US591973A - Self-attaching button - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' N. D. INGRAM.

SELF ATTAGHING BUTTON.

Patented Oct. 19, 1897.

PETERQLQ, mom-uma. wasnmm'on. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN D. INGRAM, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCOVILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF W'ATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

SELF-ATTACHING BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591 ,973, dated October 19, 1897. Application filed ma 12,1894. Serial No; 510,988. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: taken at right angles to the View, Fig. 1. Fig.

Be it known that I, NATHAN D. INGRAM, a 3 is a sectional elevation showing the attachcitizen of the United States, residing at Holing device turned a quarter around to effect yoke, in the county of Hampden and State disengagement with the spring. Fig. 4 is a 5 of Massachusetts, have invented a certain plan view of the head of the button with the new and useful Improvement in Self-Attachface-plate removed. Fig. 5 .shows the various ing Buttons, of which the following is a full, parts of my button disassembled, the plates clear, and exact description. of the button-head being shown in section;

This invention relates to whatIhave termed and Fig. 6 is an elevation of a tack or attach- ID a self-attaching button that is to say, a ing device having a continuous circumferenbutton for practically permanent attachment tial groove. to garments, wherein the button-head and its The face-plate CL of the head and the back attaching device are made as separate parts plate b may be of metal, constructed and and the attaching device secured to the head united in any usual manner, and the base or I 5 in a more or less permanent manner, without back plate is provided with an opening 0.

the necessity of employing tools or impled is a coiled spring, with its coils normally ments for effecting the engagement of the set to act by their expansion. This spring is head and its attaching device. provided with ends d cl, which extend over In carrying out my invention, I use a butbetween the parallel flanges of the face and 20 ton-head of any suitable construction having back plates, so as to hold the coiled portion an opening in its back for the entrance of the upright and in line with the opening 0; but fastening medium and provided with a cavity obviously other provision may be made for for the reception of a coiled spring whose holding the coiled spring in position thus. coils straddle said opening, and for an'at- The fastening or attaching device is a 25 taching device I use a pointed and grooved pointed tack e, having the head e and the tack, the point of which is forced in between wedge-like point 6 and at theibase of this the coils of the spring until its groove or point the tack is provided on opposite sides grooves comes or come into engagement with with grooves 6 or instead of parallel grooves the coils of the spring, in such manner that a single groove 6 may be extended entirely 30 the coils of the spring by their engagement around the tack, as shown in Fig. 6. with such groove or grooves will efiect a more In order to apply my button to a garment, or less permanent engagement of the head the tack c is forced through the material of and its attaching device. the garment, and its point caused to enter in In one form of my invention, the grooves between the coils of the spring, and when the 35 are so made that the head may be separated point of the tack has passed up between these from the attaching device, and in another coils until its grooves come opposite the lower form such separation for all practical purlimbs of the coils, the contractile force or poses is impossible or very difficult of achievetension of the spring will cause its said lower inent. limbs to snap into said grooves, turning the 0 Having thus stated the principle of my intack if this be necessary to this end, and thus 0 vention, I will proceed now to describe the securely unite the head and the tack or fasbest mode in which I have contemplated aptening device and effect apractically permaplying that principle, and then will particunent and entirely secure engagement of the larly point out and distinctly claim the part, head and tack. f 45 improvement, or combination which I claim The shank of the button-head is conical or 5 as my invention. tapering, and sincethe strain put upon the In the accompanying drawings, illustrating button-head and communicated to the tack my invention, in the several Views of which will tend to draw the coils of the spring down likeparts are similarly designated, Figure l is into this conical, or tapering shank, it follows 5 asectional elevation. Fig. 2 is asimilarview that the coils will be pressed together and too against the tack and thereby the coils will be the more securely bound about and grip the said tack.

, In case it is desired to detach the buttonhead from its fastening device, one or the other of these devices will be held against rotation, and the other will be given a quarter-turn, so as to spread apart the coils of the spring, and thus free the grooves from engagement with said coils, as indicated in Fig. 3, and then the head and attaching device may be separated. Of course, in the use of the tack shown in Fig. 6, where a continuous groove 6 is employed, the button-head .is designed to be permanently attached to the said fastening device and may be removed therefrom only with difficulty.

As is obvious, buttons constructed in accordance with this invention may be assembled upon garments Without the use of special tools, the tack not requiring to be upset at its point or otherwise defaced to effect engagement of the tack and the button-head.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A self-attaching button, comprising a button-head having an opening in its back for the entrance of the point of the fastening medium and provided with a cavity adjacent to such opening, and a coiled spring arranged on edge or upright within such cavity with its coils straddling such opening to permit the entrance of the point of the fastening medium between such coils to be engaged by such coils, and constructed and arranged tobe engaged by and held in place between the face and back of the button-head, combined with a fastening medium, such as a pointed and grooved tack, substantially as described.

2. A self-attaching button comprising a head, having a tack-receiving opening in its base or back plate, and a coiled spring having its coils arranged upright in a cavity in said head and straddling said opening, and provided with laterally-extended anchoring arms or portions engaged between the face and back of the head, and a pointed and grooved attaching device adapted to be forced between the coils of the spring and to be engaged in its grooved portion by the coils of said spring, substantially as described.

3; A self -attaching button comprising a head, having a conical or tapering shank, provided with an opening, a coiled spring, having its coils arranged upright within said conical shank between the face and back of the button and in line with said opening, and an attaching device adapted to be passed into said opening and forced in between the coils of the spring and to be engaged by the said coils, the conical or tapering shank of the head serving to tighten the grip of the coil upon the attaching device as strain is put upon the attaching device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of May, A. D. 1894.

NATHAN D. INGRAM.

IVitnesses:

R. B. JoHNsoN, LoUIs S. AYER.

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