Sock with orthotic pocket

Abstract

A foot sock for envelopment about the foot of an individual, the sock formed with a 2-ply sole thereby defining a chamber between the first upper ply and the second lower ply, one of the plies being formed with a reinforced slit transverse to the axis of the sole of the sock, the reinforced slit allowing for the insertion of an orthotic into the chamber between the first and second fabric plies of the sole. The reinforced slit can be made either in the upper interior ply requiring the sock to be turned inside out in order to insert the orthotic or the slit can be made in the lower outer ply allowing the orthotic to be inserted without the requirement of turning the sock inside out.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/131,356, filed Jun. 9, 2008.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to socks and to orthopedic foot pads commonly referred to as orthotics, and in particular to a sock which is formed with a pocket which allows the orthotic to be inserted into the sole of the sock.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Orthopedic foot pads, or orthotics, are required by many people for a variety of maladies. They may be required for people with Planters Facia, or other foot problems to help relieve the pain. Still further, they are oftentimes required for orthopedic situations far removed from the foot, such as aiding the individual in the proper alignment of the foot and leg in order to relieve either knee pain, hip pain, or even back pain.

The orthotic is normally fabricated by a professional who can shape the orthotic to the shape of the sole of the individual's foot, and to fabricate the proper curvatures in order to alleviate or lessen the pain associated with one of the aforementioned problems. However, generic orthotics are available over the counter to provide cushioning to the foot or arch support. The orthotic is typically inserted into the shoe of the individual before the individual positions his or her foot within the shoe. In an ideal situation, the orthotic will fit snugly within the shoe and not slide around or become mispositioned as the individual walks about. However, most people wear a variety of different shoes, and therefore the orthotic is used in a variety of different shoes and may not always fit as snugly as desired. In such a situation, the individual normally has to remove the shoe to reorient the orthotic before replacing the shoe back on one's foot. Applicant's sock with an orthotic pocket maintains the orthotic in position relative to the individual's foot sole and if the orthotic requires realignment, the individual does not have to remove the shoe, but merely pull up on the ankle portion of the sock to correctly realign the orthotic.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock having a pocket on the sole of the sock for the receipt of an orthotic.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock in which the sole of the sock is of two-ply construction, one ply having a reinforced slit for the insertion of an orthotic.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock for the receipt of an orthotic wherein the reinforced slit for the insertion of the orthotic is on the upper ply of the sole of the sock such that the sock is turned inside out in order to insert the orthotic.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock for receipt of an orthotic wherein the reinforced slit is formed on the lower ply of the sole of the sock allowing for the insertion of the orthotic.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock having a pocket for the receipt of an orthotic which allows the individual to realign the orthotic to its correct position by pulling up on the ankle portion of the sock and not having to remove one's shoes.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel sock having an orthotic pocket for receipt of an orthotic which will maintain the orthotic in its desired position or orientation as opposed to inserting the orthotic independently into the shoe.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a sock with an orthotic pocket for the receipt of an orthotic which allows an individual to gain the benefit of the orthotic when not wearing shoes by allowing the individual to walk around in his or her socks with the orthotic in place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A foot sock for envelopment about the foot of an individual, the sock formed with a 2-ply sole thereby defining a chamber between the first upper ply and the second lower ply, one of the plies being formed with a reinforced slit transverse to the axis of the sole of the sock, the reinforced slit allowing for the insertion of an orthotic into the chamber between the first and second fabric plies of the sole. The reinforced slit can be made either in the upper interior ply requiring the sock to be turned inside out in order to insert the orthotic or the slit can be made in the lower outer ply allowing the orthotic to be inserted without the requirement of turning the sock inside out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent, particularly when taken in light of the following illustrations wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the prior art illustrating an individual's foot, an orthotic, and a shoe;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a sock of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a sock of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the sock of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a sock of the present invention with the orthotic in place; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a sock of the present invention for use with a rigid orthotic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a typical arrangement of a shoe and an orthotic of the prior art. The orthotic 10, whether it be a generic flexible orthotic purchased over the counter to provide cushioning for the foot or arch support, or whether it be a rigid prescription orthotic fabricated to fit the individual's sole of the foot, it is inserted into the shoe 12. Since individuals wear a variety of different shoes, the orthotic 10 itself may not always fit within the shoe 12 in the same manner as it fits within other shoes worn by the individual. Once the orthotic 10 is in place in the shoe 12, the individual inserts his foot 14 into the shoe orienting the sole 16 of the foot 14 on the orthotic 10. The shoe 12 itself may be a slip on or a lace shoe which would require the user to lace the shoe once he had obtained the correct orientation of the orthotic.

In this situation, if the orthotic 10 and the sole of the foot 14 become misoriented, it requires the individual to remove the shoe 12, adjust the orthotic 10, and then reinsert the foot 14. Still further, FIG. 1 illustrates a full foot orthotic which is designed to abut the full sole of the foot 14 and therefore when inserted in a shoe 12, normally has less chance of becoming misoriented with respect to the foot 14. In many instances there are half orthotics which only are concerned with providing support or pain relief to the heel portion of the foot. These orthotics can become misoriented much easier than a full orthotic, particularly when the individual is inserting the foot into the shoe containing the orthotic. Applicant's invention would have application to both of these situations.

FIG. 2 illustrates the orthotic sock 20 of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional side view comprised of a series of panels which are sewn together resulting in a unitary orthotic sock 20 which covers the foot 14 and at least a portion of the ankle 18. The orthotic sock 20 comprises an ankle portion 22 which normally would have an elastic ankle band 24 at its upper terminus 26. The orthotic sock 20 is further comprised of a foot portion 28 designed to encapsulate the foot 14. The foot encapsulating portion 28 is formed with a sole member 30 which is comprised of two plies, a first upper ply 32 and a second lower ply 34, first upper ply 32 and second lower ply 34 defining a chamber 36 between the plies. This chamber 36 between the first upper ply 32 and the second lower ply 34 is for the receipt of an orthotic 10. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, there is a slit 38 transverse to the axis of the sock and formed midway between the toe portion 40 and the heel portion 42. Slit 38 is made in the first upper ply 32 and is reinforced with stitching 44 on both sides. The individual's access to slit 38 is obtained by turning the sock of FIG. 2 inside out. Once turned inside out, the individual can take a flexible orthotic 10 identical or similar to that as illustrated in FIG. 1 and insert the toe portion of the orthotic through slit 38 and into the chamber 36 formed by first upper ply 32 and second upper ply 34 until the toe portion of the orthotic abuts the toe end of chamber 36. The individual would then fold the flexible orthotic so as to insert the heel portion of the orthotic through slit 38 and extend the heel portion of the orthotic in chamber 36 until the heel portion of the orthotic abuts the heel terminus of chamber 36. The individual would then reverse the inside out procedure to return the sock to its normal orientation. The individual could then insert his foot 14 into the orthotic sock 20, the foot being in alignment with the orthotic 10 and separated from the orthotic by the first upper ply 32 of the sole member 30 of the orthotic sock 20. The individual would then insert his foot containing the sock and the encapsulated orthotic into the individual's shoe of choice. The foot 14, and the orthotic 10, both encapsulated by the orthotic sock 20, are then free to move in unison and orient themselves naturally with no slippage as identified in the prior art. In fact, this method is more beneficial to the individual in that he can still wear the orthotic 10 even if he has removed his shoes in that the orthotic sock 20 will maintain the orthotic 10 in the proper orientation to the sole of the foot 14.

FIG. 3 is a second embodiment of the orthotic sock 20 of the present invention. It is identical to the first embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 2, with the exception that the slit 38A and the reinforced stitching 44A associated therewith for allowing the insertion of the orthotic 10 into the chamber 36 formed between first upper ply 32 and second lower ply 34 is now formed in the second lower ply 34 thereby negating the need to turn the sock inside out in order to insert the orthotic 10.

In this embodiment the individual inserts the orthotic 10 in the same manner as accomplished in FIG. 2 without the need for turning the sock inside out. Once the orthotic is positioned in chamber 36 between first upper ply 32 and second lower ply 34, the individual merely inserts his foot into the shoe of choice and gains the same benefits as enjoyed by the individual utilizing the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 2. As with FIG. 2, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 allows the individual to wear the orthotic 10 even when his foot is not within a shoe.

FIG. 4 is a planar view which more clearly identifies the relationship between the first upper ply 32, second lower ply 34, and slit 38. For explanatory purposes, FIG. 4 is an illustration of the plies as illustrated in FIG. 2. First upper ply 32 is sewn around its periphery 46 to second lower ply 34 so as to form the chamber 36 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The slit 38 is made in first upper ply 32 approximately midway between the toe terminus and the heel terminus. Slit 38 is secured by reinforced stitching 44 on both sides of the slit.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the orthotic sock 20 of the present invention illustrating the orthotic inserted and positioned therein. FIG. 5 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 3 wherein the slit 38A is formed in the second lower ply 34 of the sole of the sock. The orthotic 10 has been inserted into chamber 36 such that the first upper ply 32 is positioned between the orthotic 10 and the bottom or sole of the individual's foot 14, which is now encapsulated by the sock portion. The individual could walk around without shoes in this illustration and still have the benefit of the orthotic 10 cooperative with the individual's foot 14. The individual could also take his foot with the sock and/or orthotic positioned as shown and insert it into the shoe 12 of choice. The orthotic 10 will be maintained in position because it is encapsulated within the chamber 36 of the orthotic sock 20 and the individual's foot 14 will remain in position and oriented with the orthotic 10 more easily that that of the prior art since it is also encapsulated by the same sock. Should any misorientation or slippage occur, the individual is not required to remove his or her shoe in order to correct the orientation, but rather can pull up on the ankle portion 22 of the orthotic sock 20, without removing the shoe 12 in order to bring tautness to the sock as it relates to the foot which is encapsulated and to the orthotic which is encapsulated.

FIGS. 2 through 5 are illustrative of an orthotic sock 20 for use with a flexible orthotic for the full foot or with respect to a partial orthotic, such as for the heel. In those instances where an individual is prescribed a full orthotic of rigid construction, the slit 38 may transverse to the axis of the foot and midway between the toe and the heel may present difficulty in inserting the orthotic as previously described. In those instances, a slit 38B may be formed in either of the first upper ply 32 or the second lower ply 34 proximate the heel portion of the orthotic sock which would allow for the rigid orthotic to be positioned within chamber 36 more easily.

Therefore, while the present invention has been disclosed with respect to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore manifestly intended that the invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalence thereof.

Claims

1. A foot sock for envelopment about the foot of an individual, said foot sock having an orthotic pocket, said foot sock comprising:

an ankle portion having an open upper end for slidably receiving the foot of an individual, said ankle portion unitarily secured to a foot portion, said foot portion having a heel end and an opposing toe end, said foot portion having a two-ply sole defined by a first upper inner ply and a second lower outer ply thereby defining a chamber between said first upper inner ply and said second lower outer ply between said heel end and said toe end or said foot portion;

a reinforced slit formed in one of said plies, said slit transverse to said two-ply sole of said sock, said reinforced slit in communication with said chamber formed between said two-ply sole to permit the insertion of an orthotic into said chamber and to maintain the position of said orthotic between said first upper inner ply and said second lower outer ply of said sole of said foot sock when foot, sock and orthotic are positioned within a shoe.

2. The foot sock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reinforced slit transverse to said two-ply sole is formed in said first upper inner ply, said foot sock being turned inside out for insertion of said orthotic and reversed for wearing of said foot sock and said orthotic.

3. The foot sock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reinforced slit transverse to said two-ply sole of said foot sock is formed in said second lower outer ply permitting direct insertion of said orthotic into said chamber defined by said two-ply sole.

4. The foot sock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reinforced slit is reinforced by extra stitching about edge walls defining said reinforced slit.

5. The foot sock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reinforced slit transverse to said two-ply sole is formed midway between said heel portion of said two-ply sole and said toe portion of said two-ply sole allowing for an insertion of a flexible orthotic.

6. The foot sock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reinforced slit transverse to the axis of said two-ply sole is formed proximate said heel portion of said two-ply sole so as to permit insertion of a firm, non-flexible orthotic.