Button attaching device

A button attaching device for attaching a button having four holes to a layer of material includes a holder having a front end and a rear end, four rodless fastener dispensing needles projecting out from the front end of the holder and two fasteners, each having a foot at each end of an elongated filament. Each foot is removably mounted on one of the rodless fastener dispensing needles. A cover is removably mounted on the front end of the holder and includes an anvil. In use, the cover is removed from the holder and the layer of material placed on the cover over the anvil. The button is then placed over the layer of material. The holder is then pushed in the direction of the cover so that the needles and fastener feet extend through the holes in the button and through the layer of material, with the tips of the needles striking the anvil. The tension on the filaments of the fasteners causes the feet to pop out from the needles. The needles are then withdrawn leaving the button secured to the layer of material by the fasteners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a button attaching device and, more 
particularly to a hand operated button attaching device. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,925 to G. A. LaTorrace there is disclosed a one 
piece, durable button attaching device comprising a hollow pointed needle 
portion having a longitudinal slot along a portion of the top thereof. The 
rear end of the needle is immovably mounted in a rounded handle portion or 
other gripping means. Angular shaped fasteners having a vertical shank 
with a pair of oppositely slanting legs extend an equal distance from the 
top and bottom thereof forming approximately a 55 degree angle on one side 
of the shank and a 125 degree angle relative thereto on the other side. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,782 to W. H. W. Marsh et al. there is disclosed a 
button sewing device which includes a base, a pair of needles which carry 
collapsible thread formed loops, and project from the base for use in 
penetrating a layer of material and the holes of a button to be attached 
to the material; and with elastomeric material over the base compressible 
by pressure on the material to which the button is to be attached, and 
expandable to raise such material and thereby cause the loops to be opened 
above the button for receiving a thread bundle. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,698 to R. D. Davidson et al. there is disclosed a 
button attaching hand tool comprising a box-like structure which includes 
a fixed and adjustable needle, and which includes a button storage 
compartment. A slidable shroud on the box-like structure for extricating a 
button and material from the needles is movable between a position in 
which an operator is shielded from injury by the needles and another 
position in which the needles are exposed for button sewing use. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,562 to D. R. Davidson et al. there is disclosed a 
button attaching tool which includes a base, a pair of needles which have 
collapsible and expendable thread receiving eyes and which project from 
the base for use in penetrating a layer of material and the holes of a 
button to be attached to the material, and a member for stripping the 
material and button from the needles. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,101 to W. H. W. Marsh et al. there is disclosed a 
button attaching device having a bifurcated needle holding member which 
can be utilized to adjust the spacing between a pair of needles, and with 
a needle cover which attaches the bifurcated member to protect one from 
injury by the needles and form a unit that can be conveniently carried on 
the person of a user. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,162 to C. L. Deschenes et al., which is incorporated 
herein by reference, there is disclosed a fastener attaching tool 
particular suited for use in attaching buttons to clothing, etc. and which 
is constructed for use with a fastener clip which includes a pair of 
runner bars and one or more U-shaped fasteners having transverse bars at 
opposite ends, each transverse bar being connected on its side to a 
corresponding runner bar by a severable connector post. The tool includes 
a body having a front end. A pair of needles are pivotally mounted at the 
front end of the body, each needle having a longitudinal slotted bore 
adapted to receive one of the transverse bars and a knife edge formed on 
one side which is adapted to a connector post from its associated 
transverse bar as the transverse bar is pushed through the needle. The 
body is shaped to include a transverse feed slot down through which the 
fastener clip is manually inserted. The tool also includes an ejector 
mechanism which is slidable mounted back and forth within the body and is 
rearwardly biased by a spring. The ejector mechanism is moved manually 
forward from the rear of the tool and includes a pair of ejector rods 
which are in the needles. The body includes a pair of flexible fingers 
which cooperate with a pair of posts on the ejector mechanism to prevent 
automatic return of the ejector mechanism from its forwardmost position in 
the body to its rearwardmost position when forward pressure on the ejector 
mechanism is removed. 
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/305,486 filed on Sep. 13, 1994 in 
the name of Paul A. Davignon and assigned to the assignee of this 
application and which is incorporated herein by reference, there is 
disclosed a needle for use in the rodless dispensing of plastic fasteners 
of the type comprising a flexible filament and a cross-bar disposed at one 
end of the flexible filament. In one embodiment, the needle comprises a 
solid needle block assembly holder terminating at its front end in a top 
adapted to penetrate a desired article of commerce and a chamber adapted 
to receive a cross-bar of a plastic fastener. The chamber includes a front 
end, a rear end, an open top and an open bottom. The open top, which is 
spaced rearwardly a distance from the tip, is appropriately sized and 
shaped to permit the insertion and removal of a cross-bar into and from 
the chamber. The front end is downwardly angled towards the tip to 
releasably engage the top surface of the front end of the cross-bar, and 
the rear end has a pair of walls intersecting a V-shape to releasably 
engage both the top surface and the bottom surface of the rear end of the 
cross-bar in such a way as prevent the cross-bar from being pulled out of 
the chamber through the open top when low tension is applied to the 
flexible filament (i.e., prior to the complete insertion of the cross-bar 
through the article of commerce), but, yet, so as to cause the cross-bar 
to be pulled out of the chamber through the open top when high tension is 
applied to the flexible filament (i.e. following the complete insertion of 
the cross-bar through the article of commerce). 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and 
improved button attaching device. 
It is a another object of this invention to provide a button attaching 
device which is hand operated and which can be carried on the person of a 
user. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a button attaching 
device which is simple in construction, contains a minimum number of 
parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and is easy to use. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A button attaching device constructed according to one embodiment of this 
invention includes a holder having a front end and a rear end, a needle 
block mounted on the holder, a pair of rodless fastener dispensing needles 
mounted on the needle block and projecting out from the front end of the 
holder, a fastener having a foot at each end of a filament, each foot 
being removably mounted on one of the rodless fastener dispensing needles, 
and a cover removably mounted on the holder, the cover including an anvil. 
A button attaching device constructed according to another embodiment of 
this invention includes a holder having a front end and a rear end, a 
needle block mounted on each end of the holder, a pair of rodless fastener 
dispensing needles mounted on each needle block and projecting out from 
the holder, a pair of fasteners, each fastener fastener having a foot at 
each end of a filament, each fastener being removably mounted on one of 
the pairs of rodless fastener dispensing needles, a cover removably 
mounted on the front end of the holder and a cover removably mounted on 
the rear end of the holder, one of the covers including an anvil. 
Various features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth 
in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from 
the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. These 
embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled 
in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that 
other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without 
departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed 
description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the 
scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now to the drawings and first to FIGS. 1 through 9, there is 
shown a button attaching device constructed according to this invention 
and identified generally by reference numeral 11. 
Button attaching device 11 includes a holder 13, a needle block assembly 15 
and a cover 17. 
Holder 13 includes a front end 19 and a rear end 21. The outer surface 23 
of holder 13 is shaped with concave portions so that it can be grasped 
easily by the fingers of a user. Holder 13 is made of a durable plastic. 
Needle block assembly 15 includes a needle block 25, an upper pair of 
rodless fastener dispensing needles 27 and 29, a lower pair of rodless 
fastener dispensing needles 31 and 33 and two plastic fasteners 35 and 37. 
Needle block 25 is fixedly mounted by any suitable means in a recess 31 
formed in the front end 19 of holder 13. Needles 27 through 33 are 
identical in construction and are fixedly mounted by any suitable means on 
block 25. Needle block 25 is made of elastomeric material so that needles 
27, 29, 31 and 33 can accommodate variations in button hole spacings. 
Needles 27 and 29 are biased in towards each other to form an angle of 
about 10 degrees and needles 31 and 33 are angled in towards each other in 
the same way so that a four holed button can be mounted thereon, if 
desired, and will not fall off. Needles 27 through 33 may be, for example, 
needles such as shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
08/305,486. Fastener 35 includes a pair of feet (bars) 39 and 41 connected 
by a filament 43. Fastener 37 is identical to fastener 35 and includes a 
pair of feet 45 and 47 connected by a filament 49. Fasteners 35 and 37 may 
be, for example, fasteners such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,162. Feet 
39 and 41 of fastener 35 are removably seated in cavities 50-1 and 50-2 in 
needles 27 and 29. Fastener 37 is mounted on needles 31 and 33 in a 
similar manner. 
Cover 17 is slidably and removably mounted on needle block assembly holder 
13. Cover 17 comprises a tubular member 51 open at each end. An anvil 55 
is fixedly mounted by any suitable means at one end 56 of member 51. Anvil 
55 is made of a material which can be penetrated by needles 27 through 33. 
An example of such a material is soft plastic foam. A wall 57 formed in 
body 51 provides support for anvil 55. 
To use device 11 to attach a button B to a layer of material M, a person 
removes cover 17 from holder 13 and then places layer of material M on end 
56 of cover 17 and places button B over layer of material M, as shown in 
FIG. 9A. The user then pushes holder 13 toward cover 17 as shown by arrow 
A in FIG. 9 so that the tips of needles 27 through 33 and feet 39, 41, 45 
and 47 pass through holes 57, 59, 61 and 63, respectively in button B and 
pass through layer of material M, the tips of needles 27 through 33 
striking anvil 55. The tension on filaments 35 and 37 due to the length of 
filaments 35 and 37 and the thickness of button B and layer of material M 
causes feet 39, 41, 45 and 47 to pop out from their respective cavities in 
the needles. The user then pulls holder 13 back in the direction shown by 
arrow C in FIG. 9A, leaving button B secured to layer of material M by 
fasteners 35 and 37. 
In FIGS. 11-15 there is shown another embodiment of a button attaching 
device constructed according to this invention and identified by reference 
numeral 61. 
Device 61 includes a holder 63 having a front end 65 and a rear end 67, a 
pair of needle block assemblies 69-1 and 69-2, identical to needle block 
assembly 15, one fixedly mounted on each end of holder 63, a cover 71 
removably mounted on front end 65 of holder 63 and a cover 73 removably 
mounted on rear end 67 of cover 73. Cover 71 comprises a tubular member 74 
open at each end 75 and 77 and a body 79 of plastic foam material which 
serves as an anvil mounted on end 75. Cover 73 is a hollow member closed 
at one end 81 and open at the other end 83. 
To use device 61, a person removes cover 71 from holder 63 and then uses 
device 61 to attach button B to layer of material in the same way as 
device 11 is used. The user then removes cover 73, mounts it on front end 
65 of holder 63 and uses needle block assembly 69-2 to attach another 
button to a layer of material. Thus, device 61 can be used to attach two 
four hole buttons rather than one button as with device 11. 
Instead of having four needles, the needle block assemblies could, if 
desired, have only two needles (and one fastener). Also, the needle block 
assemblies could be removably rather than fixedly mounted in the holders. 
In addition, the buttons could, if desired, be mounted on the needle 
rather than placed on the material as described above. Furthermore, 
instead of being a separate piece, the anvil could be a screen integrally 
formed in the cover. 
The embodiments of the present invention recited herein are intended to be 
merely exemplary and those skilled in the art will be able to make 
numerous variations and modifications to it without departing from the 
spirit of the present invention. All such variations and modifications are 
intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the 
claims appended hereto.