BUTTON

Abstract: A button for attachement to a sheet (14) of compliant material that includes a plastic body (42) and a cap (56) formed from malleable material secured to the body. The flange (44) of the plastic body has an integral thin ring (48) to which the outer portion (58) of the cap is wrapped around and secured. Heat causes expansion of the plastic body; but, because the ring (48) is thin there is little expansion and the periphery of the cap is not cammed open to become loose on the body of the button.

Description: The invention relates to a button having a metal cap and a plastic collet that maintain their engagement and orientation after being subjected to heating and cooling cycles. Buttons having a plastic collet and a metal cap are popular and in wide use on work clothing as well as designer garments. The metal cap is permanently secured to the plastic collet at manufacture and serves both a utilitarian function as well as the ornamental decorative part of the button. It is essential that the cap be retained on the collet and in its oriented position under all conditions, and particularly after the article is cleaned at which time the button is exposed to high temperatures in both the washing and drying cycles. The prior art, as exemplified by U.S. Patent 2,332,578 discloses a button having a plastic body with a metal cap interfitted to the body in such a manner that the cap will be prevented from twisting with respect to the body. A curved peripheral edge of the cap partially encompasses the edge of the body to retain the cap on the body, but will be ineffective when the plastic body is exposed to heating and cooling cycles. It is also known by FR 2384467 a button for attachement to a sheet of compliant material comprising : a unitary plastic collet which includes an upwardly extending shank member and an outwardly extending plate-like flange member surrounding said shank member at one end thereof ; and a cap of malleable material engaging the upper surface of and secured to said flange member. When subjected to heating and cooling cycles, the cap will not follow the expansion in volume of the flange member upon exposure to heat and will be disengaged therefrom. As described hereinafter, the button of the subject invention is constructed with a plastic collet and metal cap that can withstand heating and cooling cycles which would destroy the integrity of buttons now available in the marketplace. The invention is summarized as a button that can be applied to a compliant sheet material subjected to heating and cooling cycles having a collet formed of a plastic material that expands when subjected to heat, the collet including an upwardly extending shank member having an outwardly extending plate-like flange member surrounding the upper end of the shank member with a peripheral outer ring of reduced thickness circumventing the flange member and a cap of malleable material secured to the flange member with the outer peripheral portion of the cap wrapped about the ring to capture and retain the ring to the flange whereby expansion in volume of the ring upon exposure to heat does not cam open the peripheral portion of the cap and the cap is tightly retained on the flange of the collet. According to the invention, the flange member has a circumventing peripheral outer ring of reduced thickness with an upper surface lying in the same plane as the upper surface of said flange member and a lower surface positioned substantially parallel to said upper surface. The cap is secured to said flange member by curving the outer peripheral portion of said cap inwardly about said peripheral outer ring of said flange member to capture and retain said ring of said flange therein, whereby when the button is subjected to heat, expansion in the volume of said ring of said flange member upon exposure to heat does not disengage the curved peripheral portion of said cap. The flange member of said collet may be undercut as the juncture of said peripheral outer ring and said flange member to accomodate the free edge of the curved outer peripheral portion of said cap to present a smooth surface between said cap and said flange. According to the invention said flange member may have a lower dish shaped surface that flares outwardly from said shank member to said undercut. The edge of said curved outer peripheral portion of said cap is seated within said undercut. Said shank member may have a recess therein to accept a rivet for securing said collet to the sheet of compliant material. An object of this invention is to construct a button having a plastic collet and a cap constructed of a malleable material secured thereto with the cap maintaining engagement and orientation after the button is subjected to heating and cooling cycles. Another object of this invention is a button structure that utilizes a minimum number of elements. Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the button embodying the present invention secured to a sheet of compliant material; Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of a conventional button attached to compliant material; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the button during exposure of the material and button to heat; Figure 4 is a view of the button of Figure 3 after repeated exposure to heating and cooling; Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of the improved button attached to compliant material; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 of the improved button during exposure of the material and button to heat; and, Figure 7 is a view of the improved button after repeated exposure to heating and cooling. As illustrated in the drawings, a button 10 is secured by a rivet 12 to a sheet of compliant material such as a fabric 14. The rivet 12 is illustrative only as other means for attaching the button to the fabric 14 can be used. Indicia 16 on the cap 18 of the button is oriented so that when the button 10 and rivet 12 are secured together, the indicia 16 will lie in and be viewed on a fixed axis. One embodiment showing the structure and apparatus for assembling a button and rivet together with a compliant material positioned therebetween is shown and described in the patent to Schmidt, et al, U.S. Patent No. 3,803,698. In Figure 2, there is shown a conventional button body or collet 20, formed of a plastic material such as a synthetic polymer resin, that includes a shank member 22 having a recess 24 and an upwardly flaring plate-like flange member 26. The rivet 12 includes an integrally formed head 28 and a serrated shank 30 with the point 32 of shank 30 adapted to pierce the compliant material 14 after which the rivet 12 enters and is seated in the recess 24 of the collet 20. The cap 18, formed of a malleable material such as sheet metal, covers the flat upper surface 34 of the flange 26, with the peripheral portion 36 crimped or turned down to secure the cap 18 to the curved peripheral outer edge 38 of the flange 26. The lower surface 40 of the flange 26 is tapered from the outer edge 38 to where it joins the shank 22 of the collet 20. The flange 26 has a relatively flat upper surface 34 but it becomes progressively thicker as it extends from the outer edge 38 to the shank 22. The edge 41 of the peripheral portion 36 is exposed on the lower surface 40 and is objectionable to touch and sight. The improved button is shown in Figure 5 with the same reference numerals used for identical components. The improved button has a plastic collet 42 that includes a flange 44 and a shank member 46 and is secured to a compliant material 14 by a rivet 12 in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 2. The flange 44 has an outer peripheral ring 48 which has an upper surface 50, that is an extension of the upper surface 52 of the flange 44, and a lower surface 54, with surfaces 50 and 54 located in planes substantially parallel to each other whereby the ring 48 is relatively thin in cross section. A cap 56, formed of a malleable material such as sheet metal, has a central portion 57 that contacts the flat upper surface 52 of the flange 44 with its curved peripheral portion 58 crimped or turned under to engage and cover the lower surface 54 so that the peripheral portion 58 substantially encloses the ring 48 of the flange 44 to secure the cap 56 thereto. The remote end 59 of the peripheral portion 58 is seated in an the undercut 60 formed in the same dimension as the thickness of the malleable material of the cap 56 to obtain a substantially continuous smooth surface between the peripheral portion 58 and the lower surface 62 of the flange 44. The lower surface 62 of the flange 44 is tapered from the lower edge of the undercut 60 to the shank 46 of the collet 42. After the button is in place on the material 14 of an article, such as a garment, it becomes necessary to occasionally wash the garment in warm or hot water, after which it is subjected to high temperature heat in the drying cycle. As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, because of the larger mass and greater coefficient of thermal expansion of the plastic collet 20 as compared to the mass and coefficient of thermal expansion of the metal cap 18, the exposure of the button 10 to high temperature heat causes the plastic collet 20 to greatly expand in volume thus extending itself along each of its three dimensional axes. The flange 26 of the collet 20 expands along its horizontal as well as its vertical axis, as viewed in Figure 3, but the curved peripheral edge 36 of the cap 18 prevents any horizontal expansion and the cap 18 prevents any vertical expansion. To relieve the resulting pressure, the shank 22 of the collet 20 is displaced downward in a manner such that the upper surface 34 of the flange 26 is now separated from the flat under surface of the cap 18. This movement is generally referred to as "cupping." Simultaneously, the flange 26 will expand and aided by the cupping action of the collet 20, that portion of the flange 26 generally referred to as the curved outer edge 38 over which the peripheral portion 36 of the cap 18 is crimped will exert pressure to thereby cam open the peripheral portion 36 of the cap 18. Repeated exposure to high heating and cooling cycles will progressively displace the peripheral portion 36 of the cap 18 from the outer edge 38 of the flange 26 such that, as shown in Figure 4, the collet 20 will be deformed and the cap 18 will either become loose and turn on the flange 26 of the collet 20 or eventually fall off, both results being undesirable. The button of Figures 5, 6, and 7 overcomes these deficiencies. The peripheral outer ring 48 circumventing the platelike flange 44 is substantially reduced in size to be smaller in thickness compared to the button of Figures 2, 3, and 4, but has a width that will accept the curved peripheral portion 58 of the cap 56 which is turned inwardly about the outer ring 48 and seated within the undercut 60 to engage the upper surface 50 and the lower surface 54 thereof. Because of the reduced mass of the ring 48 positioned within the confines of the curved peripheral portion 58, the peripheral portion 58 is better able to capture the ring 48; and, thus the expansion forces generated within the outer peripheral ring portion 48 upon exposure to heat will not open the portion 58 of the cap 56. The plastic collet 42, however, will expand and, as shown in Figure 6, the shank 46 and flange 44 will pivot about the undercut 60 and the flat upper surface 52 will separate from the under surface of the cap 56. Repeated application of heat will not loosen or dislodge the outer peripheral ring portion 48 of the flange 44 captured by the curved peripheral portion 58 of the cap 56, although the collet 42 will eventually take the shape as shown in Figure 7 with the upper surface 52 of the flange 44 having a slightly cupped configuration under normal conditions. Thus, the integrity of the button is maintained.

Claims: A button for attachement to a sheet (14) of compliant material comprising : a unitary plastic collet (42) which includes an upwardly extending shank member (46), and an outwardly extending plate-like flange member (44) surrounding said shank member at one end thereof ; and a cap (56) of malleable material engaging the upper surface (52) of and secured to said flange member, characterized in that said flange member (44) has a circumventing peripheral outer ring (48) of reduced thickness with an upper surface (50) lying in the same plane as the upper surface (52) of said flange member and a lower surface positioned substantially parallel to said upper surface, and in that said cap (56) is secured to said flange member by curving the outer peripheral portion (58) of said cap inwardly about said peripheral outer ring (48) of said flange member to capture and retain said ring of said flange therein, whereby when said button is subjected to heat, expansion in the volume of said ring of said flange member upon exposure to heat does not disengage the curved peripheral portion of said cap. A button as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flange member (44) of said collet is undercut (60) as the juncture of said peripheral outer ring (48) and said flange member to accomodate the free edge (59) of the curved outer peripheral portion (58) of said cap to present a smooth surface between said cap and said flange. A button as claimed in claim 2, wherein said flange member (44) has a lower dish shaped surface (62) that flares outwardly from said shank member to said undercut (60). A button as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the edge (59) of said curved outer peripheral portion of said cap is seated within said undercut (60). A button as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said shank member (46) has a recess (24) therein to accept a rivet (12) for securing said collet on the sheet of compliant material.

Inventors: HARLOW, RICHARD LEE, SPARROW, TIMOTHY HAINES
Applicants: YOSHIDA KOGYO K.K.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A44B1
IPC codes: A44B1