US2600851A - Hosiery - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1952 COOPER 2,600,851

HOSIERY Filed July 2, 1951 4 INVENTOR RT N- COOPE BY v ATTORNEY Patented June 17, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOSIERY Gilbert N. Cooper, Wyncote, Pa. Application July 2, 1951, Serial No. 234,694

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hosiery andmore particularly'to womens hosiery in which a specially dyed yarn is incorporated in a selected part of the stocking whereby to impart thereto a new and novel appearance and effect.

Among the principalobject-s of the present invention is to produce a stocking wherein the heel region in particular is knit of a pre-dyed multicolored dye-resist yarn to provide the stocking with a heel design which is of pronounced contrasting color with respect to that of the body of the stocking and which is of such variegated color appearing indiscriminately throughout the region of the heel as to impart to the latter a mottled ornamental design of exceedingly attractive design and appearance. I

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that the invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be described in detail hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying illustrative drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention Figure l is a perspective view of a knitted stock- 'ingconstructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the'heel region of the stocking shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the stitch construction of a part of the flat knitted fabric extending from the unreinforced body or' knitting the heel of the. stocking in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be observed that the present invention is shown incorporated in a womans stocking ofthe full-fashioned type such as is ordinarily produced upon a straight knitting machine, the said stockin hav ing the conventionally knitted non-reinforced leg or main body portion l formed at its top with a welt portion I I and at its bottom with a reinforced cradle foot portion [2, the stocking being further provided with the conventional rear seam l3 extending from the top of the Welt to the tip of the toe portion M. The reinforced foot portion of the stocking includes a heel pocket l5 which may be of any desired shape and configuration and which in the stocking illustrated is provided with a high splice portion l6. Also, it will be noted that in the stocking as illustrated, the heel pocket [5 and its high splice portion 16 are of the conventional split-heel construction'wherein the heel is knit of a yarn or yarns separate from and independent of those employed in knitting the non-reinforced leg or main body portion ll) of the stocking. I

Although the present invention is illustrated and has been described above as being incorporated in a full-fashioned stocking of the splitheel construction, it is not at all limited to such construction and, if desired, may well be incorporated in seamless (circular knit) hosiery, as well as in full-fashioned hosiery wherein the heel pocket [5 and its high splice portion l6 are formed of the body yarn conventionally reinforced by one or more splicing yarns laid in with the body yarn.

In all cases, however, the yarn which is employed to form the reinformed heel pocket [5 and the high splice portion I6 of the stocking, whether it be used exclusively or as a splicing yarn in the heel, is of the specially prepared form shown in Figure 5, this yarn being designated by the reference numeral IT. The yarn ll, which is preferably multi-filament nylon yarn of or greater denier, is pre-dyed with dyes which are color-fast and which resist any change in coloration when the stocking into which such pre-dyed yarn is originally knitted is subjected to subsequent liquid or vaporous treating mediums, such as those conventionally employed for the scour ing, dyeing, washing and setting of fabrics knitted of nylon-yarn.

In orderto attain the objectives of the present invention the yarn I! is so color-resist dyed that successive limited lengths thereof are of contrasting color. Thus, successive portions of the yarn, each preferably not exceeding one inch in length, are alternately dyed to different colors, the predetermined sequence of colors being repeated for the whole length of a given yarn. If desired, the several difierently colored linear segments of the yarn may be separated from one another by a neutral or naturally colored length of the yarn, each of which latter lengths of the yarn may subsequently be dyed the same color as that of the main body yarn of the stocking. However, the all-important desideratum is that the several contrastingly colored sections of the multi-colored yarn I! must be dyed by dyes which are color-fast and resist absorption of other dyes and treatment media to which the stocking may be subjected during the course of finishingthe same. Another important requirement is that each differently colored linear segment of the 'multi-colored yarn must be of a length only sufficient to form a limited number of interknitted loops course-wise of the stocking heel fabric, which number of loops, for best results. should never equal the total number of wales in any one course of heel fabric at either side of the rear seam of the stocking. It has been found that where the successively colored sections of the yarn I! do not exceed a maximum of one inch in length best results are obtained, it being noted in this connection that the variously colored linear segments of a given yarn need not necessarily be of uniform length but may instead be of lengths which vary, for example, from a minimum of inch to a maximum of 1 inch. In the particular yarn illustrated in Figure 5, the several different dye-resist colors employed are shown differently shaded, as, e. g., yellow, tan and brown, these colors being separated from one another by an intervening length of neutral or naturally colored yarn. The colors selected for any series thereof in a given yarn should preferably be of the same general cast, although of sufficient contrast to produce in the knitted fabric a mottled effect having a single dominant or basic color. Thus, other variations of the colors of a selected series may be sky blue, royal blue and navy blue to produce a mottled effect of generally blue tone, or light gray, slate gray and black to produce a mottled effect of generally gray tone. The colors yellow, tan and brown above referred to would result in an overall tortoise-shell shade of color. The contrasting dye-resist colors repeat themselves throughout the full length of the yarn, and, of course, the several colors of each series thereof may be varied as desired, as may be their sequence in each series thereof. Also, the number of different colors comprising any series may be changed as desired.

Figure 3 illustrates diagrammatically a heel fabric knitted of the multi-colored yarn if, the heel fabric being shown joined to the body fabric of the stocking in accordance with conventional practice to form a so-called split heel construction of stocking wherein the heel pocket and its high splice portion [6 are formed exclusively of the relatively heavy denier multicolored dye-resist yarn II. In this construction of the heel fabric, it will be noted that each course thereof is formed of more than one differently colored linear segment of the pre-dyed yarn IT, in consequence of which the different colored sections of the yarn appear indiscriminately throughout the whole region of the heel fabric to provide a mottled effect such as that shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thus, it will b'e noted in Figure 3 that the naturally colored segments (N) of the yarn l'I extend across different wales of the several courses of the fabric, the same of the fabric so that similarly colored segments are not coextensive course-wise in any two or more adjoining courses, there is no regularly repeated color pattern in the heel fabric. Instead, several colors of the yarn I! provide the heel fabric with a variegated or mottled effect which is in distinct contrast with the plain solid color of the main body yarn of the stocking, thereby providing the latter with an entirely new and distinctive design.

Where the yarn I! is linearly interspersed with segments of neutral or natural color, such as the segments (N) of Figure 5, upon subsequent dyeing of the stocking in accordance with conventional practice, these neutral segments will absorb the dye of the bath in which the stocking is finally dyed and will provide the heel of the finished stocking with a background color corresponding to that of the main body of the stocking.

It will also be understood that the present invention is subject to various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the general principles or real spirit theerof, and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is: n

1. As a new article of manufacture, a knitted stocking having a reinforced area knitted throughout of a yarn of which adjoining linear segments are of different contrasting colors, each linear segment of the yarn being of a length only sufficient to knit a course-wise seriesof loops less in number than the minimum number of wales included in said area.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a knitted stocking having a marginally defined heel area knitted throughout of a pre-dyed yarn of which selected linear segments are of differentdyeresist contrasting colors, the several segments of said yarn being respectively of such lengths as to provide said heel area with contrastingly colored groups of course-wise knitted loops. I

3. A stocking according to claim 2 wh erein the loops of one coloredgroup are offset course- Wise from the loops of a differently coloredgroup.

4. A stocking according to claim 2 wherein the several contrasting colors of the pre-dyed yarn are of the same general shade but of different intensities. I

5. In a stocking of the character described, a plain-knitted main body portion having an area of definitive outline, said area being knitted throughout of yarn having spaced linear segments pre-dyed to different dye-resist colors, each linear segment of the yarn being extended through a course-wise series of interknitted loops less in number than the minimum number of wales included in said area.

v6. In a stocking of the character defined in claim 5 wherein said pre-dyed yarn is limited to the area constituting the heel of the stocking.

7. In a stocking of the character defined in claim 5 wherein said pre-dyed yarn includes interspersed linear segments of neutral (undyed') color adapted to absorb the dye in which the stocking is finallydyed. r

8. A stocking according to claim 5 wherein the different colors of the 'pr d'yed yarns are of the same shade but of varying intensity.

9. In a stocking of the character described, a reinforced area of definitive outline knitted throughout of pre-dyed yarn having linearly spaced segments of contrasting color, the'several color segments of the yarn being separated from one another by neutral (undyed) linear segments, each linear segment of the yarn being of a length requisite to form a course-wise series of interknitted loops of a number not exceeding the minimum number of wales included in said reinforced area.

10. In a stocking as defined in claim 9 wherein the pre-dyed yarn is space-dyed with color-fast, dye-resist dyes.

GILBERT N. COOPER,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Bell Apr. 2, 1935 C'oller, Jr Sept. 17, 1935 Struve May 30. 1939 Smetana Nov. 28, 1939 Adams Mar. 19. 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Aug; 1933

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