IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON-HOOKS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, REUBEN CORNELIUS LILLY, of 295, St Vincent Street, Birmingham,
Warwickshire, Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON-HOOKS to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to Improvements in button-hooks and particularly to those
for use in buttoning ladies' gloves but is also applicable to be used for other
articles.
•
Button-hooks as now ordinarily made consist of a hook or loop of metal which
when in use is tlireaded through the button-hole and passed over and around the
button, then by a circular movement of the button-hook around the axis of the
button the operation of buttoning is completed. The said circular movement often
tears off the button and damages the article to which it is attached.
The object of my Invention is to provide a button-hook, which operating
without the said circular movement, shall be more effective and less liable to tear
off the buttons than those now in use,
According to my Invention I provide a button-hook or loop of metal having a
stem on which is a metal sliding-piece. This metal sliding-piece partly envelopes
the stem and can be moved along it backwards and forwards. At the front end,
nearest to the hook or loop, the said metal sliding-piece is preferably flat under-
neath and provided with a longitudinal slot or groove for a short distance from the
front edge above it may either be open, or closed and dome shaped.
I sometimes provide a spring which, in its normal position, retains the metal
sliding-piece away from the hooked or looped end of the button-hook.
It is used as follows:-
The button-hook or loop is threaded through the button-hole and passed over
and around the button. The metal sliding-piece is then pressed forward towards
the hook or loop and the said slot or groove allows it to push the button-hole over
the button and to complete the operation of buttoning.

page_text: :
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, REUBEN CORNELIUS LILLY, of 295, St Vincent Street, Birmingham,
Warwickshire, Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTON-HOOKS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
"
My Invention relates to Improvements in button-books and particularly to those
for use in buttoning ladies' gloves but is also applicablo to be used for other
articles.
Button-hooks as now ordinarily made consist of a hook or loop of metal which
when in use is threaded through the button-hole and passed over and around the
button, then by a circular movement of the button-hook around the axis of the
button the operation of buttoning is completed. The said circular movement often
tears off the button and damages the article to which it is attached.
The object of my Invention is to provide a button-hook, which operating
without the said circular movement, shall be more effective and less liable to tear
off the buttons than those now in use.
According to my Invention I provide a button-hook or loop of metal having a
stem on which is a metal sliding-piece. This metal sliding-piece partly envelopes
.the stem and can be moved along it backwards and forwards. At the front end,
nearest to the hook or loop, the said metal sliding-piece is preferably flat under-
neath and provided with a longitudinal slot or groove for a short distance from the
front edge; above it may either be open, or closed and dome shaped.
I sometimes provide a spring which, in its normal position, retains the metal
sliding-piece away from the hooked or looped end of the button hook.
It is used as follows:-
The button-hook or loop is threaded through the button-hole and passed over
and around the button. The metal sliding-piece is then pressed forward towards
the hook or loop and the said slot or groove allows it to push the button-hole over
the button and to complete the operation of buttoning.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in plan an improved button-hook
open made in accordance with my Invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the
same and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line X. X. of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a
sectional plan of the same and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation; Figs 5* is a cross-
section of the same on line Y. Y. of Figs 4 and 5; Fig. 6 is a plan in elevation
of the same button-hook closed; Fig. 6* is a plan of the under side of the same
and Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of the same; Figs 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the operation
of the same and Figs. 11 and 12 are a plan and an elevation respectively of a
modification of my Invention.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several Figures.
A is a button-hook or loop of metal having a stem a' on which is the metal
sliding-piece B. This metal sliding-piece B partly envelopes the stem a¹ and can
be moved along it backwards and forwards. In Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 the sliding.
piece B is shewn in its extreme position in one direction and in Figs. 6, 6* and 7
it is shewn in its extreme position in the opposite direction. It can be slid

page_text: backwards and forwards by the ring b¹ the stem a meanwhile being held by the
knob a. At the front end, nearest to the hook or loop A, the said metal sliding
piece B is preferably flat underneath as shewn in Fig. 3 and provided with a
longitudinal slot or groove b' for a short distance from the edge 6, see Fig. 6* ;
above it may either be open as shewn or closed and if preferred dome shaped.
I sometimes provide a spring C which presses the stem a' and in its normal
position, retains the metal sliding-piece away from the hooked or looped end A of
the button-hook, as shewn in Figs 1, 2, 4 and 5. The spring C also serves to
maintain the stem a' partly within the sliding-piece B when the button-hook is
closed, as shewn in Figs. 6, 6* and 7.
Various modified forms of button-hooks arranged to operate by moving a
sliding-piece on the stem of the button-hook may be made without departing from
the nature of my Invention. For instance, as shewn by Figs 11 and 12 the
spring C may be dispensed with and the stem al arranged to project at each end
beyond the sliding-piece B instead of only projecting at the front end, as shewn by
Figs 1 to 10, both inclusive. My improved button-hooks are applicable for any of
the purposes for which ordinary button-hooks are applied.
The operation of the button-hook is as follows:-
The button hook or loop A is threaded through the button-hole in the glove D,
as shown in Fig. 8, and passed over and around the button e', as shewn in Fig. 9.
The metal sliding-piece B is then pressed forward towards the hook or loop A
and the said slot or groove 62 allows the said sliding-piece B to push the button-
hole over the button e', as shewn in Fig. 10 and to complete the operation of
buttoning.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The improvements in button-hooks herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing; that is to say, the combination of the sliding-piece B
constructed in the several ways described and illustrated for pushing the button-
hole of the article to be buttoned over the button, with a stem a¹ having a hook or
loop A, for drawing the button of the article to be buttoned towards the sliding-
piece B, for the purpose and substantially as described and illustrated.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
128, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.