GB2135567A

GB2135567A - Improvements relating to buttons

Info

Publication number: GB2135567A
Application number: GB08403336A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-02-08
Filing date: 1984-02-08
Publication date: 1984-09-05
Also published as: GB8403336D0

Abstract

A button assembly comprises a button portion 1 having a central opening which receives a shaft of a needle portion 2. Tangs 7 on the needle portion 2 are pressed through the opening in the button portion 1 and snap out into an enlargement 6 of the opening thus causing a piece of material 5 through which the needle portion has passed, to be gripped between the button portion 1 and a backing plate 3. The part of the needle portion carrying the pointed tip 4 can then be removed by breaking or cutting on the fracture line 9. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to buttons The object of this invention is to provide a button which may be applied readily to clothing or the like and ideally will avoid the need for using a needle and thread. The sewing on of buttons is a time-consuming operation and one which is difficult to carry out automatically using a machine.

In accordance with the preC tnt invention there is provided a button for clothes and the like, comprising a button portion having a generally central opening and a needle portion, the needle portion having a tip at one end, an intermediate shaft, and a backing plate at the other end, locking means for holding the intermediate shaft in place on the button portion after passage of the intermediate shaft through the hole in the button portion, and release means enabling the tip of the needle portion to be removed.

With this form of button the needle portion is driven through the piece of cloth to which the button is to be applied and is then slotted through the hole in the button portion. The locking means will then secure the button portion onto the needle portion and once the tip of the needle portion has been removed the operation is complete. Thus buttons may be applied very easily and quickly and machine application of such buttons should be relatively simple.

It is preferred that the opening in the button portion should be enlarged to receive the locking means on the shaft so that the locking means will be tucked away between the upper and lower faces of the button portion. If the opening incorporates an enlargement on both faces of the button portion, then the button portion may be located over the shaft in either attitude.

The locking means may take many forms and in one preferred arrangement it will comprise locking tangs on the intermediate shaft, whose free ends face in the direction towards the backing plate. As an alternative the locking means could comprise a compressible portion of the shaft defining a flange facing the backing plate.

Another possibility is to provide locking means in the form of a locking washer which will grip the shaft and prevent withdrawal thereof through the button portion. This locking washer could be an integral part of the button portion.

Another means of fixing the needle portion in position would be to insert a pin through a hole in the intermediate shaft. It would also be possible to form the intermediate shaft in two parts interconnected with one another by looped portions so that the part carrying the needle tip can be moved within the loop of the other part to lie generally at right angles to the backing plate and thus operate as the locking means.

The backing plate may readily incorporate raised pointed studs facing in the same direction as the intermediate shaft. These studs will grip the cloth and help to hold the whole button assembly in place.

In most embodiments it is preferred that the release means should enable the needle tip to be removed completely from the combined button portion and needle portion. Thus the release means could be defined by a fracture line on the intermediate shaft enabling the end of the shaft to be broken or cut off. Alternatively the release means could be defined by forming the intermediate shaft in two parts, one of which incorporates the needle tip and is removably mounted about the other part. The shaft may be of continuously tapering form and in this case in particular, no fracture line or the like may be necessary if the needle tip is simply to be cut off.

The button portion in particular can be made from a great variety of natural or manufactured materials. In most instances it is envisaged that the needle portion will be constructed from metal or will be moulded or otherwise formed from plastics materials.

The invention may be performed in various ways and preferred embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section through a piece of cloth to which has been applied a button of this invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section view through a modified form of needle portion; Figure 3 is a cross-section through a piece of cloth and a button portion illustrating a further modified form of needle portion; Figure 4 is a side view of a still further example of a needle portion; Figure 5 is a cross-section through another preferred form of button of this invention attached to a piece of cloth; and Figure 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a button portion of a button of this invention.

The button illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a button portion 1 together with a needle portion 2.

The needle portion 2 has a backing plate 3 at one end and a pointed tip 4 at the other end. This tip 4 can be driven through a piece of cloth 5 onto which the button is to be applied, and will then be pushed through an opening 6 in the button portion 1 until tangs 7 enter an enlarged recess of the opening 6 and lock the needle portion 2 against withdrawal back through the button portion 1. Additional tangs 8 may be provided to locate over the other side of the material 5 and ensure that there is a small gap between the button and the cloth 5. The intermediate shaft of the needle 2 incorporates a fracture line 9 enabling the end of the needle portion to be broken away once the button has been fixed in place.

Figure 2 illustrates an alternative construction for the needle portion 2 where the tip has a short sleeve 10 formed at one end which will locate over a boss 11 on the remaining part of the needle portion 2 just above the tangs 7. When this needle portion has been inserted through the button portion the upper section incorporating the tip 4 can be removed once the button is secured in place. The tip 4 could then be used as the top end of further needle portions of the form as shown in Figure 2.

The needle portion 2 illustrated in Figure 3 has a compressible part 12 which can be forced through the narrow part of the opening 6 until it snaps out again into the widened part of the opening 6 to hold the needle portion 2 securely in place. Again a fracture line 9 is provided to enable the tip 4 to be broken or cut off.

The needle portion 2 shown in Figure 4 has a lower part 1 3 carrying the backing plate 3 and an upper part 14 incorporating the tip 4. A slot 1 5 is formed in the part 14 and a similar slot is formed in the narrow section 16 of the part 13. Thus the parts 13 and 14 are linked to one another by means of the slots and the part 1 5 can be moved relative to the part 1 3 (once the needle portion has been inserted through the button portion) so as to lie parallel with the backing plate 3. Thus part 14 will then rest within the enlarged part of the opening 6 in the button portion and will hold the parts of the button together against accidental release.

In the modified form of button shown in Figure 5 the button portion 1 has an enlarged recess 6B on both faces. The button portion 1 can then be placed on the piece of cloth 5 in either attitude.

Also if the needle portion 2 were to be formed with two sets of tangs 7 and 8 (as illustrated in Figure 1) these two sets would be received in the respective enlargements 6B. In the arrangement shown in Figure 5 the shafi- of the needle portion 2 is of continuously tapered form. Also it does not incorporate a fracture line as such but can readily be cut off flush with the surface of the button portion 1 after assembly (such as with a sharp knife). A further modification is that the backing plate 3 incorporates a ring of raised pointed studs 1 8 which press into the cloth 5 and thus help to retain the whole button assembly in place.

Figure 6 shows the button portion 1 formed with the narrow opening part 6A to receive the needle portion and the wider part 6B of the opening which will receive the locking means. The locking means in this example comprises a locking washer 1 7 which will be forced over the shaft of the needle portion and thus hold it against withdrawal back down through the opening 6A. The locking washer 1 7 could of course be formed as an integral part of the button if desired.

The needle portions in the example shown in the drawings will be made from a plastics material of a strength sufficient to enable the pointed tip 4 to be driven through a piece of cloth.

The button portion 1 can be formed from any of a variety of materials from which most buttons are conventionally made and can of course incorporate any desired decorative effects.

Claims

1. A button for clothes and the like comprising a button portion having a generally central opening and a needle portion, the needle portion having a tip at one end, an intermediate shaft and a backing plate at the other end, locking means for holding the intermediate shaft in place on the button portion after passage of the intermediate shaft through the hole in the button portion, and release means enabling the tip of the needle portion to be removed.

2. A button according to claim 1, wherein part of the opening in the button portion is enlarged to receive the locking means on the shaft.

3. A button according to claim 2, wherein the opening incorporates an enlargement on both faces of the button portion.

4. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locking means comprises locking tangs on the intermediate shaft, whose free ends face in the direction towards the backing plate.

5. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locking means comprises a compressible portion of the shaft defining a flange facing the backing plate.

6. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locking means comprises a locking washer which will grip the shaft and prevent withdrawal thereof through the button portion.

7. A button according to claim 6, wherein the locking washer is part of the button portion.

8. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locking means is a pin for insertion through a hole in the intermediate shaft.

9. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the release means is defined by a fracture line on the intermediate shaft enabling the end of the shaft to be broken or cut off.

10. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the release means is defined by forming the intermediate shaft in two parts, one of which incorporates the needle tip and is removably mounted about the other part.

11. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intermediate shaft is in two parts interconnected with one another by looped portions so that the part carrying the needle tip can be moved within the loop of the other part to lie generally at right angles to the backing plate and thus operate as the locking means.

12. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the intermediate shaft is of continuously tapering form.

1 3. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the backing plate incoporates raised pointed studs facing in the same direction as the intermediate shaft.

14. A button according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the button portion and the needle portion are constructed from metal or are moulded or otherwise formed from plastics materials.

1 5. A button substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.