Leg garment with expansive panel

Abstract

A flexible garment combining knitted portions with an expansive panel comprised of materials and specifically four way stretch materials to accommodate a range of leg sizes and a method of producing a flexible garment with an expansive panel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flexible garment for the foot comprising:
 a foot section configured to receive a foot of a wearer;   a leg section configured to receive a portion of a leg of said wearer; and   an expansive panel connected to said leg section and positioned to receive at least a portion of a calf region of the leg of said wearer, wherein said foot section is knitted, and said leg section is knitted.   
     
     
         2 . The flexible garment of  claim 1  wherein said expansive panel comprises a four way stretch material. 
     
     
         3 . The flexible garment of  claim 2  wherein said four way stretch material comprises spandex. 
     
     
         4 . The flexible garment of  claim 2  wherein said expansive panel is stitched to said leg section to create a U-shaped seam extending from a panel first top to a panel second top. 
     
     
         5 . The flexible garment of  claim 2  wherein:
 said leg section comprises an opening bottom, an opening first side, an opening second side, a first opening top, and a second opening top; 
 said expansive panel comprises a panel bottom, a panel first side, a panel second side, a panel first top, a panel second top, and a panel border; and 
 said leg section is connected to said expansive panel by connecting said opening bottom, to said panel bottom, said opening first side to said panel first side, said opening second side to said panel second side, said first opening top to said panel first top, and said second opening top to said panel second top, by joining means. 
 
     
     
         6 . The flexible garment of  claim 5  wherein said joining means is sewing. 
     
     
         7 . The flexible garment of  claim 5  wherein said leg section comprises a region of continuous circumference and said expansive panel can expand to at least twice the circumference of said region of continuous circumference. 
     
     
         8 . The flexible garment of  claim 5  wherein:
 said foot section further comprises a toe section and an arcuate heel section; 
 said panel border comprises a finished hem; and 
 said joining means comprises a single U-shaped seam between said leg section and said expansive panel. 
 
     
     
         9 . The flexible garment of  claim 8  wherein said expansive panel comprises spandex material having a weight of at least 150 grams per square meter. 
     
     
         10 . The flexible garment of  claim 9  wherein said expansive panel comprises a panel height and a panel width, and said panel height is at least 1.5 times said panel width. 
     
     
         11 . The flexible garment of  claim 2  wherein said foot section is knitted with at least two colors of yarn to create a pattern in said foot section. 
     
     
         12 . The flexible garment of  claim 2  wherein said leg section is knitted with at least two colors of yarn to create a pattern in said leg section and said expansive panel is free of float yarn. 
     
     
         13 . A flexible garment comprising:
 a foot section produced by knitting and configured to receive a foot of a wearer;   a leg section produced by knitting and configured to receive a portion of a leg of said wearer; and   an expansive panel connected to said leg section by stitching said expansive panel to said leg section to create a continuous U-shaped seam.   
     
     
         14 . The flexible garment of  claim 13  wherein said expansive panel comprises a four way stretch material. 
     
     
         15 . The flexible garment of  claim 13  wherein said expansive panel comprises spandex. 
     
     
         16 . A method of making a flexible garment comprising the steps of:
 providing a knitted sock;   removing a U-shaped cutout from said knitted sock;   providing an expansive panel; and   connecting said expansive panel to said knitted sock by joining means.   
     
     
         17 . A method as recited in  claim 16  wherein:
 said knitted sock comprises a foot section and a leg section, and said expansive panel is connected to said leg section of said knitted sock by joining means comprising a serged stitch to create an overlock seam between said expansive panel and said leg section. 
 
     
     
         18 . A method as recited in  claim 17  wherein said expansive panel comprises four way stretch material. 
     
     
         19 . A method as recited in  claim 17  wherein said expansive panel comprises spandex. 
     
     
         20 . A method as recited in  claim 18  wherein said leg section comprises a knitted decorative pattern.