Patent Publication Number: US-11375776-B1

Title: Button fastening kit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not Applicable. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to Kits for Buttons Fastening to Garment Cloths. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Traditionally buttons are attached to garments by sewing threads. However, sewing buttons is quite slow and laborious. Furthermore, threaded buttons tend to detach and fall frequently. Most garment owners don&#39;t know how to refasten and sew fallen buttons. Hence, a Kit for simpler, faster and more robust button re-attachment could be quite useful and can yield a notable improvement. In our search we have found several inventions of button assemblies that were configured for fast button attachment but all of them are not designed for button reattachment. In addition, they are dissimilar to our invention both in their structures and in their principles of operation. Most, if not all of these attachment assemblies rely on some sort of metallic pedestal crimping in order to attach the button to the garment cloth. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,012 (Jul. 5 1977) to Kramer et al. teaches a metallic button held by a metallic pedestal that is stapled to the garment cloth by a four legged metallic staple that is crimped to hold the pedestal. In U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,404 (Sep. 3, 2013) Matei teaches a button which can be tilted because it is attached to an elongated metallic shaft with ball attached at one end. The ball is housed in a ball bearing cavity included in the mounting base attached to the garment. In US 2005/0188510 (Sep. 1, 2005) Retamal teaches a button attached to an elongated serrated metal shaft which fits into a serrated metal nut attached to the garment. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,780 (Feb. 25 1986) Fukuroi teaches a metal button which is attached to a mounting base by a crimped metal nail. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,063 (Apr. 23, 1985) Fukuroi teaches a metal button attachment to a base by a metal rivet. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,043 (Nov. 19, 1996) Candotti also teaches a metal button attachment to a base by a metal rivet. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,362 (May 29, 1990) Collas proposes to mount a metallic button on a metallic shank which is connected to a disk beneath the garment cloth. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,940 (Aug. 24, 1999) Tanikoshi teaches a button mounting by crimping a metal tubular rivet. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,398 (Nov. 2, 1999) Evans proposed attaching buttons to clothing by H shaped plastic studs which are inserted through the button holes into the clothing. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,520 (Nov. 21, 2017) Bolen teaches an attachment system with two parts one part attaches to the clothing side and the other part attaches to the button side and both parts are then coupled by a magnetic twist-lock mechanism. In U.S. Ser. No. 10/004,299 (Jun. 26, 2018) Maussen Teaches a tapered trapezoidal shape buttons which are connected to fabrics using sewing. IN U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,013 (Jul. 1 1975) Gould teaches a button attachment using a rivet with long serrated shaft that protrudes from the clothing and is attached to a button with fitting aperture. In U.S. Pat. No. 8,938,861 (Jan. 27, 2015) McLendon teaches a removably attachable button using a pair of U-shaped flexible pins with small hooks at their ends, which are inserted through the clothing and through the buttonholes. 
     All the above inventions are entirely dissimilar to our invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     I have several goals in inventing and developing the Button Assembly kit of which some feasible embodiments are illustrated in  FIGS. 1-8 . The goals are:
         1. To develop a Button Assembly Kit which facilitates easy manual attachment of the button to a garment cloth without any need for sewing, threads or metal crimping.   2. To design Button assembly kit components which facilitate robust manual Button fastening without needing additional tools or machines.   3. To configure a fastening structure which can be attached swiftly, firmly and permanently to cloths.   4. To design an anchoring structure (i.e. a structure which anchors to the cloth) which fastens the button to the cloth by trapping the fastening structure that is tied to the button.   5. To include trapping mechanisms in the anchoring structure which are configured to trap and hold the fastening structure.   6. To design trapping mechanisms which can withstand without detachment strong pulling forces when applied to the button.   7. To design a button assembly which could be manufactured inexpensively in mass production from common elastic materials such as plastics.   8. To configure an anchoring structure that includes a trapping mechanism which exploits the resiliency of gates made of materials such as plastics to trap a terminal element which is attached to the fastening structure. Thereby, robustly tying the button to the garment cloth.   9. To facilitate easy buttoning by including with the fastening structure Spacing Rings which introduce a buttoning gap between the button and the clothing.   10. To configure piercing cones which are temporarily attached to the bottom face of the terminal elements and facilitate piercing of the garment cloth during manual attachment of the fastening structure to the garment cloth.   11. To consider the option of drilling guiding apertures in the cloth in order to facilitate piercing of the cloth by the terminal elements during manual attachment of the fastening structure to the cloth.       

     In order to achieve the objectives listed above, our method for button fastening to the garment cloth adopts the operational principle of tying the button to a fastening structure which includes at least two poles which are attached at their bottom ends to terminal elements. The fastening of the button to the cloth is facilitated by trapping the terminal elements using trapping mechanisms housed at the anchoring structure which is placed beneath the cloth. The trapping mechanisms use resilient gating technique where the action of trapping is initiated by a forceful intrusion of a terminal element into the aperture which houses the trapping mechanism. The intrusion of the terminal element bends a multiplicity of resilient flaps (i.e. a multiplicity of resilient gates) which reside at the entrance of the aperture housed at the anchoring structure. Next, the bent resilient gating flaps are configured to be released when the terminal element is pushed further down and fully inserted into the aperture below the tips of the maximally bended flaps. Once the terminal element reaches below the tips of the maximally bended flaps, the flaps are released. Next, the released flaps unbend due to their elasticity and turn upwards until they end up resting on the pole above the terminal element by which they are trapping the terminal element inside the aperture inside the anchoring structure and preventing it from moving upwards. When the terminal elements attached to the fastening structure are pushed downwards into the anchoring structure apertures which house the trapping mechanisms, all the terminal elements attached to the poles of the fastening structure are simultaneously trapped. By which the button is fastened to the anchoring structure and to the cloth. 
     The resilient gating flaps of the trapping mechanism is initially bent by a forceful intrusion of a terminal element (i.e. a hemisphere or a cylinder which are attached at the bottom end of a pole connected to the button). Initially, the downwards intrusion of the terminal element into the anchoring structure&#39;s aperture pushes and bends downwards the resilient multiplicity of flaps that are attached at the upper opening of the trapping mechanism&#39;s aperture housed at the anchoring structure. Next, the trapping mechanism is triggered shut when the terminal element is pushed further downwards into the anchoring structure, beyond the tips of the maximally bent multiplicity of flaps. At that instant, the multiplicity of flaps are released and unbend turning upwards due to their resiliency and end up resting diagonally on the pole above the terminal element. At this situation, the pole prevents further upwards unbending motion of the released multiplicity of flaps since the flaps ends are leaning diagonally on the pole. At this point, the multiplicity of flaps trap the terminal element inside the aperture in the anchoring structure because they prevent the terminal element from retracting upwards. The button is also trapped since it is attached to the pole which is attached to the trapped terminal element. While the multiplicity of flaps are diagonally resting on the pole above the terminal element&#39;s upper side, the flaps are prevented from turning further upwards since their ends are diagonally resting on the pole. Hence, the multiplicity of resilient flaps are configured to prevent the terminal element from moving upwards thereby trapping the terminal element inside the anchoring structure. 
     The manual fastening of the button to the garment cloth is performed as follows: The button assembly is configured to be used for fast attachment of the button to the garment cloth by placing the anchoring structure below the garment cloth such that the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures are facing a lower side of the garment cloth while placing the fastening structure at an upper side of the garment cloth such that its attached terminal elements are situated opposite the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures. Next, manually pushing downwards the fastening structure from the upper side of the garment doth is configured to pierce the garment cloth by the terminal elements lower sides. Further pushing downwards insert the terminal elements into the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures which are situated beneath the lower side of the garment cloth. Inserting the terminal elements downwards through the anchoring structure apertures is configured to bend the multiplicity of flaps and to trap the terminal element inside the anchoring structure apertures when the flaps unbend. At the completion of the terminal element insertion, it is trapped inside the anchoring structure since it is situated beneath the multiplicity of flaps which are diagonally resting on the pole above the terminal element. At that point, the trapped terminal elements which are attached to the fastening structure, are configured to prevent detachment and separation of the fastening structure from the anchoring structure and from the garment cloth. Thereby, completing the attachment of the button to the garment cloth by permanently attaching the fastening structure to the garment cloth. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  displays a side view of an embodiment of the anchoring structure in  3 D isometric drawing. 
         FIG. 2  Depicts in  3 D isometric drawing a bottom view of an embodiment of the anchoring structure which includes two trapping mechanisms inside two apertures. 
         FIG. 3  Illustrates in  3 D isometric drawing a top view of an embodiment of the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the button, the spacing rings and a piece of cloth. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the spacing rings and the garment cloth.  FIG. 4  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the spacing rings and the garment cloth.  FIG. 5  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button and the spacing rings installed beneath the button. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the spacing rings and the garment cloth.  FIG. 6  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button and already pierced the cloth while the spacing rings are installed beneath the button and above the cloth. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates in  3 D isometric side view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the spacing rings and the garment cloth.  FIG. 7  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button and already pierced the cloth while the spacing rings are installed beneath the button and above the cloth. In  FIG. 7  the fastening structure is installed also in the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures activating the trapping mechanisms as well. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates in  3 D isometric side view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the fastening structure, the anchoring structure, the spacing rings and the garment cloth.  FIG. 8  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button and already pierced the cloth while the spacing rings are installed beneath the button and above the cloth. In  FIG. 8  the fastening structure is installed also in the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures activating the trapping mechanisms as well. In  FIG. 8  the piercing cones were removed as well. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  displays a side view of an embodiment of the anchoring structure  1  in  3 D isometric drawing. The left and right Poles are divided into two connected parts: the upper pole parts  4  and the lower pole parts  3 . The left upper pole part  4  is attached at its bottom end to the top end of the left lower pole part  3  and together they are defined as the left pole in the Claims. The right upper pole part  4  is attached at its bottom end to the top end of the right lower pole part  3  and together they are defined as the right pole in the Claims. The top end of left Pole part  4  is attached to the left end of the horizontal bar  6 . The top end of right Pole part  4  is attached to the right end of the horizontal bar  6 . The horizontal bar  6  engages with the upper button  11  surface. The upper sides of the left and right terminal  2  are attached to the bottom ends of left lower pole part  3  and the right lower pole part  3  respectively. The left and right piercing cones  5  are temporarily attached at their top faces to the bottom faces of the left and right terminal elements  2  respectively. The piercing cones  5  facilitate piercing of the cloth by the terminal elements  2 . The cones  5  are configured to be removed by the user after piercing. 
       FIG. 2  Depicts in  3 D isometric drawing a bottom view of an embodiment of the anchoring structure  8  which includes two trapping mechanisms  7  housed inside two apertures  14 . 
       FIG. 3  Illustrates in  3 D isometric drawing a top view of an embodiment of the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the button  11 , the spacing rings  10  and a piece of doth  12  which is used for the demonstration. At the fastening structure  1  the left and right poles (i.e. pole parts  3 + 4 ) are positioned vertically and are connected to each other by the horizontal bar  6 . The left and right terminal elements  2  are attached to the bottom ends of left and right pole parts  3  respectively. The left and right piercing cones  5  are temporarily attached at their top faces to the bottom faces of the left and right terminal elements  2  respectively. The piercing cones  5  facilitate piercing of the cloth by the terminal elements  2 . The cones  5  are configured to be removed by the user after piercing.  FIG. 3  also includes a  3 D isometric drawing of a top view of an embodiment of the anchoring structure  8  which includes two trapping mechanisms  7  housed inside two apertures  14  which are placed horizontally beneath the fastening structure  1 . 
     Top view of the button  11  is displayed horizontally on the right side of the Fastening structure  1 . The buttoning apertures  9  are also depicted. The left and right spacing rings  10  are displayed at the right side of the button  11 . A piece of cloth  12  which is necessary for the fastening demonstration is also included on the left. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the button  11 , the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the spacing rings  10  and the garment cloth  12 .  FIG. 4  also includes a cross sectional view of the anchoring structure  8  shown beneath the piercing cones. In  FIG. 4 , the fastening structure  1  already is inserted into the button  11  apertures  9 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view of a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the button  11 , the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the spacing rings  10  and the garment cloth  12 .  FIG. 5  also includes a cross sectional view of the anchoring structure  8  shown beneath the piercing cones. In  FIG. 5 , the fastening structure  1  already was inserted into the button apertures  9  and into the spacing rings  10 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates in  3 D isometric bottom view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the button  11 , the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the spacing rings  10  and the garment cloth  12 .  FIG. 6  also includes a cross sectional view of the anchoring structure  8  shown beneath the piercing cones. In  FIG. 6 , the fastening structure  1  already was inserted into the button apertures  9  and into the spacing rings  10  and already pierced the cloth  12 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates in  3 D isometric side view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the button  11 , the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the spacing rings  10  and the garment cloth  12 .  FIG. 7  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button  11  and already pierced the cloth  12  while the spacing rings  10  are already installed beneath the button  11  and above the cloth  12 . In  FIG. 7  the fastening structure is installed also in the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures  13  already activating the trapping mechanisms  7  as well. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates in  3 D isometric side view a cross sectional view of a collection of components required for a button fastening demonstration. The collection includes the button  11 , the fastening structure  1 , the anchoring structure  8 , the spacing rings  10  and the garment cloth  12 .  FIG. 8  shows the fastening structure already inserted into the button  11  and already pierced the cloth  12  while the spacing rings  10  are already installed beneath the button  11  and above the cloth  12 . In  FIG. 8  the fastening structure is inserted also in the anchoring structure&#39;s apertures  13  and already is activating the trapping mechanisms  7  as well. It can be observed that the resilient flaps  7  are already bent and resting diagonally on the poles  3  above the terminal elements  2 . In  FIG. 8  the piercing cones  5  were removed as well.