IMPROVED MEANS OF FASTENING BUTTONS TO BOOTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF APPAREL
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Wright, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF FASTENING
BUTTONS TO BOOTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF APPAREL."
Sealed the 1st June 1877, and dated the 12th April 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edmund Wright at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th April 1877.
EDMUND WRIGHT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer.
"IMPROVED MEANS OF FASTENING BUTTONS TO BOOTS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF
APPAREL,"
The object of my Invention is to more securely attach buttons to boots and other
articles of apparel by means of a small wire or strip of flat metal (without rivetting)
bent to form a staple and horein-after called the staple, which is passed through the
shank or other fastening part of the button, then through the material of the boot
or other article, and then through a suitably perforated plate or washer (herein-after
called the washer) at the back of the material.
The staple is according to my Invention made of such a length as to allow of its
ends being folded over the outer edge of the said washor so as to lie between the
latter and the material to which the button is affixed.
The Invention will be more readily understood by a reference to the accompanying
Drawings, which are made to a considerably enlarged scale.
Figure 1 represents the staple; Figure 2 represents the washer, which may either
be perforated with a single slit in the centre or preferably with two slits as shown,
as by piercing the material to correspond the staple is prevented from turning and
thus enlarging the aperture in the material; Figure 3 represents the button attached
and secured according to my Invention.
A is the button; B, the staple; C, the washer; and D, the material to which the
button is fastened. It will be observed that the ends of the staple B are brought
round the washer at a, a, and folded between it and the material D. By this means
the staple B may without any danger of being drawn out be made of such thin metal
as to be readily bent to its position by the fingers without the use of any tool or
instrument whatever, thus avoiding the loss of time and inconvenience of clenching
or rivetting the staple by means of a hammer or other implement.

page_text: It will be obvious that the tension on the button A when in use tends to hold
the material more securely, as the pressure of the material on the points of the
staple prevent the latter rising and thus becoming unfolded. Thus the greater the
tension on the button A. the greater the resistance of the staple B.
Another advantage is that should the material have become stretched by wear
the position of the button may be readily altered with but trifling damage to the
material.
Figure 4 represents the position of the button A and material D during the
process of folding one end of the staple B, which is bent over as indicated by the
dotted line. By this method of securing the staple the latter as well as the washer
may be made so thin as not to project sufficiently from the surface of the material to
inconvenience the wearer.
Although the openings for receiving the staple may be made in the material by
an ordinary penknife or other sharp instrument, a small double-pointed awl is
shown in Figure 5, of about the natural size, which may be used for this purpose
with advantage.
Having thus described the Invention and the manner of performing the same, I
declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is in
securing buttons by a metal staple and washer as described. I claim folding the
ends of the staple round the edges of the washer so as to be on the front side of the
latter between it and the back of the material, substantially as shown and described,
whereby I am enabled to make the staple of very thin metal without danger of it
drawing out, and with the other advantages above specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Wright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.