Patent Application
20090211306
The present invention relates to the method of manufacturing an article of footwear and the resultant footwear. More specifically, the present invention relates to socks and the manufacture thereof.
Certain situations require that the toes of a person be exposed while the remainder of the foot be covered. For example, in pedicure applications, it is necessary to have access to the toes of the customer and allow the customer to walk while the polish is drying. Other examples include use with open toe shoes, and for medical procedures of the foot, such as the removal of bunions and ingrown toenails or the like, to name just a few.
Numerous innovations regarding toe-less socks are currently available. The typical methodology used to manufacture socks is to knit a sock on a sock machine and remove any toe portions. To date there is no disclosure for a simple and inexpensive process for producing a toeless sock.
A method of forming an article of footwear by forming the article on a machine capable of forming a sock having a width at the toe section that is greater than the width at the foot section. An article of footwear formed on a machine, wherein the article includes a body that includes a leg portion, an ankle portion, and a foot portion.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Generally, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing articles of footwear. The article of footwear is a sock and is generally illustrated in the Figures at 10.
The article 10 includes a leg portion 12, an ankle portion 14, and a foot portion 16. The leg portion 12 may be of the height illustrated in the Figues or can be longer or shorter, depending upon the intended use. For example, the height of the leg portion 12 may be such that the wearer's calf is covered. The leg portion 12 may also extend higher than the calf. The material used to form the ankle portion 14 is any material known to those of skill in the art to be useful in forming an article of footwear. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, cotton, nylon, spandex, cotton blend materials and other materials known for use as a sock. Additionally, the article 10 may be composed from a variety of both natural and synthetic materials. Of particular interest in such application is the cotton material known as Supplex® (trademark DuPont (UK) Ltd.).
The ankle portion 14 can be formed of the same material as that of the leg portion 12, or of another material. The ankle portion 14 extends from the leg portion 12 of the article 10 to the foot portion 16. The size of the ankle portion 14 is sufficient to encompass an ankle therein. The material used to form the ankle portion 14 is any material known to those of skill in the art to be useful in forming an article of footwear. The material should have some flexibility such that the material allows a foot to pass therethrough and then returns to a normal size to closely encompass the ankle.
The foot portion 16 has two ends a first end 13 attached to the ankle portion 14 and a second toe end 15. The toe end includes toe apertures 26,26,27,28,29 such that the sum of the width of the toe apertures 26,26,27,28,29 is greater than the width of the first end 13. In other words, the foot portion 16 is shaped such that the toe end 15 has a width that is wider than the first end 13. The width enables the foot to more comfortably be positioned within the article 10. Additionally, the width enables the article 10 to be manufactured in a manner different that the articles of the prior art.
The foot portion 16 also includes a bottom surface (not shown). The bottom surface can include a plurality of grips. The grips may be composed of a polymerized material of a composition and a consistency so as to provide the user with some gripping function upon use with a smooth surface.
The toe end 15 includes a plurality of apertures 17 sized to enable toes to pass therethrough. Each aperture 17 can further include a toe sheath 18, of which there can be up to five per article 10. The toe sheath 18 is continuous with the foot portion 16. The toe sheath 16 may be manufactured in a continuous process as part of the foot portion 16 or may be manufactured separately from the foot portion 16 and connected to the foot portion 16 afterward. Accordingly, the toe sheaths 18 may be the same or different colors from the leg portion 12, the ankle portion 14, and the foot portion 16. It is also possible to make the toe sheaths 18 from a material that is different from that of the rest of the article, as may be desired for warmth, support, or to improve the wear-resistance of the toe sheaths 18. The size of the toe sheath 18 can also vary. For example, the toe sheath 18 may extend partially beyond the end of the foot portion 16 or can extend substantially beyond the end, such that the sheath 18 can cover the entire toe. In such an embodiment, the material used to form the sheath 18 must be able to be folded, so that the toe sheath 18 can optionally be folded back onto itself.
The sheath 18 includes a body portion 20 and a tip portion 22. The tip portion 22 can substantially cover the toe. The tip portion 22 can also extend beyond the end of the toe such that none of the toe is revealed. It is in an unfolded condition that the wearer would use the article 10 prior to receiving the pedicure or subsequent to the substantially complete drying of the nail polish, when the tip portion 22 is in its unfolded state. The article 10 may be used in any manner in which a stocking can be worn, such as with a shoe or with a sandal.
To make the toe accessible for manicuring and polishing, the wearer simply folds or rolls the tip portion 22 of the sheath 18 back toward the portion 16 of the article 10 as shown in
The leg portion 12 includes an elastic retaining band portion 24 that aids in retaining the leg portion 12 against a wearer's calf or other portion of the leg. The end 26 of the elastic retaining band portion 24 is rolled inward and sewn. This aids in preventing the band portion 24 from fraying during use, therein increasing durability.
The article 10 of the present invention is made on any machine capable of forming a sock having a width at the toe section that is greater than the width at the foot section. For example, the machine can be a glove machine. The glove machine enables the sock to have the design wherein the toe end 15 of the article 10 is wider that the first end 13. The sock is formed using the standard methods known to those of skill in the art for forming a glove, and using materials that can either be used for gloves or for socks, but the resultant article is the article 10 of the present invention.
The above description is that of the current embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to a claim element in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
