IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR FASTENINGS, AND IN THE MODES OF ATTACHING OR SECURING THE SAME
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Marsden, of 49, Old Bailey, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS AND OTHER
SIMILAR FASTENINGS, AND IN THE MODES OF ATTACHING OR SECURING THE
SAME."
Sealed the 15th August 1863, and dated the 20th February 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Marsden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
February 1863.
I, WILLIAM MARSDEN, of 49, Old Bailey, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUTTONS AND OTHER SIMILAR FASTENINGS, AND IN THE MODES OF ATTACHING OR
SECURING THE SAME," to be as follows, that is to say :-
I take metal of suitable thickness, copper, brass, iron, tin, or any malleable
compound of metals, and by means of dies and pressure cut out such pieces as
will fit into the hole or holes of the buttons. These pieces of metal have a
circular centre with two or more fangs projecting from it; they are forced up
in a proper tool by pressure so as to represent a tubular tablet, the fangs of
which pass through the hole or holes in the buttons, and being sharp pointed
are passed through the article upon which the buttons are to be affixed, and
are then turned down in some cases upon a metal washer, and are thus secured
to the garment. In cases where the button has but one hole, a tubular tablet
is partially countersunk in the top of the button; the fangs projecting from the
under side pass through the article intended to receive it, and are turned down

page_text: upon a metal disc or washer. The covered buttons have the fangs pressed up
by suitable means out of the metal which forms the back part, or they may
be attached to the back of covered buttons as before described; they are
passed through the material of the garment and pressed down upon a metal
washer, or they may be strengthened by a piece of cloth, leather, or any suitable
material instead of the metal washer. For affixing the cloth, linen, or cotton
buttons the fangs are passed through the perforations centre thereof, and
then through the material or article to which they are to be affixed, at the
back of which the fangs are then pressed down. These metal fastenings may
be made a part of the buttons, and also separately, so that the fangs fit into
the holes of the buttons of commerce, and thereby enable any one to affix them
to garments of every description in a most secure and permanent manner.
The metal fastenings may be ornamented according to fancy; they may also
be gilded, silvered, washed, or plated by any of the well-known methods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said William Marsden, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MARSDEN, of 49, Old Bailey, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Marsden, Her special licence that I, the said William Marsden, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Marsden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS AND
OTHER SIMILAR FASTENINGS, AND IN THE MODES OF ATTACHING OR SECURING
THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Marsden, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Marsden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
This Invention relates in part to certain improvements in the formation of
buttons and other similar articles, whereby the same are rendered self-attaching,
and in part to improvements in the media for fastening the ordinary buttons
of commerce, and the like, to, in, or upon materials to be thereby held together,
whether for wearing apparel or other purposes; the object of the said Invention
in both cases is to dispense with the present tedious, constantly failing, and
insecure mode or process of sewing on by the substitution of an instantaneous,
perfectly secure, and permanent fastening media by which the buttons, &c.
when once attached will not come off unless purposely removed, but can be
also instantaneously detached when required, and the said improvements
consist, in the first place, in forming the said buttons, &c. with the shanks or
tangs and other attaching media of the forms herein-after described, integrally
therewith, and, in the second place, in making the said attaching media, also
as herein-after described, apart from the said buttons, &c. and applying the
same therewith, and also in adapting the same to buttons and other fastenings
of the ordinary or other forms.
In carrying the said improvements into effect, I take metal of suitable
thickness and quality, or cause the same to be beaten or otherwise prepared
so as to possess the proper ductility and toughness in the required directions,
such as copper, brass, iron, tin, or any malleable metal or compound of metals,
and by means of suitably formed tools, dies, and pressure cut out blanks or
pieces of such form or forms as will fit into the hole or holes of the buttons, &e.
These blanks or pieces have a circular or other configurated or suitable centre,
with one, two, or more fangs projecting from them radially from a centre boss
or otherwise. These fangs or legs are turned or forced up in a proper tool so
as to stand at right angles with the centre or boss, and represent a tubular
or other configurated centre or standard, horned or fangged disc, the fangs &c.
of which pass through the holes in the buttons, and are fixed therein if required,.
so as to become an integral part thereof, or fitted and applied separately as
circumstances may determine; the ends of the tangs, &c. are pointed, and can
thus be readily passed through the material to which the button is to bo
attached. The affixing thereof is effected by first passing the fangs through the
button and then through the material, where they are turned down side by

page_text: side, or so as to lap over each other at the back of the material, the centre or
boss of the blank disc being held in position by being fastened to the button or
otherwise held firmly therein; in the other case, that is, where the affixing is
effected by passing the fangs through the material first, they are turned down
across the button itself.
I apply the first-mentioned mode of affixing to all cloth, silk, or other covered
buttons. When buttons with one hole only are used the hole must be counter-
sunk from the face of the button, and a tubular or flanged fastener (or split
tang) must be made to correspond with the countersunk part, so that when
the flange or tang is passed through the material, garment, &c., and the end
of the tube or split tang is opened and pressed down, it will become the
fastening media by which the button will be held firmly in its place. In
covered buttons the fangs, &c. may be either pressed up out of the metal disc
of which the foundation of the button is formed, or may be made separately
and passed through suitable perforations formed in the disc to receive them,
and to be turned in under the same, and thus fixed thereto at the roots, and
the pointed ends projecting as in the other case above mentioned. In all
cases where great strength is required, a disc of metal, cloth, leather, or other
suitable material may be placed at the back of the material, through which the
fangs or fasteners are passed, and which tangs are then turned down thereon;
the same remark applies to the other mode of fastening, that is, where the
fangs are first passed through the material, and turned down upon the face of
the button. For the holed buttons, I propose to use a simple strip of metal
pointed at both ends, turned up to the proper form, and inserted either through
the button from the front, through the material from the back, or through a
small disc of suitable material there for increasing the holding strength of the
said slips; and I further propose also to use two or more of these slips for
attaching the said buttons, &c. when made with two or more holes, and to pass
the pointed ends through from one or both sides so as to form a break joint
or overlap.
The accompanying Drawing shews the forms of the improved buttons and
attaching media.
Fig. 1 shews a covered button with the improved fastener. a, a, a, are the
pointed tangs which are pressed through the material, and turned down as
shewn at b, b, b; the number and disposition of the tangs may be varied as
circumstances may require. Fig. 2 shews a holed button fitted with a similar
fastening; c is the boss or centre of the blank, and d, d, the fangs. Fig. 3 shews
an improved fastener for being used apart, the form, number, and disposition of
the tangs of which may also be varied according to the make of the button;

page_text: e is the boss, a the centre, and f, f, the tangs. Fig. 4 shews the tubular
fastener; g is the tube, which may be split at the ends as shewn at h, h, when
formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder, or be simply split across and the
ends turned down when formed in the shape of a solid and pointed split tang.
Fig. 5 shews the single strip fastener, which I prefer to cut out of a thin
parallel piece in the form here shewn to prevent waste.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature and object of my said
Invention, and explained and illustrated the manner in which the same may
be carried into effect in practice, I would here further observe, that in the
application of the principle of my said improvements I do not confine myself
to the precise forms thus described, as the same may be modified in various
ways both in design and dimensions, and also in the mode of use, I therefore
include all such modifications in form and application as part of my Invention ;
and I do not confine myself to the exact modes herein described of making
the said buttons and fasteners, nor to the exclusive use of metal or metals, as
in certain cases other materials may be substituted, and both the metals, com-
pounds, and other materials may be stamped, cast, or otherwise formed and
finished; and I more particularly claim the circular or configurated disc and
fangs attached to or separate from buttons of every description, and the appli-
cation of the same to all the holed as well as the linen, cotton, and other
like buttons of commerce, and the adaptation of the same fasteners to all
descriptions of ornament for dress and other useful purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Marsden, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM MARSDEN. (LS.)