GB2062710A - Panti-Hose - Google Patents

Abstract

A panti-hose garment, and a method of knitting the same, which has a pair of leg portions separated by a panti-portion, the panti-portion including a crotch area provided with a knitted-in high density hydrophylic layer for improved moisture absorbency, the hydrophylic layer being characterized by elongated floats of hydrophylic yarn. The floats are knitted with the fabric of the crotch area in spaced wales of consecutive courses, the spaced wales being sufficiently remote from each other for the floats of hydrophylic yarn to assume the form of elongated upstanding loops. The fabric of the crotch area is constituted by spaced or alternate wales composed of knitted stitches only, and intervening wales containing both knitted stitches and tuck loops. The hydrophylic yarn is knitted with the stitches of selected wales of the spaced wales. At least some of the intervening wales contain a plurality of consecutive tuck loops. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Panti-hose The present invention relates to panti-hose and is particularly concerned with a panti-hose provided with a hydrophylic layer at the crotch region of the panti-portion.

Tights may be manufactured from two tubular portions which are seamed together and are commonly referred to as two piece tights or may be manufactured by knitting the garment in one piece by knitting in succession a first leg, a pantiportion and then a second leg. The whole garment may be knitted throughout by continuous rotary knitting, for example in accordance with our U.S.

re-issue Patent Number 27886., or at least a portion of the panti-portion may be knitted using reciprocation. This type of garment is commonly referred to as one piece tights.

Both types of tights are normally manufactured from hydrophobic yarns such as polyester or polyamide yarns. Due to the non-absorbent properties of these yarns discomfort is usually experienced by a wearer particularly in the region of the crotch. Additionally, it is now believed that the use of such yarns may enhance the chances of the wearer developing medical problems such as cystitis.

It is therefore desirable to provide a hydrophylic layer in the region of the crotch for absorption of moisture.

As illustrated in U.S. Patent 3909851 it is known to provide panti-hose having a crotch which is made of a hydrophylic fabric by incorporating the hydrophylic fabric in the form of a gusset insert. Such a garment is not only unsightly but requires several seaming operations in order to make the completed garment. Such an operation requires skillful labour and is time consuming.

It is therefore desirable for a hydrophylic layer to be formed at the crotch region during knitting of the panti-hose thereby obviating the need for securing a separate piece of fabric to the pantihose after knitting. A major requirement in providing a knitted-in hydrophylic layer is in providing enough hydrophylic yarn at the crotch region to provide a high density hydrophylic layer exhibiting sufficient moisture absorbancy. It is also a requirement, particularly in one-piece tights that the knitted-in hydrophylic yarn should not interfere with the physical stretch characteristics of the main panti-hose fabric knitted from the hydrophobic yarn.

Although, it is known according to Duckworths U.S. Patent 3760611 to knit-in cotton yarn to produce upstanding loops inside the panti-portion of panti-hose the Duckworth garment does not adequately fulfill the requirement of providing a high density hydrophylic layer at the crotch region. This is mainly due to the cotton yarn only being knitted in non-consecutive courses and due to the formed loops having to be tied-in by tuckloops which thereby reduces the size of the loop projecting above the base fabric knitted from the hydrophobic yarn.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a panti-hose including a crotch region having a hydrophylic layer possessing sufficient moisture absorbent characteristics and which is formed during knitting of the panti-hose by knitting in a hydrophylic yarn.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided panti-hose including a panti-portion including a crotch area provided with a knitted-in hydrophylic layer, the hydrophylic layer being defined by upstanding loops of hydrophylic yarn knitted-in with the fabric of the panti-hose in consecutive partial courses.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a panti-hose having a panti-portion including a crotch area provided with a knitted-in hydrophylic layer, wherein during knitting of the panti-portion some of the needles knitting the crotch fabric are arranged to knit wales containing knitted stitches only, by picking up hydrophobic yarn which is fed in at a given height, a selected number of these needles being arranged to pick up hydrophylic yarn being fed in above the hydrophobic yarn so that the selected needles knit both the hydrophobic and hydrophylic yarns with the hydrophylic yarn floating between said selected needles.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a part schematic front view of a pair of one-piece tights according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic side view of one of a pair of tubular portions for forming a pair of two piece tights according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic front view of a twopiece pair of tights made up from a pair of tubular portions, as illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic front view of another two-piece pair of tights; Figure 5 is an illustration of stitch structure of part of the fabric making up the crotch region in the panti-hose of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a schematic representation of needle selection for knitting the crotch region of panti-hose according to the present invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a one-piece pair of tights is illustrated at 10 and includes two leg portions 1 2 and 14 which are knitted integrally with and separated by a panti-portion 1 5. The panti-portion 1 5 has a waist band 13 which may be knitted-in integrally with the panti-portion or secured in position subsequent to knitting. The entire pair of tights is knitted throughout by continuous rotary knitting on a multi-feed circular knitting machine for instance as described in our U.S.A. re-issue Patent Number 27886.

The panti-portion has a crotch 1 6 in the region of which is located an area 1 6a having hydrophylic properties. The area 1 6a is formed in the illustrated example by a layer of hydrophylic yarns which are knitted-in during knitting of the panti-portion 1 5 as will be hereinafter described.

The hydrophylic yarn is knitted-in in a miss-knit fashion so for each course a plurality of loops of cotton yarn are provided, the loops projecting into the interior of the panti-portion 1 5. In the finished garment, the loops extend over a portion of the crotch indicated at 1 6a and define a layer of hydrophylic material which is superimposed on the fabric of the panti-portion which is knitted from either polyamide or polyester yarn.

The fabric of the panti-portion in the region of the crotch may be knitted in three discrete areas 20, 21 and 22, the fabric of areas 20 and 22 being knitted so as to provide a longitudinal contraction which is less than the longitudinal contraction of area 21. For instance the fabric of the panti-portion may be knitted in accordance with our co-pending U.K. patent application number 18565/76 entitled "Panti-hose".

As illustrated, the hydrophylicyarn is knitted-in during knitting of area 21. However, if desired the hydrophylic yarn may be laid in during knitting of all three areas 20,21 and 22 and also may be laid in during knitting of at least the upper inside portion 1 2a and 1 4a of each leg portion.

In Figure 2, a tubular portion 30 is illustrated which comprises a leg portion 31 and a pantiforming portion 32. The tubular portion above line 35 is knitted using a reinforced yarn and may be knitted using polyester yarn. The tubular portion 30 is provided on its interior with a layer 34 of hydrophylic material which is knitted-in during knitting in a similar manner to that provided in the one-piece tight shown in Figure 1. To produce a pair of tights 40 as illustrated in Figure 3, two tubular portions 30 are taken and in each tubular portion a longitudinal slit is made along dashed line 33. The slit preferably extends into the hydrophylic layer 34. The two tubular portions 30 are then seamed together in a conventional manner to produce the pair of two-piece tights 40 as illustrated in Figure 3.

A similar pair of tights 50 is illustrated in Figure 4 wherein the layer 34 of hydrophylic material is extended into the upper portions 31 a of each leg.

An illustrative example of forming the pantihose shown in Figure 1 is now described, reference also being made to Figure 5 and 6.

Using a multi-feed circular knitting machine the first leg portion 12 is knitted by continuous unidirectional rotary knitting until line 12b is reached. The stitch structure adopted may be any of those normally used in the production of pantihose, for instance a 1 x 1 cross-tuck stitch structure. After line 1 2b continuous rotary knitting continues using a heavier denier yarn to form the first part of the panti-portion.

During knitting of the first part of the pantiportion, the group of adjacent needles A (As shown in Figure 6) which are used to knit areas 20, 21 are arranged to knit a 1 xl tuck stitch structure i.e. within group A the same needle knits or tucks on successive courses. The remaining needles continue to knit a I x 1 cross tuck stitch structure.

Within group A, a first and third group of adjacent needles B and D respectively are arranged to tuck for three consecutive courses before clearing so as to form the fabric as illustrated in Figure 5; and a second group of adjacent needles C is arranged to tuck for 1 5 consecutive courses before clearing. The first and third groups B and D are hereinafter referred to as knitting a 3x1 tuck selection and the second group is hereinafter referred to as knitting a 1 5x 1 tuck selection. The first number in the tuck selection designation refers to the number of consecutive courses a needle forms a tuck loop and the second number refers to the number of adjacent needles forming a tuck loop.

During knitting of the 3 x 1 and 1 5x 1 tuck selections the alternate needles 80 are positioned at clearing height to receive hydrophobic yarn from each yarn feed to thereby knit the yarn whilst the adjacent needles 81 are arranged at tuck height thereby forming tuck loops.

On reaching the beginning of area 21 certain needles 84 selected from needles 80 are raised to float height in order to receive hydrophylic yarn, for instance cotton yarn, from each yarn feed. In Figure 6, every 8th needle is raised to float height.

These needles 84 also pick up the hydrophobic yarn from each yarn feed and therefore needles 84 form a knitted stitch comprising both the hydrophylic and hydrophobic yarns.

Since the hydrophylic yarn is fed in above the remaining needles, floats or upstanding loops 85 are formed between adjacent needles 84.

The cotton yarn is therefore knitted-in on consecutive courses by needles 84. Since needles 84 are only located in the group A of needles the cotton yarn is only knitted in partial courses.

In order to tie in the ends of each partial course the cotton yarn is knitted-in on two needles 84, spaced by a needle 81, forming tuck stitches, to form knitted stitches 86 at the marginal outer regions of group B and D. The cotton yarn floating over the remaining needles of the dial is cut away by conventional cutters on the knitting machine.

After completion of the remainder of the pantiportion, i.e. on reaching line 1 4b the needles are again operated to knit a 1 x 1 cross-tuck stitch structure to complete the second leg portion 14.

It will be appreciated that the tuck selection for areas 20, 21 and 22 may be varied as desired e.g.

4x1, 5x1,4x2 for groups B and D and 14x1, 1 6x 1, 1 5x2 for group C. Additionally, if desired, the number of needles over which the cotton yarn is floated can be varied. Since the cotton yarn is only picked up on selected needles which are raised above the needles picking up the hydrophobic yarn only it has been found that the likelihood of the cotton yarn snagging is substantially reduced.

The leg portion 31 of tubular portion 30 may be knitted in a similar manner to leg portions 12 and 14. Knitting of the panti-forming portion 32 is similar to that for the panti-portion 1 5 with all the needles in Group A knitting a 1 x 1 tuck selection.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. Panti-hose including a panti-portion including a crotch area provided with a knitted-in hydrophylic layer, the hydrophylic layer being defined by upstanding loops of hydrophylic yarn knitted-in with the fabric of the panti-hose in consecutive partial courses.

2. Panti-hose as defined in Claim 1, wherein the hydrophylic layer extends for the entire length of the crotch of the panti-portion.

3. Panti-hose according to Claim 1 or 2, including a pair of leg portions separated by the panti-portion, the hydrophylic layer extending into the upper region of each leg portion.

4. Panti-hose according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the panti-hose is knitted in onepiece.

5. Panti-hose according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the panti-hose is formed from two tubular portions which are cut and seamed together.

6. Panti-hose according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein the fabric of the crotch has consecutive courses containing tuck stitches and knitted stitches, certain wales containing both knitted and tuck stitches, the remaining wales being composed of knitted stitches only, the hydrophylic yarn being knitted-in with the stitches of certain wales selected from said wales of knitted stitches so that upstanding loops of hydrophylic yarn freely extend between said certain wales.

7. Panti-hose substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of forming a panti-hose having a panti-portion including a crotch area provided with a knitted-in hydrophylic layer, wherein during knitting of the panti-portion some of the needles knitting the crotch fabric are arranged to knit wales containing knitted stitches only, by picking up hydrophylic yarn which is fed in at a given height, a selected number of these needles being arranged to pick up hydrophylic yarn being fed in above the hydrophobic yarn so that the selected needles knit both the hydrophobic and hydrophylic yarns with the hydrophylic yarn floating between said selected needles.

9. A method according to Claim 8, wherein during knitting of the panti-portion some of the needles knitting the crotch fabric are arranged to knit wales containing knitted stitches only and the remaining needles are arranged to knit wales containing both knitted stitches and tuck stitches.

10. A method according to Claim 9 wherein the panti-hose is knitted as one piece and the group of needles used for knitting of the crotch fabric is divided into sub groups of adjacent needles, the needles of adjacent groups being arranged to knit wales having a different number of consecutive tuck loops.

11. A method of forming a panti-hose substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.