Button sewing device

A button sewing device is provided with 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.

DESCRIPTION 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention is directed to a device which facilitates the attachment of a 
button to a fabric or other material. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Button attaching aids, of which the devices shown and described in U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,605,943 of A. O. Hoefle issued Aug. 5, 1952, and the apparatus 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,347 of Arnold R. Bone issued Sept. 5, 
1978 are examples, are well known. However, button attaching aids have 
been deficient in various respects. In general they have been difficult to 
thread, performed unreliably, and were inefficient, or were unduly complex 
and costly to produce. Recent improvements in button attaching aids are 
disclosed in Singer owned U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 145,939 filed 
May 2, 1980 by Donald R. Davidson et al for "Button Attaching Tool", and 
in another Singer owned U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 167,984, July 14, 
1980, of Donald R. Davidson et al for "Button Attaching Tool With Button 
Storage Compartment". The button attaching aids of said applications 
overcome to a degree, the various deficiencies present in the prior art 
device, and the present application further improves upon such designs by 
providing a button sewing device which is especially simple in 
construction and far less costly to produce than anything heretofor 
proposed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, a button attaching tool is provided with 
a base and a pair of needles projecting from the base for use in 
penetrating a layer of material and the holes of a button to be attached 
to the material. A loop of thread extends through the eye of each needle 
and has ends affixed with respect to the needle. Each loop can collapse on 
passing through the material and the holes in a button. The thread is 
formed of one or more natural fiber filaments or of one or more plastic 
filaments. Elastomeric material is provided over the base and around the 
needles to engage the material to which the button is to be attached. The 
elastomeric material is compressible by pressure on the material to which 
the button is to be attached and is expandable to raise such material and 
cause the threads to open collapsed loops above the button for receiving a 
button attaching thread bundle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 8 of the drawings, reference character 10 
designates a button sewing device according to the invention including a 
base 12 and a pair of needles 14 and 16 secured in the base as by set 
screws 18 and 20 or in any other suitable manner. The needles 14 and 16 
carry loose loops of thread which extend through the eyes of the needles 
and have ends secured to needles near the base of the device. As shown, 
needle 14 carries thread 20 extending through eye 22 and having ends 24 
and 26 secured to the needle with a crimped ring 30. Needle 16 carries a 
thread 32 which extends through eye 34 and has ends secured to the needle 
in the same manner as the ends of thread 20 are secured to needle 14. One 
side of needle 14 includes a straight thread receiving groove 15 which 
extends downwardly from eye 22 to a bottom portion 17 of the needle. 
Needle 16 includes a like thread receiving groove. An elastomeric material 
36 is provided about the needles 14 and 16 and is secured to the base 12 
as with an adhesive. 
Each of the threads 20 and 32 consists of one or more filaments formed of a 
pliable material enabling loops 38 and 40 formed by the threads 20 and 32 
respectively, to be readily collapsed. The filaments may be plastic or 
composed of natural fibers. The elastomeric material 36 may be foam 
rubber, a polyurethane plastic, or some other material compressible with 
finger pressure and capable of returning to its original shape when 
released. 
The button sewing device 10 is utilized to attach a button 42 to a layer of 
cloth 44 by an operator first forcing the cloth down over the needles 14 
and 16 and into a position substantially against elastomeric material 36. 
As the cloth is moved down the needles, the threads 20 and 32 pass through 
the cloth. The threads are drawn taut and the loops 38 and 40 are closed 
(see FIG. 3). Thread 20 enters groove 15 in one side of needle 14 and 
thread 32 enters the like groove in needle 16. After the cloth has been 
moved down the needles, button 42 is disposed with holes 46 and 48 therein 
in alignment with the needles 14 and 16, and is moved down the needles to 
the cloth. The button is pressed downwardly against the cloth with finger 
pressure so as to compress the elastomeric material 36 (FIG. 4) and is 
then released (FIG. 5). As finger pressure is released the elastomeric 
material expands to its original shape and loops 38 and 40 are opened in 
the threads 20 and 32 by the cloth as it is moved upwardly. The loops open 
primarily only on the side of the needles opposite from the grooved sides 
because of the tendency of the threads to remain in the grooves. 
While the loops 38 and 40 are open and the button 42 is on the cloth, a 
bundle of threads 50 is threaded through the loops where it is temporarily 
held (FIG. 6). The cloth 44 and button 42 are then pulled from the needles 
14 and 16 with one hand while the base 12 is held with the other hand, and 
in the process the thread bundle 50 extending through the loops 38 and 40 
is pulled through holes 46 and 48 in the button 42, and through the cloth 
44 (FIG. 7). After removal of the button and cloth from the device 10, end 
portions of the thread bundle may be tied into a knot 52 to permanently 
secure the button to the cloth (see FIG. 8), following which loose hanging 
thread ends would be cut away. 
The operation of a device as described may be facilitated with the 
provision of a stripping lever in a construction as shown in FIG. 9 
wherein parts corresponding to those already shown and described have been 
designated with like reference characters having a prime mark (' ) added 
thereto. In the construction of FIG. 9 device 10', includes needles 14' 
and 16' which carry loop forming thread 20' and 32', and includes a 
support base 54 for an elastomeric material 36'. The support base 54 
includes trunnions 56 and 58 wherein a stripping lever 60 is pivotally 
mounted on a pin 62. The stripping lever may be moved with a handle 64 at 
one end to dispose the opposite end 66 in a position as shown where the 
needles 14' and 16' extend through a slot 68 in the lever and the 
elastomeric material 36' is engaged by the lever. The stripping lever may 
also be moved with handle 64 to raise end 66 above the needles. 
The construction of FIG. 9 is used in a similar manner to device 10 already 
described. However, the cloth to which a button is to be attached, and the 
buttons are threaded onto the needles while end 66 of lever 60 is against 
elastomeric material 36'. Pressure is applied to the button to compress 
the elastomeric material and is then released to provide for the formation 
of loops 38' and 40' in thread 20' and 32' respectively. A thread bundle 
is inserted through the loops and the handle is operated to lift the 
button and material off the needles. The button and material are removed 
by hand from the device and the thread bundle which is thereby extracted 
from the thread loops is tied into a knot to permanently secure the button 
to the cloth. 
It is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to preferred 
embodiments of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only 
and is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Numerous 
alterations and modifications of the structure herein disclosed will 
suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such modifications 
and alterations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the 
invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended 
claims.