IE47396B1

IE47396B1 - Method of attaching buttons to garments

Info

Publication number: IE47396B1
Application number: IE1989/78A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Schaerer Andre J
Priority date: 1977-10-06
Filing date: 1978-10-04
Publication date: 1984-03-07
Also published as: FR2405035A1; DE2843589A1; IE781989L; GB2005316A; IT7828460A0; IT1099753B; SE7810435L; FI783039A; NL7810067A

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a method of applying buttons to garments which secures the button permanently. Conventionally, industrial sewing machines are employed to stitch a button to a garment. The solution proposed involves using a thread resistant to the solvents used in dry cleaning machines and attaching the button with a machine and employing the same machine to wrap the thread itself around the button shank, then treat the thread chemically in order that it forms a collar around and secured to the shank. Compositions of the thread and solvent for the chemical treatments are proposed.

Description

Method of attaching buttons to garments This invention relates to attaching buttons to garments.

In industry the attaching of buttons to men's and 5 ladies' garments gives rise to a long felt need for a method of securing the buttons which prevents them from falling off. Until now, there has been no lack of trials to find the means to eliminate this inconvenience. In most of the cases the quality of the sewing thread is 10 not to blame for this fault. The fault is mainly due to the method of attachment by which the button is merely fastened by chain stitches on a sewing machine on the bottom side of the fabric.

After the sewing procedure the sewins thread is 15 tied within the knotting by lifting the button-attaching device, whereby it can happen that the chain stitch is not properly knotted, or that by means of faulty stitching the end of the thread stands out. By pulling on this loose end of the thread, the chain stitching easily can 20 be loosened causing the button to drop off. An additional or subsequent wrapping of the button shank may be made by once again applying the chain stitch. If this wrapping of the thread round the shank is insufficient then again the button drops off. The efficiency of this shank 25 wrapping depends on whether the thread is loosely or tightly wrapped around the button shank.

Before today the best method of securing a button involved wrapping of the button shank by hand. This simultaneously achieves the desired standing of the button. According to experience the wrapping, applied by hand, loosens in time, so that this method of securing the button only results in a limited duration for the button remaining secure.

In the course of tests which led to the present 5 invention it was discovered that a wrapping which permanently presses the button shank is a practicable securing of the button. Also other methods can be applied, although the result will not be as clear as the one of the wrapping method. A practicable method for example is that the button shank is welded together by means of an ultra-sonic welding device. The disadvantage of this method is that the button shank becomes so thin by the welding, so that the button is hanging. The U.S. patent specification No. 3,213,816 describes a securing of the button which is achieved by applying a rubber band around the button shank without the effect of tightly wrapping the button shank.

With a method of attachment involving wrapping the button shank with a rubber band, applied under tension, a button attachment is achieved, which partly comes up to the required demands, but. still showing serious disadvantages. For instance, a rubber thread shows insufficient chemical resistance to solvents which are used in the dry-cleaning. Also the rubber thread can only be knotted with difficulty.

A further step taken to reach the desired attachment requirements is the use of a thread made out of elastomer-synthetic -hread instead of natural rubber.

Such elastomer-threa ;s are sold under the trade mark LYCRA and are proof .gainst the usual solvents used for dry cleaning. The wilding achieved by a LYCRA thread, applied under tension, wraps the button shank in a way that the winding permanently presses the shank, so that the button stands upright o.n the shank. The end of the · elastic thread can only be knotted with difficulty and 47398 - 3 cannot be sewn with the usual sewing machine.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of attaching buttons to garments in order to prevent the buttons falling off, comprising the steps of selecting a sewing thread made of natural or synthetic fibres, stitching a button to a garment using a sewing machine using said thread, wrapping the thread under tension around the shank of the button., applying a solvent to the thread which initially causes the thread to agglutinate whereby the shank of the button is clasped by a homogenous collar. In an embodiment the button securing is achieved by using a specially developed thread consisting of a soluble and swellable material. Such, a thread can be made for example out of vinyl-acetate, cellulose-acetate or cellulose-nitrate alone, or in combination with commercial fibres such as Cotton, Polyester or Polyamide.

If such a thread is used for wrapping the button-.shank and then is saturated with some drops of a solvent or swelling solution an immediate swelling and welding of the thread will follow. After the evaporation of the J 25 solvent or swelling solution two decisive procedures ! can be watched: I There is an enduring shrinkage of the wrapping which tightly clasps the button shank and guards same against loosening.

A welding achieved by agglutination of the thread to the shank takes place, so that the wrapping forms an elastic, durable and homogeneous collar which is free of knots.

Example: , A button which was attached by a commercial sewing - 4 machine with a commercial sewing thread. The shank was wrapped with the thread unner tension and without knotting. The thread was made of cellulose acetate.

Then the wrapping was saturated by several drops of a solvent such as, Acetone or Aethyl-Methylketone. The solvent caused an immediate swelling and agglutination of the thread, and subsequent the evaporation of the solvent simultaneously produced a shrinkage of the wrapping. The end of the thread was easily torn off from the wrapping when the thread was swollen, because the swollen thread had nearly no tensibility. After a few minutes the solvent evaporated and the wrapping formed an elastic collar, which was permanently pressing the button shank and prevented the button from falling off.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of attaching buttons to garments in order to prevent the buttons falling off, comprising the steps of 5 selecting a sewing thread made of natural or synthetic fibres, stitching a button to a garment using a sewing machine using said thread, wrapping the thread under tension around the 10 shank of the button, apply-ng a solvent to the thread which initially causes the thread to agglutinate whereby the shank of the button is clasped by a homogenous collar.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the thread 15 and solvent are selected such that initially after application of the solvent the wrapping swells accompanied by agglutination of the thread and then after evaporation of the solvent there is a tightening of the wrapping around the shank. 20

3. A method according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the thread is formed of Cellulose-acetate and the solvent is Acetone.

4. A method according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the thread is formed of Vinyl-acetate and the 25 solvent is Aethyl-Methylketone.

5. A method according to claim 1, substantially as herein described.