knitted socks

Abstract

Provided are knitted socks or other garments, or portions thereof, that contain no spandex or rubber fibers or a reduced amount of spandex or rubber fibers and that stay in place when worn, and methods for making the same.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to knitted socks or other garments, or portions thereof, that contain no spandex or rubber fibers or a reduced amount of spandex or rubber fibers and that stay in place when worn, and methods for making these knitted socks or other garments, or portions thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Socks are generally made by a knitting process using yarn.

[0003] The yarns used in this knitting process are generally made from fibers including cotton, polyester, acrylic and / or nylon.

[0004] Additionally, the upper part of the sock, commonly known as the "sock-top," often contains spandex or rubber fibers to keep the sock on the leg during wear. This spandex or rubber fiber is usually incorporated as a covering yarn. It may be single or double covered. The covering is often nylon or polyester.

[0005] During knitting, the yarn is inlaid horizontally across the length of the sock, and can be 1x1 (one needle pointing up, one needle pointing down), 2x1, 3x1, etc. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the inclusion of spandex or rubber fibers poses certain undesirable limitations for users. For example, spandex and rubber fibers are more sensitive to chlorine attack, which can limit the use of bleach in consumer care. Also, the inclusion of spandex and rubber fibers in this application can be too aggressive and can cause red marks on the skin after prolonged wear. Furthermore, the inclusion of spandex or rubber makes fiber separation more complicated when the garment is recycled.

[0007] There is a need for a knitted hosiery construction that meets consumer expectations of staying in place without the aforementioned limitations of including spandex or rubber fibers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention relates to a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, that stays in place when worn without including spandex or rubber fibers. In one non-limiting embodiment, the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, includes mechanically stretchable elastic yarns instead of spandex or rubber fibers.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for making a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, that stays in place when worn without including spandex or rubber fibers in the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof. In one non-limiting embodiment, the method includes knitting a mechanically stretchable elastic yarn into the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, in place of spandex or rubber fibers.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, that contains less spandex or rubber fiber compared to a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, having 2-3% spandex, but remains in place when worn similarly to a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, containing 2-3% spandex. In one non-limiting embodiment, the knitted sock, other garment, or portion thereof contains mechanically stretchable elastic yarn in place of some of the spandex or rubber fiber.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for making a knitted sock, other garment, or portion thereof that stays in place when worn, and that has less spandex or rubber fiber in the knitted sock, other garment, or portion thereof compared to a knitted sock, other garment, or portion thereof that contains 2-3% spandex. In one non-limiting embodiment, the method includes knitting a mechanically stretchable elastic yarn into the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, in place of the portion of the spandex or rubber fiber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present disclosure provides knitted socks that stay in place when worn, and methods for making these knitted socks with reduced amounts of spandex or rubber fibers, or no spandex or rubber fibers. Other garments, or portions thereof, having inlay yarns similar to the sock top constructions within the scope of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pantyhose waistbands and narrow sections used as elastic waistbands in underwear.

[0013] The knitted socks or other garments of the present disclosure, or portions thereof, include mechanically stretchable elastic yarns in place of all or part of the spandex or rubber fibers. In one non-limiting embodiment, the mechanically stretchable elastic yarns are used in place of all or part of the spandex or rubber fibers in at least the upper portion of the knitted socks, also commonly referred to by those skilled in the art as the sock top.

[0014] As used herein, "mechanically stretchable elastic yarn" is meant to include polyester bicomponent fibers, such as, but not limited to, LYCRA's elasterell-p or T400®, as well as other mechanically stretchable composite yarns, such as, but not limited to, side-by-side and eccentric sheath-core combinations of polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, and / or polybutylene terephthalate. In some non-limiting embodiments, the mechanically stretchable elastic yarn is combined with another yarn made from, but not limited to, polyester, nylon, acrylic, or cotton, by twisting or entangling.

[0015] In some non-limiting embodiments, the filament count of the bicomponent fiber ranges such that the denier per filament ranges from 0.5 to 8.0.

[0016] In one non-limiting embodiment, the mechanically stretchable elastic yarn replaces all of the spandex or rubber fibers in a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof. In one non-limiting embodiment, the mechanically stretchable elastic yarn replaces all of the spandex or rubber fibers in the upper portion of the knitted sock.

[0017] In another non-limiting embodiment, the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, further comprises a small amount of spandex or rubber fiber for additional support and shape retention. For example, knitted socks generally have a spandex content of 1-3%, or more often 2-3%. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, this spandex content can be reduced to about 0.5-1.5%. In one non-limiting embodiment, this reduction is achieved by alternating bare or covered yarns of mechanically stretchable elastic yarn with bare or covered yarns of spandex yarn. In one non-limiting embodiment, the small amount of spandex or rubber fiber is present in the sock top and / or sock body. In these non-limiting embodiments, combining spandex or rubber with mechanically stretchable elastic yarn is expected to reduce the amount of spandex or rubber fiber required for the knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, thereby improving production economy and overall combined fit and comfort during wear.

[0018] Some non-limiting embodiments include polyester yarns in addition to mechanically stretchable elastic yarns.

[0019] Examples of additional fibers that may be included in the knitted socks of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, cotton, acrylic, and / or nylon.

[0020] The present disclosure also relates to methods of making knitted socks or other garments, or portions thereof, that contain no or reduced amounts of spandex or rubber fibers and that stay in place when worn.

[0021] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method includes knitting a mechanically stretchable elastic yarn into a knitted sock or other garment, or portion thereof, in place of spandex or rubber fiber. In one non-limiting embodiment, the method includes knitting a mechanically stretchable elastic yarn into the upper part of the sock, in place of spandex or rubber fiber.

[0022] In one non-limiting embodiment, the method involves knitting mechanically stretchable elastic yarn and reduced spandex or rubber fiber into a sock or other garment, or portion thereof. For example, in this non-limiting embodiment, the sock can be made with only 0.5-1.5% spandex, as opposed to the 1-3% or 2-3% traditionally used. In one non-limiting embodiment, the method involves knitting mechanically stretchable elastic yarn and reduced spandex or rubber fiber into the top of the sock using a laminated construction. The body of the sock can then be made with or without spandex.

[0023] In some non-limiting embodiments, in addition to incorporating mechanically stretchable elastic yarn into a knitted hosiery or other garment, or portion thereof, the method further includes selected wet-laid steps to finish the knitted hosiery or other garment, or portion thereof, after it is knitted.

[0024] In one non-limiting embodiment, the selected wet process involves first placing the knitted fabric in water at 90°C to 100°C for 10 seconds to 5 minutes, and then drying the knitted fabric by standing at ambient temperature or by using a heat drying process. Knitted socks or other garments, or portions thereof, can also be dried and set by using a setting machine following conventional processes.

[0025] In another non-limiting embodiment, the selected wet-laid step comprises exposing the knitted hosiery or other garment, or portion thereof, to steam at any range between 0.01 and 6 bar for a period sufficient to fully develop the crimp of the mechanically stretchable elastic yarn. In one non-limiting embodiment, the steam exposure is applied for 10 to 180 seconds. Optionally, the knitted hosiery or other garment, or portion thereof, produced according to the methods of the present disclosure is set using a conventional setting machine.

[0026] As will be understood by those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure, other types of garments, namely hosiery and underwear in addition to socks, can be enhanced using the present technology to create new consumer value.

[0027] The following examples illustrate the present disclosure and its properties for use in manufacturing stay-in-place socks that contain no or reduced amounts of spandex or rubber fibers. The present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The examples should therefore be considered illustrative and not limiting. (Example) [Example]

[0028] Socks of the present invention were knitted using a 14-gauge Lonati 615D knitting machine with 144 needles on a 3.75-inch cylinder. Both a 300 denier 68-filament polyester bicomponent yarn (T400® fiber available from LYCRA) and a 150 denier 68-filament T400® fiber were used in the top region of the sock. The 300 denier yarn was inlaid in a 3x1 configuration, and the 150 denier T400® was knitted with two plies of a 30 / 1 British cotton ring-spun yarn (designated 2 / 30) made from 100% polyester staple fiber. The foot (also known as the body and heel) of the sock was knit with 300 denier T400® fiber and two plies of a 20 / 1 British cotton ring-spun yarn (designated 2 / 20) made from 100% polyester staple fiber. After knitting, the socks were placed unconstrained in water maintained at 95°C for 5 minutes. They were then air-dried. The socks thus produced had excellent bulk, excellent hand feel, and excellent staying power during wear, as evidenced by a body-wearing test. The fiber content of the socks was 66% T400® and 34% polyester, based on the total weight of the socks. [Example]

[0029] Socks were knitted as in Example 1, except that the 150 denier T400® fiber was replaced with 300 denier T400® fiber. After 5 minutes of unrestrained exposure in water held at 95°C, the socks were set at 1 bar steam pressure. The socks thus produced had excellent bulk, excellent hand feel, and excellent staying power during wear, as evidenced by body wear tests. Based on the total weight of the socks, the fiber content was 66% T400® and 34% polyester.

[0030] Comparative Example Control socks were knitted in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the top of the 3x1 sock used 140-denier spandex (LYCRA® fiber type 162B, available from LYCRA Corporation) double-coated with nylon as the inlay yarn. Additionally, 150-denier 96-filament textured polyester fiber was knitted with two plies of 30-cotton count (2 / 30) 100% polyester staple fiber yarn. After knitting, the socks were placed unconstrained in water held at 95°C for 5 minutes. They were then steam-set at 1 bar. The socks thus produced had excellent bulk, excellent hand, and excellent wearability, as evidenced by body-wearing tests. The fiber content of the socks was 2% spandex, 4% nylon, and 94% polyester, based on the total weight of the sock.

[0031] Holding power evaluation A compression testing device [Salzmann Medico MST MK-III] was used to evaluate the socks of Examples 1 and 2 and the Comparative Example. Pressure (in mmHG) was measured by placing each sock on a size 8 wooden leg form. Three measurements were taken: one directly above the heel, one at the center point of the sock top, and one near the top of the sock top. As shown in Table 1, the holding force (compression force measured in mmHG) of the Comparative Example with spandex was unexpectedly lower than Examples 1 and 2 without spandex. [Table 1]

Claims

1. A knitted sock comprising mechanically stretchable elastic yarn having crimp, which does not contain spandex or rubber fiber, The mechanically stretchable elastic yarn is present in the upper, middle and bottom portions of the knitted sock and comprises polyester bicomponent fiber; The upper part of the knitted sock contains two types of polyester composite fibers and polyester yarns having different deniers, A knitted sock, wherein the central and bottom portions of the knitted sock comprise one type of polyester composite fiber and polyester yarn having a single denier.

2. 10. A method for producing the knitted sock of claim 1, comprising placing the knitted sock in water at 90°C to 100°C for 10 seconds to 5 minutes.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising exposing the knitted hosiery to steam at any pressure in the range of 0.01 bar to 6 bar for a period of time sufficient to fully develop crimp in the mechanically stretchable elastic yarn.

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