US-20260125833-A1 - KNIT TEXTILE WITH ZONAL PROPERTIES

US20260125833A1US 20260125833 A1US20260125833 A1US 20260125833A1US-20260125833-A1

Abstract

Aspects herein are directed to a knit textile that has zonal properties based on the use of different knit constructions at different areas of the knit textile. The different knit constructions create, for example, knitted rib structures that extend in a z-direction with respect to an x, y plane of the knit textile. The knitted rib structures may have varying heights in the z-direction of the knit textile as the knitted rib structures extend in a course-wise direction and/or may alternatively extend in a positive and negative wale-wise direction of the knit textile to create a wave form. In example aspects, the different knit constructions may be used to create zonal stretch properties, and zonal visual properties.

Inventors

Alexandra Gully
Jolynn J. Salyards
Lawrence Yun
Kamran Daneshvar
Huayu Fang
Lichun Huang
Yishu Lai

Assignees

NIKE, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241101

Claims (20)

1 . An article of apparel comprising: a knit textile having a first knit construction comprising: a first knitted rib portion comprising: a first knit course, and a second knit course coupled to the first knit course via a first set of held stitches that span a first set of intermediary knit courses positioned between the first knit course and the second knit course; and a second knitted rib portion comprising: a third knit course that is offset from the first knit course in a knitting direction, and a fourth knit course that is offset from the second knit course in the knitting direction, the fourth knit course coupled to the third knit course via a second set of held stitches that span a second set of intermediary knit courses positioned between the third knit course and the fourth knit course, wherein the first set of intermediary knit courses and the second set of intermediary knit courses share at least one common knit course, wherein the first knitted rib portion and the second knitted rib portion together form a knitted rib structure of a plurality of knitted rib structures, the knitted rib structure comprising: a first wave period; and a second wave period, wherein the second wave period is greater than the first wave period.
2 . (canceled)
3 . The article of apparel of claim 1 , wherein the knitted rib structure of the plurality of knitted rib structures extends in a z-direction with respect to an x, y plane of the knit textile.
4 . The article of apparel of claim 1 , wherein the first knitted rib portion extends linearly in a course-wise direction of the knit textile, and wherein the second knitted rib portion extends in a wale-wise direction with respect to the first knitted rib portion.
5 . The article of apparel of claim 1 , wherein the article of apparel is an upper-body garment.
6 . The article of apparel of claim 5 , wherein the first knitted rib portion extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis extending from a neck opening of the upper-body garment to a waist opening of the upper-body garment.
7 . The article of apparel of claim 5 , wherein the upper-body garment comprises one of a tank, a shirt, a hoodie, or a singlet.
8 . The article of apparel of claim 1 , wherein the article of apparel is a lower-body garment.
9 . The article of apparel of claim 8 , wherein the first knitted rib portion extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis extending from a waist opening of the lower-body garment to a leg opening of a leg portion of the lower-body garment.
10 . The article of apparel of claim 8 , wherein the lower-body garment comprises one or a short, a pant, a legging, or a capri.
11 . The article of apparel of claim 1 , wherein the knit textile is knitted using at least a first yarn having a first color, a second yarn having a second color different from the first color, and a third yarn having a third color different from the first color and the second color.
12 . The article of apparel of claim 11 , wherein the first knitted rib portion visually presents the first color when viewed from a first viewing angle, and wherein the second knitted rib portion visually presents the second color when viewed from the first viewing angle.
13 . An article of apparel comprising: a knit textile comprising: at least one knitted rib structure extending in a z-direction with respect to an x, y plane of the knit textile, the at least one knitted rib structure comprising: a first knitted rib portion extending linearly in a course-wise direction of the knit textile, and a second knitted rib portion that extends in a positive wale-wise direction with respect to the first knitted rib portion, wherein the first knitted rib portion and the second knitted rib portion share at least one common knit course, wherein the at least one knitted rib structure comprises a wave form extending in the course-wise direction, wherein the wave form includes a first wave period defined by a first repeat distance between adjacent peaks in a first region of the at least one knitted rib structure and a second wave period defined by a second repeat distance between adjacent peaks in a second region of the at least one knitted rib structure, and wherein the second repeat distance is greater than the first repeat distance.
14 . The article of apparel of claim 13 , wherein the article of apparel is an upper-body garment.
15 . The article of apparel of claim 14 , wherein the first knitted rib portion extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis extending from a neck opening of the upper-body garment to a waist opening of the upper-body garment.
16 . The article of apparel of claim 13 , wherein the article of apparel is a lower-body garment.
17 . The article of apparel of claim 16 , wherein the first knitted rib portion extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to a vertical axis extending from a waist opening of the lower-body garment to a leg opening of a leg portion of the lower-body garment.
18 . The article of apparel of claim 13 , wherein the at least one knitted rib structure comprises a first knitted rib structure, the article of apparel further comprising: a second knitted rib structure offset from the first knitted rib structure in a knitting direction, the second knitted rib structure extending in the course-wise direction of the knit textile and further extending in the z-direction with respect to the x, y plane of the knit textile; a first plurality of knit courses positioned between a first portion of the first knitted rib structure and a first portion of the second knitted rib structure; and a second plurality of knit courses positioned between a second portion of the first knitted rib structure and a second portion of the second structure, the first plurality of knit courses and the second plurality of knit courses sharing at least one common knit course, wherein the first plurality of knit courses comprises a greater number of knit courses than the second plurality of knit courses.
19 . The article of apparel of claim 13 , wherein the at least one knitted rib structure has substantially constant height as measured in the z-direction with respect to the x, y plane of the knit textile.
20 . The article of apparel of claim 19 , wherein the at least one knitted rib structure alternately extending in a positive and negative wale-wise direction of the knit textile to form a wave form, the wave form comprising two or more wave periods and two or more wave amplitudes.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. Application Ser. No. 18/860,445, filed Oct. 25, 2024, and entitled “Knit Textile With Zonal Properties,” which is a national phase application of international application PCT/CN2022/088913, filed Apr. 25, 2022, and entitled “Knit Textile With Zonal Properties.” The entireties of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD Aspects herein relate to knit textiles with zonal properties including zonal stretch properties, and zonal visual properties, articles of apparel formed from the knit textiles, and methods of manufacturing the knit textiles. BACKGROUND Traditional knit textiles may have a uniform construction or knitting pattern. As such, the resulting knit textile and articles of apparel made therefrom may lack, for instance, zonal properties such as zonal stretch properties, zonal permeability properties, and zonal visual properties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Examples of aspects herein are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates an example stitch diagram used to knit a first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of an example knit structure used in the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a knit textile incorporating the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 4 illustrates a portion of a knit textile with a schematic depiction of the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section of the first example knit construction and an associated visual effect in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 6 illustrates an example upper-body garment incorporating the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively illustrate front and back views of an example lower-body garment incorporating the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of manufacturing a knit textile having the first example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 10 illustrates an example stitch diagram used to knit a second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic of an example knit structure used in the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 12 illustrates a portion of a knit textile incorporating the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 13 illustrates a portion of a knit textile incorporating the second example knit construction with different stretch zones in accordance with aspects herein; FIGS. 14-16 illustrate different variations of a knitted rib structure having a wave form formed by the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 17 illustrates a cross-section of the second example knit construction and an associated visual effect in accordance with aspects herein; FIG. 18 illustrates an example upper-body garment incorporating the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; FIGS. 19 and 20 respectively illustrate front and back views of an example lower-body garment incorporating the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein; and FIG. 21 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of manufacturing a knit textile having the second example knit construction in accordance with aspects herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed or disclosed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” might be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly stated. Traditional knit textiles may have a uniform construction or knitting pattern. As such, the resulting knit textile and articles of apparel made therefrom may lack, for instance, zonal properties such as zonal stretch properties, zonal permeability properties, and zonal visual properties. At a high level, aspects herein are directed to a knit textile that has zonal properties based on the use of different knit constructions at different areas of the knit textile. The different knit constructions create, for example,