. Since then, more than 100 D&G perfumes have been created.

The Dolce perfume was first launched in 2014. To date, the Dolce perfume line includes ten different fragrances: the original Dolce (2014), Dolce Floral Drops (2015), Dolce Rosa Excelsa (2016), Dolce Garden (2018), Dolce Peony (2019), Dolce Shine (2020), Dolce Rose (2021), Dolce Lily (2022), Dolce Violet (2023) and Dolce Blue Jasmine (2024). All the Dolce perfume bottles, with their sculpted flower caps, were designed by award-winning bottle designer Suzanne Dalton. The Dolce flower cap is a patented design. The US design patent, USD792767S1, titled Perfume bottle cap, was awarded to Suzanne Dalton, in France, on July 25th, 2017. The patent was then assigned to Dolce & Gabbana, in Milan, Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 8, together with a marketed bottle of the Dolce Garden fragrance*. Notice in the figure drawing that everything below the flower cap is drawn with dotted lines. The dotted lines indicate the parts of the design that are unprotected by the patent. Thus, only the Dolce flower bottle cap is patented.

Notes

*The Dolce Garden fragrance was created by Violaine Collas, senior perfumer at MANE S.A**. Dolce Garden is a fruity-floral perfume for women with magnolia, neroli, and mandarin orange top notes, coconut middle notes, and almond milk and sandalwood end notes.

** MANE S.A. is a major international fragrance and flavor production company, founded in 1871 in France (near Grasse, the perfume industry's capital city).

References

Dolce & Gabbana (website)

https://www.dolcegabbana.com/en-us/

Suzanne Dalton (YouTube) Behind the Bottle: Full Interview with Suzanne Dalton | LIBRE | YSL BEAUTY

https://youtu.be/OSwX9RGxL9s

MANE SA (company website)

https://www.mane.com/

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Unpatented - Gillbert, the Robo-Fish

Winner of the 2022 Natural Robotics Contest, the Robo-Fish named Gillbert, was designed to capture plastic pollution found in waterways, using a microbial fuel cell (MFC) that digests plastic particles to generate energy. In other words, a technology where bacteria breaks down plastic, and a fuel cell converts the energy released into electricity. As a result, the more plastic Gillbert captures, the more energy is generated.

The Natural Robotics Contest was organized by Dr. Robert Siddall, at the University of Surrey (UK), in partnership with the British Ecological Society, and various additional educational institutions and foundations (Siddall et al., 2022). The contest call was for robot ideas that are biomimetic and that do good in the world. In other words, a call for robot ideas that imitate nature. For example, a woodpecker robot that could test the health of trees, or a plant robot that could reinforce a riverbank. As for natural robots doing good in the world, this was understood as an action aligned with the goals to protect nature and to promote biodiversity, set forth at the conclusion of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), held in Montreal, Canada, in 2022.

The contest was also completely crowdsourced, marketed to high schools and college students, mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom, but also open to “anyone” with a bright idea for a robot that “imitates nature and does good”. The grand part of the contest was that the winning entry would actually be prototyped. Prototyping performed by a group of robotic experts and engineers, hailing from such prestigious engineering schools as the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL) or the Technische Universität München (TUM) in Munich, Germany, and the robotics labs at the University of Surrey, in the United Kingdom. Finally, from a research standpoint, the investigators hypothesized that the entries would reflect what people cared about most in the environment, as well as the problems they considered most pressing for engineers to solve.

Thus, Gillbert, the 2022 winning entry, submitted by a student named Eleanor Mackintosh, reflected the strong interest for solving ocean pollution, found trending most prominently in the contest entries. Additionally, the Robo-Fish prototype was 3D-printed, so that anyone could get a copy of the Robo-Fish, which also ran on batteries, and thereby multiply Robo-fish goodness in the world.

Gillbert, the name of the fish, would also invoke a significant aspect of the idea, considering that inspiration was drawn from basking sharks. Indeed, basking sharks swim with their massive mouths open to filter tiny zooplankton, krill, and other small organisms from the water. Their mouths have comb-like gill rakers to trap food as water passes through their gills. A passive raking system that enables them to eat a vast amount of food while filtering thousands of gallons of seawater per hour.

Mimicking basking sharks, the Robo-Fish, idea essentially consisted in contaminated water being swallowed by the robot and pushed out, free of plastic particles, through the Robo-Fish gills, covered with mesh filters. Specifically, a filtering system biomimicking basking sharks feeding from zooplankton, krill, and other small organisms caught in their natural gill filtering system.

Below, an image of the winning student entry submitted by Eleanor Mackintosh, and of the prototype put together by robotic experts, interested in Gillbert and the quest to rid oceans of their catastrophic plastic pollution problems. Indeed, by 2050, experts estimate that ocean plastic could exceed fish by weight.

References

Staff (Oct. 20, 2022). Robotics researchers turn the public's ideas into ‘robo-fish’ reality

– University of Surrey, UK.

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/robotics-researchers-turn-publics-ideas-robo-fish-reality

The Natural Robotics Contest - Call for Entries.

www.naturalroboticscontest.com

Siddall, R., Zufferey, R., Armanini, Sophie., Zhang, Ketao., Sareh, Sina., and Elisavetha Sergeev (Oct. 19, 2022). The Natural Robotics Contest: Crowdsourced Biomimetic Design.

https://drive.usercontent.google.com/download?id=1iMKqAykrcCLJfywsCpNSS_QDLspiLXuL&authuser=0&acrobatPromotionSource=gdrive_chrome-native_view

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Oh, patents! Oh, LifeSavers®!

LifeSavers®’ lore is sweet. According to Bellis (2025), the hard candy LifeSavers® were invented in 1912 as a heat-resistant, summer candy, an alternative to chocolate prone to melting. The first flavor was mint (Pep-O-mint). By 1919, six flavors were marketed (Wint-O-Green, Cl-O-ve, Lic-O-Rice, Cinn-O-Mon, Vi-O-Let, and Choc-O-Late). The five-fruit flavor packs (pineapple, lime, orange, cherry, and lemon) came in 1935 with flavor and formula variations to date. Most significantly, because the candies looked like little life preservers, they were called LifeSavers®.

LifeSavers® were initially packaged by hand in cardboard tubes. Tinfoil ply was introduced later to keep the candies fresher. Machinery to package the candies was developed in the 1930s. In 2004, Wrigley acquired the company, introducing a new flavor (Hot Cin-O-Mon) and reintroducing an old mint flavor (Wint-O-Green), among other innovations.

LifeSavers®’ two-ply, foil + wax, laminated packaging is a patented invention. The US utility patent US2926833, titled Life saver package, was awarded on March 1st, 1960, to Harry E. Engleson and Elmer D. Sramek. Specifically, the patent discloses both how the candies are wrapped and an improved way of opening the packages. An improvement for accessing the candies, comprising a strand or thread that is secured inside the wrapper, with a protruding end that the user can pull to tear off the end of the wrapper, thereby enabling access to the candies.

Below, the patent Figures 1 and 4, respectively depict perspective views of the stack of candies in position relative to the wrapper, and the opened package, using the opening strand. An image of an opened LifeSavers® five-flavor pack, currently marketed, is also included beneath the patent Figures 1 and 4.

Specifically, the patent Figure 1 shows a stack 11 of cylindrical candies 10, termed articles in the patent. The bottom of the stack 11 sits below the dotted fold line 22, and the top of the stack is just under the flexible opening strand or filament 19. The opening strand or filament 19, with its protruding end 20, is heat-sealed to the wrapping paper 12. The wrapping paper 12, is made of Rayseal, comprising an inner wax paper wall 18, and an outer aluminum paper wall 17. The flexible wrapping paper 12 has two parallel sides, 14 and 13, and two parallel top and bottom edges, 15 and 16. The top edge 15 will be folded and heat-sealed after the stack is tightly wrapped.

The patent Figure 4 shows the wrapped stack 11, with an outer band of paper 30, used for labeling the product. The top 25 of the wrapped stack 11, is folded, heat-sealed, and torn off, using the protruding end 20 of the opening strand or filament 19.

References

Bellis, M. (May 13. 2025). The History of LifeSavers® Candies.

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-life-savers-candy-4076664

LifeSavors® (official website)

https://www.life-savers.com/

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

International Translation Day 2025

Copyright ® Françoise Herrmann

Today is International Translation Day. A day designed to celebrate the role of translation in “connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development,” per the United Nations Resolution 71/288, proclaiming September 30th, International Translation Day, on May 24th, 2017.

Historically, International Translation Day dates back to 1953, when the International Federation of Translators selected September 30th, corresponding to the celebration of the Feast of Saint Jerome, a day in the Catholic liturgical calendar of Saints. This date was selected because Saint Jerome was a multilingual scholar of the 4th century, who was canonized for having first translated the Bible, from the original Hebrew and the Greek (Septuagint) versions, into a unified Latin version. Saint Jerome's more widely accessible Latin version of the Bible is called the Vulgate. During the 16th century, the Council of Trent subsequently proclaimed Saint Jerome's Vulgate the official version of the Bible for the Catholic Church.

The theme that the International Federation of Translators has selected for the year 2025 is Translation, shaping a world you can trust. A theme that relates to the AI shift in the world, and to the role that translators can play to oversee the trustworthy use of new translation technologies.

Cheers then to all translators, interpreters and terminologists! Happy International Translators Day!

References
FIT– Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs – International Federation of Translators.
https://en.fit-ift.org/
UN International Translators Day, Sept 30^th 2025.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-translation-day
UN Resolution 71/288 – May 24^th 2017.
https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/71/288

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Oh, patents! Valentino combat boots

The Valentino women's combat boots, sporting a Valentino 'Vlogo' buckle, are patented. The US design patent, USD900438, titled Shoe, was awarded on November 3rd, 2020, to Stefano Sassi, former Chief Executive of the Valentino Fashion Group. The patent was then assigned to Valentino S.p.A, in Milan, Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicting a perspective view of the Valentino combat boot design. An image of the marketed Valentino combat boot is shown beneath, in black leather with Vlogo buckle.

Reference
Valentino Garavani
https://www.valentino.com/en-us/

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Oh, patents! Valentino Rockstud™ flat t-strap sandal

The Valentino Rockstud™* flat t-trap sandal is a patented invention. The US design patent, USD911680S, titled Shoe, was awarded to Stefano Sassi, former Chief Executive of the Valentino Fashion Group, on March 2nd, 2021. The patent was then assigned Valentino S.p.A, in Milan Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the flat t-stap sandal. An image of the marketed flat t-strap Rockstud™ sandal is shown beneath in black patent leather.

Note
* As a reminder, the Valentino Rockstud™ trademark, decorating all things Valentino, was inspired by the cut-diamond-shaped stones, adorning the architecture of old Palazzi in the Italian city of Rome. Introduced in 2010, and re-introduced in 2016, the Valentino Rockstud™ is now an inseparable Valentino symbol, at the intersection of rebellion and high fashion.

Reference

Valentino Garavani

https://www.valentino.com/en-us/

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Oh, patents! Valentino Rockstud sandal

The Valentino Rockstud™* city sandal, with a 60 cm (2.5-inch) heel, is a patented invention. The US design patent, USD811703, titled Shoe, was awarded to Stefano Sassi, former Chief Executive of the Valentino Fashion Group, on March 6, 2018. The patent was then assigned to Valentino S.p.A, in Milan Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the city sandal with Rockstud™ straps. An image of the marketed Rockstud™ city sandal is shown beneath in a Valentino poudre shade of leather.

Reference

Valentino Garavani

https://www.valentino.com/en-us/

Friday, September 12, 2025

Oh, patents! Valentino Rockstud™-wrap bootties

Rockstud™* wraparound strap decorating this Valentino bootie design. The Rockstud™-wrap bootie with a three-inch heel is covered by the US design patent, USD834794S, titled Shoe. The patent was awarded to Stefano Sassi, former Chief Executive of the Valentino Fashion Group, on July 2, 2019. The patent was then assigned to Valentino S.p.A, in Milan Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 1.1 depicts a perspective view of the Valentino Rockstud™-wrap bootie. Two images showing the wraparound strap, on right and left views of the marketed bootie, are also included. The bootie is shown in the classic Valentino poudre shade.

Note

* As a reminder, the Valentino Rockstud™ trademark, decorating all things Valentino, was inspired by the cut-diamond-shaped stones, adorning the architecture of old Palazzi in the Italian city of Rome. Introduced in 2010, and re-introduced in 2016, the Valentino Rockstud™ is now an inseparable Valentino symbol, at the intersection of rebellion and high fashion.

Reference
Valentino Garavani online boutique
https://www.valentino.com/en-us

Monday, September 8, 2025

Oh, patents! Valentino Rockstud™ slingback stiletto pump

Variation on the very popular Rockstud™* ornamental detail. The Valentino Rockstud™ slingback stiletto pump is a patented design. The US design patent, USD852473, titled Shoe, was awarded to Stefano Sassi, former Chief Executive of the Valentino Fashion Group, on July 2nd, 2019. The patent was then assigned to Valentino S.p.A., in Milan, Italy.

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the Valentino Rockstud™ stiletto slingback pump. An image of a two-tone, Valentino red and poudre, slingback stiletto pump is also included.

Note

Reference

Valentino Garavani online boutique

https://www.valentino.com/en-us