Foot-covering garment, method for manufacturing such a foot-covering garment and a circular machine for knitwear or hosiery

Abstract

The present invention relates to a seamless foot-covering garment made of knitted courses, a method for manufacturing thereof as well as a respective circular machine for hosiery and knitwear. The foot-covering garment made of knitted courses, comprises a heel portion, a toe portion, a middle portion located between the heel portion and the toe portion and an opening between said heel portion, said middle portion and said toe portion for the insertion of an user's foot. The toe portion and the heel portion are aligned along a longitudinal direction. At said opening the middle portion ends with a right side edge and a left side edge. The garment is seamlessly knitted as a whole. At least one or both the right and left side edges comprise at least one elastic portion made up by a plurality of stretch stitches located at an end of knitted courses. The stretch stitches are composed of at least one main thread of the foot-covering garment knitted with at least one elastic thread. The elastic thread extends with no interruption in said at least one elastic portion, in that it is not cut at each knitted course of said at least one elastic portion.

Claims

1. Foot-covering garment made of knitted courses, comprising a heel portion, a toe portion, a middle portion located between the heel portion and the toe portion and an opening between said heel portion, said middle portion and said toe portion for the insertion of an user's foot, wherein the toe portion and the heel portion are aligned along a longitudinal direction, and wherein at said opening the middle portion has a right side edge and a left side edge, which garment is seamlessly knitted as a whole, wherein at least one or both the right and left side edges comprise at least one elastic portion made up by a plurality of stretch stitches located at an end of knitted courses, which stretch stitches are composed of at least one main thread of the foot-covering garment knitted with at least one elastic thread wherein said elastic thread is present with no interruption between courses of said at least one elastic portion, in that it is not cut at an end of each knitted course of said at least one elastic portion.

2. Foot-covering garment according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the right side edge and the left side edge has only one elastic portion, said elastic portion extending for the whole length of the right or left side edge, respectively.

3. Foot-covering garment according to claim 1, wherein both the right side edge and the left side edge have an elastic portion.

4. Foot-covering garment according to claim 1, wherein: wherein at least one of the right side edge and the left side edge has at least two elastic portions that are consecutive in the longitudinal direction, interspaced by a portion of the right or left side edge, respectively.

5. Garment according to claim 1, wherein each elastic portion is defined by a matrix of stretch stitches in the longitudinal direction, that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, comprises at least one stretch stitches.

6. Garment according to claim 1, wherein also at least one of the toe and heel portions comprise an elastic edge.

7. Method for manufacturing a seamless foot-covering garment made of knitted courses, wholly on a circular machine for knitwear or hosiery provided with a rotating cylinder able to be selectively and rotationally activated in reciprocating motion, carrying a plurality of needles able to be selectively activated, and provided with means for feeding at least one main thread and at least one elastic thread to the needles, comprising the steps of: a) knitting at least one main thread through part of the needles of the rotating cylinder activated in reciprocating motion, in order to realize a toe portion or a heel portion of the foot-covering garment; b) at the end of the step a) knitting at least one main thread through a needle set of the rotating cylinder, activated in reciprocating motion, in order to realize the middle portion with the respective right and left side edges, wherein said needle set comprises a left set of end needles, composed of one or more needles, and a right set of end needles, composed of one or more needles, and a plurality of middle needles with respect to the left and right sets of end needles, c) at the end of step b) knitting at least one main thread through part of the needles of the rotating cylinder activated in reciprocating motion, in order to realize the heel portion or the toe portion, respectively, of the foot-covering garment, wherein the toe and heel portions are aligned along a longitudinal direction, wherein: b) during the step b) and during at least two runs of the rotating cylinder, activating all the needles of said needle set in order to make up two corresponding knitted courses and feed, to at least the needles of the left set of end needles and the needles of the right set of end needles, a respective elastic thread along with at least one main thread, to make up at least one elastic portion of the left edges and right edges composed of a plurality of stretched stitches located at an end of knitted courses, which stretch stitches are composed of at least one main thread and of the elastic thread, wherein said elastic thread extends as a single length with no interruption in each elastic portion, in that it is not cut at each knitted course of the elastic portion.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein each left and/or right sets of end needles comprise only one end needle and the step b provides to: activate all the needles of said needle set in order to make up a corresponding course by knitting through the only needle of the left set of end needles a first elastic thread along with the main thread and holding the first elastic thread on the only needle of the left set of end needles, by knitting through the middle needles the main thread and/or by knitting through the only needle of the right set of end needles a second elastic thread along with the main thread and holding the second elastic thread on the only needle of the right set of end needles; afterwards, activate all needles of said needle set in order to make up a corresponding course by knitting through the only needle of the right set of end needles the second elastic thread along with the main thread and holding the second elastic thread on the only needle of the right set of end needles, by knitting through the middle needles the main thread and by knitting through the only needle of the left set of end needles the first elastic thread along with the main thread and holding the first elastic thread on the only needle of the left set of end needles.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein each left and/or right sets of end needles comprise at least two needles in order to define a matrix of stretch stitches that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction comprises at least two stretch stitches and the step b provides to: activate all the needles of said needle set in order to make up a corresponding course by knitting through the left set of end needles a first elastic thread along with the main thread starting from a first outer end needle up to a first inner end needle and holding the first elastic thread on the first inner end needle, by knitting through the middle needles the main thread and/or by knitting through the needles of the right set of end needles a second elastic thread along with the main thread, starting from a second inner end needle up to a second outer end needle and holding the second elastic thread on the second outer end needle; activate all the needles of said needle set in order to make up a corresponding course by knitting through the right set of end needles the second elastic thread along with the main thread starting from the second outer end needle up to the second inner end needle and holding the second elastic thread on the second inner end needle, by knitting through the middle needles the main thread only and/or by knitting through the needles of the left set of end needles the first elastic thread along with the main thread, starting from the first inner end needle up to the first outer end needle and/or holding the first elastic thread on the first outer end needle.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the step b) is carried out for at least ten consecutive runs of the rotating cylinder in order to make up elastic portions of the side edge having a longitudinal extent corresponding to at least ten stitches, respectively.

11. Method according to claim 7, wherein before the step a) and/or after the step c) one or more steps of making up an elastic edge are provided.

12. Foot-covering garment according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the right side edge and the left side edge has only one elastic portion, said elastic portion extending over a part of for the whole length of the right or left side edge, respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be therefore further illustrated in the following in the description made referring to the accompanying indicative and not limitative drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a foot-covering garment according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a foot-covering garment according to a different embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIGS. 2a and 2b show the enlarged details circled in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a simplified scheme of the needles of the rotating cylinder;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a foot-covering garment according to the present invention provided with elastic edges according to the known art;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a foot-covering garment according to the present invention provided with restraining portions; and

(8) FIGS. 7a and 7b show a part of a circular machine for knitwear and hosiery in two different steps of manufacturing the foot-covering garment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(9) In said drawings, by the numeral 1 a foot-covering garment is indicated as a whole, which is obtained by knitting at least one main thread 11 and formed in one piece, i.e. seamlessly. The foot-covering garment comprises a toe portion 2, a middle portion 3 ending with a right side edge 6 and a left side edge 7, a heel portion 4 and an opening 5 defined by said portions, for allowing the insertion of a user foot. The toe portion and the heel portion are aligned along a longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P.

(10) According to the invention the foot-covering garment is provided with at least one elastic portion 8, 9 next to at least one of the right and left side edges. Such elastic portions 8, 9 can be provided at the right side edge 6 only or the left side edge 7 only, both intended to contact one of the two sides of a user's foot, or else at both sides. Furthermore, at the right side edge 6 only one elastic portion 8 can be provided, extending for the whole length of the edge itself, or else only at a part thereof. Alternatively or additionally, also the left side edge 7 can have only one elastic portion 9 extending for the whole length of the edge itself, or else only at a part thereof.

(11) Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the garment has two restraining portions 8, 9, both extending at the respective right 6 and left 7 side edges.

(12) In another embodimentFIG. 3, at the right side edge 6, two or more elastic portions 8 can be provided as aligned along the longitudinal direction and interspaced by portions of the right side edge 6. Alternatively or additionally, also the left side edge 7 can have two or more elastic portions 9 aligned in the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P and interspaced by portions of left side edge.

(13) Each elastic portion 8, 9 is made up of a plurality of stretch stitches 10, 10 arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P and composed of at least one main thread 11 of the foot-covering garment 1, knitted with at least one elastic thread 12, 12.

(14) Each elastic portion 8 of the right side edge can, for example, be constituted by stretch stitches to composed of the main thread 11 and a first elastic thread 12, whereas each elastic portion 9 of the left side edge can, for example, be constituted by stretch stitches 10 composed of the main thread 11 and a second elastic thread 12.

(15) Advantageously, each elastic thread 12, 12 extends with no interruption in each elastic portion 8, 9, as visible in FIGS. 2a and 2b, showing enlarged portions of to the two free ends of the middle portion, provided with respective elastic portions. This means that the elastic thread 12, 12 is not cut at each knitted course of the elastic portion 8, 9, but is made as a single length winding a serpentine between subsequent knitted courses substantially by following it, starting from the start and up to the end of the respective elastic portion. Each length of elastic thread of each elastic portion can thus have two cut ends, one at the start of the first stretch stitch of the first knitted course and the other one at the end of the last stretch stitch of the last knitted course of the series of stretch stitches of the knitted courses composing each elastic portion.

(16) Each elastic portion 8, 9 is composed of a matrix of stretch stitches to, 10, i.e. a series of columns of one or more stretch stitches to, 10, each one corresponding to a part of a respective knitted course that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P, comprises at least two stretch stitches to, 10. Preferably the elastic portions 8, 9 extend, in the orthogonal direction, for five or more elongated stitches to, 10. The afore described foot-covering garment can further comprise, at the toe 2 and/or heel 4 portions, a conventional elastic edgeas shown in FIG. 5.

(17) Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the foot-covering garment according to the present invention can be provided with a restraining portion at the heel portion 4 and/or at the toe portion 2, as described and claimed in the Patent Application BS2013A000101, filed on Jul. 10, 2013, by the same Applicant.

(18) The invention further refers to a method for making a seamless foot-covering garment 1 made of knitted courses as described above, wholly on a circular machine for knitwear or hosiery provided with a rotating cylinder 19 able to be selectively and rotationally activated in reciprocating motion, carrying a plurality of needles able to be selectively activated, and provided with means for feeding at least one main thread 11 and at least one elastic thread 12, 12 to the needles.

(19) In detail, the method provides the following steps:

(20) a) knitting at least one main thread 11 through part of the needles of the rotating cylinder activated in reciprocating motion, in order to realize a toe portion 2 or a heel portion 4 of the foot-covering garment;

(21) b) at the end of the step a) knitting at least one main thread 11 through a needle set 13 of the rotating cylinder, activated in reciprocated motion, to realize the middle portion 3 with the respective right 6 and left 7 side edges, wherein said needle set 13 comprises a left set of end needles 14, composed of one or more needles, a right set of end needles 15, composed of one or more needles, and a plurality of middle needles 16 with respect to the left set of end needles 14 and the right set of end needles 15,

(22) c) at the end of step b) knitting at least one main thread 11 through part of the needles of the rotating cylinder activated in reciprocating motion, in order to realize the heel portion 4 or the toe portion 2, respectively, of the foot-covering garment 1, wherein the toe and heel portions are aligned along a longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P.

(23) According to the invention it is provided the step of:

(24) b) during the step b) and during at least two runs, preferably consecutive, of the rotating cylinder, activating all the needles of said needle set 13 in order to making up two corresponding knitted courses and feed, to the needle/s of the left set of end needles 14 and/or to the needle/s of the right set of end needles 15, a respective elastic thread 12, 12 along with at least one main thread 11, to make up at least one elastic portion of the left and/or right side 8, 9 composed of a plurality of stretched stitches 10 of at least one main thread 11 and of the elastic thread 12, 12.

(25) The making up of the foot covering garment can start indifferently, as usual, with the composing of a toe or heel portion according to known art.

(26) In FIG. 4 a simplified scheme of the needles of the rotating cylinder is shown, for the sake of simplicity arranged in line rather than along a circumference. By a small dot the needles of the needle set 13 used during the making up of the middle portion are represented, whereas by a small cross other needles of the rotating cylinder, which are not used for the making up of the middle portion, are represented. The ellipsis indicates that only part of the needles used are represented which compose the needle set 13 and only part of the not used needles. As a matter of fact and only by way of example, for the manufacture of a foot-covering garment according to the invention, circular machines for hosiery can be used with a rotating cylinder having a diameter of 3.75 inches and provided with a number of needles comprised between 200 and 400, depending on the type of used thread and the fineness of the foot-covering garment to make, of which a number comprised between 150 and 350 is used and the remaining are unused, i.e. out of work, during the making up of the garment itself. The needle set 13 comprises in its turn a left set of end needles 14 and a right set of end needles 15, both composed of one or more needles, and a set of middle needles 16 with respect to the left and right end needle sets. All the afore mentioned needles can be of the same typology and have the same features and be needles usually employed in the circular machines of the herein considered typology. They have been subdivided into sets only in order to describe the method of the present invention.

(27) Each needle of the respective left or right set of end needles 14, 15 is conveniently selected in order to intercept and knit the corresponding elastic thread 12, 12, when fed, along with at least one main thread 11 in order to form a respective elastic portion 8, 9, or to intercept and knit the main thread/s only at lengths of the elastic edge 6, 7 where no elastic portion is provided, or in other portions of the foot-covering garment.

(28) In case both left and/or right set of end needles 14, 15 comprise only one end needle and the step b provides to: activate all needles of said needle set 13 to make up a corresponding knitted course by working, i.e. by knitting, through the only needle of the left set of end needles 14, a first elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 and holding the first elastic thread 12 on the only needle of the left set of end needles 14, by knitting, through the middle needles 16, the main thread 11 and/or knitting, to through the only needle of the right set of end needles 15, a second elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 and holding the second elastic thread 12 on the only needle of the right set of end needles 15; afterwards, activate all needles of said needle set 13 to make up a corresponding course by knitting, through the only needle of the right set of end needles 15, the second elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 and holding the second elastic thread 12 on the only needle of the right set of end needles 15, by knitting, through the middle needles 16, the main thread 11 and knitting, through the only needle of the left set of end needles 14, the first elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 and holding the first elastic thread 12 on the only needle of the left set of end needles 14.

(29) Since both left and right sets of end needles 14, 15 comprise only one needle, which thus is the only one to knit the corresponding elastic thread, corresponding elastic portions 8, 9 are obtained that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P, have both an extent equal to a single stitch. On the contrary, their longitudinal extent depends on the number of consecutive knitted courses in which step b) is carried out. Through this mode elastic portions are obtained, each composed of a kind of spiral of elastic thread.

(30) Alternatively, each left and/or right set of end needles 14, 15 can comprise at least two, preferably at least five or more needles to define a matrix of stretch stitches 10, 10 that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, comprises at least two, but preferably at least five or more stretch stitches. The left and right sets of end needles 14, 15 both comprise two or more needles, comprised or composed of a first outer needle 14 and a first inner end needle 14, and a second outer needle 15 and a second inner end needle 15, respectively. Preferably, the left and/or right sets of end needles 14, 15 comprise at least five or more needles to define a matrix of stretch stitches 10, 10 that, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow P, comprises at least five or more stretch stitches.

(31) In this case the step b provides to: activate all the needles of said needle set 13 in order to make up a corresponding course by knitting through the left set of end needles 14 a first elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 starting from the first outer end needle 14 up to the first inner end needle 14 and holding the first elastic thread 12 on the first inner end needle 14, by knitting through middle needles 16 the main thread 11 and/or by knitting through the needles of the right set of end needles 15 a second elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11, starting from the second inner end needle 15 up to the second outer end needle 15 and holding the second elastic thread 12 on the second outer end needle 15; activate all needles of said needle set 13 to compose a corresponding course by knitting, through the right set of end needles 15, the second elastic thread 12

(32) along with the main thread 11 starting from the second outer end needle 15 up to the second inner end needle 15 and holding the second elastic thread 12 on the second inner end needle 15, by knitting, through the middle needles 16, the only main thread 11 and/or knitting, through the needles of the left set of end needles 14, the first elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11, starting from the first inner end needle 14 up to the first outer end needle 14 and/or holding the first elastic thread 12 on the first outer end needle 4.

(33) Also in this case the longitudinal extent of each portion depends on the number of runs of the rotating cylinder at which the step b) is carried out. In fact and advantageously, the step b) is carried out for at least ten, preferably at least twenty or more consecutive runs of the rotating cylinder in order to obtain elastic portions 8, 9 of the side edge having a longitudinal extent corresponding to at least ten, preferably at least twenty or more stitches, respectively. In order to obtain more elastic portions at the same edge, it will be sufficient to carry out the step b for a certain number of consecutive runs, carry on with runs in which also the needles of the sets of end needles do not intercept and, consequently, do not knit the corresponding elastic thread, then carry on with a new sequence of runs during which the step b) is carried out, and so on until obtaining the number of intended elastic portions.

(34) Of course the entire garment, including the elastic edges, can be made with all stitches and knitting known in the field.

(35) Finally, before the step a) of making up the toe and/or heel portion and/or after the step c) of making up the heel or toe portion, one or more steps are provided as needed for making up an elastic edge, as shown in FIG. 5.

(36) In another embodimentFIG. 6before the step a) of making up the toe and/or heel portion and/or after the step c) of making up the heel or toe portions, one or more steps are provided described and claimed in the Italian Patent Application BS2013A000101, filed on Jul. 10, 2013.

(37) In order to manufacture the foot-covering garment 1, a circular machine for knitwear or hosiery can be used as provided, as usual, with a rotating cylinder 19 able to be selectively and rotationally activated in a reciprocating motion and carrying a plurality of needles able to be individually selected. The machine also comprises a thread feeding station 20 provided with main feeding means 21 to feed at least one main thread 11 or ground yarn. In order to carry out the above described method, the thread feeding station further comprises first and/or second feeding means 22, 23 of at least one first and/or one second elastic thread 12, 12, respectively, and selecting means to selectively activate each needle of the rotating cylinder in order to intercept and knit the main thread 11 only, or else the first elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11, or the second elastic thread 12 along with the main thread 11 in order to compose stitches of the main thread only, or stretch stitches 10, 10 respectively at the elastic portions 8, 9 of the right 6 and/or left 7 side edge of the foot-covering garment 1.

(38) In order to select the needles, the machine is provided with selecting means having the shape of actuators, for example cams, and respective program means programmed to implement the method for manufacturing the foot-covering garment 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(39) 1 foot-covering garment 2 toe portion 3 middle portion 4 heel portion 5 opening 6 right side edge 7 left side edge 8 elastic portion 9 elastic portion 10 stretch stitch 10 stretch stitch 11 main thread 12 elastic thread 12 elastic thread 13 needle set 14 left set of end needles 15 right set of end needles 16 set of middle needles 14 first outer needle 14 first inner end needle 15 second outer needle 15 second inner end needle 19 cylinder 20 thread feeding station 21 main feeding means 22 first feeding means 23 second feeding means