DK1701626T3

DK1701626T3 - sock

Info

Publication number: DK1701626T3
Application number: DK04786856.7T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Bodo W Lambertz
Original assignee: X-Technology Swiss Gmbh
Priority date: 2003-10-07
Filing date: 2004-09-24
Publication date: 2017-06-19
Also published as: CA2541455A1; EP1701626B1; CN1917786B; PT1701626T; WO2005039335A2; US20070118973A1; DE112004002437D2; AU2004283007A1; JP2007507619A; WO2005039335A3; CN1917786A; RU2357625C2; RU2006111333A; PL1701626T3; JP4625459B2; EP1701626A2; DE20315356U1; ES2627206T3

Description

The invention relates to a sock, in particular for use in sports activities, having padding in some areas.

The anatomy of the human foot offers natural fat pads on the sole of the foot, which fat pads provide shock absorption during walking or running. The other areas of the foot, for example the ankles or the instep, have no such fat pads. This natural design of the foot is adapted for walking or running without footwear, i.e. barefoot, since all that is needed then is for pressure to be distributed on the sole of the foot. However, human feet are often accommodated in sturdy footwear. This is the case in particular when a person performs numerous and rapid movements, for example during sports activities. The footwear then serves firstly to cushion impacts and to firmly secure the foot and secondly to prevent injuries to the sole of the foot caused by stepping on sharp uneven surfaces or objects on the ground.

When the feet are accommodated in sturdy footwear, pressure points occur on the feet. These pressure points result from the constricting effect of the shoe and tongue, impacts on the heel, etc. Depending on their design, shoes develop different pressure zones. Since these pressure zones do not occur on the sole of the foot, no natural cushions in the form of fat pads are present in said zones.

To reduce the pressure load on the foot, it is known to provide padding on socks. These pads are intended to reduce the pressure load. For example, WO 97/09890 A discloses a sock with a reinforced tread area, in which the reinforcement has a contour substantially corresponding to the tread surface. The sock therefore provides additional damping. However, since the foot is provided naturally with fat pads in the area of the tread surface, there is theoretically no need for such padding in the tread area. In addition, it is known (see DE 297 15 762 U1) to provide padding in other areas of socks, for example on the instep, or padding can be provided in the area of the shins and/or calves when shoes are worn that extend beyond the ankle, e.g. for hiking, skiing, inline skating or the like. This padding is also intended to permit a reduction in load. DE 200 16 825 U1 discloses in the first instance a shoe/sock combination in which the shoe has at least one climate zone permitting an exchange of air, and in which the sock has at least one climate zone permitting an exchange of air, wherein the arrangement of the climate zones of the shoe and the arrangement of the climate zones of the sock are coordinated with each other. The sock has a foot part and a leg part, wherein the foot part comprises a toe area, a heel area and, situated between toe area and heel area, a tread area. The sock moreover has padding in some areas, wherein pads are described which are formed by absorption pads and between which a kind of web is provided.

To further reduce the pressure load when wearing shoes, padded linings are provided on the shoes, particularly in modern sports shoes. For example, the shoe tongues are lined with soft material. The same also applies to the generally hard edge in the area of the heel. Moreover, in the case of calf-high shoes, an additional padded lining is often provided in the area of the ankles, in order to reduce the pressure load there.

In the combination of said modern sports shoes with the known socks having padding for pressure relief, the following problem occurs: both the shoes and the socks are padded in the areas of greatest load, i.e. particularly in the area of the instep, the ankle, the Achilles tendon and the like. Since both the shoes and the socks have additional padding in the same areas of the foot, this results in double padding in these areas. However, this does not generally provide any relief for the foot. Instead, this double padding causes an additional pressure load on the foot, which leads to a reduction in wearing comfort and therefore results in more rapid fatigue. This is counter to the actual aim of the padding of socks and shoes, namely that of providing relief.

The invention is intended to remedy this. The object of the invention is to make available a sock which has padding in some areas and avoids double padding.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a sock having the features of Claim 1.

With the invention, a sock is provided which has padding in some areas and which avoids double padding. As a result of this, there is no additional loading. Instead, the padded area is extended, resulting in uniform pressure distribution. This prevents premature fatigue.

According to the invention, the pads in the area of the instep are formed by absorption pads between which a web is provided. The absorption pads preferably protrude beyond the web. This ensures that the tongue provided on the respective shoe is arranged between the absorption pads when the shoe is being worn. Since the tongues are each padded, double padding is avoided by the lateral arrangement of the absorption pads. Instead, a continuous surface is obtained which results in uniform pressure distribution. This in turn counteracts pressure points and premature fatigue of the foot.

According to the invention, the pads in the area of the heel are formed by spacer pads between which a web is provided. The spacer pads advantageously protrude above the web. This makes it possible for the padding of the edge, which is provided in each case in the area of the heel of the shoe, to be placed above a protective cap generally provided in the area of the web, i.e. in the area that is unpadded or less padded. Double padding is thereby avoided. The contiguous arrangement of the spacer pads leads to a uniform padded lining in the area of the heel and therefore to uniform pressure distribution.

In the embodiment of the invention, the sock has an air channel. The air channel helps moisture to evaporate and/or helps the non-evaporated part of the moisture to be absorbed by the woven fabric. In addition, the air channel affords the possibility of removing the moisture upwards from the area of the shoe.

The sock is advantageously equipped with an X-cross bandage. The X-cross bandage supports the ankle in the transition area between leg and foot.

Other developments and configurations of the invention are set out in the remaining dependent claims. An illustrative embodiment of the invention is described in detail below and is depicted in the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a sock;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a sock in another configuration;

Figure 3 shows a simplified side view of a shoe;

Figure 4 shows the sock from Figure 1 in combination with the shoe from Figure 3, and

Figure 5 shows the cross section along the line V-V in Figure 4 on an enlarged scale.

The sock 1 has a toe area 11, a heel area 12, and, situated between toe area and heel area, a tread area 13. As is shown in the illustrative embodiment, the areas 11,12 and 13 can be made of reinforced material. It is also possible to use combinations of materials, for example shear wool with elastomer fibres, e.g. elastane.

The foot part of the sock is adjoined by a leg part which, in the illustrative embodiment according to Figure 3, ends above the ankle and, in the illustrative embodiments according to Figures 1 and 2, extends over the calf. At the end directed away from the foot part, the leg part is provided with a collar 14. In the illustrative embodiment, an air channel 15 extends from the collar 14 as far as the tread area 13 and is made of a climate-regulating knit mesh fabric. The air channel 15 helps to divert moisture upwards from the tread area. Such an air channel 15 can be provided on the sock on the inner side of the leg, on the outer side of the leg or on both sides.

The sock 1 can additionally be equipped with an X-cross bandage (not shown) formed from an elastic climate- regulating woven fabric. The X-cross bandage supports the ankle in the transition area between leg and foot.

The sock 1 is provided with pads 2 in some areas. According to the invention, in the illustrative embodiment according to Figure 1, an absorption pad 21 is provided which extends from the toe area across the instep of the foot part as far as the lower area of the leg part of the sock. The pad 21 is arranged laterally with respect to the instep. On that side of the sock 1 not visible in Figure 1, a comparable absorption pad 22 is provided, which can be seen in Figure 5. The pad 22 has substantially the same shape as the pad 21 shown in Figure 1. Between the pads 21 and 22, a web 23 is formed which likewise extends from the toe area 11 as far as the lower area of the leg part of the sock. The pads 21,22 protrude clearly beyond the web 23.

In the area of the ankle, i.e. at the transition between the foot part and the leg part of the sock, a pad 24 is provided which has a substantially ring-shaped design. The ring-shaped pad 24 encloses a substantially circular area 25. The pad 24 is designed in such a way that it protrudes clearly above the area 25.

In the illustrative embodiment according to Figure 2, two spacer pads 26, 27 are arranged on the sock 1 in the area of the heel. In the illustrative embodiment, the shape of the spacer pads 26, 27 is adapted to the anatomy of the foot in this area. The spacer pad 27 begins at the heel area 12 and ends at a web 28 which is formed between the spacer pads 26,27. The web 28 can be made of climate-regulating woven fabric. The spacer pads 26,27 are designed in such a way that they protrude clearly beyond the web 28.

The pads 2 are generally made of synthetic yarns or compound woven fabric or compound yarn or similar materials. In the illustrative embodiment, the pads 2 of the sock 1 are made of hollow-chamber fibres around which wool or cotton is spun. The hollow-chamber synthetic yarns have a particularly high impact-absorbing and pressure-absorbing effect. The tread area 13 can be made of microfibre knit, which helps to reduce abrasion. Depending on requirements, the foot bed is also made from microfibres in the toe and heel areas 11, 12.

The shoe chosen as an illustrative embodiment, and labelled generally by 3, has pads 4 in some areas. It has a sole 31. A closed upper 32 is arranged on the sole 31. When the shoe is being worn (Figure 4), the user's foot is supported on the sole 31, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle is surrounded by the upper 32. The upper 32 can be made of different materials. While the material mainly used in the past for the upper 32 was leather, nowadays use is predominantly made of synthetic fibres and plastics.

The upper 32 of the shoe 3 has a tongue 33, over which the shoe is tied (not shown). For this purpose, the shoe is provided with eyelets 34. The tongue 33 is provided with a pad 4 in the form of wadding 41, so as to prevent the user's foot from becoming painful when the shoe is tied tightly or is subjected to pronounced loading. A cap 35 is arranged in the front area of the shoe 3. The cap 35 can be made of hard plastic, leather or tightly knitted woven fabric. In addition, a protective cap, labelled by 36, is provided in the heel area of the shoe. The protective cap 36 can also be made of strong plastic, leather or tightly knitted synthetic fibres. The cap 36 extends into the lateral area of the shoe in order to provide lateral support for the heel.

In the area between the protective caps 35 and 36, the upper 32 of the shoe is made of leather or synthetic fibres. The areas made of this material are labelled by 37. The areas contribute significantly to the structural strength of the upper of the shoe. In the area 37 of the upper 32 of the shoe there are climate zones 38, which are provided at different locations and in various shapes and sizes depending on the field of use of the shoe. The areas 37 are provided on the inside with padding 42 in order to increase wearing comfort. Above the protective cap 36, the shoe 3 is equipped with padding 43 in order to reduce the load on the heel.

The arrangement of the pads 2 on the sock 1 is coordinated with the arrangement of the pads 4 on the shoe 3. By way of example, this is explained below on the basis of the absorption pads 21, 22 with the web 23 lying between them, on the one hand, and the wadding 41 in the tongue 33 of the shoe 3 (Figure 5). The wadding 41 on the tongue 33 extends over the entire width of the tongue. It thus also extends beneath the area 37 and, as a result, also pads the eyelets 34. It will be seen from the cross-sectional view according to Figure 5 that the wadding 41 increases the thickness of the tongue 33. To create optimum padding, absorption pads 21,22 are arranged precisely adjacent to the padded tongue 33. The tongue 33 with the wadding 41 lies exactly on the web 23. The pads 21, 22 and the wadding 41 thus form a continuous uniformly padded surface; double padding is thereby avoided. There is therefore a uniform pressure distribution even under extreme loads or when the shoes are tied very tightly, which counteracts the occurrence of pressure points and thus the risk of premature fatigue.

The spacer pads 26, 27 in conjunction with the web 28 have an effect comparable to the effect of the absorption pads 21, 22 and the web 23. As can be seen from Figure 4, the padding 43 above the protective cap 36 of the shoe 3 is in contact with the sock 1 when the shoe and sock are being worn, thereby providing pressure relief. The spacer pads 26, 27 are arranged exactly adjacent to the padding 43, which is exactly in the area of the web 28. This design also avoids double padding; at the same time there is a uniform load distribution. Furthermore, by virtue of the design according to the invention, the heel is protected from damage in the area of the heel even in the event of extreme movements of the foot.

Although the description and the claims refer to socks, the invention is not limited to these alone. Instead, this term is also intended to include stockings, tights and the like, to which the invention likewise relates. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the shape and arrangement of the pads. Instead, the concept of the invention also includes other arrangements and configurations of pads depending on the respective load conditions or shoe shapes.

Claims

A sock (1) having a foot section and a shaft, especially for use in sports activities, said foot section having a toe area (11), a heel area (12) and, located between the toe area (11) and heel area (12), a tread area (13), the sock (1) having at least one padding (2) in certain regions, characterized in that - the padding (2) is formed by absorption padding (21, 22) between which a crosspiece (23) is provided, the absorbent padding (21, 22) being positioned laterally relative to the ankle and extending from the toe area (11) across the ankle of the foot portion to the lower region of the shaft of the sock (1), and the padding (2) being formed by spacer pads (26,27) between which a crosspiece (28) is provided, the spacer padding (27) beginning at the heel region (12) and terminating at the crosspiece (28) formed between the spacer pads (26, 27).

Sock (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the absorption padding (21, 22) extends beyond the crosspiece (23).

Sock (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spacers (26, 27) extend beyond the crosspiece (28).

Sock (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the crosspiece (23, 28) is made of air-conditioning woven fabric.

Sock (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the padding (2) is composed of hollow chamber fibers around which wool or cotton are spun.

Sock (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an annular padding (24) is provided in the region of the ankle and encloses a surface (25).

Sock (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sock is provided with an X-cross bandage.

Sock (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sock has an air duct (15).