Compression garment

Abstract

The present invention relates to compression garments comprising a knitted fabric, wherein the knitted fabric has three or more knitted gores in a proximal portion of the compression garment, and (i) each knitted gore extends circumferentially around 50% or more of the proximal portion; (ii) each knitted gore comprises from 1 to 10 points at which the number of courses is increased; and (iii) each knitted gore comprises from 1 to 10 points at which the number of courses is decreased.

Claims

1. A compression garment comprising: a knitted fabric formed as a tube-like structure defining a wale direction and a circumferential direction, wherein the compression garment comprises a proximal portion; wherein the knitted fabric comprises a proximal gore at the proximal portion, the proximal gore extending from a first terminal end of the proximal portion along the wale direction and having a first height along the wale direction that is a maximum height of the proximal gore; wherein the knitted fabric has three or more knitted gores in the proximal portion arranged adjacent to the proximal gore along the wale direction; and wherein each knitted gore extends circumferentially around 50% or more of the proximal portion; wherein each knitted gore comprises a first portion having a first number of courses extending for a first length along the circumferential direction, the first portion having a second height along the wale direction that is a maximum height of the knitted gore; and wherein each knitted gore comprises a second portion having a second number of courses less than the first number of courses extending for a second length along the circumferential direction; and wherein the first height is greater than the second height.

2. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the knitted gores are separated in the wale direction by constant regions having a constant number of courses, wherein the constant regions include from 4 to 64 courses.

3. The compression garment according to claim 2, wherein each of the constant regions has the constant number of courses around an entire circumference of the proximal portion.

4. The compression garment according to claim 2, wherein each course of the constant regions extends circumferentially around 75% or more of the proximal portion.

5. The compression garment according to claim 2, wherein constant regions include from 4 to 32 courses.

6. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein each of the knitted gores comprises a third portion having a third number of courses less than the second number of courses extending for a third length along the circumferential direction.

7. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the first portion comprises 4 more courses than the second portion.

8. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the second portion has 4 more courses than the third portion.

9. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the proximal portion is adapted to cover the thigh, the lower leg, or the upper arm of a wearer.

10. The compression garment according to claim 9, wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the thigh or the lower leg of the wearer, the knitted gores comprise more courses in an anterior region and/or a lateral region of the proximal portion than in a medial region and/or a posterior region of the proximal portion, and wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the upper arm of the wearer, the knitted gores comprise more courses in a posterior region and/or a lateral region of the proximal portion than in an anterior region and/or a medial region of the proximal portion.

11. The compression garment according to claim 9, wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the thigh or the lower leg of the wearer, the knitted gores have a height of 2 courses in a posterior region and/or medial region of the proximal portion; and wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the upper arm of the wearer, the knitted gores have a height of 2 courses in an anterior region and/or medial region of the proximal portion.

12. The compression garment according to claim 9, wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the thigh or the lower leg of the wearer, the knitted gores have a height of from 3 to 15 courses in an anterior region of the proximal portion; and wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the upper arm of the wearer, the knitted gores have a height of from 3 to 15 courses in a posterior region of the proximal portion.

13. The compression garment according to claim 9, wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the thigh or the lower leg of the wearer, the proximal gore has a height of 8 or more courses in an anterior region and/or a lateral region of the proximal portion; and wherein, when the proximal portion is adapted to cover the upper arm of the wearer, the proximal gore has a height of 8 or more courses in a posterior region and/or lateral region.

14. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the first height is at least three times the second height.

15. The compression garment according to claim 1, comprising from 4 to 20 of the knitted gores.

16. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the knitted fabric is a flat-knitted fabric.

17. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the garment is a pair of tights or a stocking.

18. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the garment is a stocking.

19. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the garment is an arm sleeve.

20. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein the first length is greater than the second length.

21. The compression garment according to claim 1, wherein a constant region is disposed between the proximal gore and one of the knitted gores.

22. A method comprising: measuring the circumference of a leg of a wearer at 3 or more leg heights, including at least one leg height in the area of the thigh or in the area of the proximal part of the lower leg or measuring the circumference of an arm of a wearer at 3 or more arm heights, including at least one arm height in the area of the upper arm; knitting the compression garment as claimed in claim 1, on a flat knitting machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown schematically in the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically shows the upper (proximal) end of a proximal region of a compression garment, wherein the knitted gores are depicted in black colour;

(3) FIG. 2 schematically shows the upper end of a proximal region of a compression garment of the prior art;

(4) FIGS. 3A-3B schematically show, respectively, the lateral side and the medial side of the upper end of the proximal region of a compression garment shown in FIG. 1;

(5) FIGS. 4A-4B schematically show exemplary compression garments, a stocking and pair of tights, respectively, in which the knitted gores are not highlighted, but it is shown where the anterior, posterior, lateral and medial regions of the proximal regions are within the garments; and

(6) FIG. 5 schematically shows a partial exemplary knitting pattern with three constant regions and two knitted gores, wherein each blackened square represents a knitted stitch.

(7) These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(8) Additional advantages, characteristics, and features of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. However, the invention is not restricted to these exemplary embodiments.

(9) FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A-3B schematically show the upper end of a proximal portion 16 of a compression garment 10. FIGS. 3A-3B schematically show, respectively, the lateral side and the medial side of the upper end of the proximal portion 16 of the compression garment. The knitted gores 14 and the proximal gore 28 are depicted in black colour in FIGS. 1 and 3A-3B (as well as FIG. 2). The colour is merely added to illustrate the shape of the knitted gores 14 and the proximal gore 28. In a real compression garment 10, the yarn(s) in the gores 14 can have the same colour and can be the same yarn(s) as that/those used in the constant regions 16. The entire compression garment 10 can, thus have the same colour.

(10) The compression garment 10 of FIGS. 1 and 3A-3B includes 9 knitted gores 14. Each knitted gore 14 is separated in longitudinal direction of the proximal portion 16 from the next knitted gore 14 by a constant region 22. In addition to these knitted gores 14, the proximal portion 16 also includes a proximal gore 28 which has a greater height in wale direction than the knitted gores 14 and forms the proximal end of the proximal portion 16 and, therewith, also of the compression garment 10, which is a thigh-high compression stocking. Between the proximal gore 28 and the subsequent knitted gore 14, a constant region 22 is located.

(11) Each knitted gore 14 has two points of increase in course number 18 that can be seen on the lateral side of the garment 10, in the lateral region 34, in FIG. 3A and FIG. 1. Moreover, each knitted gore 14 has two points of decrease in course number 20 that can be seen on the medial side of the garment 10, in the medial region 32, in FIG. 3B. An exemplary, more detailed schematic way used to create these areas is shown in FIG. 5.

(12) The exemplary knitted gores 14 each start with a height of 2 courses in posterior region 26 of the garment 10 (see FIG. 1). At the first point of increase 18 4 courses are added, at the second point of increase 18 another 4 courses are added. With the resulting maximal height of 10 courses, the gore spans around the anterior region 24, the front part of the garment 10. On the other, the medial, side of the garment 10 that can be seen in FIG. 3B, the number of courses is reduced by 4 in the first point of decrease, resulting in a height of 6 courses. Subsequently, in the second point of decrease 20, the number of courses is again reduced by 4 courses resulting in a final height of 2 courses.

(13) The constant regions 22 have a constant height of 16 knitted courses all around the circumference of the compression garment. No additional courses or partial courses are present between the knitted gores 14 and the constant regions 22. The knitted gores 14 and the constant regions 22 are, in other words, directly adjacent to each other.

(14) It should be noted that even though the schematic representation of each constant region 22 in FIG. 1 and other figures may appear to be of variable height, each actual constant region 22 will have a constant height in wale direction. The apparent variations in the height of the constant regions 22 are merely a result of the simplified schematic graphical display of a three-dimensional structure.

(15) The partially depicted compression garment 10 is a flat knitted garment that is closed in the posterior region 26 with a seam, preferably a flat seam.

(16) FIG. 2 schematically shows the upper end of a proximal region of a compression stocking of the prior art. It can be seen that all of the additional fabric that is required in the anterior region 24 of the garment to compensate for the shape of the leg of the wearer is added in two gores, the proximal gore 28 and a large gore 30. Both gores have a relatively large height in wale direction (i.e. longitudinal direction) in the anterior region of the garment. This practice can cause an instability in the garment and result in rolling or folding down of the upper border region of the garment when it is worn.

(17) FIGS. 4A-4B schematically show exemplary compression garments 10, a stocking with an upper band 36 and a pair of tights, respectively, in which the knitted gores are not highlighted, but it is shown where the anterior, posterior, lateral and medial regions of the proximal regions are within the garments. The figures merely serve to illustrate where these regions are and to illustrate how finalized compression garments may look like.

(18) FIG. 5 schematically shows a partial exemplary knitting pattern, wherein each blackened square represents a knitted mesh 38. The resulting partial knitted fabric is a flat-knitted fabric. The section which is shown in FIG. 5 consists of three constant regions 22 and two knitted gores 14. Each constant region 22 has a height of 8 courses. Each knitted gore 14 has a height of 1 course on the left and right sides of the section and a height of 5 courses in the middle of the section shown in FIG. 5. The increase and subsequent decrease in height is achieved by addition of courses in two points of increase 18 in the left part of the section shown in FIG. 5 and reduction of courses in two points of decrease 20 in the right part of the section shown in this FIG. 5. In each point, the number of courses is increased or decreased by 2 courses.

(19) It can be seen in FIG. 5 that the pattern is generated by first knitting a course from the start (left side) until the (in circumferential direction) last desired point of decrease 20. Then the cam is reversed and knitting continues in the direction of the start side until the first desired point of increase 18, thereby creating one or more new knitted rows (courses). Subsequently, the cam is reversed and knitting continues in the direction of the end side until the penultimate desired point of decrease 20, thereby again creating one or more knitted rows which are shorter than the first ones. Then, the cam is reversed again and knits until the (in circumferential direction from the start side) second point of increase 18. After the cam is again reversed, it knits a longer course that can e.g. end in the same wale as a subsequent course in the constant region 22.

(20) The number of meshes 38 in circumferential direction which are knitted with the maximal height of the gore will usually be larger than shown in FIG. 5. The relative shortness for knitting with the maximal gore height that is shown here was only chosen to allow the entire principle to be shown in FIG. 5.

(21) Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted to these exemplary embodiments, but rather that modifications can be made in such a way that individual features are omitted or other combinations of the individual features presented are realized, provided that the scope of protection of the appended claims is not exceeded. The present disclosure includes any and all combinations of the individual features presented.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

(22) 10 compression garment 12 knitted fabric 14 knitted gore 16 proximal portion 18 point of increase in course number 20 point of decrease in course number 22 constant region 24 anterior region 26 posterior region 28 proximal gore 30 large gore 32 medial region 34 lateral region 36 band 38 mesh