US2268818A - Stocking with means for improving the elasticity, and process of producing the same - Google Patents

Description

Jam-6, 1942. J, D N 2,268,818

STOCKING WITH MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE ELASTICITY,

AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed March 21, 1939 Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,268,818 STOCKING WITH MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE ELASTICITY, AND DUCING THE SAME Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Jacob A. Goodman,

National Silk Hosiery Mills,

PROCESS OF PRO- Inc., Indianapolis,

Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 21, 1939, Serial No. 263,297

7 17 Claims. This invention relates to hoisery and has for the general object the provision of a stockin wherein the upper portion is less subject to strain and breakage under stresses such as' developed by change in diameter of the leg when flexed and tension imposed by garter fastenings, and which is adapted to conform itself to legs of varying diameter without developing in the fabric any excessive strain.

It has heretofore. been proposed to increase the stretchability of the top area of knitted 1 stockings by modifying the texture thereof through the use of special stitch formations producing an open lace-work and-by also knitting covered rubber thread with the relatively inelastic body yam. It has also been proposed to reduce the amount of reinforcement in parts of the stocking top so as to include areas of lighter fabric therein which may be somewhat more elastic than the reinforced fabric normally employed.

The present invention has the advantage over practices just referred to in that the upper. portion of the stocking need not be modified in its as to both render the upper portion of the stocking capable of a high degree of stretch beyond its normal diameter and relieve the main fabric of the stocking upper of excessive stresses.

The elastic panel is formed separately from the stocking proper. Aside from the fact that it is difficult to knit a satisfactory stocking with rubber thread knit therein, the usual fine gauge knitting machine employed in the production of hosiery is not adapted to knitting fabric of rubber thread which will have adequate stretch per unit dimension thereof for purposes of the present invention. To attain the desired degree of stretchabiiity the panel is preferably made of an entirely different texture from the stocking fabric. Woven or knitted webbing of relatively coarse open-work texture made of rubber yarn, and capable of stretch both longitudinally and v (on. co -17s) circumferentially is particularly suitable. Inasmuch as'it is desirable that the panel be con fined to a relatively small area. of the upper portion of the stocking, the panel should be capable 5 of stretch to an extent, atleastin a circumferential direction, to a substantial multiple of its normal dimension. At the same time the resiliency of the panel, that is the resistance thereof to being stretched to and the contractile tendency to return from distended to normal condition, must be sufficiently low that the panelhas the character of easy stretchability so that it may stretch sim taneously with, but to a degree greater than'ythe main stocking fabric. It will-be recognized that if the panel is so resistive to stretch that the "main stocking fabric is stretched to its elastic sorbed by the panel.

A particular feature of the invention includes a manner of inserting the panel in astocking "without entailing weaknesses along the lines of joinder thereof with the adjoining areas of the stocking fabric. As hereafter explained the invention permits a panelto be inserted in a stocking by joining the same only to selvage .edges of the stocking fabric through a simple seaming operation, and without liability of runs.

In its application to women's stockings having delicate leg fabric extending. up over the knee- -followed by a single ply reinforced area and a reinforced double ply welt at the upperextremit'y, the invention serves not only to increase the circumferential expanslbility of the stocking to accommodate the portion of the leg of largest diameter, but has. additional primary benefits in relieving the delicate leg fabric at and above 40 the knee from strain and and also accomplishes a similar purpose along the lines where the unreinforced delicate leg fabric meets the single ply reinforced flare and where the single ply flare meets the double ply welt. Runs frequently originate in the latter areas, particularly adjacent the rear stocking seam.

It should be observed before passing to a. de-

tailed description of the invention that the portion of a stocking at and above the kneels subject to both vertical and circumferential stresses. Supporting garters, which connectwith the top usually at two or three circumferentially spaced initial vertical tension which points, impose an tends to elongate the knitted loops of the fabric expanded condition limit before the panel begins to stretch, the main fabric may be weakened and ruptured before av :0 portion of the stress acting thereon can be abdanger of breaking,

tension tends to flatten the knitted fabric loops coursewise at the same time that the vertical tension tends to elongate the loops vertically. The ability of the fabric to stretch circumferentially is necessarily limited by reason of the vertical tension imposed by the garters, and when the leg is bent increased circumferential and/or vertical tension may readily strain the inelastic thread of the knitted fabric loops to the breaking point. The lighter leg fabric at and immediately-above the knee, located below the reinforced fabric top, will usually break first because of its weaker character, and experience has shown that runs frequently originate in this area. Concentrated strains also frequently occur adjacent the rear seam where the boundary lines between the unreinforced leg fabric meet the reinforced flare and where the reinforced flare meets the double ply welt, and runs frequently develop also at these points.

The present invention provides a relatively limited area of high stretchability' which operates both to minimize the initial stress imposed in the stocking fabric above the knee when expanded to the normal diameter of the leg and to absorb a considerable part of the additional stress imposed when the leg is bent. By minimizing the tension in a circumferential direction the highly elastic area provided also serves to minimize the adverse effect in the stocking fabric of vertical stresses, and through the use of twoway stretch fabric in the highly elastic area the tension in a vertical direction initially created by the garters and accentuated through bending of the leg is lessened to some degree. In short, it may be said-that the provision of the highly elastic area serves to maintain the condition of,

the knitted fabric of the stocking Within its elastic limits so that the knitted loops thereof are not distended to the point where the inelastic yam composing the fabric is strained to the breaking point.

The drawing illustrates the application of the principles of the invention in a womans full fashioned stocking of' generally conventional design, and shows. certain minor changes in the form of a' portion of the stocking which are desirable to enable the invention to be to best advantage. In such drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a conventional stocking top of a woman's full fashioned stocking, more or less diagrammatic, and incorporating one embodiment of the invention:

Fig, 2 shows the elastic insert and the.

preferred form of stocking blank used in making the stocking of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 4 shows a stocking similar to Fig. 1 but embodying a further adaptation of the invention; and 4 Fig. 5.is a fragmentary view of a stocking blanlr. used in the construction of Fig. 4.

employed The stocking shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a top portion T of reinforced fabric integrally knit with the upper portion U of the unreinforced fabric leg L. The top portion may as previously explained be of any desired form but is here shown as comprising the conventional double ply welt W and heavy single ply fabric flare F. Inelastic silk, cotton or other thread may be employed throughout the fabric of these areas, and the fabric may be knit with any desired stitch.

Located centrally 0f the rear of the stocking beginning at a point I0 in the unreinforced leg fabric at or slightly above the knee is a panel P of highly elastic material. The panel here represented comprises a strip of open mesh woven webbing composed of rubber thread and comprising a highly elastic two-way stretch central portion H, and opposite marginal portions [2 and i3 suitable for anchoring securing stitching which are preferably inelastic widthwise but elastic lengthwise.

The panel in the present embodiment extends upwardly from its beginning-point in the area of the leg portion to the upper extremity of the welt W and is capable of a high degree of stretch both transversely and vertically to a substantially greater degree than the fabric in the various areas referred to. The opposite edges M and 5 of the stocking fabric above the point H] are spaced apart as shown in Figure 3 and are seamed by suitable stitching to the margins l2 and I3 of the elastic panel. The seaming may be done on a machine as employed in forming the rear scam in the usual full fashioned stocking.

In order to permit the elastic panel to be incorporated without undue difficulty, and in such manner as to prevent runs, it is desirable that thepanel have a tapered lower portion I 6 terminating substantially in a point. To enable the panel to be inserted without varying the normal diameter of the stocking, the stocking blank is preferably formed as shown in Figure 2. Therein the welt W and flare F are each narrower than the corresponding portions in a conventional stocking by a width corresponding sub stantially to the width of the panel P so that whenthe blank is folded a space will be left between the side edges l4 and IS. The blank is then progressively widened out to reach its normal diameter in the leg fabric, reaching its maximum diameter at the lower extremity of the arbitrarily indicated upper leg portion U. The frequency and extent of the progressive widening will be determined generally according to the length of the tapered lower portion l6 of the panel P. In widening it is important to maintain a 'selvage edge I I in continuation of the vertical selvage edge H to avoid danger of runs. Various ways have been heretofore proposed for widening flat knit fabric and maintaining an interlocking of the edge loops such as to form a selvage. I prefer to employ the method shown and explained in the copending application Serial No. 290,662. of Benjamin F. Somers, filed August 17,1939. By reason of the uni'einforced character of the leg fabric in the upper portion U they will be bstantially hidden when the panel preferably being narrowed below portion'U because of the reduced diameter of the knee. After the stocking including the foot portion has been completed the panel P will be seamed to the opposite edges of portions T and U, and the edges of the main leg portion will be secured together in seam is. As a matter of convenience the joinder of one margin of the panel with one edge of the stocking blank above point may be formed in a continuous seam with the seam l0 in the leg portion. In the event the panel P has a raw upper edge a short marginal portion may seaming the panel into position.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4 obtains the main benefits of the invention in reducing strain and the danger of breakage in the upper leg portion in the knee area and the adjoining reinforced flare as in the case of Figure 1. In this case, however, the two-' way elasti c insert P' does not extend to the upper extremity of the stocking welt W and "is shown arbitrarily as terminating approximately at the line of joinder between welt W and the reinforced flare F, being confined to the area ofsections F and U.-

be doubled over to provide a folded edge prior to The welt W will extend strain the stocking threads to the breaking pointof Figure 1, the welt is rendered extremely exin the area at and above the knee. By employii g a panel which is'stretchable vertically as well as horizontally, the danger' of undue stress frequently encountered along the rear seam of the stocking is minimized to a great extent. Whereas the conventional stocking has its lowest degree of vertical stretch along .the rear seam, both embodimentsof the invention provide .for ready strctchability in the line of the seam.

By extending the elastic insert to the upper extremity of the stocking as in the embodiment pansible' in a circumferential direction so as to provide a nice fit on legs of different diameter in addition to relieving stresses which ordinarily occur in the welt due to tension produced therein by the leg and supporting garters.

The use of a separate elastic panelas an insert in the stocking top provides an extremely convenient way of obtaining-different diameter tops for ing any change in the stocking blank itself. 'It

throughout the diameter of the top portion with its opposite edges 2| and 22 secured in seam '23 while the edges of the leg portion L below the insert panel will be secured together in seam 24.

To avoid danger of runs and to enable the panel P to be readily secured in position, it is preferable that the same should taper substantially to points at its upper and lower ends 25 and 26. The opposite margins 21 and 28 of the panel will be seamed to the adjoining edges of the stocking fabric.

To accommodate the two-way elastic insert panel P, it is preferable to form the stocking blank in the manner shown in Figurev 5. While in the blank of Figure 2 used for the stocking shown in Figure 1 the welt wasknit of narrower width, in the present case the welt W is knit to wardly inclined selvage edges 29. Thereafter, to accommodate the converging lower portion of the panel, widening is employed in the upper leg portion U to provide oppositely inclined selvage edges and as previously explained it is preferable to reinforce the fabric along the widened portions 30 because of the delicate texture of the leg fabric. The stocking blank is thereafter completed. The panel may be seamed to .the opposite edges 29 and 30 at the time the stocking welt and leg portions are seamed;

By using highly elastic fabric for the panels P and P in the embodiments of Figures 1 and 4, the upper unreinforced leg portion and the reinforced top portion are rendered capable of a substantially greater degree of stretch than permitted bythe knitted texture of the stocking fabric, with the result that the knitted loops of the fabric are subjected to substantially less stress than in the ordinary stocking. Hence, increased stress either circumferentially or vertically, when the leg is flexed; will be insuflicient' to slim and large legs without necessitat has been found that many women with large thighs should have a stocking with leg and ankle portions of standard diameters although requiring an extra large top. The knitting of an extra width top on a standard leg involves practical difliculties. With the present invention, the top portion of a stocking blank maybe knit as shown in Figure l with standard leg and ankle portions and the diameter of the top varied merely by using different width elastic inserts between the edges of the stocking blank fabric. Thus, the same knitted stocking blank may be provided with different size top portions for slim,

'medium, and large thighs, and in each instance It will be understood that the specific forms of elastic panels illustrated are merely suggestive I with respect to texture, length and width. The scope of the invention is to be determined in accordance with the appended claims.

I claim: 1. The method of -making fashioned stocking which includes knitting the upper portion of a stocking for at least a part of its length to a narrower width than the widest part of the leg part so as to provide an opening in the upper portion between the margins of the stocking blank, seaming the margins of the stocking together other than at saidnarrow portion, and seaming an elastic panel in the opening at said narrow portion. v

2. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includes knitting a flat stocking blank with an area of narrow width in its upper portion, widening the blank to terminate said area by knitting a limited number of courses of progressively increasing width, discontinuing the widening and thereafter knitting the main leg portion and. the foot portion, securing a fabric insert between the marginal edge parts of the blank in said narrow area of the upper portion down to the lower end of the series of widened courses, and seaming together the other marginal edge parts of the blank.

3. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includes knitting a flatstocking blank with an area of narrow width in its upper portion by knitting an initial series of courses of the same width at the uppermost part of the stocking blank and then knitting a limited numa fiat-knit full- 4 ber of courses of progressively increasing width to widen the blank, discontinuing the widening and-thereafter knitting the main leg portion and the foot portion, securing a fabric insert between the marginal edge parts of the area of narrow width in the upper portion down to the lower end of the series of widened courses, and seaming to gether the marginal edge parts of the other areas of the blank.

4. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includes knitting a fiat stocking blank with an initial series of wide courses, forming a narrow area in the upper portion thereafter by knitting a series of courses of progressively decreasing width and a subsequent series of courses of progressively increasing width, thereafter knitting the main leg portion and the foot portion, securing a fabric insert between the marginal edges of the narrow area of the upper portion of the blank along the narrowed courses and the widened courses, and seaming together the marginal edge partsof the other portions of the blank. 4

5. A stocking including a reinforced knitted fabric top portion and an adjoining lighter knitted fabric main body portion, and a separately formed elastic panel embodying rubber thread inserted at the rear of the stocking top portion and seamed between opposite edges of the stocking, said panel extending downwardly below the boundary between the top portion and main body portion and terminating in a lower end portion tapered to a point in the upperpart of the main body portion at the back of the knee area.

6. A full-fashioned stocking defined by oppoe site selvage edges, a separately formed elastic panel embodying rubber threads inserted in the upper portion of the stocking, said panel having opposite edges which are parallel in their upper area and taper in their lower area to a pointed lower end, a main rear seamjoining together the opposite edges of the stocking below the panel, and seams joining the respective edges of the panel to the edges of' the stocking in the upper portion thereof, said seams converging to meet the main seam at the lower end of the panel.

7. A full-fashioned stocking having a rear seam joining the opposite edges thereof and terminating below the upper end of the stocking, and a vertically and horizontally stretchable fabric panel extending from the end of the seam upwardly through the upper portion of the stocking and being secured at its side edges to the upper opposite edge portions of the stocking.

8. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body having spaced vertically extending opposite edge portions in the rear upper portion thereof, and a vertical panel insert having a relatively elastic body portion and having opposite marginal side portions which are relatively inelastic at least widthwise, said panel being secured in the stocking by stitching interconnecting said side margins of the panel with the spaced opposite side edge portions of the stocking fabric.

9. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body having a reinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced leg portion, said fabric body having spaced opposite edge portions in the rear upper part of the unreinforced leg portion in the back knee area, and an elastic panel insert embodying rubber thread and capable of stretching to a greater extent circumferentially than the leg fabric secured between the spaced edge portions of the fabric body. I

10. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including a top portion and a leg portion, said fabric body having spaced opposite edge portions at the rear of the stocking beginning in the leg portion and extending up' wardly in the top portion, the top portion com-- thereof to the reinforced spaced edge portions of the leg and top portions.

11. A full fashioned knitted stocking having rear selvage edges and including a reinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced leg portion, said rear selvage edges being spaced apart beginning at a point in the upper part of the leg portion at the back of the knee area and extending upwardly to the upper end of the top portion, and an elastic panel embodying rubber thread and having a lower end portion tapering to a point secured between the spaced portions of the rear selvage edges, and a seam joining together the rear selvage edgesbelow the panel.

12. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including a reinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced leg portion, said fabric body having spaced opposite edge portions at the rear of the stocking beginning at a point in the upper part of the leg portion and terminating in the top portion short of'the upper end of the stocking, and anelastic panel embodying rubber thread and having upper and lower end portions tapering to points inserted between and secured to said spaced edge portions.

13. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including an unreinforced leg portion;

and a top portion comprising a reinforced double ply welt and a reinforced single ply portion connecting the welt with the leg portion, said fabric body having spaced edge portions at the rear of the stocking beginning at a point in the upper part of the'leg portion and extending upwardly through at least the single ply portion of the top, and a panel embodying rubber thread and having a lower end portion tapering to a point inserted between and secured to said spaced edge portions.

14. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including an unreinforced leg portion, and a top portion comprising a reinforced double ply welt and a reinforced single ply portion connecting the welt with the leg portion, said fabric body having spaced edge portions at the rear of the stocking extending downwardly through at least the lower area of the double ply welt at least into the reinforced single ply portion of the top, and a fabric panel embodying rubber thread inserted between and seamed to said spaced edge portions.

. 15. A full-fashioned stocking comprising a knitted fabric body having the opposite edges of its leg portion joined together in a seam, the upper portion of the stocking including an area of reduced width defining an opening, said portion of reduced width in its lower portion gradually having a lower point inserted in the openin:

edzes oi the stockjnl hbrlc.

. 1'1. A stockin: eoinprisinz s. knitted fabric body havin: spaced opposite d" P rtions. an

m'pmumbodmmmmmmdm mum-mm the spaced opposite edae portions "5 meetin: each other ,at

in: upper end lower .pointsinsertedbetween edge portions,

mints of said 7. end

the upper and lower end JACOB A, GOODMAN.

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