A GARMENT

Abstract: A garment having a body formed from a weft knitted fabric having courses and wales, the body including at least one first fabric zone (11a) separated from at least one second fabric zone (11b) in the coursewise direction, the fabric having a first set of knitted courses extending continuously through the first and second fabric zones and for each second fabric zone (11b) a second set of knitted courses extending through the respective second fabric zone only, the second set of courses comprising an elastomeric yarn, and for each second zone the knitted fabric adjacent to the terminal ends of the second set of courses including a filling yarn which is located to extend across a predetermined number of wales so as to prevent run back of said second set of courses.

Description: A GARMENT The present invention relates to a garment, in particular but not exclusively a brassiere and to a method of constructing a garment. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment having a body formed from a weft knitted fabric having courses and wales, the body including at least one first fabric zone separated from at least one second fabric zone in the coursewise direction, the fabric having a first set of knitted courses extending continuously through the first and second fabric zones and for each second fabric zone a second set of knitted courses extending through the respective second fabric zone only, the second set of courses comprising an elastomeric yarn, and for each second zone the knitted fabric adjacent to the terminal ends of the second set of courses including a filling yarn which is located to extend across a predetermined number of wales so as to prevent run back of said second set of courses. Preferably the body is formed from a weft knitted tubular blank, preferably knitted on a circular knitting machine. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of producing a garment from a weft knitted fabric having a plurality of courses and wales, the method including, knitting said fabric from first and second sets of knitted courses to produce first and second fabric zones separated in the coursewise direction, said first set of knitted courses extending continuously through the first and second zones and the second set of courses being knit for each second zone as partial courses extending through the respective second zone only, and for each second zone introducing a filler yarn into the knitted fabric which extends over a predetermined number of wales adjacent to the terminal ends of the second set of courses so as to prevent run back of said second set of course. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a weft knitted tubular blank for forming a garment as defined above. Various aspects of the present invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a brassiere according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a section along line II-II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic rear view of a breast cup of the brassiere shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a development of a tubular blank for forming the brassiere of Figure 1. Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3 there is shown a brassiere 10 including a body 11 having a pair of breast cups 12 located at the front of the brassiere 1 , and a back band 14 which extends from the outer side of each cup 12 and around the rear of the brassiere 10. A pair of shoulder straps 16 are provided which extend upwardly from each breast cup 12 to the upper edge 15 of the back band 14. The body 11 is formed from a weft knitted fabric having courses which extend around the body 11 in the direction of arrows C, i.e. the courses encircle the body of the wearer when the brassiere 10 is being worn. The fabric portion 11a which forms band 14 is therefore integrally connected (i.e. it is a continuous extension) of the fabric 1 lb which forms the breast cups 12. Preferably the breast cups 12 each include a cup insert 18 which is provided to give shape to the breast cup 12. Preferably the cup insert 18 is a laminated structure comprising a central plastics foam layer having a polyester or cotton fabric layer bonded on each face of the foam layer. Preferably the lower edge 20 of the body 11 is defined by edge banding 22 which is folded over and seamed to the fabric of the body 11. Similarly the upper edge 15 of the body 11 is defined by edge banding 23 which is folded over and seamed to the fabric of the body 11. Both edge bandings 22 and 23 are preferably formed from an elasticated tape and serve to protect the edges of the fabric of body 11 from unravelling. Preferably portions 23 a of bandings 23 extend upwardly from the cups 12 in order to define straps 16. Preferably each cup insert 18 is provided along its lower edge 26 with a tubular band 27 which houses a reinforcement wire. Preferably the entire upper edges of each insert 18 is attached along the upper edge of the body 11 by edge banding 23 and is attached partially along its lower edge to the lower edge of the body 11 by banding 22. The lower edge portions 30 inbetween the upper and lower edges of the body 11 are preferably left unattached to the body 11. Preferably the body 11 is formed from a single layer of knitted fabric so that band 14 comprises a single layer of knitted fabric and, as more clearly seen in Figure 2, each cup 12 comprises an outer, single, layer of weft knitted fabric 1 lb and an inner cup insert 18. As seen in Figure 1, the fabric portions 11a, l ib forming the body 11 extend continuously around the body in the coursewise direction, i.e. the body 11 is a continuous tube. It will be appreciated that, if desired, the band 14 may be split, for example along line S for the incorporation of a clasp to enable portions of the back band 14 to be detachably secured together. A blank 50 for forming the body 11 is illustrated in Figure 4. The blank 50 is preferably knit on a circular knitting machine and so is tubular. The blank 50 is illustrated in Figure 4 as a development for ease of illustration (i.e. edges E ]3 E 2 are in fact joined together). The blank 50 is knitted so as to have an upper edge 51 (which is preferably defined by a tubular welt 52) and a lower edge 53 which is preferably pressed off the knitting machine prior to knitting welt 52 of the next blank. A marking yarn is preferably knitted-in using the patterning control of the knitting machine in order to define upper and lower marking lines 56, 57 for defining the outline of the body 11 along which a cutting operation can be performed for forming the body 11. The upper marking line 56 preferably includes a first pair of pinnacle shaped portions 60, and a second pair of pinnacle shaped portions 61. The first pair of portions 60 define points of attachment of the straps 16 to the brassiere cups 12 and the second pair of portions 61 define points of attachment of the straps 16 to the back band 14. Preferably alignment markings 65 are knitted-in along marking lines 56 and 57. The alignment markings 65, after cutting of the body 11 from blank 50 enable an operative to align corresponding markings on the inserts 18 to ensure that the inserts 18 are correctly positioned prior to the connection to the body 11. Preferably linear markings 58 are provided to assist positioning of the blank 50 on a former (not shown) for heat setting of the blank after knitting and prior to cutting along lines 56, 57. In order to provide the necessary performance characteristics required for the body 11 to act as a brassiere, the fabric portions 1 la, 1 lb are knit to provide the required stretch extension in both the course and walewise directions and to provide the desired elastic stretch recovery. Preferably for the fabric portion 11a forming the back band 14, the knitted structure is such as to provide greater coursewise stretch recovery than the fabric 1 lb forming the cups 12. This is preferably achieved by introducing additional partial courses of an elastomeric yarn in the region of fabric portion 1 la. Accordingly, when knitting blank 50 on a circular knitting machine, a first set of knitted courses are provided which extend continuously around the blank 50, i.e. they extend continuously through fabric portion 1 la into and through fabric portion 1 lb. When knitting portion 1 la, a second set of knitted courses are provided which extend partially around the blank, i.e. only extend through the back band 14 from boundary Bi to boundary B 2 between knitted portions 11a, l ib. Preferably each partial course defining the second set of courses is separated from the next adjacent partial course by courses defining the first set of continuous courses. Preferably each partial course is separated from the next partial course by at least one continuous course, preferably by at least 3 continuous courses. For example, when using an 8 feed circular knitting machine, yarns knitting the continuous courses may be introduced on feeds 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 and yarns knitting the partial courses may be introduced on feeds 2 and 6. Preferably the continuous courses of the first set are knit on every needle with a plain knit construction. Preferably the partial courses of the second set are knit with a miss-knit structure, preferably a knit 1 miss-knit 3 rotation. Preferably the partial courses of the second set are knit such that the knitted wale on one course is on a different wale to the adjacent partial course. A suitable knitted structure for the fabric portion 1 la on an 8 feed machine is Course 1 X X X X X X X X 2 X - - - X - - - repeat 3 X X X X X X X X 4 X X X X X X X X 5 X X X X X X X X 6 - X - - - X repeat 7 X X X X X X X X 8 X X X X X X X X X = plain stitch = miss- 4 it Preferably for each course comprising the first set (i.e. courses 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 in the above example) two yams are plated together, viz. a non- elastomeric yarn and an elastomeric yam. Preferably the non-elastomeric yam is a coloured yam which lies on the face of the fabric. Preferably the non-elastomeric yam is a 78 dtex 68 filament polyamide yam and the elastomeric yam is a 22 dtex lycra (RTM) core covered with a 44 dtex 20 filament polyamide yam. Preferably the elastomeric yam is floated across selected wales on the face of the fabric to define a desired pattern. Preferably for each partial course of the second set (i.e. courses 2 and 6 in the above example) an elastomeric yam is used which is preferably of a higher count (i.e. dtex value) than the elastomeric yam used in the first set of courses. Preferably, for the second set of courses, the elastomeric yam comprises a 78 dtex lycra (RTM) core covered with a 22 dtex 7 filament polyamide yam. Preferably as indicated in the above example, the elastomeric yam is floated over three adjacent wales in order to improve the elastic recovery properties of fabric portion 11a. It will be appreciated that other miss-knit constructions for this purpose may be used. e.g. knit 2 miss-knit 3. It will be appreciated that at boundaries B 1? B 2 the partial courses of the second set terminate, i.e. yarn ends are located. In order to prevent the partial courses from nning back, a filling yarn is preferably knit-in with the elastomeric yarn on each partial course over a predetermined number of needles indicated in Figure 4 by regions FY. Preferably the number of needles over which the filling yarn is introduced is in the range of 8 to 25 needles or about 0.5 to 1.5 cm of fabric. The filling yarn is preferably a non-elastomeric yarn which is of a sufficiently high count to cause the knitted stitches of the second set of courses to be tightly gripped with stitches in the adjacent courses of the first set. Preferably the yam count for the filling yam is also chosen so as to be not too high that it becomes visible on the face of the fabric. Preferably, for the example given above, the filling yam is a 44 dtex 13 filament polyamide yarn. In the example given above, each course of the second set is separated from the adjacent course of the second set by three successive courses of the first set. It is to be appreciated that the courses of the second set may be separated by less or more than three successive courses of the first set. Also, it is envisaged that groups of successive courses of the second set may be separated by one or more successive courses of the first set. In the above described embodiment, formation of a simple blank 50 on a circular knitting machine is preferred in order to provide ease of handling and sizing consistency during subsequent handling operations. It is however envisaged that blanks 50 may be formed on the knitting machine as a continuous string of blanks which are subsequently separated from one another. It is to be appreciated that the brassiere 10 illustrated and described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 is an example of a garment which may be produced in accordance with the present invention. In this respect, it will be appreciated that fabric portions 1 la, 1 lb constitute separate zones in the tubular body 11 which are separated in the coursewise direction and which exhibit different degrees of elastic stretch recovery. The different degrees of elastic stretch recovery is achieved by the incorporation of partial courses of elastomeric yarn into the zone represented by fabric portion 1 la. In other words, fabric portions 1 lb constitute a first zone having a relatively lower elastic stretch recovery and fabric portions 11a constitute a second zone having a relatively higher elastic stretch recovery. In the garment example of Figures 1 to 4, the tubular body 11 has two zones only, viz one first coursewise zone and one second coursewise zone. It will be appreciated that in other garments, more than two coursewise zones may be provided, e.g. two or more second coursewise zones may be provided , separated by two or more first coursewise zones. It will therefore be appreciated that other types of garment may be produced by knitting a blank 50 having partial courses of elastomeric yarn to define one or more second coursewise zones so as to provide in the finished garment fabric portions at desired locations which have a greater degree of elastic stretch recovery than neighbouring fabric portions. For example, the garments may be a pair of briefs or a crop top.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A garment having a body formed from a weft knitted fabric having courses and wales, the body including at least one first fabric zone separated from at least one second fabric zone in the coursewise direction, the fabric having a first set of knitted courses extending continuously through the first and second fabric zones and for each second fabric zone a second set of knitted courses extending through the respective second fabric zone only, the second set of courses comprising an elastomeric yarn, and for each second zone the knitted fabric adjacent to the terminal ends of the second set of courses including a filling yam which is located to extend across a predetermined number of wales so as to prevent mn back of said second set of courses. 2. A garment according to Claim 1 wherein the filling yarn is knit-in with the stitches of said second set of courses. 3. A garment according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein said filling yarn is a non-elastomeric yam having a yam count which is sufficiently large to prevent n back of said set of courses. 4. A garment according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein courses forming said second set are spaced apart by courses forming said first set. 5. A garment according to any of Claims 1 to 4 wherein each of the courses defining said first set of courses comprise a non-elastomeric yam plated with an elastomeric yarn. 6. A garment according to any of Claims 1 to 5 wherein each of the courses forming said first set comprise a plain knit construction. 7. A garment according to any of Claims 1 to 6 wherein each of the courses forming said second set comprise a knit/miss-knit construction. 8. A garment according to any preceding claim wherein the body is formed from a weft knitted tubular blank. 9. A garment according to any preceding claim wherein the garment is a brassiere, said body comprising a pair of breast cups located at the front of the body and a back band located at the rear of the body, the breast cups being formed by said first fabric zone and said back band being formed by said second fabric zone 10. A garment according to Claim 9 wherein the each of said breast cups includes a moulded cup insert. 11. A method of producing a garment from a weft knitted fabric having a plurality of courses and wales, the method including, knitting said fabric from first and second sets of knitted courses to produce first and second fabric zones separated in the coursewise direction, said first set of knitted courses extending continuously through the first and second zones and the second set of courses being knit for each second zone as partial courses extending through the respective second zone only, and for each second zone introducing a filler yam into the knitted fabric which extends over a predetermined number of wales adjacent to the terminal ends of the second set of courses so as to prevent n back of said second set of course.

Inventors: FROST MIRANDA, RATCLIFFE ANDREW JAMES, SMEDLEY JOHN, FROST, MIRANDA, RATCLIFFE, ANDREW, JAMES, SMEDLEY, JOHN
Applicants: FROST MIRANDA, LEE SARA CORP, RATCLIFFE ANDREW JAMES, SMEDLEY JOHN, FROST, MIRANDA, RATCLIFFE, ANDREW, JAMES, SARA LEE CORPORATION, SMEDLEY, JOHN
Application year: 2001
Main classification: D04B1
IPC codes: A41C3, A41C5, D04B1