Sock Construction

The invention relates to a method of constructing a stocking, and the stocking so constructed, especially adapted for running and jogging or other active sports where running is necessary in the participation of such sports. Conventional commercial sport socks (e.g., such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,095) have terry loops of the same density formed over the entire interior thereof, with elastic yarn being provided with substantially uniform density throughout to urge the terry loops into contact with the skin of the wearer. While such socks are quite useful, they do not provide maximum cushioning for the foot areas that need cushioning. The sock according to the present invention contains additional cushioning at the heel thereof, which is especially important for sports requiring running, and additionally the sock according to the present invention has an ankle and instep portion with a 1.times.1 mock rib which provides excellent instep support. Additionally, the top portion of the stocking according to the present invention is a mock-rib portion, having a 3.times.1 mock rib which provides an aesthetically pleasing construction for sport socks.

The extra cushioning in the heel portion of the stocking according to the invention is provided by the random introduction of auxiliary yarn to provide said second loop density. There have been proposals in the past (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,851) to provide a built-up heel area to increase the size of the heel so that it fills a western boot, the built-up heel area being provided by plated auxiliary and main terry loops provided in the heel area. The extra cushioning provided according to the present invention does not take that approach, however, but rather the auxiliary terry yarn is run in a random manner through a different yarn finger than that through which the main terry yarn is introduced, with the auxiliary terry yarn being able to assume an orientation on the inside or outside of the stocking so that no plating is provided, but so that extra cushioning effect is provided at the heel portion. The toe portion of the stocking according to the present invention is free of mock ribbing, no spandex being provided therein, and terry loops are formed on the interior thereof, preferably with the same density as in the ankle and instep portion. The mock ribbing is formed in the ankle and instep portion by running the terry yarn in the hook of the knitting needle and over the neb of the sinker, and running backing yarn and spandex in the hook and under the neb.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved sock for running, jogging and sports requiring a good deal of running during participation therein. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are side views of different embodiments of exemplary stockings according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged stitch diagram showing the top portion of the stockings of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged stitch diagram showing the ankle and instep portions of the stockings of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5a is an enlarged stitch diagram of the heel portion of the stockings of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 5b is an enlarged vertical sectional view of said heel portion;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged stitch diagram of the toe portion of the stockings of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the feeding of yarn to an exemplary knitting needle during knitting of the ankle and instep portion of the stockings of FIGS. 1 and 2.

An exemplary sun sock according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1, and an exemplary crew length stocking according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. Additionally, an over-the-calf embodiment of the stocking according to the present invention may also be provided. Whatever the exact type of stocking provided, the stocking according to the invention includes a welt portion A, a top portion B, an ankle and instep portion C, a heel portion D and a toe portion E.

The top portion B according to the present invention comprises a mock-rib portion having 2 x wales, wherein x is a positive integer. The welt portion A bordering the top portion at the top thereof preferably comprises a plurality of courses of spandex, the welt portion having x wales. The welt portion ensures that the top of the stocking will not roll, and one preferred way that this can be accomplished is by providing four courses of spandex. Other non-roll configurations can also be provided, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,492 (disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein).

An exemplary stitch diagram for the top portion B is shown in FIG. 3, the mock rib being provided by spandex 10 being knitted in every fourth wale with the body yarn 12, a 3.times.1 mock rib thus being provided. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the top portion B is free of terry loops. Preferably, the spandex 10 is Lycra spandex, and the body yarn 12 is chosen from a variety of conventional body yarns, such as nylon. In the construction of a sun sock (FIG. 1), approximately 50 courses will be provided in the top portion B, with the top of the top portion being folded over and blind stitched to the bottom of the top portion inside the stocking, to thus provide a double top of 25 courses in length. In the formation of a crew stock (FIG. 2), preferably 60 courses are provided in the top portion B, and for an over-the-calf stocking approximately 134 courses would be provided in the top portion B.

The ankle and instep portion C is formed to provide additional compression and added support to that area of the foot of the wearer, and comprises a 1.times.1 mock rib with spandex 10 (see FIG. 4) being knit in every other wale with the body yarn 12, and with terry loops 14 (having a first density) formed on the interior of the ankle and instep portion C. The terry loops may be formed of any appropriate conventional yarn, such as orlon. The ankle and instep portion C is knitted on a conventional circular knitting machine including knitting needle 16 (see FIG. 7) having a hook portion 17 and a latch 18, and including sinkers 19 each having a neb 20 with a throat portion 21. To form the 1.times.1 mock rib, terry loop construction of FIG. 4, the terry yarn 14 is run in the hook 17 and over the neb 20, while the backing yarn 12 and and spandex 10 (every other needle for the spandex) are run in the hook 17 of the needle 16 and into the throat 21 of the sinker 19 under the neb 20.

The heel portion D of the stocking is illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 5a and 5b. In the heel portion D, the spandex is dropped out, and an auxiliary terry yarn 24 is provided along with the main terry yarn 14 and the backing yarn 12. The auxiliary terry yarn 24 is not plated to the main terry yarn 14, but rather it is fed in through a separate yarn finger in a random manner. This random introduction manifests itself by the auxiliary yarn 24 assuming a position either inside the stocking (as illustrated in the top-most two courses in FIG. 5b), or outside the stocking (as illustrated in the bottom-most two courses in FIG. 5b). This random introduction provides a second terry loop density in the heel portion D which is greater than the first terry loop density provided in the ankle and instep portion C.

In the toe portion E (see FIG. 6 in particular), the spandex is dropped out and circular knitting is continued from the ankle and instep portion C utilizing the body yarn 12 and the terry loops 14. Thus, no mock ribbing is provided in the toe portion E. Preferably the terry loop density in the toe portion E is the same as in the ankle and instep portion C, the sock construction in the toe portion E thus being a conventional cushion foot sock construction in that area.

The method according to the present invention may be practiced on most conventional circular knitting machine having knitting needles, sinkers, and yarn fingers. The method thus comprises the steps of circular knitting a top mock-rib portion B, circular knitting an ankle and instep portion C having a 1.times.1 mock rib by knitting spandex in every other wale, and forming terry loops 14, having a first density, on the interior of the ankle and instep portion; knitting a heel portion including terry loops 14, 24 having a second density greater than the first density; and circular knitting a toe portion E free of mock ribbing and including terry loops 14 formed on the interior thereof.

It will thus be seen that according to the present invention a stocking has been provided which is essentially adapted for use in athletics requiring significant amounts of running, and a method has been provided for simply constructing such a sock. While the invention has been herein shown and described in what is presently conceived to be a practical and preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and methods.