US3135032A - Button - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1964 H. E. ALTHENS 3,135,032

BUTTON Filed Dec. 13, 1961 FIG 2 FIG 5 FIG 9 FIG IO INVENTOR. HERBERT E. ALTHENS AT TOR EIY United States Patent 3,135,032 BUTTON Herbert E. Althens, Auburndale, Mass., assignor to The Reece Corporation, Waltham, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Dec. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 158,980 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-101) This invention relates to buttons and more particularly to a shank type button wherein the head of the button is maintained in an elevated position with respect to the garment to which the button is attached.

Buttons in use at the present time, fall into two categories, flat buttons and shank buttons. The type which is used with a particular garment depends upon the desires of the garment manufacturer. However, when the garment has substantial thickness it is desirable to use either the shank type button or to provide a neck of thread under a fiat button so that the head of the button will be elevated with respect to the garment whereby the edges of the buttonhole formed in another portion of the garment will lie under the button without being unduly compressed when the garment is buttoned.

With each of the above types of button, the threads which fasten the button to the garment come into engagement with the threads which bind the edges of the buttonhole. Inasmuch as each group of threads presents a rough surface to the other, they act as a rasp to each other causing undue wear and eventual breaking of threads. This results in either the fraying of the edges of the buttonhole or breaking of the threads holding the button to the garment. The latter results in the button dropping off and consequently the danger of losing the button. Should the button be matched to others on the garment, loss of the button necessitates either replacing all buttons or searching for a matching button.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved button wherein the threads securing the button to a garment will be positioned so as not to engage the binding threads of a buttonhole when the garment is buttoned.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved button wherein a smooth surface is presented to the edges of a buttonhole at all times when the button is disposed therein.

A further object is to provide an improved button which eliminates the necessity of providing a neck of thread and a winding therefor when the button is to be used with a garment having substantial thickness.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved button which will remain in the buttonhole should its fastening threads be broken while the garment is buttoned.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a section of a garment showing the button of the present invention mounted on one portion of the garment and received in a buttonhole formed in another portion of the garment;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the button removed from the buttonhole;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the button and garment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional view through the buttonhole portion of a garment and showing the button of the present invention received therein;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the button forming the subject of this invention;

3,135,032 Patented June 2, 1964 ice FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the button of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom plan view of the button of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of the modified button formed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 9 is an end elevational view of the button of FIGURE 8; and,

FIGURE 10 is a top plan view of the button of FIG- URE 8.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a portion 10 of the garment which is provided with a conventional stitched edge buttonhole 12. Another portion 14 of the garment has secured thereon a button 16 which may be inserted in the buttonhole 12. The button 16 is formed of a base 18, and a neck 26 extending upwardly from the central portion of the base 18 and a head 22 mounted on the upper end of the neck 20. The base 18 and the head 22 extend parallel to each other and in most cases the head 22 will be of a larger diameter than the base 18. The neck 20 can be of any desired length, which would be determined by the thickness of the garment with which the button 16 is to be used.

In order to secure the button 16 to the portion 14 of the garment the base 18 is provided with a plurality of holes 24 extending vertically therethrough. The holes 24 are positioned substantially at the corners of a square surrounding the neck 20, as seen more clearly in FIG- URE 7. Fastening stitches 26 are adapted to extend through the holes 24, as seen in FIGURE 3, thus securing the button 16 to the garment portion 14.

The stitches 26 are arranged in two groups with each group passing through a pair of holes 24. The upper surface of the base 18 is provided with a pair of parallel grooves 28 each of which extends between two of the holes 24-. The grooves 28 are provided for the reception of the portion of the stitches 26 which pass over the upper surface of the base 18, whereby the stitches 26 will be recessed below the upper surface of the base 18 and not come in contact with the binding threads of the buttonhole 12, when the garment is buttoned as shown in FIGURE 3. The head 22 of the button 16 is provided with a pair of parallel slots 34 which extend vertically therethrough and are in alignment with the grooves 28. The slots 36 are of a length so as to expose the holes 24, which are connected by the grooves 23. Thus the button 16 may be attached to a garment portion 14 by means of the conventional button sewers now in use, as the provision of the slots 30 will allow the stitches 26 to be drawn tightly into the grooves 28 when the needle of the machine passes downwardly through the button 16.

Inasmuch as a button is generally pulled from the garment when the garment is buttoned, the provision of the head 22 and base 18 on the button 16 will cause the button to be retained in the buttonhole 12, as shown in FIGURE 4, thereby minimizing the chances of losing the button. Further, since the length of the neck 20 will be governed by the thickness of the garment, there will be no compressing of the edges of the buttonhole 12 which would detract from the general appearance of the garment.

FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a button 32 which is a modification of the button 16 shown in FIGURES 1 to 7. This button 32 is formed of an imperforate head 34 having a neck 36 extending downwardly from the central portion thereof. At the end of the neck 36 there is provided a bar 38 which is circular in cross section as seen in FIGURE 9. The neck 36 is joined to the midpoint of the bar 38, and grooves 40 are formed in each end of the bar 38 between the neck 36 and the end of the bar 38.

The grooves 40 are of such a depth as to receive the stitches 26 therein. Thus the stitches 26 will be disposed below the plane of the outer surface of the bar 38 and will not engage the binding threads of the buttonhole 12. This button may also be secured to the garment by means of the conventional button sewing machine now in use. It is merely necessary to place the button 32 so that the neck 36 thereof is in a perpendicular position with respect to the plane of movement of the needle of the machine, and then stitches can be placed over the ends of the bar 38 after which the button 32 can be pivoted to its normal position.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A button comprising a head portion, a neck portion and a base portion, said neck portion being secured to said head and base portions centrally thereof and maintaining said head and base portions in fixed spaced relation to each other, said head portion extending outwardly from said neck portion a distance at least equal to the length of outward extension of said base portion, said base portion being provided with means therein for receiving securing means to fasten said button to a garment, said means in said base portion permitting said securing means to be dis osed within the area bounded by the planes of the top and side surfaces of said base portion, said base portion comprising a first circular disk having a plurality of holes extending vertically therethrough, said holes being equally spaced around said neck, said base portion being provided with a plurality of grooves in the upper surface thereof, said grooves connecting pairs of said holes, said head portion comprising a second circular disk, there being slots in said second disk extending vertically therethrough, said slots being each in line with one of said grooves and being of a length equal to the spacing of the holes in said base portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 78,535 Mudler June 2, 1868 237,342 Van Wagenen Feb. 1, 1881 1,610,309 Niederer Dec. 14, 1926 1,662,483 Wood Mar. 13, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,095 Germany July 28, 1939 857,870 Germany Dec. 1, 1952 258,103 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1926 7,798 Great Britain of 1938 262,869 Switzerland Oct. 17, 1949

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