Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Buttons.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Buttons.
A communication by LOUIS ANTOINE BOCOGNANO and EUGENE SCHERDING,
both of 15, Rue du Louvre, Paris, in the Republic of France, Mechanician
and Merchant respectively.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, hoth in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved method for making solid metal buttons,
such more particularly as those employed for military uniforms and it has for its
object to produce buttons in which the metallic shank is made from the disc itself,
which serves to form the button, with the-view-of-avoiding any rivetting, soldering
or fixing of the shank, and to increase the solidity of the button and lower the
cost price.
This invention consists essentially in submitting the metal disc to the successive
action of a series of punches and dies, which cut out and bend downwards successively
the shank of the button giving it the form and dimensions which it is intended to
have and then compressing the metal, forming the body of the button in such a
way as to close the edges of the slot resulting from the piece cut and bent down in
the centre of the round disc for the object of forming the shank of the button and
thus to cause this slot to entirely disappear when the operation is concluded.
The various phases of the process are as follows-
In a plate of suitable metal of a given thickness, a circular disc is cut out, its
diameter being regulated by the dimensions of the button which it is desired to
produce and simultaneously during the cutting out of this round disc, a slot is
formed in the centre by means of an attachment arranged in the centre of the
cutting out punch, this slot having the thickness of the shank of the button or two
slots which cross when the shank is to be a double one.
The round disc is then reheated, and afterwards submitted to the second
operation which consists in placing it on a steel die, the centre of which has an
indentation which assumes exactly the external form of the shank and the counter-
part of which is formed by a punch having the internal form of the shank of the
button, which punch. descending under the action of a fly press lengthens and
shapes this shank in such a way as to give it its fiual form and dimensions.
The next operation consists in placing the piece which has just been cut out and
stamped in the manner hereinbefore described on a steel block or die provided in
its centre with a circular tapering opening, the upper part of which has the same
diameter as the round disc, and the lower part is diminished to the diameter of the
button which it is desired to produce. By means of a suitable punch, composed
of a variable number of jointed and spring-mounted parts, the round disc is
compressed by a blow of the fly press, which forces the metal towards the centre
of the button in such a way that the openings are closed and hidden by their edges
being brought together. Under this action the article has on its external face a
level surface without a break in its continuity.
The article thus prepared is again reheated and afterwards placed in a die where
it receives its ornamentation, and final contour.
For this object the button is placed in a die in the centre of which there is
formed a recess having a suitable form for producing at the point of connection of

page_text: the shank with the button a neck or shoulder intended to consolidate the attachment
of the single or double loop which forms the shank to the body of the button.
A final blow of the fly press forces the substance into the recess herein before
named, at the same time producing, if desired, on the external face of the button,
ornamentations, or letters, which are engraved in intaglio on the punch which forms
the counterpart of the die.
The button thus formed bears no trace of the parts stamped out of the material
for forming the shank.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1894
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Buttons.
A communication by Louis ANTOINE BOCOGNANO and EUGÈNE SCHERDING,
both of 15, Rue du Louvre, Paris, in the Republic of France, Mechanician
and Merchant respectively.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
.invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved method for making solid metal buttons,
such more particularly as those employed for military and other uniforms and it
has for its object to produce buttons in which the metallic shank is made from the
disc itself, which serves to form the button, with the view of avoiding any rivetting,
soldering or fixing of the shank, and to increase the solidity of the button and
lower the cost price.
This invention consists essentially in submitting the metal disc to the successive
action of a series of punches and dies, which cut out and bend downwards successively
the shank of the button giving it the form and dimensions which it is intended to
have and then compressing the metal, forming the body of the button in such a
way as to close the edges of the slot resulting from the piece cut and bent down in
the centre of the round disc for the object of forming the shank of the button, and
thus to cause this slot to entirely disappear when the operation is concluded.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which the figures on the left hand side represent the system applied to
buttons with a single shank and those on the right relate to buttons with a double
shank.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation, a section, and a plan view of the metallic disc
after it has undergone the first operation.
Figure 2 shows a section and a plan view of the result of the second operation.
Figure 3 shows a side elevation and a plan view of the result of the third
operation.
Figure 4 shows a section, a bottom plan, and a top plan of the finished button.
The various phases of the process are as follows-
From a plate of suitable metal of a given thickness, a circular disc a a¹ is cut
out, its diameter being regulated by the dimensions of the button which it is
desired to produce, and simultaneously during the cutting out of this round disc, a
slot c is formed in the centre by means of an attachment arranged in the centre of
the cutting out punch, this slot having the thickness of the shank 6 of the button,
or two slots c' which cross when the shank is to be a double one. The disc has
then, according to the kind, the form shown in Figure 1.

page_text: The round disc is then reheated, and afterwards submitted to the second operation
which consists in placing it on a steel die, the centre of which has an indentation
which assumes exactly the external form of the shank and the counterpart of which
is formed by a punch having the internal form of the shank of the button, which
punch descending under the action of a fly press lengthens and shapes this shank
in such a way as to give it its final form and dimension.
The next operation consists in placing the piece which has just been cut out
and stamped in the manner hereinbefore described on a steel biock or die provided
in its centre with a circular tapering opening, the upper part of which has the
same diameter as the round disc, and the lower part is diminished to the diameter
of the button which it is desired to produce. By means of a suitable punch
corresponding to the smallest diameter of the mould, the round disc is compressed
by a blow of the fly press, which forces the metal towards the centre of the button
in such a way that the openings c or c¹ are closed and hidden by their edges being
brought together. Under this action the article has on its external face a level
surface without a break in its continuity as shown in Figure 3.
The article thus prepared is again reheated and afterwards placed in a die where
it receives its ornamentation and final contour.
For this object the button a or a' is placed in a die curved to the shape which the
button is finally intended to have and having in its centre a recess of suitable form
for producing at the point of connection of the shank-with--the-button a neck or
shoulder d or d' intended to consolidate the attachment of the single or double b₁
loop which forms the shank to the body of the button.
A final blow of the fly press forces the substance into the recess hereinbefore
named, at the same time producing, if desired, on the external face of the button,
ornamentations, or letters, which are engraved in intaglio on the punch which forms
the counterpart of the die.
The button thus formed bears no trace of the parts stamped out of the material
for forming the shank. It is of course evident that the invention is not restricted
absolutely to the arrangements herein before described. For instance, instead of
cutting out two parallel slots c or four slots at right angles c at the first operation,
such as has been hereinbefore described, this operation may with advantage be
divided into two successive stages. In the first stage, the punch which has a
rounded form has for its effect simply to form in the metal disc a depression rounded
at its edge and then the second operation has for its result to turn up the
semicircular or sector-shaped parts which remain on one part or the other of the
shank c or c of the button, according to whether this shank is to be a single or a
double one; the other operations remain the same.
It is also understood that the right is reserved of employing the process
bereinbefore described for any other metallic objects or articles in which appendices
in the form of a shank or the like are obtained by the same means, with the
object of dispensing with rivetting, soldering, or other process of fixing at present
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is-
An improved process for the manufacture of buttons, or other like articles of
metal, with a metallic shank formed in the same piece, which process consists
essentially in cutting out and forming the said shank or appendix in the disc itself
by stamping or punching; the opening produced in the disc being then closed by
compression substantially as hereinbefore described and with the object set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
.