Skin-Contacting Tubular Fabric Underlay For Use Beneath A Therapeutic or Prosthetic Device

Abstract

A skin-contacting fabric underlay for use beneath a therapeutic or prosthetic device on a human or animal body part is formed as a tube of knitted fabric. The yarns forming the fabric have a core of elastic material surrounded by moisture-transporting filaments of substantially non-elastic material, the yarn having elasticity, the fabric having a warp-knitted structure characterized by an artificial terry surface on an inner skin-contacting surface of the tube. The artificial terry surface is formed by underlaps of the yarn, in which the elasticity of the yarn causes the underlaps to draw up and form artificial terry loops that contact the skin of the body part about which the tube is sleeved. The artificial terry loops serve to space overlaps of the yarn from the skin and to move moisture away from the skin.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A skin-contacting fabric underlay for use beneath a therapeutic or prosthetic device on a human or animal body part, comprising:
 a tube of knitted fabric formed on a knitting machine from two sets of yarns, the yarns having a core of elastic material surrounded by moisture-transporting filaments of substantially non-elastic material, the yarns having elasticity, the fabric having a knitted structure characterized by an artificial terry surface on an inner skin-contacting surface of the tube, the artificial terry surface being formed by underlaps of the yarns, the elasticity of the yarns causing the underlaps to draw up and form artificial terry loops that contact the skin of the body part about which the tube is sleeved, the artificial terry loops serving to space overlaps of the yarns from the skin and to move moisture away from the skin.   
     
     
         2 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the filaments are air-jet-entangled about the core of the yarn, the filaments comprising a synthetic polymer material. 
     
     
         3 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 2 , wherein the filaments define one or more grooves in an outer surface of each filament extending longitudinally of the filament for inducing a capillary effect to transport moisture longitudinally of the filament. 
     
     
         4 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 3 , wherein the filaments are made of a polyester. 
     
     
         5 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 2 , wherein the core of the yarn is made of spandex. 
     
     
         6 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 5 , wherein the spandex comprises up to about 20 wt % of the fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the knitted structure is a tricot pattern. 
     
     
         8 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 7 , wherein the tricot pattern is characterized by a 1-2/1-0 lapping of the yarns fed by an outer guide and a 1-0/1-2 lapping of the yarns fed by an inner guide. 
     
     
         9 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the knitted structure is a locknit. 
     
     
         10 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 9 , wherein the locknit is characterized by a 1-2/1-0 lapping of the yarns fed by an outer guide and a 1-0/2-3 lapping of the yarns fed by an inner guide. 
     
     
         11 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 2 , wherein the elastic core of the yarn has a size from about 10 denier to about 500 denier. 
     
     
         12 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 11 , wherein the core is spandex and is approximately 10 to 20 denier in size. 
     
     
         13 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 11 , wherein the yarn has a size from about 40 denier to about 840 denier. 
     
     
         14 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the tube in a relaxed state has a diameter of about 0.5 inch to about 20 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is a circular warp-knitted fabric. 
     
     
         16 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is a Raschel-knitted fabric formed on a Raschel machine having double needle bars. 
     
     
         17 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is a warp-knitted fabric formed on a flat-bed knitting machine. 
     
     
         18 . A method for making a skin-contacting fabric underlay for use beneath a therapeutic or prosthetic device on a human or animal body part, comprising the steps of:
 knitting a fabric from two sets of yarns and providing the fabric in the form of a tube, the yarns having a core of elastic material surrounded by moisture-transporting filaments of substantially non-elastic material, the yarns having elasticity, wherein the knitting is carried out so as to produce an artificial terry surface on an inner skin-contacting surface of the tube, the artificial terry surface being formed by underlaps of the yarns, the elasticity of the yarns causing the underlaps to draw up and form artificial terry loops that contact the skin of the body part about which the tube is sleeved, the artificial terry loops serving to space overlaps of the yarns from the skin and to move moisture away from the skin.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the fabric is formed as a tricot. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the yarns fed by a first yarn guide are lapped in a 1-2/1-0 pattern and the yarns fed by a second yarn guide are lapped in a 1-0/1-2 pattern. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the fabric is formed as a locknit. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the yarns fed by a first yarn guide are lapped in a 1-2/1-0 pattern and the yarns fed by a second yarn guide are lapped in a 1-0/2-3 pattern. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the yarn comprises an air-covered yarn in which the filaments are air-jet-entangled about the core of the yarn, the filaments comprising a synthetic polymer material. 
     
     
         24 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the tube is fashioned with at least one finger-receiving tube constructed integrally with the remainder of the tube. 
     
     
         25 . The skin-contacting fabric underlay of  claim 24 , further comprising a thumb hole for receiving a human patient's thumb therethrough.