Sock with integrally knit pocket and method

Claim 1

A sock including integrally and circularly knit foot, leg and cuff portions with said leg portion being knit throughout at least a major portion thereof complete seamless courses of body yarn, and a pocket having an opening positioned below said cuff portion and extending partially around said leg portion, said pocket extending downwardly along said leg portion from said opening and comprising first and second layers of knit fabric formed of partial courses, the lower ends of said first and second layers of said pocket being integrally knit and joined along a fold line extending across the lower end of said pocket, said first layer of said pocket including an upper end portion integrally knit with said leg portion and comprising a plurality of said partial courses gradually reducing in length and the remainder of said partial courses in the lower portion of said first layer being of equal length, said second layer of said pocket including an upper end portion integrally knit with said leg portion and comprising a plurality of said partial courses gradually increasing in length and the remainder of said partial courses in the lower portion of said second layer being of equal length, opposed ends of said gradually reducing partial courses of said first layer being joined along gore lines to the corresponding opposed ends of said gradually increasing partial courses of said second layer, and stitching means extending along opposite sides of said pocket and joining said equal length partial courses of said first and second layers to each other.

Claim 8

A method of forming a knitted sock including a pocket integrally formed in the leg portion thereof, said method comprising the steps of circularly knitting a first group of complete seamless courses for a predetermined length, knitting a plurality of partial courses while gradually reducing the length of the partial courses, knitting a plurality of partial courses all of the same length, knitting a plurality of partial courses while gradually increasing the length of the partial courses and connecting the ends of the increasing length partial courses to the ends of the decreasing length partial courses along gore lines, knitting a second group of complete seamless courses while joining together corresponding portions of the last complete course of said first group of complete courses and the first complete course of said second group of complete courses to thereby form a looped section of said partial courses of the same length, continuing to knit to form the remaining leg and foot portions of said sock, connecting together opposite side edges of said looped section of partial courses of the same length to form a pocket including inner and outer layers joined at their lower ends along a fold line and with the upper ends of said inner and outer layers being integrally joined to said partial courses of gradually reducing and gradually increasing lengths.

Claim 9

A method of forming a knitted sock including a pocket integrally formed in the leg portion thereof, said method comprising the steps of circularly knitting a first group of complete seamless courses for a predetermined length, knitting a plurality of partial courses while gradually reducing the length of the partial courses, knitting a plurality of partial courses all of the same length, knitting a plurality of partial courses while gradually increasing the length of the partial courses and connecting the ends of the increasing length partial courses to the ends of the decreasing length partial courses along gore lines, knitting a second group of complete seamless courses while joining together corresponding portions of the last complete course of said first group of complete courses and the first complete course of said second group of complete courses to thereby form a looped section of said partial courses of the same length, continuing to knit to form the remaining leg and foot portions of said sock, connecting together opposite side edges of said looped section of partial courses of the same length to form a pocket including inner and outer layers joined at their lower ends along a fold line and with the upper ends of said inner and outer layers being integrally joined to said partial courses of gradually reducing and gradually increasing lengths.

Claim 10

A method of forming a knitted sock including a pocket integrally formed in the leg portion thereof, said method comprising the steps of circularly knitting a first group of complete seamless courses for a predetermined length, circularly knitting a plurality of partial courses all of the same length while forming cut yarn ends at each end of the partial courses, circularly knitting a second group of complete seamless courses while joining together corresponding portions of the last complete course of said first group of complete courses and the first complete course of said second group of complete courses to thereby form a looped section of said partial courses of the same length, continuing to knit to form the remaining leg and foot portions of said sock, connecting together opposite side edges of said looped section of partial courses of the same length to form a pocket including inner and outer layers joined at their lower ends along a fold line and with the upper ends of said inner and outer layers being integrally joined to the respective first and second groups of complete seamless courses.

Claim 11

A method of forming a knitted sock including a pocket integrally formed in the leg portion thereof, said method comprising the steps of circularly knitting a first group of complete seamless courses for a predetermined length, circularly knitting a plurality of partial courses all of the same length while forming cut yarn ends at each end of the partial courses, circularly knitting a second group of complete seamless courses while joining together corresponding portions of the last complete course of said first group of complete courses and the first complete course of said second group of complete courses to thereby form a looped section of said partial courses of the same length, continuing to knit to form the remaining leg and foot portions of said sock, connecting together opposite side edges of said looped section of partial courses of the same length to form a pocket including inner and outer layers joined at their lower ends along a fold line and with the upper ends of said inner and outer layers being integrally joined to the respective first and second groups of complete seamless courses.