EP0112505A1

EP0112505A1 - Knitted hose

Info

Publication number: EP0112505A1
Application number: EP83111820A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Thierfelder
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-11-30
Filing date: 1983-11-25
Publication date: 1984-07-04
Also published as: JPS59112057A

Abstract

A knitted hose with a seamless leg portion, wherein its thigh portion (10) has a downwardly reducing diameter, the upper part (14.1) of its calf portion (14) has a downwardly increasing diameter and the lower part (14.3) of the calf portion has a downwardly reducing diameter, In all parts with varying diameter each stitch (20, 20', 20", 20"') of the knitting has a length in the longitudinal direction of the hose which is proportional to the hose diameter at the location of the stitch.

Description

THIS INVENTION relates to hose intended to be worn and made of stretchable or elasticised yarn. The hose may be for a single leg or may be part of a pantihose.
In the past, a so-called fully-fashioned hose had a leg portion which was made from suitable flat material and had a seam joining edges of the material together. An advantage of such a hose is that it could be contoured to suit the shape of a leg. However, the cost of producing such a hose is too high for the major part of the hose market, and the visible seam is not always desirable.
Cheaper hoses having seamless leg portions have therefore been made for and supplied to the major part of the hose market. These hoses have conventionally had a thigh portion of one diameter, a knee portion of the same diameter, and a calf portion of downwardly reducing diameter approximately to accommodate the changing shape of the lower part of a leg. The word 'diameter' is used in this specification to mean the cross-sectional diameter of the hose in its unstretched but rounded shape at the relevant position up the height of the hose.
In order to improve such a hose further, the Applicant designed such a hose also having three graduations of downwardly reducing diameter at the region of the upper thigh, more satisfactorily to fit the leg of a wearer. However, the Applicant wishes to improve such a hose still further.
The present invention therefore provides a hose comprising a substantially seamless leg portion with thigh, knee and calf portions for fitting respectively onto a thigh, knee and calf of a wearer, the diameter of the hose increasing at least at the upper part of the calf portion.
The diameter of the calf portion may increase from the region of the knee portion to an intermediate region of the calf portion, may then remain substantially constant for a suitable distance, and can then reduce towards the bottom of the calf portion. This can enable the hose to accommodate the calf of a wearer in a more satisfactory manner than hoses with continuously downwardly inwardly tapering calf portions.
The thigh portion of the hose can also be improved by causing the diameter of the thigh portion to reduce more gradually and over a longer distance than in the Applicant's prior hose. For this purpose, the diameter of the thigh portion can be reduced towards the knee portion by means of a relatively large number of graduations spread over the major part of the length of the thigh portion.
Moving downwardly along one preferred hose, the diameter of the hose can thus reduce by progressive graduations along the thigh portion towards the knee portion, remain substantially constant along the knee portion, and increase and then decrease in the calf portion, for thus more closely following the contour of a leg.
In a normal seamless leg portion, the number of stitches, measured around the hose, remains substantially the same along the length of the leg. Any required reduction in the diameter of the hose referred to above can thus be obtained by decreasing the stitch length, and the required increase in the diameter can be obtained by increasing the stitch length, where necessary.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing; _Fig.₁ illustrates part of a hose according to the invention, the hose being shown laid flat on a surface, and Fig. 2 shows parts of the knitting in an enlarged scale.
The part of the hose shown in Fi^g. 1 which may be part of a hose for a single leg or part of a pantihose, has a thigh portion 10, a knee portion 12, and a calf portion 14.
Below an upper part 10.1 of the thigh portion 10 its diameter is reduced gradually by successive graduations over the major part 10.2 of the length of the thigh portion until the thigh portion merges with the knee portion. The hose in the embodiment shown has been made on a standard Four Feed machine, and the diameter of the thigh portion has been reduced by 26 graduations each of one racking movement in the machine.
In the knee portion 12, the diameter of the hose remains substantially constant.
In the upper part 14.1 of the calf portion 14, the diameter of the calf portion is initially increased from the bottom of the knee portion by an 8-step reverse graduation. EAch graduation is again of one racking movement. Although the machine on which the hose has been made was not designed to provide for reverse graduations in a hose, the graduation cam of the machine can be built up and modified to provide for such reverse graduations.
Beneath the reverse graduations, the diameter of the calf portion remains constant at part 14.2 for_.a limited distance and is then reduced progressively at part 14.3 by 38 graduations, each of one racking movement of the machine, terminating at an ankle portion 16 of the hose.
It will thus be appreciated that, moving downwardly along the hose, the diameter of the hose is reduced progressively along the major part 10.² of the thigh portion 10, remains substantially constant along the knee portion 12, and increases in part 14.1, remains constant for a limited distance in part 14.2, and then decreases in part 14.3 of the calf portion 14. This means that the hose more closely follows the contour of a leg.
As the same number of stitches is maintained along the length of the hose, the diameter of the hose is made smaller or increased by varying the stitch length, using the graduation cam and racking mechanism of the machine to control the stitch length in such a way as to produce the effect mentioned above.
The different lengths of the loops or stitches of the knitting in the part 10.1, the portion 12, the part 14.2 and in the portion 16 are shown in Fig. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, respectively. Fig. 2a shows loops 20 having a first, maximal length a, Fig. 2B shows loops 20' with a second, reduced length b, Fig. 2C shows loops 20" with a third, intermediate length c, and Fig. 2D shows loops 20"' with a fourth, minimal length d, so a ^> c > b > d.

Claims

1. 'A knitted hose comprising a substantially seamless leg portion with a thigh portion, a knee portion and a calf portion, at least a lower part of the thigh portion and the calf portion of the unstretched but rounded hose having a downwardly reducing diameter to accomodate the changing shape of the leg of a wearer, characterized in that an upper part of the calf portion has a downwardly increasing diameter and that in all parts with varying diameter each stitch of the knitting has a length in the longitudinal direction of the hose which is proportional to the hose diameter at the location of said stitch.

2.. A hose according to Claim 1, wherein.the diameter of an upper partof the calf portion increases from the region of the knee portion to an intermediate region of the calf portion, and the diameter of a lower part of the calf portion reduces towards the bottom of the calf portion.

3. A hose according to Claim 2, wherein the diameter of the calf portion remains substantially constant between said upper part and said lower part of the calf portion.

4. A hose according to any preceding claim, wherein the diameter of the thigh portion reduces towards the knee portion by means of several graduations spread over the major part of the length of the thigh portion.

5. A hose according to Claim 1, wherein, moving downwardly along the hose, the diameter of the hose reduces by progressive graduations along the thigh portion towards the knee portion, remains substantially constant along the knee portion, and increases and then decreases in the calf portion.