US2996726A - Stocking and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 22, 1961 N. MAYER 2,996,726

STOCKING ANI; METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed July 9. 1958 INVENTOR. NATHAN MAYER United States Patent 2,996,726 STOCKING AND METHOD OF MANU- FACTURING SAME Nathan Mayer, Yonkers, N .Y., assignor to Prestige, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 9, 1958, Ser. No. 747,335 2 Claims. (Cl. 22 40) My invention relates to a self-sustaining, or gartenless stocking.

Ladies stockings are usually supported by buckles which are suspended from girdles, or pantie-girdles. The buckles rub and chafe, they twist the stockings around as the wearer moves, they show through thin summer dresses and are otherwise not desirable. Furthermore, when no girdle or pantie is worn, the stockings have to be supported by means of garters which creep, which constrict the circulation and which are also otherwise undesirable. Witness the fact that garters are hardly ever used.

Mens socks are either exclusively supported by garters which rub and chafe, or they are not supported at all, in which case they roll down around the ankles and pre sent an untidy appearance.

The object of this invention is to provide self-sustaining ladies stockings and mens socks without the necessity of using any of the expedients referred to.

Partly for adjusting the length of a stocking worn in the usual manner, or with its upper edge above the knee, and partly in order to enable a woman to wear a full length stocking below the knee, it has been proposed to construct the upper portion of a stocking in such a fashion that it may automatically roll, or so that it may be readily rolled, down to the desired extent. One example of this type of stocking is disclosed in Patent No. 2,814,- 938 issued to 'S. I. Bond on December 3, 1957, to which reference may be made for identification of the type of stocking under discussion. But, I have found that in certain stockings so constructed, the upper edge of the stockin-g tends to roll down beyond the desired extent.

It is, therefore, a further object of my invention to provide an improved stocking, the upper portion of which cannot roll down beyond a predetermined point.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stocking embodying the invention and FIG. 2 is an enlargement of the area bracketed in broken lines in FIG. 1.

The stocking to which my invention is applied may be conventional and may include a leg 12, an after welt 14, which engages the lower end of the thigh below the knee, and a reinforced welt 16. My invention is applied to a portion 20 of the stocking which encloses the knee portion. In carrying out my invention I apply a relatively thick coating 18 of a material, having a relatively high coefficient of friction and elasticity, to a relatively narrow band 19 at the upper end of the knee portion and I apply a relatively thin coating 21 of the material, which has a high coeflicient of friction, but need not be elastic, to the balance of the knee enclosing portion 20. Coatice 2 ings 18 and 21 are, preferably, applied to the inside of the stocking fabric, but may be applied to the outside also.

In practice, upper band 19 need only be about onehalf of an inch wide so that the balance of the thinly coated knee enclosing portion 20 will be about three inches wide. Because upper coated band 19 serves to hold the stocking in posit-ion, and because it is too high up to be visible, it can be made relatively heavy, and its thickness may be of the order of .01", which I have found to be satisfactory for the purpose for which it is designed. The remainder of the knee enclosing portion 20 will be more or less visible, depending on the height of the hem and on other factors, and, therefore, coating 21 should be so thin as to be substantially invisible while still serving the purpose of preventing bagging and twisting of the stocking relative to the knee. In practice, I find that a coating of .0005" thick operates satisfactorily.

The material used in forming coatings 18 and 21 may be latex, or casein, or a mixture of about equal pants of casein and latex. These are applicable to synthetic as well as to natural fiber stockings, or the material may be polyurethane which is applicable to synthetic stockings and 'which has a quicker curing cycle. These materials are non-toxic and can safely be worn on the skin.

The treatment of the upper portion of the stocking as above set forth, tends to cement the yarns together at their intersections and thus prevents or reduces laddering when a yarn breaks. When applied to a roll edge stockingof the type disclosed in the said Burd patent, the upper, or first band also limits the extent to which the upper portion of the stocking will roll automatically.

What I claim is:

1. A stocking including a lower portion for enclosing the foot and the leg, an intermediate portion for enclosing the knee, and an upper portion for enclosing the portion of the limb immediately above the knee, a first coating of a material having a high coefiicient of friction and of elasticity on said upper portion, the thickness of said first coating being of the order of .01" and a second coating of a material having a high coefficient of friction on said intermediate portion, the thickness of said second coating being of the order of .0005.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 in which the width of said upper portion is less than half the width of said intermediate portion.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,067 Kleindienst Apr. 13, 1926 1,823,178 Walton Sept. 15, 1931 2,017,604 Mountford et a1. Oct. 15, 1935 2,053,761 Block Sept. 8, 1936 2,283,278 Morse May 19, 1942 2,288,361 Kress June 30, 1942 2,329,899 Herbener Sept. 21, 1943 2,514,108 Vogt July 4, 1950

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