Abstract:
A support sock having a support structure integrally knit therewith. The sock has a toe area, an ankle area, and an intermediate area for covering a wearer&#39;s instep, ball and sole. The integrally knit support structure has an arch wrap defining at least a portion of the intermediate area. The integrally knit support also includes an upper and/or lower support band for assisting in the arch wrap. The upper support band bridges between the proximal end of the arch wrap and the ankle area. The lower support band extends from the distal end of the arch wrap.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to socks, and in particular, socks having a support structure integrally knit therewith. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    There are a number of over-the-counter arch supports and supportive insoles available for providing or improving support for the arches of the feet. 
         [0003]    Custom-made orthotics are also available, although they are much more expensive. 
         [0004]    Alternatively, the provision of arch support can also be done by wrapping a separate elastic bandage around the foot. Wrapping of the bandage, however, may prove uncomfortable if wrapped too tightly, or not so effective if wrapped too loosely. There may also be an element of discomfort in that the wearer&#39;s existing footwear may not have enough room to accommodate an additional thickness of the bandage. 
         [0005]    As a more accessible and convenient option, attempts have been made to attach or incorporate arch support bands or pads into socks. Being one of the basic commodities of everyday life, socks provide a convenient framework into which support means can be incorporated, by way of sewing or knitting. Despite the inherent convenience, socks with an integrally formed arch bands or pads have some drawbacks in that they do not necessarily deliver sufficient or adequate level of support. 
         [0006]    Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide socks with improved support. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Socks having a support structure are disclosed herein. 
         [0008]    The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a support sock which has an integrally knit support structure. The sock also has a toe area, an ankle area, and an intermediate area for covering a wearer&#39;s instep, ball and sole. 
         [0009]    According to one aspect, the integrally knit support structure may include an arch wrap, an upper support band and a lower support band. The arch wrap defines at least a portion of the intermediate area. The arch wrap has a proximal end facing toward the ankle area and a distal end facing toward the toe area. The upper support band bridges between the proximal end of the arch wrap and the ankle area, and the lower support band extends from the distal end of the arch wrap. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect, the integrally knit support structure may include an arch wrap, and one of an upper support band and a lower support band. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the upper support band extends from the proximal end of the arch wrap toward the ankle area, encircles the ankle area, and extends back to the proximal of the arch wrap. 
         [0012]    In one example, the upper support band may have an inverted U-shape. In another example, the upper support band may have a generally loop shape. 
         [0013]    The lower support band may be dimensioned to cover at least a portion of the instep of the wearer, and/or at least a portion of the ball of the wearer. In one example, the lower support band may be dimensioned to cover a substantial portion of the ball. 
         [0014]    According to the present disclosure, the arch wrap is configured for stretching in a radial direction. 
         [0015]    The arch wrap may have a knit construction of a repeating two-wale pattern, where the first wale includes knit and float stitches, and the second wale include knit stitches. 
         [0016]    In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower support bands may comprise reinforcement yarns. The reinforcement yarns may include 70 denier nylon. In one embodiment, the upper and lower support bands may have diamond patterns. 
         [0017]    According to one aspect, the support sock may include a leg area. In one embodiment, the leg area may have an elasticity of gradual compression. 
         [0018]    A further understanding of the functional and advantageous aspects of the disclosure can be realized by reference to the following detailed description and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is an elevation side view of one embodiment of the sock according to the present disclosure; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of a knit construction of an arch wrap of the sock shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an elevation side view of a sock similar to  FIG. 1 , but showing an alternative shape of a support band. 
       
    
    
       [0023]    A further understanding of the functional and advantageous aspects of the disclosure can be realized by reference to the following detailed description and drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    Embodiments described herein provide socks having a support structure integrally knit therewith. The support structure of the present disclosure includes an arch wrap configured for supporting and lifting the arch of a wearer. The support structure also includes at least one support band configured for assisting the lifting and supporting effect of the arch wrap. 
         [0025]    Various embodiments and aspects of the disclosure will be described with reference to details discussed below. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         [0026]    As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other configurations disclosed herein. 
         [0027]    The selected embodiments as described below are directed to a sock having a support structure integrally knit therewith. The embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved support for the feet of a wearer, in particular, the arch areas. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a support sock having an integrally knit support structure is shown at  10 . The sock  10  has a toe area  11 , an ankle area  12 , and an intermediate area  13 . The intermediate area  13  covers at least portions of the instep, ball, and sole of the wearer. 
         [0029]    In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the support sock  10  has an arch wrap  14  and two support bands, namely, the upper support band  15  and the lower support band  16 . 
         [0030]    The arch wrap  14  defines at least a portion of the intermediate area  13 . The arch wrap  14  has a proximal end  17  facing toward the ankle area  12  and a distal end  18  facing toward the toe area  11 . In the present embodiment, the arch wrap  14  is configured for stretching in a radial direction. In one preferred embodiment, the arch wrap  14  has a knit construction of a repeating two-wale pattern. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the repeating two-wale pattern is shown at  20 . In this embodiment, the first wale comprises knit stitches  22  and float stitches  24 , and a second wale consists of knit stitches  22  only. The knit construction  20  enables the arch wrap  14  to stretch in a radial direction, while limiting the migration of stretch in an axial direction. The arch wrap  14  helps lift and support the arch in place, thereby providing improved support to the arch of the wearer. 
         [0032]    The support structure according to the present disclosure also includes at least one support band configured for assisting in the lifting and supporting effect of the arch wrap  14 . 
         [0033]    The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  illustrates the support sock  10  having two support bands. The upper support band  15  extends from the proximal end  17  of the arch wrap  14 , and continues to the ankle area  12 . The upper support band  15  then encircles the arch area  12 , and returns to the proximal end  17  of the arch wrap  14 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the upper support band  15  may have an inverted U-shape. However, the shape of the upper support band is not restricted to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , and any other shapes may be used for the upper support band. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the support sock  30  is similar to the sock  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , but has an alternative shape of the upper support band shown at  35 . In this embodiment, the upper support band  35  defines a generally loop shape, where the band  35  extending from the central area  32  of the proximal end  17  of the arch wrap  14  encircles the ankle area  12 . The upper support band  35  then returns back to the central area  32  of the proximal end  17  of the arch wrap  14 . 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the lower support band  16  is dimensioned to cover at least a portion of the instep area A of the wearer. The lower support band  16  may be dimensioned to cover at least a portion of the ball B of the wearer. In one preferred embodiment, the lower support band  16  is dimensioned to cover a portion of the instep A as well as a substantial portion of the ball B. In another preferred embodiment, the lower support band  16  may be dimensioned to encircle the ball B of the wearer. 
         [0037]    The support bands  15 ,  35  and  16  are configured to assist in the lifting and supporting effect of the arch wrap  12 . To this end, the support bands may be made from reinforcement yarns. 
         [0038]    In one embodiment, the support bands  15 ,  35  and  16  comprise 70 denier nylon. In one specific embodiment, the support bands  15 ,  35  and  16  may have diamond patterns. 
         [0039]    In one embodiment as shown in  FIG. 1 , the support sock of the present disclosure may also include a leg area  19 . In this embodiment, the leg area  19  may have an elasticity of gradual compression. In one example, some portion of the toe area  11 , instep area A and ankle area  12  have the elasticity similar to that of the leg area  19 . Alternatively, at least one of the toe area  11 , instep area A and ankle area  12  have an elasticity different from that of the leg area  19 . 
         [0040]    The support sock according to the present disclosure may be of any desired length. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the sock may be of an ankle length. 
         [0041]    In another example, the sock may have a length that also covers at least a portion of the leg, or a knee high or thigh high. In another example, the support socks may be attached together to form stockings. 
         [0042]    The support sock  10  and  30  according to the present disclosure provide improved support for the feet of a wearer, in particular, the arch areas. Therefore, the support sock disclosed herein may help those with plantar fasciitis. Moreover, the support bands provided at the proximal end and/or the distal end of the arch wrap assist in the supporting and lifting power of the arch wrap, and provide additional support to the feet, including the arches and ankle areas. 
         [0043]    As used herein, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and opened rather than exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including the claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or components are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components. 
         [0044]    Furthermore, nothing in the present disclosure is to be construed as the promise of the invention.