Upper-torso garment with three-dimensional knit structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10415164-B2
Application number	US-201715584950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	May 2, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An upper-torso garment includes a chest-covering portion having a knit textile region, which includes a plurality of courses fully spanning a dome-shaped portion. In addition, the knit textile region includes a plurality of partial-length courses partially spanning the dome-shaped portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper-torso garment having a chest-covering portion, the upper-torso garment comprising:
a pair of dome-shaped portions that are located in the chest-covering portion and that are separated from one another by a center bridge, wherein each dome-shaped portion is divisible into a top half and a bottom half and includes a medial perimeter edge, which abuts the center bridge, and a lateral perimeter edge;
a knit textile panel constructing each of the dome-shaped portions, the knit textile panel comprising a plurality of courses fully spanning the dome-shaped portion from the medial perimeter edge to the lateral perimeter edge; and
a plurality of partial-length courses partially spanning the dome-shaped portion, wherein the plurality of partial-length courses are intermittently positioned among the plurality of courses, and wherein the plurality of partial-length courses are unevenly distributed between the top half and the bottom half,
wherein each partial-length course of the plurality of partial-length courses includes a medial terminal end spaced apart from the medial perimeter edge by a first quantity of stitches and includes a lateral terminal end spaced apart from the lateral perimeter edge by a second quantity of stitches, and wherein the first quantity of stitches is less than the second quantity of stitches.

2. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein a larger quantity of partial-length courses are located in the top half than the bottom half.

3. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein a larger quantity of partial-length courses are located in the bottom half than the top half.

4. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partial-length courses includes a first partial-length course having a first length, a second partial-length course having a second length that is shorter than the first length, and a third partial-length course having a third length that is shorter than the second length; and wherein the second partial-length course is positioned between the first and third partial-length courses and the third partial-length course is positioned closer to a chest band of the upper-torso garment than the second partial-length course.

5. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partial-length courses includes a first partial-length course having a first length, a second partial-length course having a second length that is shorter than the first length, and a third partial-length course having a third length that is shorter than the second length; and wherein the second partial-length course is positioned between the first and third partial-length courses and the first partial-length course is positioned closer to a chest band of the upper-torso garment than the second partial-length course.

6. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partial-length courses includes a first partial-length course having a first length, a second partial-length course having a second length that is shorter than the first length, and a third partial-length course having a third length that is longer than the second length; and wherein the second partial-length course is positioned between the first and third partial-length courses.

7. The upper-torso garment of claim 1 , wherein the knit textile panel comprises a tubular-jacquard knit structure having a plurality of front-stitch courses and a plurality of back-stitch courses constructed of a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, and wherein each front-stitch course intermittently interlocks with a back-stitch course by the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand transferring back and forth between the front-stitch course to the back-stitch course.

8. The upper-torso garment of claim 7 , wherein a third yarn strand constructs a course of interlock tuck stitches that binds the front-stitch course to the back-stitch course by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other back stitch.

9. An upper-torso garment having a chest-covering portion, the upper-torso garment comprising:
a pair of dome-shaped portions that are located in the chest-covering portion and that are separated from one another by a center bridge, wherein each dome-shaped portion is divisible into a top half and a bottom half and includes a medial perimeter edge, which abuts the center bridge, and a lateral perimeter edge;
a knit textile panel constructing each of the dome-shaped portions, the knit textile panel comprising a plurality of courses fully spanning the dome-shaped portion from the medial perimeter edge to the lateral perimeter edge; and
a plurality of partial-length courses partially spanning the dome-shaped portion, wherein the plurality of partial-length courses are intermittently positioned among the plurality of courses,
wherein the plurality of partial-length courses each includes a medial terminal end that is spaced apart from the center bridge by a respective medial distance and includes a lateral terminal end that is spaced apart from the lateral perimeter edge by a respective lateral distance, and wherein the respective medial distance is shorter than the respective lateral distance.

10. The upper-torso garment of claim 9 , wherein the upper-torso garment is a bra having a chest-band size equal to or less than 32 inches and a cup size that is equal to or less than C.

11. The upper-torso garment of claim 9 , wherein the knit textile panel comprises a tubular-jacquard knit structure having a plurality of front-stitch courses and a plurality of back-stitch courses constructed of a first yarn strand and a second yarn strand, and wherein each front-stitch course intermittently interlocks with a back-stitch course by the first yarn strand and the second yarn strand transferring back and forth between the front-stitch course to the back-stitch course.

12. The upper-torso garment of claim 11 , wherein a third yarn strand constructs a course of interlock tuck stitches that binds the front-stitch course to the back-stitch course by interlooping with every other front stitch and every other back stitch.

13. An upper-torso garment having a chest-covering portion, the upper-torso garment comprising:
a pair of dome-shaped portions that are located in the chest-covering portion and that are separated from one another by a center bridge, wherein each dome-shaped portion is divisible into a top half and a bottom half and includes a medial perimeter edge, which abuts the center bridge, and a lateral perimeter edge;
a knit textile panel constructing each of the dome-shaped portions, the knit textile panel comprising a plurality of courses fully spanning the dome-shaped portion from the medial perimeter edge to the lateral perimeter edge; and
a plurality of partial-length courses partially spanning the dome-shaped portion, wherein the plurality of partial-length courses are intermittently positioned among the plurality of courses, and wherein the plurality of partial-length courses includes a larger distribution of partial-length courses in the top half than the bottom half,
wherein the plurality of partial-length courses each includes a medial terminal end that is spaced apart from the center bridge by a respective medial distance and includes a lateral terminal end that is spaced apart from the lateral perimeter edge by a respective lateral distance, and wherein the respective medial distance is shorter than the respective lateral distance.

14. The upper-torso garment of claim 13 , wherein the upper-torso garment is a bra having a chest-band size greater than 32 inches and a cup size greater than C.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• D04B1/108

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

• A41D2500/10

  Knitted · CPC title

• A41D1/22 Primary

  Clothing specially adapted for women, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• A41D1/04

  Vests, jerseys, sweaters or the like · CPC title

• D04B1/246 Primary

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