US3503077A - Slipper - Google Patents

Description

March 31, 1970 E. A. CONNELLY SLIPPER Filed April 22, 1968 INVENTOR. E AR LE A. CONNELLY FIG.2

United States Patent 3,503,077 SLIPPER Earle A. Connelly, Troy, N.C., assignor to Russell Hosiery Mills, Inc., Star, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Apr. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 722,893 Int. 'Cl. A41b 11/00; A43b 3/ 1 0 US. Cl. 2-239 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slipper or slipper sock of seamless construction for covering the foot and ankle in which circular courses are knit with stretchable yarn to form a tubular body. The body is seamed closed at one end with the other foot entry end having an elastic selvage, and an elastic circular band is axially spaced from the selvage to gather the body to the wearers ankle. Terry and fleeced or brushed terry loops may extend from the body fabric in selected areas with the upper portion of the body capable of forming a turned down cuff.

BACKGROUND, BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJEC- TIVES OF THE INVENTION Various types of low cut foot covers are available to be worn inside of shoes including those that are made from circular and flat knit fabric by cutting and sewing the fabrics to the desired contour and sewing an elastic band to provide the desired gathering below the ankle of the wearer. Other types of sneaker socks are circular knit and provided with integrally knit elastic tops to hug the foot of a wearer generally below the ankle. In addition, with the advent of stretchable thermoplastic yarns, various types of foot covers have become available both with and without reciprocated heel constructions. Various types of combination yarns including stretchable nylon yarn and Orlon yarns have been employed in stretchable footwear to provide a softer hand by tumbling and other methods for fleecing the Orlon yarn. In addition, it is Well known to provide hosiery with a circular knit body fabric from which extends terry loops in selected areas as in cushion sole socks including that shown in U.S. Patent 2,183,862. Circular knit fabrics of the type shown in US. Patent 3,059,458 with integrally knit elastic selvages without any reciprocation in the heel section have been utilized by seaming one end to form a foot cover.

However, various types of novelty foot covers and slippers of knit construction are available in the market but generally these products are costly to produce since the fabric must be pieced together or have elastic bands sewn to the foot entry portion to provide the desired fit characteristics. Most of the socks of the type shown in US. Patents 2,333,373; 2,344,773; 2,400,692; 2,904,980; and 3,130,566, among others, are primarily for wearing inside of a shoe preferably beneath the ankle of a wearer with some having a turned-down cuff portion.

The present invention relates to a slipper or slipper sock of seamless knit construction that is loose fitting with spaced apart stretchable elastic bands for gathering the fabric adjacent to the ankle of a wearer with the body of the slipper sock having an elastic foot entry opening at one end and a closure at the other end. Preferably the seamless knit fabric is made from a stretchable thermoplastic yarn such as nylon with the foot entry opening having an elastic selvage of the type shown in U.S. Patent 2,344,350,

and the elasticity is provided either by a rubber yarn or a Spandex yarn. An additional elastic portion, preferably integrally knit as by laying-in the elastic or Spandex yarn, is provided intermediate the axial length of the sock at a location in axially spaced relation to the selvage with the number of courses of rubber or Spandex yarn varying depending upon the extent of gathering or snugness desired. The axial spacing provides the formation of a turned or rolled cufl? portion positioned in the area of the ankle of the wearer resembling that of a turtle-neck.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive slipper sock of circular knit construction with spaced apart integral elastic bands for supporting the sock on the foot of a wearer covering the foot and the ankle.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a slipper sock of stretchable characteristics with a cushion lining.

Another objective of this invention is to provied a slipper or slipper sock having stretchable characteristics of seamless knit construction that Will cover the foot and ankle of a wearer and provide a turned-down novelty plush culf portion.

Yet another objective of this invention is to provide a stretchable seamless knit sock having a body portion with substantially continuous wales to form a loose fitting foot-receiving pouch with spaced apart elastic portions for gathering the pouch about the ankle of a wearer.

Still another objective of this invention is to provide a loose fitting slipper sock of seamless knit construction with a cushion surface in selected areas.

Other objectives of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIGURE DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a slipper sock with a turned-down cuff embodying one form of this invention on the foot of a wearer.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a slipper sock in the relaxed condition illustrating the exterior with a rectilinear transverse foot seam.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the slipper sock of FIG. 2 turned inside out illustrating schematically terry embodiment of a slipper sock having a reciprocated heel construction and an arcuate foot closure seam.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a seamless knit slipper sock 10 on the foot of a wearer having a toe portion 11, a heel portion 12 in the tubular body 11 which extends to cover the ankle of a wearer with the tubular fabric being gathered about the ankle by a layer elastic band 13 intermediate the overall length of the body 11 above which there is a turned cuff portion 14 at the terminal or foot entry end 15 (FIGS. 2 and 3) there is provided an elastic selvage 16 for gently hugging the ankle or lower portion of the leg of a wearer whether in the turned-down condition as shown in FIG. 1 or in the up-turned position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The turned-down cuff 14 presents a fleecy or pile plush which may extend throughout the entire interior of the slipper sock or in selected areas, as preferred.

The circular knit or seamless tubular fabric for the body 11 may be knit in a conventional manner on a Scott & Williams Model No. BS knitting machine of the type shown in US. Patent 1,152,850 of Sept. 7, 19-15 with modificatons made thereto that are well known in the knitting art including incorporation of a rubber or elastic yarn feed attachment for laying-in an elastic yarn whether of rubber or Spandex. The elastic yarn may be laid or knit-in, as preferred, in the selvage in a conventiona1 manner as disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,344,350, among others, to form a suitable highly elastic selvage without the use of a dial, if preferred. The body of the sock is knit throughout of circular knit courses preferably using stretchable thermoplastic yarn of multifilament construction such as two ends of 70' denier stretchable nylon yarn or other denier depending upon the desired weight of the knitted fabric. Alternatively, a blend of stretchable and non-stretchable yarn may be employed to achieve the desired stretch characteristics in the ultimate fabric, but when the term stretchable yarn is employed herein, it shall include and not be restricted solely to a stretchable thermoplastic yarn of nylon but will include blends or stretchable non-thermoplastic yarn.

During the knitting of each tubular body 11, several circular courses of laid-in rubber or Spandex yarn may be included to contract the fabric radially in the band 17 that is spaced axially from the selvage 15 forming therebetween a series of circular knit courses of fabric forming a band or cuff portion 14 in the tubular body 11. The remainder of the tubular body 11 beyond the band 17 is formed of circular knit courses of the desired length with several courses of cut yarn preferably in the terminal courses to prevent raveling before discharge from the knitting machine.

In one embodiment of the slipper sock, the overall length upon discharge from the knitting machine is ten inches with the intermediate band 17 being spaced axially from the selvage approximately three inches, and the relaxed folded width of the fabric being approximately six inches. Approximately ten to twenty courses of rubber or Spandex yarn may be laid-in in the circular courses to ,form the band 17 but this may vary depending upon the desired hugging effect for gathering the fabric about the ankle of a wearer.

The tubular body 11 is then seamed closed by an overedge seam 18 that extends rectilinearly across the fabric to form the foot closure end 19. The overedge seam may be formed on a Merrow overedge seaming machine or a Union Special overedge seaming machine whether of single or two-needle construction preferably with stretchable nylon yarn to form a strong seam that is relatively flat when the fabric is placed on the foot of a wearer. In FIG. 6 there is illustrated a slipper sock 20 of substantially the same construction as that described heretofore with the exception that the tubular body 21 is closed at one end by means of an arcuate and inclined overedge seam 22 providing one side of the fabric with a longer length than the opposite side to produce a better fitting enclosure opposite the foot entry opening 23. The longer depending lobe 24 may be considered the toe portion and the short lobe 25 may be considered to fit the heel of a wearer. In FIG. 7, there is illustrated a further modification wherein there is provided a reciprocatorily knit heel pocket 26 in the body 27 which heel pocket has the characteristic heel gore line 28 conventionally produced during cylinder reciprocation. Above and below the reciprocated heel pocket 26, the fabric in the body 27 is circular knit. The overedge foot closure seam 29 is arcuately formed providing a depending toe portion lobe 30 similar to that shown in FIG. *6.

The overall axial length in the transverse seam 18 form as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be preferably on the order of 9 /2 to 9% inches. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and. 7, the overall length in the toe portion lobes 24 and 30 to the selvage is approximately 9 inches and the overall length from the selvage to the heel-receiving lobes 25 or 26 is approximately 8 inches.

It has been found desirable to provide, in some instances, a terry fabric 31 as shown in FIG. 4 with the terry loops depending and integrally knit with the face fabric in the conventional manner for forming a terry knit fabric such as disclosed in' US. Patent 2,183,862, among others. The terry loops are usually formed over the body portion of a sinker thereby providing elongated loops that extend from the body portion of the fabric that is formed with the inner-connected courses of body loops. Preferably the terry loops are formed or Orlon yarn to provide a soft interior to the slipper sock. It has also been found desirable to subject the terry loops that form the pile or terry loops on the interior of the slipper sock to a loop raising and relatively gentle brushing action causing the loops to be raised without severing and Without damaging the fabric thereby producing a plush effect through the use of conventional carding or napping equipment from which prongs engage the terry loops to form the plush surface 32 in the fabric shown in FIG. 5 and in the turneddown cuff 14 in FIG. 1.

It will be readily apparent that the terry loops as well as the plush may be only in selected areas of the fabric, as desired.

Some of the wrinkles that may appear in the finished slipper sock may be removed by pressing or boarding, if found necessary, before packaging. Obviously,- the slipper socks may be dyed in an appropriate color after knitting and before seaming or after seaming.

Also, the terry loops may be formed of cotton yarns rather than Orlon Where a plush effect may not be desired.

What I claim is:

1. A seamless knit slipper sock to be worn without shoes comprising a tubular body covering a wearers foot and ankle having circular courses of stretchable body yarn, said body having a closure seam at one'end and a cuff portion at the end opposite said closure seam, a non-ravel elastic selvage along the upper edge of said cuff portion for a foot entry, and an elastic circular band integrally knit with said body, said elastic circular band being spaced from said elastic selvage for gathering the body around the ankle of a wearer, said cuff portion folding down so that said elastic selvage is proximate to and in surrounding relation with said elastic circular band forming a decorative cuff covering at least a portion of the ankle.

2. A slipper sock as clamied in claim 1, at least some of said body having terry loops extending therefrom.

3. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 1, said body having terry loops extending therefrom at least in the sutf portion.

4. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 1, said body having terry loops extending therefrom throughout the fabric.

5. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 2 and said terry loops having a plush surface.

6. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 2, said terry loops being unbroken and having a fleecy surface.

7. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 1, said seam extending transversely across said body.

-8. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 7, said scam ex tending rectilinearly transversely acoss said body.

9. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 7 said seam eX- 3,059,458 10/1962 Sarbo 66-171 tending arcuately across said body. 3,274,804 9/ 1966 Thorneburg et a1. 2-239 XR 10. A slipper sock as claimed in claim 1, said body having a heel gore portion therein. FOREIGN PATENTS 598,065 2/ 1948 Great Britain. References Cited 951,610 3/ 1964 Great Britain.

UNITED STATES PATENTS JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner Reymes-Cole 66185 XR

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