KNITTED SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCT FOR MANUFACTURING STOCKINGS, FOOTWEAR AND GLOVES AND PROCESS FOR THE ATTAINMENT THEREOF

Abstract

A knitted semi-finished product for manufacturing stockings, footwear and gloves, comprises: a main waterproofed portion configured to contain a user's foot or hand. The main waterproofed portion comprises an outer knitted portion and an inner waterproofing portion configured to prevent the passage of liquids from the outside to the inside of the semi-finished product. An auxiliary knitted portion is connected to the outer portion and delimits an opening configured to receive the user's foot or hand. A ring-shaped portion belonging to the auxiliary knitted portion and directly connected to the outer knitted portion has a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of the outer knitted portion, so as to stop or at least slow down the capillarity rise of the water absorbed by the outer knitted portion.

Claims

1. Knitted semi-finished product for manufacturing stockings, footwear and gloves, comprising: a main waterproofed portion configured to contain a user's foot or hand; wherein the main waterproofed portion comprises an outer knitted portion and an inner waterproofing portion configured to prevent the passage of liquids from the outside to the inside of the semi-finished product; an auxiliary knitted portion delimiting an opening configured to receive the user's foot or hand; wherein the auxiliary knitted portion comprises at least one ring-shaped portion having a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of said outer knitted portion; wherein said at least one ring-shaped portion is directly connected to the outer knitted portion and is configured to stop or at least slow down the capillarity rise of a liquid absorbed by the outer knitted portion.

2. The semi-finished product of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary knitted portion comprises said ring-shaped portion and an end portion, wherein the outer knitted portion and the end portion are separated by said ring-shaped portion.

3. The semi-finished product of claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped portion is made from at least one yarn having a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of the yarn(s) of the outer knitted portion.

4. The semi-finished product of claim 1, wherein the inner waterproofing portion comprises at least one impermeable membrane.

5. The semi-finished product of claim 4, wherein the impermeable membrane extends over the entire outer knitted portion and at least to the ring-shaped portion.

6. The semi-finished product of claim 4, wherein the inner waterproofing portion is breathable.

7. The semi-finished product of claim 4, wherein the main waterproofed portion comprises an inner sock, an outer sock defining the outer knitted portion.

8. The semi-finished product of claim 7, wherein the impermeable membrane is interposed between the inner sock and the outer sock.

9. The semi-finished product of claim 8, wherein the impermeable membrane is heat-sealed to the inner sock (and/or to the outer sock.

10. The semi-finished product of claim 9, wherein the impermeable membrane has a number of thermo-adhesive points located on one outer face and/or on one inner face of the impermeable membrane; wherein the inner sock and/or the outer sock are joined to the impermeable membrane through said thermo-adhesive points.

11. Process for making a knitted semi-finished product for manufacturing stockings, footwear and gloves, comprising: knitting an outer portion configured to contain a user's foot or hand; knitting an auxiliary portion connected to the outer knitted portion; wherein the auxiliary knitted portion delimits an opening configured to accommodate a user's foot or hand; wherein knitting the auxiliary portion comprises: knitting a ring-shaped portion directly connected to the outer knitted portion and optionally knitting an end portion directly connected to the ring-shaped portion on the side opposite the outer knitted portion; waterproofing the knitted outer portion so as to obtain a main waterproofed portion, wherein the main waterproofed portion prevents the passage of liquids from the outside to the inside of the semi-finished product; wherein the ring-shaped portion has a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of the knitted outer portion to stop or at least slow down the capillary rise of a liquid absorbed by the knitted outer portion.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the ring-shaped portion is woven with at least one yarn having a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of the yarn(s) of the outer knitted portion.

13. The process of claim 11, wherein the outer knitted portion, the ring-shaped portion and optionally also the end portion are woven continuously on a single linear or circular weave.

14. The process of claim 11, wherein waterproofing the outer knitted portion comprises: applying at least one impermeable membrane to the outer knitted portion.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the impermeable membrane is breathable.

16. The process of claim 14, wherein the impermeable membrane extends at least to the ring-shaped portion.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] Such description will be set forth hereinbelow with reference to the enclosed drawings, provided only as a non-limiting example, in which:

[0073] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an upper of footwear made with a knitted semi-finished product according to the present invention;

[0074] FIG. 2 illustrates a shoe provided with the upper of FIG. 1;

[0075] FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the semi-finished product in accordance with an embodiment variant of the present invention;

[0076] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a glove made with a knitted semi-finished product according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0077] With reference to FIG. 1, reference number 1 overall indicates a knitted semi-finished product in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the semi-finished product 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is used for manufacturing an impermeable upper of a shoe 100, for example like that of FIG. 2. A differently-shaped semi-finished product can be used for manufacturing an impermeable stocking or an impermeable glove 200, like that of FIG. 4.

[0078] The knitted semi-finished product 1 has a shape of a foot or in any case suitable for containing a foot and comprises an inner sock 2, an outer sock 3 and a membrane 4 interposed between the inner sock 2 and the outer sock 3. The impermeable membrane 4, breathable and possibly elastic is for example made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethane or polyester and defines an inner waterproofing portion configured to prevent the passage of liquids from the outside to the inside of the semi-finished product 1.

[0079] The inner sock 2 and the outer sock 3 are knitted and can be woven on a rectilinear or circular loom.

[0080] The inner sock 2 and the outer sock 3 can be made independently and then joined, or they can be woven as a single tubular textile element and then a portion of said single tubular element is turned up and inserted in the other, as is for example illustrated in the public document WO2019180603.

[0081] In embodiment variants, not illustrated in the enclosed figures, the semi-finished product 1 may comprise only the outer sock 3. In any case, said outer sock 3 defines an outer knitted portion intended to come into contact with the water and/or with the atmospheric agents.

[0082] In variants of the process, the outer sock 3 is made as a suitably-shaped open weave, for example as illustrated in FIG. 3, then closed and sewed or sealed.

[0083] Such open weave can be joined to the impermeable and breathable membrane 4 before closing it and sewing it.

[0084] The impermeable and breathable membrane 4 externally covers the inner sock 2, internally covers the outer sock 3 and terminates below (observing FIG. 1) the instep. For example, the impermeable and breathable membrane 4 is heat-sealed to the inner sock 2 and/or to the outer sock 3 through a plurality of thermo-adhesive points (net) located on an outer face and/or on an inner face of the impermeable and breathable membrane 4.

[0085] It follows that the knitted semi-finished product 1 comprises a main waterproofed portion 5 configured to contain the foot and an auxiliary knitted portion 6 connected to the main waterproofed portion 5 and delimiting the opening configured to receive the foot. The inner sock 2 and the outer sock 3 are joined together at the instep of the foot, i.e. at the opening configured for inserting the foot, by means of said auxiliary knitted portion 6.

[0086] In the variant of FIG. 4, the main waterproofed portion 5 is configured to receive and contain the user's hand and the auxiliary knitted portion 6 is configured to receive the wrist or part of the arm of the user. The impermeable and breathable membrane 4 has the function of waterproofing the main waterproofed portion 5.

[0087] The main waterproofed portion 5, due to the impermeable and breathable membrane 4, prevents the passage of liquids from the outside to the inside of the knitted semi-finished product 1. The impermeable and breathable membrane 4 terminates at the auxiliary portion 6 and is only partially superimposed on the auxiliary portion 6. In this manner, the auxiliary portion 6, which adheres to the instep of the foot or to the ankle of the user and is mainly made only of knitting, ensures high comfort. In embodiment variants not illustrated in the enclosed figures, the impermeable and breathable membrane 4 may in any case reach an edge of the opening.

[0088] The outer sock 3 and the inner sock 2 are for example made with yarns made of wool, cotton, polyamide, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene, rayon, modacrylic, optionally multi-burr.

[0089] The auxiliary knitted portion 6 comprises a ring-shaped portion 7 and an end portion 8. In accordance with the process according to invention, provision is made for weaving the outer sock 3 with the auxiliary portion 6 and the inner sock 2 as a unique element.

[0090] Such ring-shaped portion 7 is directly connected and forms a single piece with the outer sock 3 and also with the end portion 8 but is woven with different yarns. The ring-shaped portion 7 is configured for being positioned, when the user wears the stocking or the footwear, substantially at the instep of the foot or at the ankle of the user and directed outward, like the outer sock 3.

[0091] In the embodiment variant of FIG. 3, the auxiliary portion 6 comprises the single ring-shaped portion 7 (which in FIG. 3 still does not have annular shape). Such ring-shaped portion 7 is woven with the outer sock 3 and takes on annular shape when the open weave (FIG. 3) is closed and sewn or sealed.

[0092] The ring-shaped portion 7 has a lower hydrophilic characteristic than a hydrophilic characteristic of the outer sock 3 and also of the end portion 8.

[0093] For example, the ring-shaped portion 7 is made with yarns of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), or single-burr polypropylene or single-burr polyamide which have lower hydrophilic characteristics than hydrophilic characteristics of the yarn(s) of the outer sock 3 and of the end portion 8.

[0094] For example, the “speed of absorption of the water” of the ring-shaped portion measured according to the standard JIS L 1907:2004 part 7.1.2 (Byreck method) is equal to 0 mm/10 min in vertical sense, i.e. in the direction, from bottom to top, joining the outer portion and the end portion.

[0095] For example, the surface wetting resistance (Spray test) of the ring-shaped portion 7 measured according to the standard UNI EN ISO 24920 is equal to 100 (ISO 5). For example, the “speed of absorption of the water” of the outer sock 3 and of the end portion 8 measured according to the standard JIS L 1907:2004 part 7.1.2 (Byreck method) is equal to 25 mm/10 min in vertical sense, i.e. in the direction joining the outer portion and the end portion. For example, the surface wetting resistance (Spray test) of the outer sock 3 and of the end portion 8 measured according to the standard UNI EN 24920 is equal to 70 (ISO 2).

[0096] In this manner, the water which is absorbed by the outer sock 3 (but cannot penetrate within the footwear due to the presence of the impermeable and breathable membrane 4), and rises via capillarity towards the ankle, is stopped (strongly slowed down) by the ring-shaped portion 7 and hence cannot rise up to the opening and penetrate within the footwear 100 itself.