Socks having integrated gripping systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12041975-B2
Application number	US-202117513728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2021
Priority date	Oct 28, 2020
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

Socks or stockings including integrated gripping systems include gripping material disposed on external surfaces of a sole of the sock and gripping material disposed on internal surfaces of the sock. In some examples, the integrated gripping systems comprise a first set of gripping dots comprising gripping material applied to external surfaces of the sole of the sock and a second set of gripping dots comprising gripping material applied to internal surfaces of the sole of the sock. In some examples, the integrated gripping systems comprise a knitted fabric including gripping yarn, which includes knitted gripping portions disposed on internal surfaces of the sock and external surfaces of the sock.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stocking comprising:
a knit sock;
a first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces disposed on an exterior surface of the knit sock, wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces comprises outer courses of knitted material formed by a first body yarn and a first plaiting yarn, wherein at least one of the first body yarn and the first plaiting yarn comprises a gripping yarn; and
a second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces disposed on an interior surface of the knit sock, wherein the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces comprises inner courses of knitted material formed by a second body yarn and a second plaiting yarn, wherein at least one of the second body yarn and the second plaiting yarn comprises a gripping yarn;
wherein the discrete internal gripping surfaces are out of registration with respect to the discrete external gripping surfaces, such that the first and second patterns are configured to improve traction by producing a shearing vector between foot-to-sock frictional forces and sock-to-underlying surface frictional forces.

2. The stocking of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces comprises a silicone-coated yarn of the knit sock exposed on the exterior surface.

3. The stocking of claim 2 , wherein the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces comprises the silicone-coated yarn of the knit sock exposed on the interior surface.

4. The stocking of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces is configured such that the discrete external gripping surfaces are concentrated beneath a heel region and a ball-of-foot region of the knit sock.

5. The stocking of claim 1 , wherein the discrete external gripping surfaces of the first pattern are arranged in a gradient from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

6. The stocking of claim 1 , wherein the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces are disposed in a heel region of the knit sock.

7. The stocking of claim 1 , wherein there is no overlap between the discrete internal gripping surfaces and the discrete external gripping surfaces.

8. A gripping sock comprising:
a knit sock portion; and
a functional yarn knitted into the knit sock portion,
wherein the functional yarn is exposed on an exterior surface of the knit sock portion in a first pattern, wherein the first pattern comprises outer courses of knitted material formed by a first body yarn and a first plaiting yarn, wherein at least one of the first body yarn and the first plaiting yarn comprises the functional yarn;
wherein the functional yarn is exposed on an interior surface of the knit sock portion in a second pattern, wherein the second pattern comprises inner courses of knitted material formed by a second body yarn and a second plaiting yarn, wherein at least one of the second body yarn and the second plaiting yarn comprises the functional yarn; and
wherein the first pattern is out of registration with the second pattern.

9. The gripping sock of claim 8 , wherein the functional yarn comprises silicone.

10. The gripping sock of claim 8 , wherein the first pattern comprises a distribution such that the outer courses of knitted material and the inner courses of knitted material are both concentrated in a ball-of-foot region and a heel region of the sock.

11. The gripping sock of claim 8 , wherein the functional yarn exposed on the exterior surface of the knit sock portion in the first pattern is arranged in a gradient from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

12. The gripping sock of claim 8 , wherein external gripping stripes comprising the functional yarn in the first pattern are laterally oriented and disposed on a sole of the sock.

13. The gripping sock of claim 12 , wherein lateral ends of the external gripping stripes transition to a second yarn using an intarsia stitch.

14. The gripping sock of claim 8 , wherein the first and second patterns are mutually exclusive.

15. A stocking comprising:
a knit sock comprising a first plaiting yarn and a first body yarn, at least one of which comprises a silicone-coated yarn, and a second plaiting yarn and a second body yarn, at least one of which comprises the silicone-coated yarn;
a first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces disposed on an exterior surface of the knit sock, wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces disposed on the exterior surface comprises outer courses of knitted material formed by the first plaiting yarn and the first body yarn; and
a second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces disposed on an interior surface of the knit sock, wherein the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces disposed on the interior surface comprises inner courses of knitted material formed by the second plaiting yarn and the second body yarn;
wherein the discrete internal gripping surfaces are out of registration with respect to the discrete external gripping surfaces; and
wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces comprises the silicone-coated yarn of the knit sock exposed on the exterior surface, and the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces comprises the silicone-coated yarn of the knit sock exposed on the interior surface.

16. The stocking of claim 15 , wherein the discrete external gripping surfaces of the first pattern are arranged in a gradient from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.

17. The stocking of claim 15 , wherein the first pattern of discrete external gripping surfaces disposed on the exterior surface comprises external gripping stripes, wherein the second pattern of discrete internal gripping surfaces disposed on the interior surface comprises internal gripping stripes, and wherein the internal gripping stripes are thinner than the external gripping stripes.

Assignees

• Lululemon Athletica Canada Inc

Inventors

• Blecha Joseph Simon
• Craig Kenneth Todd
• Woodward Brittany Autumn
• Lam Christopher Ka-Yin

Classifications

• D04B9/46

  stockings, or portions thereof · CPC title

• D04B1/26

  stockings · CPC title

• D04B1/12

  characterised by thread material · CPC title

• D06M23/04

  Processes in which the treating agent is applied in the form of a foam · CPC title

• D06M15/564

  Polyureas, polyurethanes or other polymers having ureide or urethane links; Precondensation products forming them · CPC title