GB2254877A - Press stud fastener. - Google Patents

Abstract

A garment fastener which can be utilized simply as a press-fastener but which possesses, for the manufacturer and user, a number of inbuilt safety characteristics. The fastener consists of two parts : a) first cylindrical portion (1) provided with eye holes (4) for sewing to one leaf of fabric, the cylindrical portion having a smooth groove (5) formed in its outer cylindrical wall and, b) a second cylindrical portion (2) provided with eye holes for sewing to another leaf of fabric, the second cylindrical portion being hollow and provided with a peripheral skirt (8) configured at its outer rim to snap into the groove around the first portion. The first cylindrical portion (1) is shaped at its upper edge so as to facilitate the outward deformation of the skirt (8) of the second portion (2) so that it moves smoothly into engagement with the groove (5).

Description

FASTENER This invention relates to a fastener, and in particular a fastener suitable for use upon garments or furnishings. It will be described with reference to children's garments, by way of example, for which its use is more preferred Childrens' clothes may be fastened by buttons or press fdeners. Buttons are more common, but need more manipulation to fasten.

Press-fasteners or poppers, of either metal or synthetic polymeric material are very well known as a significant product of the fastener market, and can be manipulated easily by the user but on the other hand present certain disadvantages in terms of manufacture and application.

The disadvantages of press-fasteners tend to centre upon their material content. Typically, each complete press-fastener consists of four parts, arranged in two pairs. One pair of parts carries a male component in the form of a bulbous shank. The other pair of parts defines a female component in the form of an accepting hole.

Each pair of parts comprises a back part and a front part. The back part of each part comprises a circular member with forwardly extending prongs. The front part (carrying the bulbous shank or the accepting hole as the case may be) has an accepting circular peripheral groove around its rear face.

Each pair of parts is assembled to include a leaf of fabric interposed between the parts, by pressure such as to force the prongs of the back part, to project through the fabric and into the peripheral groove of the front part. If the prongs are metal they then deform around the groove into permanent engagement and if they are polymeric they can be fused into place by heat and pressure.

Fastening is effected by pressing together the male and female components so that the bulbous shank enters the hole.

It is not unknown, in processes involving the manufacture and application of many thousands of press fasteners, for the occasional press-fastener to become deformed or misaligned so that either the sharp prongs are apparent or the fastener becomes detached. This condition may also arise in use, especially if the press-fastener becomes corroded or deformed.

Press-fasteners on childrens garments, where spillages of food or body fluids can lead to corrosion and where a child's natural agility can lead to undue forces on the press-fastener, leads to such fasteners being exposed to a particularly testing and hostile environment.

Moreover, as far as the manufacture is concerned, the use of metal press-fasteners creates certain disadvantages. It is an accepted good practice, among the manufacturers of garments for children, to place each garment through a metal detector system, so as to detect for example, any broken sewing machine needles or any stray pins or loose metal fasteners. Clearly, metal detection cannot be successfully carried out at any stage following the application of metal press-fasteners. In many instances however further processes would also benefit from metal detection control if this were possible.

The present invention sets out to provide a garment fastener which can be utilized simply as a press-fastener but which possesses, for the manufacturer and user, a number of inbuilt safety characteristics.

In one aspect the invention consists in a fastener for removably attaching two leaves of fabric, consisting of two parts: a) first cylindrical portion provided with eye holes for sewing to one leaf of the fabric, the cylindrical portion having a smooth groove formed in its outer cylindrical wall and b) a second cylindrical portion provided with eye holes for sewing to the other leaf of the fabric, the second cylindrical portion being hollow and provided with a peripheral skirt configured at its outer rim to snap into the groove around the first portion.

For convenience, the first, or lower, cylindrical portion will be so shaped at its upper edge as to facilitate the outward deformation of the skirt of the upper portion so that it moves smoothly into engagement with the groove.

If desired the upper surface of the lower cylindrical portion can be somewhat dished.

Each portion may contain any number of holes for attachment by sewing. Preferably each portion contains the same number of holes, e.g. two, three or four.

The lower portion and upper portion may be in the form of cylindrical members the height of which is between one half and one and one half times the radius.

The upper portion may consist essentially of a thin-walled end plate, carrying the holes for attachment by sewing, and a downwardly dependent skirt which is thicker towards its free edge, and smoothly internally contoured so as to fit over the lower member and lodge, by its thickened edge, in the groove.

The invention further extends to a garment comprising of fabric carrying when attached at least one, and preferably a row, of such fasteners.

The invention further extends to a method of manufacturing a garment, in which the component parts of the fastener defined above are sewn to opposed fabric leaves.

The invention will be further described with reference to the single figure of accompanying drawing, which shows, in perspective and partly broken away diagrammatic view, the main component parts of a "popper" type of press-fastener.

The fastener shown in Figure 1 consists of an inner part 1 and an outer part 2, mounted for example upon an expanse of fabric 3.

The inner part 1 is in the form of an integral cylindrical body of synthetic polymeric material, possessing four parallel spaced bores 4 through its thickness and having its straight sides inwardly smoothly bowed to provide a groove configuration 5.

The outer part 2 of the fastener is in the form of a hollow cylindrical cap 6. The cap 6 also possesses four holes 7 in its flat upper face, and, as shown in the broken away drawing, has a peripheral integral skirt 8 which is contoured to form a retaining bead 9 at its lower or free edge. In use, each part 1 or 2 is sewn on, as with a conventional button, to opposed faces of fabric. Then the outer or cap portion 2 is pushed down over the inner or base portion, so that the skirt 8 (which is somewhat flexible) passes over an initial rounded edge 10 of the base portion to lodge in smooth groove 5, of lesser diameter, around the base portion.

In the embodiments shown it will be apparent that the upper surface of the inner base portion 1 is slightly dished. This, in combination with a small amount of free space inside the outer or cap portion 2 is ample to accommodate the actual volume of the attaching threads.

The embodiments shown permits, when being used, the necessary slight rotary adjustments which buttons or poppers have to undergo when the garment is being done up.

It will be apparent, therefore, that the device as shown (which in practice may be used as one of a row of poppers along a relevant edge of a garment), does not contain metal prongs which may come off or protrude and which in any case can damage the fabric. Because of this it can be taken directly through the metal detection procedures in manufacture. In addition, the elimination of the requirement to fuse together synthetic polymeric materials to attach the press-fastener, also results in the elimination of subsequent detachment as a result of ineffective or defective fusing. If mistakes are made the fastener can easily be removed and repositioned, since it can be placed and attached using conventional sewing machines.

The press-fasteners can also be dyed into different colours as with buttons, and need not be enamelled on the outer faces as with metal poppers, which enamel is prone to scratching and subsequent corrosion in use.

In domestic use it is not prone to metal fatigue as caused by stress corrosion and ammonia and will not get hot when dried in a tumble dryer or on a radiator.

Finally, as an external decorative feature, an additional element (not shown) may be introduced as a backing component. This element may, for example, be itself in the shape of a button and be attached by the same sewing operation which results in either parts 1 or 2 being attached to the leaf of fabric.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS:

1. A fastener for removably attaching two leaves of fabric, consisting of two parts: a) first cylindrical portion provided with eye holes for sewing to one leaf of the fabric, the cylindrical portion having a smooth groove formed in its outer cylindrical wall and b) a second cylindrical portion provided with eye holes for sewing to the other leaf of the fabric, the second cylindrical portion being hollow and provided with a peripheral skirt configured at its outer rim to snap into the groove around the first portion.

2. A fastener as claimed in claim 1 in which the first, or lower, cylindrical portion is so shaped at its upper edge as to facilitate the outward deformation of the skirt of the upper portion so that it moves smoothly into engagement with the groove.

3. A fastener as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the upper surface of the lower cylindrical portion is somewhat dished.

4. A fastener as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which each portion contains the same number of holes numbering two, three or four.

5. A fastener as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the lower portion and upper portion are in the form of cylindrical members the height of which is between one half and one and one half times the radius.

6. A fastener as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the upper portion consists essentially of a thin-walled end plate, carrying the holes for attachment by sewing, and a downwardly dependent skirt which is thicker towards its free edge, and smoothly internally contoured so as to fit over the lower member and lodge, by its thickened edge, in the groove.

7. A garment comprising leaves of fabric carrying when attached at least one, and preferably a row, of fasteners as claimed in any one preceding claim.

8. A method of manufacturing a garment, in which the component parts of the fastener as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 are sewn to opposed fabric leaves.