socks

Abstract

To provide socks that can balance left and right feet and are suitable for forming or appropriately holding longitudinal arches.SOLUTION: Socks according to the present invention are socks of a traditional Japanese socks type made of a knitted fabric, including an instep part having high elasticity and a sole part having low elasticity. The sole part has an inner band part extending from a root part of a first toe to a heel part, an intermediate band part extending from root parts of a second toe to a fourth toe to the heel part, and an outer band part extending from a root part of a fifth toe to the heel part, which are provided in parallel and each have elasticity gradually decreasing from the outer band part toward the inner band part. A ratio between an average value of elasticity of the sole part and elasticity of the instep part is 1:2.0 to 2.5 in an elongation ratio.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to tabi-style socks that are suitable for forming or properly maintaining the arch structure of the foot, particularly the longitudinal arch. [Background technology]

[0002] The arch structure of the foot includes the medial longitudinal arch, the lateral longitudinal arch, and the transverse arch, and various proposals have been made regarding socks that can form or properly maintain these arches. Proposals have been made regarding socks that primarily focus on forming or properly maintaining the longitudinal arch, or socks that primarily focus on forming or properly maintaining the transverse arch.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a sock formed by knitting a fabric structure in which terry yarn is knitted as the face yarn to form compression sections for applying compression force to specific parts of the sock, where the compression sections are formed by tuck knitting only the back yarn and the terry yarn is protruded in a loop shape to the inside to form a terry structure. This sock is said to have compression sections formed in at least one of the arch, calf, ankle, instep, and other parts, or a combination thereof, allowing for the desired compression to be applied.

[0004] Patent Document 2 proposes a sock for correcting the shape of the sole of the foot, including the arch, which has a compression section that extends continuously from approximately the ball of the foot to approximately the heel and tightens in the direction between the ball of the foot and the heel, and a weak compression section that extends continuously from approximately the ball of the foot to approximately the heel and has a weaker compression force than the compression section, the compression section and the weak compression section being arranged adjacent to each other in a generally parallel manner. This sock has three to nine rows of compression sections, preferably five to seven rows, and the compression sections 10 and weak compression sections 11 are arranged in multiple rows adjacent to each other in a generally parallel manner, so that the sock provides even compression over a wide area in the longitudinal direction of the sole, including the arch 5, and is said to be able to shape the sole into a longitudinal arch shape over a wide area in the longitudinal direction of the sole.

[0005] Patent Document 3 proposes foot conditioning wear that has a sole high-power part that extends vertically from the base of the toes or a position a required distance from the base of the toes across the center of the sole toward the heel, and a sole low-power part that extends vertically and continues to at least the big toe and is parallel to the sole high-power part, so that the arch of the foot forms a longitudinal arch and a transverse arch when worn. This foot conditioning wear is said to simultaneously form the longitudinal arch and the transverse arch of the sole with the sole high-power part and the sole low-power part, thereby forming and maintaining a dome-shaped arch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-237087 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-189964 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-277779 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Socks proposed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, which apply pressure or corrective force by providing alternating parallel rows of tightening and weak tightening sections across the entire sole from the base of the toes to the heel, are preferable to socks proposed in Patent Documents 1, which apply pressure or corrective force uniformly by providing tightening sections in the arch area. The socks proposed in Patent Document 1 may impede the foot's natural ability to absorb impact and balance due to the uniform pressure or corrective force applied to the arch area. On the other hand, the socks proposed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 apply the same load conditions to each toe from the first to the fourth toe, which may still impair the foot's balance function. They may also result in high arches.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide socks that facilitate balance between the left and right feet as a whole and are suitable for forming or properly maintaining the longitudinal arch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The socks according to the present invention are tabi-style socks made of knitted fabric and have a highly elastic instep portion and a less elastic sole portion. The sole portion is made up of an inner band portion extending from the base of the first toe to the heel, a middle band portion extending from the base of the second toe to the heel, and an outer band portion extending from the base of the fifth toe to the heel, all of which are arranged in parallel. The elasticity of each band portion gradually decreases from the outer band portion to the inner band portion, and the ratio of the average elasticity of the sole portion to the elasticity of the instep portion is 1:2.0 to 2.5 in terms of elongation ratio.

[0010] In the above invention, the instep portion is knitted by plain knitting, and the sole portion is knitted by tuck knitting, and the number of tucks in the inner belt portion, middle belt portion or outer belt portion can be adjusted.

[0011] The elasticity of the sole portion can be such that the middle belt portion has a higher elongation rate than the inner belt portion by 15% and the outer belt portion has a higher elongation rate than the inner belt portion by 20%.

[0012] The ankle portion is preferably knitted from a fabric having low elasticity in the front and back portions, ranging from the elasticity of the inner belt portion to the elasticity of the outer belt portion, and stretchability in both side portions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The sock according to the present invention has an instep knitted from a highly elastic knit fabric, and the inner, middle and outer belts that run parallel to the sole from the base of the toes to the heel are knitted from a less elastic knit fabric, with the elasticity gradually increasing from the inner belt to the outer belt. This makes it easier to balance the left and right feet or the foot as a whole, and is favorable for forming or properly maintaining the longitudinal arch. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sock according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the sole part of the sock shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of tucks and the elongation ratio of socks knitted by plain knitting. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of tucks and the pressure applied to a sock knitted by circular knitting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show an example of a sock according to the present invention. The sock is a tabi-style sock 10 made of knitted fabric, and includes a highly elastic instep section 1 and a less elastic sole section 2. Specifically, the toe pouch 3 is composed of an inner toe pouch 31 into which the first toe is inserted and an outer toe pouch 32 into which the second through fifth toes are inserted, allowing the first toe to easily bear load independently. This allows the first toe to easily apply force, and the first toe and the second through fifth toes form a balanced pair, allowing the entire foot to bear loads acting on the foot. Furthermore, because the sole section 2 is knitted from a less elastic knitted fabric and the instep section 1 is knitted from a more elastic knitted fabric, the sole section 1 is easily knitted to form or properly maintain the medial longitudinal arch.

[0016] The knitted fabric of the sole portion 2 is made up of an inner band portion 21 extending from the base of the first toe to the heel 4, a middle band portion 22 extending from the base of the second toe (including the fourth toe) to the heel 4, and an outer band portion 23 extending from the base of the fifth toe to the heel 4, all of which are arranged in parallel. The stretchability of each band portion gradually decreases from the outer band portion 23 to the inner band portion 21. In other words, the sole portion 2 is divided into three longitudinal sections, with the knitted fabric becoming less stretchy toward the inside of the sole portion 2. Therefore, unlike socks with sole structures in which the first through fifth toes have equal stretchability, the sock 10 of the present invention is designed to function balanced across the entire sole of each foot. This allows the sock 10 to easily absorb impact and reduce the risk of high arches.

[0017] The stretchability of the sole portion 2 can be adjusted by the number of tuck stitches (number of tucks) in a sock knitted with flat knitting. For example, the outer belt portion 23 has one flat knit course and three tuck knit courses (3x1 tuck stitches), the middle belt portion 22 has 4x1 tuck stitches, and the inner belt portion 21 has 5x1 tuck stitches. The stretchability of each portion is shown in Figure 3. The graph in Figure 3 shows the elongation ratio based on the inner belt portion 21, with the horizontal axis representing the number of tucks and the vertical axis representing the elongation ratio. Figure 3 shows that the elongation ratio is proportional to the number of tucks. An even wider range of stretchability adjustments can be made based on the relationship between the number of tucks and elongation, and the combination with the type of knitted fabric or knitting yarn.

[0018] Regarding the number of tucks in tuck knitting, Patent Document 1 describes the relationship between the number of tucks in tuck knitting and the pressure applied to socks knitted using circular knitting. Specifically, Tables 1 and 2 show the results of a pressure test that examined the effect of a compression section formed by a pile structure in which a pile yarn is knitted and only the back yarn is tucked, with the pile yarn protruding inward in a loop shape. Figure 4 is a graph of the test results, with the horizontal axis representing the number of tucks (number of back yarn tucks (number of tucks / 1) or number of simultaneous front and back tucks (number of tucks / 1)), and the vertical axis representing the compression hpa. Figure 4 shows that the compression is proportional to the number of tucks. In other words, by adjusting the number of tucks, the compression, elongation, compression force, or corrective force can be adjusted.

[0019] The sock 10 according to the present invention prevents the sock from slipping forward while walking, thereby allowing the instep section 1 and sole section 2 to perform their functions even better. That is, it is preferable that the front and back sections of the ankle section 5 are made of a low-stretch knitted fabric, and the two side sections of the ankle section 5 are made of a stretchy knitted fabric. This configuration of the ankle section 5 further ensures stability of the tibia, talus, and calcaneus around the ankle, contributing to stable walking. The front and back sections of the ankle section 5 can be knitted using tuck knitting, and their stretchability can be set within a range from that of the inner band section 21 to that of the outer band section 23.

[0020] In the sock 10 according to the present invention, the portions other than the instep portion 1, sole portion 2 and ankle portion 51 described above, such as the tabi portion 3, heel portion 4 and cuff portion 6, can be knitted using flat knitting or rib knitting. [Example]

[0021] We asked participants to wear the socks according to the present invention and received the comments shown in Table 1. The comments indicate that wearing the socks according to the present invention improves physical balance, and that improved physical balance leads to improved motor function.

[0022] [Table 1] [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1 Instep 2 Sole of the foot 21 Inner belt 22 Middle belt 23 Outer belt 3 Tabi section 31 Inner finger pouch 32 External finger pouch 4 Heel 5. Ankle 6 Rubber mouth part 10 socks

Claims

1. A tabi-style sock made of knitted fabric, having a highly elastic instep portion and a less elastic sole portion, The sole portion is provided with an inner belt portion extending from the base of the first toe to the heel portion, a middle belt portion extending from the base of the second toe to the heel portion, and an outer belt portion extending from the base of the fifth toe to the heel portion, which are arranged in parallel, and the elasticity of each belt portion gradually decreases from the outer belt portion to the inner belt portion. The ratio of the average elasticity of the sole part to the elasticity of the instep part is 1:2.0 to 2.5 in terms of elongation ratio.

2. The instep part is knitted using flat knitting, 2. The sock according to claim 1, wherein the sole portion is knitted by tuck knitting, and the number of tucks in the inner belt portion, middle belt portion and outer belt portion is adjusted.

3. 2. The sock according to claim 1, wherein the elasticity of the sole portion is such that the middle band portion has a 15% higher elongation rate than the inner band portion, and the outer band portion has a 20% higher elongation rate than the inner band portion.

4. The sock according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ankle portion has a front portion and a back portion that have low elasticity in a range from the elasticity of the inner belt portion to the elasticity of the outer belt portion, and both side portions are made of a stretchable knitted fabric.

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