BUTTON WITH IMPROVED DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY-ORIENTATED APPLICATION TO ITEMS OF CLOTHING

Abstract: A button with improved device for automatically-orientated application to items of clothing, comprising a tubular shank, formed by drawing a metal plate, provided with a disk-shaped head on which a dome, also made of metal plate, is coupled by means of its folded rim. The rim is shaped so as to form a perimetric tang which is arranged below the dome and forms, by means of a notch formed thereon, a channel which passes through the tang. The channel constitutes an orientation locator for a feeler of a machine with automatic button loading for applying the button to a fabric.

Description: BUTTON WITH IMPROVED DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY-ORIENTATED APPLICATION TO ITEMS OF CLOTHING Technical field The present invention relates to a button with an improved device for automatically-orientated application to items of clothing. Background art It is known that metal buttons, particularly suitable for items of clothing such as jeans, meant for young and sportswear-loving customers, are increasingly appreciated and used in the clothing field. In particular, these buttons are widely used in the field of sportswear, in which it is important to provide on said buttons, in relief or low-relief or by printing, lettering, marks, designs, symbols, or anything else that allows to identify the product or its manufacturer. Currently commercially available buttons are substantially constituted by a tubular shank provided with a disk-shaped head on which a covering dome is seam-folded. The lettering, marks, designs or symbols for identification are applied to the upper surface of said dome, i.e., on the part of the button that is exposed once it has been fixed to the fabric. The dome is fixed to the head of the shank, and grips it, by means of a swaging operation performed at the rim of the dome, which is thus folded over. The buttons are assembled to the items of clothing usually by using automatic machines, but the result is that the fabric is associated with buttons on which the lettering and marks for identification are not all orientated in the same position or configuration. The overall aesthetic result is rather poor and the resulting item of clothing is unsatisfactory, since it gives the impression of untidiness. Buttons have thus been devised which have a different configuration in order to solve this aesthetic drawback. In these buttons, the dome is assembled to the head of the tubular shank by means of a folded grip rim, on which an optical reference is formed. Said reference, which can be for example a dot impressed by stamping, allows to correctly position the button, but this operation must be performed visually by an operator. The application of buttons with visually detectable notches on items of clothing or fabrics is thus necessarily manual and accordingly expensive and most of all slower than application performed with an automatic machine. However, buttons are currently commercially available which solve this drawback in a different manner. This last type of button in fact has a dome, provided with distinctive signs and marks, from the perimetric rim whereof a tab protrudes monolithically . Said dome provided with the tab is assembled to the head of the tubular shank through a swaging operation performed all along the perimetric rim and with a folding at the lug. An automatic machine preset specifically for these buttons is capable of detecting, by means of a feeler provided specifically for this function, the reference obtained through the presence of said tab on the folded rim of the button . Said automatic machine is therefore capable of positioning the buttons for their application to the fabric so that the lettering, marks and all the identifying signs provided on the domes of said buttons are correctly positioned. Said buttons, during production, are however affected by the drawback linked to the difficulty of orientating with an automatic loading unit the domes during assembly, since the tab hinders grip on the shank. The dome in fact cannot be arranged in any manner, since the punch must have a recess in the region of the tab in order to fold it and not swage it, thus damaging it so as to make it ineffective for its function. Disclosure of the invention The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved button, particularly for items of clothing, which solves all the drawbacks noted above of conventional buttons. Within the scope of this aim, a particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved button which can be applied to the fabric with a preset orientation by means of a conventional automatic machine and according to conventional methods. An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved orientatable button for items of clothing which can be obtained without requiring particular machining operations or special equipment. Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved button which can be assembled during production with a very fast process. This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a button comprising a tubular shank, formed by drawing a metal plate, provided with a disk-shaped head on which a dome, also made of metal plate, is coupled by means of its folded rim, characterized in that said rim is shaped so as to form a perimetric tang which is arranged below the dome and forms, by means of a notch formed thereon, a channel which passes through said tang, said channel constituting an orientation locator for a feeler of a machine for application to a fabric with automatic loading. Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the button according to the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment .thereof, illustrated only by way of non- limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved button according to the present invention; figure 2 is a sectional view, taken along a longitudinal plane, of an improved button according to the present invention; figure 3 is an exploded view of an improved button according to the present invention. Ways of carrying out the invention With reference to the above figures, an improved button, particularly for items of clothing, according to the invention, is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a tubular shank 11 formed by drawing a metal plate and provided with a disk-shaped head 12. The tubular shank 11 has a bottom 13 which in this case is closed and has a central cambered portion; the bottom is suitable to be perforated by the insertion of a nail 14 for application to a fabric 15. The nail 14 has a pointed head 16, suitable to be inserted in the tubular shank 11 and locked therein, and a body 17 from which a disk 18 protrudes. The improved button 10 comprises a substantially disk- shaped dome 19, on the upper surface 20 whereof a distinguishing symbol 21 (or a design or an identifying mark) is provided. The dome 19 has a perimetric rim 22 in which a notch 23 is formed. The dome 19 is fixed to the disk-shaped head 12 of the tubular shank 11 by means of a swaging operation that affects the rim 22, whereby it is folded over towards the region below the dome 19 so as to form a tang 24 along the entire perimetric extension of said dome 19. The notch 23 formed on the folded rim 22 of the dome 19 forms on the tang 24, produced by the swaging operation, a channel 25 which fully passes through the tang 24. The notch 23 must in practice be long enough to form the channel 25 for passing completely through the tang 24, so that the channel 25 can be accessed. The channel 25 constitutes a locator for a feeler of the device for loading an automatic machine for fixing said improved buttons 10 to the fabric 15. A different embodiment can be obtained with a press- stud, of the type which can be applied to a fabric by means of a riveting operation performed on a spring-loaded female element in a per se known manner. The press-stud also comprises a dome provided with a folded rim on which a notch is formed which is fully similar to the notch 23. The dome is then seam-folded to a shank by means of a swaging operation performed on the folded rim so as to form a tang on which there is provided a full passage channel formed from the notch which is fully equivalent to the channel 25. In practice, it has been observed that the present invention fully achieves the aim and all the intended objects . in particular, the present invention provides an improved button for items of clothing which can be manufactured easily without requiring particular processes or special equipment. An important advantage has been achieved with the present invention by providing an improved button which can be applied to items of clothing with an automatic machine of a per se known type and equipped with a feeler for correctly positioning the button. Another important advantage has been achieved with the present invention by providing an improved button, particularly for items of clothing, which can be assembled during production with a very simple and practical process which substantially reduces manufacturing costs. Another advantage has been achieved with the present invention by providing an improved button which can be applied in a presettable orientated manner to fabrics and particularly to items of clothing with a very fast process. The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept. All the details may also be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. The materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A button with improved device for automatically- orientated application to items of clothing, comprising a tubular shank, formed by drawing a metal plate, provided with a disk-shaped head on which a dome, also made of metal plate, is coupled by means of its folded rim, characterized in that said rim is shaped so as to form a perimetric tang which is arranged below the dome and forms, by means of a notch formed thereon, a channel which passes through said tang, said channel constituting an orientation locator for a feeler of an automatic-loading machine for applying the button to an item of clothing. 2. A button according to claim 1, characterized in that said notch has a length suitable to form said channel so that it passes fully through said tang and makes it accessible to a feeler.

Inventors: CANDOTTI RICCARDO, CANDOTTI, RICCARDO
Applicants: CANDOTTI RICCARDO, COBRA SRL, CANDOTTI, RICCARDO, COBRA S.R.L.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A44B1
IPC codes: A44B1