Year: 1889

page_text: I, ALEXANDER LENNARD GRIPENBERG, of Helsingfors, Finland, in the Empire of
Russia, Mechanician, 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:-
The object of this invention is the production of what are known as 'safety' buttons,
which with little trouble can be fastened durably and securely in articles of clothing
without the use of thread.
The accompanying drawings illustrate some forms of such buttons.
The button consists of three, principal parts, the head a, the neck b and the lower
disc c. The form of the head and the material to be used for the same may be selected at
will. In Fig. 1, for example, the head a is formed of a stamped metal disc. According
to Figs. 2 and 3, it is formed of two or more lined or unlined discs with intermediate
layers of pasteboard or some similar material. In Fig. 4 the head is formed of
bone, horn, ivory or some similar material. In Fig. 5 it is made of cast or plastic
material. The head a has in its centre a hole or hollow in which the neck b catches
and is fastened. Cast heads are cast on the neck; heads of plastic material are formed
around it. The neck b consists of a metal case or solid rivet of round or elongated
section. At one end of the neck there is a flange or head which engages firmly with
the head a of the button. The lower disc c consists of a thin plate having a hole
wherein the neck fits.
If the button is to be fastened into the material d, the latter is provided with a hole
through which the neck 6 is passed. To the end of the neck projecting through
the material, the lower disc e is then applied, and lastly, the outer end of the
neck is bent over by hand or by a punch or in any other way, and thus forms
a burr which holds the disc fast and therefore also secures the button in the
material.
In order to obtain the necessary space between the button and the material, various
means may be employed. The lower side of the slide may be dome-shaped (Fig. 2),
or the lower part of the neck b may be conical and be provided with a shoulder
80 that the under disc c cannot slip further up the neck (Fig. 5). The

page_text: lower side of the head may also be so formed that a ringe (Fig. 1) projects
around the hole for the neck b; or a ring g may be laid between the button
and the material (Fig. 4); or again, a loose sheath may be slid upon the neck b
(Fig. 3).
Heads of bone, horn and similar material may be fastened to the neck in the
manner above described, or they may be provided with a hole in which the neck is
inserted and made fast, the hole being thereupon closed up with a plug of the same
material as that whereof the head is made; or again, the lower side of the head may be
formed with a conical hollow into which the plate serving to connect the neck with
the head is pressed (Fig. 4).
In buttons which do not require to be fixed very securely, the lower disc may be
dispensed with.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :—
1. The improved construction of button substantially as herein described, whether
consisting of three principal parts, the head, the neck and the lower disc, or of only
two parts, the head and the neck.
2. In the manufacture of buttons of the kind herein referred to, constructing the
neck in the form of a metal pipe having a flange to secure the underneath disc, or in
the form of a solid rivet, the neck being fastened in a suitable hole formed for the
purpose in the head.
3. In the manufacture of buttons of the kind herein referred to, forming the
requisite space between the head of the button and the material to which the
button is to be fastened by either giving the head itself a suitable form or by
giving the free end of the neck a conical form, or by providing the latter with a
shoulder, or by placing a fixed flange on the neck between the head and the
material, or by sliding a loose ring or sheath upon the neck, or by a combination of
these means.
4. The several methods of constructing buttons as shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 30th day of Anril 1880
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.