AU2001100114B4 - Sock - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL

SPECIFICATION

INNOVATION

PATENT

Invention Title: Sock The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: Freehills Carter Smith BeadleMELC601173007.3 CDO01f64008.2

SOCK

Field of the Invention The invention relates to socks, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a sock which attempts to offer improved comfort to a wearer.

Background of the Invention Many people are, during the course of the day, standing or walking for extended periods, which can cause discomfort to the feet. As a result, various attempts have been made to alleviate this potential source of discomfort. One approach has been the use of padded inserts (for example, of sheepskin) in shoes, or the use of socks with additional padding in the toes, soles and heels, as with some forms of sports socks.

Another approach has been the introduction of so-called "masseur" sandals, the soles of which have a profiled series of projections which gently stimulate the feet when worn. The effect of the projections is to provide a gently stimulating pressure to the soles of the feet, which some wearers find pleasant.

Footwear of this sort is popular with some wearers, but has not been widely adopted. One reason is perhaps that an integral sole, to which the projections are attached, is not generally suitable to be used with many other styles of footwear.

In short, various methods of improving foot comfort when wearing footwear have been devised in the past, but to date none of these existing efforts have been particularly successful.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to attempt to alleviate some of the limitations of existing socks.

CD01164008.2 2 Summary of the Invention The inventive concept resides in a recognition that a sock may desirably provide greater comfort to a wearer when the sock is knitted with additional stitching on the sole of the sock to thereby attempt to provide a "massaging" effect to a wearer.

Accordingly, the invention provides a fabric sock having on or near the sole of the sock at least one enhanced region in which there is stitching projecting from one or both sides of the fabric.

Preferably, said stitching is an additional pattern of stitching. Preferably, said additional stitching projects only from one side of the fabric, into the interior of the sock and in direct contact with the foot of a wearer.

In one embodiment, said additional stitching is provided by stitching said at least one enhanced region after manufacture of a conventional sock fabric.

Preferably, however, said additional stitching is provided by appropriate modification of the knitting process for knitting the fabric used to construct the sole of the sock.

Preferably, said pattern of additional stitching includes a series of ridges.

Preferably, when said sock is worn, said ridges extend substantially in parallel transversely across the sole of the foot, from one side of the sole to the other.

Preferably, the ridges are generally continuous. Preferably, the series of ridges are spaced on the sole of the sock from approximately the ball of the sock to immediately before the heel of the sock.

Preferably, said ridges are each of generally equal width and height, and are generally equidistantly spaced. Preferably, the ridges each have a thickness of approximately 3 mm, and are spaced apart by around The invention further provides a method of manufacturing a fabric sock, the method including providing on or near the sole of the sock at least one enhanced CD/01164008.2, 3 region in which there is stitching projecting from one or both sides of the fabric.

Preferably, preferred features of the inventive sock analogously apply as appropriate to the inventive method referred to directly above.

Brief Description of Drawings The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a sock constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, with a cut-away view of the interior of the sole of the sock; and Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of sock fabric along a heel-totoe section of the sock depicted in Figure 1.

Description of Preferred Embodiments A sock 10 according to an embodiment of the invention is knitted to provide comfort as well as stimulation to a wearer. Figure 1 provides a representation of such a sock 10, with a view of the interior of the sock 10. A schematic representation of a cross-section of the fabric of the sole 12 of the sock 10 is depicted in Figure 2. As indicated in the drawings, ridges 14 of additional stitching project from one side 13 of the sock fabric at the sole 12 of the sock Preferably, the sole 12, and the heel 16 and the toe 18 of the sock 10 are knitted in terry fabric while the top section 20 of the foot is knitted in a regular, plain stitch. The terry fabric is produced by feeding double cotton yarn and nylon covered Lycra® material into a knitting mill, to produce sock fabric having terry loops.

For the sole 12 of the sock 10, ridges 14 are formed in the terry sock fabric as now described. As shown in Figure. 2, ridges 14 are formed over a total of 6 courses and are placed 16 courses apart. 3/100 denier nylon is fed in at the CD/01164008.2 4 patterning feed of a knitting machine and the selection is set to knit on: even number needles on the second row; odd number needles on the third row; even number needles on the third row; and odd number needles on the fifth row; and so on.

As this occurs, the cotton and nylon covered Lycra® material is knitting on every needle and tucking on even number needles only.

Even number needles draw yarn from a pattern feeder, but do not knit the pattern yarn. Even and odd needles draw yarn at the main feed. The odd number needles do not cast off the loops which are held in the hook of the needle for six revolutions of the cylinder. The even numbered needles knit and clear both yarns from the pattern and the main feeders. The odd numbered needles create the ridges 14 in the terry fabric, and the yarn from the pattern feeder enhances the feel of the ridges 14 against the soles of the feet of a wearer.

The ridges 14 are created by gathering stitches at intervals of 1.5cm apart so that they protrude 3.0mm above the 3.5mm loops on the inside of the sole 12 of the sock 10. This arrangement of ridges 14 is found to be generally comfortable though, of course, a wide variety of other arrangements are suitable.

Socks fabricated according to the described embodiment are found by some wearers to be of improved comfort. The described socks are intended to provide additional tactile stimulation to the feet when worn, thus providing, to a certain extent, a "massaging" effect. The ridges are arranged, sized and positioned to avoid "pressure points" which may irritate the foot. As the ridges are preferably provided by a material similar to that used to knit other parts of the sock, the ridges are relatively soft and non-abrasive to contact. It is recognised, of course, that the additional stitching provided in the fabric of the sole of the sock CD/01164008.2" need not be arranged in a pattern of ridges, but a wide variety of other arrangements of possible.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.