Upper-torso garment with tubular-jacquard knit structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179960-B2
Application number	US-201715584930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	May 2, 2017
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

An upper-torso garment includes a chest-covering portion. The chest-covering portion includes a knit textile region having a tubular-jacquard knit structure. The tubular-jacquard knit structure includes a number of interlocking cross overs in which a first yarn strand transfers from the front bed to the back bed and a second yarn strand transfers from the back bed to the front bed, and in which the yarn strands transfer back over.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper-torso garment having a chest-contacting portion, the upper-torso garment comprising:
a knit textile panel positioned in the chest-contacting portion;
the knit textile panel comprising a tubular-jacquard knit structure having a plurality of front-stitch courses and a plurality of back-stitch courses,
wherein each front-stitch course included in the plurality of front-stitch courses intermittently interlocks with a back-stitch course included in the plurality of back-stitch courses, such that the plurality of front-stitch courses and the plurality of back-stitch courses form a plurality of interlocked courses, and
wherein each interlocked course of the plurality of interlocked courses is constructed of a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand and each interlocked course includes a respective intra-course knit sequence that repeats along a respective interlocked course, such that the plurality of interlocked courses comprise a plurality of respective intra-course knit sequences;

each respective intra-course knit sequence of the plurality of respective intra-course knit sequences comprising:
a respective first quantity of front stitches formed by the first yarn strand and a respective first quantity of back stitches formed by the second yarn strand,
the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand crossing over after the respective first quantity of front stitches and the respective first quantity of back stitches, such that the first yarn strand forms a respective second quantity of back stitches and the second yarn strand forms a respective second quantity of front stitches,
the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand crossing back over after the respective second quantity of front stitches and the respective second quantity of back stitches,
wherein each respective intra-course knit sequence includes a quantity of front stitches equal to or greater than 4 and less than or equal to 12 and a quantity of back stitches equal to or greater than 4 and less than or equal to 12, the quantity of front stitches and the quantity of back stitches being consistent among the plurality of respective intra-course knit sequences; and
wherein each respective intra-course knit sequence repeats at least once in the respective interlocked course after the crossing back over.

2. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the respective first quantity of front stitches, the respective second quantity of front stitches, the respective first quantity of back stitches, and the respective second quantity of back stitches are all consistent quantities between the plurality of respective intra-course knit sequences.

3. The upper-torso garment of claim 2 , wherein, in the quantity of front stitches, the first yarn strand constructs a same number of front stitches as the second yarn strand, and in the quantity of back stitches, the first yarn strand constructs a same number of back stitches as the second yarn strand.

4. The upper-torso garment of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a first interlocked course interloopedly coupled to a second interlocked course, and wherein the crossing over in the first interlocked course is positioned between a pair of adjacent stitch locations that is consistent with a position of the crossing over in the second interlocked course.

5. The upper-torso garment of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a first interlocked course interloopedly coupled to a second interlocked course, and wherein the crossing over in the first interlocked course is positioned at a different stitch location as the crossing over in the second interlocked course.

6. The upper-torso garment of claim 2 , wherein, in the quantity of front stitches, the first yarn strand constructs a different number of front stitches than the second yarn strand, and in the quantity of back stitches, the first yarn strand constructs a different number of back stitches than the second yarn strand.

7. The upper-torso garment of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a first interlocked course interloopedly coupled to a second interlocked course, and wherein the crossing over in the first interlocked course is positioned between a pair of adjacent stitch locations that is consistent with a position of the crossing over in the second interlocked course.

8. The upper-torso garment of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a first interlocked course interloopedly coupled to a second interlocked course, and wherein the crossing over in the first interlocked course is positioned at a different stitch location as the crossing over in the second interlocked course.

9. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the respective first quantity of front stitches, the respective second quantity of front stitches, the respective first quantity of back stitches, and the respective second quantity of back stitches are all varied quantities between the plurality of respective intra-course knit sequences.

10. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand both include an amount of elasticity providing a maximum stretch of less than 200% prior to returning to a non-stretched state.

11. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 ,
wherein each interlocked course further comprises a course of interlock tuck stitches that binds a respective front-stitch course to a respective back-stitch course by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other back stitch, and wherein the course of interlock tuck stitches is constructed of a third yarn strand that includes a maximum stretch of less than 200% prior to returning to a non-stretched state.

12. The upper-torso garment of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a first interlocked course interloopedly coupled to a second interlocked course, and wherein a course of interlock tuck stitches in the first interlocked course is offset from a course of interlock tuck stitches in the second interlocked course.

13. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein each stitch in the quantity of front stitches and the quantity of back stitches includes a stitch length in a range of about 3.00 mm to about 3.30 mm.

14. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the upper-torso garment is a bra that includes a chest band having a chest-band size in a range of 28 inches to 38 inches, wherein the plurality of interlocked courses includes a quantity of courses in a range of about 40 courses to about 120 courses, and wherein the respective intra-course knit sequence repeats a quantity of times in a range of about 5 times to about 10 times.

15. An upper-torso garment having a chest-contacting portion, the upper-torso garment comprising:
a knit textile panel positioned in the chest-contacting portion;
the knit textile panel comprising a tubular-jacquard knit structure having at least forty front-stitch courses including a quantity of front stitches and at least forty back-stitch courses including a quantity of back stitches, wherein the quantity of front stitches and the quantity of back stitches yields a quantity of stitches;
the at least forty front-stitch courses being consecutively interlooped with one another, wherein each front-stitch course included in the at least forty front-stitch courses includes a respective set of thirteen front stitches, each front stitch being constructed of a first yarn strand or a second yarn strand and being positioned at a respective one of thirteen front stitch locations, which are consistent among

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Diaz Josue
• Meckley Virginia
• Montgomery Paul R
• Rendone Nicole
• Staub Andrea J

Classifications

• D10B2403/0333

  with tubular portions of variable diameter or distinct axial orientation · CPC title

• D04B1/246 Primary

  Upper torso garments, e.g. sweaters, shirts, leotards · CPC title

• D04B1/108

  Gussets, e.g. pouches or heel or toe portions · CPC title

• D10B2403/0222

  with at least one baggy or puckered ply · CPC title

• A41C3/0057

  for sport activities · CPC title