Jacquard knit patterned wristband and headband and methods of making same
First Claim
1. A method of making an athletic band comprising the steps of:
- knitting a first series of courses from a first yarn on a circular knitting machine to form a first tubular section,knitting to said first tubular section a second series of courses forming a second tubular section, wherein adjacent wales in at least one course of said second series of courses are knit from visually distinct yarns so as to form at least one individual course which varies in appearance along its length,knitting to said second tubular section a third series of courses from a third yarn to form a third tubular section, wherein the yarns forming the first and third tubular sections comprise a specialty yarn selected from the group of thermal regulating and wicking yarns,axially aligning the tubular sections such that at least a portion of said first tubular section overlies at least a portion of said third tubular section, andsecuring a free end of said first tubular section proximate a free end of said third tubular section, to thereby form a multi-layered patterned athletic band.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An athletic band structure having a knitted-in distinct design and a method of manufacturing such a band are described. The athletic bands are knit using a jacquard patterning mechanism to form a patterned tubular structure having one or more individual courses, each of which have adjacent wales knit from visually distinct yarns. The tubular structure is formed into a finished band in one of several ways. In one method of the invention, the patterned tubular structure is folded axially and seamed to form a double layer structure. The seam can then be repositioned to a central portion of the athletic band where it is not visible when the band is worn. In the production of a high performance embodiment of the invention, upper and lower sections of the patterned tubular structure are knit from a specialty yarn such as a wicking or insulating yarn, which results in the completed athletic band having superior moisture absorption capabilities as well as an integrally formed design. In another method of the invention particularly useful in the production of headbands, a small diameter tubular structure is knit using a jacquard patterning mechanism to integrally form a defined design by causing one or more individual courses to have adjacent wales knit from visually distinct yarns. Opposite ends of the tubular structure are then secured together, to form a finished dual layer headband. In this form of the invention, a plurality of adjacent wales can be knit from a specialty performance yarn along one side of the tubular structure, to thereby form a headband which has superior performance capabilities as well as a defined integral design.
108 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of making an athletic band comprising the steps of:
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knitting a first series of courses from a first yarn on a circular knitting machine to form a first tubular section, knitting to said first tubular section a second series of courses forming a second tubular section, wherein adjacent wales in at least one course of said second series of courses are knit from visually distinct yarns so as to form at least one individual course which varies in appearance along its length, knitting to said second tubular section a third series of courses from a third yarn to form a third tubular section, wherein the yarns forming the first and third tubular sections comprise a specialty yarn selected from the group of thermal regulating and wicking yarns, axially aligning the tubular sections such that at least a portion of said first tubular section overlies at least a portion of said third tubular section, and securing a free end of said first tubular section proximate a free end of said third tubular section, to thereby form a multi-layered patterned athletic band. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An athletic band comprising:
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a jacquard knit outer tube having at least one knitted course which has adjacent wales knit from visually distinct yarns, to thereby form an integral design therein, and an inner tube axially nested within said outer tube and integrally knit thereto to define a ring shaped pocket therebetween, wherein said inner tube comprises a specialty yarn selected from the group consisting of thermal regulating and wicking yarns. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of making an athletic band comprising the steps of:
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knitting a series of courses on a circular knitting machine to form a tubular structure, wherein predetermined sections of at least one course of said series are knit from a visually distinct yarn from a yarn forming an adjacent section so as to form at least one individual course which changes appearance along its length and such that a lengthwise extending portion of said tubular structure comprises a specialty yarn selected from the group consisting of wicking and thermal regulating yarns, folding the tubular structure widthwise upon itself such that the first and second ends of the tubular structure are substantially aligned, and securing a first end of the tubular structure to a second end of the tubular structure to form a substantially course-wise extending seam, to thereby form a multi-layered patterned athletic band.
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Specification