Patent Publication Number: US-6708342-B2

Title: Infant clothing with traction devices

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,736, filed Jun. 28, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,779. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to articles of clothing for an infant and, in particular, to clothing designed to provide additional traction for a crawling and/or walking infant. 
     Socks are one type of infant clothing. Dressing an infant with fabric socks is advantageous in many ways. Socks are aesthetically pleasing, keep the infant&#39;s feet warm and protect the infant&#39;s feet from minor cuts and abrasions. When the infant becomes ambulatory, however, socks can be disadvantageous on smooth floor surfaces, such as hardwood or linoleum floors, because there is a very low coefficient of friction between fabric material of the socks and the floor surface. This poses an increased risk of injury because the infant may slip and fall on the smooth surface while wearing only the fabric socks. Dressing the infant with shoes is one solution to this problem, but it is not always desirable, and is often difficult, to put shoes on an ambulatory infant. 
     This is a recognized problem, and many prior art infants socks, therefore, have been fitted with material that provides greater traction on the bottom of the sock. This material is also referred to as a gripper area. These prior art socks have worked well for those infants who have already progressed to walking, because the portion of the sock with the gripper area is in contact with the smooth floor surface. These prior art socks, however, have been disadvantageous for crawling infants, because typically the feet of crawling infants contact the floor surface with portion of the foot closest to the toes or the top of the foot, rather than the bottom of the foot. Because the top portion of the prior art socks did not contain a gripper area on the toes or top of the sock, the same problems were encountered as with socks without any gripper area, which results in an increased risk of injury to crawling infants wearing the prior art socks. 
     It is desirable to provide an article of infant clothing that will provide greater traction for crawling infants as well as for infants that are already walking. 
     It also is desirable to provide infant apparel that will protect the knees and elbows of crawling infants as well infants that are already walking. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns infant apparel for use with a crawling and/or walking infant. For example, one article of infant apparel is a sock member with an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toe portion connecting and enclosing the upper and lower surfaces at a leading edge of the sock member. A traction device in the form of a gripper area is attached to the exterior portion of the sock member and preferably extends from the upper surface to the toe area and further to the lower surface. The gripper area is preferably a frictional material that has a greater coefficient of friction than the material forming the sock member. The sock member can be tubular or foot-shaped for ease of dressing the infant. Alternatively, the gripper area is formed in a tread pattern and can include transversely or circumferentially spaced ribs along the upper surface, toe portion, and lower surface. In either sock shape, the gripper area can extend to a side area of the sock to aid a crawling infant. 
     The present invention recognizes that prior art socks were suitable neither for providing traction to crawling infants nor for reducing the risk of injury to crawling infants on smooth floor surfaces. With a gripper area at the top surface and toe portion of the sock member, the sock provides infants a greater ability to crawl on smooth surfaces, while reducing the risk of injury to the crawling infants. The present invention is also suitable for infants who have progressed to walking, because the gripper area extends to the lower surface of the sock member. 
     In addition to socks, articles of clothing such as jumpers and pants can have the traction devices on both the feet and knee portions. Furthermore, pads can be provided in the knee portions to protect the infant&#39;s knees during crawling or in case of a fall during walking. The pads can be positioned on either the exterior or the interior of the material forming the article of clothing. The feet portions also can be detachable. 
     The present invention is a novel improvement over the prior art because while the prior art teaches many different varieties of infant socks, none of the prior art teaches an infant sock or foot portion with a gripper area extending to the toe, the side area and the upper surface of the sock member for the purpose of providing traction to crawling infants. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an infant sock in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the infant sock in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an infant sock in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of an infant jumper in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the knee area of the jumper shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another alternate embodiment of the knee area shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of a pair of infant pants in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an over the knee infant sock according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a knee or elbow band according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an infant jumper in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a knee portion of the infant jumper shown in FIG. 10; and 
     FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the infant jumper shown in FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an article of infant apparel or clothing such as an infant sock is shown generally at  10 . The infant sock  10  includes a generally tubular sock member  11  having an exterior upper surface  18 , an exterior lower surface  16 , and an exterior toe surface  14  on the exterior thereof. The toe surface  14  defines an enclosed end of the sock member  11  opposite an open end for receiving an infant&#39;s foot (not shown). The sock member  11  is preferably constructed of a natural fabric material, such as cotton, or a synthetic fabric material, such as nylon or spandex, or a combination of such materials. Preferably the infant sock  10  is latex free. The upper surface  18  and the lower surface  16  preferably consist of the same amount of fabric material so as to ensure a good fit on an infant&#39;s foot (not shown.) The infant sock  10  is preferably sized to fit an infant learning to crawl. A typical age for such an infant is about four months of age to about one year of age. 
     A traction device in the form of a gripper member  12  is adhered to the exterior lower surface  16 , the exterior upper surface  18 , and the exterior toe surface  14 . Preferably the gripper member  12  covers a continuous area of the sock member  11  including a lower portion  12   a  extending partially along the exterior lower surface  16 , a toe portion  12   b  extending along the exterior toe surface  14  and a top portion  12   c  extending partially along the exterior upper surface  18  of the sock member  11 . The area covered by the gripper portion  12   a  on the exterior lower surface  16  is preferably greater than the area covered by the gripper portion  12   c  on the exterior upper surface  18 . The gripper member  12  preferably covers most, if not all, of the area of the exterior toe surface  14 . Alternatively, the gripper member  12  covers a greater area on the exterior upper surface  18  than on the exterior lower surface  16 . Also, the gripper member  12  can extend along a side area where the surfaces  16  and  18  meet forming a side portion  12   d.  The gripper member  12  is preferably constructed of a material that increases the coefficient of friction with a floor surface, such as a rubberized material or the like, having a coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient of friction of the material from which the sock member  11  is made. The material of the gripper member  12  is flexible and withstands laundering. The material of the gripper member  12  may be adhered to the sock member  11  by a thermal process, such as an applique process. 
     When crawling, an infant&#39;s feet are positioned upside down such that the toe portion  12   b  and the upper portion  12   c  come into contact with the floor surface providing traction. Often, the infant will turn his/her toes in or out causing the side portion  12   d  to contact the floor surface providing traction. When walking, the lower portion  12   a  contacts the floor surface providing traction. Thus, whether crawling or walking, the traction device  12  aids the mobility of the infant. 
     The sock member  11  also includes an annular elastic band  22  attached to the upper surface  18  and lower surface  16  that forms the open end for receiving the infant&#39;s foot. The elastic band  22  also aids in keeping the sock member  11  in place on the infant&#39;s lower leg (not shown.) The elastic band  22  preferably includes a fabric sheath for comfort. A tubular entrance band  24  is attached to the elastic band  22 . The entrance band  24  is preferably constructed of the same material as the sock member  11  and may include a typical knitting pattern  26 . The knitting pattern  26  preferably consists of multiple parallel ribs of knitted fabric that may be folded towards the toe surface  14  as desired for aesthetic purposes. The sock member  11  also includes an emblem or similar indicia  20  on the lower surface  16 . The emblem  20  may be constructed of the same material as the gripper member  12 . Alternatively, the emblem  20  is attached to the upper surface  18  or to the entrance band  24 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of an infant sock is shown generally at  100 . The infant sock  100  includes a generally foot-shaped sock member  111 . The sock member  111  includes an upper surface  118 , a lower surface  116 , and a toe surface  114 . The toe surface  114  forms an enclosed end of the upper surface  118 , and the lower surface  116 . The sock member  111  can be constructed of any suitable material, or a combination of such materials, as described above. Preferably the infant sock  100  is latex free. The infant sock  100  is preferably sized to fit an infant learning to crawl and/or walk. A typical age for such an infant is about four months of age to about one year of age. 
     A gripper member  112  is adhered to the lower surface  116 , the upper surface  118 , and the toe surface  114 . The gripper member  112  can be formed as a tread pattern composed of a series of spaced ribs  113  extending transverse to a length of the sock member  111 . The ribs  113  may be spaced along the lower surface  116 , and may extend to the upper surface  118 , and the toe surface  114 . Preferably the gripper member  112  covers an area of the sock member  111  extending from a seam on the upper surface  118  (not shown) at the toe surface  114  to a front-to-mid section of the lower surface  116  of the sock member  111 . The area covered by the gripper member  112  on the lower surface  116  is preferably greater than the area covered by the gripper member  112  on the upper surface  118 , and the gripper member  112  may extend back to a heel portion  115  of the sock member  111 . The gripper member  112  preferably covers most of the fabric material of the toe surface  114 . The transverse ribs  113  on the toe surface  114  may extend completely around the circumference of the toe surface  114  and/or onto a side surface where the lower surface  116  joins the upper surface  118 . The gripper member  112  is preferably constructed of a material that has a greater coefficient of friction than the sock material, such as a rubberized material or the like. The material of the gripper member  112  is flexible and withstands laundering. The material of the gripper member  112  may be adhered to the sock member  111  by a thermal process, such as an appliqué process. 
     The sock member  111  also includes a tubular elastic band  122  at an open upper end for receiving the infant&#39;s foot which also aids in keeping the sock member  111  in place on the infant&#39;s lower leg (not shown). The elastic band  122  preferably contains a fabric sheath for comfort. An emblem or similar indicia  120  can be affixed to the sock member  111 . The emblem  120  may be constructed of the same material as the gripper member  112 . A packaging tab  124  can be attached to the sock member  111  as desired. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an article of infant clothing or apparel such as an infant jumper  150  made from a suitable cloth material and having an upper body portion  151  from which extend arm portions  152  and a lower body portion  153  from which extend leg portions  154 . At the lower end of each of the leg portions  154  is a foot portion  155 . The foot portions  155  each can have a first traction device  156  or gripper member similar to the gripper members  12  and  112  attached thereto. In addition, each of the leg portions  154  can have a second traction device  157  or gripper member attached thereto, preferably in a knee area  154   a  corresponding to location of a knee of an infant wearing the jumper  150 . The gripper members  156  and  157  are preferably constructed of a material that increases the coefficient of friction between the material of the jumper  150  and a floor surface. 
     The traction devices  157  can be used with padding as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In an alternate embodiment of FIG. 5, there is shown the knee area  154   a  of the leg  154  in cross section. A pad  158  of cushioning material is positioned on an exterior surface of the knee area  154   a.  The pad  158  is enclosed by a cover  159  that can be attached to the leg portion  154  in any suitable manner such as by a fastener means  160  in the form of stitches or adhesive. A second traction device  157   a  is attached to the outer surface of the cover  159  superposed with the pad  158 . In another alternate embodiment of FIG. 6, the pad  158  of cushioning material is positioned on an interior surface of the knee area  154   a.  The pad  158  is enclosed by the cover  159  that can be attached to the leg portion  154  in any suitable manner such as by the fastener means  160  in the form of stitches or adhesive. A second traction device  157   b  is attached to the exterior surface of the leg portion  154  superposed with the pad  158 . The pad  158  can be made of any suitable cushioning material including a gel filled sack. 
     The traction devices according to the present invention can also be used in an elbow area of an article of infant apparel. As shown in FIG. 4, a third traction device  161  can be attached to an elbow area  152   a  of each of the arm portions  152  of the jumper  152 . The traction devices  161  can be used with or without the pads  158  shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Also, although the article of apparel  150  shown in FIG. 4 has been described as a jumper, it could be a two pieces of clothing divided at an edge  162  with the upper portion  151  being a shirt and the lower portion  153  being a pair of pants. 
     Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown an article of infant clothing or apparel such as a pair of infant pants or tights  170  made from a suitable cloth material and having leg portions  171 . At the lower end of each of the leg portions  171  is a foot portion  172 . The foot portions  172  each can have a first traction device  173  or gripper member similar to the gripper members  156  attached thereto. In addition, each of the leg portions  171  can have a second traction device  174  or gripper member attached thereto, similar to the gripper member  157 , preferably in a knee area corresponding to location of a knee of an infant wearing the pants  170 . The gripper members  173  and  174  are preferably constructed of a material that increases the coefficient of friction between the material of the pants  170  and a floor surface. The pants  170  also can include the pads  158  positioned beneath the gripper members  174 . The foot portions  172  can be formed integral with the leg portions  171 , or can be separate socks, such as the sock member  111  of FIG. 3, releasably attached to lower ends of the leg portions  171  by suitable fasteners  175  such as snaps, zippers, hook and loop, etc. 
     There is shown in FIG. 8 an article of infant clothing or apparel  180  in the form of an over the knee sock having a leg portion  181  with an open upper end and a knee area  181   a.  Attached to a lower end of the leg portion  181  is a foot portion  182 . The foot portion  182  can have a first traction device  183  or gripper member similar to the gripper members  156  and  173  attached thereto. In addition, the leg portion  181  can have a second traction device  184  or gripper member attached thereto, similar to the gripper members  157  and  174 , preferably in the knee area  181   a  corresponding to location of a knee of an infant wearing the sock  180 . The gripper member  184  can be used with one of the pads  158  such as in either of the constructions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
     There is shown in FIG. 9 an article of infant clothing or apparel  190  in the form of a band to be worn over the knee or elbow of an infant. The band  190  has a generally tubular body  191  with open ends. Attached to an exterior surface of the body  191  is a traction device  192  or gripper member similar to the gripper members  157 ,  161 ,  174  and  184 . The gripper member  192  can be used with one of the pads  158  such as in either of the constructions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
     Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, there is shown an article of infant clothing or apparel such as an infant jumper  200  made from a suitable cloth material and having an upper body portion  201  from which extend arm portions  202  and a lower body portion  203  from which extend leg portions  204 . At the lower end of each of the leg portions  204  is a foot portion  205 . The foot portions  205  each can have a first traction device  206  or gripper member similar to the gripper members  12 ,  112 ,  156 ,  173  and  183  attached thereto. In addition, each of the leg portions  204  can have a second traction device  207  or gripper member attached thereto, preferably in a knee area  204   a  corresponding to location of a knee of an infant wearing the jumper  200 . The gripper members  206  and  207  are preferably constructed of a material that increases the coefficient of friction between the material of the jumper  200  and a floor surface. 
     As shown in more detail in FIG. 11, the traction device  207  has an irregular shape and can be provided with a design  208  on an exterior surface. While the design  208  simulates the coat of a Holstein cow, any suitable design can be used including, but not limited to, simulations of patterns occurring in nature, reproductions of art work, solid colors, existing fabric patterns and abstract designs. 
     The above-described articles of infant clothing or apparel can be manufactured from many different materials in a variety of colors and patterns. A natural fabric material, such as cotton, or a synthetic fabric material, such as polyester, or a combination of such materials is suitable for the bodies of the articles. The traction devices can be made from any suitable material having a higher coefficient of friction than the material from which the body of the article is made. The color of the gripper members can be the same as, complementary to or contrasting to the color of the article of infant clothing. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.