Garment, in particular a compression garment for medical use

Abstract

The invention relates to a garment ( 10; 100 ) including a knitted, circumferentially-extending welt portion having a anti-slip zone ( 50 ) comprising a high friction yarn ( 61, 62, 63 ) integrally formed on a inner face of a main garment portion ( 11; 110 ) such that the high friction yarn contacts a wearer's skin to increase the anti-slip properties of the garment. The invention also relates to a method for constructing such a garment.

1 . A garment ( 10 ;  100 ) including a knitted, circumferentially-extending welt portion having a anti-slip zone ( 50 ) comprising a high friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) integrally formed on a inner face of a main garment portion ( 11 ;  110 ) such that the high friction yarn contacts a wearer's skin to increase the anti-slip properties of the garment. 
     
     
         2 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is knitted with the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) directly on the knitting machine used for making the main portion ( 11 ;  110 ) so that the anti-slip zone extends on at least a part of a entire circumference of the welt portion, thus procuring a high-friction zone in contact with the wearer's skin. 
     
     
         3 . A garment according to  claim 2 , wherein the welt portion is folded so as to define an outside welt ( 16 ) and an inside welt ( 17 ), wherein the anti-slip zone is formed on the inside welt. 
     
     
         4 . A garment according to  claim 3 , wherein the main portion ( 11 ;  110 ) is made of elastic knit serving to compress the limb on which the garment is positioned, wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is entirely knitted solely with fine high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ), said anti-slip being knitted directly on the circular knitting machine used for making the main portion ( 11 ;  110 ) and concerning the entire circumference of said inside welt ( 17 ), thus procuring an optimum high-friction zone in contact with the wearer's skin. 
     
     
         5 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) has a weight less or equal to 200 dtex. 
     
     
         6 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) is an elastic yarn. 
     
     
         7 . A garment according to  claim 6 , wherein the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) is made of spandex or elastodiene. 
     
     
         8 . A garment according to  claim 7 , wherein the weight of the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) lies in the range 50 dtex to 156 dtex. 
     
     
         9 . A garment according to  claim 7 , wherein the weight of the high-friction elastic yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) lies in the range 50 dtex to 150 dtex. 
     
     
         10 . A garment according to  claim 7 , wherein the high-friction elastic yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) lies in the range 54 dtex to 80 dtex. 
     
     
         11 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) extends nearly on all of a height of the welt portion. 
     
     
         12 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is at least two centimeters high. 
     
     
         13 . A garment according to  claim 3 , wherein one of the outside welt ( 16 ) or inside welt ( 17 ) has a distal edge that is looped with a looping line ( 19 ) of the main portion ( 11 ;  110 ), the anti-slip zone having a bottom end ( 51 ) that extends above the looping line at a distance therefrom. 
     
     
         14 . A garment according to  claim 3 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) has a upper end ( 52 ) that extends below a fold of the welt portion, at a distance therefrom. 
     
     
         15 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is made by plain stitch knitting of at least two high-friction yarns ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ). 
     
     
         16 . A garment according to  claim 15 , wherein the at least two high-friction yarns ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) are of same weight. 
     
     
         17 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is made by plain stitch knitting of the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ), the anti-slip zone including an additional high-friction yarn ( 63 ) that is knitted with the plain stitch knitted high-friction yarn with 1/n needle selection where n is an integer lying in the range 1 (one needle in two) to 6 (one needle in seven). 
     
     
         18 . A garment according to  claim 17 , wherein the plain-stitch knitted high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ) and the additional high-friction yarn ( 63 ) are of same weight. 
     
     
         19 . A garment according to  claim 17 , wherein the additional high-friction yarn ( 63 ) has a weight greater than a weight of the plain-stitch knitted high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ). 
     
     
         20 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) is made up of several high-friction yarns ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) that are all of the same kind. 
     
     
         21 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the welt portion is conformed so that it exerts a pressure on the part of the body that is substantially equal to a pressure exerted by the main portion in a vicinity of the welt portion. 
     
     
         22 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-slip zone ( 50 ) extends uniformly on the entire circumference of the inside welt ( 17 ). 
     
     
         23 . A garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) forms the principal component of the anti-slip zone, and the garment is a seamless compression hosiery garment. 
     
     
         24 . A method of constructing a garment ( 10 ,  100 ) having anti-slip properties for maintaining the garment in a desired position on a wearer's body, comprising the steps of:
 (a) knitting a main garment portion ( 11 ;  110 ) adapted to positioned onto the body of the wearer;   (b) providing a high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ); and   (c) integrally-forming a knitted welt portion including the high-friction yarn circumferentially onto an inner, skin-contacting face of the knitted welt portion to define an anti-slip zone such that the high friction yarn contacts a wearer's skin to increase the anti-slip properties of the garment.   
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of integrally-forming the knitted welt comprises the step of forming a tubular knitted welt portion defining an outer face and the inner, skin-contacting face. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of providing a high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 ,  63 ) comprises the step of providing an elastic high-friction yarn. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of integrally-forming the knitted welt portion comprises the step of integrally-forming the knitted welt portion uniformly around an entire circumference of the garment. 
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of knitting the main garment portion ( 11 ,  111 ) comprises the step of knitting a seamless compression hosiery garment. 
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the step of integrally-forming the knitted welt portion comprises the steps of:
 (a) plain stitch knitting a first high-friction yarn ( 61 ,  62 );   (b) plain stitch knitting a second high-friction yarn ( 63 ) that is knitted with the first high-friction yarn with 1/n needle selection where n is an integer in the range of one needle in two and one needle in seven.