DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the sportswear sector and particularly concerns a garment to be worn at the level of at least part of the foot and of the leg of a user to reduce the working load on the limb itself during a sports activity such as cycling, running, jogging and the like, but more generally any sport in which the lower limbs are subjected to intense work.

State of the Art

The practice of various sports activities, especially if prolonged over time, can cause inflammations to the soft tissues, such as muscles, tendons and ligaments associated with the ankle joints. In particular, the calcaneal tendon, or Achilles tendon, is particularly stressed.

It is possible to resort to neuro-motor re-education, instrumental physiotherapy, for example the so-named tecar therapy, laser therapy, ultrasounds, etc., as well as to drug consumption, rest, ice packs and the application of patches, so-named tapes, for treating/preventing possible traumas to the soft tissues adjacent to the ankle and in the calf area.

Tape patches are adhesive strips to be stuck in specific positions of the body of the user, depending on the inflamed area or on those subject to inflammations. Tape patch can thus be used before, during or after a sports performance: before to prepare and prevent, during to prevent or limit the onset of the inflammation and after to cure and cool down the limb. This is a mechanical and sensory corrective technique since it activates the nerve- muscular and nerve-sensory systems and has the effects of reducing the excess of chemical substances present in the tissues, normalizing the muscle tone and restoring the correct functional balance. In particular, during sports activities, the medial gastrocnemius and lateral gastrocnemius muscles of the calf and the Achilles tendon are subjected to intense stresses and can thus be damaged.

For its use, the tape patch is stuck on skin in the desired position. In case of activities requiring the use of a shoe, to be worn with the interposition of a sock, the tape patch is particularly stressed by the rubbing with the sock itself; moreover, during sports activities, the tape patch is further stressed by the movement of the ankle joint, which, in addition to sweat, can disadvantageously contribute to its detachment or a displacement from the desired position. Moreover, tape patches generally present on the market only stick for a few days; this involves an increase in costs when such device has to be used frequently and for prolonged periods. For these reasons, the tape patch is often used for curative purposes, when there is an inflammation, and not preventively, at each sports activity, except whenever there is a certain relapse to the onset of damages to a particular body region.

Garments, mostly in the form of shirts, pants and shorts, that incorporate stretchy portions at specific parts of the body of the user, have also been suggested. Flowever, such portions tend to move with respect to the desired position following arm and leg movements. Anchoring portions, which can however be uncomfortable for the user and which complicate the operation of wearing the garment, are provided in order to hold such portions in the optimal position.

The document JP 2007 175465 A describes socks of the traditional type, comprising fastening strips which can brace and restrain the ankles, the sole, the instep and other parts, if necessary. The fastening strips are made while knitting, by using a thread of a material that melts by heat or pressure. Flowever, this characteristic is binding in the selection of the materials with which to make the fastening strip.

The international patent application n. WO 2012/114209 A1 also concerns a garment that can also be in the form of a traditional sock, comprising a garment body and a plurality of active portions, each intended to coincide with respective sectors of the body of the user. Flowever, such active portions are not arranged at a central zone of the heel of the user, but extend at its side portions. However, this characteristic considerably limits the effectiveness of the active portions.

Finally, the document US 2017/354543 A1 concerns a garment in the form of sock, provided with zones adapted to exert a targeted and gradual compression in given portions of the lower extremities, such as a leg.

All the documents of the known art refer to socks of the traditional type, i.e. of the type provided with a pocket defining the heel of the sock, thus having a configuration according to the shape of the foot also when not worn.

The present invention was conceived with the purpose to reduce the drawbacks of the known art by suggesting a device that can prevent the cases of inflammations to soft tissues and specifically to the muscles and/or tendons of a user, in particular to those associated with the joints of the foot of the user.

A further object is to provide a device that remains still in the desired position once combined with the foot of the user, independently of its movements, rubbing with a shoe or sweat.

A further object is to provide a device that is simple to position and that can be used several times, also over time one from the other, while always having the same effectiveness.

Such objects are achieved with a garment according to the preamble of claim 1. The garment can be in the form of an ankle sock, stock, knee-high, tights and similar garments to be worn at the level of part of the foot and of a lower part of the leg of a user and can be devoid of a toe portion, or have a toe portion for containing the toes of the user, both together and separately, or only a part of one or more toes, or still a sock without toe portion but comprising at least one element to be inserted in-between two toes so that to hold the sock still on the foot itself.

According to the invention, the garment has, at least in a back part thereof, at least one supporting strip obtained, combined with or applied to an inner surface and/or an outer surface thereof. Said at least one supporting strip extends longitudinally with respect to the garment so that to be, when the garment is worn, at part of the foot portion to be worn at least next to the central portion of the heel, preferably also of a part of the sole of the foot adjacent to the heel itself and of a part of the leg portion to be worn on the lower part of the leg of the user, adjacent to the heel.

Preferably, each supporting strip is obtained, combined with or applied to the outer surface of the garment, so that the garment can be worn easily. In fact, a supporting strip obtained inside the garment would exert friction on the skin of the user, thus making it difficult for the garment to slide on the foot and thus making it difficult to wear the garment.

Still more preferably, the garment does not have any anchoring portion for keeping the at least one supporting strip at an inner and/or outer surface thereof. In fact, as the garment is configured, each supporting strip remains in the desired position despite the movements of the user, without requiring further elements that could be a source of bother for the user and which would imply an increase in the costs and/or steps necessary for making the garment.

Advantageously, at each supporting strip, the garment is less extensible with respect to the remaining parts thereof. Such characteristic ensures the supporting function of the strip, in particular at the ankle joints and at the soft tissues associated therewith, such as tendons and muscles. The position described above of at least one supporting strip ensures support, in particular to the Achilles tendon; in fact, the supporting strip is positioned on the garment so that to be next to at least the tendon itself, which extends from the calcaneus bone until the joining of the calf muscles.

In order to further increase the support conferred by the at least one supporting strip, the garment, although being configured to be fitted at least on the foot of the user, is in a substantially tubular form, except for the possible toe portion. Preferably, this garment is devoid of a heel portion, present in normal socks; in other words, it does not have any heel portion like those usually made in reciprocating motion by circular hosiery machines. This way, and advantageously, when the garment is worn, the heel deforms it, further straining the supporting strip or strips, thus increasing the tension and support therefrom or to be exerted on the joints and tendons. Preferably, the garment also has the toe portion, or means anyhow adapted to prevent the garment from sliding on the foot of the user, once worn, so that to keep each back supporting strip tensioned, without requiring any additional strip or strip portion having the function of holding the supporting strips in the desired position.

Advantageously, in the back part, the garment can have a single supporting strip, or two or more supporting strips parallel to one another. Preferably, each supporting strip can have a width, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, between 3 mm and 8 cm, preferably between 5 mm and 5 cm. In fact, the total width covered by the single strip or by a plurality of parallel strips is preferably between 1 cm and 8 cm, more preferably between 2 cm and 6 cm in order to ensure the proper support and retaining of the ankle joints and its soft tissues.

The garment can be sized to only cover a lower portion of the leg comprised between the heel and the lower part of the calf, or can be sized to also cover at least the calves. In the second case, said at least one supporting strip can have a fork so that to follow the shape of the calf muscles and so that a branch of the fork is at the medial gastrocnemius muscle and the other branch at the level of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle.

Advantageously, each supporting strip is molded, glued, applied, applied with heat, screen printed or sewn on the garment. This means that each supporting strip preferably is not obtained by knitting with different types of yarn and/or stitches, but is an independent element combined with the garment. This way, it is possible to prevent lengths of cut thread emerging from the inner side of the garment, at the supporting strips and their edges, and/or bulging or excessive thicknesses that could be a source of bother for the user.

Preferably, each supporting strip is made of a material such as silicone, a plastic material, polyurethane, PVC, or is a fabric. Advantageously, at least one supporting strip is made of a silicone with memory applied by molding. This particular configuration allows to have the desired support with a particularly reduced thickness, which is not bothersome, in particular when the garment is worn inside a shoe. Preferably, each supporting strip has a thickness of at least 50 pm in order to ensure an optimal support, without contemporaneously being too rigid.

Advantageously, the garment can be made of a stretchy fabric and/or have various knitting to achieve a compression effect, preferably of graduated compression.

In order to achieve a breathable effect, the garment can have a micro- holed structure. Advantageously, and so that to allow a proper breathability also at the level of the supporting strips, they can have a plurality of holes, preferably micro-holes. This characteristic ensures better comfort of the garment itself.

Whenever the garment is in the form of knee-highs or tights, it can also comprise one or more supporting strips at the level of the knee joint, so that to support it and to unloading it during physical activities.

In a particularly preferred configuration, the garment can comprise one or more non-slip elements combined with the part of the foot to be fitted at the sole of the foot; preferably, the non-slip elements comprise one or more transversal strips that prevent or anyhow reduce the possibility of sliding between the foot and the shoe.

The invention also concerns a method according to claim 10 of manufacturing the garment described above, by means of a circular knitwear or hosiery machine comprising a cylinder that can be selectively and rotatably activated to perform a series of full or partial rotations in continuous motion or in reciprocating motion.

According to such method, the garment is manufactured by making a substantially tubular body having a first end and a second end and comprising a leg portion, a foot portion and a possible toe portion; and by combining at least one supporting strip with an inner surface and/or outer surface of the tubular body by molding, gluing, applying, applying with heat, screen printing or sewing, wherein the at least one strip extends between the first and the second ends next to a back part of the garment, so that to cover at least one part of the foot portion and one part of the leg portion adjacent thereto.

Preferably, the garment is fully manufactured in continuous motion, except for the manufacturing of a possible toe portion, which can be manufactured in reciprocating motion. Thus, the garment is manufactured in continuous motion also at the level of the garment portion to be worn on the heel, unlike the normal manufacturing of a sock or the like, for which it is provided to manufacture the heel in reciprocating motion.

In alternative and advantageously, the garment can be manufactured with any method and with the aid of any device that allows to achieve a substantially tubular body, wherein the tubular body can include at least one supporting strip, or wherein at least one supporting strip can be applied to the tubular body at least in a back portion thereof.

Advantageously, the garment can also be obtained starting from a piece of fabric, comprising, or to which at least one supporting strip is combined and which is sewn so that to define a substantially tubular garment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

However, the invention will be further illustrated in the following of the description made in reference to the accompanying indicative and not limitative drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a garment according to the present invention, when worn by a user;

Figure 1 a shows an enlarged view of the particular circled in figure 1 ;

Figure 2 shows a view of a part of the garment of figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the garment of figure 1 , when worn;

Figure 4 shows a rear perspective view of the garment of figure 1 ;

Figure 5 shows a back view of a couple of garments according to a variant of the garment of figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a rear perspective view from of a different embodiment of a garment according to the present invention, when worn by a user;

Figure 7 shows a side view of the garment of figure 6;

Figure 8 shows a rear perspective view of the garment of figure 6; and

Figure 9 shows a back view of a couple of garments according to a variant of the garment of figure 6.

Detailed description of the Invention

In the figures, 1 generally denotes a garment according to the present invention.

Such garment is particularly suitable for practicing physical and/or sports activities, especially when prolonged over time. Specifically, it can be adapted for trekking activities, on foot activities, such as running, jogging, walking and the like, various athletics disciplines, movement sports such as soccer, rugby, tennis, etc., gymnastics activities of various type, winter sports, such as skiing and other, in other words, any activity involving high stress on the joints of the foot and on the muscles and tendons associated therewith.

The garment, to be fitted on the foot and on at least one leg portion of a user, at least next to the calf and leg and foot portions adjacent thereto, can be in the form of an ankle sock, sock, tights, ankle strap and the like and can be provided with at least one toe portion to be worn next to the toes of the user. In addition, the garment can also be worn at the knee level of a user and on limb portions adjacent thereto.

The garment has a substantially tubular body 2 and comprises a first open end 3 through which the garment is worn, and a second end 4 which can be closed, or open, depending on the type of garment.

The following description specifically relates to a garment in the form of a sock or ankle sock, but this does not exclude that it can be in the form of a sock without toe portion, ankle strap, knee-high, tights and the like.

The garment comprises a leg portion 5 to be worn at least on a lower part of the leg of the user, or at least on the leg portion comprised between the calf and the knee and a foot portion 6 to be worn at least on a part of the foot of the user.

Whenever the garment is in the form of an ankle sock, sock, tights or the like, at the second end, the foot portion can end with a toe portion 7 shaped for containing the toes of the user.

Preferably, the garment is made of a stretchy fabric and can be a jersey fabric and/or have knitting known in the sector, in particular of sports socks, so that to achieve the desired technical and/or aesthetic characteristics. Preferably, the garment has a graduated compression texture. Advantageously, the garment is also devoid of reinforcements made by knitting that involve the presence of cut threads inside the garment itself, so that to avoid irritations or bothers to the skin of the user.

According to the invention, at least in a back part thereof 8 the garment comprises at least one supporting strip 9 combined with the outer and/or inner surfaces of the garment. The at least one supporting strip extends at least partially in a longitudinal direction L between the first and the second ends, starting form an intermediate portion of the foot portion 5 until at least one first part of the leg portion 6 to be worn next to the calf and until the joining of the calf muscles. In other words, at least one of one or more supporting strips 9 is combined with the garment so that to cover, when the garment is worn, at least the heel, in particular its back part, but preferably also a sole portion of the foot adjacent thereto, and the leg portion at the Achilles tendon, i.e. starting from the central part of the back surface of the calcaneus up to about half of the calf.

The garment part comprising the supporting strip(s) is less extensible than the remaining part of the garment itself, thus creating a tension that assists the part of the leg and foot it is combined with, thus allowing to reduce the working load of the joints of the muscles, the tendons and especially the Achilles tendon. Thus, each supporting strip has a function similar to that of a tape patch, since it favors the unloading of the tendon while performing sports, thus helping to prevent any traumas, lesions and inflammations. Contemporaneously, the garment, also thanks to the graduated compression structure, helps cool down the muscle during and after the activity, thus speeding up the physical recovery.

A single supporting strip 9, as shown in figures 6 to 8, a single supporting strip that forks at an upper portion of the leg portion, as shown in the figures 1 to 4, or two or more strips, preferably parallel to one another as shown in figures 5 and 9, can be combined with the back portion of the garment.

In fact, in the case of a long sock or tights, each of the supporting strips 9 can have a longitudinal portion 10’ extending in the longitudinal direction L so that to cover the leg portion of the user, which runs from the heel up to the base of the calf, before later dividing so that to form a fork 10”, in order to follow the conformation of the medial gastrocnemius and lateral gastrocnemius muscles of the calf.

Advantageously, the garment is "devoid of heel". The words "devoid of heel" relate to a garment that does not have a heel portion, such as that usually provided in socks of the traditional type, i.e. does not have any portion with a rounded protrusion at the end of the portion to be worn on the lower part of the leg, shaped to accommodate the heel of the user, as shown in figures 4 an 8. In other words, unlike normal socks which have a portion for accommodating the heel of a user and conferring the same shape of the foot to the sock, also when not worn, the garment has a substantially tubular body throughout its extension, with the exception of the possible toe portion; thus, when not worn, it does not have the usual shape of a sock but is similar to a tube, possibly with a closed end. Advantageously, thanks to this configuration, when the garment is worn, the heel of the user deforms the garment itself, thus modifying the profile of the tubular body - as shown in particular in figures 3 and 7, and consequently each supporting strip 9 present in the back portion of the garment is tensioned, thus increasing the overall tension and thus the effectiveness. Moreover, this way, the garment is perfectly steady on the heel, thus preventing it from moving and rubbing on the heel itself, or irritating it.

Each supporting strip can have a width, in a direction transversal to the longitudinal direction L, between 3 mm and 8 cm, preferably between 5 mm and 5 cm, so that the total width covered by the single strip or by a plurality of parallel strips is between 1 cm and 8 cm, preferably between 2 cm and 6 cm such as to ensure the proper support and bracing to the joints and soft tissues with which it/they is/are combined.

Preferably, each supporting strip has a thickness, and thus emerges from the surface of the garment with which it is combined, of about 50 pm, such as to ensure a good supporting action.

Each supporting strip can be made of silicone, plastic material, polyurethane, polyvinylchloride or PVC, or can be a strip of a fabric adapted to ensure that, in the portion combined with the supporting strip, the garment is less extensible with respect to the portions not provided with supporting strips.

The garment can have further supporting strips also in its side or front portions, such as to support and unload other parts of the leg, for example at the knee and foot.

Each supporting strip is combined with the garment by molding, gluing, applying, applying with heat, screen printing or sewing. Preferably, it is applied so that there are no cut thread parts that could be a source of bother for the user next to it and its edges inside the garment.

In alternative, each strip, or at least one strip, can be obtained in the tubular body itself.

Moreover, next to at least part of the foot portion to be worn on at least part of the sole of the foot, the garment has one or more non-slip elements 11 to improve the grip and stability of the foot inside the shoe, thus ensuring greater stability while using the garment. Preferably, the non-slip elements can comprise two or more strips orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L. Such strips can be continuous or discontinuous. In alternative, the non-slip elements can comprise circular elements or of any other form. The non-slip elements can be made of any material able to exert friction on the surface with which it comes into contact. Preferably, the non-slip elements can be made of the same material as the one used to make the strips.

In order to ensure a good breathability of the garment, also at the supporting strip(s), each supporting strip can have a plurality of holes 12 to allow to dissipate the heat and a proper ventilation of the limb portion with which the garment is combined. Preferably, each supporting strip is micro-holed.

Thanks to the characteristic described above, the garment helps improve performance since the soft tissues suffer less stresses and ensures greater safety, thanks to the greater stability and support provided by the garment. The graduated compression structure allows the garment not to move during use and to thus always be effective during the activity. Moreover, the fact that the supporting strips are applied on the outside of one or both of the surfaces of the garment lends extremely high comfort to the garment itself with respect to that which would be achieved by weaving yarns of different thickness and composition.

Then, advantageously, the garment can be reused several times, also as a preventive purpose, and is simple to wear in the proper position and each supporting strip stays in the proper position despite the movements and/or rubbing with the shoes, thus overcoming part of the drawbacks of the tape patches.

The invention further concerns a method of manufacturing a garment as described above. The garment can be made by means of any machinery adapted to make a fabric element in which or to which at least one supporting strip of the type described above is integrated. The fabric element can be manufactured so that to be substantially tubular or can be assembled and joined by, for example, sewing so that to define a substantially tubular element. The fabric element can be made, for example, by means of a frame, a knitting machine or the like, a 3D printer, but is preferably made by means for a circular knitwear or hosiery machine. As usual, the machine comprises a cylinder that can be selectively and rotatably activated to perform a series of full or partial rotations in continuous motion or in reciprocating motion.

The method substantially provides to manufacture a tubular body 2 having a first and a second ends 3, 4 and to combine at least one supporting strip 9 to the outer surface and/or inner surface of the tubular body, so that the supporting strip extends between the first and the second ends in a longitudinal direction L.

Preferably, each supporting strip is combined with the body of the garment by molding, gluing, applying, applying with heat, screen printing or sewing.

Advantageously and preferably, the whole body of the garment is manufactured by working in continuous motion, except for a possible toe portion that, if present, can be manufactured in reciprocating motion with only part of the needles of the cylinder, so that to make a portion shaped to receive the toes of a user.

In other words, the manufacturing of the garment occurs in continuous motion also at an intermediate portion of the garment to be worn on a joint of the user, and in particular on the heel. This means that preferably no processing step in reciprocating motion, which is normally necessary for manufacturing a protrusion or a pocket adapted to accommodate the heel of a user, is provided. The garment made by such method is thus devoid of heel. The absence of a heel-shaped pocket, in addition to significantly increasing the effectiveness of the garment, allows to easily combine the at least one supporting strip 9 intended to also be fitted on the intermediate portion of the heel with the back part of the garment, something which is particularly difficult, if not impossible and costly, to make in case of a sock manufactured in the traditional way and having the usual heel portion.