Patent ID: 6139929
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: A41B,A41D,Y10T

Abstract:
A composite sock which consists of an inner stretchable fabric envelope, a [bag-like] barrier component in the form of a bag which is liquid water impermeable, and water vapour permeable, and a second or outer stretchable fabric envelope, the inner envelope being attached to the barrier component, the barrier component being attached to the outer envelope, the arrangement being such as to allow circumferential stretching of the composite sock, wherein the inner stretchable fabric envelope or the outer stretchable fabric envelope or both is a circular knitted sock, the composite sock has elastic properties such that it can be stretched at least in the circumferential direction to at least 50% extension, and such thatwhen a sample taken from the leg of the composite sock just above the ankle, the sample being 5 cm by 10 cm with the 10 cm dimension aligned in the circumferential direction, is extended on a tensometer at 100 mm per minute by 50% to 15 cms length and the sample is allowed to recover at 100 mm/minute, producing a hysteresis curve, the load at 25% extension during the recovery stage is at least 50% of the load at 25% extension during the stretching stage.