Technical Field

This invention relates to garments for young children. In particular, it relates to articles of footwear, such as socks, stockings or bootees.

Background Art

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

Infants' socks/ stockings/ bootees often come off their feet. This is the result of day to day movements which dislodge them, babies kicking their legs and rubbing their feet together, or older babies deliberately removing them by tugging on the toes.

One type of existing solution to this problem involves making the fabric of the sock tighter by using a highly elasticised fabric or a band of elastic integrated into the sock. This solution is unsatisfactory from a comfort perspective for the baby, but also may be injurious to foot health as the tight fabric and elastic may restrict circulation and constrain the development of the fine bones in the baby's feet and toes. Podiatrists recommend bare feet for optimal foot development for infants, or as close as possible to that. This solution also has limited success because the shape of the foot - being short and stout - is such that the sock will migrate off the foot easily, despite elastication.

Other solutions involve the use of garters or overgarments to restrain the progress of the sock off the feet.

A first form of garter is a simple band that encircles the leg (c.f. CN201 160500, CA20082627231 , JP6294002, EP2127546, GB1381209). These bands must be tight to be effective, and therefore run the risk of cutting off circulation to the leg or foot. In some cases these bands are separate from the garment. If the band is not tight enough and the infant removes the garment together with the band, the band may represent a choking hazard. They are also inconvenient to use as the caregiver must deal with four separate items in dressing the infant's feet. A second form of garter is a two part band, with two connected bands encircling the foot and the ankle working in concert to restrain the sock (c.f. JP2004162235, US5445598, GB2428178). This solution is also based on creating resistance, and needs to be close-fitting to be effective. This means that the body of the foot (around the arch) of the foot is closely encircled, which is contrary to advice from podiatrists for optimal conditions for foot development. In addition to this the toe of the sock is left exposed, which allows a persistent older baby to tug the sock off despite the restraining effect of the garter. Once again the caregiver must locate and use four garments to dress the infant's feet. If the infant succeeds in removing and discarding the socks in a public place, replacement cost must include the garter as well as the sock. This cost can be considerable. This solution is visible while the infant is wearing the socks, which may not be a desired aesthetic for some.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art identified above, to provide at least one of the advantages listed below, or to provide the consumer with a useful choice.

Therefore the present invention provides a garment including a first portion configured to enclose a hand or foot of a wearer, and a second portion configured to surround a corresponding wrist or ankle of a wearer, characterised in that the second portion includes at least one strap adapted to secure the garment snugly around the wrist or ankle, and the second portion is arranged to be foldable over itself so as to provide a section to cover said strap or straps.

In a preferred embodiment, the first portion is configured to enclose a foot, and the second portion is configured to surround a corresponding ankle. More preferably, the garment is a sock, stocking or bootee.

Preferably the second portion includes two straps. More preferably the straps are fitted with complementary sections of a fastening system selected from the list consisting of: domes, hooks and eyes, buckles and holes, buttons and holes, and hook-and-loop fastening strips.

The garment of the present invention may therefore provide at least one of the following advantages: the garment is not removable by tugging, or by movement during day to day activities, or by the action of the infant in kicking their legs or rubbing their feet together;

the restraint system is integrated into the body of the sock, necessitating only one garment per foot or hand, and meaning that the restraint system cannot present a swallowing hazard;

the restraint system does not restrict circulation;

the restraint system does not put pressure on the foot or hand, thereby offering no danger to the infant's foot or toe development;

the restraint system is adjustable and is effective for a range of infants of differing sizes;

the restraint system is not visible in use, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing effect.

Brief Description of Drawings

By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a garment according to the present invention in a first, securing configuration;

Figure 2 is a back view of the garment shown in Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the garment in a second, in use, configuration.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

A preferred embodiment of a garment 101 according to the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3. In this preferred embodiment, garment 101 is a sock, but in other embodiments it could be a bootee, mitten or shoe.

Garment 101 is made of a substantially low-elasticity material, and preferably knitted. Being a sock, the main body 104 of garment 101 is of a standard shape, and includes a first, foot portion 102 configured to enclose a wearer's foot and a second, leg portion 103 configured to surround a wearer's ankle, and the lower portion of a wearer's leg. Optionally the garment 101 may include a heel section between the foot portion 102 and the leg portion 103 on a rear side of the garment 101 , to allow for a close fit. Leg portion 103 is up to two times longer than the height the garment 101 is intended to reach when being worn. In the preferred embodiment shown, the main body 104 of garment 101 is fabricated in five pieces - a rear piece 105, a front foot piece 106, a front leg piece 107, and a two- piece lining (not shown). Front foot piece 106 and front leg piece 107 are sewn together at a front seam 108 to create the front section of main body 104, which is sewn on to rear piece 105 at side seam 109 to create the entire main body 104. Foot portion 102 is formed by front foot piece 106 and part of rear piece 105, and leg portion 103 is formed by front leg piece 108 and the rest of rear piece 105, with front seam 108 marking the boundary between foot portion 102 and leg portion 103. The lining is sewn into the garment along the side seam 109, so as to provide an interior of the garment 101 which will offer minimal irritation to a wearer. Part of main body 104 may include a rubberised tread, to provide traction for the wearer.

In accordance with the present invention, the leg portion 103 of the garment 101 includes a first strap 1 10 and a second strap 1 1 1 . For strength, these straps may be sewn into the garment at front seam 108, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Preferably the straps are set at diverging angles. A rear face of primary first end 1 12 of first strap 1 10 and a front face of primary second end 1 13 of second strap 1 1 1 may be fitted with complementary sections of a known fastening system, such as domes, hooks and eyes, buckles and holes, buttons and holes, or hook-and-loop fastening strips. In a highly preferred embodiment, the rear face of primary first end 1 12 is fitted with a "hook" section of hook-and-loop fastening strip, and the front face of primary second end 1 13 is fitted with a strip of "loop" section. This allows engagement of primary first end 1 12 with a range of locations on primary second end 1 13.

To use the garment 101 , the foot of a wearer is inserted into the main body 104 in a conventional manner, until the foot is entirely enclosed by foot portion 102 and leg portion 103 encloses the ankle and lower leg of the wearer. Second strap 1 1 1 is passed around the back of leg portion 103 and returns to the front side of leg portion 103. First strap 1 10 is also passed around the back of leg portion 103 to cross over second strap 1 1 1 , as shown in Figure 2. First strap 1 10 then also returns to the front side of leg portion 103. At the front side, primary first end 1 12 is connected to primary second end 1 13. This may be achieved by tying the ends together, or by use of the provided fastening sections. The connection should be made so that the straps fit snugly around the leg portion 103. Once first strap 1 10 and second strap 1 1 1 have been connected together, the top of leg portion 103 is folded over, as shown in Figure 3. The folded section 1 14 covers over the connected primary first end 1 12 and primary second end 1 13. This prevents access to the connection by any wearer who lacks the dexterity to peel back folded section 1 14. In addition, because the folded section 1 14 covers first strap 1 10 and second strap 1 1 1 , the garment 101 has the appearance of a standard type of sock, which may be more aesthetically pleasing than a visible restraint system.

Because first strap 1 10 and second strap 1 1 1 secure the garment 101 snugly around the lower leg or ankle of the wearer, a wearer pulling on foot section 102 will be unable to draw the garment 101 off, because the straps will not fit over the heel of the wearer's foot, which is a wider point than the ankle.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the leg portion of the garment is provided with a single strap, instead of the two-strap arrangement described above. The strap may be fitted at a primary end with a fastening means, such as a hook section of hook- and-loop fastening strips, and near a secondary end with the complementary engagement means, such as a strip of loop section. In use, the strap would pass around the back of the leg portion to encircle the wearer's ankle, and the primary end of the strap would then be attached to the strap near its secondary end.

In an alternative embodiment, the garment is a mitten, and straps secure the garment around the wrist of a wearer, before being covered by a folded-back section. Because the wrist is narrower than the base of the hand and thumb, the mitten is also resistant to being pulled off by the finger section.