Improvements in Buttons.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 6th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, of Waterbury,
County of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.]
Improvements in Buttons.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of one form which a
button constructed in accordance with our invention may assume, the die and shell of
the button and its pointed rivet being shown on opposite sides of a section of fabric
respectively.
Figure 2 is a view in vertical section of a similar button after its parts have been
finally assembled, this button having a modified form of die and a spacer.
Figure 3 is a detached sectional view of another modified form of the die or
clinching-piece.
Figure 4 is a view in elevation of another modified form of the same part.
Figure 5 is a plan view of a blank, such as may be employed in the production of
still another modified form of the die or clinching-piece.
Figure 6 is a view in elevation showing the first step in the development of an
independent die or clinching-piece from the blank shown in Fig. 5, and
Figure 7 is a similar view showing the completed die or clinching-piece produced
from the said blank.
This invention relates to an improvement in buttons, the object being to produce a
button adapted in its construction to be easily and cheaply made and applied and
presenting when done a neat and finished appearance.
With these ends in view our invention consists in a button having an independent
die or clinching-piece provided with a contracted opening and an enlarged space at
the inner end thereof, and in certain details of construction, as will be hereinafter
described, and pointed out in the claims.
As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the button is provided with an independent
die or clinching-piece having a shank A and a head B, the said shank, which forms
the hub of the button, being traversed by a longitudinal bore or opening C, flared at
its outer end to form a foot D and provided at its opposite end with a shoulder E,'
and the said head being located at the shouldered end of the shank and having an
enlarged clinching-space F which is intersected by the opening or bore thereof.
When having the form above described, the die or clinching-piece will preferably be
formed by making a shouldered thimble and inserting its closed end into an opening
formed in the centre of the button-flange G and then crushing the said end of the
thimble to develop the head B upon the outer face of the said flange, after which a
cap-piece H is united to the edge of the button-flange which is held between the said
shoulder E and the head B. The said head. having a flattened outer face, is therefore
shaped to form a bearing-surface for the said cap-piece and prevent the same from
being distorted or injured during the upsetting of the rivet, as will be described
later on.
In the construction above described the button-flange G and the cap-piece H together
form the head of the button. If desired, however, the cap-piece may be dispensed
with and the button-flange adapted in itself to form the button-head, in which case it
will not be necessary to shape the closed end of the die to form a bearing surface, as
referred to above.
Our improved die or clinching-piece calls for a rivet adapted to have its end curled
or upset within the clinching-space of the die. One form which this rivet may take

page_text: is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, wherein it consists of a pointed end I, and
a bead J.
The button-head and die having been combined, as described, are located on one
side of the cloth J and the rivet on the other side thereof. The point of the rivet is
then passed through the cloth and into the bore in the shank of the die, in which it is
centered by the flaring outer end thereof. From the said bore the point of the rivet
emerges into the clinching-space of the die, and the pressure being continued and
the point of the rivet being confined in the said clinching-die, it is forced to curl upon
itself, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and so bind the several parts of the button
together with the cloth between the foot of the shank of the die and the head of the
rivet. As shown by Fig. 2 of the drawings, the shank of the die has no shoulder and
is encircled by a spacer K.
The die or clinching-piece L, (shown by Fig. 3 of the drawings) is made in one
piece and the inner end of its shank spun inwardly and expanded to form the enlarged
clinching-space M. The clinching-space of the die or clinching-piece (shown by
Fig. 3 of the drawings) is made by forming a transverse opening N through the
shank of the die, so as to intersect the bore thereof at its inner end. The die or
clinching-piece (shown by Fig. 7 of the drawings) is made by drawing up such a
blank O as is shown in Fig. 5, into a tube P, closed at one end, and then flattening
the closed end of the said tube, whereby a clinching-space Q is formed in the head
made by upsetting the tube.
It is obvious that our improved die or clinching-piece may assume still other forms,
and we do not therefore limit ourselves to the constructions shown.
It is not essential that the outer end of the shank of the die be expanded to form
the foot, as shown by Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, although when so expanded
an enlarged flaring entrance is formed in the bore of the die, which may facilitate
the centering of the pointed end of the rivet thercinto. When a spacer is not used,
it will be desirable to in some manner expand the outer end of the shank of the die
to form a foot for the button. In some cases, also, the expansion of the said end of
the shank of the die may be utilized to assist in holding the spacer in place. As
before mentioned, the spacer may or may not be used, and when used it may be
constructed and applied in a variety of ways too well known to require illustration
here more than is done in Figure 2 of the drawings. The button-head may also be
formed in any approved manner, and we do not limit ourselves to any one way of
making it.
It has been proposed prior to our invention to clinch a pointed rivet by forcing
its point against the button-head on the inside thereof. This mode of construction is,
however, objectionable, because the point of the rivet is very liable to dent or even
puncture the button-head and so spoil the button, and because its point being
unconfined it is difficult to sufficiently upset the end of the rivet to-form an effective
fastening. The objections incident to the old process referred to are entirely over-
come by our improvement, in which the end of the rivet is curled or clinched in an
independent die confining the point, and heavy enough in itself to do the work of
clinching the rivet without any aid from other parts of the button. It has also been
proposed prior to our invention to upset the point of a pointed rivet after the same
has been assembled with the remaining parts of a button by forcing a cap down over
its point which is thereby upset in the cap.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention 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 :-
First. In a button, an independent die or clinching-piece provided with a longi-
tudinal bore and an enlarged clinching-space, and having its closed end shaped to
form a bearing-surface for the cap-piece of the button, so that the said cap-piece will
not be distorted or injured when under pressure during the upsetting of the rivet,
substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination, with a centrally-perforated button-flange, of an

page_text: independent die or clinching-piece having a closed end and a flared open end,
respectively located on opposite sides of the button-flange, through the perforation of
which the die or clinching-piece is passed, as set forth.
Third. The combination, with a centrally-perforated button flange, of an
independent die or clinching-piece having an enlarged head and a shank respectively
located on opposite sides of the button-flange, the said enlarged head inclosing an
enlarged clinching-space, and the said shank having a longitudinal bore which opens
into the said space, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In a button, the combination, with a centrally-perforated button-flange, of
an independent die or clinching-piece having a head and a shank and provided with
an enlarged clinching-space and a longitudinal bore, and a spacer encircling the said
shank or a portion thereof, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. In a button, the combination, with a centrally-perforated button-flange, of
an independent die or cliuching-piece having a head and a shank flared at its outer
end, the said head and shank being located on opposite sides of the said flange, the
head having an enlarged clinching-space, and the shank having a longitudinal bore,
and a spacer encircling the shank and held in place by the flared outer end thereof,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 5th day of droust 1800
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.