EP0159732A1

EP0159732A1 - Button

Info

Publication number: EP0159732A1
Application number: EP85200367A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sietze Zijl
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-03-30
Filing date: 1985-03-12
Publication date: 1985-10-30
Also published as: ZA852428B; DE8509027U1; AU4046285A; JPS60225503A; NL8401021A; DE3563303D1; ATE35086T1; EP0159732B1

Abstract

© The invention relates to a button, consisting of a carrier (1), to which a cover is connected. According to the invention the cover comprises a transparent outer foil (3) provided with a printing on its inner face, which inner face is directed to the carrier. In an important embodiment of the invention the cover further comprises an inner foil (2) positioned underneath the outer foil (3) between the outer foil (3) and the carrier (1).

Description

The invention relates to a button, consisting of a carrier, to which a cover is connected.
Such buttons, which comprise a carrier, that is provided with a cover, are known in several embodiments. An embodiment which is widely applied is the so-called cloth-covered button, wherein the cover consists of textile material. These cloth-covered buttons have the disadvantage, that they are not very resistant to wear. Further, these cloth-covered buttons often look rather monotonous.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a button, which is very wear-resistant and which has much more possibilities of variation in its appearance than the known cloth-covered buttons.
For this purpose the button according to the invention is characterized in that the cover comprises a transparent outer foil, provided with a printing on its inner face, which inner face is directed to the carrier.
In this manner wear or damage of the printing is effectively prevented. Furthermore many variations in the appearance of the buttons according to the invention may be realized.
Preferably, the cover further comprises an inner foil positioned underneath the outer foil between the outer foil and the carrier.
In this embodiment wear or damage of the printing is absolutely excluded, as this printing lies between the two foils. Therefore the lifetime of the button is still further increased. Due to the cooperation of the inner foil and the printing on the inner face of the outer foil, many different embodiments may be obtained in an extremely simple manner.
In order to connect the foil or foils to the carrier the foil(s) together with a cap of more rigid material may be beaded onto the carrier.
This cap may consist of brass, tinplate or the like material.
In the case that only the transparent outer foil is applied the printing on the inner face of the transparent outer foil may extend over the whole area of this inner face and may consist of at least one body colour.
In an attractive embodiment of the button according to the invention, wherein the transparent outer foil as well as the inner foil are applied, the printing on the inner face of the transparent outer-foil contains at least one body colour, which is locally interrupted.
In this embodiment the body colour(s) may leave free one or more open spaces, while as an alternative it is also possible that the local interruptions of the body colour(s) are filled in by one or more transparent colours.
A very surprising effect may be obtained when the inner foil is a diffraction-foil.
Excellent results may also be obtained when the inner foil is a holographic foil.
Further, the carrier may be at least partly made of metal.
According to the invention it is considered advantageous if the carrier comprises a conical side wall portion against which the beaded edges of the foil(s) and the cap rest, while the rear end of the conical side wall portion joins a cylindrical side wall portion of the carrier.
In this latter embodiment the carrier may contain a filler part of artificial material or the like, which filler part is positioned between this carrier and the cap.
The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the drawing, which shows several embodiments of the buttons according to the invention by way of example.

Fig. 1a is an exploded view of the parts of a first embodiment of the button according to the invention.
Fig. 1b shows the button obtained with the parts according to fig. 1a.
Fig. 2a is an exploded view of the parts of a second embodiment of the button according to the invention.
Fig. 2b shows the button obtained with the parts according to fig. 2a.
Fig. 3a is an exploded view of the parts of a third embodiment of the button according to the invention.
Fig. 3b shows the button obtained with the parts according to fig. 3a.

The drawing shows several embodiments of buttons according to the invention by way of example. These buttons each consist of a carrier 1, to which a cover is connected consisting of an inner foil 2 and an outer foil 3.
In general the outer foil 3 is made of transparent artificial material, e.g. of polyvinylchloride, so that this foil 3 can excellently resist external influences, such as chemical influences, temperatures or the like.
The inner foil 2 may also be made of artificial material.
The outer foil 3 is provided with a printing on its inner face, i.e. the face directed to the inner foil 2. It is for example possible that the printing on the inner face of this outer foil 3 contains at least one body colour, which is locally interrupted, so that this body colour leaves free one or more open spaces 4, which may be filled in by one or more transparent colours, if desired. When the open space 4 should form one or more letters, these letters are shown on the inner face of the outer foil 3 in reversed shape.
The inner foil 2 may be a coloured foil, whilst extremely interesting effects are obtained, when a diffraction-foil or a holographic foil is chosen as the inner foil 2.
During tests excellent results were obtained with a button, wherein the inner foil 2 was a diffraction-foil of metallized, embossed clear polyvinylchloride.
Both foils 2 and 3, together with a cap 5 of more rigid material, such as brass,tinplate or the like, are simultaneously beaded onto the carrier 1.
In the embodiment according to figs. 1a and 1b the carrier 1, which may be wholly made of metal, is intended to cooperate with a so-called "nail" 6. In use textile material extends between the carrier 1 and the "nail" 6. This type of button is called a "nail"-button, a patent button or a bachelor button.
In the embodiment according to figs. 2a and 2b the carrier 1 is again wholly made of metal and is provided with an eye 7. This button is indicated as a sewing-on button.
As shown in particular in figs. 1b and 2b, the carrier 1 comprises a conical side wall portion 8, against which the beaded edges of the two foils 2 and 3 and the cap 5 rest, while the rear end of this conical side wall portion 8 joins a cylindrical side wall portion 9 of the carrier 1. This cylindrical side wall portion 9 especially aims at realizing a fluent joining between the beaded edges of the foils 2, 3 and the cap 5 on the one hand and the carrier 1 on the other hand. In this way a practically flat rear side of the button is obtained.
The button according to figs. 3a and 3b is a so-called press-button. In the embodiment shown the metal carrier 1 contains a filler part 10 of artificial material or the like, which is positioned between the carrier 1, which is provided with the conical side wall portion 8 and the cylindrical side wall portion 9 on the one hand and the cap 5 on the other hand.
A spring means 11 cooperates with a part 12, which is provided with a head, that is clamped between the springs of the spring means 11 in the manner as customary with press-buttons.
Textile material extends between the carrier 1 and the spring means 11, as well as between the part 12 and a part 13, which serves for fixing the part 12.
According to the invention a button is obtained, which is wear resistant and which may be manufactured in many different embodiments in an extremely simple manner.
The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawing by way of example, which may be varied in several ways within the scope of the invention.
It is for instance possible to delete the inner foil 2, so that the inner face of the outer foil 3 is directly directed to the carrier 1. In that case the printing on the inner face of the transparent outer foil 3 extends over the whole area of this inner face and consists of at least one body colour. The outer foil 3 together with the cap 5 are beaded onto the carrier 1.

Claims

1. Button, consisting of a carrier, to which a cover is connected, characterized in that the cover comprises a transparent outer foil provided with a printing on its inner face, which inner face is directed to the carrier .

2. Button according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover further comprises an inner foil positioned underneath the outer foil between the outer foil and the carrier.

3. Button according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the foil(s) together with a cap of more rigid material are beaded onto the carrier.

4. Button according to claim 3,characterized in that the cap consists of brass, tinplate or the like material.

5. Button according to claim 1, characterized in that the printing on the inner face of the transparent outer foil extends over the whole area of this inner face and consists of at least one body colour.

6. Button according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the printing on the inner face of the transparent outer foil contains at least one body colour, which is locally interrupted.

7. Button according to claim 6, characterized in that the body colour(s) leave(s) free one or more open spaces.

8. Button according to claim 6, characterized in that the local interruptions of the body colour(s) are filled in by one or more transparent colours.

9. Button according to any one of claims 2 - 8, characterized in that the inner foil is a diffraction-foil.

10. Button according to claim 9, characterized in that the inner foil is a diffraction-foil of metallized, embossed clear polyvinylchloride.

11. Button according to any one of claims 2 - 8, characterized in that the inner foil is a holographic foil.

12. Button according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer foil is an artificial foil.

13. Button according to any one of claims 2 - 12, characterized in that the inner foil is an artificial foil.

14. Button according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier is at least partly made of metal.

15. Button according to claims 3 - 14, characterized in that the carrier comprises a conical side wall portion against which the beaded edges of the foil(s) and the cap rest, while the rear end of the conical side wall portion joins a cylindrical side wall portion of the carrier.

16. Button according to claim 15, characterized in that the carrier contains a filler part of artificial material or the like, which filler part is positioned between this carrier and the cap.