Patent Publication Number: US-3879808-A

Title: Removable garment button

Description:
United States Patent [191 Alberts Apr. 29, 1975 REMOVABLE GARMENT BUTTON [76] Inventor: Herbert Alberts, Rua Capitao Luiz Romez 312 (Caixa Postal 561 San Paulo, Brazil [22] Filed: June 17, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 479,791  
 [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 8, 1974 Brazil 964 [52] US. Cl. 24/109; 24/221 R [51] Int. Cl. A44b 1/32; A44b 17/00 [58] Field of Search. 24/109, 221 R, 221 L, 73 RM;  
 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,643,296 2/1972 Kahn 24/109 3,691,597 9/1972 Kahn 24/109 Primary E.\-aminerBernard A. Gelak Attorney, Agent, or FirmHane, Baxley &amp; Spiecens [57] ABSTRACT A removable garment button includes a head member fixed to a stud member which extends outward from the center of the rear surface of the head member. The stud member has at least a rectangularly crosssectioned section which is terminated by an end section in the form of a partially circular plate having faces coplanar with two opposite faces of the rectangularly cross-sectioned section and a diameter greater than the distance between the other to faces of the rectangularly cross-sectioned section. The end section passes through the receiving slot of a disc shaped receiving member which can be sewn to the garment.  
 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PIJENTEUAPR29I975 3.879.808  
 FIG. I  
 24 I FIG. 2  
 REMOVABLE GARMENT BUTTON This invention pertains to buttons and more particularly to easily removable and/or replacable buttons and the like.  
  Many high fashion buttons must be removed before cleaning and resewn after cleaning. Such a precedure is, at the very least, an inconvenience. A variety which permits esthetic design freedom and easy removability and reattachability comprises a button with a looped shank. After the shank passes through a bound hole in the material cotter pin is passed through a loop of the shank. The variety requires the binding of a hole in the material. In addition, the cotter pin must be covered by a flap of material or it will snag an adjacent garment.  
  It is, accordingly, a general object of the invention to provide an improved removable button.  
  It is another object of the invention to provide such a button which permits esthetic design freedom of the exposed button head as well as permitting inexpensive attachment to material.  
  It is a further object of the invention to provide such button which is easily removed and reattached to permit the cleaning and pressing of the garment to which the fastner is attached.  
  Other objects, the features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, when read with the accompanying drawing which shows the presently preferred embodiment of the invention wherein:  
  FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a locked button attached to a garment in accordance with the invention and comprising a head member, a stud member and a receiving member;  
  FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the stud member of FIG.  
 FIG. 3 is an end view of the stud member of FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 4 is a top view of the receiving member of FIG. I; and  
  FIG. 5 is a side view of the receiving member of FIG. 1.  
  In FIG. I the removable button comprising a head member 10, a stud member 18 and a receiving member 20 is shown fixed to a garment 6. The head member has a face 12 and a rear portion 14 which can be esthetically designed. In the center of rear portion 14 can be fixed or cemented stud member 18.  
  Stud member 18 of a rigid material has a round flat anchor section 22, a cylindrical base section 24, a square or rectangular cross-section central section 26 and an end section 28. See FIGS. 2 and 3. The anchor section 22 which is cemented into the rear of head member 10 tapers to the smaller diametered cylindrical base section 24 which in turn flows into central section 26. The diagonal dimension of central section 26 should be equal to or less than the diameter of base section 24 to provide a stop for receiving member 20. In addition, the corners or edges 25 of the section 26 are preferably rounded. Extending up from central section 26 is end section 28 which is in the form of a partially circular or oval plate whose surfaces are coplanar with a pair of opposite sides of central section 26. In addition, the diameter or major axis of the plate is greater than the distance between the other two parallel faces of central section 26.  
  The receiving member of elastomeric material is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as a disc having a central receiving slot 30 of elongated hexagonal shape with two minor slots 32 extending along the major axis of slot 30. Parallel to and equispaced from opposite sides of central receiving slot 30 are ancillary slots 34. In addition, symmetrically arranged around the center of the disc are a plurality of sewing thread receiving holes 36.  
  The button of the invention is applied to clothing in general and functions in the following manner: The receiving member 20 is applied by any method to the inner face of the garment 16 at the point where it is desired to use the button or by sewing it through the four thread holes 36 to the garment. Through the central part of the hexagonal slot 36 a passage is made in the cloth or material of the clothing by separating threads of the same by means of the point of a scissors or by a thick needle or the like, in order to permit the stud member of FIGS. 2 and 3, to pass through same, from the front face of the garment so that the end section 28 and the central section 26 pass through central slot 30. It should be apparent that because of the semispherical nature of end section 28 it will penetrate slot 30, the bevelled edges coinciding with the more developed sides of the slote 30. Since the disc of FIGS. 4 and 5 is made of flexible material, the slote 30 will widen. not only due to the narrower slots 32, but also due to the two slots 34, all this permitting stretching of the slote 30 when the stud member 18 is turned a quarter of a turn, inasmuch as the rounded edges or corners 25 cause strong pressure there. The end portion 28 of the stud member 18 having traversed slot 32 of the receiving member 20 the square central&#39;section 26 penetrates easily into the slot 30, in view of the fact that the narrowest part of its width is equal to the thickness of the central section 30.  
  As was said previously, in order to lock and fasten the stud member 20 in the interior of the slot 30 of the disc, it is sufficient to give a quarter turn to the stud so that the rounded edges or corners 25 press against the perimeter of slot 30 with the widening of the same under pressure. The end section 28 of the stud member 18 has the function of locking because of its diameter being slightly larger than the narrow part of the slot 30 even widened and compressed by the rounded edges or corners 26 of central section 26.  
  When it becomes necessary for the garment to be washed and/or pressed and thus to necessitate the removal of the buttons of the invention, or even when the wearer desires to change of substitute them for others of different shate, pattern and/or colors, it is sufficient to turn the button a quarter turn so that the central section 26 may return to its previous position. When this is done, it is sufficient to push the button so that the stud member 18 becomes free from the receiving member 20 by the retraction of end section 28 of stud member 18. through central slot 30 of receiving member 20.  
  While only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail there will now be obvious to those skilled in the art modifications and variations satisfying many or all of the objects of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
 What is claimed is:  
  l. A removable button for a garment comprising a head member having a face and a rear; a stud member extending from said head member and having base, central and end sections, said base section being embedded in the rear of said head member and having a circular cross section with a given diameter, said central section having a rectangular cross section with a diagonal having a length not greater than the diameter of the cylindrical section, said end section being a flat plate with two sides substantially coplanar respectively with a first two parallel faces of said dimension in a direction perpendicular to said two faces central section, and having a diameter which is not less than the distance between the other two parallel faces of central section; and a receiving member, said receiving member being a disc, said disc being provided with a receiving slot having a length sufficient for the end section of said stud member to pass through.  
  2. The removable button of claim 1 wherein said plate is at least partially circular.  
  3. The removable button of claim 2 wherein said receiving slot has a central region with the gap width substantially equal to the width of said plate and two futher gap regions extending from opposite ends of said central region and having gap widths narrower than the gap width of said central region.  
  4. The removable button of claim 3 wherein said central region is in the form of an elongated hexagon whose major axis is parallel to the axis of said receiving slot.  
  5. the removable button of claim 4 wherein said receiving member is provided with two ancillary slots having widths narrower than the width of the central region of said receiving slot and being parallel to and symmetrically disposed on opposite sides to said receiving slot.  
  6. The removable button of claim 5 wherein said receiving member is provided with a plurality of thread accepting holes symmetrically disposed about the center of said receiving member.  
  7. The removable button of claim 6 wherein said receiving member is made of an elastomeric material.  
 8. The removable button of claim 1 wherein the edges of the central section are rounded.