Abstract:
There is disclosed a garment closure comprising a front component, a rear component and an intermediate connector component. The connector component fastens the front component and the rear component together so that the front component and rear component are in spaced relationship relative to each other. The rear component is configured for insertion through a fastener aperture.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120, to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/235,003, filed on Sep. 16, 2011, the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS 
       [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    1. Field 
         [0004]    This disclosure relates to garment closure devices, and apparatus for fastening together pieces of fabric or material. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0006]    Buttons are used extensively on different types of garments, apparel and other materials, and temporarily and releasably fasten one first portion of the garment to another second portion thereof. The first portion of the garment has the button attached thereto, usually by thread or in the form of a stud, while the second portion of the garment has a small slit or hole, commensurate or corresponding in size to the diameter of the button so that the button can be fairly easily pushed through the hole, thereby fastening together the first and second garment portions. 
         [0007]    A button is often used on a pair of trousers above the fly thereof, or on a skirt above a zipper, to keep the waistband of the trousers or the skirt held together. Such a button is known as a shank. The term waistband refers to the band of material at the top of a skirt or trousers which typically sits around or near the waist of the wearer. The waistband may be a specifically identifiable band of material or other fabric, or merely that portion at or near the top of the skirt or trousers which will fit around or near the waist of the wearer. The term fabric means a substantially thin, flat, flexible material made of natural or artificial materials, or combinations thereof, made by weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding, and also includes leather, neoprene, and similar materials. 
         [0008]    The shank on the waistband of a pair of trousers can be unfastened to open the waistband for the purposes of putting on the trousers, and thereafter fastened to maintain the smaller diameter of the waistband comfortably around the user&#39;s waist. In conventional trousers, the left side of the waistband will typically overlie by a short distance the right side of the waistband. The shank is fixed to the right side of the waistband, while the left side of the waistband will have an appropriately sized button hole for releasably receiving the shank. Therefore, the condition of the trousers can alternate between a position in which the shank is unfastened and the waistband is opened (to facilitate putting on and taking off the trousers), and a position in which the shank is fastened to reduce the waistband diameter to a size comfortable on the wearer so that the waistband sits around or near the waist. 
         [0009]    In the conventional arrangement described above, the right side of the waistband will be closer to the body, and the left side of the waistband will overlie the right side thereof so that the right side is interposed between the body of the wearer and the left side of the waistband. 
         [0010]    Button flies are also known, in which one or more buttons are disposed below the shank. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a side/front perspective view of a garment closure device. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side/rear perspective exploded view of the garment closure device. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side exploded view of the garment closure device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is another side/front perspective exploded view of the garment closure device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a close-up top or side view of a garment closed by the garment closure device. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a fabric member and a partially hidden view of the garment closure device. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a side/front perspective exploded view of another garment closure device. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a side/rear perspective exploded view of the garment closure device of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a side/front perspective view of a garment closure device  100 . The garment closure device  100  has a base  150  and a cap  180 . The base  150  has a front component  120 , a rear component  140  and a center component  160 . The front component  120  and rear component  140  as shown are cylindrical with a small thickness (i.e., plate-like), though they may have shapes which are regular or irregular, and of consistent or inconsistent thickness. For example, the front component and/or the rear component may have a cross-sectional shape that is polygonal instead of circular. The front component  120  has an outer surface  128  and a peripheral edge  122  which may be flat with beveled edges. The rear component  140  has an inner surface  144  and a peripheral edge  142  which may have a striated or knurled surface as shown to provide an easy grip to a person, but soft or smooth enough to avoid damage to adjacent fabric or skin. The inner surface  144  and the outer surface  128  may be flat or smooth to minimize interference with adjacent fabric. The front component  120  may be sized larger or smaller than the rear component  140 , e.g., by surface area or radius. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIG. 2  there is shown a side/rear perspective view of the garment closure device  100 . The front component  120  has an inner surface  124 . The rear component  140  has an outer surface  148 . The inner surface  124  and the outer surface  148  may be flat or smooth to minimize interference with adjacent fabric. 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIG. 3  there is shown a side view of the garment closure device  100 . The center component  160  extends between the inner surface  124  of the front component  120  to the inner surface  144  of the rear component  140 . The center component  160  may be cylindrical and have an axis  160  which is generally collinear with the axis  121  of the front component  120  and the axis  141  of the rear component  140 . The center component  160  may join in an integral, rigid manner with the front component  120  and the rear component  140  to render unitary the base  150 . For example, the center component  160  may comprise a threaded through hole that is configured to engage with a pair of complementary threaded shafts extending from the front component  120  and the rear component  140 , and mating for a secure connection. Alternatively the center component  160  may be attached to the front component  120  and rear component  140 , for example by welding, soldering, magnetism, interference fit, rivets or glue. 
         [0022]    The base  150  may be formed from a single piece of material such as a metal, metal alloy (e.g., aluminum), plastic, or plastic-like material, and may be machined, cast, pressed, or extruded to shape. The garment closure device  100  may be comprised of multiple parts permanently or semi-permanently joined together. The joints may be glue or welds. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 4  there is shown another side/front perspective view of the garment closure device  100 . In this view the cap  180  is shown removed from the base  150 . 
         [0024]    In the base, the outer surface  128  may have an opening  125  to a channel  126  extending through the front component  120 . The opening  125  may have a chamfer. The channel  126  may extend to and connect with a channel  166  in the center component  160 . At least a portion of the channel  166  may have a female thread, and the thread may extend into the channel  126 . The channel  166  may extend only partially into the base  150  wherein the channel  166  is closed at one end, or the channel  166  may extend through the base  150  to an opening (not shown) in the outer surface  148  of the rear component  140 . 
         [0025]    The cap  180  may be structured so as to facilitate the display of decorative or ornamental material thereon. The cap  180  may be provided having a decorative portion  182  and a shaft  184 . A user may have several caps having different decorative portions, for example of different shape, size, color, configuration, or other appearance attribute. The user may choose a cap according to his or her mood or fashion preferences with a particular outfit. Thus, a cap with one type of decorative portion may be substituted or replaced with another preferred by the wearer with a given outfit. Though the decorative portion  182  has decorative function, it also has a mechanical function in closing a garment. 
         [0026]    The decorative portion  182  may be removably coupled with the shaft  184  so that the decorative portion  182  is interchangeable. As mentioned above, the user may have several decorative portions, for example of different shape, size, color, configuration, or other appearance attribute. The user may interchange the decorative portion  182  according to his or her mood or fashion preferences with a particular outfit. Preferably, the decorative portion  182  is easily and quickly attachable with the shaft  184 , such as for example with clips, reusable adhesives, magnets, hooks, threads, etc. The base  150  and first piece may be configured to secure to a garment without the decorative portion  182 , so that the decorative portion  182  can be exchanged without removing the entire garment closure device  100  from the garment. 
         [0027]    In use, the shaft  184  can be releasably inserted through the opening  125  and channel  126  and into the channel  166  of the center component  160 . The decorative cap  180  may be easily removed and replaced with others according to the whim or fashion sense of the wearer. The knurls on the peripheral edge  142  of the rear component  140  may provide a user with a better grip when attaching and removing caps. 
         [0028]    Where the channel  166  has a female thread, the shaft  184  may have a complementary male thread. Instead of a threading, the cap  180  may be releasably secured into the channel  166  using a friction fit, spring lock, magnets or other mechanism which will keep the shaft  184  securely attached in the channel  166  during ordinary usage while permitting a person to remove and replace the decorative member when desired. 
         [0029]    The shaft  184  may be sized longer or shorter than the combined length of the two channels  126 ,  166 . The shaft  184  length may be sized such that a portion is secured within the channels  126 ,  166  and a portion lies outside the channels, and this outside portion has a length to accommodate the thickness of a fabric element when the garment closure device  100  is in use. 
         [0030]    The channel  126  may provide an alternative or additional attachment interface to the shaft  184 . The channel  126  may have features akin to those described with respect to the channel  166 , and the two channels may function in concert or as alternatives. 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIG. 5  there is shown a close-up top or side view of a garment closed by the garment closure device  100 . The garment includes a first fabric member  550  and a second fabric member  570  which overlap at least in part and may be sections of a single fabric member. 
         [0032]    The garment may be, for example, a waistband on a pair of trousers or a skirt, and in that case  FIG. 5  could be considered to show a top view looking down on the waistband. In that case, the first fabric member  550  may be an outward-facing part of the waistband and the second fabric member  570  may be the part obscured by the outward-facing part. In that case the second fabric member  570  is against the body of the wearer, while the first fabric member  550  extends around the wearer and the two are joined at some point. 
         [0033]    With the garment closure device  100  fully installed as shown in  FIG. 5 , the first fabric member  550  is sandwiched between the decorative portion  182  and the front component  120 , and the front component  120  and the rear component  140  are on opposite sides of the second fabric member  570 . Dashed lines in  FIG. 5  indicate an eyelet  555  through the first fabric member  550  and a keyhole  575  through the second fabric member  570 . The eyelet  555 , the shaft  184  (not shown) and the decorative portion  182  are configured in shape, size and thickness such that the shaft  184  can pass through the eyelet  555  but the decorative portion  182  cannot pass through the eyelet  555 . Similarly, the front component  120  of the base  150  cannot pass through the eyelet  555 , so that the first fabric member  550  remains between the decorative portion  182  and the front component  120  when the front component is coupled to the shaft  184  (not visible). The keyhole  575 , the center component  160  (not shown) and the front portion  120  are configured such that the center component  160  can pass through the keyhole  575  but the front component  120  cannot pass through the keyhole  575  when the base  150  is coupled to the cap  180 . 
         [0034]    The length of the shaft  184  and the center component  160  may be sized to correspond to the thickness or compressed thickness of the fabric members  550 ,  570  respectively, and may be longer to provide a looser fit in some cases. For example, the length of the shaft  184  extending out of the base  150  may be slightly greater than the thickness of the first fabric member  550 , and the length of the center component  160  may be slightly greater than the thickness of the second fabric member  570 . 
         [0035]    The decorative portion  182  and the front component  120  are in spaced relationship relative to each other and the shaft  184  passes through the eyelet  555  so that the cap  180  cannot be removed from the first fabric member  550  in normal use. The decorative portion  182  and the front component  120  may be configured such they cannot pass through the eyelet  555 . For example, the decorative portion  182  and the front component  120  may have respective diameters larger than the diameter of the eyelet  555 . The cap  180  when coupled to the base  150  may be effectively permanently secured to the first fabric member  550 . 
         [0036]    The front component  120  and rear component  140  are in spaced relationship relative to each other and the center component  160  passes through the keyhole  575 , and the base  150  can be removed from the second fabric member  570  in normal use. The rear component  140  may be configured such that the rear component  140  can pass through the keyhole  575 . For example, the rear component  140  may have a diameter smaller than the keyhole  575 . When the rear component  140  is placed through the keyhole  575 , the base  150  may be held to a side of the keyhole  575  so that the rear component  140  overlaps the second fabric member  570  and the rear component  140  cannot return back through the keyhole  575 . The base  150  is effectively removably secured to the second fabric member  570 . 
         [0037]    The first fabric member  550  and the second fabric member  570  may be positioned such that the apertures  555 ,  575  overlap. 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 6  there is shown a front view of the first fabric member  550  and a partially hidden view of the garment closure device  100 . The eyelet  555  may have a generally round shape. The eyelet  555  and cap  180  are configured so as to prevent the decorative portion  182  from passing through the eyelet  555  when the shaft  184  is positioned through the eyelet  555 . The eyelet may have a hole with a small diameter, such as 3 millimeters. The diameter of the hole of the eyelet can range from at least approximately 2 millimeters to less than or equal to approximately 5 millimeters. The edges of the hole may be reinforced, such as with threads. 
         [0039]    The keyhole  575  may be generally ovate and configured so as to prevent the rear component  140  from passing through the keyhole  575  when the base  150  is positioned toward one side of the ovate keyhole  575  such that the center component  160  is pressed against an edge of the keyhole  575 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The rear component  140  may be turned sideways and passed through the generally ovate keyhole  575  laterally. 
         [0040]    With continued reference to  FIG. 6 , when the rear component  140  is inserted through the keyhole  575  to fasten the first fabric member  550  to the second fabric member  570 , the garment closure device  100  is usually positioned to one side of the keyhole  575  because of the opposing pulling forces of the first fabric member  550  and the second fabric member  570 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the garment closure device  100  sits toward the left side of the keyhole  575 , as viewed from the front. It is understood that the keyhole  575  should be positioned on the second fabric member  570  such that the garment is sized appropriately knowing that when fastened, the garment closure device  100  will lie toward one side of the keyhole  575 . 
         [0041]    The garment closure device may be used to fasten garments such as jeans, jackets, shirts, footwear, etc. For example, the garment closure device may be used as cuffs to fasten the sleeves on sport jackets. The garment closure device may fasten together any of a variety of pieces of fabric or material, not necessarily in a garment. 
         [0042]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of a garment closure device  200 , having a base  250  and a decorative cap  280 . The illustrated cap  280  comprises a decorative portion  282  with an ornamental design and a shaft  284  with external threads. The decorative portion  282  and the shaft  284  may be formed from one piece of material or may be joined one to another by glue or other affixation. The base  250  comprises a front component  220 , a rear component  240  and a center component  260  therebetween. Similar to as described previously, the front component  220  and rear component  240  may be generally cylindrical with a small thickness, though they may have shapes which are regular or irregular, and of consistent or inconsistent thickness. 
         [0043]    With reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the illustrated front component  220  is generally cylindrical with an outer surface  228 , an inner surface  224 , and a peripheral edge  222 . The rear component  240  is generally cylindrical with an inner surface  244 , an outer surface  248  and a peripheral edge  242 . The rear component  240  may have a chamfered edge  243  along the intersection between the inner surface  244  and the peripheral edge  242 . The peripheral edge  242  of the rear component  240  in  FIGS. 7 and 8  is generally smooth and does not have knurls, as in the embodiment described above. The center component  260  is generally cylindrical and extends between the inner surface  224  of the front component  220  and the inner surface  244  of the rear component  240 . 
         [0044]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the base  250  has an opening  225  generally at the center of the outer surface  228  of the front component  220 . The opening  225  allows access to a channel  226  in the front component  220  which may extend into a channel  266  in the center component  260 . The channels  226 ,  266  may be generally cylindrical with internal threads that are complementary to the external threads on the shaft  284 . The opening  225  may have a chamfer to help guide the shaft  284  into the opening  225 . The channel  266  may extend only partially into the base  250  wherein the channel  266  is closed at one end, or the channel  266  may extend through the base  250  to an opening (not shown) in the outer surface  248  of the rear component  240 . 
         [0045]    The chamfered edge  243  on the rear component  240  may aid in the threading of the rear component  240  through the keyhole  575  of the second fabric member  570 . The chamfered edge  243  provides a smooth transition between the peripheral edge  242  and inner surface  244  so that the sides of the keyhole  575  may slide onto the center component  260 . Furthermore, the peripheral edge  242  may be generally smooth to facilitate the sliding of the rear component  240  through the keyhole  575 . Other portions of the base may be generally smooth to facilitate the sliding of the fabric member around the base. 
         [0046]    The connection between the base and cap may be other than a threaded connection. For example, the base and cap may be connected through magnets, rivets, adhesives, interference fits, or other mechanism. A special or proprietary connection may be used to secure the base and cap together. The connection may be releasable or permanent. 
         [0047]    In the example illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the front component  220  may have a diameter of approximately 13 millimeters and a thickness of approximately 1.2 millimeters. The edges of the front component  220  can be chamfered to have a radius of for example approximately 0.13 millimeters. The center component  160  may have a diameter of approximately 6 millimeters and a length of approximately 3 millimeters. The rear component  140  may have a diameter of approximately 14 millimeters and a thickness of approximately 1.3 millimeters. The chamfered edge  243  may have an approximately 45 degrees chamfer and be approximately 0.8 millimeters in thickness. The cap  280  may have a diameter of approximately 18 millimeters and the shaft  284  may have a diameter of approximately 2.5 millimeters. 
         [0048]    Closing Comments 
         [0049]    Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and procedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. With regard to flowcharts, additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the methods described herein. Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments. 
         [0050]    As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.