US2776434A

US2776434A - Button attachment for garments

Info

Publication number: US2776434A
Application number: US484016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerhard A Ellestad
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-01-25
Filing date: 1955-01-25
Publication date: 1957-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1974-01-08

Description

1957 G. A. ELLESTAD BUTTON ATTACHMENT FOR GARMENTS Filed Jan. 25. 1955 m m m w.

United States Patent BUTTON ATTACHMENT FOR GARMENTS Gerhard A. Ellestad, Rochester, N. Y. Application January 25, 1955, Serial No. 484,016

9 Claims. (Cl. 2123) This invention relates to garment buttons and more particularly it has reference to ornamental button devices or attachments which are adapted to be detachably secured to the common type of pearl buttons or the like which are sewed onto garments such as the cuffs of shirts. This type of button is sewed onto one portion of the cutl so that it may cooperate with a button hole in another portion of the cuff to hold the portions in overlapped relation. Such commonly used sewed-on buttons are not ornamental and hence they do not enhance the appearance of the end for dress wear.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an attachment or device of the type described having an ornamental bottom which will enhance the appearance of the cuff and be adapted to cooperate properly with the button hole in the cuff for holding the parts together.

Another object is to provide an auxiliary ornamental button which may be detachably secured to a sewed-on button on a garment so that the ornamental button may be held in proper position for cooperation with the button hole in the adjacent part of the garment.

A further object is to provide an ornamental button device of the type described having an attaching clip which can be slipped over a sewed-on button on a shirt cult and held in place by the coaction of a part of the clip with the edge of the cuff.

Still another object is to provide an ornamental button attachment of the type described which will be simple in structure yet eflicient in operation.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of part-s as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 180,859, filed on August 22, 1950, now abandoned.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of an unbuttoned shirt cufi showing my ornamental button device attached to the sewed-on button on one portion of the cuff.

Fig. Zjs a view, partly in section, showing the relation of the parts when the cuff is buttoned on the ornamental auxiliary button.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the under side of the auxiliary ornamental button and attaching clip.

Fig. 4 is a similar view, on a smaller scale, taken from another viewpoint.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view, with a part in section, showing a modification of my ornamental button device.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, showing the device of Fig. 5 attached to a sewed-on button on a shirt cuif.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the relation of the parts when the cuif is buttoned on the ornamental button of Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view, with parts in 2,775,434 Patented Jan. 3, 3.95?

section, showing another modification attached to a button on a cuif.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view thereof, on a reduced scale, with parts broken away.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the drawings wherein there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a fragmentary viewof a common type of shirt cuff having the two portions 10 and 11. The usual type of pearl or plastic button 12 is sewed onto the cuff portion 10 by the thread 13 and the cuif portion 11 is provided with the usual button hole 14 for cooperation with the button 12 to hold the cuff portions in overlapped relation in the customary manner.

My ornamental button device or attachment comprises the auxiliary ornamental button 15 which may be formed of any suitable material such as, for example, silver, gold or gold-filled sheet stock. The outer surface of the button 15 may be suitably ornamented by engraving, stamping or any other type of embellishment. Secured to the under surfaces of button 15, by soldering or other suitable means, is a post means 16 having a slot 17 formed in its outer end. An attaching button-embracing clip 18, made of spring wire, is reversely formed to provide a substantially horizontally extending U-shaped clip having an upper portion comprising the two spaced arms 19 and a lower portion comprising the two spaced arms 20. The upper arms 19 are connected by an in tegral neck which is confined with the slot 17 by pinching together the sides of the slot so that the clip 18 is r-ockably secured to the button 15. The length of arms 19 is about the same as the radius of the sewed-on button 12 so the post 16 is located over the central part of the sewed-on button.

The ends of arms 20 extend on opposite sides of thread 13 outwardly in diverging relation to each other as shown at 22 and thence upwardly and inwardly to provide loops 23 for receiving the sewed-on button 12, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The clip 18 is secured to the button 12 by forcing the loops 23 edgewise onto the button. Since the clip 18 is formed of spring wire, the loops 23 are yieldably separated as the clip 18 is forced onto the button 12 and the loops 23 spring back into normal position after they have been forced past the diameter of button 12.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the ornamental button 15 may be detachably secured to the sewed-on button 12. After the ornamental button 15 has been secured thusly to button 12, the button hole 14 may be brought into cooperative engagement with the ornamental button 15 so as to hold the cuff portion 11 in proper relation to the cuff portion 10, as shown in Fig. 2. This can be accomplished because the ornamental button is held spaced above the plaue of the upper portion 19 of the clip a distance sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the cuff portion 11 and also because the post means 16, which so holds the ornamental button 15, is connected only to the substantially central portion of the under side of ornamental button 15. Hence, the ornamental button 15 is held spaced above and in substantial alignment with the sewed-on button 12 and with the post means 16 substantially aligned with the thread 13 so that the ornamental button 15 is in proper position for cooperation with the button hole 14 on the cuff portion 11. The clip 18 and its attached ornamental button 15 may, of course, be removed from button 12 by forcing the clip so that the resilient loops 23 will yield laterally and permit the clip to be pulled away from the button 12.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5-7, the buttonembracing, attaching clip 30 is made of a piece of spring wire which is reversely bent to provide a horizontally extending, U-shaped clip having an upper portion comprising the two spaced arms 31 connected by the bends 31' to the two spaced arms 32 comprising the lower portion. The upper arms 31 have upwardly extending parts 33 connected by a neck 34 which is held within a slot 35 formed in the lower end of post 36 which is attached to and depends from the under side of the ornamental button 37. The slotted end of post 36 is squeezed together so that the button 37 is rockably mounted on the clip 30. The arms 32 extend forwardly and terminate in reversely formed ends or hook means 38.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the clip 30 is slipped over the edge of a sewed-on button 39 which is attached to the cutf portion 40 by means of thread 41. The sewed-on button 39 is embraced by the arms 31 forming the upper portion of the clip 30 and the arms 32 forming the lower portion. The slot means or space 42 between the arms 32 receives the thread 41 so that the arms 32 are positioned on opposite sides of the thread. The arms 32 which extend forwardly are of such length that the hook means 38 may be hooked over the adjacent edge 43 of the cuff portion 40.

This latter operation may be readily effected by folding or pulling back the edge 43 of the cufi portion so that it can be placed within the hook means 38. The length of arms 32 should preferably be such as to provide a slight movement of the clip 30 in a direction perpendicular to the cuff edge 43 in order to take care of variations in distance between the sewed-on button 39 and the edge 43 of the cuff. Since an arm 32 is positioned on each side of the thread 41, movement of the clip 30 in a direction parallel to the edge of the cuff is prevented. The clip 30 is accordingly detachably held on the sewed-on button so that the ornamental button 37 is held spaced above and in substantial alignment with the sewed-on button. The other cufi. portion 4-4, which has the button hole 45, can therefore be fastened by cooperation of the ornamental button 37 with the button hole 45. In this modification, the post means is also connected to the under side of the central portion of the ornamental button 37 and since the length of arms 31 is about the same as the radius of the sewed-on button 39, the ornamental button 37 is substantially aligned with the sewed-on button.

A further modification is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 wherein a button-embracing, attaching clip 50 is formed of sheet material, such as suitable metal, to provide a horizontally extending, U-shaped clip having the upper portion 51 which is connected by the bend 52 to a lower portion 53. The upper portion 51 has an upwardly extending post means 54 which is connected to the central portion of the under side of the ornamental button 55 as by soldering, for example. The lower portion 53 extends forwardly and terminates in a reversely formed end or hook means 54. Formed in the lower portion 53 is the longitudinally extending space or slot 56 which has an open end or mouth 57.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the clip 50 is slipped over the edge of a sewed-on button 58, attached to a shirt cuff 59 by thread 60, so that the upper portion 51 engages the top side of the sewed-on button 58 and the lower portion 53 engages the lower side of the sewed-on button 58. As the clip 50 is moved forward, the thread 69 enters the mouth 57 of the slot 56 and thence moves into the slot. The edge 61 of the cutf is folded or pulled back slightly and then positioned within the hook means 54. The clip 56 and its ornamental button 55 are thereby detachably held on the sewed-on button. To remove the clip 50 and the ornamental button, the edge 61 of the cuff is pulled back to free it from the hook means 54 so that the clip 56 may be slid off from the sewed-on button and its attaching thread.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide means whereby an ornamental button may be detachably secured to a sewed-on button so that the ornamental button may be held in proper position for cooperation with the button hole in a cuif or the like. While the devices are shown and described as being made of metal it is, of course, obvious that they could be made of other materials such as suitable plastics. Or the device could be made with a combination of metal and plastic parts as, for example, by molding a colored plastic ornamental button with integral post means and connecting it to an attaching, button-embracing clip formed of spring wire or sheet metal of the proper characteristics. In the forms of the device shown in Figs. 1-4 and 5-7, the ornamental button is mounted to tilt or rock on the supporting clip structure. Such a mounting facilitates the operation of buttoning the ornamental button to the button hole. However, the ornamental button may be rigidly mounted as shown, for example, in the device in Figs. 8 and 9. Since the ornamental button is, in all modifications, held spaced above and substantially in alignment with the sewed-on button by the centrally positioned post means, the ornamental button is held in proper position for cooperation with the button hole in a neat and efiicient manner.

Various modifications can, obviously, be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A button device adapted to be detachably secured to the sewed-on button of a shirt cuff having another portion provided with a button hole for cooperation with the button, said device comprising an ornamental auxiliary button, a button-embracing attaching clip constructed to be detachably secured to the sewed-on button, said clip being of U-shape and having upper and lower portions adapted to be positioned, respectively, on the upper and lower sides of the sewed-on button, the lower portion comprising spaced arms between which the thread of the sewed-on button is adapted to be received, and post means connecting the upper portion to the ornamental button to space the ornamental button above the portion, said post means being located inwardly from the peripheral edge of the ornamental button and extending downwardly to said upper portion from the ornamental button, said post means lying only in the central vertical plane of the ornamental button whereby the latter will be aligned substantially with the sewed-on button when the device is attached thereto so that the ornamental button may cooperate with the button hole for holding the portions of the cufr together.

2. An auxiliary ornamental button device adapted to be attached to a sewed-on button held by thread on a cult having a button hole for cooperation with the sewed-on button, said device comprising an ornamental button of such size and shape that it will pass through the button hole on the cuff, a horizontally extending, U-shaped button-embracing clip having upper and lower portions, the lower portion comprising two spaced arms for receiving the thread therebetween, post means extending downwardly from the under side of said ornamental button and only at the central portion thereof, the lower end of the post means being connected to the upper portion of the clip at a point which is spaced from the bend of the clip a distance which is at least equal to the radius of the sewed-on button whereby the device may be attached to a sewed-on button by sliding the clip onto the sewed-on button with the upper and lower portions positioned, respectively, along the upper and lower sides of the sewed-on button and with the arms positioned on opposite sides of the thread and with the ornamental button positioned above and substantially in alignment with the sewed-on button so that the ornamental button may cooperate with the button hole.

3. A button device adapted to be detachably secured to the sewed-on button on a portion of a garment having another portion provided with a button hole for cooperation with the button, said device comprising an ornamental auxiliary button, and a clip adapted to be detachably secured to the sewed-on button, said clip having a portion adapted to be positioned at the upper side of the sewed-on button, and post means secured to and projecting above said portion and connected to the ornamental button, said clip having a lower portion adapted to be positioned at the under side of the sewed-on button, said lower portion having spaced arms between which the thread of the sewed-on button is adapted to be received, said post means being positioned symmetrically and inwardly from the edges of the ornamental button whereby the latter is held in spaced relation above said port and in position to cooperate with the button hole for holding the portions of the garment together.

4. A button device for use on a sewed-on button of the type secured to a shirt cuif for holding the parts of the cufi in overlapped relation, said device comprising an ornamental button and means for detachably securing said ornamental button to the sewed-on button with the ornamental button adapted to be held in spaced relation above the sewed-on button, said means comprising a substantially U-shaped member having an upper portion adapted to be positioned substantially on the upper surface of the sewed-on button and a lower portion adapted to be positioned underneath the sewed-on button, said lower portion comprising two spaced diverging members adapted to extend beyond the periphery of the sewed-on button and thence upwardly and inwardly to form loops adapted to receive the edge of the sewed-on button, said diverging members being laterally and resiliently yieldable whereby the device is adapted to be detachably held on the sewed-on button, said ornamental button being secured to said upper portion and lying in a plane spaced 7 above said upper portion.

5. A button device adapted to be detachably secured to a sewed-on button which is attached by thread to a portion of a shirt cuff having another portion provided with a button hole, said device comprising an ornamental auxiliary button, a horizontally extending, U-shaped clip having upper and lower portions, post means connecting the ornamental auxiliary button to the upper portion of the clip and holding the ornamental button spaced above said upper portion, the lower portion having a slot and projecting forwardly and terminating in hook means whereby the device may be detachably secured to a sewed-on button by slipping the upper and lower portions of the clip over the respective top and lower sides of the sewed-on button with the thread positioned in said slot and with the hook means hooked over the adjacent edge of the cult so that the ornamental button may cooperate with the button hole for holding together the portions of the cuff.

6. The combination of a shirt cuff having a button hole, a sewed-on button secured to a portion of the cuff by thread, and an ornamental button device comprising an ornamental button, a horizontally extending U-shaped button-embracing clip having an upper portion engaging the top side of the sewed-on button and a lower portion engaging the bottom side of the sewed-on button, said lower portion having two spaced arms positioned, respectively, on opposite sides of the thread, post means connecting the central portion of the ornamental button to the upper portion of the clip for holding the ornamental button above said upper portion, said lower portion extending forwardly beyond the sewed-on button to the adjacent edge of the cufi, and hook means formed on the projecting end of said lower portion and hooked over the edge of the cuff whereby the device is detachably held on the sewed-on button so that the ornamental button may cooperate with the button hole to hold the portions of the cult together.

7. The combination of a shirt cuff, a sewed-on button secured to a portion of the cuff by thread, and an ornamental button device comprising an ornamental auxiliary button, a horizontally extending U-shaped clip hav ing an upper portion engaging the top of the sewed-on button and a lower portion comprising two spaced arms which are positioned under the sewed-on button with the arms on opposite sides of the thread, post means connecting the ornamental button to the upper part of the clip and holding the ornamental button in spaced relation above the upper part of the clip, said arms extending forwardly beyond the sewed-on button and terminating in hooks which hook over the adjacent edge of the cuit whereby the ornamental button is detachably held on the cult in position to cooperate with the button hole for holding the portions of the cuff together.

8. A button device adapted to be detachably secured to the sewed-on button on a portion of a shirt cuff having another portion provided with a button hole for cooperation with the button, said device comprising an ornamental auxiliary button, a post connected to the auxiliary button and projecting below the under side thereof, said post having a slot in its lower end, and a clip adapted to be detachably secured to the sewed-0n button, said clip having a part which is rockably held in said slot whereby the ornamental button is held above said part and in position to cooperate with the button hole for holding the portions of the cuff together.

9. The combination of a garment having a portion with a button hole, a sewed-on button secured near the edge of another portion of the garment by thread, and an ornamental button device comprising an ornamental button, a button-embracing clip having an upper portion positioned at the top slide of the sewed-on button and a lower portion located on the under side of the sewed-on button, means connecting the ornamental button to the upper portion, said lower portion having spaced arms providing slot means within which the thread is received, at least one of the arms projecting forwardly to the adjacent edge of the garment portion, and hook means formed on the end of the forwardly projecting arm, said hook means being hooked over the adjacent edge of the garment whereby the ornamental button device is detachably held on the sewed-on button so that the ornamental button may cooperate with the button hole to hold the portions of the garment in buttoned relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,993 Lowell May 20, 1884 1,477,475 De Talmond Dec. 11, 1923 1,551,051 Pollard Aug. 25, 1925 1,774,033 Myers et al Aug. 26, 1930 2,478,699 Silman Aug. 9, 1949