US423984A - Chusetts - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. M. CHAPMAN &-N. D. INGRAM.

BUTTON. 1 No. 423,984. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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W/TNESSES: Aim/r005 I F.w. m g: -W CLW, BY

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE M. CHAPMAN AND NATHAN D. INGRAM, OF HOLYOKE, MASSA- Ol-IUSETTS.

BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,984, dated March 25, 1890.- I

Application filed June 21, 1889. Serial No. 315,044:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EU GENE M. CHAPMAN and NATHAN D. INGRAM, of Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massach usetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Buttons, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

Our invention relates to buttons for garments, and particularly to that class of buttons which are provided with means whereby they can be securely attached to the garment without the use of thread.

The object of our invention is to provide a button of this nature which will be composed of fewparts, thereby enablingit to be manufactured cheaply, which will, nevertheless, be strong and durable in its construction, and

which will be provided with means for secur- I ing it to the garment so constructed that the fastening can be very quickly and easily performed, that it will not weaken the fiber of the cloth by its application thereto, and that it will present a neat and attractive appearance upon the garment.

To these ends our invention consists in the button constructed as hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like parts in the several figures, Figure 1 is a side view of the button. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a reverse plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section thereof. Fig. 5 is a reverse plan with the shank removed. Figs. 6 to 8, inclus'ive, illustrate modified forms of the button,

hereinafter referred to.

The button devised by us is composed of three parts merely-the cap a, collet b, and the shank c. The cap maybe stamped from sheetbrass or other metal in the usual manner, and

will have the usual peripheral flange or lip to engage and make a tight joint with the collet, as shown. Said cap will also be provided in its preferred form with the usual annulus struck up from its center, as shown at a,the diameter of which, however, will preferably be slightly greater than heretofore,-for a purpose which will presently appear. The collet will also be stamped from sheet metal, or may be otherwise formed from any of the materials usually employed for the purpose, and may have at its center the circular or oval struckup portion 1) usually found in shank-buttons. \Vithin said struck-up portion of the collet are made the orifices to receive the prong or prongs of the shank, and we prefer to make said orifices by stamping out three sides of one or more small lips or tongues 11*, which are then bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 4,whereby they are adapted to exert pressure against the prongs of the shank to augment the positive hold of the latter upon the collet. The shank c is preferably composed of a single piece of wire bent to form a base 0, and terminating in one or more prongs c standing perpendicularly to said base. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and l, the base 0 is formed of a single straight bar and the prongs consist of the bent-up ends of said bar. The ends of the prongs are pointed, as shown, whereby they are adapted to be thrust through the fabric composing the garment, and the necessity of employing a needle or other device for previously puncturing the fabric is obviated. The prongs are also provided with barbs inclined toward the base 0', as shown, to engage the collet and prevent withdrawal thereof from the latter. As shown in Fig. 4, said barbs are made within the outer sides of the'prongs, and the surface of the collet is slightlybeveled at the points where it engages the barbs for the purpose of making the engagement between them more positive; but, while we prefer such construction, it will be understood that said beveled surface could be omitted without materially affecting the operation of the button, and that the barbs can be located upon either'side of the prongs or can entirely encircle them. The small lips or tongues 19 eXertaspring-pressure against the inner sides of the prongs and positively prevent the latter from being forced away, from their engagement with the collet. In order to still further insure this result, we prefer to increase the usual diameter of the circular struek up portion or annulus a of the cap a, as previously stated, sufficiently to cause the ends of the prongs to engage the inner side thereof, as

shown in Fig. 4, whereby said inner curved surface of the annulus acts as a wedge to force said prongs away from each other.

To apply the button thus constructed to a garment it is necessary simply to thrust the prongs of the shank through the fabric from the inner side of the latter, apply the body of the button, composed of the collet and cap, to the ends of the prongs upon the outer side of the fabric, and press said body down upon the prongs as far as it will go. The firm hold taken by the barbed prongs upon the collet render it practically impossible for any amount of strain upon the garment to separate the body of the button from the shank, while the fact that none of the fibers of the fabric are ruptured by the insertion of the prongs therethrough renders the button when thus attached fullyas strong as and much more durable than a sewed button. The base of the shank, moreover, being composed of a single bar of wire, cannot be a source of inconvenience to the wearer of the garment, as is the case with buttons having a large and rigid base.

In Fig.6 we have shown the base of the shank as being made in curved form instead of a straight bar, the curves somewhat resembling the letter S, and in Fig. 7, substantially the same form, but slightly elongated, is shown. \Ve prefer to make the base of substantially this form, inasmuch as a greater area of the fabric upon its rear side is thereby engaged, while the open nature of the base prevents it from being a source of annoyance to the wearer of the garment In Fig. 8 the collet is shown provided with three orifices to adapt it to receive three prongs on the shank instead of two. hen the shank has more than two prongs, we prefer to make the base either of a flat coil of wire or of a flattened metallic or other disk, and to secure the prongs thereto bysoldering or by any other convenient method. It will be observed that the operation of the annulus a and lips or tongues 0 to retain the prongs in engagement with the collet, will be the same whether two or more than two prongs be employed.

It will be observed, as hereinbefore stated, that the button herein shown and described is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, while being exceedingly strong and durable. It is likewise neat and attractive in appearance, can be passed through a button-hole as readily as a sewed button, and can be almost instantly attached to a garment, thus eitecting a great saving in time in large establishments where ready-made clothing is manufactured.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The button herein described, comprising a collet having a plurality of orifices, and an independent shank having a plurality of pointed prongs barbed upon one side, said collet being provided with the spring-lips b partly cut out of the same and which engage the sides of the inserted prongs opposite to their said barbs, thereby forcing the latter into and maintaining them in engagement with the edges of the orifices,substantially as set forth.

2. The button herein described, composed of a cap, a collet, and a shank provided with a plurality of pointed and barbed prongs, said collet having a plurality of orifices to receive said prongs, and said cap havingacentrally-disposed annulus struck up therein, the diameter of which is such that its inner curved edge will engage the ends of the prongs of the shank when the latter are in engagement with the collet, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The button herein described, composed of the cap a, having annulus a, arranged as described, collet I), having the inwardly-bent lips or tongues b and shank c, composed of base 0 and prongs c formed from a single piece of wire, said prongs being pointed at the ends and having barbs therein, substantially as set forth.

EUGENE M. CHAPMAN. NATHAN D. INGRAM. Witnesses:

W. H. CHAPMAN, J. E. CHAPMAN.

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