Patent Publication Number: US-9848657-B2

Title: Socks with pairing and holding feature

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Pairs of socks tend to become separated when, for example, placed in a load of wash along with other articles of clothing. The time spent sorting through multiple pairs of socks to find matching pairs after doing the load of laundry is wasteful and frustrating. Moreover, when one sock is lost or temporarily misplaced, the remaining sock is unusable without its match. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of an embodiment of a pair of socks having a pairing and holding feature; 
         FIG. 2 a    is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the socks from  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2 b    is a perspective view of another embodiment of one of the socks from  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is a method of forming the pair of socks of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     As will be more fully explained below, the present disclosure relates to a pair of socks  10  having a pairing and holding feature. Therefore, the pair of socks  10  may be conveniently laundered and stored without one of the socks in the pair becoming temporarily misplaced or lost. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the pair of socks  10  generally includes a first sock  12  and a second sock  14 . 
     The first sock  12  defines a toe end  16  and an upper end  18  (e.g., the cuff or a portion of the leg body) with a heel portion  20  generally disposed therebetween. The first sock  12  includes an elastically deformable aperture  22  formed through the first sock  12  proximate the upper end  18 . Similar to the first sock  12 , the second sock  14  defines a toe end  24  and an upper end  26  with a heel portion  28  generally disposed therebetween. The second sock  14  includes an elastically deformable aperture  30  formed through the second sock  14  proximate the upper end  26 . 
     The elastically deformable aperture  22  in the upper end  18  of the first sock  12  is generally configured to receive and temporarily secure the toe end  24  of the second sock  14  as depicted by arrow  32  in  FIG. 1 . Likewise, the elastically deformable aperture  30  in the upper end  26  of the second sock  14  is generally configured to receive and temporarily secure the toe end  16  of the first sock  12  as depicted by arrow  34  in  FIG. 1 . 
     In an embodiment, the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30  are each formed with an elastic material such as, for example, a strip of elastic  36  that has been stitched or sewn around the apertures  22 ,  30 . The elastic material may completely encircle or only partially surround the apertures  22 ,  30  passing through the first and second socks  12 ,  14 . In an embodiment, the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30  are each formed using a wash resistant material capable of withstanding numerous cycles of laundering. 
     In an embodiment, the elastically deformable aperture  22  is formed through opposing sides  38 ,  40  of the first sock  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 a   . In other words, the elastically deformable aperture  22  passes through both layers of sock material  42  proximate the upper end  18 . In another embodiment, the elastically deformable aperture  22  is only formed through a single side or layer of the sock material  42  as shown in  FIG. 2 b   . In an embodiment, the elastically deformable aperture  30  may also be formed through opposing sides  38 ,  40  of the second sock  14  or through only a single layer of the sock material. In an embodiment, the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30  are formed by stitching or sewing elastic material inside each of the socks  12 ,  14  proximate the apertures  22 ,  30  such that the elastic material is not readily visible when the socks are worn. 
     Each of the first and second socks  12 ,  14  of  FIG. 1  may be formed from a wide variety of materials  42 . Some of these materials  42  include, but are not limited to, cotton, wool, nylon, acrylic, polyester, olefins (such as polypropylene), or spandex. To get an increased level of softness, other materials may be also used such as, for example, silk, bamboo, linen, cashmere, or mohair. The material  42  of the socks  12 ,  14  may be plain white or can include or incorporate a wide variety of colors. The socks  12 ,  14  may also bear designs or incorporate artistic elements. 
     The socks  12 ,  14  may be manufactured in a variety of lengths. For example, the socks  12 ,  14  may be typical tube or dress socks, bare or ankle socks that extend to the ankle or lower and are often worn casually or for athletic use, toe socks for use with flip-flops or sandals, knee-high socks, and the like. In addition, the socks  12 ,  14  may be specifically sized and dimensioned to fit men, women, boys, girls, teens, toddlers, and infants. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a method  44  of forming a pair of socks  10  is illustrated. In block  46 , an elastically deformable aperture  22  is formed in an upper end  18  of the first sock  12 . In block  48 , an elastically deformable aperture  30  is formed in an upper end  26  of the second sock  14 . In an embodiment, the first and second socks  12 ,  14  may thereafter be packaged together and sold as the pair of socks  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     As noted above, the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30  are arranged such that when the toe end  16  of the first sock  12  is drawn through the elastically deformable aperture  30  of the second sock  14  and the toe end  24  of the second sock  14  is drawn through the elastically deformable aperture  22  of the first sock  12  the pair of socks  10  may be secured together. In other words, the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30  are collectively configured to releasably secure the pair of socks  10 . 
     In an embodiment, only one of the socks in the pair of socks  10  (i.e., either the first sock  12  or the second sock  14 ) includes an elastically deformable aperture (e.g., either aperture  22  in the first sock  12  or aperture  30  in the second sock). In such an embodiment, a portion of the sock without any elastically deformable aperture is drawn through the elastic aperture of the other sock. Also, in an embodiment a portion of the first sock  12  and the second sock  14  other than the toe ends  16 ,  24  may be drawn through the elastically deformable apertures  22 ,  30 . 
     While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.