Patent Application
20060169005
The present invention relates to knitted socks and to a method of forming same. More particularly, the present invention relates to knitted socks having a loop knitted to the opening thereof forming a tab, to a method for making the looped tab, and to a device for attachment to a circular knitting machine for forming the looped tab.
Many styles and types of socks have incorporated one or more support tabs sewn or attached to the upper edge thereof at the opening. The tabs are often used on footlet-styled socks used for sports activities. Another type of sock on which tabs are sewn or attached to the upper edge of the opening are hunting socks. The tabs serve various functions, for example, preventing a footlet from sliding downwardly inside a shoe between the wearer's heel and the heel portion of the shoe and allowing the wearer to more easily don the sock. Tabs have also been used on hosiery for other reasons. For example, plurality of tabs may be attached at predetermined intervals around the top of the stocking above a turned welt for attachment of the stocking to a garter.
An example of a footlet-styled sock is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,566 to Chesebro in which a footlet has a support tab disposed in juxtaposed relation to the heel and has an inner end connected to the heel adjacent the upper edge thereof and a free outer terminal end. The support tab is a pair of integrally knit juxtaposed gussets each including a plurality of courses connected to corresponding courses of the other gusset and adapted to be disposed on the outside of the sock. The sock blank includes a first narrowed gusset formed of a plurality of partial courses, the first of which is knit integrally with a portion of the last starter course by approximately half of the needles of the cylinder, the remaining half of the needles being deactivated and holding the last formed stitches thereon. The partial courses of the first narrowed gusset are progressively decreased in length by successively deactivating one or more of the endmost needles at the ends of the partial courses with the last formed stitches at opposite ends of the partial courses being held on the deactivated needles. A first widened gusset is then knit integrally with the first narrowed gusset by progressively reactivating the previously deactivated needles in the formation of the first gusset. The partial courses of the first widened gusset are thereby progressively increased in length and have the endmost stitches joined with the endmost stitches of the partial courses of the first narrowed gusset. The gussets cooperate to define a support tab pocket and the joined stitches of the partial courses form suture or gore lines at opposite sides of the support tab pocket. The remainder of the sock is then knit.
A more recent version of a footlet-style sock is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,818 to Chesebro, et al. and U.S. Design Pat. No. 225,490 to Sindelar and Chesebro. The sock blank includes a conventional makeup at the upper end and a plurality of courses form a selvage portion. Then the needle cylinder is reciprocated while the major portion of the needles in the cylinder are switched to an inactive position to hold the stitch loops formed during knitting of the last course of the selvage portion. A small number of active needles continue to form stitch loops with swinging movement of the needle cylinder in each direction to form a plurality of successive partial courses of equal width to complete knitting of a tab. The needle cylinder then switches to continuous rotation. As the needles at the opposite sides of the tab again form stitch loops, the fabric at opposite sides is joined and the inner end portion of the knit strip forming the tab are drawn together but are not directly joined. The knitting continues until the sock blank is formed. The foot-receiving opening is then formed by cutting the blank. An overedge seam is formed by stitched around the edge of the foot-receiving opening and connecting the ends of the outwardly protracting loop to the edge of the foot-receiving opening to normally maintain the loop in depending relation above the heel-embracing portion. A sewing machine having cutting blades that cuts the blank immediately prior to the formation of the overedge stitching is used. As the overedge seam and corresponding cuts are made across the juxtapositioned inners ends of the support tab, the folded upper end of the inner layer of the support tab and the upper end of the ankle and the free end of the outer layer of the support tab are joined by the overedge seam.
Despite the advantages of the above described socks, it has been found desirable to provide a knitted sock having a loop knitted to the rear portion of the sock at the opening and to provide an apparatus for knitting such loop.
The present invention is directed to a sock formed on a circular knitting machine and adapted to be worn inside a shoe. The sock has a tubular body including an upper edge or cuff defining an opening therein adapted to receive the foot of the wearer through the opening. The tubular body includes a toe portion, a foot portion, a heel and a relatively narrow looped tab loop comprising a knit strip integrally knit onto the opening at the top of the tubular body and including opposed ends. The knit strip is folded intermediate the ends to provide a loop having upper and lower layers with open opposed sides, and the ends of the upper and lower layers of the looped tab and connecting the same to the upper edge or cuff whereby the looped tab extends downwardly therefrom and is adapted to be disposed on the outside of the shoe.
The sock knit strip comprises a plurality of knit courses of equal length having opposed selvage ends and the length of the knit courses forming the looped tab are preferably less than one-fourth the length around the opening. The socks may be made in different styles such as a footlet or an over the calf sock having a leg portion merging substantially at the ankle of a wearer. The sock may be made of natural yarns, synthetic yarns or combinations of natural and synthetic yarns.
The invention also contemplates a method of knitting a sock on a circular knitting machine. The sock has a looped tab thereon adapted to be disposed on the outside of the shoe when the sock is worn inside the shoe. The method comprises knitting a plurality of complete seamless courses to form an upper cuff edge portion; then knitting a plurality of partial courses of equal length integral with a few wales of the last course of the cuff edge while holding the stitch loops in the remaining wales of the last of said cuff courses. The plurality of partial courses having opposed cuff edges and form a relatively narrow knit strip. Then knitting the upper edge of the loop to the opening; and forming a tubular body having an upper edge defining an opening therein adapted to receive the foot of the wearer, the tubular body including a toe portion, a foot portion, a heel embracing portion, and a leg portion merging substantially at the ankle of a wearer.
Lastly, the present invention also provides an apparatus for use on a circular knitting machine for forming the looped tabs.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a knitted sock that has a knitted loop at the rear portion thereof at the opening and to a method for making same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for knitting a loop in the rear of the opening of a knitted sock.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken with the accompanied drawings.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
As shown in
The purpose of the loop tab 24 is to enable the person who wears the sock to don and doff it more easily. For example, it is envisioned that this sock is to be made initially for sportsmen's socks such as the one shown in
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the socks of the present invention can be made with various types of yarn in various weights. The selection of natural or synthetic yarn, textures, and patterns is dependent on the anticipated use to which the socks may be put. For example, the sole portion of the foot portion 12 may be reinforced or made thicker or the foot portion 12 may have terry loops knit therein.
The present invention also contemplates a method of knitting a sock 10 on a circular knitting machine and adapted to be worn inside a shoe. The sock 10 has a looped tab 24 thereon adapted to be disposed on the outside of the shoe. The sock includes a conventional makeup at the upper end wherein a plurality of complete seamless courses is knit to form an upper cuff 22 edge portion. Then the needle cylinder is reciprocated while the major portion of the needles in the cylinder are switched to an inactive position to hold the stitch loops formed during knitting of the last course of the cuff 22.
A plurality of partial courses of equal length integral with a few wales of the last course of the cuff edge are knitted while holding the stitch loops in the remaining wales of the last of said cuff courses. The plurality of partial courses has opposed edges and forms a relatively narrow knit strip. A small number of active needles continue to form stitch loops with swinging movements of the needle cylinder in each direction to form a plurality of successive partial courses of equal width to complete knitting of the tab forming the loop 24. The needle cylinder then switches to continuous rotation. As the needles at the opposite sides of the tab again form stitch loops, the fabric at opposite sides is joined and the inner end portion of the knit strip forming the tab are drawn together but are not directly joined. The outer edge of the knit strip is then automatically knitted to the upper cuff edge portion at the opening.
The knitting continues until the tubular body is formed. As noted the tubular body has an upper edge defining an opening therein adapted to receive the foot of the wearer therethrough. As shown in
In accordance with the present invention, the sock 10 may be knit on any conventional circular knitting machine having provision for holding stitch loops on a certain group of adjacent needles while continuing to knit on the remaining needles for a predetermined number of courses and then for again knitting on all of the needles. Two examples of which are a 4 inch diameter 156 needle cylinder circular hosiery knitting machine with a cooperating dial having needles therein and with or without a toe closing device, and a 4 inch diameter 112 needle cylinder circular knitting machine with a cooperating dial and a toe device. Such knitting machines are conventionally provided with two yarn feeds that supply yarns to the cylinder and dial needles at spaced apart locations around the circular knitting machine.
In
The raised needles are out of action and the lowered needles are positioned to knit the loop tab 24. Unlike a conventional heel or toe where reciprocation occurs with needles being raised and lowered this loop tab is knit with the same number of needles throughout so that all parts of it have an equal number of wales.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
