Garment for foot with triangular ankle panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10385486-B2
Application number	US-201715425475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2017
Priority date	Feb 6, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A knit garment is provided to be worn on the foot that has a toe, foot, and heel area. The garment also has a medial triangular ankle panel and a lateral triangular ankle panel. The medial triangular ankle panel has a first medial vertex near the rear, top portion of the foot area, a second medial vertex near the top of the heel area, and a third medial vertex below and between the first and second medial vertices. The lateral triangular ankle panel has a first lateral vertex near the rear, top portion of the foot area, a second lateral vertex near the top of the heel area, and a third lateral vertex below and between the first and second lateral vertices. The sides of the medial and lateral triangular panels extending between the respective first and second medial and lateral vertices define an opening of the garment for a foot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A garment to be worn on a foot, comprising:
a toe area;
a foot area contiguous with the toe area, the foot area having a top and a bottom;
a heel area contiguous with at least a portion of the foot area, the heel area having a top and a bottom;
a medial triangular ankle panel having a first medial vertex near a rear portion of the top of the foot area, a second medial vertex near the top of the heel area, and a third medial vertex below the first medial vertex and the second medial vertex, generally midway between the first medial vertex and the second medial vertex; and
a lateral triangular ankle panel having a first lateral vertex near the rear portion of the top of the foot area, a second lateral vertex near the top of the heel area, and a third lateral vertex below the first lateral vertex and the second lateral vertex, generally midway between the first lateral vertex and the second lateral vertex,
wherein a side of the medial triangular ankle panel extending between the first medial vertex and the second medial vertex forms a free side of the medial triangular ankle panel, and a side of the lateral triangular ankle panel extending between the first lateral vertex and the second lateral vertex forms a free side of the lateral triangular ankle panel, such that the free sides of the medial triangular ankle panel and the lateral triangular ankle panel define an opening of the garment to be worn on the foot.

2. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the garment is a sock and the medial triangular ankle panel and the lateral triangular ankle panel are knitted with an elastic yarn.

3. The garment of claim 2 , wherein the elastic yarn is a spandex yarn.

4. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the opening defined by the side of the medial triangular ankle panel extending between the first medial vertex and the second medial vertex, and the side of the lateral triangular ankle panel extending between the first lateral vertex and the second lateral vertex, is a non-circular opening.

5. The garment of claim 4 , wherein the defined opening is an oval shape.

6. The garment of claim 5 , wherein the side of the medial triangular ankle panel extending between the first medial vertex and the second medial vertex, and the side of the lateral triangular ankle panel extending between the first lateral vertex and the second lateral vertex are non-welted.

7. A method of knitting a garment, using a circular knitting machine, to be worn on a foot, comprising:
knitting a toe area and a foot area using all of the needles on the circular knitting machine;
knitting a first triangular panel in a first ankle area, adjacent the foot area, using only a first portion of the needles on the circular knitting machine, while the remaining needles hold yarns from a last course of knitting the foot area;
knitting a second triangular panel in a second ankle area opposite from the first ankle area, using only a second portion of the needles on the circular knitting machine, while the remaining needles hold yarns from a last course of knitting the first triangular panel; and
resuming knitting of the garment using all of the needles of the circular knitting machine.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first portion of the needles used to knit the first triangular panel is different from the second portion of the needles used to knit the second triangular panel.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising using an elastic yarn to knit the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first triangular panel has a free side adjacent to a free side of the second triangular panel, and wherein the free sides of the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel define an opening in the garment.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the defined opening is non-circular.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising knitting the free sides of the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel such that they are non-welted.

13. A method of knitting a sock having a tubular structure with at least a closed toe end and an open end, using a circular knitting machine, comprising:
knitting a first triangular panel at the open end, using only a first portion of the needles on the circular knitting machine, while the remaining needles hold yarns from a last course of knitting prior to knitting the first triangular panel; and
knitting a second triangular panel at the open end, opposite from the first triangular panel, using only a second portion of the needles on the circular knitting machine, while the remaining needles hold yarns from a last course of knitting the first triangular panel.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first portion of the needles used to knit the first triangular panel is different from the second portion of the needles used to knit the second triangular panel.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising using an elastic yarn to knit the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first triangular panel has a free side adjacent to a free side of the second triangular panel, and wherein the free sides of the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel define the opening of the open end.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the defined opening is non-circular.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising knitting the free sides of the first triangular panel and the second triangular panel such that they are non-welted.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Amis Hannah R
• Yehuda Ronen

Classifications

• D04B1/26 Primary

  stockings · CPC title

• A41B11/003

  Hosiery with intermediate sections of different elasticity · CPC title

• D04B1/108 Primary

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

• D04B9/46 Primary

  stockings, or portions thereof · CPC title