Reinforced wear-resistant sock and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

What is claimed is a reinforced wear-resistant sock and a method of manufacturing same by weaving yarns of a warp knit, in which the parameters of the knit density of the sock are as practicable as possible for existing machines and existing yarns, the invention being characterized in that the following regions are selected, individually or in combination, as reinforcement regions: the toe, the sole, the heel and the boot, after which the given region is knitted as a single and continuous pattern, using a pattern yarn and pattern weave, within the boundaries of the regions; the pattern is knitted by introducing into the warp of the knit in the reinforcement region additional elements, such as transfers, runs and additional yarns, and trimming the free and non-fastened lengths thereof that do not form a part of the pattern, wherein the pattern yarn is introduced from above, penetrating the warp knit of the sock, and the parameters of the pattern yarn and the pattern weave, such as yarn thickness and knit density, are selected so as to be as viable as possible for pattern knitting the warp of the fabric without causing damage in the form of a break in the yarns of the warp and without damaging the needles of the knitting machine.

Description

[0001] Reinforced wear-resistant toe cap and its manufacturing method

[0002] Field of technology

[0003] The claimed technical solution relates to hosiery knitted goods, such as socks, and to methods for their manufacture.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] Socks are known to have a tubular upper part (shaft), elastic (elastic), toe (vampire), heel (heel) parts, the top of the foot (instep), and a footprint (sole).

[0006] Well-known socks are made from ground and plating (covering) threads made from natural, mixed and synthetic fibers, on machine equipment (circular knitting double-cylinder hosiery machines - automatic machines) with a smooth plated weave, mainly based on a single jersey stitch.

[0007] The ground thread of socks is made mainly from textured synthetic yarn, the cover thread is made mainly from blended yarn.

[0008] To make the sock more comfortable to use and to ensure it fits more snugly to the foot, elastic threads (elastane, spandex, lycra, etc.) are added to the sock material.

[0009] To increase the strength of the sock and improve its wear resistance, the base fabric of the sock in the areas most susceptible to wear (toe, heel, back of the boot, foot) is made using known methods, with the help of appropriate settings of the hosiery machine, from an increased number of braided (twisted) and / or non-braided (smooth) threads made from synthetic (polyamide, polyester, polyurethane, etc.) fibers, such as elastane, polyester, polyamide, etc.

[0010] The dependence of the properties of socks on the properties of the threads used is well known.

[0011] In addition to the properties of the threads used, the density (linear and surface) of a knitted fabric also depends on the structure of its weave, measured in such digital parameters as the loop pitch, the height of a loop row, the horizontal density (the number of loop columns per unit length), the vertical density (the number of loop rows), the length of the thread in the loop, the average length of the thread segment used to form one loop, the fill factor (the ratio of the length of the thread in the loop to the linear density of the thread), etc.

[0012] To achieve a desired change in the consumer properties of socks, in addition to changing the properties of the threads and the properties of their weave, the so-called zoning of the sock fabric is also widely used, which consists in the fact that different functional zones / sections of the socks are made from different materials, and / or with different types and / or characteristics of weaves.

[0013] The zoning of the sock fabric is described, for example, in the following patent sources: US2023.0027.589, US2021.0084.991, US2021.0015.178, US2019.0289.922, US2019.0029.331, US2017.0099.882, US2017.0035.120, US2016.0340.813, US2016.0302.491, US2016.0088.879, US2015.0230.552, US2013.0263.629, US8.424.116, US2012.0102.613, US2012.0102.625, US2011.0107.501, US2009.0165.190, US2009.0158.504, US2008.0249.454, US2007.0283.483, US2007.0113.593, US2006.0206.987, US6.536.051, US6.012.177, US5.983.402, US5.103.656, US1.544.934, US2009.0223.254, US2021.0052.019, US2021.0084.991, US2021.0137.174, US2022.0047.005, US2022.0125.646, US2022.0369726, US2022.0411.977, US11.766.074, US11.859.319, US2013.0232.665, US2017.0081.793, US2017.0265.527, US2017.0325.513. US2020.0060.354, US2020.0113.248.

[0014] Close to the claimed invention (analogue) is the “Device for hosiery machines” according to the USSR patent SU3.417 A1 (1925.02.09 V.K. Leverents), according to which the reinforcement of the necessary zones of the toe is carried out by adding an additional thread during the knitting process.

[0015] The disadvantage of this solution is the need for specialized additional equipment that is not standard equipment for mass-produced sock production. A method for modifying the properties of a sock's fabric by inserting an auxiliary thread in addition to the warp threads is also described in patent US7,721,575 and several other sources.

[0016] The disadvantage of these solutions is the limitation of the maximum density of the sock fabric achievable when using methods of this type.

[0017] The closest to the claimed invention (prototype) is the “Method for manufacturing knitted goods” according to patent RU2.379.390 C1, in which the maximum achievable values ​​of the fill factor of the fabric and its linear density are found experimentally for knitting hosiery machines, and their dependence on the parametric settings of the machine and the properties of the threads.

[0018] The disadvantage of this solution is the achievement of the maximum achievable parameters of filling density and linear density (and indirectly strength and wear resistance) of the fabric for the base (general) fabric of the sock base made from interweaving ground and plating threads.

[0019] At the same time, the maximum achievable density indicators for the base of the sock fabric are not the maximum possible indicators for the entire sock construction, due to which the strength and wear resistance indicators of the entire sock “assembly” can be significantly increased, by tens of percent, when using technologies not directly related to the production of the sock fabric itself.

[0020] The essence of the technical solution

[0021] The purpose of the claimed technical solution is to eliminate the shortcomings of known solutions.

[0022] The objective of the claimed technical solution is achieved due to the fact that the strengthening of the sock and the increase in its wear resistance in the most wear-prone areas (the toe, heel, heel cap (the back surface of the boot leg), the foot) are produced not exclusively by changing the characteristics of the sock base fabric itself, but by combining a change in the properties of the fabric and the use of an additional function, which is available in the vast majority of circular knitting machines, consisting in the ability to supply the base fabric with a visually perceptible pattern, external to the base structure, which carries not a structural but an aesthetic or identification function (indication of size, position (right-left), trade mark, washing modes, etc.).

[0023] In this case, the toe, foot, heel, and heel counter (the back surface of the boot leg above the normal heel) are selected as reinforcement zones, individually or collectively; the reinforcement zone is knitted as a pattern, with a patterned thread and patterned weave, uniform and continuous (with a full "fill" of color) within the zone's boundary; while the parameters of the patterned thread and patterned weave, such as thread thickness and knitting density, are selected to be the maximum possible for patterned knitting of the base fabric without damaging it in the form of breaking the warp threads.

[0024] This allows us to go beyond the limitations of the parameters of existing technologies for manufacturing the sock fabric itself.

[0025] List of drawing figures

[0026] Fig. 1 shows a toe with critical, highly loaded zones made according to the claimed technical solution.

[0027] Description of the implementation of the technical solution

[0028] The claimed technical solution can be implemented as follows.

[0029] The maximum achievable parameters of the sock base fabric density depend on the possible operating modes and parameters of the machine, and on the characteristics of the base threads.

[0030] Knitting machine settings, such as the number of needles and yarn feeders, knitting density, knitting speed, stitch length, size and number of stitch rows, and other parameters, are selected based on the available equipment and materials, as well as the desired characteristics of the finished product. The warp thread can be made of cotton or synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, and others; the ground thread can be made of polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, or other fibers.

[0031] The knitting parameters of the sock fabric are determined to be the maximum achievable for the density of the fabric produced on the given available machine and for the available threads.

[0032] The toe, foot, heel, and heel cap (the back surface of the boot leg above the normal heel) are selected as reinforcement zones, individually or in combination, after which this zone is knitted as a pattern, with a pattern thread and a pattern weave, uniform and continuous within the zone's border.

[0033] The knitting of the pattern is carried out by introducing additional elements (drawings, drawstrings, additional threads) into the base of the sock fabric in the reinforcement zone, and cutting off their free and unfastened extension segments that do not participate in the formation of the pattern, while the pattern thread is knitted from above, piercing the base of the sock fabric made from the interweaving of ground and plating threads.

[0034] In this case, the parameters of the pattern thread and pattern weave, such as the thickness of the threads and the density of the knitting, are chosen to be the maximum possible for the pattern knitting of the base of the fabric without damaging it in the form of breaking the base threads, and without damaging the needles of the knitting machine.

[0035] As pattern threads, braided (twisted) and / or non-braided (smooth) threads made from synthetic (polyamide, polyester, polyurethane, etc.) fibers, such as elastane, polyester, polyamide, etc., are predominantly used.

[0036] The claimed technical solution eliminates the shortcomings of known solutions and ensures an increase in the reinforcement parameters of the most wear-prone areas of the toe compared to reinforcement solely by changing the characteristics of the base fabric of the toe.

Claims

Formula 1. A reinforced wear-resistant toe made by interlacing the threads of the base fabric and having the knitting parameters of the base fabric that are the maximum achievable for the available machine and available threads, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that - reinforcement zones, individually or in combination, are made and located on the toe, foot, heel, heel pad, and are made as a knitted pattern, with a patterned thread and a patterned weave, uniform and continuous within the boundaries of the zones; - the knitting of the pattern is made by means of additional elements such as drafts, draw-throughs or additional threads located in the base of the sock fabric in the reinforcement zone, and their free and unfastened continuation sections that do not participate in the formation of the pattern are cut and not fastened, while the pattern thread is knitted from above and pierces the base of the sock fabric made from the interweaving of ground and plating threads; - in this case, the parameters of the pattern thread and pattern weave, such as the thickness of the threads and the density of the knitting, are the maximum possible for the pattern knitting of the existing base of the fabric without damaging it in the form of breaking the base threads.

2. A sock according to paragraph 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that it has a reinforcement zone made as a single and continuous field, and located on the toe, foot, heel, and heel counter.

3. A method for producing a reinforced wear-resistant toe by interweaving the threads of a warp fabric, with the density parameters of the toe fabric being the maximum achievable for the available machine and available threads, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT - the toe, foot, heel, and heel cap are selected as reinforcement zones, individually or in combination, after which this zone is knitted as a pattern, with a pattern thread and a pattern weave, uniform and continuous within the boundaries of the zones; - the knitting of the pattern is carried out by introducing additional elements such as throws, drawstrings, additional threads into the base of the sock fabric in the reinforcement zone, and cutting off their free and unfastened sections - extensions that do not participate in the formation of the pattern; - in this case, the pattern thread is knitted from above, piercing the base of the sock fabric with it, and the parameters of the pattern thread and pattern weave, such as the thickness of the threads and the density of the knitting, are chosen to be the maximum possible for the pattern knitting of the base of the fabric without damaging it in the form of breaking the warp threads, and without damaging the needles of the knitting machine.

4. The method according to paragraph 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the reinforcement zone is made as a single and continuous field and is located on the toe, footprint, heel, and heel counter.

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