Fastenable and unfastenable athletic sock for fitting over athletic protective equipment

Abstract

An athletic sock in the form of a standard cotton sports sock includes a longitudinal slit defining opposed edges that can be fastened and unfastened for stretching the athletic sock over athletic protective equipment disposed on the individual's lower leg, and for removal therefrom. Each edge includes a closure member that can be hook and loop fasteners or a zipper to facilitate the stretching of the sock over the athletic protective equipment, and the closure members can brought into mating engagement for securing the sock onto the lower leg and comfortably upon the athletic protective equipment and can be disengaged for sock removal. In addition, the sock can be used as a medical compression sock adjustably securable for obtaining the desired tightness, looseness and comfort of the sock on the individual's lower leg.

1 . An athletic sock for fitting over a shin guard that is worn on a lower leg of an individual, comprising: 
 an upper cuff end, a leg portion, an ankle and shin portion, a rear portion and a foot portion;    an external sock surface and an opposite inner sock surface adjacent the lower leg of the individual;    a slit extending from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges;    the slit further dividing the sock into a pair of sock halves;    a slide disposed on the rear portion of the sock and mounted to one longitudinal edge for reciprocable movement along both edges for closing and opening the slit and thereby fastening and unfastening the sock halves to each other; and    two sets of teeth disposed on the rear portion of the sock with each set of teeth consecutively arranged on and secured to each respective longitudinal edge and extending from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion and engagable and disengagable by the slide so that the reciprocable movement of the slide along the both sets of teeth results in the fastening or unfastening of the sock halves in order that the sock can be placed upon the shin guard and lower leg or removed therefrom.    
   
   
       2 . The athletic sock of  claim 1  wherein the slide is pulled downward along both sets of teeth from the upper cuff end to the ankle and shin portion for engaging the teeth and fastening the sock halves to each other.  
   
   
       3 . The athletic sock of  claim 2  wherein the slide is pulled upward along both sets of teeth from the ankle and shin portion to the upper cuff end for disengaging both sets of teeth and thereby unfastening the sock halves from each other.  
   
   
       4 . An athletic sock for fitting over a shin guard worn on a lower leg of an individual, comprising: 
 an upper end, a leg portion, an ankle/shin portion and a foot portion;    an external sock surface and an interior sock surface that is adjacent to the lower leg of the individual;    a slit extending from the upper end to the ankle/shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges;    a closure means mounted along the edges for attaching the edges together and closing the slit thereby securing the sock on the lower leg, and for detaching the edges so that the slit can be opened for removal of the sock; and    the edges being detachable from each other so that the slit can be opened for slipping the sock onto the lower leg and then over the shin guard and then the edges being attachable to each other by the closure means thereby securing the sock in position over the shin guard and upon the lower leg.    
   
   
       5 . The athletic sock of  claim 4  wherein the closure means includes a pair of strip members with one strip member mounted to one edge and the other strip member mounted to the opposite edge, and the strip members capable of attachment to each other and detachment from each other for closing and opening the slit to facilitate the securement of the sock over the shin guard and on the lower leg and the removal of the sock therefrom.  
   
   
       6 . The athletic sock of  claim 5  wherein one strip member is mounted to the exterior sock surface adjacent one edge and the other strip member is mounted to the interior sock surface adjacent the other edge.  
   
   
       7 . The athletic sock of  claim 6  wherein the strip member mounted to the exterior sock surface has a width that is greater than the width of the strip member mounted to the interior sock surface.  
   
   
       8 . The athletic sock of  claim 7  wherein the strip member that is mounted to the interior sock surface is adjustably attachable to the strip member mounted to the exterior sock surface in order to obtain a comfortable securement of the sock over the shin guard and upon the lower leg.  
   
   
       9 . A stretchable sock for fitting onto the foot and lower leg of the individual, comprising: 
 an upper end, a leg portion, an ankle/shin portion and a foot portion;    an external sock surface and an interior sock surface that is contiguous to the foot and lower leg;    a slit extending from the upper end to the ankle/shin portion and defining a pair of opposed longitudinally extending edges;    a pair of strip members with one strip member mounted at each edge and capable of selective attachment to each other for attaching the edges and closing the slit and for selective detachment from each other for opening the slit; and    the strip members being detachable from each other so that the slit can be opened and the sock slipped onto the foot and fitted on the lower leg and over the shin guard and the strip members being attachable to each other for closing the slit and thereby securing the sock over the shin guard and to the foot and lower leg.